High School Preparation Research Articles

Unraveling the STEM Pipeline: High School Preparation, College Retention, and Racial Disparities

Unraveling the STEM Pipeline: High School Preparation, College Retention, and Racial Disparities

Students speak: Academic, career, and sociocultural experiences of African American college students

This manuscript presents the outcomes of a qualitative research investigation centered on the experiences of African American college students in terms of their preparation for high school, college, and careers within a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) situated in rural southeastern Wisconsin. At the time of this research, the comprehensive public university had an undergraduate enrollment of 10,196 students. Among these students, 82.1% self-identified as White, 7.8% as Hispanic or Latinx, 5.4% as African American, 3.2% as Asian or Southeast Asian, and 0.9% as American Indian or Alaskan Native. Using semi-structured interviews with willing student participants, the primary objectives of this study were twofold: (1) to recognize the sociocultural and institutional elements that influence the career trajectories of African American students attending the institution and (2) to effectively capture the educational and career viewpoints and voices of these students as they navigate the complex sociocultural and institutional landscape. Key findings from the research highlight the students’ perspectives on the substantial connections between their high school experiences, particularly those in and around a major urban center in the Midwest, and their subsequent college and career paths. Additionally, the study underscores the challenges these students encounter while navigating the physical and social spaces on a rural PWI campus. Recommendations are made for creating a more welcoming space for African American students and for supporting those engaged in the work.

“We're gonna get you through it”: The role of bonding social capital in the development of bridging social capital

AbstractMany programs that place low‐income students of color in high‐achieving college preparatory high schools seek to nurture bridging social capital, connections across class lines that provide leverage in the process of “getting ahead.” Bonding social capital, which focuses more on emotional support and “getting by,” is frequently characterized as less useful for social mobility. Drawing upon in‐depth interviews with alumni from one such program, we challenge the notion of bridging and bonding social capital as discrete, countervailing forms of social capital, and demonstrate how the two may complement each other. Specifically, we find that bonding social capital served as a critical resource that students drew upon as they navigated their elite high schools in the face of racism and classism. In doing so, this bonding social capital ultimately facilitated the development of bridging social capital by encouraging student persistence at these institutions. Our findings support critiques of traditional accounts of social capital that devalue the capital possessed by marginalized communities and fuel deficit ideologies. Furthermore, they highlight the personal costs that youth may face in the pursuit of bridging capital, complicating the narrative of social mobility as an unmitigated good.

High School Preparation and Post-Secondary Educational Attainment: An Analysis of Racial/Ethnic and Gender Differences for Missouri Public High School Students

High School Preparation and Post-Secondary Educational Attainment: An Analysis of Racial/Ethnic and Gender Differences for Missouri Public High School Students

The relationship among EFL learners’ motivational self-system, willingness to communicate, and self-assessed proficiency at an Ethiopian preparatory high school

This study investigated relationships between English as a foreign language (EFL) students' L2 motivational self-system (L2MSS), L2 willingness to communicate (L2WTC) inside and outside the classroom, and their self-assessed English proficiency at an Ethiopian preparatory high school. Data was collected using validated instruments from 609 12th-grade preparatory school students in Ethiopia. Using structural equation modelling (SEM), a hypothesised model was generated and tested. The components of the L2MSS were considered as independent variables, while L2WTC within and outside of the classroom and self-assessed English proficiency were treated as dependent variables. Self-assessed English proficiency was also used as an independent variable to test if it predicted scores on the two L2WTC subscales. The results revealed that, although the mean on the ought to L2 self scale was above average, the means of ideal L2 self and L2 learning experiences were below average. Students reported low levels of L2WTC and self-perceived proficiency in English. The components of the L2MSS in the model demonstrated a statistically significant positive association with each other, as well as with L2WTC in and outside the classroom and self-assessed English proficiency. To be more specific, the L2MSS parts had a statistically significant positive effect on the dependent variables. The only one that was not significant was the path from ideal L2 self to L2WTC outside of school. Self-assessed English proficiency showed statistically significant positive predictive effects on L2WTC within and outside the classroom. The results and implications are critically discussed to inform English educators, students, parents, curriculum designers, and researchers about these interrelationships.

특성화고 예비신입생 및 학부모의 고교 진학 준비과정 분석: 서울 지역을 중심으로

The purpose of this study is to explore ways to improve vocational high school admissions support. Accordingly, in order to analyze the experiences of vocational high school students in the high school preparation process, a survey was conducted targeting vocational high school freshmen and their parents. The main results of the study are as follows.
 First, many students considered their career path and aptitude at the stage of deciding to go on to vocational high school, and some were concerned about society's negative views. Second, awareness of the support policy for university admissions to vocational high schools was high, but awareness of other support policies was found to be low. Third, the motivation for entering vocational high school was often consistent with the purpose of establishing vocational high schools, there were some students who decided to enroll because of their grades or college admission. Fourth, in the case of vocational high school admission and career guidance, middle school and vocational high school teachers were found to be of great help, but satisfaction with middle schools career guidance was relatively low. Fifth, in terms of vocational high school admission information, the need for continuous provision of information and the difficulty in collecting specific information for major or admission preparation were confirmed. Based on the research results, improvement methods were presented to communicate a consistent message to create a positive image of vocational high schools, strengthen advancement and career guidance training for middle school and vocational high school teachers, provide specific major information for admission support.

EFL Teachers of Junior High School Readiness in Applying “Merdeka Curriculum”

Curriculum is the heart of schools’ activity. It influences what will the students learn, experience and what kinds of output will the schools have. Meanwhile, the students’ conditions are always change time after time. Therefore, the curriculum needs to be aligned with the students. In the pandemic situation which changes the way the teaching-learning process, there is a fact that the online learning caused “learning loss”. This condition threats the students’ achievement. The government released “Merdeka curriculum” as a solution to overcome the problem. The teacher as the “main actor” in doing the curriculum must have good understanding about it. Therefore, the research was conducted to know the EFL teachers of Junior high school readiness in the application of “Merdeka curriculum” in their class. The respondents of this research were the EFL teachers of Junior high school in Purbalingga regency. A closed questionnaire was distributed through Whatsapp group to 60 EFL teachers. The result showed that 72, 08% EFL teachers were ready to apply “Merdeka curriculum”.

Education in Teschen Silesia from 1848 to 1914

The article focuses on the development of national education, Polish and Czech, in the territory of Teschen Silesia in 1848–1914 The first part of the article deals with the demographic changes that occurred at this time in the region, along with the development of industry. Moreover, the national issue and the national consciousness of the population are presented. In its second part, the article deals with the development of Polish and Czech education in the area, from preparatory high schools to secondary schools.

Positive Early Childhood Experiences and School Readiness among US Preschoolers

To characterize the relationship between positive early childhood experiences (PECEs) and school readiness, and assess whether the PECEs-school readiness relationship was robust to and/or differed across levels of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). We analyzed national data on children ages 3-5 from 2016 to 2020 (n=26 871) to examine associations between key PECE domains (nurturing relationships, home learning opportunities, safe and stable environments, and family routines) with being on track for school readiness, defined using a pilot, multidimensional measure called "healthy and ready to learn". Weighted univariate, bivariate, and multivariable analyses were conducted to generate nationally representative estimates. Multivariable models adjusted for sociodemographic factors and were assessed both with and without cumulative ACE exposure. Two-fifths of children were healthy and ready to learn. Exposure to PECEs was associated with higher school readiness, irrespective of relative ACE exposure. Compared with those with low PECEs, children with moderate (aOR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.86-2.58) and high (aOR, 4.37; 95% CI, 3.58-5.34) PECEs had greater odds for being healthy and ready to learn, net of both sociodemographic factors and ACE exposure. Significant associations were robust across demographic groups (eg, race and ethnicity), ACE levels, and ACE types (eg, parental incarceration). Increasing PECEs correspond with greater likelihood of possessing capacities key for school functioning, even amidst ACEs. In concert with efforts to ameliorate early life trauma, caregivers, health care providers, educators, and systems can consider boosting PECEs to foster healthy development in childhood and beyond.

Medical students' perspective of the motivations and limitations of studying medicine: a cross-sectional study from the United Arab Emirates

BackgroundIncentives and disincentives to study medicine are complex concepts and may involve a dynamic balancing act between financial, personal, and social reasons. These processes have not been adequately explored in the Middle East. This study explores students' thoughts and feelings about studying medicine at the United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between April and August 2019. An online, self-administered questionnaire consisting of 22 questions was distributed to the students enrolled at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University. The survey questions focused on motivations to study medicine and limitations that prevent choosing medicine as a field of study.ResultsTwo hundred and five (33%) of 621 students in the six-year program completed the questionnaire. Forty-three percent of the responders were from the first two years of medical school. The decision to study medicine was reported as their own by 92%. Eighty-eight percent of the students did not consider gender a limitation for studying medicine, and 62% had a defined medical specialty to pursue. One-third considered quitting medicine, mainly during the first two years. Reported difficulties included mental health problems (stress, anxiety, and depression), social isolation ('having no life,' 'being lonely'), curriculum content (overwhelming workload), college condition/rules (poor condition of the hostels, lack of support, scant passion, and strict rules), and rational thinking (inadequate high-school preparation).ConclusionsThese results justify implementing an effective counseling program, especially during the early academic years. The quality of high-school education requires careful thoughtfulness from the department of education with input from our medical schools. Other modifiable factors include the methods of assessment, available supportive resources, and extracurricular activities.

Cluster-Mentoring for Sustainable Competency: A Case Study of PTK Training for Islamic Education Teachers in Junior High Schools

Purpose – Given the various challenges faced by teachers in making PTK reports, this study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the Cluster-Mentoring-based mentor program in supporting the sustainability of competency programs for Islamic Education teachers at the Junior High School level in Sleman District. Design/methods/approach – This case study evaluated the implementation of a Cluster-Mentoring-supported PTK training program among Islamic education teachers from 14 secondary schools participating in the PTK and Mendeley training using observations, online interviews, and documentation for data collection, by applying purposive sampling techniques. Findings – This study aims to improve the understanding of Islamic Education teachers in Sleman District about PTK preparation for junior high school, using Zoom meeting-based online training and Cluster-Mentoring methods and practices. The training was practical, with 63% of teachers having no difficulty finding research problems, 57% having no difficulty creating background problems, and 70% finding Mendeley app training easy to understand. After Mendeley’s training, 87.5% of trainees were able to use the app to create writing references. Cluster-Mentoring Grouping also helped participants understand the material better. Research implications/limitations – This study only focuses on variables related to PTK training programs, specifically the Cluster-Mentoring model and training outcomes. The study did not analyze other variables, such as teacher obstacles and attitudes. Originality/value – This study aims at providing an overview of competency development programs through PTK training assistance and delays using the Cluster-Mentoring method for Islamic Education teachers in Secondary Schools in Sleman.

What I had, what I needed: First-year students reflect on how their high school experience prepared them for college research

This article is a continuation of the First-Years study (Valenza et al., 2022) that investigated college research readiness among novice and non-novice first-year students. This paper offers analysis of additional qualitative data from first-year college students reflecting on their high school preparation, levels of confidence regarding research and specific information literacy (IL) skills and how academic research differed from their previous inquiry experiences. Findings of this study hold implications for the instructional design of IL and underscore the need for heightened preparation in research and IL skills at the high school level and particularly for moving beyond the mechanics of research toward a focus on the critical thinking aspects of inquiry. Based on these findings, the researchers offer a three-part taxonomy of IL skills: information management, critical thinking, and metacognitive skills that could be used to guide the instructional design of IL at both the high school and college levels.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic preparation and performance: a complex picture of equity

IntroductionMany experts have predicted a drop in students’ academic performance due to an extended period of remote instruction and other harmful effects of the pandemic.MethodsAs university instructors and education researchers, we sought to investigate the effects of the pandemic on students’ preparation for college-level coursework and their performance in early college using mixed effects regression models. Data were collected from STEM students at a public research university in the southeastern United States.ResultsWe found that demographic gaps in high school preparation (as measured by ACT scores) between men and women, as well as underrepresented minority and majority students, remained relatively consistent after the start of the pandemic. These gaps were approximately 1 point (out of 36) and 3 points, respectively. However, the gap between first generation and continuing generation students increased from prior to 2020, to after 2020, going from approximately 1 point to 2 points. This gap in preparation was not accompanied by a corresponding shift in the demographics of the student population and there was no corresponding increase in the demographic gaps in students’ first term grades.DiscussionThe data seem to suggest that first-generation students in STEM suffered more from the changes to secondary instruction during the pandemic, but that college instructors were able to mitigate some of these effects on first-semester grades. However, these effects were only mitigated to the extent that they preserved the status quo of pre-pandemic inequities in undergraduate STEM education.

Comparing introductory undergraduate physics learning and behavior before and after the COVID-19 pandemic

This study examines high school preparation measures [ACT/SAT scores, high school grade point average (HSGPA), and conceptual physics pretest scores], in-class behavior measures (homework submission rates and lecture attendance rates), and in-class achievement measures (homework and test averages) for the last two fully face-to-face prepandemic and the first two fully face-to-face postpandemic semesters of an introductory calculus-based electricity and magnetism class. This class was offered at a large eastern land grant university in the United States. The total number of students for the four semesters was 1033. While some significant differences were measured (higher postpandemic HSGPA, lower postpandemic conceptual pretest scores, higher postpandemic homework average (fall semesters only), and lower postpandemic lecture attendance (spring semesters only), none were larger than a small effect. As such, student achievement, attendance rates, and assignment completion rates were largely unchanged after the pandemic.Received 2 March 2023Accepted 26 April 2023DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.19.013103Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasEducational policyStudent preparationPhysics Education Research

SOCIOECONOMIC PRIVILEGE IN CHILDHOOD AND LATER LIFE COGNITION

Abstract Prior studies have demonstrated the effects of early socioeconomic status on later life cognition; yet the degree to which this effect operates directly, or indirectly through adult factors, is not well documented. Drawing from accumulation theories, we use longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study and its Life History Mail Survey (N=11,761) to examine the extent to which childhood socioeconomic privilege protects against later life cognitive decline and whether this effect is direct or indirect through measures of adult socioeconomic position. Analyses reveal that, among childhood privilege measures, consistent attendance in private school, participation in college preparation, foreign language, and multiple clubs in high school were most protective of later life cognition. The effect of cumulative childhood privilege on later life cognition is both direct and indirect through increased wealth and education credentials and the strength of this relationship is particularly robust for those demonstrating upward social mobility.

High School Course-Completion Trajectories and College Pathways for All: A Transcript Analysis Study on Elective Computer Science Courses

Whereas researchers regard high school math and science coursework as the best indicator of college readiness for students in the United States, computer science coursework and its relationship to college attendance, particularly for minoritized students, have not received due attention despite its root in the mathematical and scientific reasoning ability. We examined students’ high school course completion patterns across subjects and grade levels with a special focus on elective computer science courses and whether the coursework pattern transitions worked differently for minoritized students in Texas, USA. Latent profile analysis and latent transition analysis revealed multiple patterns of coursework, including Regular, Trailing, and Computer Science-Intensive. However, high school students seemed to attempt computer science courses with an experimental attitude. High school girls, low-income, and Latinx and African American students were less likely to complete computer science courses, despite demonstrating a similar coursework pattern in the previous year. Similarly, students with limited English proficiency, those eligible for free- or reduced-price lunch programs, and Native American students systematically have a lower chance to attend college, despite sufficient academic preparation in high school. Findings highlight the challenges minoritized students face and how students approach elective computer science courses in high school.

Belonging and Boundaries at an Elite University

Abstract Scholars posit that lower-income undergraduates experience “cultural mismatch,” which undermines their sense of belonging, promotes withdrawal from campus, and limits mobility upon graduation. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 103 undergraduates at an elite university, we examine how students’ diverse trajectories to college affect how they identify as members of the community and modulate the relationship between social class and sense of belonging. While upper-income undergraduates find commonalities between themselves and college peers and integrate into the community, lower-income students offer divergent accounts. The doubly disadvantaged—lower-income undergraduates who attended local, typically distressed public high schools—felt a heightened sense of difference, drew moral boundaries, and withdrew from campus life. Alternatively, the privileged poor—lower-income undergraduates who attended boarding, day, and preparatory high schools—adopted a cosmopolitan approach focused on continued expansion of horizons and integrated into campus. Through detailing this overlooked diversity among lower-income undergraduates, our findings expand theoretical frameworks for examining sense of belonging to include boundary work that shapes students’ agendas, thereby deepening our understanding of the reproduction of inequality in college.

Do introductory courses disproportionately drive minoritized students out of STEM pathways?

Diversifying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) requires a critical examination of institutional structures at every educational level. In higher education, performance in core introductory courses required for STEM degrees is strongly associated with degree completion. Leveraging a multi-institutional database, we examine nearly 110,000 student records from six large, public, research-intensive universities in order to assess whether these introductory courses disproportionately weed out underrepresented minority (URM) students. We find that the association between low performance in an introductory STEM class and failure to obtain a STEM degree is stronger for URM students than for other students, even after controlling for academic preparation in high school and intent to obtain a STEM degree. To facilitate interpretation of our multivariate logistic regression model, and to highlight the dire situation in higher education, we also calculate predicted probabilities of STEM degree attainment for students of various demographics. The probability of obtaining a STEM degree for a STEM-intending white male student with average academic preparation who receives grades of C or better in all introductory courses is 48%. In contrast, for an otherwise similar URM female student, the probability is merely 35%. If these students receive less than a C in even one introductory STEM course, the probabilities drop to 33% and 21%, respectively.

Junior High School Teachers Challenges and Readiness on Modular Teaching Approach

Junior High School Teachers Challenges and Readiness on Modular Teaching Approach

School-Related Factors Affecting 12th Grade Students' Academic Success While Preparing for Higher Education

Purpose: The purpose of the research is to determine the views of students, teachers and school principals about factorsaffecting and the extent to which factors affect what degree to 12th-grade students' academic in the school environmentduring the high school preparation period. For this purpose, addressing school-related factors affecting academic success interms of students, teachers, and administrators will provide educational administrators, who are individuals who coordinateall processes related to school, to evaluate how they manage the processes of their academic success through the eyes ofstudents and teachers.Design/Methodology/Approach: Descriptive survey model from quantitative research methods was used in the research. Aproportional stratified sampling type of stratified sampling method was used to determine the study sample. Totally 2509participants, that is 2072 students, 380 teachers and 57 administrators, participated in the research.Findings: It was concluded that teachers think school-related factors affect students' academic achievement more thanadministrators and students. In this context, it can be said that the responsibility that school administrators feel towardsincreasing academic success is less than the teachers. According to the research results, it was concluded that students'perceptions of academic success differ according to their gender, the type of school they attend and the school's success.Teachers' and administrators' perceptions do not differ according to their gender, the type of school they work in, and theschool's success.Highlights: To adapt the managerial behaviours of administrators to the era and reflect them to practice in educationenvironments, school administrators should provide training to gain skills.