Long-term Academic Performance Research Articles

Game on for learning: a holistic exploration of Gamification’s impact on student engagement and academic performance in educational environments

PurposeThe research paper examines the complex relationship between gamification, student engagement and academic performance in educational environments. The study employed a structural equation model that highlights important connections among key constructs within the educational setting.Design/methodology/approachThis research aims to explore the connection between gamification, student engagement and academic performance in educational settings. The study employs various statistical techniques such as factor analysis, Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO), Bartlett’s test, component transformation matrix, correlation and regression analysis, descriptive statistics, ANOVA, coefficients and coefficient correlations, residual statistics and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to analyze the data.FindingsIt was found that active participation by the instructor and good time management skills have a positive impact on student engagement levels (β = 0.380, p < 0.001; β = 0.433 and p < 0.001). However, peer interaction does not significantly predict student engagement (β = −0.068 and p = 0.352). Additionally, there is a positive correlation between student engagement and performance (β = 0.280 and p < 0.001).Research limitations/implicationsThe study highlights the importance of innovative design to fully utilize gamification. Future research should consider design, user characteristics and educational context. The findings can guide informed decisions about gamification in education, fostering motivation and learning objectives.Practical implicationsThe study presents a reliable tool for assessing student engagement and performance in educational settings, demonstrating high Cronbach’s alpha and robust reliability. It identifies student engagement and time management as significant predictors of Global Learning Outcome. The findings can inform decisions on implementing gamification in educational settings, promoting intrinsic motivation and aligning with learning objectives.Social implicationsThe research highlights the transformative impact of gamification on educational practices, highlighting its potential to enhance student experiences, motivate, promote diversity and improve long-term academic performance, highlighting the trend of integrating technology into education.Originality/valueIn today’s ever-changing education landscape, it is essential to incorporate innovative techniques to keep students engaged and enthusiastic about learning. Gamification is one such approach that has become increasingly popular. It is a concept that takes inspiration from the immersive world of games to enhance the overall learning experience.

Exploring the Long-Term Effects of the IB Curriculum on Students' Academic Achievement: A case study of International Maarif Schools Erbil

This study examines International MaarifSchool Erbil pupils' long-term academic performance under the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. The study examines the IB's PYP, MYP, and DP. Examine how these IB curriculum elements affect students' academic performance over time. The quantitative study used 89 international instructors from International MaarifSchools in Erbil. The independent variable, IB Curriculum, has three dimensions (PYP, MYP, and DP), while the dependent variable, Students' Academic Attainment, is collected online. The study demonstrates positive relationships between the IB curriculum dimensions (PYP, MYP, and DP) and students' academic achievement through correlation and regression analysis. Results show that the IB program helps students succeed academically. The report also emphasizes excellent implementation and ongoing professional development for teachers to successfully administer the IB curriculum. The study sheds light on how the IB curriculum affects student performance. The findings confirm International MaarifSchools Erbil's IB curriculum and emphasize teacher training and parental involvement. The report also proposes evaluating and improving curriculum delivery and assessment techniques. This study shows that the IB curriculum improves students' academic performance and lays the groundwork for future research on its long-term benefits. These findings can help schools improve their curriculum and foster kids' holistic development.

Incorporating modified team-based learning into a flipped basic medical laboratory course: impact on student performance and perceptions

BackgroundBasic medical laboratory courses (BMLCs) play an essential role in medical education and offer several benefits to students. Although various student-centered and active learning strategies have been increasingly incorporated into medical education, their applications in BMLCs are limited. This paper aimed to explore the educational effects of a flipped classroom (FC) combined with team-based learning (TBL) strategy in BMLCs at Zhejiang University School of Medicine.MethodsFour hundred eight 3rd-Year medical students were assigned to either the FC-TBL group (n = 235) or the FC group (n = 173) to complete three experiments on the respiration block of BMLCs. The two groups’ immediate and long-term academic performance were compared, and the FC-TBL students’ perceptions of different instructional strategies were surveyed.ResultsStudents in the FC-TBL group scored higher on the immediate post-tests after class and higher on the final exams in two of the three experiment sessions. They preferred FC-TBL to FC for its higher engagement, more feedback, and better learning environment. Students felt the FC with TBL blended instructional strategy stimulated their interest in learning and deep thinking.ConclusionsCompared with the FC group, students in the FC-TBL group improved academic performance and had a more positive experience overall. Our findings support the feasibility and advantage of the flipped classroom with team-based learning as a blended learning strategy in the BMLC curriculum.

"Fun slipping into the doctor's role"-The relationship between sonoanatomy teaching and professional identity formation before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The various psychological dimensions of professional identity formation (PIF) are an important aspect of the study course for undergraduate medical students. Anatomical learning environments have been repeatedly shown to play a critical role in forming such an identity; however, relevance of PIF during sonoanatomical training remains underexplored. At the end of their basic anatomy studies, third-semester medical students took part in a four-day block course on anatomy and imaging. Anatomical content was revised in small groups using peer teaching and imaging methods, including one hour of hands-on sonoanatomy sessions each day. On-site sonoanatomy was identified as an excellent format to support students' transition from the pre-clinical to clinical phase as medical experts-to-be. Students enjoyed practical exercises and the clinical input, which increased their interest in the medical profession and their academic studies. This study further examined the effects of the transition into an online-only format, necessitated by the current Covid-19 pandemic. A comparison was made between the quantitative and qualitative evaluation data, and the written results of examinations of several on-site (n=1096, mean age = 22.4years ± 2.18), and online-only cohorts (n=230, mean age = 22.6years ± 2.21). The online-only transition led to a reduction of all PIF-related variables measured, losing identity-related variables, increasing students' stress levels, and reducing their long-term academic performance. Together, this study demonstrates presence of PIF in undergraduate sonoanatomy teaching, and cautions against the uncritical online-only substitution of hands-on learning environments.

An investigation of the association of grit with performance in accounting courses

Grit has become a buzzword in business, with academic research and popular press purporting that grit may be a better determinant of success than even talent or IQ. The contention is that the greater an individual’s “grittiness” the better their ability to work strenuously toward challenges and to maintain effort and interest over time, which results in success. Accounting courses are broadly considered to be difficult courses and a type where students’ grit would likely aid performance. We investigate whether grit is associated with academic performance in accounting courses, while controlling for learning strategies and motivation. Using survey data from multiple courses throughout the accounting curriculum, we find that grit is positively associated with both short-term and long-term academic performance, although the strength of association varies among the grit measures. Our results suggest instructors should consider grit as a trait positively associated with performance in accounting courses and highlights three popular measures available for assessing grit.

The effect of two aspects of grit on developmental change in high school students' academic performance: Findings from a five-wave longitudinal study over the course of three years

Grit is a personality trait defined as perseverance and passion when working to reach a long-term goal and is comprised of two aspects: consistency of interest and perseverance of effort. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the effect of these two aspects on the developmental changes in the nationwide practice test scores of senior high school students over three years. The sample included 1403 Japanese senior high school students who participated in the nationwide practice exams over three years. We utilized a latent growth curve model to capture the effect of the two aspects of grit on the developmental changes in the test scores. We found that the students with higher perseverance of effort had a higher baseline level of long-term academic performance and increased long-term academic performance over the three years. However, we did not find individual differences in the consistency of interest to be related to the level of the test scores or their amount of change. We could capture the differential effect of the two aspects of grit on developmental change in students' long-term academic outcomes.

Pengelompokkan Tingkat Pemahaman Guru PAUD Terhadap Pembelajaran Berbasis STEAM Menggunakan Metode X-Means Clustering

In the era of the industrial revolution 4.0, quantity is not a measure of achieving early childhood outcomes, but how teachers create quality resource based inventions. To form creative and adaptive resources for technology, the teacher must changes the facilities, infrastructure and learning reconstruction. Learning that is prepared to welcome children to face the 21st century is learning based on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM). STEAM is used to consider the interconnected essence of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics disciplines and their significance in the long-term academic performance of children. Responding to STEAM-based learning that PAUD teachers need to incorporate in cultivating the creativity of children, it is important to know the degree to which PAUD teachers understand STEAM-based learning. This research discusses the use of the X-Means clustering algorithm as one of the data mining algorithms in grouping data on the level of comprehensions of PAUD teachers on STEAM-based learning. This research discusses the use of the X-Means Clustering algorithm as one of the data mining algorithms in grouping data on the level of comprehensions of PAUD teachers on STEAM-based learning.

Inflated scores on the online exams during the COVID-19 pandemic school lockdown

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, colleges and universities in the US had to provide students with online-only instruction and assessment in the middle of the Spring 2020 semester. Since this was neither adequately planned nor thoroughly prepared due to little time, its effects on student academic performance are unknown. This study tested a hypothesis that students’ test scores were significantly higher on online exams during the COVID-19 school lockdown than those of the in-person exams before the lockdown. We compared the scores of the same students between one in-person exam and two online exams in a fundamental engineering class in the Spring 2020 semester. We further compared the scores between the students who took three in-person exams in the 2019 semesters and those in the Spring 2020 semester. The same instructor taught the class in both cases, and all exams had similar difficulties. We found that students achieved significantly inflated test scores when taking online exams, with the increase being in the range of 20% to 50%. Therefore, we have proven the hypothesis. Score inflation also depended on the level of prevention of student collaboration on online exams, with a loosely-controlled online exam’s scores increasing by 50% compared to exams with strict measures to prevent cheating. In comparison, students showed a similar performance at three in- person exams in the 2019 semesters, with differences ranging 6% to 8%. The current study could help show how the COVID-19 pandemic influences long-term academic performance of institutions, instructors, and more importantly, students.

The impacts of a brief middle-school self-affirmation intervention help propel African American and Latino students through high school.

Stereotype threat has been shown to have deleterious impacts on the short- and long-term academic performance and psychological well-being of racial and ethnic minority students. Psychological variables related to this identity threat represent significant sources of achievement and attainment gaps relative to nonstereotyped Asian and white students who do not tend to be subject to performance declines related to such threats. In the current study, we investigate long-term effects of a brief self-affirmation intervention implemented at-scale to mitigate stereotype threat for seventh-grade African American and Latino students. Relative to their control-group counterparts, our findings indicate that a self-affirming intervention to buffer racial and ethnic minority students from identity threats reduced the growing achievement gap by 50% per year between seventh and 12th grade (N = 802). As a result, the achievement gap between white/Asian and African American/Latino students decreased by 42% at the end of 12th grade. Finally, the intervention increased on-time graduation rates for treated minority students by 10 percentage points (N = 952). Implications for theory, policy, and future research are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Classrooms' indoor environmental conditions affecting the academic achievement of students and teachers in higher education: A systematic literature review.

This study reports the outcomes of a systematic literature review, which aims to determine the influence of four indoor environmental parameters — indoor air, thermal, acoustic, and lighting conditions —on the quality of teaching and learning and on students' academic achievement in schools for higher education, defined as education at a college or university. By applying the Cochrane Collaboration Method, relevant scientific evidence was identified by systematically searching in multiple databases. After the screening process, 21 publications of high relevance and quality were included. The collected evidence showed that the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) can contribute positively to the quality of learning and short‐term academic performance of students. However, the influence of all parameters on the quality of teaching and the long‐term academic performance could not be determined yet. Students perform at their best in different IEQ conditions, and these conditions are task‐dependent, suggesting that classrooms which provide multiple IEQ classroom conditions facilitate different learning tasks optimally. In addition, the presented evidence illuminates how to examine the influence of the IEQ on users. Finally, this information supports decision‐makers in facility management and building systems engineering to improve the IEQ, and by doing so, allow teachers and students to perform optimally.

Preterm children's long-term academic performance after adaptive computerized training: an efficacy and process analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

BackgroundAdaptive computerized interventions may help improve preterm children’s academic success, but randomized trials are rare. We tested whether a math training (XtraMath®) versus an active control condition (Cogmed®; working memory) improved school performance. Training feasibility was also evaluated.MethodsPreterm born first graders, N = 65 (28–35 + 6 weeks gestation) were recruited into a prospective randomized controlled multicenter trial and received one of two computerized trainings at home for 5 weeks. Teachers rated academic performance in math, reading/writing, and attention compared to classmates before (baseline), directly after (post), and 12 months after the intervention (follow-up). Total academic performance growth was calculated as change from baseline (hierarchically ordered—post test first, follow-up second).ResultsBootstrapped linear regressions showed that academic growth to post test was significantly higher in the math intervention group (B = 0.25 [95% confidence interval: 0.04–0.50], p = 0.039), but this difference was not sustained at the 12-month follow-up (B = 0.00 [−0.31 to 0.34], p = 0.996). Parents in the XtraMath group reported higher acceptance compared with the Cogmed group (mean difference: −0.49, [−0.90 to −0.08], p = 0.037).ConclusionsOur findings do not show a sustained difference in efficacy between both trainings. Studies of math intervention effectiveness for preterm school-aged children are warranted.Impact Adaptive computerized math training may help improve preterm children’s short-term school performance.Computerized math training provides a novel avenue towards intervention after preterm birth.Well-powered randomized controlled studies of math intervention effectiveness for preterm school-aged children are warranted.

The Moderation of Parental Support on the Relationship Between Race-Related Career Barriers and Academic Achievement

This study investigated the relationship between college students’ perception of race-related barriers in career and educational development and their immediate (first-semester grade point average [GPA]) and long-term academic performance (4-year cumulative GPA) and the role of parents’ instrumental and emotional support in moderating such effects. Participants were 820 undergraduate students at a Mid-Atlantic university in the United States. Path analysis of the proposed moderated mediation model indicated that (1) perception of race-related barriers was significantly and negatively correlated with students’ 4-year cumulative GPA, (2) parents’ instrumental support negatively predicted students’ 4-year GPA, whereas emotional support positively predicted students’ 4-year GPA, and (3) parental emotional support significantly buffered the negative direct effect of race-related barriers on students’ 4-year GPA. Research and practical implications were discussed.

Why extraversion is not enough: the mediating role of initial peer network centrality linking personality to long-term academic performance

Academic performance (i.e., grade point average) determines career entry factors as well as career success and is thus crucial for students’ future careers. Besides individual factors such as personality traits, individuals’ social embeddedness has been shown to enhance performance. Regarding academic performance, relationships to fellow students (peers), which bundle into one’s developmental network, are a valuable source of psychosocial and career support because occupying central positions within a social network provides the benefit of being able to access career-enhancing resources. Integrating individual and social-contextual factors for the purpose of examining academic performance is therefore plausible. Research results indicate that personality, especially extraversion, might predict performance through network centrality. In this study, we examined this assumption by focusing on extraversion and centrality in the peer developmental network of recently acquainted German psychology bachelor students (N = 47, 15% male). In a longitudinal design, we analyzed the impact of extraversion and centrality on students’ academic performance at the end of their studies. Results revealed that centrality (i.e., popularity) mediates the relationship of extraversion with academic performance, indicating that extraverted students (regardless of their agreeableness) are more popular among their peers, which, in turn, enhances their academic performance. That is, the likelihood of getting superior final grades depends on whether students manage to attract peers at the very beginning of their university life, which is easier for extraverts. These findings emphasize the importance of the social embeddedness of people, highlight its long-term effects on performance, and yield several implications for research and practice.

Attribution-based motivation treatment efficacy in high-stress student athletes: A moderated-mediation analysis of cognitive, affective, and achievement processes

ObjectivesStudent athletes encounter significant challenges during school-to-college transitions that can increase stress and undermine academic adjustment (Heelis & Shields, 2015). An attribution-based motivation treatment (Perry et al., 2014) was administered to student athletes who differed in perceived stress to improve short- and long-term academic performance. MethodsIn a two-semester, quasi-experimental, randomized treatment study, we examined the efficacy of an attribution-based motivation treatment (Attributional Retraining; AR) for competitive student athletes (N = 185) who differed in perceived stress (low, high). A theory-based path analysis assessed whether AR-performance effects were mediated by perceived academic control (PAC) and achievement emotions. ResultsHigh-stress student athletes who received AR outperformed their no-treatment counterparts by roughly one letter grade on a Semester 1 post-treatment class test. Consistent with Weiner's attribution theory (1985, 2012) of motivation and emotions, AR-performance effects were mediated by cognitive and affective process variables. For high-stress athletes, AR fostered course-related PAC, which in turn increased positive and reduced negative affect, which in combination promoted final course grades. ConclusionsAR effects on performance for high-stress student athletes were indirect via cognitive and affective mediators consistent with Weiner's attribution theory (1985, 2012). Findings suggest attribution-based motivation treatments have practical implications for athletic programs, administrators, coaches, and directors in facilitating adjustment for high-stress student athletes.

Association of Anesthesia and Surgery During Childhood With Long-term Academic Performance

The results of preclinical studies suggest that anesthetic drugs administered to neonatal animals cause widespread neuronal apoptosis and later neurocognitive impairment. Adequately powered studies in the pediatric surgical population are scarce, and it is unclear whether such preclinical findings are relevant for the pediatric setting. To examine the association of anesthesia and surgery before age 4 years with long-term academic and cognitive performance indexed by school grades at age 16 years and IQ test scores at military conscription. This investigation was a cohort study among all children born in Sweden between January 1973 and December 1993. The dates of analysis were April 2013 to October 2015. Among all 2 174 073 Swedish children born between 1973 and 1993, we identified a primary study cohort of 33 514 children with 1 anesthesia and surgery exposure before age 4 years and no subsequent hospitalization and 159 619 matched unexposed control children. In addition, 3640 children with multiple surgical procedures before age 4 years were studied. Having at least 1 surgical procedure in the Swedish Patient Register before age 4 years. The mean school grades at age 16 years and IQ test scores at military conscription at age 18 years. The mean difference between the exposed cohort and unexposed cohort was estimated in a model that included sex, month of birth during the same year, gestational age at delivery, Apgar score at 5 minutes, maternal and paternal educational levels, annual taxable household income, cohabiting parents, and number of siblings. Among 33 514 exposed children (22 484 male and 11 030 female) and 159 619 unexposed children (105 812 male and 53 807 female) in the primary study cohort, 1 exposure before age 4 years was associated with a mean difference of 0.41% (95% CI, 0.12%-0.70%) lower school grades and 0.97% (95% CI, 0.15%-1.78%) lower IQ test scores. The magnitude of the difference was the same after multiple exposures. There was no difference in school grades with 1 exposure before ages 6 months, 7 to 12 months, 13 to 24 months, or 25 to 36 months. The overall difference was markedly less than the differences associated with sex, maternal educational level, or month of birth during the same year. Exposure to anesthesia and surgery before age 4 years has a small association with later academic performance or cognitive performance in adolescence on a population level. While more vulnerable subgroups of children may exist, the low overall difference in academic performance after childhood exposure to surgery is reassuring. These findings should be interpreted in light of potential adverse effects of postponing surgery.

Impact of mindfulness meditation intervention on academic performance

Since the global research into mindfulness meditation (MM) is revealing many positive effects on everyday life for those who practise it, studying its effects on academic performance could be worthwhile. However, the duration of effects of MM on academic performance is still unclear. Thus, this study first investigates the MM influence on short-term and long-term academic performance. The relationship between the meditation depth and short-term academic performance is further explored. The experimental group received the MM intervention while the control group did not. Compared to the control group, the experimental group had better short-term academic performance but similar long-term academic performance. Within the experimental group, students with high meditation depth achieved better short-term academic performance than those with low meditation depth. Finally, the questionnaire results revealed that most students enjoyed the MM process and agreed that the intervention improves in-class learning efficiency.

Educational success among elementary school children from low socioeconomic status families: A systematic review of research assessing parenting factors

Prior research has focused primarily on the educational benefits of high socioeconomic status (SES). Little is known about educationally successful youth from low-SES backgrounds, and no published review has systematically evaluated the methodological characteristics of research in this area. The primary aim of this report was to systematically review methodological characteristics of research identifying parenting factors conducive to the educational success of low-SES youth. A secondary aim was to briefly summarize the substantive findings of research in this area. A bibliographic search of 11 electronic databases, a manual search of two journals, and reference harvesting yielded 30 English-language studies published between 1994 and 2014 employing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method designs that met a-priori study eligibility criteria. Studies of parent–school involvement, parental expectations for current and long-term academic performance, and warm, responsive, and consistent parenting styles...

Drawing Meaningful Trends from the SAT

Though measures of long-term academic performance trends are valuable to education policy analysts and policymakers, they have been hard to come by at the state level, where most education policy is made. Such data are either nonexistent prior to 1990 or are unrepresentative of statewide student populations. A continuous series of state mean SAT scores is available back to 1972, however, and a previous study identified a method for adjusting these scores to account for varying participation rates and demographics. The present paper aims to extend that earlier work, modifying it to facilitate meaningful trend analysis, using a substantially larger data set, relaxing its assumptions, and improving its approach to model selection and validation. The optimal model derived from that process is externally validated against both lagged 8PPth-grade an contemporaneous 12th-grade National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) scores, with good results.

Long-Term Gain After Team-Based Learning Experience in a Pediatric Clerkship

Background: Team-based learning (TBL) increases student engagement, value of teamwork, and performance on standardized evaluations. Purpose: The authors implemented a 3rd-year pediatric TBL curriculum, evaluating its effect on satisfaction, engagement, value of teamwork, and short-term and long-term academic performance. Method: Students evaluated the TBL curriculum and core lectures through satisfaction, engagement and value of team surveys. Scores on short-term and long-term examinations were compared to historical data. Results: The first implementation year, students were less likely to enjoy TBL sessions compared to lectures. The 2nd year, this difference lessened. Through both years, students reported dramatic increases in classroom engagement during TBL compared to lecture. Students developed a greater value for teams after participating in TBL. Short-term and long-term examination scores improved significantly. Conclusions: Both short-term and long-term performance improved with implementation of TBL, emphasizing the benefits of a curriculum that allows students to critically engage with material.

University 100 Orientation Courses and Living-Learning Communities Boost Academic Retention and Graduation via Enhanced Self-Efficacy and Self-Regulated Learning

Nationwide, almost a third of 1st-year college students do not return to begin their sophomore year, and the 5-year graduation rate for undergraduates is only around 40%. It is important for universities to implement interventions, such as freshman transition courses, to help new students adjust to college life and succeed, and it is critical that such programs are evaluated to see if they are reaching their goals. The present study examined short-term self-efficacy and self-regulated learning, and long-term academic performance, retention, and graduation rates over 7 years for 1st-year students enrolled in George Mason University's “University 100” orientation courses ( N = 284) and demo-graphically similar students who did not take the course ( N = 299). Results indicate strong effects of University 100 course participation on academic retention and graduation—90% of University 100 students returned to school for their sophomore year whereas this was true for only 78% of comparison students. Five years later, 75% of the students involved in the orientation course were still in school or graduated compared to 60% of students not enrolled in the course. The graduation rate after 7 years for those in the orientation course was 70%, compared to 56% for comparison students. Effects on retention and graduation were even stronger for sections of University 100 that involved Living-Learning Communities. Finally, those in University 100 courses had higher academic self-efficacy and self-regulated learning and these motivational variables mediated the positive effects of the program on graduation and retention.