Low-achieving Group Research Articles

What are the affective and social outcomes for low-achieving students within an inclusive school in Hong Kong?

In response to several major curriculum reforms in Hong Kong since 2000, schools were required to initiate policies that catered for learner diversity. As well academic achievement, the reforms also emphasized the affective and social outcomes of the learning experience. A whole-school approach to learner diversity includes students with low academic achievement and mild disabilities, with schools being free to develop policies and practices inline with the needs of the students, teachers, and parents. Against the Chinese cultural context, where high academic achievement is highly valued, this study describes the affective and social outcomes of students in one Hong Kong primary school that streamed students according to achievement level. Four hundred and ten students across Primary 3–5 responded to four instruments measuring academic self-concept, alienation from school, teacher–students relationship, and social integration. The responses showed that, when studying the regular curriculum, students in the low-achievement group reported greater levels of alienation and lowest levels of social integration compared with students with the highest levels of achievement. On the other hand, low-achieving students who studied a differentiated curriculum reported affective and social outcomes more consistent with the responses from the high-achieving students. The results suggest that there is a mismatch between the aims and practice of the educational policy reflecting learner diversity and the cultural expectations of both parents and students.

ELDERLY DRIVING BEHAVIOR AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS: Analysis of License Renewal Course Data

To analyze the relationship between cognitive functions, driving conditions, and driving behavior among participants in driving license renewal courses for the elderly. Analysis was performed on data from 79 elderly people who attended license renewal courses at driving schools and agreed to take part in this study. Data acquisition on cognitive function and driving behavior were performed through the use of driving simulation tests, actual driving behavior assessments at the schools, as well as a unique set of questionnaires and Trail Making Tests (TMT). Subjects who fared better in the TMT-A test, which measured processing speed, had a significantly higher incidence of accidents involving minor property damage (P=0.038), demonstrated better results in simple reaction time (P=0.009) and steering error rate (P=0.049), and needed less advice for negotiating bends during driver assessment (P=0.030), compared to subjects from the lower achievement group. According to the TMT-B test, which required more complex cognitive processing, driving frequency (P=0.019), simple reaction time deviation (P=0.049), and steering error rate (P=0.011) were better in subjects who completed the test, compared to those who did not, and significantly fewer (P=0.027) subjects required advice for problems relating to passing parked vehicle during driving behavior. Of the 30 items monitored in the study, significant differences were evident in only a few. Because the evidence did not suggest a particular link to accident experience, it will be necessary to obtain objective data from other cognitive function tests and driving behavior for reassessment. various problems related to elderly driving in Japan were discussed.

The Role of Psychosocial Variables in Understanding the Achievement and Retention of Transfer Students at an Ethnically Diverse Urban University

A study of 1,130 transfer students (757 female, 373 male; 479 Latino/Hispanic, 267 Asian or Asian American, 125 European American, 73 African American, 58 Middle Eastern, and 66 "other") at a 4-year public university indicates that psychosocial variables are important in relation to the success of students who are diverse by many factors. Cluster analysis of academic self-efficacy, college commitment, support of peers, personal/career motivation for attending college combined with age and first-quarter GPA created 5 distinct student profile groups: a young achieving group, a mature achieving group, a low peer support group, a young low-achieving group, and a low confidence/commitment group. The groups differed significantly with regard to ethnic makeup and in subsequent trajectories of academic achievement and retention.

Effects of the Peer Group on the Development of Social Functioning and Academic Achievement: A Longitudinal Study in Chinese Children

This longitudinal study examined, in a sample of Chinese children (initial mean ages = 9.5 and 12.7 years, N = 505), how the peer group contributed to social functioning and academic achievement and their associations. Data on informal peer groups, social functioning, and academic achievement were collected from multiple sources. Multilevel structural equation modeling revealed that group academic performance made direct contributions to children's social development. Group academic performance also moderated the individual-level relations between academic performance and later social functioning. Whereas high-achieving groups strengthened the positive relations between academic achievement and social competence, low-achieving groups facilitated the negative relations between academic achievement and social problems. The results indicate the significance of the peer group for social functioning from a developmental perspective.

The Relationship between Phonological Awareness and Early Reading for First Grade Korean Language Learners with Reading Difficulties

This study investigated the differences in four components of phonological awareness (i.e., judgment, deletion, blending, and substitution) and early reading ability across reading levels, and the correlation between phonological awareness (PA) and early reading ability in low and average-achievement groups. 27 students with reading difficulties and 34 students with average reading abilities participated in the study, and all participants were native Korean students in Grade One. The results indicated significant differences between low-achievement and averageachievement groups in PA and early reading measures, which revealed features of Korean phonology as different from English. Furthermore, phonological awareness showed significant positive correlation with both word identification and reading fluency for the low and average-achievement groups. For the low-achievement group, the correlation between phonological awareness and reading fluency was higher than between phonological awareness and word identification.

Individual and longitudinal differences among high and low-achieving, LD, and ADHD L2 learners

High-achieving (HA) and low-achieving (LA), learning disabled (LD), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) high school students were followed over two years of L2 study and compared on measures of L1 literacy (reading and writing) in elementary school, L1 cognitive ability, L2 aptitude, oral and written L2 proficiency, and L2 word decoding and spelling, and in L2 grades. Findings revealed significant differences between the HA and LA and the HA and LD groups on all of the L1 and L2 measures. No significant differences were found between the LA and LD groups on any of the L1 and L2 measures, and few differences were found between the HA and ADHD groups. Results replicated studies which have shown that L1 literacy skills are important for L2 learning. New findings showed that students classified as ADHD who have average or better L1 skills do well in L2 courses and that L1 literacy differences between high and low achieving L2 learners emerged early in elementary school, providing support for long-term cross linguistic transfer of L1 to L2 skills.

Foreign Language Learning Difficulties in Italian Children

A group of seventh- and eighth-grade Italian students with low achievement (LA) in learning English as a foreign language (FL) was selected and compared to a group with high achievement (HA) in FL learning. The two groups were matched for age and nonverbal intelligence. Two experiments were conducted to examine the participants' verbal and nonverbal learning skills, such as native language reading accuracy, speed and comprehension, calculation, and attention and self-regulation. Both experiments showed that the LA group seemed at risk for reading comprehension difficulties, but its reading speed and accuracy were within the average range according to Italian norms. The results also excluded the possibility that FL learning difficulties of LA participants could be associated with a deficit in calculation. Furthermore, according to teachers' ratings, children with LA appeared at risk for attention-deficit disorder (ADD). The pattern of learning difficulties of seventh- and eighth-grade participants with LA appeared to be not completely comparable with that of high school students at risk of FL learning difficulties as described in the literature.

Cattell–Horn–Carroll cognitive ability profiles of poor comprehenders

This study examines cognitive ability profiles of children with specific age-based normative weaknesses in reading comprehension and compares those profiles to the profiles of (a) children with at least average achievement in reading comprehension, reading decoding skills, and mathematics and (b) children with low achievement across the 3 achievement areas. When compared across 9 cognitive ability composite scores derived from Cattell–Horn–Carroll theory and measured by the Woodcock–Johnson III [Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather (2001). Woodcock–Johnson. Itasca, IL: Riverside], groups differed in overall level of performance. When individual abilities were considered, the poor comprehenders scored significantly lower than the average achievement group on all nine composite scores and significantly lower than the normative population on all composite scores except Processing Speed and Long-Term Retrieval. In contrast, the poor comprehenders also scored significantly higher than the low achievement group on all composite scores except for Visual–Spatial Thinking and Phonemic Awareness. Although the poor comprehenders as a group scored lowest on composite scores measuring language- and knowledge-based abilities, review of the profiles of individual poor comprehenders revealed no consistent pattern of performance across cognitive ability composite scores.

Students’ Perceptions of Learning Geography through Group Investigation in Singapore

This study examines students’ perceptions of the Group Investigation method of cooperative learning. A total of 142 students (62 low-achievers and 80 high-achievers) from two schools worked in cooperative learning groups during a period of over six weeks using the Group Investigation method. At the end of the study, they were asked to write their perceptions of the Group Investigation method. Out of a total of 955 statements made by all the students, two-thirds (652) were positive statements and one-third (303) were negative statements. Both the high-achieving and low-achieving groups made twice as many positive statements as negative ones. The students’ written statements of their perceptions and experience of learning with the Group Investigation method provided insights into their attitudes and orientations toward school learning. Four main categories of positive statements emerged. One category indicated that the Group Investigation method was interesting, fun and effective, while the other categories reflected the students’ positive perception of their social relationships, learning skills and academic achievement in terms of deeper understanding of the topics investigated. On the negative side, students stated that they would like the teacher to continue with their normal teaching method, that is, to present academic material to them. The students thought that the Group Investigation method was time consuming and they were concerned about their coming examinations and syllabus coverage. Another cluster of statements was about their inability to learn as much from the new method of learning, and they encountered problems while working in groups, such as how to conduct their research and how to make their presentations.

Exploring the Relationship Between Text‐Leveling Systems and Reading Accuracy and Fluency in Second‐Grade Students Who Are Average and Poor Decoders

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between different text‐leveling systems and reading accuracy and fluency in second‐grade students with and without decoding difficulties. Two‐hundred‐forty‐eight second‐grade students, 44 identified as low achieving (LA) and 204 identified as average achieving (AA) in decoding skill, participated in the 15‐week study. During the study teachers collected data weekly on students' text‐reading accuracy and fluency using curriculum‐based measurement (CBM) techniques. Text attributes such as readability, decodability, percentage of high frequency words, average words per sentence, and percentage of multisyllabic words were estimated for each passage. Results using the entire sample of children indicated that accuracy of text reading was uniquely predicted by the percentage of high frequency words in the passages, whereas both the percentage of high frequency words and passage decodability made unique contributions to variance in passage‐reading fluency. Moreover, results suggested that the relationship between text‐leveling variables and reading performance was similar in the LA and AA groups, with only a slight trend favoring a stronger relationship between passage decodability and measures of text‐reading performance in the AA group compared to the LA group.

Atribuição de causalidade ao sucesso e fracasso escolar: um estudo transcultural Brasil-Argentina-México

The attributional mechanisms used by Brazilian, Argentinean and Mexican students to explain the academic success and failure were compared. The sample consisted of 1594 high school students of both sexes separated into either high or low achievement groups, attending either public or private institutions. They were asked to indicate the causes of their own performance, of their classmates, of students from a different kind of school and of students from another country. Effort was chosen by the majority of students from the three national groups as an explanation of either success or failure of their own, of other students from the same country and of students from different countries, albeit observed differences in attributional patterns as a function of nationality, sex and type of school. These results are discussed based both on the self-serving attributional bias and the fundamental attribution error theoretical framework, by taking into account the cultural peculiarities of the three countries which participated in the study.

Children With Adequate Academic Achievement Scores Referred for Evaluation of School Difficulties: Information Processing Deficiencies

Children (7-11 years old) with standardized academic achievement test scores in the normal range referred for evaluation of learning problems were compared to low-achieving children matched for age, sex, and nonverbal cognitive ability, and to children with no known history of learning difficulty matched for age, sex, and reading (all N = 65) on a battery of computerized tasks of nonverbal information processing. The normally achieving referred children performed similarly to the low-achieving group but worse than reading-matched nonreferred counterparts. These findings suggest that children who struggle in school yet perform adequately on standardized achievement measures can have heightened neurodevelopmental vulnerability. Implications are discussed with respect to the underlying substrate of learning disabilities, as well as their diagnosis, classification, and remediation.

Homework style, homework environment, and academic achievement

The study examined the preferred and actual homework styles of 272 seventh graders (134 males and 138 females) who were characterized by (1) three levels of self‐perceived homework achievement, (2) three levels of academic achievement, and (3) three levels of homework achievement. Consistencies and differences in the distinguishing components were found within and between the different types of achievement. Although different patterns of distinguishing components emerged between preferred and actual homework styles, there were remarkable consistencies between them that distinguished the achievement levels. In general, high achievers were more self‐, parent‐, and teacher‐motivated and persistent, organized their homework in some order, preferred or did homework in a bright home environment and by themselves, and did better with specific instructions, when compared with low achievers. However, neither preferred nor actual perceptual preferences distinguished the levels of achievement. In both preferred and actual situations, students in the high homework achievement group were more parent-motivated than those in the low homework achievement group, demonstrating the importance of parental involvement in the home learning environment.

Epidemiology and prognosis of specific disorders of language and scholastic skills.

Data from a prospective longitudinal study on the development of children born at biological and psychosocial risk were utilised to examine language and learning abilities of 320 children at ages 4.5 and 8 years. Following the research criteria of the ICD-10, specific developmental disorders of speech and language and specific developmental disorders of scholastic skills were diagnosed. Data were also provided for a clinical and general low achievement group according to less stringent criteria. Frequencies in the risk population were low for specific disorders (ICD-10) (0.6%-3.7% depending on age and type of disorder). Higher frequencies were found when a clinical definition (0.6%-13.6%) or overall low achievement score (0.6%-18.6%) was chosen. The impact of well-documented organic and psychosocial risks was analysed. Organic risk affected language abilities at 4.5 years of age but neither language nor learning abilities at 8 years of age. Psychosocial aspects of a child's environment proved to be associated with both specific language and learning abilities. Stability of language disorders, association between language and reading/spelling disorders as well as gender effects were investigated.

Working memory deficits in children with low achievements in the national curriculum at 7 years of age

Close links between children's capacities to store and manipulate information over brief periods have been found with achievements on standardised measures of vocabulary, language comprehension, reading, and mathematics. The study aimed to investigate whether working memory abilities are also associated with attainment levels in the national curriculum assessments at 7 years of age. Eighty-three children aged 6 and 7 years attending local education authority schools participated in the study. Working memory skills were assessed by a test battery designed to tap individual components of Baddeley and Hitch's (1974) working memory model. Children were assigned to normal and low achievement groups on the basis of their performance on national curriculum tasks and tests in the areas of English and mathematics. Children with low levels of curriculum attainment showed marked impairments on measures of central executive function and of visuo-spatial memory in particular. A single cut-off score derived from the test battery successfully identified the majority of the children failing to reach nationally expected levels of attainment. Complex working memory skills are closely linked with children's academic progress within the early years of school. The assessment of working memory skills may offer a valuable method for screening children likely to be at risk of poor scholastic progress.

Links among Social Status, Service Delivery Mode, and Service Delivery Preference in LD, Low-Achieving, and Normally Achieving Elementary-Aged Children

Relations among social status, current service delivery, and service delivery preferences were examined in 42 students with learning disabilities (LD), 40 low-achieving (LA) and 42 average/high-achieving (A/HA) students in grades 2–4 and 6–7. Service delivery preferences were assessed via forced choice (in-class vs. pullout) and ratings. Participants and classmates completed sociometric rating scales asking how much they liked to work and play with each classmate and how much classmates liked to work and play with them. Most students chose pullout service and rated pullout higher than in-class service. Current service was related to service preference only in the LA group. Only among LD students were self- and peer-rated social status related. Social status was lowest for LD, followed by LA and A/HA children. Among older students, those who preferred pullout service had lower sociometric status than those who preferred in-class service. Implications for educational programming decisions are discussed.

Knowledge Connectedness in Geometry Problem Solving

Our concern in this study was to examine the relationship between problem-solving performance and the quality of the organization of students' knowledge. We report findings on the extent to which content and connectedness indicators differentiated between groups of high-achieving (HA) and low-achieving (LA) Year 10 students undertaking geometry tasks. The HA students' performance on the indicators of knowledge connectedness showed that, compared with the LA group, they could retrieve more knowledge spontaneously and could activate more links among given knowledge schemas and related information. Connectedness indicators were more influential than content indicators in differentiating the groups on the basis of their success in problem solving. The tasks used in the study provide straightforward ways for teachers to gain information about the organizational quality of students' knowledge.

CAI/multimedia approach to farm tractor and machinery safety certification

Research was conducted at Purdue University with the primary goal to compare a newly developed self-instructional CAI/multimedia computer program with traditional instructional methods for use by youth enrolled in a farm tractor and machinery safety program. Seventy-two subjects selected from three 8th and 9th grade agricultural education classes and one group of middle school-aged youth (grades 6–19) involved in a 4-H tractor and machinery-related program were randomly divided, with half of each group receiving traditional instructor-based training using printed materials, videos, and demonstrations, and the other half receiving self-instruction with a computer program. A pretest and post test evaluation revealed that there was not a statistical difference in knowledge gained between the two instructional strategies. However, an analysis of low, middle and high achievement youth, based on knowledge gain, did reveal significant difference between the two instructional strategies. Subjects from the computer-based instructional method dominated both high and low achievement groups, while the traditional instructional method subjects tended to fall into the middle achievement group.

Children’s Perceptions of Indebtedness: The Help-seeker’s Perspective

The present study examined age and ability differences in children’s evaluations of indebtedness in help-seeking. Second-, fourth-, and sixth-graders were separated into high-, medium-, and low-achievement groups. Children responded to two high-cost and two low-cost vignettes describing a hypothetical classroom help exchange between two peers. Second- and fourth-graders experienced difficulty in determining the extent of their indebtedness. Sixth-graders offered evaluations of indebtedness that varied systematically with helper cost. With the exception of the second-graders, low-achieving children did not differentiate their ratings across the cost conditions. In contrast, low-achieving second-graders and high-achieving sixth-graders rated the importance of reciprocation higher in the high-cost than in the low-cost condition. Children’s understanding of the norms guiding help-seeking interactions between peers is discussed.

Teachers as “Tests”: Differential Validity of Teacher Judgments in Identifying Students At-Risk for Learning Difficulties

The discriminant validity of teacher judgments in differentiating various groups of students who were at-risk for learning difficulties based on their referral to School Study Teams (SSTs) was assessed. Three groups of students defined as Learning Disabled (LD), Low-IQ, and Low Achievement (LA) were contrasted with a group of normally achieving Controls using the Academic Competence scale of the Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliott, 1990). Large differences were found between the Controls and all at-risk groups. Consistent with past research contrasting mild disability groups using cognitive and achievement measures, relatively few differences were found among LD, Low IQ, and LA groups. Results from cross-validated stepwise discriminant function analyses showed that teacher judgments correctly classified 91% of the LD group (9% false negatives and 10% false positives), 100% of the Low IQ group (0% false negatives and 7% false positives), and 95% of the LA group (5% false negatives and 17% false positives). Results were discussed in terms of the implications for the continued time-consuming and expensive practice of differentiating among mild disability and low achievement groups for classification, placement, and intervention purposes.