Low-performing Students Research Articles

Special Education Teachers’ Identification of Students’ Reading Difficulties in Grade 6

ABSTRACT This study investigated special educational needs (SEN) teachers’ (n = 29) assessment practices and the accuracy of their ratings of the students’ (M age = 12.75 years, n = 55) skill levels in reading fluency and reading comprehension. Teachers rated their sixth grade students’ fluency and comprehension on a three-point scale, and the students were also tested in group tests. Results showed that SEN teachers used several assessment practices simultaneously but mostly relied on observations. The correlations between the teacher ratings and the test scores were significant but moderate in fluency and weak in comprehension. Only two thirds of low-performing students having difficulties in fluency or comprehension were identified. Additionally, identification of students with typical reading comprehension was inaccurate.

Learning to improve the quality peer feedback through experience with peer feedback

Peer review is regularly found to be a powerful and efficient technique for assessment and feedback, but many students are inexperienced and sometimes struggle to provide meaningful feedback. It is considered best practice to provide students with some training on how to be a good reviewer, but few classes can afford to devote much time to such training, and the assumption is that review quality will improve with experience. This study directly examines what kinds of experiences during peer feedback activities improve reviewing quality. In particular, organized by theories of norm-setting and practice-based learning, it examines the relationship of the amount of provided and received feedback on one assignment to improvements in the quality of feedback on the next assignment. Data on peer feedback experiences and behaviors across multiple assignments were taken from students across two introductory level undergraduate courses (N = 360). Multi-regression analyses reveal that the number and length of feedback provided predicted growth in helpfulness rates, and both improvements in domain performance and the reviewer’s preference for length explains the effects on review helpfulness. Further, compared with high-performing students, low-performing students show more remarkable growth in helpfulness from providing feedback.

Teaching with learning analytics:how to connect computer-based assessment data with classroom instruction?

ABSTRACT Computer-based assessments can provide students with feedback to guide their learning as well as inform teachers who extract information to prepare their teaching. Five secondary school teachers were monitored during one school year to answer the following research questions: (1) What kind of student data do teachers use for their teaching practice? (2) How do teachers use student data for their instructional practice? and (3) How are these classroom instructions evaluated by students? To use data for their teaching practice, teachers preferred data with detailed information about each student, task and response. In class, teachers focused on providing low-performing students with feedback, either by themselves or by a high-performing peer student. Subsequently, low-performing students evaluated this formative assessment practice more positively than high-performing students as they valued the chance to practise and the additional feedback and instruction they received in class. Implications for teacher support are discussed.

Influence of Constructivism Instructional Approach on Students’ Achievement in Mathematics in Secondary Schools in Mandera Central Sub County, Kenya

Student’s performance in Mathematics in national examinations has continued to be low. Efforts have been made to reverse this trend, but the low student performance persists. The situation is dire in Mandera Central Sub-County. Perhaps it is imperative to investigate the influence of the constructivism instructional approach on student’s achievement in mathematics in secondary schools, which is the main thrust of the current study. The objectives of the study were to examine the influence of explanation and elaboration on students' achievement in Mathematics in secondary schools in Mandera Central Sub-county, Kenya. The study was based on the concepts of individual constructivist theory, social constructivist theory and Jerome Brumer constructivist theory. The study used a mixed research methodology. The study adopted the experimental research design. The target population was a total of 2,573 respondents comprising of 120 teachers and 2,453 students from 3 boys’ schools, 3 girls’ schools and 3 mixed schools within Mandera Central Sub-county in Kenya. The sample of students to be used in the study was selected using random sampling procedures. The study sample size was 222 respondents. The validity of the instrument was ascertained by a panel of experts in Mathematics education from the Department of Education, Psychology and Technology, School of Education, Mount Kenya University. The data collected quantitatively was analysed by the use of descriptive statistics applying the use of SPSS (version 24) and its presentation was done by use of percentages, means, standard deviations and frequencies. The findings were displayed using bars, graphs, charts and in prose form. Content analysis was applied in testing the data that was qualitative in nature or aspect of the data that was gathered using open-ended questions. The findings showed that learners that were educated using the technique of constructivist had a higher achievement in Mathematics this is because there was a score in their achievement in Mathematics as compared to the students who were taught using the traditional approach. Additionally, those learners who were taught in a constructivist- learning environment had a significant improvement in their understanding and their abilities in comparison to the rest of the abilities such as knowledge and skills by 30%. The study concluded that the constructivist method of teaching is suitable in bettering the achievement of learners in Mathematics and therefore needs to be embraced for practice for schools to realize improved performance in Mathematics.

Facility-Related Factors Affecting Academic Performance of Medical Students in Human Anatomy.

IntroductionMedical students’ academic performance plays an important role in producing qualified graduates who will become great practitioners and workforce for the country’s health sector responsible for controlling, diagnosing, and treatment of diseases. The purpose of this study was to identify college facility-related factors affecting medical students’ academic performance in the human anatomy course.MethodsTo achieve the objective of this study, a cross-sectional study design was carried out between January 13 and March 30, 2019. One hundred twenty study participants were recruited in the study. Data were collected using self-administered questioners. Binary and multinomial logistic regression were applied to analyze the data.ResultsA total of 120 participants were included in the study. Of which, 81 (67.5%) were male while 39 (32.5%) were females. Dormitory crowdedness (AOR 3.16 (95% CI: 0.83–2.01, p= 0.11), large class size (AOR = 2.36; 95% CI: 1.11–4.64 p = 0.005), inadequate classroom facilities (AOR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.51–4.91, p = 0.001), low internet access (AOR = 1.99; 95% CI: 1.07–3.22, p = 0.015) and inadequate anatomy-teaching model (AOR = 2.63; 95% CI: 1.17–6.12, p =0.003) were significantly associated with low performance of students in human anatomy course exam. However, college library (AOR = 0.23; 95% CI: 0.1–0.48 p = 0.061) did not show significant association with academic performance (p = 0.61).ConclusionDormitory crowdedness, large class size, inadequate classroom facilities, low internet access, and inadequate anatomy-teaching models were independent factors, which affect the performance of medical students in the human anatomy course exam. However, there was no significant association between the college library and the performance of study participants in this particular course.

Missing the sociopolitical: examining discourses of writing in a US high-performing, urban middle school

PurposeThis paper aims to examine two teachers’ beliefs and practices on teaching writing at an urban, high-performing middle school to determine: What discourses of writing are being taught in an urban, high-performing US public middle school? What factors prevent or enable particular discourses?Design/methodology/approachDrawing on case study methods, this study uses a single-case design with two seventh-grade teachers at a high-performing urban school as embedded units of analysis. Data collection took place over one semester. Data sources included observations and interviews with the two teachers, an interview with an administrator and multiple instructional artifacts, including unit and lesson plans. Observational data were analyzed using a priori code for writing discourses (Ivanic, 2004) and interview data were analyzed for factors affecting instruction using open, axial and selective coding.FindingsBoth teachers enacted extended multi-discourse writing instruction integrating skills, creativity, process, genre and social practices discourses supported by their beliefs and experience; colleagues; students’ relatively high test scores; and relative curricular freedom. However, there was minimal evidence of a sociopolitical discourse aligned with critical literacy practices. Limits to the sociopolitical discourse included a lack of a social justice orientation, an influx of low-performing students, a focus on raising test scores, data-focused professional development and district pacing guides. Racism is also considered as an underlying structural factor undermining the sociopolitical discourse.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough generalizability is limited because of the small sample size and the unique context of this study, two major implications are the need to layer discourses in writing instruction while centering critical pedagogy and develop teacher beliefs and knowledge. To support these two implications, this study suggests developing university-school partnerships and professional development opportunities that create a community of practice around comprehensive writing instruction. Future research will involve continuing to work with the participants in this study and documenting the effects of providing theory and tools for integrating the sociopolitical discourse into middle school curricula and instruction.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the field of literacy education’s understanding of internal and external factors limiting the sociopolitical discourse in a high-performing, urban middle school in the USA, an understudied context.

A Meta-Analysis on Computer Technology Intervention Effects on Mathematics Achievement for Low-Performing Students in K-12 Classrooms

This meta-analysis extended the current literature regarding the effects of computer technology (CT) on mathematics achievement, with a particular focus on low-performing students. A total of 45 independent effect sizes extracted from 31 empirical studies based on a total of 2,044 low-performing students in K-12 classrooms were included in this meta-analysis. Consistent with previous reviews, this study suggested a statistically significant and positive effect of CT ([Formula: see text] = 0.56) on low-performing students’ mathematics achievement. Of four CT types, the largest CT effect was found with problem-solving system ([Formula: see text] = 0.86), followed by tutoring [Formula: see text] = 0.80), game-based intervention ([Formula: see text] = .58), and computerized practice ([Formula: see text] = .23). Furthermore, other moderators were found to explain variation in CT effects on low-performing students’ mathematics achievement. Study findings contributed to clarifying the effect of CT for low-performing students’ mathematics achievement. Implications for instructional design and practices are also discussed.

Taking Aural Skills Beyond Sight Singing and Dictation

In this article, I address the issue of stratification between high- and low-performing students in aural skills classes, proposing that this situation may be in part a result of the rigidity of standard curricula. If we go beyond our focus on sight singing and dictation, our low-performing students may be able to demonstrate other strengths, and all students will learn to apply their skills to a greater variety of situations. I propose two methods of diversification: focusing on the diverse skills that underly these dominant tasks, and embracing a wider view of tasks and skills relevant to the aural experience of music. Finally, I suggest methods of assessing and integrating these more diverse skills into our curricula.

Does private tutoring improve student learning in China? Evidence from the China Education Panel Survey

AbstractBased on data from the China Education Panel Survey, which covers 28 counties/districts of China, this study applies a difference‐in‐differences method (combined with propensity score matching in some analyses) to estimate the impacts of private tutoring on students' learning outcomes. Our analyses yield three important findings. First, subject‐specific tutoring has a statistically significant and positive effect on Grade 8 students' scores on Chinese and mathematics tests, although the effects are modest in size. Second, private tutoring improves students' academic performance mainly through enhancing their test‐taking skills or deepening their understanding of subject‐specific knowledge, rather than improving their general cognitive skills. Finally, the effect of private tutoring is heterogenous across different subsamples: it is larger for female students, low‐performing students, and students with better‐educated and wealthier parents.

Changes in metacognitive monitoring accuracy in an introductory physics course

Student learning in introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses is often self-regulated. For self-regulated learning to be effective, students need to engage in accurate metacognitive monitoring to make appropriate metacognitive control decisions. However, the accuracy with which individuals monitor their task performance appears to largely overlap with their ability to perform that task. This study examined the trajectories in the accuracy of students’ metacognitive monitoring over the course of a semester, along with the effect of monitoring accuracy feedback. The results indicate that some students improve the accuracy of their predictions over the course of a semester. However, low-performing students are less accurate at predicting their exam grades, and tend not to improve their metacognitive calibration over the course of a semester. In addition, providing low-performing students with calibration feedback may lead to greater overconfidence.

Estimating educational outcomes from students\u2019 short texts on social media

Digital traces have become an essential source of data in social sciences because they provide new insights into human behavior and allow studies to be conducted on a larger scale. One particular area of interest is the estimation of various users’ characteristics from their texts on social media. Although it has been established that basic categorical attributes could be effectively predicted from social media posts, the extent to which it applies to more complex continuous characteristics is less understood. In this research, we used data from a nationally representative panel of students to predict their educational outcomes measured by standardized tests from short texts on a popular Russian social networking site VK. We combined unsupervised learning of word embeddings on a large corpus of VK posts with a simple, supervised model trained on individual posts. The resulting model was able to distinguish between posts written by high- and low-performing students with an accuracy of 94%. We then applied the model to reproduce the ranking of 914 high schools from 3 cities and of the 100 largest universities in Russia. We also showed that the same model could predict academic performance from tweets as well as from VK posts. Finally, we explored predictors of high and low academic performance to obtain insights into the factors associated with different educational outcomes.

Distorted quality signals in school markets

Information plays a key role in markets with consumer choice. In education, data on schools is often gathered through standardized testing. However, the use of these tests has been controversial because of distortions in the metric itself. We study the Chilean educational market and document that low-performing students are underrepresented in test days, generating distortions in school quality information. These distorted quality signals affect parents' school choice and induce misallocation of public programs. These results provide novel evidence for the costs that distortions in quality signals generated by standardized tests in accountability systems impose on educational markets.

Impact of a Social Constructivist Instructional Strategy on Performance in Algebra with a Focus on Secondary School Students

There have been perennial concerns on the low academic performance of students among researchers and other education stakeholders. Innovative teaching strategies have, therefore, gained prominence in the field of mathematics education. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of a social constructivist instructional strategy on students’ performance in algebra. The present study is quasi-experimental, and its type is a posttest control group involving 154 secondary school students that are randomly selected across four intact classes. The random selection of students to treatment and control controls is assumed to improve the validity of the results. Two research questions are raised, and two null hypotheses are formulated and tested atp≤0.05level of significance. One research instrument, algebra performance test (APT), was developed, pilot-tested (test-retest reliability coefficient of 0.897), and used to measure students’ performance in both treatment and control groups. The data are analyzed using independent samplet-tests. The findings indicate that there are significant differences in the mean performance scores between experimental (mean = 16.05, SD = 2.74) and control (mean = 11.46, SD = 2.49) groups,t(152) = 10.83,p<0.05. These findings may be interpreted to be evidence of the effectiveness of the social constructivist instructional strategy in improving performance in algebra better than the conventional teaching method. Also, a significant difference exists between the mean performance scores of males (mean = 17.83, SD = 2.82) and females (mean = 14.72, SD = 1.77) in the experimental group (t(80) = 6.11,p<0.05). Thus, the effect of the social constructivist instructional strategy on students’ performance in algebra is gender-sensitive. Based on these findings, some recommendations are made to students, teachers, parents, administrators, and other stakeholders.

The impact of standardized test feedback in math: Exploiting a natural experiment in 3rd grade

This paper studies how information (grades) from standardized tests in mathaffects human capital formation in early schooling. We use a regression discontinuity design to estimate how later outcomes of children scoring just below or above the threshold separating two grades are affected. Our results demonstrate that providing information to parents about their child's educational performance in math in third grade can improve their future educational outcomes, regardless of the child's ability level. We also investigate subjective well-being measures, such as academic confidence and intrinsic motivation, and find no evidence that low-performing students are particularly sensitive to negative feedback from tests.

Paralysis by analysis? Effects of information on student loan take-up

Can relevant information influence student borrowing? In a field experiment with a large community college, we send emails about federal student loans to students who have received financial aid offers but have not made a borrowing decision. A treatment reminding students that they need not borrow the maximum amount of available loan aid has no effect. Treatments referencing amounts borrowed by recent graduates shift students from borrowing the maximum amount to not borrowing. Consistent with the hypothesis that students experience cognitive overload when presented with multiple loan amounts, the response is largest among low-performing students and arises from inaction.

Inquiry in oral communication: adapting oral examinations for teaching introductory physiology students to evaluate scientific research studies.

Generating an increasingly skilled and numerous workforces of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals is a national priority. Central to this goal is improving the ability of STEM graduates to apply scientific inquiry within oral communication, a necessary skill for STEM professionals. In this case study of an introductory biology course, we observed that providing explanatory feedback to students responding to inquiry-based questions in an oral examination suggests improvements in students' abilities to critically analyze results, draw conclusions, and discuss the broader implications of data. We found students struggled with generating hypotheses and constraining discussions of scientific limitation and broader implications. We show that low-performing students especially benefit from the feedback intervention. The findings of this study are applicable to college and university instructors who are looking to incorporate methods for teaching students to use scientific inquiry effectively during oral communication, particularly those with access to teaching assistants.

PREVALENCE OF IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA AMONG CHILDREN WITH SCHOOL FAILURE AND ITS RELATION TO INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT

Introduction: An estimated 25% of school-aged children a worldwide is anemic. Iron deficiency is thought to account for about half of the global cases of anemia and is associated with inadequate dietary Recent years have shown a growing interest and concern in many countries about the problem of school failure and the determination of its main contributing factors. This problem is known as the “one hundred factors problem” and a great deal of research has been done on identifying the factors that affect the low performance of students (school failure and dropout) at different educational levels (primary, secondary and higher). Aim of the study: This study will be designed to evaluate the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia among children with school failure, the relationship between the degree of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and changes in the level of intelligence quotient (IQ). Patients and Methods: This study is a prospective study on 100 children aged from 5 to 12 years old during the period from August 2018 – October 2019 and are divided in to two groups group A with IDA and group B without IDA. The patients who will be included in our study as anemic group who have: CBC: Hgb less than 11.5gm% Low MCV, Serum Ferritin: Less than 12ng/ml, and Free Erythrocyte Protoporphyrin: Increase than 23.8mg/dl. Then after confirmation that our patients are iron deficiency anemia the following was done for anemic and non-anemic group. Intelligence quotient: IQ was assessed by Stanford _Binet Intelligence scales. Before and after treatment, after correction of clinical and lab manifestations. Statistical analysis: Data were analyzed using Statistical Program for Social Science (SPSS) version 15.0. Quantitative data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD). Qualitative data were expressed as frequency and percentage. Results: Prevalence of IDA was significantly higher among children with school failure. 68% of the studied group had IDA while the other 32% had no IDA (Mean hematological values of Hb, MCV and serum ferritn; respectively were low and FEP was elevated in anemic children, our results confirmed Free erythrocyte protoporphyrin (FEP) to be the most significant factor for the diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia in children, Our result revealed that there was a significant difference in the level of IQ between anemic and non-anemic group and in our study there was improvement of IQ after treatment with iron). Conclusion: The study found a positive correlation between IDA and poor school performance, although iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a high risk factor for school failure but not the only cause in primary school children, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin (FEP) is the most sensitive and specific predictor for diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia in comparison to the other predictors although it is expensive. Recommendations: Pediatricians and mass media should raise awareness about iron deficiency and its sequelae, also the importance of the presence of the pediatric clinics for those apparently normal children. Screening of iron deficiency anemia in pale children and in poor school performance children to decrease its prevalence and impact on children. Proper complementary early feeding with iron rich foods to decrease iron deficiency anemia between infants and children. Treatment of IDA should occur early as possible by dietary improvement or by oral iron supplementation by giving 6mg elemental iron/kg/day divided into 2-3 doses continued for 2-3 month after correction of anemia to replenish body stores. Adding iron to widespread food as bread may be beneficial for prophylaxis of IDA.

Analysis of Effects of Instructional Programs for the Low-Performing Students

Analysis of Effects of Instructional Programs for the Low-Performing Students

Missing children: how Chilean schools evaded accountability by having low-performing students miss high-stakes tests.

High-stakes testing pressures schools to raise test scores, but schools respond to pressure in different ways. Some responses produce real, broad increases in learning, but other responses can raise reported test scores without increasing learning. We estimate the effect of an accountability program on reading scores and math scores in Chile. Over a 6-year period, fourth-grade reading and math scores rose by 0.2 to 0.3 standard deviations, on average, and half the rise was due to the accountability program. However, many schools, especially schools serving disadvantaged students, inflated their accountability ratings by having low-performing students miss high-stakes tests. To encourage healthier responses to accountability, we recommend setting accountability goals that are attainable for schools with disadvantaged students, and providing incentives for all students to take high-stakes tests.

Save Odysseus: An Escape Room as a Content Gamification Activity for Enhancing Collaboration and Resilience in the School Context

This paper describes the design and the implementation of an educational escape room with an Odyssey theme, in accordance with the content gamification model. Escape rooms are part of the gamification strategies adopted in education, so that students get actively engaged and at the same time achieve cognitive or pedagogical goals effortlessly. The specific escape room was developed as a playful alternative to the standard revision stage of the Odyssey, but also included interdisciplinary elements (Geography and Mathematics). The research methodology was exploratory, as a minimum foundation for further research, and quantitative. Escape room's main goal was to fight students' boredom and engage them in an entertaining learning process. The main research question was: do the vulnerable students (with low school performance) profit from this procedure and cultivate a positive attitude towards learning? According to the results, the escape room enhanced engagement, collaboration, communication, and creativity, and mitigated stress through collaboration, which subsequently fosters resilience in the school context. It was also welcomed as beneficial pedagogical activity and caused, to an overwhelming extent, the enthusiasm of the participants. The (male) gender and the earlier experience of an escape room contributed to the more positive reception of the activity. Low-performance students expressed their satisfaction and fervent approval of the experience and outscored those of high performance in almost all variables measured, proving the pedagogical value of the escape room's use. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijhss.12.2.1