Lower Attainment Research Articles

DEMOGRAPHY-BASED DEVELOPMENT: THE CHALLENGES OF CIVIL REGISTRATION TO REDUCE POVERTY IN INDONESIA

<p>The present study seeks to analyze the functions of civil registration in poverty reduction and to identify various problems encountered in civil registration in Indonesia. This study was conducted by using an empirical law research. Primary data and legal materials are analyzed qualitatively with empirical juridical approach. The results conclude that civil registration yields demographic data that play a strategic role in the utilization of public services and development planning. Improving the quality of human life, either in the field of education, health or revenue requires demographic data as the policy focus. This gives implications that the basis of development program interventions in the three sectors refer to the aforementioned demographic data. Therefore, the use of demographic data and expansion of the coverage of ownership of demographic documents present as strategic steps for poverty reduction. However, the low attainment of document ownership in some regions and the limited number of civil registration apparatuses become an indicator of the absence of roles of demographic data in development. This has an impact on improperly targeted development planning. Several strategies that need to be implemented include: (1) Strengthening regulations at the regional level that regulate the utilization of demographic data in development planning; (2) establishing study program of civil registration law as an attempt of population-based development in Indonesia.</p>

A Study on the Background Factors Involved in Kanji Writing Difficulty in Relation to Kanji Reading Difficulty and Low Vocabulary Attainment for Japanese Second to Sixth Graders

A Study on the Background Factors Involved in Kanji Writing Difficulty in Relation to Kanji Reading Difficulty and Low Vocabulary Attainment for Japanese Second to Sixth Graders

British Pakistani and Bangladeshi women, Higher Education and Defensive Othering

Despite the rapid increase in the numbers of Pakistani and Bangladeshi girls entering higher education, practitioners of widening participation (WP) interventions continue to focus on access, under the mistaken belief that both groups have a strong cultural prevalence for early marriage and motherhood, have low attainment levels, or lack sufficient or effective careers guidance to help inform their academic or career choices. While more recent research has set out to challenge these stereotypes, there remains a paucity of research exploring the experiences of those who have successfully made the transition into, through and beyond higher education (HE). As a result, these stereotypical perspectives continue to prevail. This qualitative study examines the ways in which young Pakistani and Bangladeshi women have not only absorbed these stereotypical views but also, explicitly and implicitly, use stereotyping to define themselves in opposition to those women they deem ‘unsuccessful’. In adopting a position of ‘defensive othering’, taken in opposition to what they perceive to be ‘your typical Asian’, the women also position themselves as the Other. Drawing upon interviews with young women, we explore how the tensions between constructions of identity and the use of stereotypes from within their communities reveal some of the emotional difficulties they encounter in accessing both higher education and the workplace. Our paper therefore has importance for policy makers and academics involved in widening participation and student progression activities.

Early school leaving by children in out-of-home care: A comparative study of three Nordic countries

Previous studies have reported that children and adolescents who have been placed in out-of-home care for the protection of their safety and welfare face considerably high risks for early school leaving. Our study adds to the literature by comparing the association between children's exposure to placement in care and lack of secondary education (i.e. post-compulsory education after age 16) across three Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. We use data from national registers for children born in 1987, following them until age 23. The datasets for Denmark (N = 55,995, of whom 3056 are in care), Finland (N = 58,855, of whom 1884 are in care), and Sweden (N = 100,152, of whom 3209 are in care) cover the entire birth cohort. To estimate and compare country-specific risks, we calculate average marginal effects from binary logistic regression and adjust the effects for birth mother's socio-economic and health-related background. As expected, the results show that in each country, children placed in care had a significantly higher risk for early school leaving. After adjusting for maternal background, young adults who experienced out-of-home care were 24 to 39 percentage points more likely than their peers never in care to have not completed secondary education. Those placed in care for the first time at teenage were the most likely to have low attainment. In Finland and Sweden, children in care had a similar excess risk for early school leaving, whereas in Denmark the risk was higher. We discuss these results and recommend developing effective interventions to improve the educational attainment of children in care. The difference between Denmark and the other two requires further investigation.

Learners’ attitudes to mixed-attainment grouping: examining the views of students of high, middle and low attainment

There is a substantial international literature around the impact of different types of grouping by attainment on the academic and personal outcomes of students. This literature, however, is sparse in student voices, especially in relation to mixed-attainment practices. Research has indicated that students of different attainment levels might have different experiences and views of grouping structures. This paper represents a significant contribution to this literature. Drawing on the data collected as part of a large study on student grouping and teaching in England, we analyse the attitudes of students of different attainment levels to mixed-attainment practice, focusing on their explanations for their preferences or aversion to mixed-attainment classes. The data-set is drawn from group discussions and individual interviews with 89 students age 11/12 (Year 7) from eight secondary schools practicing mixed-attainment grouping in mathematics and English. Our analysis identifies some broad patterns in student attitudes, including a strong preference for mixed attainment among those at lower prior attainment. The analysis of the explanations students give for their opinions on mixed-attainment practice demonstrates how the learner identities of different groups of students are constituted in various ways by the discourses around ‘ability’, and constrained by the dominant ideology of ‘ability’ hierarchy.

Utilisation of maternal and child health handbook in Mongolia: A cross-sectional study

Objective: This study investigated the use of a Maternal and Child Health (MCH) handbook, and related factors, in Mongolia. Design: Population-based cross-sectional study. Setting: Bulgan Province, Mongolia. Method: MCH handbook use was determined by examining whether participants had read it or recorded their health-related information into it. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to reveal factors related to MCH handbook utilisation. Results: Of the 716 participants, 631 (88.1%) read the MCH handbook and 428 (59.8%) recorded their health-related information in it. Mothers with middle or high educational attainment were more likely to have read it than were those with low educational attainment (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.41–4.50; AOR = 3.19, 95% CI = 1.29–7.93, respectively). Literate women and those who had been taught to use the handbook were more likely to read it (AOR = 3.19, 95% CI = 1.68–6.05; AOR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.31–4.46, respectively). Mothers with a middle or very high wealth index were more likely to have read it than were those with a very low index. Mothers with middle or high educational attainment were more likely to make records in it than were those with low attainment. Mothers who were taught to use the handbook were more likely to make records in it, while those who had children with chronic diseases were less likely to do so. Conclusion: Women’s literacy levels, educational attainment, economic status and effective explanation of its usage must be considered in order to enhance the handbook’s effectiveness.

Assessing self-assessment: can age and prior literacy attainment predict the accuracy of children’s self-assessments in literacy?

Self-assessment practices have been advocated in recent Irish educational documents due to their potential to enhance school children’s learning and self-regulatory skills. However, the literature has highlighted how some children struggle to make accurate self-assessments of their academic work, which diminishes such positive effects (Keane and Griffin 2015; Nicol 2009). Using Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development (1970) as a theoretical framework, the present study sought to investigate whether children’s academic self-assessments became more accurate in line with increased age and higher prior literacy attainment. Following training in the use of self-assessment writing rubrics, 85 school children from second class, fifth class and Transition Year wrote an English essay and later self-assessed their work using rubrics devised by Andrade, Du, and Wang (2008). Results indicated that overall, children’s self-assessment scores held a weak relationship with their actual performance scores (r = .24). However, findings illustrated that children’s self-assessments became significantly more accurate in line with increased developmental stages. Strong correlations also emerged between higher prior literacy attainment and children’s accuracy in self-assessments, amongst second class (r = −.45) and fifth class (r = −.73) children only. The findings suggest that Irish school children, in particular, primary school children with low literacy attainment, display difficulty making accurate self-assessments of their academic work in literacy. Stemming from the research, implications for practice and future research directions are outlined.

Teaching mathematics to lower attainers: dilemmas and discourses

ABSTRACTThis article draws on Foucault’s concepts of power and discourse to explore the issues of teaching mathematics to low attainers in primary schools in England. We analyse a data set of interviews, from a larger study, with the mathematics teachers of one child across three years, showing how accountability practices, discourses of ability and inclusion policies interrelate to regulate both teachers and student. We demonstrate the impact of neoliberal policy discourses on teachers’ practices and how they are caught up in conflicting ways by an accountability regime that subverts inclusive pedagogies, requiring teachers to monitor, label and assign within-child deficits. In spite of these regulatory technologies we identify contradictory fault lines between mathematics education policy discourses which we argue provide the potential for developing critical awareness of accepted practices and opportunities for change.

Treatment patterns and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal attainment among patients receiving high- or moderate-intensity statins

BackgroundEuropean clinical guidelines recommend a low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal of < 70 mg/dL. Statin use varies and past studies suggest low rates of real-world goal attainment. This study describes LDL-C goal attainment among atherosclerotic CV disease (ASCVD) patients with various utilization patterns of moderate- or high-intensity statins in routine care.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study used electronic medical records data from the QuintilesIMS® Disease Analyzer (> 2 million individuals annually) to identify ASCVD (coronary atherosclerosis, stable/unstable angina, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, aneurysm, peripheral artery disease) patients on moderate-/high-intensity statin in Germany. Proportion of patients with LDL-C < 70 mg/dL was determined using the lowest LDL-C value for each patient (index) in 2012, 2013, and 2014, while on statin. Treatment patterns were assessed for patients with at least 1 year of post-index follow-up. Results were stratified by year and treatment pattern [no change, switch, dose up-/down-titration, discontinuation (≥ 90 day gap)].ResultsIn > 14,000 patients assessed in each year (mean age 71 years, 35% female, 8–12% taking high-intensity statins), approximately 80% had LDL-C ≥ 70 mg/dL. Treatment patterns were assessed for most (88–93%) patients. Approximately 79–81% of patients made no change to statin regimens, 1% switched statins, 14–16% discontinued; 1% of moderate-intensity patients up-titrated, and 3% of all patients down-titrated. LDL-C goal attainment in these treatment pattern groups was 20, 16–24, 17, 11–14, and 17–19%, respectively.ConclusionsMajority of ASCVD patients had LDL-C ≥ 70 mg/dL while on moderate-/high-intensity statins. Despite low LDL-C goal attainment, few patients changed their treatment regimens.

Measuring Gender Equality in Education: Lessons from Trends in 43 Countries

Measuring Gender Equality in Education: Lessons from Trends in 43 Countries

The Inclusion of Literature Components in Malaysian English Papers: the Challenges and Pros in Teaching and Learning

The low proficiency attainment in English language among Malaysian learners has been given main attention in Malaysia Ministry of Education’s plan to further improve education. Part of the plan is by introducing literature components in the teaching and learning of English language curriculum. This has immediately changed the scenario of teaching and learning in English language classroom. This paper will review past studies related to the implementation of Literature component in English language by looking specifically at the teacher’s roles since teachers are the direct factor contributor in learners’ process of learning and teaching. Apart of roles in the learning process, teachers’ approaches employed in teaching literature component will be critically reviewed in this paper and suitable approaches available in teaching literature in English will be put forward.

The Profile of Students’ Critical Thinking Measured through Science Virtual Test on 9th Grade in The Theme of Living Things and Environmental Sustainability

The aims of this study are: (1) to investigate the level students’ critical thinking skill on living things and environmental sustainability theme, (2) to examine the critical thinking difference among different gender, learning styles, and students’ motivation, and (3) to investigate the correlation between students’ critical thinking and students’ motivation. This research was conducted due to the importance of critical thinking evaluation or measurement to get current skill description as the basic information to improve critical thinking in junior high school. The method of this study was descriptive research method. 110 students from three junior high school in Kuningan was tested with Science Virtual Test on Living Things and Environmental Sustainability Theme for 9th Grade as the measurement tool of critical thinking based on Inch critical thinking elements, and are given learning style questionnaire and science motivation questionnaire. Generally, the mean scores on six elements and overall critical thinking score from descriptive statistics shows a moderate critical thinking attainments level, with the range 43.33 score &lt; 69.75, while other two elements shows low critical thinking attainments level (score 43.33). At significant level 0.05 there is no significant difference between male and female, and also there is no significant difference among visual, aural, read/write, and kinesthetic learning style in critical thinking, while significant difference is founded on three different students’ motivation (Low, Moderate, High) groups on four critical thinking element skills. Hence to support the tendency, the correlation test is conducted. The correlation test shows there is no correlation between critical thinking and students’ motivation (r = 0.155, p = 0.81).

Longitudinal pathways between mental health difficulties and academic performance during middle childhood and early adolescence.

There is a growing appreciation that child functioning in different domains, levels, or systems are interrelated over time. Here, we investigate links between internalizing symptoms, externalizing problems, and academic attainment during middle childhood and early adolescence, drawing on two large data sets (child: mean age 8.7 at enrolment, n=5,878; adolescent: mean age 11.7, n=6,388). Using a 2-year cross-lag design, we test three hypotheses - adjustment erosion, academic incompetence, and shared risk - while also examining the moderating influence of gender. Multilevel structural equationmodels provided consistent evidence of the deleterious effect of externalizing problems on later academic achievement in both cohorts, supporting the adjustment-erosion hypothesis. Evidence supporting the academic-incompetence hypothesis was restricted to the middle childhood cohort, revealing links between early academic failure and later internalizing symptoms. In both cohorts, inclusion of shared-risk variables improved model fit and rendered some previously established cross-lag pathways non-significant. Implications of these findings are discussed, and study strengths and limitations noted. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Longitudinal research and in particular developmental cascades literature make the case for weaker associations between internalizing symptoms and academic performance than between externalizing problems and academic performance. Findings vary in terms of the magnitude and inferred direction of effects. Inconsistencies may be explained by different age ranges, prevalence of small-to-modest sample sizes, and large time lags between measurement points. Gender differences remain underexamined. What does this study add? The present study used cross-lagged models to examine longitudinal associations in age groups (middle child and adolescence) in a large-scale British sample. The large sample size not only allows for improvements on previous measurement models (e.g., allowing the analysis to account for nesting, and estimation of latent variables) but also allows for examination of gender differences. The findings clarify the role of shared-risk factors in accounting for associations between internalizing, externalizing, and academic performance, by demonstrating that shared-risk factors do not fully account for relationships between internalizing, externalizing, and academic achievement. Specifically, some pathways between mental health and academic attainment consistently remain, even after shared-risk variables have been accounted for. Findings also present consistent support for the potential impact of behavioural problems on children's academic attainment. The negative relationship between low academic attainment and subsequent internalizing symptoms for younger children is also noteworthy.

The relationship between students’ prior mathematical attainment, knowledge and confidence on their self-assessment accuracy

The ability of students to assess their own performance accurately may allow them to self-regulate their learning through metacognitive monitoring. This research investigates factors affecting undergraduate radiation physics students’ ability to self-assess their work accurately in a mathematical subject test. The factors investigated are demographics, mathematics confidence, prior mathematical attainment and prior level of mathematical knowledge. Students’ accuracy of their self-assessment was found to be associated with their prior mathematical attainment and their overall mathematics confidence. Students with high and low prior mathematical attainment self-assessed more accurately than students who had moderate prior attainment. These results have implications for how students may determine their own learning strategies and the pedagogical use of summative self-assessments.

The latest National Diabetes Audit report sheds light on complications and mortality rates

The latest National Diabetes Audit report sheds light on complications and mortality rates

Families and Counselors Taking Action to Transform Culture: An Action–Inquiry Case Study of an Urban High School

Federal initiatives place school counselors at the forefront of increasing college access for students in underserved communities. Although college enrollment rates have increased, low attainment rates persist in low socioeconomic communities and communities of color. Families in these communities aspire for their children to go to college but rely on the school counselor to help their child navigate the complex path to college. Although the high school counselor is ideally positioned to reduce barriers and engage families in the postsecondary process, they often lack the capacity and resources to do so. Thus, this action-oriented qualitative case study was conducted over 8 months, and explored how urban high school counselors engaged families as collaborative partners to address the metanarrative of low postsecondary attainment rates. Findings suggested that building trust within the school community as foundational to engaging families, taking simple actions were catalysts to transforming school culture, and leveraging family engagement increased school site capacity and affected the broader school community.

Becoming ‘another brick in the wall’: A thematic analysis of Central and Eastern European immigrants’ experience of psychological distress and help-seeking

Background and aimsA great number of Central and Eastern European immigrants have moved to the UK since 2004, and a better understanding of their help-seeking behaviour is needed. This study aimed to explore how the experience of immigration had impacted on the wellbeing of some Central and Eastern European immigrants, whether these immigrants had sought help for any psychological distress, and to explore the support needs of this particular population.MethodologyA qualitative design was employed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four male and twelve female immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe living in the UK. Interview transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.FindingsFour overarching themes were identified in the analysis: immigration experience; views and meanings of mental health; help-seeking experience and addressing immigrants’ emotional needs. Participants in the study reported having good mental health and the ability to deal with distress, but highlighted that a lack of English proficiency, low job attainment and experiences of prejudice and discrimination negatively affected their psychological health.DiscussionThe results offered a thorough description and understanding of some immigrants’ experiences, the meanings attributed to these experiences, and their needs concerning psychological health. Some possible implications for working with this minority group are discussed from a social justice perspective, including the recommendation to apply contextual approaches such as relational cultural theory.

Persistent Disadvantages or New Opportunities? The Role of Agency and Structural Constraints for Low-Achieving Adolescents’ School-to-Work Transitions

School leavers with low educational attainment face great difficulties in their school-to-work transitions. They are, however, quite heterogeneous in terms of their personal and social resources. These within-group differences may influence who shows initiative during the school-to-work transition period and thereby helps employers recognize their learning potential at labor market entry. Yet this recognition also depends on the ways employers select applicants, which may prevent them from discovering such within-group differences. We therefore investigate the interplay between agency and its constraints, that is, whether higher cognitive and noncognitive skills and more parental resources provide low-achieving school leavers with new opportunities in the school-to-work transition period or whether their low school attainment causes the persistency of their disadvantages. We use panel data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), which started in grade 9. The NEPS also includes school leavers from special-needs schools. Our sample consists of 3417 low-achieving adolescents (42% female), defined as adolescents who leave school with no or only a lower secondary school-leaving certificate. Their average school-leaving age is 16 to 17 years. Our key findings are that the transition period opens up new opportunities only for those low-achieving adolescents with better vocational orientation and higher career aspirations, leading them to make stronger application efforts. The success of youth's initiative varies considerably by school-leaving certificate and school type but not by competences, noncognitive characteristics, and parental background. Thus, the label of "having low qualifications" is a major obstacle in this transition period-especially for the least educated subgroup. Their poor school attainment strongly disadvantages them when accessing the required training to become economically independent and hence in their general transition to adulthood. Our results are also of interest internationally, because participation in firm-based training programs functions as the entry labor market in Germany. Thus, similar explanations may apply to low-achieving adolescents' difficulties in finding a job.

Clinical Features and Gaps in the Management of Probable Familial Hypercholesterolemia and Cardiovascular Disease.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is associated with premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). The introduction of potent therapeutic agents underlies the importance of improving clinical diagnosis and treatment gaps in FH.Methods and Results:A regional database of 1,690 adult patients with high-probability FH based on age-dependent peak-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) cut-offs and exclusion of secondary causes of severe hypercholesterolemia, was examined to explore the clinical manifestations and current needs in the management of ASCVD, which was present in 248 patients (15%), of whom 83% had coronary artery disease (CAD); 19%, stroke; and 13%, peripheral artery disease. ASCVD was associated with male gender, higher peak LDL-C, lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and traditional risk factor burden. Despite high-intensity statin (prescribed in 83% and combined with ezetimibe in 42%), attainment of LDL-C treatment goals was low, and associated with treatment intensity and drug adherence. Multivessel CAD (adjusted hazard ratios (HR), 3.05; 95% CI: 1.65-5.64), myocardial infarction, and the presence of ≥1 traditional risk factor (HR, 2.59; 95% CI: 1.42-4.71), were associated with repeat coronary revascularizations, in contrast with peak LDL-C >300 mg/dL (HR, 1.13; 95% CI: 0.66-1.91). Main manifestations of ASCVD in FH patients were premature, multivessel CAD with need for recurrent revascularization, associated with classical cardiovascular risk factors but not with peak LDL-C. In spite of intensive therapy with lipid-lowering agents, treatment gaps were significant, with low attainment of LDL-C treatment goals.

Low-attaining students’ representational strategies: tasks, time, efficiency, and economy

There are many potential ways to represent arithmetical tasks, but students’ choices may be limited by beliefs that only certain standardised representations are ‘legitimate’ in school mathematics. Furthermore, concern for the quantity and speed of ‘work done’ can override opportunities for meaningful engagement with the content. This paper draws on a sample of the informal representational strategies observed during a microanalytic study of 11–15-year-old students with low prior attainment in mathematics. In the absence of pressure to provide quick answers, or to obtain them in a prescribed manner, students worked flexibly, participating in arithmetical reasoning, attempting and succeeding in tasks they were previously unable to engage with. The relationships between representational strategies, economy, and efficiency are discussed in relation to multiplicative thinking. These have pedagogical implications for the representational expectations placed on students with difficulties in mathematics, particularly in learning support and intervention contexts.