Risk For Academic Failure Research Articles

ACTION RESEARCH: EFFECTS OF SELF-EFFICACY TRAINING ON LOW ACHIEVING FRESHMEN

This action research project investigated the effects of self-efficacy training on low achieving high school freshman who were considered to be at risk for academic failure. Six students participated in psycho-educational group counseling sessions for forty-five minutes weekly over the course of a nine-week reporting period. Findings indicated significant gains on all six domains of the Piers Harris 2 from pretest to posttest. Additionally, follow up interviews reflecting on the intervention indicated that students would indeed continue with the sessions and were more confident about their academic capabilities as a result of the experience.

Educational Opportunity is Achievable and Affordable

Raising academic standards while eliminating achievement gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students are America's primary national educational goals. This pursuit of equity and excellence reflects a bipartisan consensus of presidents, governors, legislators, corporate leaders, educators, and the public forged over two decades. Linking equity with higher achievement would fulfill the promise of equal educational opportunity that the U.S. Supreme Court articulated in Brown v. Board of Education more than a half century ago. It also reflects a broad awareness that unless the nation can provide a high-quality education to all children, America will lose its ability to compete effectively in the global marketplace and will jeopardize the continued vitality of its democratic institutions. But the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and related standards-based reform initiatives in virtually all of the states have made limited progress toward these goals. While vital school improvement efforts must continue, the nation's ambitious educational goals can't be met unless we understand and confront the core problem underlying the achievement gap: the extensive pattern of childhood poverty that inhibits educational opportunity and educational achievement. Results of the latest PISA international student assessment indicate that U.S. schools with fewer than 25% of their students living in poverty rank above the world's highest scorers among advanced industrial countries. But when you add scores of students from schools with high-poverty rates, the United States sinks to the middle of the pack. At nearly 22% and rising, the child-poverty rate in the United States is the highest among wealthy nations. (Poverty rates in Denmark and in Finland, which is justifiably celebrated as a top global performer on the PISA tests, are below 5%). In reality, America doesn't have a general education crisis; we have a poverty crisis. The effect of poverty on children's learning is profound and multidimensional. Children who grow up in poverty are much more likely to experience conditions that make learning difficult and put them at risk for academic failure. Moreover, the longer a child is poor, the more extreme the poverty, the greater the concentration of poverty, and the younger the child, the more serious the effects will be on the child's potential to succeed academically. According to a growing body of research, America will attain its goals of equity in preparing students to function effectively as citizens and productive workers only through a concerted effort to eliminate socioeconomic barriers. Our research has identified four prime areas of support services for children and youth that are most beneficial to helping children overcome the poverty-imposed impediments to educational achievement. These core areas are: * Early childhood education beginning from birth that ensures the range of development necessary to be ready for school; * Routine and preventive physical and mental health care that maintain bodies and minds that are able to learn effectively; * After-school, summer, and other expanded learning time opportunities that bolster academic learning and pro-mote social, emotional, and civic development necessary to succeed in school; and * Family engagement and support that foster students' academic development. In each area, studies commissioned by the Campaign for Educational Equity at Teachers College, Columbia University have analyzed current research and demonstrated a direct relation-ship between each factor and student achievement. For example, children who attend preschool perform better in kindergarten than peers who didn't attend preschool, and these effects are larger for lower-income students (Kagan, 2009). Poor urban youth have higher rates of asthma, which results in sleep deprivation and absenteeism that adversely affect their motivation and ability to learn in school (Basch, 2010). …

EFFECTS OF TEXT MESSAGED SELF‐MONITORING ON CLASS ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY OF AT‐RISK COLLEGE STUDENT ATHLETES

This study examined the effects of text messaging class arrival to an academic counselor on the attendance and punctuality of 4 college student athletes. Each participant had a history of class tardiness and was considered to be at risk for academic failure. Class attendance and punctuality improved for all participants.

Assessing the Effectiveness of First Step to Success

This article reports on the effectiveness of First Step to Success, a secondary-level intervention appropriate for students in early elementary school who experience moderate to severe behavior problems and are at risk for academic failure. The authors demonstrate the intervention’s short-term effects on multiple behavioral and academic outcomes as delivered off-the-shelf in a variety of classrooms and schools across the country—effects that were mitigated by fidelity of implementation. Furthermore, the authors assess the body of evidence on First Step to Success against the standards for effectiveness and widespread dissemination promulgated by the Society for Prevention Research, thereby suggesting directions for further research.

Identifying the necessary and sufficient number of risk factors for predicting academic failure.

Identifying the point at which individuals become at risk for academic failure (grade point average [GPA] < 2.0) involves an understanding of which and how many factors contribute to poor outcomes. School-related factors appear to be among the many factors that significantly impact academic success or failure. This study focused on 12 school-related factors. Using a thorough 5-step process, we identified which unique risk factors place one at risk for academic failure. Academic engagement, academic expectations, academic self-efficacy, homework completion, school relevance, school safety, teacher relationships (positive relationship), grade retention, school mobility, and school misbehaviors (negative relationship) were uniquely related to GPA even after controlling for all relevant covariates. Next, a receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine a cutoff point for determining how many risk factors predict academic failure (GPA < 2.0). Results yielded a cutoff point of 2 risk factors for predicting academic failure, which provides a way for early identification of individuals who are at risk. Further implications of these findings are discussed.

Attention problems, phonological short-term memory, and visuospatial short-term memory: Differential effects on near- and long-term scholastic achievement

The current study examined individual differences in children's phonological and visuospatial short-term memory as potential mediators of the relationship among attention problems and near- and long-term scholastic achievement. Nested structural equation models revealed that teacher-reported attention problems were associated negatively with composite scholastic achievement (reading, math, language), both initially and at 4-year follow-up in an ethnically diverse sample of children ( N = 317). Much of this influence, however, was attenuated by phonological short-term memory's contribution to near-term achievement and visuospatial short-term memory's contribution to long-term achievement. Domain-specific reading and math models showed similar results with some exceptions. In all models, measured intelligence made no contribution to later achievement beyond its initial influence on early achievement. The results contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms associated with individual differences in children's scholastic achievement, and have potential implications for identifying early predictors of children at risk for academic failure, and developing remedial programs targeting phonological and visuospatial short-term memory deficits in children with attention problems.

The Prevalence of Sleep Disorders in College Students: Impact on Academic Performance

Objective: To examine the prevalence of risk for sleep disorders among college students by gender and age, and their associations with grade point average (GPA). Participants: Participants were 1,845 college students at a large, southeastern public university. Methods: A validated sleep disorder questionnaire surveyed sleep data during the 2007–2008 academic year. Students’ GPAs were obtained from the office of the registrar. Results: Twenty-seven percent of students were at risk for at least one sleep disorder. African American and Asian students reported less risk for insomnia and fewer poor sleep practices relative to white and Latino students. Students reported insufficient sleep and a discrepancy between weekday and weekend amount of sleep. Students at risk for sleep disorders were overrepresented among students in academic jeopardy (GPA < 2.0). Conclusions: Many college students are at risk for sleep disorders, and those at risk may also be at risk for academic failure.

Potential utility of actuarial methods for identifying specific learning disabilities

This article describes how actuarial methods can supplant discrepancy models and augment problem solving and Response to Intervention (RTI) efforts by guiding the process of identifying specific learning disabilities (SLD). Actuarial methods use routinized selection and execution of formulas derived from empirically established relationships to make predictions that fall within a plausible range of possible future outcomes. In the case of SLD identification, the extent to which predictions are reasonable can be evaluated by their ability to categorize large segments of the population into subgroups that vary considerably along a spectrum of risk for academic failure. Although empirical comparisons of actuarial methods to clinical judgment reveal that actuarial methods consistently outperform clinical judgment, multidisciplinary teams charged with identifying SLD currently rely on clinical judgment. Actuarial methods provide educators with an empirically verifiable indicator of student need for special education and related services that could be used to estimate the relative effects of exclusionary criteria. This indicator would provide a defensible endpoint in the process of identifying SLD as well as a means of informing and improving the SLD identification process. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Collaborative Preteaching of Students at Risk for Academic Failure

Collaborative Preteaching of Students at Risk for Academic Failure

Children at Risk for Academic Failure: A Model of Individual and Family Factors

The purpose of this study was to identify individual and family risk factors that may explain why some students are at risk for academic failure. Students’ self-concept, academic motivation, and their parents’ involvement in education were reported by both students and teachers. A latent variable path model fit the data well (Comparative Fit Index = .92) and converged in eleven iterations, with a standardized residual mean error of .03, χ(9) = 41.23, p &lt; .001. The model indi-cates that students with low parental involvement in their education may exhibit a low sense of competence and motivation towards learning, and achieve minim-al academic success. Results of the present study are discussed in accordance with Eccles’ (1994) achievement theories, which help identify children at-risk for academic failure.

Personal and institutional characteristics of student failure

There is a limited literature on academic failure in higher education despite the fact that failure is a common experience among undergraduates. Student and course characteristics were examined in relation to proportions of fail grades assigned in a Faculty of Arts. Concerns had been expressed that combinations of two grades, F (failure to reach a satisfactory standard) and FNS (failure to submit assessment work), resulted in high fail rates. Regression analyses indicated that students assigned higher proportions of fail grades tended to be male, Indigenous, younger, had lower entry scores, had deferred fees, were not full‐time day students, lived at home, and had histories of incomplete studies. However, university entrance score was the strongest predictor of F, while being male and deferring payment of fees were the strongest predictors of FNS. Variations in awarding types and levels of fail grades were evident between schools in the faculty, indicating different grading practices. The findings suggest that personal and institutional factors interacted to increase the risk of academic failure for these students.

The Cognitive Style of Nursing Students: Educational Implications for Teaching and Learning

As cognitive and kinesthetic demands on nursing students increase, so does the need for optimal learning environments. Witkin's empirically supported measure of field dependent/independent cognitive style assesses the manner in which students perceive and process information and classifies them along a continuum of field dependence to field independence. Witkin's Groups Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) was administered to 876 students enrolled in 10 health care programs. Statistically significant differences in the GEFT mean scores of students enrolled in the different programs were discovered. The effect size was moderate. Undergraduate nursing students scored higher on the GEFT than did graduate or RN-to-BSN nursing students. However, nursing students were classified as more field dependent than students in other health-related disciplines. Due to their cognitive processing requirements, field-dependent nursing students may be at risk for academic failure. Therefore, instructional strategies tailored to students' needs should be incorporated into the nursing curriculum.

The Role of the Nurse Practitioner in an Individualized Education Plan and Coordination of Care for the Child with Asperger’s Syndrome

The purpose of this article is to describe the role nurse practitioners can play in the diagnosis, early intervention, and coordination of care for children with Asperger’s Syndrome and their families. The article outlines strategies for how nurse practitioners in both school and primary care settings can use the Individualized Educational Plan as a mechanism where they may join an interdisciplinary team of professionals and parents. Nurse practitioners can assist parents, children, and school personnel in planning, intervening, and coordinating services for these families and their children, who are at risk for academic failure and social isolation.

Empirically Derived Subtypes of Child Academic and Behavior Problems: Co-Occurrence and Distal Outcomes

The aim of this study was to identify classes of children at entry into first grade with different patterns of academic and behavior problems. A latent class analysis was conducted with a longitudinal community sample of 678 predominantly low-income African American children. Results identified multiple subclasses of children, including a class with co-occurring academic and behavior problems. Gender differences were found in relation to the number of identified classes and the characteristics of academic and behavior problems for children. Several of the identified classes, particularly the co-occurring academic and behavior problems subclass for both genders, predicted negative long-term outcomes in sixth grade, including academic failure, receipt of special education services, affiliation with deviant peers, suspension from school, and elevated risk for conduct problems. The finding that subclasses of academic and behavior problems predict negative long-term outcomes validates the importance of the identified classes and the need to target interventions for children presenting with the associated class characteristics. Implications for early identification, prevention, and intervention for children at risk for academic failure and disruptive behavior problems are discussed.

Narrative skills, cognitive profiles and neuropsychiatric disorders in 7–8‐year‐old children with late developing language

A community-representative sample of screened and clinically examined children with language delay at 2.5 years of age was followed up at school age when their language development was again examined and the occurrence of neuropsychiatric/neurodevelopmental disorder (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD)) was documented. (1) To determine whether these 7-8-year-old children with a history of language delay have deficits in narrative skills compared with the age norms of standardized tests; and (2) to analyse if there is a relationship between narrative outcome, cognitive profile, and neuropsychiatric diagnosis. Twenty-one children recruited from a community sample and with a history of language delay underwent an in-depth multidisciplinary examination at 7-8 years of age. Their narrative and cognitive skills were examined using the Bus Story Test, the Narrative Memory Subtest from the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment (NEPSY), and The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III (WISC-III). The three measures of the Bus Story Test (information, sentence length, and subordinate clauses) were below age norms for all 21 children, of whom 13 also had a neuropsychiatric diagnosis, i.e. ADHD and/or ASD. Half of the children with language delay had problems on Bus Story Test Information and on the Narrative Memory subtest independently of co-occurrence of neuropsychiatric disorder. The only difference across the children with language delay pure and those who had language delay plus ADHD or language delay plus ASD was on Freedom from Distractibility, where children with ADHD and ASD scored low. In addition, children with ASD had a much lower overall cognitive level (FSIQ) and poorer results on Processing Speed. Swedish children with late developing language at 2.5 years of age have persisting difficulties with oral narrative skills at age 7-8 years. However, almost none of the children with language delay had problems when responding to story-related questions--irrespective of whether or not they had an additional diagnosis of ADHD or ASD. Thus, asking story-related questions may be a good intervention strategy when working with these children. Because narrative difficulties are a reflection of linguistic, cognitive and/or pragmatic/social difficulties, it is important for clinicians of different specialties to work in close collaboration in order to establish a reliable measure that can be used in clinical assessment. Poor results on the WISC-III Kaufman Freedom from Distractibility factor had a strong relationship with a neuropsychiatric diagnosis (not just ADHD), whereas poor results on Bus Story Test Information or NEPSY Narrative Memory (measured as Free Recall) did not. Narrative problems were present among the language delay children even in the presence of adequate speech and verbal comprehension. Thus, narrative assessment may be a useful tool for identifying children with more persistent subtle language and pragmatic problems who are at risk for academic failure.

A Review of Non-Medication Interventions to Improve the Academic Performance of Children and Youth With ADHD

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at risk for academic failure. Although studies have evaluated the effects of medication on academic outcomes, the literature on non-medication interventions has not received equal attention. This review examined 41 studies that evaluated the impact of non-medication interventions on the academic functioning of students with ADHD. The findings revealed that a broad range of traditional and nontraditional interventions has been used to improve students' academic outcomes, yet systematic lines of research were clearly missing. Moreover, important demographic and descriptive information, such as participant characteristics and classroom settings, were often poorly defined and generally did not reflect the current population of students with ADHD. Despite some indications of promise, significant limitations in the literature allow for few conclusions about intervention effects and generalization. Further systematic research is needed to determine which academic intervention methods hold the most promise for children and youth with ADHD.

Are All IQ Scores Created Equal? The Differential Costs of IQ Cutoff Scores for At‐Risk Children

ABSTRACT— The IQ cutoff score of 70 used for the diagnosis of mental retardation has repercussions throughout America, influencing educational, social, and legal decision making. Because of the Flynn effect and changing IQ norms, however, IQ scores are rising and falling over time, independent of actual cognitive gains or losses. These fluctuations, combined with the use of the cutoff score, result in substantial misallocations of financial, educational, and social resources for children of all IQ levels but especially for those at risk for academic failure. Such far‐reaching and grave implications call into question the use of IQ cutoff scores in educational and legal policies and underscore the importance for researchers to collect data in real‐world settings to understand and appreciate the issues that surround the application of developmental theory.

Impact of a Mentoring Experience on College Students’ Beliefs about Early Childhood Development

With the increasing demands placed on working families and the push downward of academics from the K-12 system, there is a critical need to provide high-quality early childhood programming for our nation’s children, particularly those considered at risk for academic failure. This study attempts to (a) understand the beliefs of college students about early childhood development and developmentally appropriate practices, and (b) determine if these beliefs change after their yearlong involvement in Jumpstart, a national intensive mentoring program for academically at-risk preschoolers. Surveys from this national program investigated college students’ beliefs about early childhood development and developmentally appropriate practices. Results indicate that a yearlong mentoring program positively impacts college students’ beliefs. These beliefs become less skills-based more and child-centered and constructivist.

Stories, Studies, and Suggestions About Reading

This article is based on the presidential address I delivered at the 12th annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading, held in June 2005 in Toronto. I trace the development of my interest in instructional research in, first, beginning reading and, more recently, in comprehension, and I describe studies designed to improve the reading of children with learning disabilities and others at risk for academic failure. I conclude with reflections about what our field has accomplished over the last few decades and with suggestions about what might profitably be given further attention at the present time.

Predictors of hyperactive-impulsive-inattention and conduct problems: A comparative follow-back investigation

Disruptive behavior patterns are particularly challenging for parents, teachers, and peers as these behaviors often interfere with classroom instruction, frequently lead to academic underachievement, and are associated with social skills acquisition and performance deficits. Children who exhibit a combination of hyperactivity–impulsivity–inattention and conduct problems (HIA + CP) have been shown to be at greater risk for negative social, behavioral, and legal outcomes than children with HIA-only or CP-only behavior patterns. This investigation explored the degree to which academic, social, and behavioral characteristics in Grade 4 could differentiate sixth-grade students with HIA + CP (n = 61), HIA-only (n = 29), and CP-only (n = 14). Results showed that the HIA-only group had higher academic achievement in Grade 4 as measured by teacher judgments and standardized tests than the HIA + CP and CP-only groups. By Grade 6, the HIA-only and HIA + CP groups showed lower academic competence than the CP-only group suggesting that by sixth grade, children having HIA alone or in combination with conduct problems are at greater risk for academic failure. Additionally, HIA + CP and CP-only groups had poorer social skills than the HIA-only group. Consistent with past research, students in the three risk groups showed no difficulties in either academic or social self-concept. Early screening and identification methods using a multiple-gating model were recommended as a means of proactive approaches to intervention design and prevention. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 721–736, 2005.