School Performance Test Research Articles

Predicting undergraduate academic performance in a leading Peruvian university: A machine learning approach

Despite improved higher education accessibility in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), challenges persist in student drop-out, especially for socio-economically disadvantaged students. While machine learning models have enhanced our understanding of this challenge by predicting academic performance, many studies overlook LMIC-specific institutional factors or focus on specific courses, limiting their generalizability and policy uses. To address these issues, the authors compiled a comprehensive database using administrative and census data to predict undergraduate academic performance at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP). The study found that the most effective models were tree-based ensembles, particularly Random Forest, with key predictors including prior secondary school performance and university admission test scores. They present a high-performing model using only ten features that can predict future academic performance and potentially aid in reducing student drop-out at PUCP.

LEARNING PROCESSES IN CHILDHOOD: A study on school performance and intelligence levels

The learning process involves complex variables that can be discussed from the most diverse perspectives. Difficulties faced on this path are commonly attributed, by parents and teachers, to behavioral problems, inattention, neglect of studies, among others. However, clinical diagnostic practice in cases of school complaints often identifies that children have a good intellectual level, even with unsatisfactory school performance. Thus, the objective of this study was to relate school performance with the level of intelligence in students from a public elementary school unit. It was a quantitative, exploratory and cross-sectional research, which included a sample of 180 children with ages between 7 years and 11 years and 11 months, from elementary school at a public school in the Greater ABC-SP region. The School Performance Test (TDE) and the Non-verbal Intelligence Test (R2) were used as instruments, applied collectively. The results indicate that around 85% of children presented low academic performance, while 81% of children obtained scores at or above average in terms of intelligence level. These data indicate that, despite being intelligent, their academic performance was compromised. The results articulated the environment, social, political, economic factors and the institution itself as fundamental factors of this problem. In this way, it is possible to reflect that in the learning processes we do not only consider levels of intelligence, organic factors or intellectual deficits, but a look at the institution and the uniqueness of these children whose academic performance is impaired and, therefore, present severe learning difficulties.

O.6.1-9 Motor coordination as a strategy to increase school achievement in schoolchildren

Abstract Purpose Our purpose was to identify the role of demographic, attention level, motor coordination, and physical activity to predict school achievement in Brazilian schoolchildren. Methods This is a cross-sectional study, composed of 106 Brazilian schoolchildren of both sexes (56 boys), aged between 7-12 years. Sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, socioeconomic status - SES), motor coordination (KTK test), physical activity (WEB CAAF questionnaire), attention level, and school performance (measured by school performance test and categorized based on the median in “insufficient” or “good”) were obtained. A hierarchical logistic regression analysis was estimated to verify factors associated with academic achievement (“insufficient achievement” and “good achievement”), through three models increased in complexity (model 1: age, sex, SES; Model 2: Model 1 + attention variables; Model 3: Model 2 + motor coordination and physical activity). Effect size estimates were computed using R2. The SPSS software was used, with a confidence interval fixed at 95%. The research was approved by the research ethics committee of the Federal University of Sergipe – Brazil (n° 5.155.350). Results About 51% of the children presented insufficient school achievement. Based on the three logistic regression models, the variables associated with school achievement included age (OR = 2.32; 95%IC = 1.23 – 4.37), and attention level (OR = 1.07; 95%IC = 1.01 – 1.14). Results from the logistic regression showed that the model which better explained school achievement variance was the model 3, where all the variables were included (R2=66%). Higher motor coordination increased the odds to present good school achievement (OR = 10.42, 95%IC = 1.04 – 104.46), but no significant association was shown for physical activity. Conclusions Interventions to improve school achievement among Brazilian schoolchildren should consider the use of motor coordination, including activities that require focus, especially in young children.

Effect of an after-school physical activity program on physical fitness and academic performance of socioeconomically vulnerable children

Aim: To promote the practice of physical activity (PA) after school hours and verify the effects on the physical fitness and academic performance of children with socioeconomic vulnerability. Methods: The non-randomized experimental study was carried out in a school in a vulnerable area. Eighteen children performed 60 minutes of moderate-vigorous PA and 15 minutes of circuit exercise (muscle and bone strengthening) three times a week. The control group (n=10) only had school physical education as a weekly PA routine. To assess the program's impact, physical aptitude tests (pre- and post-test) were carried out in accordance with the recommendations of PROESP-Br and the School Performance Test, which assesses learning in three categories: reading, writing, and arithmetic. Results: Abdominal strength, flexibility, sprint, and lower limb power increased (d-Cohen>0.20). Regarding academic performance, the effect was moderate (d-Cohen>0.50) for reading and total scores. The effect size was small (d-Cohen<0.50) for arithmetic and writing. Conclusion: An after-school PA program positively impacts physical fitness and academic performance in socioeconomically vulnerable children. The level of impact varies between small and medium according to different physical fitness capacities. School is an enabling environment for children to meet the World Health Organization PA recommendations.

Comparative education or epistemological power games for world domination

ABSTRACT This article argues that the worlds which comparative education has explored and is exploring are characterised by three main political patterns. The first and oldest is the competitive nation-state as the starting point of the comparison, an educationalised nation-state, one whose relative global strength in economy and military prowess is attributed to the education system. The second pattern, easily visible in the Cold War, is the idea of an almost standardised progression, linked to economic, military and thus geopolitical power. And the contemporary pattern is that this nexus of global potency and education can be broken down into comparative school performance tests (for example in PISA currently) through which reform needs (almost automatically) are formulated at home, and elsewhere. If this analysis and its history – which is illustrated in the following – is even approximately accurate, ‘comparative education’ may need to re-think some of its basic assumptions about itself.

Efeito da Ansiedade Matemática de Pais e Professores em Escolares

Abstract The aim of the study was to demonstrate a relationship between the math anxiety (MA) of parents and teachers and the MA of children and the effects on the children’s performance in arithmetic. 286 children aged between 7 and 10 years and their parents and mathematics teachers participated in the study. The instruments used were: Math Anxiety Questionnaire; School Performance Test - Arithmetic subtest; Mathematical Anxiety Scale; and Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices. The results showed that advanced age of the teacher was a predictor of high levels of MA, which influenced the children’s performance in arithmetic. Low parental education was associated with high MA, however, there were no correlations between parents’ and children’s MA. A significant difference was found between the MA mean scores for girls and boys, with the girls presenting higher levels of MA.

School and language performance in children born with low birth weight

ObjectivesTo identify the impact of birth weight on the development of metalinguistic skills and performance in reading, writing, and arithmetic in students aged 6 to 10 years, enrolled from the 1st to the 4th grade of Elementary School in public schools of the metropolitan region of São Paulo. MethodsThe concurrent cohort included 315 students. Birth weight was the exposure variable, and the outcomes were performance in receptive and expressive language, oral metalinguistic skills, and performance in writing, arithmetic, and reading. The tools employed were the Test of Language Competence (TLC) and the School Performance Test (SPT). Students were grouped into quartiles by birth weight for data analysis (P1: < 2170 g, P2: from 2171 g to 2450 g, P3: from 2451 g to 3150 g, and P4: > 3150 g). ResultsThe authors observed a tendency for the lower performance of the two groups with lower birth weights in listening comprehension and oral expression. The lower-weight group tended to perform poorly compared to the other groups vis-à-vis reading. In the global result of the SPT, worse performance was observed in the students in the first quartile compared to the others (p = 0.019). The multivariate analysis revealed no association between birth weight and results in the tests applied after adjusting for maternal schooling. ConclusionsBirth weight can interfere with oral and written language development. However, the determination of these processes occurs in the face of complex interaction that includes sociodemographic factors, especially family support and maternal schooling.

ASSOCIAÇÕES ENTRE DESEMPENHO NEUROPSICOLÓGICO E DESEMPENHO ARITMÉTICO: UM ESTUDO COM ALUNOS DO ENSINO FUNDAMENTAL

ABSTRACT: This article aimed at examining the cognitive functions associated with difficulties in arithmetic, with a special focus on a) analyzing the relationship between neuropsychological performance and arithmetic performance in the total sample of each school year; and b) investigating students’ performance in neuropsychological functions, divided according to their performance in arithmetic, for each school year. The participants of this study were 167 students from the 4th and 6th grades of elementary school between the ages of 9 and 12. For the analysis, the main tools used were the scores of the Arithmetic Subtest of the School Performance Test (TDE) and the neuropsychological assessment battery NEUPSILIN-Inf. Pearson correlations were made between the total sample of each school year and the t-test, in order to find differences between the groups of each school year, formed according to the performance of the TDE. The results suggest that the better the arithmetic performance in the TDE, the higher the scores in memory, calculations, and verbal fluency on NEUPSILIN-Inf. Students in the group with arithmetic difficulties had lower scores on the tests, which especially evaluated executive functions and memory. Investments should be made in the future for educational practices that encourage the development of such cognitive functions, in order to prevent arithmetic difficulties.

Effectiveness of a Mastery Climate Cognitive-Motor Skills School-based Intervention in children living in poverty: Motor and Academic performance, self-perceptions, and BMI

ABSTRACT Background: Children living in poverty often are exposed to situations that negatively affect various aspects of their development. So, it is important to propose interventional programs that minimize the negative effects of living in poverty on these children. Objective: To verify the impact of a mastery climate cognitive-motor skills school-based intervention on academic and motor performance, body mass index, and perceptions of competence and self-worth in children living in poverty. Method: 280 children (50% girls), 7- to10-years-old, from Ceará state – Brazil, participated in this study. Intervention (IG, N = 140) and comparison (N = 140) groups were composed. The Test of Gross Motor Development – 2, the Self-Perception Profile for Children, the School Performance Test (reading, writing, math), and the Body Mass Index (BMI) were used. Children in the IG participated in a mastery climate intervention and children in the CG in a recreational sports program for 12 weeks (36 sessions /140 min each session/ three times a week) with 60 min of academic activities, 20 min recess and snacks, and 60 min of motor practices. Results: The intervention group showed significant improvement from pre- to post-test, and higher motor, academic (reading, math), perceived competence, social acceptance, and self-worth scores than the comparison group at pos-test (p from 0.031 to <0.001). Conclusion: Mastery climate cognitive-motor intervention positively impacts the motor and academic performance and the self-perceptions of the children living in poverty, reinforcing the need for these interventions to helping children become more proficient and assured about their competences.

Relations between prior school performance and later test anxiety during the transition to secondary school.

When exposed to evaluative situations, up to 40% of students develop test anxiety, reflected, namely, by extensive worry, intrusive thoughts, and physiological arousal. Though the negative influence of test anxiety on later school performance is well documented, the role of students' initial achievement in the development of later test anxiety is less clear. To better capture the nature of the relations between prior mathematics and language arts achievement and later test anxiety across genders, this study examined linear and curvilinear relationships among 1,569 French-speaking Canadian students followed across the transition to secondary school, a critical period for test anxiety. Students completed a questionnaire at the beginning and the end of the first year of secondary school, and schools provided us with students grades at the end of 6th grade and the fall of 7th grade. Multilevel regression analyses showed that only mathematics achievement at the end of elementary school predicted test anxiety at the beginning of secondary school. In secondary school, beginning-of-year achievement in both mathematics and language arts predicted test anxiety at the end of this same year, but different patterns were observed for boys and girls. Because nonlinear relations were observed at each timepoint, low achievers may not be the only group of students who are at greater risk of developing high levels of test anxiety. Therefore, interventions targeting students with different achievement profiles might help to reduce test anxiety and facilitate the transition to secondary school.

Association between attention, nonverbal intelligence and school performance of school-age children with Autism Spectrum Disorder from a public health context in Brazil

BackgroundAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social interaction, restricted and repetitive behaviour, interests or activities. Difficulties in a broad spectrum of cognitive skills is often present, including attentional processes and nonverbal intelligence, which might be related to academic difficulties. AimsIn this study, the association between attentional skills and nonverbal intelligence to school performance of children with ASD was assessed. Methods and procedures32 children/adolescents between 8–14 years old, who attended a treatment unit linked to the public health system of São Paulo-Brazil participated in the study. The following instruments were utilized: Cancellation Attention Test; Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices; and School Performance Test. Outcomes and resultsAfter correlation analysis, statistically significant associations were found between attention and nonverbal intelligence with school performance. Regression analysis showed that attention drives school performance irrespective of nonverbal intelligence. Conclusions and implicationsResults evidence the link between attention and school performance in ASD, suggesting that attentional mechanisms may be a promising route to follow in the design of interventions for school improvement of children and adolescents with ASD.

O uso de jogos digitais no desenvolvimento da consciência fonológica no processo de alfabetização: intervenções no contexto escolar

Este estudo tem o objetivo de avaliar as contribuições do uso de jogos digitais para o desenvolvimento da consciência fonológica junto a crianças com dificuldades no processo de alfabetização na escola. A metodologia de pesquisa utilizada foi quase-experimental com abordagens quantitativa e qualitativa. Participaram dessa pesquisa 14 estudantes com dificuldades escolares, matriculados no terceiro e quarto ano do Ensino Fundamental de duas escolas públicas do município de Florianópolis no sul do Brasil. A coleta de dados ocorreu por meio da aplicação de testes – Teste de desempenho escolar (TDE) e Consciência Fonológica: Instrumento de Avaliação Sequencial (CONFIAS), da realização de entrevista com as professoras e do registro de observação. A intervenção ocorreu no período de dois meses, com total 12 horas. Os estudantes foram acompanhados por meio do protocolo de observação participante que registrou seus comportamentos durante a intervenção. As informações coletadas foram organizadas e sistematizadas, demonstraram que o uso dos jogos digitais na escola contribuiu no processo de alfabetização dos estudantes. Conclui-se que uso dos jogos digitais proporcionam uma experiência significativa para o processo de alfabetização no contexto escolar.

The Working Memory as Predictor of Performance in Arithmetic of Brazilian Students

Abstract Working memory (WM) is a predictor of school learning. This study aimed to investigate the predictive power of verbal and non-verbal working memory (WM) on students’ performance in arithmetic. 126 children between 6 and 11 years old participated in the research. The instruments were: School Performance Test, Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices, Corsi Block-tapping Test, and Digits Subtest. The results showed strong and positive correlations of school performance with fluid intelligence r = 0.64, with verbal WM and non-verbal WM, both with r = 0.51 (p &lt; 0.001). After multiple linear regression, it was found that the performance in visuospatial WM was a strong predictor for arithmetic, an effect not found for reading. The regression showed that WM explains 38% of the variance for arithmetic. It is concluded that WM has an expressive contribution to school performance, being more specific the contributions of visuospatial WM for arithmetic.

Psychotic experiences and future school performance in childhood: a population-based cohort study.

BackgroundPsychotic experiences are common in childhood and an important risk indicator of adverse mental health outcomes. However, little is known about the association of psychotic experiences with functional outcomes in childhood, particularly regarding school performance. The aim of the present study was to examine whether psychotic experiences were prospectively related to school performance in childhood.MethodsThis study was embedded in the population‐based Generation R Study (N = 2,362). Psychotic experiences were assessed using self‐reports on hallucinations at age 10 years. School performance was assessed using a standardized national school performance test at age 12 years. We considered the total school performance score, as well as language and mathematics subscales. Analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, maternal nonverbal IQ, nonverbal IQ at age 6 years and co‐occurring psychopathology at age 10 years.ResultsPsychotic experiences were prospectively associated with poorer school performance scores (B = −0.61, 95% CI [−0.98;−0.25], p = .001), as well as poorer language (B percentile rank score = −2.00, 95% CI [−3.20;−0.79], p = .001) and mathematical ability (B percentile rank score = −1.75, 95% CI [−2.99;−0.51], p = .006). These associations remained after additional adjustment for nonverbal IQ at age 6 years (B = −0.51, 95% CI [−0.86;−0.16], p = .005), and co‐occurring internalizing (B = −0.40, 95% CI [−0.77;−0.03], p = .036) and externalizing problems (B = −0.40, 95% CI [−0.75;−0.04], p = .029), but not attention problems (B = −0.10, 95% CI [−0.47;0.26], p = .57).ConclusionsChildren with psychotic experiences had lower school performance scores than their nonaffected peers. The finding was independent of sociodemographic characteristics, intelligence and co‐occurring internalizing and externalizing problems, but not attention problems. This study suggests that psychotic experiences are associated with childhood functional impairments, although the relatively small effects and the role of attention problems warrant further exploration.

Genetic Burden for Late-Life Neurodegenerative Disease and Its Association With Early-Life Lipids, Brain, Behavior, and Cognition.

BackgroundGenetics play a significant role in the etiology of late-life neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and frontotemporal dementia. Part of the individual differences in risk for these diseases can be traced back decades before the onset of disease symptoms. Previous studies have shown evidence for plausible links of apolipoprotein E (APOE), the most important genetic marker for Alzheimer’s disease, with early-life cognition and neuroimaging markers. We aimed to assess whether genome-wide genetic burden for the aforementioned neurodegenerative diseases plays a role in early-life processes.MethodsWe studied children from the Generation R Study, a prospective birth cohort. APOE genotypes and polygenic genetic burdens for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and frontotemporal dementia were obtained through genome-wide genotyping. Non-verbal intelligence was assessed through cognitive tests at the research center around the age of 6 years, and educational attainment through a national school performance test around the age of 11 years. The Child Behavior Checklist was administered around the age of 10 years, and data from the anxious/depressed, withdrawn/depressed, and the internalizing behavior problems scales were used. Children participated in a neuroimaging study when they were 10 years old, in which structural brain metrics were obtained. Lipid serum profiles, which may be influenced by APOE genotype, were assessed from venal blood obtained around the age of 6 years. The sample size per analysis varied between 1,641 and 3,650 children due to completeness of data.ResultsWe did not find evidence that APOE genotype or the polygenic scores impact on childhood nonverbal intelligence, educational attainment, internalizing behavior, and global brain structural measures including total brain volume and whole brain fractional anisotropy (all p > 0.05). Carriership of the APOE ε2 allele was associated with lower and APOE ε4 with higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations when compared to APOE ε3/ε3 carriers.ConclusionWe found no evidence that genetic burden for late-life neurodegenerative diseases associates with early-life cognition, internalizing behavior, or global brain structure.

Educational Technologies for Intervention for Students in Hemodialysis Treatment of the Hospital Class ABC Nefro

The objective of this study was understanding the importance of educational technologies for interventions for students with Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) in hemodialysis treatment. We investigated socioeducational indicators and level of quality of life of patients / students aged 15 to 72 years. For this, an applied intervention research with quantiqualitative approach was carried out. Data collection was done through documentary research, socioeconomic questionnaire, School Performance Tests (TDE) to evaluate the reading and writing levels of students and records of participant observation. The educational technologies were constructed collaboratively with the teachers and in their application was used graphic material and mobile digital technologies. The results obtained indicate that 92.8% have memory difficulties; 50% had poor reading and writing performance. The study indicated the need for a curricular adaptation, with the use of technological pedagogical resources (tablets and digital platform) to better learn the students in health treatment. We conclude that digital technologies are pedagogical resources that expand the learning of students with health limitations.

Examination of Indices of High School Performance Based on the Graded Response Model

AbstractWe examined summary indices of high school performance (coursework, grades, and test scores) based on the graded response model (GRM). The indices varied by inclusion of ACT test scores and whether high school courses were constrained to have the same difficulty and discrimination across groups of schools. The indices were examined with respect to skewness, incremental prediction of college degree attainment, and differences across racial/ethnic and socioeconomic subgroups. The most difficult high school courses to earn an “A” grade included calculus, chemistry, trigonometry, other advanced math, physics, algebra 2, and geometry. The GRM‐based indices were less skewed than simple high school grade point average (HSGPA) and had higher correlations with ACT Composite score. The index that included ACT test scores and allowed item parameters to vary by school group was most predictive of college degree attainment, but had larger subgroup differences. Implications for implementing multiple measure models for college readiness are discussed.

Assessment of an Academic Skills Development Program for Youths in Juvenile Correctional Facilities

Abstract School deficit is considered a risk factor for the development of antisocial behavior. This study assessed the efficacy of individual program on academic skills for adolescents admitted to juvenile detention. The sample consisted of 18 adolescents, nine who received the intervention (experimental group) and nine in the control group. The schooling activities were developed in a range of 12 to 18 weeks with two to four hours per week and efficacy was measured by School Performance Test (SPT) that evaluates writing, reading and arithmetics. The results of the comparison between pretest and post-test showed a statistically significant increase in the experimental group's math skills (Z = -2.673, p = .008) and overall score (Z = -2.549, p = .012). Calculated via the STP the average educational lag at the time of the pretest was 8.3 years for the experimental group and 8.9 years for the control group. Subsequent to the intervention, the average lag dropped to 7.3 years for the experimental group and remained to 8.6 years for the control group. This intervention proved to be a promising technique to reduce academic deficits in adolescents from juvenile detention.

Reading comprehension and receptive vocabulary in Elementary School students with typical development.

Prepare an instrument to evaluate reading comprehension and verify the influence of receptive vocabulary on the reading comprehension of 3rd to 5th-grade Elementary School students with typical development. All ethical precepts were accomplished. Study participants were 69 3rd-, 4th- and 5th-grade students (35 girls) with mean ages of 8.2, 9.2, and 10 years, respectively, with typical development in the School Performance Test. Half of the sample underwent the reading comprehension test using the question-and-answer method and the other half took the test using the Cloze technique. All students completed the Teste de Vocabulário por Figuras USP (TVFUSP) with 139 stimuli. The schoolchildren presented good performance in receptive vocabulary despite their low socioeconomic level. Better performance was observed in explicit questions compared with that in implicit questions. Students demonstrated more homogeneous and similar performance between the school years in the Cloze technique. No conclusive results were found regarding the correlation between receptive vocabulary and reading comprehension by the two methods. There is evidence of the influence of receptive vocabulary on the reading comprehension of texts, mainly in the question-and-answer method. The prepared instrument, including both assessment methods of reading comprehension, is efficient to investigate and characterize the reading comprehension of 3rd to 5th-grade Elementary School students, and both methods significantly differentiated students in the 3rd and 5th grades.

Associação entre aptidão física com atenção visual e desempenho acadêmico em crianças saudáveis

Introduo: Entender o papel do exerccio para a cognio de crianas tornou-se fundamental, pois na fase escolar a criana se encontra em amplo desenvolvimento. Objetivo: Investigar a associao da aptido aerbia com ateno visual e desempenho escolar em crianas saudveis. Mtodos: Trata-se de estudo transversal, composto por 51 crianas com idade entre 7 a 12 anos de ambos os sexos. A aptido aerbia foi obtida a partir do teste de 6 minutos da bateria PROESP-BR. Para as mensuraes da ateno visual e do desempenho acadmico foram utilizados os Testes de Ateno Visual (TAVIS-4) e de Desempenho Escolar (TDE), respectivamente. Para correlao entre os valores das variveis foi utilizada a correlao de Pearson. Resultados: Observou-se que uma maior aptido aerbia no se relaciona com melhores desempenhos em testes de ateno e desempenho escolar. Concluso: Os achados sugerem que nveis insuficientes de aptido aerbia parecem no influenciar a cognio de crianas saudveis.