Significant Difference In Academic Achievement Research Articles

Effectiveness of student assistance programs in Nebraska schools.

This study investigated whether Nebraska schools with Student Assistance Programs (SAP) are associated with reduced adolescent alcohol use and a higher level of academic achievement than students from schools without a SAP. In 1992, the Toward a Drug Free Nebraska (TDFN) survey was administered to 3,454 students in grades seven to twelve at eighty-three Nebraska schools. A second survey, the TDFN "team activity report" collected from each school's team, the presence of a SAP (n = 34 schools) or absence of a SAP (n = 49 schools). Student responses for alcohol use and academic achievements were linked with the presence of a SAP through use of a school identification number on both surveys. Students from schools with a SAP reported a lower use of alcohol in the last thirty days, compared with students from schools without a SAP program (p < 0.05), and they also reported a significant difference in academic achievement (p < 0.05). While this study used post hoc analysis of data, the results suggest lower alcohol use and higher academic achievement among students from SAP schools. Given SAPs' popularity, these trends suggest that further research should be conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of student assistance programs.

Mandatory Versus Voluntary Prison Education and Academic Achievement

A retrospective study was designed using 1990-1991 educational records from the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. The sample consisted of 100% of the participants enrolled in the prison literacy program. The study was designed to test the following hypothesis: An association does exist between the method of participation (mandatory or voluntary) in a prison literacy program and academic achievement. The independent variables of sex, race, age, education level, IQ, and type of participant (mandatory or voluntary) were controlled. Adjusted odds ratios were used to show the relationship between the independent variables and voluntary participation. Multiple logistic regression was used as the model-building procedure to calculate the odds ratio along with the 95% confidence interval for the association between voluntary participation and academic achievement in a prison literacy program. Results failed to indicate significant differences in academic achievement when participants in the program were there voluntarily or because of official mandates. The findings of this study support mandatory literacy programs in the prison system.

The relationship between selected educational outcomes of senior RN-to-BSN students and their choice of advanced placement options available in the Maryland nursing articulation model

If national standards for entry into practice are to be changed, viable routes to achievement of the BSN must be established in each state. Maryland has implemented a statewide articulation model that allows the registered nurse to obtain credit for work completed at lower division schools through one of three advanced placement options. This study sought to answer the question of whether there is a difference in selected academic outcomes of senior RN-to-BSN students who choose different pathways available in the model. Data were collected from all students (n = 113) completing clinical concepts courses at a large university school of nursing. The independent variables were mode of entry and pattern of study. The dependent variables were scores obtained on the National League for Nursing (NLN) Comprehensive Nursing Achievement Test for Baccalaureate Nursing Students and the grades obtained in the spring and fall nine-credit clinical concepts courses (examinations, formal papers, clinical evaluations). The entry pathway did not make a significant difference in terms of scores on the spring NLN examination, course tests, or paper grades. However, differences were noted in the clinical area. Transition course students achieved the highest mean clinical performance score, and direct transfer students achieved the lowest score. The implication for nursing education is that there appears to be no significant difference in academic achievement of RN-to-BSN students admitted for advanced placement using three different validating procedures.

The Effect of Class Size on Achievement and Attitudes

As this summary suggests, some learning outcomes may be negatively affected by large-class instruction. Findings from more recent studies support this conclusion. In a study of large- and small-class instruction in educational psychology, Feldhusen (1963) found no significant differences in academic achievement, interest in teaching, or evaluations of the course and the teacher. However, attitudes toward teaching (as measured by the Minnesota Teacher Attitude Inventory) were significantly different (.05 level); also 40 per cent of the students in the large class indicated a preference for a small class. This important question of the effects of large-class instruction on learning outcomes other than academic achievement has been the subject of relatively little research. The present study was designed to compare some of the attitudes and perceptions, as well as the achievement, of students in large and small classes. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) Students taught general psychology in an instructional pattern of three large lecture sessions (approximately 200 students each) and one small-group discussion (15 students) per week would perform as well on objective measures of achievement as students taught in the traditional pattern of four lecturediscussion classes (30 to 50 students) per week; (2) Students' attitudes toward the subject matter, the instructor and instruction, other students, and future work in psychology would not be negatively affected by this change in the pattern of instruction.