Browsing by Subject "Academic achievement"
Now showing 1 - 10 of 10
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Academic Achievement of Youth in the 4-H Program(University of Minnesota, 2014) Piescher, K.; Hong, S.; Blyth, D.; Nippolt, P.The purpose of this study was to examine academic outcomes of youth who participated in Minnesota's 4-H program compared to those who did not, and to understand how parent engagement and duration of 4-H participation affects youth achievement and attendance trajectories over five years.Item The Extent of Offering Online Learning for At Risk Students in Minnesota: With a focus on the Northern Region(2014) Watson, Chnice; Rauschenfels, Diane; Johnson, Christopher W.The structure of education is continuously evolving as more technology is being incorporated within educational sectors. Online education programs have grown significantly over the past decade, from online programs that are designed for college students, to some of America's most vulnerable populations such as K-12 students. Primarily designed for the advanced learner, it is apparent that technology has made education more accessible for all levels of education as well as diverse populations-in particular at-risk students. With online education programs increasing rapidly at 30% annually (Watson & Gemin, 2008), it is essential to evaluate the scope of online education programs in relation to diverse populace. This study evaluated education affiliates regarding their aspects on the effects of online educational programs in association with at-risk students. The current study was conducted over a regular school semester and covered Alternative Learning Center (ALC) schools statewide and conventional academic institutions within the region of northern Minnesota.Item Extracurricular Involvement and Its Effect on Student Success and Student Satisfaction(2014) Schatschneider, Danielle; Brice, Lynn; Christopher W. Johnson.For many years, academic professionals have studied the effect of student engagement on the student experience. Multiple studies have provided evidence that students who are more heavily engaged tend to see better academic outcomes such as higher GPAs and higher retention rates. These studies, however, tend to look at engagement as a whole and/or center on academic engagement, and not on extracurricular engagement. In this paper, I examine the relationship between student engagement and student success, particularly in regards to engagement in extracurricular activities. First, I examined the breadth and depth of student involvement and the correlation to student outcomes such as GPA, job placement and satisfaction ratings. Next, by classifying activities in to 1 of 11 classification types, I was able to examine the correlation between certain types of activities and the outcomes listed above. I found that certain types of activities tended to correlate more strongly with certain outcomes, where other types of involvement do not tend to correspond with strong outcomes in any success measure.Item How Youth at Neighborhood Youth Services Perceive School Over Time(2019) Clark, Kellsey; Anderson, WendyA common form of research in human service professions is to look at the effectiveness of interventions and then considering improvements to be made to service delivery. The program I currently intern for, Neighborhood Youth Services (NYS), is no different. The staff at this after school program for at-risk youth have objectives that they are working towards providing during their programming, such as working towards good nutrition, improving self-esteem, and increased academic achievement. In a typical day at NYS, I spend over half of my time working with youth on homework or other learning activities. As a program, NYS would like to know if the efforts are making a significant difference across these objectives, and also if there is anything we can be doing to further improve youth outcomes. For this reason, I am very interested in seeing how youth at Neighborhood Youth Services perceive school, and how that impacts their academic achievement.Item The impact of executive function and emotional control and understanding on the behavioral functioning and academic achievement of children living in emergency homeless shelters.(2012-08) LaFavor, Theresa L.This study examined the impact of executive function (EF) and emotional control and understanding on the behavioral functioning and academic achievement of 86 homeless children, ages 9 to 11. Executive function skills were assessed using parent report, child's performance on four standard behavioral tasks, and teacher report. Emotional control was assessed using parent report on standard measures of emotion regulation. Emotional understanding was assessed using child performance on a standard measure of affect recognition. Risk and adversity were assessed using parent report on widely used measures of sociodemographic variables, and negative and stressful life events. Indices of behavioral functioning included parent and teacher report of externalizing and internalizing problems. Indices of academic achievement included child's performance on standard measures of mathematical operations and word reading. Results indicate that executive function may be an important marker of academic achievement and behavioral functioning. Performance on executive function tasks predicted academic achievement, and parent reports of internalizing behaviors. Executive function emerged a unique predictor above and beyond children's general intelligence, a key correlate of achievement and behavioral functioning among both low and high risk samples. The effects of risk and adversity, specifically negative and stressful events experienced in the past 12 months, emerged as a unique predictor of achievement and behavioral functioning. Children who experienced more recent negative and stressful life events had lower academic achievement and higher parent reported externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Emotional control emerged as a unique predictor of academic achievement, above and beyond executive function and children's intelligence, suggesting that aspects of emotion regulation are important for academic functioning and success. Implications of these findings are discussed with relation to future intervention and the potential of EF as a focus of intervention.Item Non-Cognitive Factors Affecting Student Athlete Academic Performance(2013) Yelk, Tyler; Rauschenfels, Diane; Williams, JuliaStudent athletes face a unique set of challenges when pursuing both academic and athletic goals simultaneously. These challenges are aggregated from a variety of sources, both external and internal. Many of the issues facing student athletes are cognitive factors, however, the author chose to target a less researched area and looked at the non-cognitive factors affecting student athlete academic performance. The research was conducted at a Midwestern university, which competed with a Division II affiliation. The institution was selected due to its unique combination of highly competitive athletics and high academic standards. The research aimed to discover if there was a presence of negative stereotypes and an awareness of non-cognitive factors influencing student athletes’ academic experience.Item Parent-child relationships in young homeless families: co-regulation as a predictor of child self-regulation and school adjustment(2011-08) Herbers, Janette E.Developing adaptive behaviors are particularly important for children growing up in contexts of risk and adversity. This study examined the role of effective parenting for school success in a high-risk sample of children, focusing on co-regulation experiences with parents in relation to child self-regulation skills. In early childhood, it is largely through experiences of co-regulation within the caregiver-child relationship that children develop self-regulation. These skills are carried forward into other contexts of learning and development, including the school environment. The current thesis examined parent-child relationships among 138 families residing in emergency homeless shelter prior to the children entering kindergarten and first grade. Using observational data and state space grid methodology, I examined the parent-child relationship as a dynamic system with implications for children‟s school success and executive function (a central component of self-regulation). Results indicated that the positive co-regulation experiences were related to executive function capabilities and IQ in the child, which in turn were related to school outcomes. Parent responsiveness in particular was related to positive school outcomes. Person-oriented cluster analyses of individual state space grids revealed distinct types of dyads among the homeless families, highlighting individual differences in dyadic functioning. Findings support theory and earlier findings in developmental and resilience science implicating effective parenting in the acquisition of adaptive skills among children who overcome adversity, in part through processes of co-regulation that shape or scaffold the development of self-regulation and related cognitive skills in young children.Item The relationship between student engagement and standardized test scores of middle school students: does student engagement increase academic achievement?(2012-09) Scheidler, Matthew JamesThe public education system in the United States is under increasing pressure to provide an equitable, effective, and relevant education for all students. In the United States, nearly one of every three students who begin high school does not graduate from high school, resulting in an earning gap of approximately $10,000 annually between students who graduate from high school and those who drop out of high school (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2009). The potential of millions of students, as well as society at large, is threatened by the fact that more than 50% of minority students drop out of high school before they graduate, limiting their access to opportunity for the rest of their lives (Orfield, 2009). The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between student engagement (behavioral, cognitive, and emotional) and the standardized test scores of eighth grade students in three Wakta middle schools. A quantitative survey was used to access 8th graders` perception of their behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement. The engagement data was correlated to standardized test scores and demographic data for each student. Further analysis revealed increased engagement has a direct correlation to increased academic achievement. An academic achievement gap between minority students and white students exists in nearly every school district in the United States, and the Wakta school district is not immune to this educational and social reality. If our citizenry does not have the critical thinking, problem solving, or communication skills to compete in the globalized economy, jobs that would have been available to Americans will be outsourced to people who do have the requisite skills (Wagner, 2008).Item The Role of Academic Advising in Working with Underprepared Community College Students(2011) Bents, Beth D; Hyman, RandyCommunity colleges face many unique challenges when working with students, and the number of students testing into remedial level college courses is one of them. It has been suggested the relationship students have with their advisor can help these students to be successful at the college. The purpose of this study was to determine if students observed a connection between their success and the relationship they have with their advisor. This qualitative study focused on the view of current community college students who had been or were currently enrolled in a remedial course in a Midwestern community college. Students were asked to participate in an online survey that consisted of 12 questions. Once the survey results were collected, the responses were analyzed for common responses and trends. The results showed that the majority of students felt their advisor did play a role in their overall success, thoughts about how this happens still vary.Item Student-Athlete Perception on a College Campus(2011) McHugh, Michael; Hyman, Randy; Ryan, Cindy; Rauschenfels, DianeNegative attitudes regarding a student-athlete’s academic ability exist in the collegiate environment in the form of the “dumb jock” stereotype (Baucom & Lantz, 2001; Bosworth, Fujita, Jensen, & Simons, 2007; Sailes, 1993; McHugh Engstrom & Sedlacek, 1991). These attitudes and stereotypical images hinder a student-athlete’s academic achievement (Chomitz, Dawson, Slining, McGowan, & Mitchelll, 2009; Aries, Benaji, McCarthy, & Salovey, 2004; Morphew, Toma, & Wolf-Wendel, 2001). The author conducted a study at a public, NCAA Division II university whose student-athletes had a proven and publicized history of academic success. The study examined if perceptions of collegiate student-athletes were congruent with those negative feelings towards the group identified in the research. The setting was selected because of the university’s unique history of proven levels of academic success within the student-athlete population. Results found that a positive perception felt by the student-athletes from the campus community was congruent with the high level of student athletes’ academic achievement.