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The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ perceptions of the affective consequences of grade retention and to uncover possible social and academic effects of grade retention on students’ subsequent elementary school experience. The participants were kindergarten through eighth grade students from a county in a rural area in Northeast Tennessee who had been retained for at least one year. A total of 36 students participated in the study, along with principals, school counselors, and teachers from each of the nine schools involved in the study. Information was collected through semi-structured qualitative interviews and the data were analyzed inductively using constant comparative analysis procedures. As a result of the analysis of student interview data, 10 areas of influence emerged related to students’ perceptions of the retention process. This evidence was further substantiated through extended conversations with principals, school counselors and teachers. The areas of influence were categorized into six thematic areas: Theme 1: Conditions of Acceptance; Theme 2: Importance of Timing in the Decision to Retain; Theme 3: Negative Consequences of Retention for Older Children; Theme 4: Lack of Preparation for the Retention; Theme 5: Inadequacy of Support Services After the Retention; Theme 6: Far-reaching Effects of Retention. Based on the findings, the investigator reached the following conclusions: (1) Regardless of their initial reaction to the retention decision, most students eventually accepted the decision. Parental involvement and support was wanted and needed. (2) Retention appeared to be an appropriate intervention for students whose problems stemmed from being chronologically and/or developmentally behind their classmates. (3) Retention appeared to be least appropriate for students who were dealing with behavior problems, learning disabilities, or other problems in their lives. (4) School personnel rarely prepared the child for the retention decision and rarely provided services to make sure the repeated year was successful. (5) Retained students socialized well with other students, but the retention process had negative effects on students’ self-esteem and attitude toward school. Due to the significant impact of making the wrong promotion/retention decision, grade retention should be researched from every possible angle. New approaches to curriculum development, school restructuring, and individualized student instruction should become the focus of efforts to improve student success, and “ensure that no child is left behind.”

In large observational studies, data are often highly multivariate with many discrete and continuous variables measured on each observational unit. One often derives subpopulations to facilitate analysis. Traditional approaches suggest modeling such subpopulations with a compilation of interaction effects. However, when many interaction effects define each subpopulation, it becomes easier to model membership in a subpopulation rather than numerous interactions. In many cases, subjects are not complete members of a subpopulation but rather partial members of multiple subpopulations. Grade of Membership scores preserve the integrity of this partial membership. By generalizing an analytic chemistry concept related to chromatography-mass spectrometry, we obtain a method that can identify latent subpopulations and corresponding Grade of Membership scores for each observational unit.

THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF THE TEACHER'S USE OF GUIDED INQUIRY IN A FIFTH GRADE SCIENCE CLASSROOM. INQUIRY IS SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL(2000), AND INDICATES THAT ALL STUDENTS SHOULD DEVELOP THE ABILITIES NECESSARY TO DO SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY AND DEVELOP UNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY (P.21). THIS STUDY WAS A QUALITATIVE ACTION RESEARCH DESIGN, FOCUSING ON SEVENTEEN STUDENTS AND THEIR RESPONSES TO A GUIDED INQUIRY METHOD OF SCIENCE INSTRUCTION ON MATTER, ENERGY AND MOTION, AND EARTH AND SPACE. AN ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS' PERFORMANCE AND STUDENTS' ATTITUDES ABOUT SCIENCE IN THE CLASSROOM WAS CONDUCTED ABOUT EACH UNIT OF INSTRUCTION. THE 5-E MODEL OF GUIDED INQUIRY WAS USED TO ELICIT MEANINGFUL UNDERSTANDINGS WHILE COMPLETING THE UNITS OF MATTER, ENERGY AND MOTION, AND EARTH AND SPACE. STUDENTS WORKED IN COOPERATIVE GROUPS TO SUPPORT LAB ACTIVITIES, WHICH REQUIRED EACH MEMBER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE INVESTIGATIONS, PROJECTS, AND PRESENTATIONS. STUDENTS KEPT JOURNALS, RECORDED THEIR FINDINGS, AND WROTE RESPONSES ABOUT THEIR FINDINGS AND FEELINGS ON THE ACTIVITIES IN WHICH THEY WERE ENGAGED. STUDENTS' ATTITUDES WERE AFFECTED POSITIVELY BY THE USE OF GUIDED INQUIRY IN LEARNING SCIENCE. STUDENTS' PERFORMANCE FOR LAB ACTIVITIES WAS ALSO POSITIVE AND WAS SUPPORTED BY STUDENTS' RESPONSES IN JOURNALS, TEACHER OBSERVATIONS, AND PERFORMANCE TASKS. THIS STUDY SUPPORTS GUIDED INQUIRY IN THE SCIENCE CLASSROOM FOR IMPROVING STUDENTS' ATTIDUES AND STUDENTS' PERFORMANCE DURING CLASSROOM ACTIVITES.

The focus of the research was to examine the academic intervention program implemented to address academic concerns in the middle grades in one large urban school district in central Florida. Educational leaders at all levels are concerned with the choice of one in four students who make the decision to not complete high school coursework, leaving before earning a high school diploma. The researcher examined to what extent, if any, participation in the middle grades academic intervention program affected academic success in coursework and what difference, if any, there were between academic coursework grade point averages and at-risk eligibility factors, for levels of student participation in the academic intervention program. The at-risk eligibility factors for placement into this middle grades intervention program included prior year retention, prior year course failure(s), and prior year grade point average of 2.0 or below on a 4.0 scale. The school district of study provided each middle grades school with one teaching allocation to support the academic intervention program. Data from six of the 12 middle schools that tracked students in the academic intervention program for the 2013-2014 school year were retrieved from the school district central office. Interviews were conducted with all 12 academic intervention program supervising administrators to determine the delivery method provided for the program at each school. The study provides information on the effectiveness of the academic intervention program, implications for practice, and recommendations for future research.

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if a direct, explicit method of teaching vocabulary with a Vocabulary Scenario Technique-Language Sensitive protocol (VST-LS) would yield gains in the vocabulary knowledge of 4th grade students greater than those seen in 4th grade students receiving vocabulary instruction typical to some general education classrooms. VST-LS is a detailed description of procedures intended to be used by a teacher in a general education classroom for direct vocabulary instruction. The VST-LS protocol provides for 14 word encounters involving listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Forty-one 4 th grade students consisting of 18 males and 23 females participated in the study. All participants were attending a suburban elementary school in a large urban-suburban school district. Two 4th grade teachers at the suburban elementary school agreed to participate in the study. One of the teachers who agreed to participate in the study had previously participated in a Vocabulary Scenario Technique pilot study (Ehren, Zadroga, & Proly, 2010); therefore, her 4 th grade classroom was designated as the treatment group and the second 4th grade classroom was designated as the comparison group. The treatment group received direct vocabulary instruction by a graduate student speech language pathologist (SLP) using the VST-LS protocol. The comparison group received vocabulary instruction by a 4th grade teacher using word study activities typical to some general education classrooms. Both the treatment group and the comparison group were taught 32 preselected curriculum vocabulary words across four consecutive weeks. Eight iv words were taught per week, for four weeks, during three thirty minute instruction periods (dosage = 6 hours). Two pre-test/post-test vocabulary measures, a multiple choice synonym test and a fill-in-the-blank/word-bank sentence test, were used to document both the treatment group and comparison group performances. Both the synonym pre-test and the sentence pre-test were administered to the treatment group and the comparison group one week prior to the commencement of the pilot study. Both the synonym post-test and the sentence post-test were administered to the treatment group and the comparison group one week after the conclusion of the study. A one way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to examine the treatment effects of the VST-LS protocol in comparison to treatment effects of vocabulary instruction typical to some classrooms. The ANCOVA testing indicated that there was a statistically significant difference in post-test scores for both the synonym measure, F(1, 35) = 14.76, p < .001, and the sentence measure, F(1, 34) = 43.66, p < .001, between the treatment condition and the comparison condition, when controlling for pre-test scores on both the synonym measure and the sentence measure. A large effect size was demonstrated, indicated by group, in regard to both the synonym measure, partial η 2 = .30, and the sentence measure, partial η 2 = .56. On average, participants in the treatment condition scored higher on both the synonym measure (M = 24.33, SE = 0.77) and the sentence measure (M = 26.24, SE = 0.76) than did the study participants in the comparison condition (synonym measure: M = 20.14, SE = 0.77; sentence measure: M = 19.03, SE = 0.78). v The result of the VST-LS pilot study indicated that this method of direct vocabulary instruction was more successful in generating vocabulary gains in 4 th grade students than was vocabulary instruction typically seen in general education classrooms. Additionally, the result indicated that the VST-LS protocol has potential as a viable, efficient method for teachers to use when directly teaching curriculum vocabulary words to 4th grade students in general education classrooms. A summary of the findings, limitations of the study, and suggestions for the direction of future research are discussed.

This study examined indicators of 3rd Grade students’ non-school activity participation (NSAP) for associations with measures of social competence and reading performance. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K), representative of a 1999 kindergarten cohort of more than 14,000 students was used. The study constructed social competence composites from responses provided by students, parents and teachers. Principal component analysis and iterative bivariate correlations were utilized to derive the most robust composite for use in tests of the main hypotheses of the study. Results confirmed prior research findings that social competence has strong positive associations with academic performance. Thereafter, the social competence composite and ECLS Reading IRT Scale Score were used as alternative outcome measures in the bivariate analyses and linear regressions on non-school activity participation (NSAP) and breadth of non-school activity participation (BNSAP) scores. Cluster and multiple regression analyses combined in the study and brought demographic and cognitive controls to bear on iterations of five distinct views of the independent variables. Results indicated that girls influenced the association strengths observed for NSAP, and boys seemed to drive the direction and strength of BNSAP associations. Although regression betas for total samples were nominal, when viewed by demographic cluster samples the values were appreciatively improved. The use of the cluster distinctions provided views of significant associations that were otherwise dissolved into nominal aggregates. The results of these analyses support the construct validity of applying the aggregate scoring metric of EAP research to NSAP. Regression results prompted a call for future inquiries into student self-selection.

In the development of a BMJ Rapid recommendation – an international practice guideline initiative led by the MAGIC Evidence Ecosystem Foundation, and aiming to produce trustworthy, accessible and timely guidance – of plasma exchange and dosage of corticosteroids for patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) (Chapter 2) two methodological issues arose. The first issue is related to the rating of the certainty of evidence supporting the recommendations. Reviewers experienced challenges in making an explicit statement about what it was in which they were rating their certainty (i.e., the target of the rating of certainty of evidence). Through iterative discussions and presentations at GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations) Working Group meetings, the research team developed new GRADE guidance (Chapter 3 and 4) to help systematic reviewers be aware of the importance of determining the target of their rating of certainty of evidence and provided practical principles to help systematic reviewers specify this target. The second issue arose from the process of moving from evidence to decisions. To help the BMJ Rapid recommendation panel interpret the magnitude of benefit and harm associated with plasma exchange, which required understanding patient values and preferences, the research team created a panel survey for eliciting the panelists’ view regarding patient values and preferences. The research team then applied the panel survey approach in some other guidelines. Based on the experience of developing panel surveys, and through iterative discussions and consensus, the research team developed a framework for using surveys to guide guideline panels in making inferences regarding patient values and preferences (Chapter 5). Using interpretive description, the team conducted a qualitative evaluation regarding the influence of the panel surveys on the panels’ understanding of patient values and preferences, interpretation of magnitude of benefits and harms, and on panels’ decision on guideline recommendations (Chapter 6). The panel surveys proved to help guideline panels explicitly consider and incorporate patient values and preferences in making recommendations. / Thesis / Candidate in Philosophy

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Syftet med föreliggande studie är att fördjupa kunskapen om vilka talk moves 1-3 lärare använder sig av i matematikundervisningen. De datainsamlingsmetoder som använts är klassrumsobservationer följda av semistrukturerade intervjuer med klasslärarna. Studiens resultat visar att lärarna omedvetet använder sig av talk moves i undervisningen. Vi upptäckte även en ny talk move som vi benämner teacher-repeating-adding on. Studiens slutsats är att det verkar finnas en konflikt mellan lärarnas ambition att genomföra matematiska samtal och en stress att eleverna ska hinna med att arbeta i matematikboken. / The aim of the present study is to deepen the knowledge of which talk moves 1-3 teachers use in mathematics teaching. The data collection methods used are classroom observations followed by semi-structured interviews with the class teachers. The results of the study shows that the teachers unconsciously use talk moves in their teaching. We also discovered a new talk move which we term teacher-repeating-adding on. The conclusion of the study is that there seems to be a conflict between the teachers' ambition to carry out mathematical conversations and a pressure of time that the students need to finish their work in the mathematics book.