This study addressed the problem of poor attendance adversely affecting grades and learning. Current school policies do not address problematic attendance for all school-aged children, perpetuating trends of academic failure. The research objective was to determine if unexcused absences had a greater negative impact on a high-stakes test compared to excused absences and then develop a manual of best attendance policies to better serve all school-aged children. This study sampled 10,403 students in a southern United States county. Bivariate regression and ANOVA analyses examined the scores students earned on their first attempt at the Social Studies Georgia High School Graduation Test (SSGHSGT) in relation to these students' excused and unexcused absences for grades 9 through 11. Unexcused absences had a significantly greater impact than excused absences on SSGHSGT scores. Scores decreased an average of 1.33 points for every unexcused absence, whereas each excused absence resulted in a score reduction of only 0.47 points. Given the need demonstrated by these results, a manual of best practices was developed from initiatives that had been empirically proven successful in preventing absences. The initiatives, drawn from the theoretical foundation of family systems, employ schools, parents, neighborhoods, peers, government agencies, and teachers to cumulatively influence student decisions about attendance. By preventing students from developing problematic attendance, positively impacting student grades, raising graduation rates, and reducing delinquency-related crimes these improvements can create a positive social change for students, parents, and particularly school personnel who are held responsible for academic achievement.

This study examines why students have difficulty with inverse functions (inverse functions is the process of doing and undoing operations) and what we can do to support their learning. This was a quasi-experimental design in a math classroom in an urban comprehensive high school in California. After two weeks of instruction one group of students was taught the traditional way of inverse functions and another group was taught conceptually. About (N=80) mathematics students in the sampling were assessed before and after the study. Students were given a test to measure their learning of inverse functions and a questionnaire to measure their perspectives on the unit of study of inverse functions. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyze the data. The results will be discussed hoping that in this study students taught conceptually would perform better than the controlled. Also, this study will be useful for teachers and educators to recognize that conceptual teaching yields better results than direct instruction of rote instruction

This study examined social interest, social self-efficacy, and general self-efficacy levels of high school volunteer mentors and their nonmentor peers. School-based peer mentoring has become a popular method for providing support services to students. While several studies examining mentee outcomes appeared in the past decade, less research has examined characteristics of the high school mentors involved. The choice of variables was grounded in Bandura's Social Learning Theory and Adler's Individual Psychology. Thirty-seven mentors and 32 nonmentors from a suburban New York high school completed the Social Interest Scale and the Self-efficacy Scale. Mentor volunteers scored significantly higher in social self-efficacy than their nonmentor peers, t (67) = 2.98, p < .006. The relationship between being mentored and becoming a mentor was examined using a chi-square analysis, and was found to be statistically significant, chi2 (1, N = 69) = 4.18, p = .041. Females demonstrated higher levels of social interest than males, t (67) = 2.78, p < .006. The social change implications of this research include gaining insight into the characteristics of high school mentor volunteers, providing program coordinators with a mechanism for ensuring more positive outcomes for both mentees and mentors. Creating more positive outcomes for mentees may inspire them to become mentors later on, which increases the overall benefits of mentoring in the community. Providing an outlet for social interest and bolstering self-efficacy levels among mentors will increase the potential for future successful endeavors.

Research indicates that the use of cooperative learning techniques fosters higher order thinking and problem solving skills in students. However additional information is needed to determine how cooperative learning affects various groups of learners. Based in constructivist theory, this quasi-experimental study examined the effects of cooperative learning verses traditional teaching strategies on the academic performance of 216 6th grade language arts students in north central Georgia. The single stage convenience sample was divided into a control group that was instructed using traditional strategies; and a treatment group that was instructed using cooperative learning strategies. Pre and posttest scores from a standardized 73-item language arts benchmark test was used to assess the overall impact of instructional techniques across student use of conventions, literary elements, sentence structure, context clues, and vocabulary. ANOVA results indicated that the cooperative learning group made significantly greater gains than were observed for the traditional instruction group; however segmented subgroup analyses revealed no effect among economically disadvantaged students. It is recommended that educators pay added attention to the differential effects of teaching methods and strategies for specific student groups. The study contributes to positive social change by informing research-based selection of educational practices and techniques as tools for enhancing student achievement through strategic teacher training.

As the number of youth at risk for educational failure has increased, so has the debate over the appropriate nature of career and technical education (CTE) programs for such youth. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding about the manner in which CTE programs within vocational schools affected secondary students at risk for educational failure. The educational theories of Pestalozzi, Dewey, and Rousseau served as the conceptual framework for this study by supporting the development of students' intellectual, social, and emotional growth through hands-on activities rather than traditional rote learning. Data for this case study were collected through interviews and observations from 9 purposefully selected students enrolled in vocational school CTE programs. Qualitative strategies of memoing and coding supported interpretative data analysis for this case study. The participants revealed that their CTE programs had a positive impact on their lives. Findings that emerged from this study centered on job security, hands-on learning, and personal growth. These findings provide important empirical evidence of the utility of CTE programs for at-risk students. This evidence contributes to positive social change by illuminating an alternative education setting that enables at-risk students to attain and maintain academic success. This evidence also holds promise for positive social change by guiding the efforts of education stakeholders in determining the appropriate educational placement for at-risk students, placements that will promote a sense of belonging rather than alienation.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland (Canada), 2000. / Adviser: Norm Garlie. Includes bibliographical references.

Graduation date: 1954

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987.