Understanding what schools can do to help low-income and high-achieving students succeed academically was one of the prime motivations of this dissertation. In Mexico, low-income students perform in the lowest quartiles of standardized tests, and their future is not promising. In order to understand what factors can help low-income students succeed at school, I reviewed the school effectiveness and resilience literature as to understand the different factors that determine academic achievement of students coming from low-income backgrounds. Through a thorough quantitative analysis of the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 and the Formato 911 databases, I identified the different factors that helped low-income students succeed at school. I first analyzed the student, family, and school factors that determined students’ academic achievement in Mexico, in order to get a general idea of what determined achievement of students in Mexico, as a country. Then, I went further and focused more on my sample of interest and analyzed the student, family, and school factors that were associated with a higher probability of showing higher scores on tests, even when struggling with a lack of resources. The most noteworthy finding from the analyses conducted to understand what determined students’ achievement in Mexico, as a country, was that academic performance was mainly explained by students' individual characteristics. Characteristics, including whether the student had a low or high socioeconomic status, whether he or she was in the appropriate grade, whether the student was a girl or a boy, whether he or she attended preschool, whether the student lived with his or her mother, and the attitude he or she had toward school, seemed to be associated with how the student scored on standardized tests. The school level variables that had a positive association with the students’ performance were the schools’ mean Index of Economic, Social and Cultural Status (ESCS), whether the school was private, and the percentage of indigenous students in the school. By estimating cross-level interaction effects, I found the interaction between ESCS and whether the school was located in a rural area and whether the school was a distance education program to be statistically significant. The aforementioned outcomes showed that one additional standard deviation of income had a very small effect on the academic achievement of students living in rural areas or attending a distance education program school. Another interesting finding is that the number of teachers enrolled in the incentives program offered by the government, Carrera Magisterial, was not statistically significant in any of my models, showing that this program was not effective in improving the education that middle school and 15-year-old students received in Mexico. I also analyzed the different factors that increased the probability of low-income students obtaining scores that were higher than would have been predicted given their socioeconomic status. I named these learners resilient students. I found a student’s attitude toward school, whether the student repeated zero, one or two or more primary school grades, whether they student attended a private or a Telesecundaria school, and the average class size of the school to be statistically significant variables. Attitude toward school seemed to have the largest contribution to increasing the probability of being categorized as resilient, almost half of a standard deviation, and remained positive and statistically significant in the analysis. The analysis showed that improving a student’s attitude toward school in one standard deviation, increased the probability of that student being resilient by 24 percentage points. However, it is hard to tell if students who are succeeding are doing so because of their attitude or if successful students have a better attitude because they are doing well in school. In any case, this variable was highly statistically significant and was similar to a noncognitive ability measure, which, according to the literature, includes skills omitted in most of the analyses of the determinants of achievement. One of most relevant findings of this study is that the number of teachers enrolled in the incentives program of the government, Carrera Magisterial, was not statistically significant in any of my models, showing that this program was not effective in improving the education that middle school and 15-year-old students received in Mexico. One of the implications is that the government should not consider the possibility of restoring that program in the Mexican education system. Preschool education, attitude towards school, gender, and time-spent in class are factors that highly related with the success of low-income students. Additional analysis and data is needed in order to perform further analysis on the impact that these determinants have on students achievement. Finally, this study revealed that Telesecundarias play an important role in helping economically disadvantaged students gain access to education in locations where no teachers or other school resources are available and are also positively associated with academic success.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1956 P36 / Master of Science

Over the years, extensive research has been conducted in the field of underachievement. Many solutions to the problem have been put forward, none of these proposals universally addressing the problem. The present research's aim was to address the problem of underachievement ecosystemically. For this pu~ose, through the process of a series of interviews, information was gathered about the underachieving behaviour of a particula~pc"a'nd his interaction with his teachers and his parents in connection with his behaviour. It was found that the underachieving behaviour could be described as part of a larger interactive pattern, characterised by compliant/noncompliant behaviour on the part of the pupil, and involved/non-involved behaviour on the part of the teachers and parents. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of South Africa, 2002.

Thesis (doctorate)--University of South Africa, 2001.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

The purpose of the present research was to determine the association of intellectual styles, personality traits, and learning environment with academic achievement and career satisfaction among Chinese adult learners. The two main objectives of the research were 1) to determine the predictive relationships of intellectual styles, personality traits, and learning environment to academic achievement and career satisfaction, and 2) to investigate the mediating effects of intellectual styles in the predictive relationships of learning environment and personality traits to academic achievement and career satisfaction. To achieve the above objectives, two studies were carried out. A pilot study was conducted to test the instruments and explore various relationships. The study was conducted among 304 part-time adult learners taking evening continuing education courses in a Hong Kong institution. Acceptable reliability and validity data were obtained for most of the instruments. Most of the demographic variables were found to be significantly related to intellectual styles and career satisfaction. Personality traits were stronger in predicting career satisfaction than were intellectual styles. It was also found that personality traits had statistically significant predictive power with respect to different types of intellectual styles. The main study was a longitudinal experimental study in which a revised questionnaire, based on the results of the pilot study, was administered to a sample of 459 part-time adult learners in both control and experimental groups in the first (pre-test) and the last (post-test) lessons. A student-centered teaching style, which has been shown to facilitate creativity-generating learning styles, was adopted in the experimental group as an intervention. Data analyses focused on comparing the differences and associations between the afore-mentioned variables in the pre-test and the post-test, the differences between the control group and the experimental group, and the mediating function of styles in the predictive relationships of personality traits and perceived teaching styles to career satisfaction and academic achievement. Follow-up interviews with 15 students who showed greatest changes in intellectual styles provided qualitative data. Results of the present research generally supported the research hypotheses. First, intellectual styles (thinking styles and career personality types) were malleable and were shaped by both personality traits and environmental factors to various degrees. Second, all three types of intellectual styles (particularly Type I styles) were positively associated with higher Type I academic achievement scores and greater career satisfaction. Third, the two style constructs, thinking styles and career personality types, overlapped to some extent, although each possessed its own unique features. Fourth, both thinking styles and career personality types mediated the relationships between personality traits and career satisfaction, and between perceived teaching styles and career satisfaction. In other words, personality traits and perceived teaching styles influenced learners’ career satisfaction, mainly through the influence of learners’ Type I and Type III styles. This is the first research to measure perceived teaching styles and to investigate the intellectual styles of Chinese adult learners. Equally importantly, the present research contributes theoretically to the literature in three ways: 1) by further clarifying controversial issues concerning intellectual styles; 2) by providing empirical support for Biggs’ (1990) 3P model; and 3) by modifying and validating the inventories for further use in relevant research. In addition to enriching the literature and research on styles, the present research has practical implications for educational and vocational purposes. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Education

The purpose of the study was to determine whether a significant difference existed in the academic achievement of students as a function of attending half-day or full-day kindergartens. The hypothesis was students in full-day kindergartens will demonstrate more growth in academic achievement than students in half-day kindergartens as measured by the Head Start Measurements Battery (HSMB) in seven areas: language, math, nature/science, perception, reading, social development, and overall score. One hundred subjects were randomly selected from 158 qualified subjects that attended four Chapter 1 schools in a public school district in Southern Arizona. Four half-day and five full-day kindergartens participated. Five classes implemented a bilingual curriculum, one a Spanish curriculum, and three an English curriculum. Eventually, 74 subjects were pretested in November 1984 and posttested in May 1985. The majority of the subjects were Hispanics. Based on the literature review, the need to assess children in English/Spanish/bilingually, the need for an individually administered test of a manipulative nature, and the need for a psychometrically sound instrument, the Fall 1984 version of the Head Start Measures Battery was selected. It assesses the three-to-six-year-old child's cognitive development. The research design used was a quasi-experimental approach: the non-equivalent control group design. The independent variables were the schedules and the dependent variables were the seven areas measured by the HSMB. Mean gain scores were calculated in each of the seven areas. A t-test was used to analyze the data. The results indicated that there was a statistically significant difference (p<.05) between the mean gain scores of the half-day and full-day kindergartens (in favor of the full-day kindergartens) in language, math, and reading. The evidence failed to indicate a statistically significant difference in nature/science, perception, social development, and overall scores. In conclusion, the findings suggested that there was greater academic achievement in languages, math, and reading for full-day than for half-day kindergarten students. The findings failed to provide evidence of a difference in the academic achievement of half-day and full-day kindergarten students in nature/science, perception, social development, and overall scores.

Chapter 1. 1. Introduction - The rapid growth and development in industrial and technological areas has created a growing need for trained manpower. Increasingly it is expected of the universities to supply the community in these needs. For this reason the position of university dropouts must be regarded in a serious light - the necessary potential is not being utilized and furthermore the dropout rate is a burden for both the country and the community. 2. Objectives - The researcher has set the following overall objectives: To determine: a) Whether there are any significant differences between the dropout and the successful student as regard, aptitude, interest and personality. b) Whether the dropout in the year course differs from the dropout in the semester course. c) What factors - as described in literature on this subject - play an important part in the cessation of studies. d) The causes of such study cessation at the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education. 3. Hypotheses - a) There are no significant differences between the successful student and the dropout as regards aptitude, personality and interest. b) There are no meaningful psychological differences between the dropout in the semester course and the dropout in the year course. Chapter 2: Survey of literature. The phenomenon - as described in literature on this subject - is reviewed in this chapter. In the definitions that have been stated definite differences have been drawn between the successful student, the unsuccessful student and the dropout. Furthermore the extent of the dropouts in certain overseas countries and the Republic of South Africa has been reviewed but specifically also as relating to the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education. Attention has also been given to the relationship between '. sexes, faculty, residence and study cessation. The pattern during the year of such cessation as well as its reasons are also discussed. The following factors which may be relevant to such cessation of studies have been identified: a) Psychological factors such as social withdrawal, stress, lack of self-confidence, identity-crises and problems on an interpersonal level. b) Family background. c) Socio-economical factors. d) Social pressures. e) Aptitude. f) Interest. g) Motivation'. h) Academic accomplishments. i) Religion. Chapter 3: Method of investigation. At the inception of their studies first-year students undergo psychometric testing. The results of the psychometric testing of 1980, 1981 and 1982 have been used in this investigation. Certain criteria for success have been set and the successful students identified accordingly. Of this group a random sample has been drawn. The dropouts were seen as a universal group. The aptitude, interest and personality scores of the successful students have then been compared with those of the dropouts using certain statistical methods. The aptitude, interest and personality scores of the dropout in the semester course have been compared with those of the dropouts in the year course, but only by comparing their average scores. One standard deviation is regarded as a significant psychological difference. No further statistical methods were used in this part of the research. Chapter 4: Discussion of results. 1. Certain tendencies relevant to the dropout's aptitude, interest and personality have been identified. The various faculties however, indicate differing tendencies. 2. It would appear as if there is no material difference between the dropout in the year course and those in the semester course. Chapter 5: Conclusion. From the investigation indications are that although in the different faculties certain tendencies are found relevant to cessation of studies, individual differences cannot be disregarded. To attempt to identify dropouts purely on ground of psychological tests without considering predisposing factors would be Unrealistic. Cessation of studies as a psychological problem can be reduced but never entirely eliminated. / Skripsie (MA)-- PU vir CHO, 1984