Past studies have indicated that home-schooled children perform above average in measures of achievement but these studies failed to include an assessment of social skills and failed to include samples of both home-schooled and traditionally-schooled students preventing a direct comparison between these two groups. The purpose of this study was to fill this research gap by addressing the following research questions: (1) Are there significant differences in academic achievement of home-schooled and traditionally-schooled high school students? The Economic Theory of Public Administration of Schooling suggests that home-schoolers will perform academically at least as well as traditional-schoolers; and (2) Are there significant differences in social skills levels of home-schoolers and traditional-schoolers? Social Learning Theory suggests that children learn positive social interaction from other children. The participants were high school students drawn from an ethnically and socio-economically diverse suburban area in the Lancaster and Bakersfield, CA area. A MANOVA was conducted to compare academic achievement and social skills of home-schoolers and traditional-schoolers. Statistical results indicated that there were no significant differences between the two groups in academic achievement but did indicate that students who were home-schooled score significantly lower in social skills than students who are traditionally-schooled. The positive social change implications of this study center on the need to attend to the socialization opportunities for students who are home-schooled. Parents who home-school or are considering home schooling will be able to use this information in planning their children's education and social interactions with other students.

The participation of parents in the schooling of their children has become a central policy objective of the education sector in Australia as well as other parts of the developed world. The discourse of parent participation emphasises a need for parents to be involved in order to maximise the benefits of their child’s education. Parent participation includes such practices as parents and schools working as partners to improve the well-being and achievements of an individual child to formal participation of parents in decision-making forums. This thesis approaches the issue of parent participation through a study of parent advocacy bodies as they deal with policy issues and interface with parents as the school level and governments at the policy level. The policy area of gender equity is used as an illustrative example to analyse parent advocacy bodies’ structures and ways of operating. As a result of the empirical work that involved semi-structured interviews, observation techniques and extensive use of archival material, this thesis revisits the theory of positional goods as it reflects the notion and understanding parents have broadly that education is positional in that only few can achieve the highest levels of education and hence effort is exerted in ensuring their child achieves as highly as possible. This thesis argues that gender equity is caught in this thriving to capture a positional good that is elusive for most but appears enhanced by the use of adequate gender equity strategies. The action of parents within parent advocacy bodies reflected the fight over scarce resources that were perceived to be enhancing educational outcomes for girls at the expense of boys. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Dissertation (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Idaho, 2006. / Abstract. "May, 2006." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-83). Also available online in PDF format.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Carroll E. Izard, Dept. of Psychology. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Graduate School of Education, Oral Roberts University, 2006. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-101).

There has been a growing discussion in the fields of education and psychology about the relationship between social skill proficiency and academic excellence. However, the presence of extracurricular involvement as promoting both academic and social development has not been thoroughly explored. The most recent literature syntheses and meta-analyses on extracurricular activity participation were conducted in the 1980??s. An updated review and quantitative look at the participation literature is due. The purpose of this study is to integrate participation studies from the 1990s and give summative information as to the impact of extracurricular activity participation on various educational and psycho-social characteristics. Of the 164 identified studies, 41 were included in these meta-analyses. The current analyses produced 6 different activity categories: general extracurricular activity, sports, work and vocational activities, performing arts, pro-social activities, and community-based activities. The current meta-analyses suggest student outcomes were significantly related to general extracurricular activity and pro-social activity participation. General activities and pro-social activities had the most impact on academic achievement, while performing arts and pro-social activities?? participants reported the largest effect on identity and self esteem related outcomes. Sports and related activities (i.e. Cheerleading) were not as strongly linked to academic achievement indicators as anticipated and student workers had more negative outcomes than any other activity participants. In conclusion, the best outcomes for children and adolescents are brought about through well-built, developmentally appropriate structured activities. Moreover, the academic and social profits of extracurricular activities that have been examined in this study can be used to inform program planning and implementation.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) affect 1 in every 88 U.S. children. ASDs have been described as neurological and developmental disorders impacting visual, motor, and visual-motor integration (VMI) abilities that affect academic achievement (CDC, 2010). Forty-five participants (22 ASD and 23 Typically Developing [TD]) 8 to 14 years old completed the Bender-Gestalt Test, Second Edition (BG II), Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, 5th Edition (VMI-V), NEPSY Second Edition (NEPSY-II), Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-3 (TVPS-3), Navon Task, Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, Second Edition, Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, Second Edition, Behavior Assessment Scale for Children, Second Edition, and Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire. Three hypotheses examined whether students with ASDs were more likely than TD peers to have: (1) a visual processing bias; (2) fine motor difficulties; and (3) VMI difficulties. Additional hypotheses analyzed the relationship between (4) local processing bias and fine motor difficulties on VMI ability and (5) local processing bias, fine motor difficulties, and VMI difficulties on academic achievement. A series oft-tests indicated the TVPS-3 (p=.72), Navon Task (p= .78), BG-II (p = .39), and VMI-V (p = .14) were not significantly different between groups. Students with ASDs demonstrated increased difficulty compared to TD students on the NEPSY-II (p = .01) and slower completion time on the Navon Task (p = .01). Regression analyses for VMI indicated the best predictors for the BG-II (p < .001) were the TVPS-3 and Navon Completion Time; the best predictor for the VMI-V (p< .001) was the TVPS-3. Regression analyses indicated that VMI-V predicted all domains of academic achievement. In addition to VMI-V, fine motor skills related to writing achievement, and BG-II related to math achievement. Based on the results, the speed of processing plays an important role on VMI skills and academic achievement, more so than the local processing bias. Although this study may have been impacted by homogeneity in the participants, it investigates a relationship between visual processing biases, fine motor difficulties, visual-motor integration and academic achievement that has received little attention in the literature. Findings can inform the development of more effective interventions for academic functioning for students with ASDs.

This research was undertaken to identify variables that accounted for major changes in academic performance between high school and college. Differences between predicted and actual college GPA were used to classify students as gainers or decliners among a group of sophomores and a group of seniors at a medium-sized research university. A model composed of nine variables was developed to explain the change in performance. Each variable was classified as an Environmental Triggering Mechanism (environmental stimulus), an Internal Psychological state (a cognitive response to the stimulus), or an Academic Behavior. Seven of the variables were derived from the literature of academic achievement in college. Two of the variables were identified in the course of exploratory interviews with senior performance changers. Two-way discriminant function analysis was performed to determine which of the variables contributed most to classifying students as gainers or decliners. Correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationships between variables. Academic expectancies, the number of terms required to adjust to college academically, and the students' approach to study (consistency and priority of study) emerged as making the strongest contribution to the discriminant function for both sophomores and seniors. Significant correlations were found between some, but not all, of the variables in each category, supporting the basic structure of the model. Variables categorized as Environmental Triggering Mechanisms played a secondary role with respect to those Internal Psychological States and Academic Behaviors that contributed most to academic performance change. / Graduation date: 1991

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether African American male students' academic achievement level can be positively impacted by teachers' use of instructional technology. In addition, this study examined teachers' level of preparedness in the use of instructional technology as well as their perceptions regarding their level of use of instructional technology. Finally, this study investigated the relationship between the technological activities and how effective these activities were in teaching mathematics objectives to African American males. The participants of this study were middle school teachers from six schools in the southwestern portion of the United States. Participants of this study also consisted of the African American male students enrolled in these teachers' classes. The Middle School Students' Mathematics Teacher Survey was developed and administered to a sample of 33 teachers of middle school-aged African American male students. The results of the study revealed that the level of teachers' preparedness had an influence on the use and implementation of technology use in the classroom. Teachers' preparedness in the use of instructional technology was related to their African American male students' mathematical achievement. Teachers' perceptions of the use of instructional technology was related to their African American male students' mathematics achievement. Results also indicated that teachers' perceptions regarding use of instructional technology were related to their African American male students' mathematics achievement. The level of teachers' preparedness and their perceptions toward the use of instructional technology in the classroom were reliable predictors of their African American male students meeting the standards in mathematics. When analyzing data, inferential statistical techniques were used to determine the differences between observed and expected frequencies.