Online media, especially social media, is a continuously growing area of research which has raised questions about its impacts on academic outcomes. Many previous studies have established a negative relation between social media use and academic performance; however, the mechanism behind this finding is still unknown. The present study investigated whether level of attention control mediates the relation between an individual’s propensity for online usage and grade point average (GPA). Undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida (N=226) were recruited for this study, and their levels of online vigilance and attention control were measured. College GPA was self-reported by individual participants. This study failed to find a significant correlation between propensity for online usage and college GPA, and thus, a mediating effect of attention control was not found. Possible explanations for this finding include a relatively new scale used to measure propensity for online usage, lack of incentives for strong performance on tasks, and an overly homogeneous sample. However, it was found that higher levels of propensity for online usage had a significant negative relationship with attention control. Given this finding, more research is necessary to further understand the relationships between attention control, propensity for online media usage, and academic outcomes.

As the needs of society changed, states faced increasing pressure from the federal government to raise educational standards. States adopted rigorous standards, however many students failed to meet defined proficiency levels, necessitating summer school attendance or grade retention. Factors associated with academic failure have been extensively documented in the academic literature. The factors identified in the research can be organized into six categories, including motivation, age and ability, withdrawal from school, parents and guardians, school practices, and teacher practices. The purpose of the current study was to explore middle school students’ perceptions of factors which contributed to the academic outcomes necessitating enrollment in academic courses in summer school, and what factors they believe could have made a positive impact. This study focused on the following research questions: How did middle school students, enrolled in one or more academic courses in summer school, perceive (1) academic outcomes and to what these were attributed, (2) the relationship among ability, effort, and outcome, (3) sources and levels of motivation, (4) sources and levels of school bonds, (5) interactions and relationships with school personnel, and (6) the role and level of involvement of adults in their academic lives? A qualitative, ethnographic design, with detailed descriptions of the methodological considerations and rich, thick narrative, was used to explore the research questions. Seventeen middle school students, repeating academic courses in summer school, were interviewed. Emergent themes were identified from inductively coded interviews. The analysis revealed that participants primarily accepted responsibility for academic outcomes but also identified distractions as a contributing factor. Teachers were seen as playing a role in both creating and removing distractions. Participants perceived work ethic as positively correlated with intelligence, and perceptions of ability tended to be related to duration of exerted effort. Negative social bonds were perceived as adversely affecting participants’ academic performance, and participants reported few positive interactions or relationships with school personnel. Negative consequences were the primary means used by adults to motivate participants, and too little, too late characterized active adults engagement in participants’ academics. Perceived levels of effort exerted and concern exhibited by an adult paralleled academic outcomes.

This research was designed to examine patterns related to quality of Co-teach implementation, as evidenced by Co-teacher responses to the Colorado Assessment of Co-teaching (CO-ACT), and the usefulness of the CO-ACT in serving second purpose of predicting student academic outcomes. Participants consisted of 48 teachers (24 Co-teach partnerships) and 162 students with disabilities in grades 6-8 who were enrolled in a Co-teach class of the study’s partnerships during the 2007-08 school year. The CO-ACT examines quality of Co-teach partnerships through measurement of various factors linked to Co-teaching best practices, and provides a scoring system identifying partnerships as exemplary and non-exemplary. Student academic outcome data consisted of district-designed local assessments and statewide assessment measures. Student academic outcome data was collected and analyzed for students with disabilities in identified Co-teach partnerships. Four areas were examined in relation to the CO-ACT and its ability to predict student academic outcomes: a) whether the CO-ACT was able to predict student academic outcomes; b) the importance of the individual factors; c) the impact of the degree of Co-teacher agreement of practices; and d) analysis of these areas by subject area (math, reading, science and social studies). These four qualities were the basis for the four research questions for the study. Specifically, the aim of the study was to identify correlations among the qualities of each Co-teach partnership, and to determine whether there was a relationship between the quality of the partnership and student academic performance. Study findings indicated that in the area of math and science some CO-ACT factors were statistically significant in predicting student academic outcomes. However, when taking all study analysis into consideration, overall the results indicated that the CO-ACT did not provide statistically or practically significant predictions of student academic outcomes. Although the CO-ACT was designed to measure the presence of behaviors within a Co-teach setting that are reflected within the Co-teach literature as best practices, the exemplary or non-exemplary practices of Co-teachers did not appear to correlate with student academic outcomes. Implications of findings and recommendations for further research are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the strict 'no social promotion' policy in place in a large urban Texas school district (Waco Independent School District (WISD), Waco, Texas), and analyze the possible effects of the new promotion policy on student retention rates, curricular programming and student academic outcomes. This study analyzed past retention research, identified gaps in the research literature and developed a new program model/theory to generate areas for research. Next, trends in WISD Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) scores and number of retentions over time were examined (1994-2001). Third, the study measured student retention and academic outcomes before and after retention as a function of older and newer school district promotion policy standards (1994-2001) in WISD. Furthermore, the study reviewed the context of retention in relation to a strict 'no social promotion' policy. Next, the study developed an analysis of how the strict 'no social promotion' policy was implemented by administrators and the rewards/challenges encountered. Finally, the study examined the relationship between school district promotion policy on program implementation and on student academic outcomes. Unlike research of the past (retention as an independent variable: retention causes/correlated to low self-esteem and dropping out) the independent variables (processes) affecting student academic performance outcomes were identified as: the conditions of learning/new strict 'no social promotion' policy and the opportunities to learn/ implementation of policy and their affect on student academic performance. A Sequential Mixed-Method Type VIII study was used to identify not only the 'underlying' mechanism(s) (inner workings of the implementation) but to identify and describe the context (the right conditions for learning) of the new strict 'no social promotion' policy and relate them to student outcomes. The most important outcomes were: the significant gains in student academic performance, the increased communication with the community at large, and the increased accountability of all involved. The successes were due to several key factors: the new strict 'no social promotion' policy; the implementation of successful programming and instructional strategies; the opportunities to learn each individual student has had, and the retention appeal process developed by WISD. / text

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abstract: The Student Performance Accomplishments Questionnaire (SPAQ) was developed and validated in two studies with two normative samples totaling 315 college students, including a subsample of undocumented students. This instrument assesses academic performance accomplishments in the context of students' academic, extracurricular, and advocacy roles. Performance accomplishments are theorized to be one of four sources of efficacy (Bandura, 1977, 1986). Study 2 tested part of the Social Cognitive Career Theory model (Lent et al., 1994) in a sample of 154 student advocates. By conventional standards, the results yielded no support for the SCCT model and suggested the need for an alternative model. Results showed that student performance accomplishments in advocacy are highly related to students' academic outcomes, particularly choice actions. Choice actions were subsequently related to career goals and academic performance. No significant differences were found between documented and undocumented students on any of the variables studied. It was found that student advocates were significantly higher in performance accomplishments in advocacy, academic self-efficacy, choice action, and academic performance in comparison to student non-advocates. Clinical and research implications of these results for the field of counseling psychology were discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Counseling Psychology 2013

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 demanded that public schools demonstrate adequate yearly progress by increasing student educational achievements. In 2014, the local high school at this study enrolled 62.7% socioeconomically disadvantaged students and implemented a precollege intervention program; however, little is known about its efficacy due to a lack of a formal evaluation, prohibiting an informed approach to continual improvement. The purpose of this program evaluation was to determine if program participation resulted in the higher academic outcomes. Guided by the theory of change, the program evaluation was used to assess the efficacy of the local high school's year-long precollege intervention program in a convenience sample of 112 Grade 9 students. The research questions examined the difference between the program participants and non-participants' academic outcomes including grade point average and semester course grades in math, English, science, and social science from Semester 1 to Semester 2 in the 2014-2015 school year. Independent samples t tests were used to identify whether there was a significance difference between the mean-scores of the intervention and control groups. The results indicated that the program did not significantly impact the participants' academic outcomes, and the program goals were not met. The evaluation report included the results, provided recommendations to increase understanding of the intervention program and students' needs, inform and engage stakeholders, redesign program goals, allocate resources, and streamline program activities. The improved program model could enhance students' academic outcomes and lead to higher high school graduation and college enrollment rates for students.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there was a significant relationship between school-wide academic outcomes and the instructional modalities utilized by public schools during the 2019-2022 school years. This study also determined if there was a significant difference in assessment scores earned by public school students in Tennessee before and after the shift from in-person schooling caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic. The researcher used a chi-squared test for independence to determine if there was a significant relationship between the modality of instruction used within a school during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years and the school-wide academic outcomes from the American College Test (ACT) and the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Test (TCAP). Furthermore, the researcher used a two-tailed t-test for paired samples to determine if there was a significant difference in school-wide ACT composite scores, school-level TCAP one-year success rates, and TVAAS growth rates by comparing data across the 2018-2019, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022 school years. The findings within this study showed mixed results relative to school-wide academic outcomes before, during, and after the pivot from in-person instruction caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Findings showed that school-wide academic success rates were significantly higher prior to the shift from in-person instruction caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic; however, school-wide TVAAS growth rates did not change significantly. Furthermore, this study showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between instructional modality and student academic outcomes, but findings suggested that the relationship was weakly associated. Therefore, instructional modality may not have been a key determiner of student performance and practitioners should focus on providing quality instruction regardless of instructional modality.

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