The subject of this thesis is test anxiety in Czech secondary school students in perspective of the graduation exam and its influence over their overall academic performance in this exam. Results of a study conducted in the academic year 2017/2018 among 439 graduating secondary school students in six secondary schools in Prague is presented The aim of the study was to verify a test anxiety model based on Lazarus's transactional model of stress, Ellis's cognitive A-B-C model and other subsequent models of different authors (e.g. Hodapp and Rost). The model used in this study thus approaches test anxiety as a form of a stress reaction that consists of three successive steps: (A) activating event in the form of a test situation, (B) cognitive appraisal, and (C) emotional and behavioral consequences part of which is the academic performance. Both steps B and C further consist of a variety of unique components and outcomes. Quantitative data collected with the utilization of an extensive test battery of eight self- evaluating tests, an anamnestic questionnaire and exam results allowed for a further statistical elaboration. Multiple linear regression, Spearman correlation and factor analysis were utilized to reduce total number of variables of the original theoretical model so that it would better and...

This study aimed to investigate the experiences of teachers and learners in being multilingual in resource-constrained environments where the LoLT is English. The sociocultural theory was used as the theoretical framework for this study. Given the factors involved, a mixed-method approach was favourable for collecting and analysing data. The qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews with five teachers and focus group discussions with an overall number of seventeen learners from two different township schools in Pretoria. The quantitative data was collected from the same schools through a survey questionnaire with a total number of forty-seven respondents. Inductive thematic analysis and descriptive statistics were utilised for analysis of data. The key recurring discoveries from the participants were overcrowding, language diversity, insufficient training received by teachers, limited educational resources, lack of LoLT proficiency from learners, and being restricted to use other languages by the school policy. Educational resources serve as a bridge to mediate inefficient language development in multilingual learners, the lack of resources hinders positive learning experiences. Experiences of the participants across languages are regarded as problematic instead of a resource. Although these experiences are known to act as barriers to the process of teaching and learning, this study contributes by providing a deep comprehension of multilingualism in the South African setting. It provides resolutions to enhance the use of multilingualism for effective teaching and learning. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

<div>A secondary data analysis was conducted using the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) provided by the National Center for Education Statistics to assess the relationships between academic performance indicators (high school GPA, high school mathematics achievement, and college enrollment) and perceptions of utility value, self-efficacy, effort cost, school engagement, and intelligence theories (N = 5,789). Four data collection phases occurred</div><div>during HSLS:09-- 9th grade fall semester (BY), 11th grade spring semester (F1), undergraduate update in summer 2013 (U13), and a second follow-up in winter 2016 (F2).</div><div><br></div><div>The domain specificity and stability over time of each motivational construct was also assessed. Evaluating the domain specificity of a motivational construct helps us further understand the theoretical construction and appropriate measurement of these constructs. Motivational</div><div>constructs that are more stable over time are more likely to be more effective long-term predictors of academic performance. Paired t-tests were conducted to evaluate the domain specificity and stability of each motivational construct. Regression models were utilized to</div><div>assess motivational constructs’ ability to predict academic performance.</div><div><br></div><div>Effort cost was the only motivational construct that was not domain specific (t = 1.79, p = 0.07). Science self-efficacy was the only motivational construct determined to be stable over time (t = 1.19, p = 0.24). School engagement, BY science efficacy, mathematics effort, and F1 science</div><div>utility were significant predictors of increased academic performance for all academic performance indicators.</div>

Magister Curationis - MCur / Academic performance of students is influenced by a combination of several psychosocial factors which include seeking academic help, use of various sources for academic learning, extent of the student seeking academic help, seeing academic help-seeking as a threat to self-esteem, interest in a subject, self-motivation and stress related to academic workload. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate psychosocial factors predicting the academic performance of first-year college nursing students, using a quantitative research method with a descriptive survey design. The population for this study was all first-year nursing students registered at a college of nursing in 2019. An inclusive sampling technique was used to include all 171 members of the student population in the study.

My aim in this study was to understand and explain the academic performance of married women students in higher education. The study was conducted on married women students who are studying at higher institutions in Nigeria. A mixed research method was used. The study population was drawn from two higher education institutions – a university and a college of education. Focus group conversations and interview protocol were used to gather qualitative data, while a questionnaire and the academic results of participants were used to gather quantitative data. Data were analysed using constant comparative approach – the reported stories that emanated from the conversations with the research participants; the deduced meanings from the interview protocol; and the statistical testing of the generated hypothesis via t-test statistics and Pearson product moment correlation. The findings include the readiness of women students to narrate their experiences, and the hindrances cultural practices impose on their academic performance, amongst other things. This study uniquely reveals that the academic performance of women students in higher education in Nigeria differs between married women students and single women students. However, some women students in this study were satisfied with their academic performance while others were not. They blamed their academic performance on several factors including cultural practices, marital status, financial constraint and so forth. Apart from women students in higher education who were not satisfied with their academic performance, all women students who formed the sample, including those who considered their academic performance to be satisfactory, complained about cultural practices and their effect on academic performance. Despite their complaints, however, the majority of the women student participants in this study, both married and single, continue to support cultural practices. They said that cultural practices, including the ones that are considered harmful to higher education for women and their academic performance, should not be eradicated or changed, as they maintain that these practices make women truly responsible. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

The aim of this study was to evaluate a battery of tests to be used as part of the process of selecting bursary students for engineering at tertiary institutions. Due to the problems in the schooling system it is not conclusive that all students who have obtained their senior certificates are prepared and able to meet the demands and challenges of tertiary education. The purpose of this study was to determine the criterion related validity of a mathematic proficiency test, Learning Potential Computerised Adaptive Test (LPCAT) and English Literacy Skills Assessment (ELSA) as predictors of academic performance. A quantitative approach was used for the purpose of this study. More specifically the Ex post facto analyses/design is used in this study. The relationships between the dependent and independent variables were determined. Correlation analyses, Kruskal-Wallis test and regression analysis were used for the purpose of this study. The results indicated that the Mathematical proficiency test was the best predictor of academic success, followed by LPCAT and ELSA. The results of this study indicates that the use of academic literacy and learning potential contribute in selecting the best students. Companies and Universities have long been looking for a predictor or predictors of success for students as they enter tertiary studies. This information has the potential to save companies and universities millions of Rands annually by helping them make better investment decisions. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Human Resource Management / Unrestricted

Background: Medical school curricula are constantly evolving and change has potential positive and negative effects. At East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine, a broader understanding of the effects of a curriculum change (reduction in clerkship length for one transitional year) was explored. Methods: A broad, system-wide evaluation was used to evaluate impacts on all stakeholders. Curriculum management data, including qualitative and quantitative data and short-term and follow-up perspectives of stakeholders, were used for evaluation. Results: Students evaluated the change positively. Academic performance in the transitional year was similar to the prior year. Differences in students’ clerkship evaluations were not statistically significant. Clerkship directors were concerned that students’ clinical experience suffered and noted that implementing changes was time consuming but recognized the benefits for students. Administrators dedicated a significant amount of time to planning the transitional year; however, the additional weeks at the beginning of fourth year made the scheduling process easier. Conclusion: This article demonstrates an overall positive result with this tool for curriculum change but also indicates the impacts differed across stakeholders. Knowledge gained from this experience can help other schools successfully anticipate challenges and prepare for a variety of outcomes in implementing necessary curriculum change.

Ante la capacidad predictiva de la teoría de la acción planificada en diversas gamas de conducta y la necesidad de explicar el rendimiento académico, no abordado hasta el momento por dicho modelo, se planteó como objetivos construir un instrumento que mida la acción planificada hacia el estudio, así como obtener sus evidencias de validez, y determinar si la acción planificada hacia el estudio predice el rendimiento académico en estudiantes de Psicología de una universidad particular de Trujillo. El estudio fue instrumental y ex post facto retrospectivo de grupo único. La muestra no probabilística de 153 participantes, respondió a la Escala de Acción Planificada para la Dedicación al Estudio (APDE), versión retrospectiva. Se obtuvo las evidencias de validez basadas en el contenido del instrumento (V=1; p<0.05); en su dimensionalidad (4 factores que explican el 66% de la varianza de la prueba) y la fiabilidad (α ordinal= 0.77 a 0.88); sin embargo, el modelo teórico de Ajzen no explica el rendimiento académico (CFI= .947, RMSEA= .120). Se concluye que la Escala APDE posee adecuadas evidencias de validez; sin embargo al no predecir el rendimiento académico, se sugiere adicionar otras variables en modelos predictivos y efectuar investigaciones prospectivas con muestras de mayor tamaño.

Researchers have explored the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on academic performance from elementary years to young adulthood. In this study, we explored the relationship between ACEs and academic performance in high school and academic student self-perception, and the further role that community or high school extra-curricular involvement may play in this relationship. In this study, we hypothesize that participants with higher ACEs will have poorer academic performance than those with lower ACEs. Secondly, we hypothesize that students with higher ACEs will have a lower academic self-concept than students with lower ACEs. Thirdly, we hypothesize that community or extra-curricular involvement in high school will buffer the effect of ACEs on GPA. Finally, we hypothesize that this extra-curricular involvement will also buffer the effect of ACEs on academic self-concept. Using surveys through the REDCap platform, data was collected from 75 East Tennessee State University students above the age of 18. Using SPSS software, we ran correlations to determine the relationship between ACEs on both GPA and academic self-concept. There was no significant correlation between ACEs and GPA or ACEs and academic self-concept scores. Moderation was conducted through SPSS PROCESS to determine whether total involvement could moderate the effects of ACEs on GPA or academic self-concept. There was no significant moderation in the model predicting GPA. In the model predicting academic self-concept, however, ACEs did emerge as a significant predictor of academic self-concept, although extra-curricular involvement did not. Further, extra-curricular involvement did emerge as a significant moderator, such that the negative relationship between ACEs and academic self-concept was no longer significant at mean or high levels of extra-curricular involvement. In other words, ACE scores only predicted poorer academic self-concept for individuals with low levels of extra-curricular involvement. Results and limitations suggest future research on the relationship between ACEs on academic self-confidence and total extra-curricular involvement.

This is a qualitative study of how school culture in relation to student identity affects students’ academic performance, especially in a low-income community. The study was conducted in southern Malmö at an elementary school where 9th graders were given the opportunity to participate. Nine students answered a survey anonymously which I then analyzed using identity theory. My conclusions indicate that school culture does play a part in affecting students’ performance. The findings suggest that high performing students more strongly identify academically than low performing students. Finally, this research indicates that more studies on the topic need to be done. I hope this study contributes to a broader interest in how schools can create a culture where students become more motivated and performs better academically. Possible areas to further investigate would be how low performing students are included by schools and what actions schools take, or could take, to create an academic culture for all students.