submitted to the Faculty of Education in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology of the University of Zululand, 1997. / The present study examines the relationship between metacognitive strategy instruction and academic performance among children with learning problems. The metacognitive strategy instruction was based on a metalearning model. Thirty nine pupils with learning problems from grades 4 and 5 participated in the study. Academic performance data on curriculum based history tests and data from the self-report Metacognitive Learning Process Questionnaire (MLPQ) were collected. Baseline pretest data from History Test 1 indicated that pupils attained average percentage scores. Subsequent to training in the use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies pupils produced significantly higher performance scores on History Test 2. No statistically significant differences were found between the pre- and post application of the MLPQ. Increases in the cognitive and metacognitive strategies and test writing abilities sub-tests of the MLPQ were indicated. The results clearly indicated that training in metacognitive strategies coincided with an increase in academic performance. The broader implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

Submitted in partial fulfilment of a Masters Degree in the Department of Educational Planning and Administration at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2005. / The primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of School Management Teams (SMTs) on Learner Academic Performance (LAP). To achieve this, a literature review was conducted on relevant strategies that SMTs can adopt to enhance LAP. Furthermore, an empirical research project was launched to test the extent to which these strategies were or could be employed in local schools. The empirical study was conducted by means of a questionnaire-driven survey, administered in the Port Shepstone District. The study revealed that LAP is adversely affected in schools where learners are not part of the decision-making process and where they are not given immediate feedback after their assessment activities. In such cases, opportunities for improve performance were lost. Other key findings of the study suggest that: • Many STMs have not implemented staff development programmes. • Some SMTs have not involved parents in the formulation or implementation of LAP enhancement programmes. • Educators are not fully motivated to enhance LAP. • A general lack of communication between SMTs and the rest of the staff members compromises potential enhancement of LAP. • Some educators are not familiar with the vision of the school and consequently do not realise its goals. • LAP is negatively impacted in schools where there are indications of poor strategic planning. • A lack of non-management educator involvement in curriculum development also negatively impacts LAP. The above shortcomings were compared to recommended and best practices where suggested in research on LAP enhancement. The following suggestions were made in this regard: • The National Department of Education (NDoE) should provide resources for on-going capacity-building. • Parents should be involved in supporting the school to manage learners and learning activities effectively. • SMTs should capitalize on educator strengths, put in place educator development programmes to address areas of weakness and motivate educators to excel in teaching. • SMTs should create and maintain clear channels of communication. • SMTs and educators should develop a shared vision to enhance LAP and this should be communicated to all constituencies in the teaching and learning environment (including parents and the general community in which the school is embedded). • SMTs and educators should engage in strategic planning to enhance LAP. • SMTs should conduct staff training programmes on curriculum development. This study is deemed significant as it exposes, at grassroots level, problems experienced in enhancing LAP and makes practical recommendations on strategies to improve LAP. These recommendations are based on a review of both national and international literature and have precedents of successful implementation here and abroad.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor Of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Zululand, 2018 / Teaching is regarded by many as one of the most stressful occupations, as evidenced by reports of academic results consistently poor in rural schools and teachers leaving the profession each day. Stress in general has always been a concern in many schools. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of teacher stress on learner academic performance in rural secondary schools. This study used both quantitative and qualitative research approaches in which questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection processes. Simple random sampling and purposive sampling procedures were used to select participants from rural secondary schools in Vhembe District with a matric pass rate of less than sixty percent over a period of five years. Quantitative data was analyzed using IBM Statistical package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 24 (IBM SPSS statistics), and Atlas.ti Version 6 programme for qualitative data. Results showed that teachers in secondary schools in the rural areas experience high levels of stress which has adverse effects on learner academic performance. These results guided me in developing the Three Pillars Teacher Stress Coping Model to assist teachers in rural areas to alleviate the stress they experience as they promote teaching and learning. The study contributed to the literature on the effect of the experience of stress by teachers on learner academic performance in rural secondary schools. / National Research Foundation Of South Africa (Grant Number CPT160513164973 and 105246

In recent years, states in the United States have developed assessment testing to help ensure that schools meet academic standards. This study investigated an educational problem of low student academic achievement and low scores on a state test in a middle school in the southeastern United States. It specifically queried whether expectations for student achievement had a positive influence on students' academic success. The research questions were designed to investigate parents, teachers, and administrators' expectations for the academic achievement of students. The conceptual framework guiding this study used the ecological model of human development, which postulates that personal development is influenced by proximal processes. Key findings focused on expectations, academic performance, and ways to help students meet academic standards. This information was used to create a parent-teacher professional development seminar, which presented strategies to urge academic achievement and encourage student engagement with content. The seminar also provided parents and teachers with information about the impact that their expectations may have on students. Recommendations for improvement include careful review of current critical inquiry strategies that are used to increase student engagement and academic achievement. Implications for social change include using the professional development project and other appropriate opportunities with parents and educators to inform them about the importance of their role and the expectations they have for student academic achievement.

As psychological well-being, or mental health, is a key factor to academic performance, schools are in a pivotal position to provide needed services to improve the well-being of individual students, parents, and teachers, as well as school-wide wellness. Research has shown positive outcomes related to psychological symptom reduction, but academic outcomes are less prevalent. Due to the increasing need for services, schoolbased mental health (SBMH) programs are being developed to combine the resources and expertise of SBMH professionals and community agency mental health professionals to serve these needs. In an effort toward developing a statewide Communities of Practice Model for the state of Utah, an internet survey was developed to identify the current practices that are being implemented with schools in Utah. This study explored the current and possible types of school based and community services within a multi-tier service system approach at each tier level (universal, at-risk, and intensive) delivered to elementary and secondary students, the outcomes expected to be impacted by these partnerships, and the barriers and key factors associated with effective program iv implementation. The sample included 32 school district respondents from 21 districts and 19 community agency respondents from 18 agencies throughout the state. Results revealed that 18 of the 21 districts are involved in a SBMH partnership implementing a broad range of collaborative activities, assessments and interventions that vary between tier levels. Specific practices, barriers, and implications for SBMH services and future research are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate a new approach in the analysis of teaching procedures, and show the importance of certain variates on the academic performance of college students. Objectives: The objectives of this study were threefold: To determine whether an ABA approach (definition on page 19) can be used effectively to identify relevant variables influencing college student's academic performance. To determine the influence of grading and exam frequency on achievement in college. To compare the effectiveness of a lectureless go-at-your-own-pace teaching procedure and lecture procedures on student performance as measured on a final exam and a six month retention test. Method Experiment One. Using an ABA reversal procedure in a Latin square design 253 students were rotated through testing conditions to determine the effects of grading and exam frequency on college students academic performance. The four testing conditions were: (a) weekly exams given which counted towards the student's grade, (b) weekly exams given which did not count toward their grade, (c) monthly exams which counted, and (d) monthly exams which did not count. An analysis of the results with respect to the students' grade point average was also carried out. Experiment Two. Three classes of introductory psychology were used in an interclass comparison. Each class was exposed to a different teaching procedure. Daily lectures with a monthly exam were used on the first class. Daily lectures with weekly exams were administered to the second class. The third class attended no lectures, took oral and written exams on each chapter when they felt read y for them, had to master one chapter before progressing to the next, and received immediate feedback on their test results. All three classes were also given a retention test six months later. Students performance on both the final exam and retention test were compared. Results Experiment One. Grading was found to significantly influence students academic performance (p .05). Though exam frequency had a consistent and systematic effect on performance, its effect was not found statistically significant. It was also noted that both variates influenced students of all grade point average ranges to the same degree rather than differentially helping only certain grade levels. Experiment Two. It was found that the students in the go-at-your-own-pace group outscored both lecture classes on the final exam and six month retention test. Conclusions The following conclusions are drawn from the results of research conducted for this report. The lack of differential effects in past comparative studies is due to the fact that the students' academic behavior was not differentially influenced. Intraclass analytic procedures can be employed which are more sensitive than the interclass comparisons employed in the past. Instructors can use grading to strongly influence college students of all grade point ranges to perform better. Two things future research in college teaching should include are: (a) more sensitive experimental procedures, and (b) a change in the variates analyzed. A stronger look should be taken at what behavioral contingencies the course includes rather than only what the teacher does in class. It is suggested that higher education should direct itself to more contingent systems of instruction rather than shifting to more self-controlled learning situations.

The study investigated the effect of a videodisc-based, teacher-controlled, direct instruction-based program in fractions content, on self-concept. Self-concept was operationally defined as scores on a slightly modified version of Marsh's Self-Description Questionnaire (Marsh, 1988). A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group design was used to compare the self-report self-concept of two groups of upper elementary students (N = 337). The treatment group (n = 171) received instruction in fractions via the teacher-directed, videodisc-based, Mastering Fractions program (Systems Impact, 1986a). The control group (n = 166) received their normal grade four or grade five mathematics program, but did not include common fractions. Differences in achievement scores provided support for previous findings regarding the Mastering Fractions program. The treatment group covariance-adjusted mean on a criterion-referenced test was higher than that of the control (5.9 standard deviations). Differences in achievement test scores among the treatment classes varied directly with the levels of program implementation across classes. The data were examined using both the student and the class as the unit of analysis. Using the student as the unit of analysis, the treatment group mathematics self-concept covariance-adjusted mean was 0.22 standard deviations above that of the control group. An analysis of raw gain scores yielded a standardized mean difference effect size between the treatment and control group scores of +.12. A statistically significant but small main effect was also noted across student pretest achievement levels. The posttest difference between low-achiever means treatment versus control students is slightly larger than the difference between high-achiever means. No statistically significant interaction was noted between student achievement level at pretest and treatment condition. The class was also used as the unit of analysis. In this case the mean difference effect sizes between experimental groups were +0.86 (ANCOVA) and +0.34 (raw gain scores). Differences were small to moderate, but consistent with the study hypotheses. Recommendations are presented regarding future research and the use of direct instruction in school settings. (197 pages)

Numerous studies have been completed on the academic ability of student athletes. Since the mid 1980s, the NCAA has emphasized the importance of academics and mandated more stringent requirements to be able to participate in intercollegiate athletics. These initial-eligibility standards have been successful in increasing overall graduation rates of student-athletes, but there remain a number of concerns. The purpose of the study was to determine if an NCAA D-I freshman student athlete's place of residency on campus, as opposed to off campus, while attending college during his/her freshman year had a statistically significant relationship to achievement as it relates to academic performance. The continued purpose of the study examined the relationship between selected socio-demographic components to academic performance in NCAA D-I freshman student athletes and how this relationship may have directly related to their academic performance during their freshman year. Participants completed the informed consent along with a questionnaire to aid in determining what academic and socio-demographic variables were related to academic performance (N = 205). Based on the results of this study, it was concluded that living on or off campus had no relationship with how the freshman student athletes performed academically. The best individual correlations with academic performance were high school GPA, gender, and ACT scores. These relationships proved to be a moderate relationship because an r value of .75 or greater was not reached. High school GPA, ethnicity, gender, absences unexcused, and ACT scores did enter a stepwise multiple regression equation, but could only explain 55% of the variance for that equation. Statistically 60% is an acceptable level for predicting academic performance in the study. However, it should be noted that 55% of the variance is relevant for those individuals who deal with the academic performance (i.e., athletic administrators, academic advisors, university faculty, parents, etc.) of student athletes to encourage the use of these variables to predict a student athlete's academic success. The other remaining variables showed only a low or very low relationship to a freshman student athlete's academic performance.

The purpose of this correlational research study was to determine if students’ academic success was correlated with: (a) the student change in achievement during an engineering design challenge; and (b) student change in mental motivation toward solving problems and critical thinking during an engineering design challenge. Multiple experimental studies have shown engineering design challenges increase student achievement and attitude toward learning, but conflicting evidence surrounded the impact on higher and lower academically achieving students. A high school classroom was chosen in which elements of engineering design were purposefully taught. Eleventh-grade student participants represented a diverse set of academic backgrounds (measured by grade point average [GPA]). Participants were measured in terms of achievement and mental motivation at three time points. Longitudinal multilevel modeling techniques were employed to identify significant predictors in achievement growth and mental motivation growth during the school year. Student achievement was significantly correlated with science GPA, but not math or communication GPA. Changes in achievement score over time are not significantly correlated with science, math, or communication. Mental motivation was measured by five subscales. Mental focus was correlated with math and science GPA. Mental focus increases over time were negatively correlated with science GPA, which indicated that the initial score differential (between higher and lower science GPA students) was decreased over time. Learning orientation and cognitive integrity were not correlated with GPA. Creative problem solving was correlated with science GPA, but gains over time were not correlated with GPA. Scholarly rigor was correlated with science GPA, but change over time was not correlated with GPA. (284 pages)

This study evaluated the relationship between noise and academic performance and behavior of children with ADHD (n = 15) and without ADHD (n = 18). Children completed math sheets under four noise conditions: no noise, standard classroom noise, classroom noise with verbalizations, and classroom noise with classical music. There were no differences in math performance between the two groups. Children with ADHD exhibited more problem behaviors than children without ADHD. Group-by-condition interactions were not significant. Significant effects were found for noise condition; children completed more math problems and had fewer inappropriate behaviors in the no-noise condition. However, there were significant order effects with children performing better on the initial task. The no-noise condition was always presented first; other conditions were randomized. Thus, it is impossible to determine if improved performance was due to decreased environmental stimulation or initial performance effects. Implications of these findings are discussed.