The purpose of this study was to appraise certain aspects of kindergarten adjustment of children in San Joaquin County, California, who had participated in the Head Start program during the 1965 eight-week session, and compare it with the adjustment of a comparable group of kindergarten children who had not had an organized preschool experience by testing at the beginning and again at the end of the kindergarten year.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature and extent of the influences on the school learning of at-risk high school students. Despite unprecedented compensatory education, minority and low SES high school students continue to achieve below their classmates. Secondary school interventions might be more effective, but because so little is known about what influences the achievement of at-risk students, it is difficult to justify the development of such programs. The research reported here used data from 8,100 students who participated in a national longitudinal study and who reported non-Asian minority race or ethnicity or low socioeconomic status {e.g., low SES white and Asia students}. Results indicate that ability, school quality, student motivation, and enrollment in academic coursework exert important effects on the overall and individual subject area achievement of at-risk students. It also appears that while these factors may have a stronger impact on at-risk students' achievement, their influence is very similar to that found for high school students in general. / Ed. D.

No description available.

In an attempt to alleviate subjectivity in special education placement decisions, Congress mandated that such decisions be made by a multidisciplinary team (P.L. 94-142). Minority students are consistently overrepresented in special education classes (Mercer, 1973; Tucker, 1980; Keyes, 1981). The research problem that was the concern of this study was: do race of the child, socioeconomic status of the child, and racial composition of the school district affect special education placement decisions? It was hypothesized that: there would be no difference in-the special education placement decisions made for white pupils and those made for black pupils; decisions made for low SES children and those made for high SES children; decisions made by special educators from school districts with a high percentage of black pupil enrollment and those made by special educators from school districts with a low percentage of black enrollment; there would be no relationship between the identification of a handicapping classification and the recommendation of time to be spent in a special class; and, that there would be no significant first or second order interactions. Crosstabulation, 2x2x2 analysis of variance, point biserial correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis were used to test the hypotheses. Data were obtained from 81 school district directors of special education programs in Maryland and Virginia. These respondents made special education recommendations for a hypothetical child. Findings observed included: no correlation between amount of time recommended and the identification of a handicapping classification; SES, race and district proportion explained a significant amount of variance in EMR classification; SES alone accounted for significant variance in EMR and LD classifications; and SES and race combined significantly affected the recommendation of EMR classification, SES and district racial proportion combined significantly affected the recommendation of the other than EMR or LD category. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between school-related behaviors of migrant students enrolled in a summer program and selected factors in the home and school which may interact with academic performance. The research strategy utilized three components to address the research questions: an ethnographic study of selected students, teachers and personnel; a teacher survey with achievement data on students; and paired student-parent interviews. The research questions to be addressed were: (a) What educational needs were reported for migrant students by school personnel and parents? (b) what was the cultural and psychological context of the school for migrant students? (c) How did the educational values of migrant parents and students relate to academic performance and school philosophy? (d) For a migrant population, did the study habits relate to academic performance? (e) what was the relationship of English proficiency to academic performance? (f) what were the strengths and weaknesses of the program as reported by parents and program personnel and as reported through research observations? Crosstabulations and frequencies were used to report interview data. The quantitative component utilized a regression analysis and the Developmental Research Sequence was used for ethnographic analyses. The findings of the study indicated that the summer migrant education programs of Virginia were facilitating the pursuit of education through their programming by providing positive academic experiences. Students exhibited academic gains. In addition, the programs provided an important social function by offering full day programs and individualized health-related services. There was a lack of parental involvement that would "personalize" the program for each family if nurtured. The components of the evaluation design provided for input from a variety of sources for program improvement. / Ed. D.

Thesis (PhD (General Linguistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The attainment of literacy is crucial for survival in a modern industrialised, knowledge-driven society. Children with poor language skills are at risk for academic failure because of the differences between oral language used in daily interactions and the language skills needed to succeed in a formal school environment. The impact of poorly developed oral language skills on the successful acquisition of reading skills, particularly reading comprehension, is often underestimated in the education of young learners in South Africa. Narrative skills form the bridge between oral language and literacy by providing experience in using the extended and decontextualized discourse units that children will encounter in written language. This study investigated the relationship between narrative skills and reading comprehension skills in young learners who are developing literacy. Specific linguistic markers of literacy in the narratives of a group of Grade 3 learners from communities with low socio-economic status were examined. The main research questions this study attempted to answer were: “How do linguistic deficits of learners with poor reading comprehension and specific reading comprehension deficits manifest in their oral narratives?” and “Are there linguistic markers that decisively distinguish between learners with specific reading comprehension deficits and learners with general poor reading skills as compared to learners with normal reading comprehension?” In a quasi-experimental research design, the Grade 3 participants in this study were assigned to three groups: Readers who are competent at word level and comprehension (good reading comprehension group), readers who are competent at word level but poor at comprehension (specific comprehension disorder group) and readers who are poor at both word level and comprehension (poor reading comprehension group). Measurement protocols were used to assess the linguistic variables of interest, namely vocabulary, narrative micro- and macrostructure structure, cohesion, coherence and other aspects of oral language. The results of this study confirmed the relationships between language skills and reading comprehension. It was found that readers with general poor reading skills performed significantly poorer on a variety of linguistic measures than readers with good reading comprehension. The group identified as readers with specific reading comprehension disorders were, in general, not significantly different from the other two groups. This study therefore did not provide clear evidence that readers with specific reading comprehension disorders presented with linguistic markers that could differentiate them from the other groups. The clinical implications for speech-language therapists and educators with regards to assessment and intervention were highlighted. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die behaling van geletterdheid is noodsaaklik om te oorleef in ‘n moderne, geïndustrialiseerde en kennisgedrewe samelewing. Kinders met swak taalvaardighede loop die risiko om akademies te faal weens die verskille tussen die orale taal wat alledaags gebruik word en die taalvaardighede wat vereis word om sukses in formele skoolomgewings te behaal. Die impak van swak orale taalvaardighede op die suksesvolle aanleer van leesvaardighede, spesifiek leesbegrip, word dikwels onderskat in die onderrig van jong Suid-Afrikaanse leerders. Narratiefvaardighede vorm die oorgang tussen orale taal en geletterdheid omdat narratiewe ondervinding verskaf in die gebruik van uitgebreide en gedekontekstualiseerde diskoerseenhede wat kinders in skryftaal teëkom. Hierdie studie het die verband tussen narratiefvaardighede en leesbegrip in jong kinders wat besig is om gelettedheid te ontwikkel, ondersoek. Spesifieke linguistiese merkers vir geletterdheid in die narratiewe van ‘n groep Graad 3 leerders van lae sosio-ekonomiese status, is ondersoek. Die hoof navorsingsvrae van die studie was: “Hoe manifesteer die linguistiese gebreke van leerders met swak leesbegrip en spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme in hul orale narratiewe?” en “Is daar linguistiese merkers wat afdoende onderskei tussen leerders met spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme en leerders met algemene swak leesvaardighede?” In ‘n kwasieksperimentele ontwerp is die deelnemers aan hierdie studie toegeken aan drie groepe: Lesers wat bevoeg is op woordvlak en begripsvlak (groep met goeie leesbegrip), lesers wat bevoeg is op woordvlak, maar met swak begrip (groep met spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme) en lesers wat onbevoeg is op woordvlak en begripsvlak (groep met algemene swak leesvaardighede). Protokolle is gebruik om die linguistiese veranderlikes, naamlik woordeskat, narratief mikro- en makrostruktuur, kohesie, koherensie en ander aspekte van verbale taal, te meet. Die resultate van hierdie studie het die verband tussen taalvaardighede en leesbegrip bevestig. Daar is gevind dat lesers met algemene swak leesvaardighede, in vergelyking met lesers met goeie leesbegrip, beduidend swakker presteer het op verskeie linguistiese metings. Die groep wat geïdentifiseer is as lesers met spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme het, oor die algemeen, nie beduidend van die ander twee groepe verskil nie. Hierdie studie het dus nie duidelike bewyse gevind dat lesers met spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme linguistiese merkers vertoon het wat hulle van die ander twee groepe kon onderskei nie. Die kliniese implikasies vir spraak-taalterapeute en opvoeders met betrekking tot assessering en intervensie is toegelig.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of using computer-managed, integrated testing and skills software with individualized homework packets on the reading achievement and attitudes of at-risk students in a low achieving urban school. An additional purpose was to determine teacher attitudes toward using technology to deliver, measure, and manage instruction.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether using integrated, networked testing and skills software combined with parental participation would increase students' achievement in reading, improve students' self-esteem and improve attitude toward school. Further, the purpose was to determine if parental participation promotes improved attitude toward school.

The South African context gives rise to a number of significant adversities that challenge the stability of the individual child and the survival of their families. The repercussions of these adversities are profound. Once risk begins to accumulate, the probability of a negative developmental trajectory increases. A group of South African children that are a particularly vulnerable, at risk, and marginalized group are those youth who are excluded from school. Access to the schooling system represents an important node of care and support with the potential of linking vulnerable children to key services. Eight youth from a town in a former homeland in rural KwaZulu Natal, who are excluded from the schooling system, participated in this research. The research aimed to map their experiences of school exclusion through a participatory photo interview technique. Using Bronfenbrenner's (1979) socio-ecological systems theory, this study has indicated that exclusion from school relates to risk factors present in the five contextual systems that a child functions within. From this research one can see how each risk factor adds to the web of exclusion that makes these youth hard to identify, access and help. The findings indicate that there is a need to further investigate the South African child care grant system and the impact it has on access to schooling, as well as to develop macrosystemic interventions to alleviate poverty. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritburg, 2007.