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The investigation of youths' exercise attitudes and behaviors has been heavily researched. This study's focus was unique in that exercise attitudes and behaviors of academically accelerated and non-accelerated high school students were examined. Academic ability and sex were considered as possible influences toward physical activity attitudes and as potential predictor variables of exercise behaviors. The Revised CATPA inventory and the Attitudes Toward Exercise scale assessed subjects' exercise attitudes. A modified 7-Day Recall of Physical Activity measured the amount of time subjects spent exercising in the previous week. Results showed higher mean Revised CATPA scores for the academically accelerated and male subjects, while the ATE scores were higher among academically non-accelerated and female students. Results on the activity recall suggested that males were more physically active. A multiple regression analysis showed predictor variables of exercise. Future research ideas are discussed on differing academic groups. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

In education, tests are used as indications of students' success or failure. Inferior test performance has been shown to be associated with the debilitating effects of evaluation stress. An educator's task is to provide opportunities for students to enjoy learning experiences that allow for success. Teachers must, therefore, be aware of factors that might impede this process. The purpose of this study was to determine levels of test anxiety (TA) perceived to be experienced by secondary students, as well as the relationship to TA of students' personal characteristics, home environment characteristics, participation in co- and extra-curricular activities, performance on cognitive tests, and curriculum type. The sample used for the third fol1owup of the High School and Beyond (HSB) 1980 Senior Cohort (n=ll,995) was examined for this study. A TA index was constructed using data from three questions from Section 7 of the HSB cognitive test. Results of item analysis and Kuder-Richardson Internal Consistency Reliability Estimate (KR-20) indicated that the index had internal consistency and low to moderate reliability. A second item analysis, using supplemental variables, indicated that the index was valid. Transformation of student responses to TA index items, assigned students TA scores ranging from -13 to +13, with -13 representing the minimum level of TA. Only six (.01%) of the students scored +13, the highest TA level. TA scores for 11% of the students indicated high levels. / Ed. D.

The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which a credit recovery program improved the academic success for high school freshmen. For the purpose of this study, academic success was defined as whether or not the student advanced from 9th to 10th grade. A total of 255 students from two junior high schools and one comprehensive high school were included in the study. Independent variables included program, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, TAKS Reading/Language Arts results, and TAKS Mathematics results. A review of related literature provided background information regarding the issues surrounding high school freshmen, dropouts, grade retention, and effective intervention programs. This quantitative study utilized descriptive statistics and logistic regression to analyze the relationship between the independent variables and student success as measured by whether or not the student advanced from ninth to tenth grade. In addition, the study examined the odds of success if participating in the credit recovery program. Sources of data included Incomplete and Failure Listing, Ninth Grade Advisor Listing, Tenth Grade Advisory Listing, and the Student Roster-Fall Collection. The Ninth Grade Success Initiative Program Evaluation for Cycles 6, 7, and 9 provided the individual student results of participation in the program. Levels of significance were set at the .05 level. The findings of this study indicated that no statistically significant relationship existed between participation in the credit recovery program, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, TAKS Reading/Language Arts results, TAKS Mathematics results, and advancing from 9th to 10th grade. It was concluded that further study would be needed to determine the most effective means for providing academic assistance to ninth grade students.

This mixed methods study focused on the relationship between dropout prevention programs and graduation rates in one school district in Florida during the 2010-2011 school year. The dropout prevention program data analyzed included high school principals' perceptions in regard to perceived effectiveness, fidelity of implementation, cost efficacy, structure, and student-staff relationships within dropout prevention programs and their relationship to graduation rate. The data analysis investigated the relationship between the principals' perceptions of each dropout prevention program and graduation rate. Findings from this study showed principals' perceived that the level of fidelity for on-the-job training has a relationship to increased graduation rate. In other words, when a principal believed the dropout prevention program was implemented with fidelity in their school, it likely increased graduation rate. Another important finding from this study was the varying perceptions which it existed among school leaders in this study and their varying perceptions on the relationship between dropout prevention programs and graduation rate. / by Christopher L. Simmons. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

A large amount of research has been conducted that establishes that students of all ages hold conceptions about a variety of science topics that are not in line with accepted scientific beliefs. These preconceptions have been identified in a variety of ways in research situations; this study focused on how secondary science teachers actually attempt to diagnose students' preconceptions in the classroom and the understanding the teachers have about these preconceptions. The use the teachers made of any information gathered in a diagnosis and the reasons for a lack of diagnosis were also investigated. Four experienced science teachers were studied in depth, they were interviewed three times and classroom observations were conducted for nine weeks. The teachers' classroom practices, questioning techniques, understanding of students' preconceptions, and assessment of students' understanding were all analyzed. In this study, the teachers did not use any formal strategies for diagnosing students' preconceptions such as concept mapping, interviews, journals, or writing prompts. The teachers studied claimed that it was important to conduct diagnosis but only one teacher was seen to actually do so. The teacher who did use class discussions as a strategy for diagnosis was the most experienced teacher of the four and also the teacher with the strongest subject matter background. The other three teachers all claimed that they did do diagnosis of preconceptions by questioning their students but they were not seen to do this in their classes. The conclusions from these results are that the teachers did not have a complete understanding of the concept of diagnosing students' preconceptions in order to use that information to attempt conceptual change. The teachers' beliefs were not consistent with their practices in this situation; they may have had certain constraints on them that inhibited the translation of their beliefs into practice. The implications are that preservice and inservice teachers may need to be trained about the importance of, the strategies involved with, and the justification for diagnosing students' preconceptions in the regular classroom environment. Teachers must have an understanding of students' preconceptions and the effect they have on students' learning. / Graduation date: 1999

Both educators and parents are concerned with how best to shape sexual development because of the myriad personal and social complications that can occur for adolescents along with becoming sexually active. Many variables have been shown individually to influence sexuality. Of specific interest in this study was parent-adolescent closeness and communication about sexuality. Past research has found parental communication about sexuality and parent-adolescent closeness individually to have a positive impact on adolescent sexuality. However, other studies have found no relation between parent-adolescent communication about sexuality and sexual outcomes. Still others have suggested that the combination of the two variables may have the most significant influence on adolescent sexuality. The main goal of this study was to see if a combination of parent-adolescent closeness and parental communication about sexuality was more strongly related to adolescent sexual knowledge, attidudes, and behaviors than either communication or closeness alone. Participants were 157 boys and girls in the ninth through twelfth grades from two suburban high schools in the midwest: Questionnaire measures of adolescents' perceptions were used. Canonical correlation analyses revealed two significant combinations of variables. First, age and maternal and paternal communication were significantly related to sexual behavior and sexual knowledge. Specifically, younger age and less maternal and paternal communication were related to less sexual behavior and less sexual knowledge. Second, gender, age, and maternal communication were significantly related to less sexual knowledge and more conservative sexual attitudes. Specifically, being younger and female and receiving less maternal communication was related to less sexual knowledge and more conservative attitudes. Four important findings are evident in these results. Implications for interpretation and future research are discussed. / Department of Educational Psychology

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