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There is an increasing interest in the life outcomes of youth that are exposed to community violence. Previous research has found that community violence has a direct effect on youth development. It has also shown that there are economic costs for communities that have high levels of community violence. Thus far, the literature on youth in these areas has focused on protective factors such as school connectedness, family connectedness, religion and positive life outcomes. There is little research on the affects of mentoring on life outcomes for individuals that were exposed to community violence during adolescence. This study explores mentoring as a mediating variable that promotes positive life outcomes by analyzing data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health studies. A nested multiple regression model was used to evaluate the data. The results show that individuals with mentors are more likely to be civically engaged during young adulthood.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Education) / Deficit models dominate current research on academic retention and success in South African higher education and internationally. Most studies focus on students who are at risk of exiting higher education prematurely or those who fail academically because of their socio-economic conditions. Dropout and failure in existing research is often correlated to class and lack of access to financial resources. The prevailing philosophy based on needs assessment, deficit intervention and problem-solving does not sufficiently facilitate the academic success of diverse learners. Yet, surveys in most countries show that addressing weakness does not necessarily help people improve in their performance more than will highlighting their strengths (Hodges & Clifton, 2004). In contrast, this study adopts a strength-based approach, drawing largely on ‘ecological’ perspectives which recognize the importance of people’s surroundings and the multifaceted variables constantly at play, impacting the lives of students throughout the world. A strength-based model is posited as a pragmatic approach to pedagogy in the 21st century. This perspective recognizes the resilience of individuals and focuses on potential, strengths, interests, abilities, determination and capabilities rather than limits. This study accepts that there are persistent challenges to widening participation in South African universities, and leakages in the education pipeline continue with little improvement in graduation rates. However, there are numerous undocumented examples of academically successful students from working-class backgrounds whose academic attainment is not accounted for. Empirical data is required to establish the relationship between academic success and the resilience of undergraduate sponsored students from working class backgrounds. The case study examines factors that influence the academic attainment of undergraduate sponsored students and the institutional practices that enhance their performance at the University of the Western Cape. Factors motivating sponsored students from poor communities to succeed were explored. Furthermore, institutional influences that are relevant to, and inform students’ academic attainment are investigated. The study utilized a variety of data including relevant institutional documents, interviews with sponsored students and secondary data sourced from the Institutional Quality Assurance and Planning department. Findings of the study show that affordability through funding for equitable access to higher education is a motivating factor in academic attainment for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Also, participants in this study attributed their success to nurtured resilience across the institution, and the supportive relationships established through structured intervention programmes in and out of class. It is important to note, contrary to findings in other studies, that low socio economic background was more of a motivational factor and being resourceful for social mobility. This study adds to the limited understanding of the academic attainment of students from poor backgrounds who succeed against all odds. This provides direction to universities for adopting different approaches and offers insights for the University of the Western Cape into the experiences of its graduates. Based on the findings, the study highlights recommendations and opportunities for future investigation. / Ngalo-Morrison, L. (2017). Factors influencing the academic attainment of undergraduate sponsored students at the University of the Western Cape: A strength-based approach. PhD thesis. University of the Western Cape

The purpose of this research study is to examine the influences of mariachi education on student perceptions of their academic achievement, academic attainment, and student engagement. The study involved students attending schools in California, Oregon, and Texas with mariachi programs that consented to be a part of the study, whose districts approved their participation. The students were approached to participate in this study, as they are a part of their school’s mariachi program in middle or high school throughout the Western half of the United States. A convergent parallel (mixed-methods) design and descriptive statistical analyses were used to investigate the influence of mariachi education on student perceptions of their academic achievement, academic attainment and student engagement. Within each strand, the three short-answer questions were analyzed for emergent themes. Within this study, the results and their implications will be beneficial for both mariachi educators and music administrators as they begin to build a foundation of evidence as to the influences of mariachi education as they relate to the academic achievement, academic attainment, and engagement of students. Influenced by their experience, fifty percent of participants identified mariachi as having a positive influence on their other classes, with almost another fifty percent acknowledging mariachi’s influence on their grades. Additionally, the largest portion of respondents indicated mariachi influenced them to pursue music after high school, with almost ninety percent stating they will be graduating from high school; an increase of seventeen percent over the national average for Latinx students. Eighty-two percent of students indicated that mariachi helps them connect more with their friends, while over seventy-one percent of respondents stating that mariachi helps them connect with their family. Finally, the largest portion of participants (96.1%) indicated that mariachi enables them to express pride in being Latinx. The study also provides a foundation for researchers who wish to continue to study the influences of mariachi education on academic achievement and attainment, as well as student engagement. Through a future doctoral dissertation, the researcher herself plans on further studying via statistical examination, influences of mariachi education on students, in comparison to students not involved in mariachi, with a focus on Latinx students.

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In this case study, I examine the graduation patterns of students attending Chief Dull Knife College located on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Lame Deer, Montana. While comparing the characteristics of students attending this college with that of two-year colleges nationally and tribal schools throughout the nation, we begin to understand the unique situation that this community faces. With the use of logistic and linear regressions, I explored the characteristics of those who graduate and ask the question, who graduates and what makes them unique? This study found that the credits attempted per semester, the number of credits they earned divided by the number of credits they attempted, and the number of semesters enrolled were the most significant factors. Using the information collected from the literature review, this study then used linear regressions to explore the effects of the initial variables on these three significant variables.

A growing body of research supports the suggestion that the relationships which children form with their teachers and classmates have an impact on learning (Roorda, Koomen, Spilt, & Oort, 2011). Largely built on studies with typically developing children, the current understanding of the relationship-learning association is that these relationships can impact upon learning either by directly improving the quality of pedagogy or through mediating factors such as increased pupil motivation (Martin & Dowson, 2009).The aim of this study was to expand the discussion and evidence base surrounding relationship-learning association to include pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties (BESD). Previously these groups were not directly addressed by this literature, yet there is evidence from both government-compiled (Department for Education, 2011d) national statistics and independent research (e.g. Symes & Humphrey, 2010) that these groups are at risk of poor academic and social outcomes. While classroom relationships might be an ingredient of superior teaching of children with special educational needs (Dyson, Farrell, Polat, Hutcheson, & Gallanaugh, 2004), it was hypothesised that difficulties commonly associated with either or both of these groups, such as communication problems (Cashin, 2005; Lindsay, Dockrell, & Strand, 2007) may serve to influence the nature and salience of the relationship-learning association.The study used a mixed methods design, incorporating a multiple regression analysis to determine whether changes in teacher or peer relationship quality over 18 months predicted attainment relative to other plausible predictors at the end of that period (N= ASD:143 BESD: 648) and an embedded, multiple case study (Yin, 2011) analysis around two children from each group to determine how the facets of their individual educational needs and other contextual factors influenced the importance and nature of the relationship-learning association in their education. Multiple regression models indicated that relationship change was not a statistically significant predictor of attainment other than peer relationship change for pupils with BESD, where the effect size implies that some academic benefits may accrue at group level from successful relationship interventions. Case study analysis suggested that many of the factors reducing the likelihood of relationships directly improving attainment also make them more important to the effectiveness of teaching and the classroom functioning of pupils. Implications and directions for future research are also discussed.

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本研究旨在了解國中英語教師對九年一貫課程之態度與實踐，以期了解基層英語教師如何看待九年一貫課程改革以及他們如何在教室中實施這套新課程。同時，本研究希望藉由國中英語教師對九年一貫課程之態度與實踐，再一次檢視九年一貫課程改革的現況。 本研究採取質的研究方法，以台北市2名公立國中英文教師為研究對象。研究過程採取觀察、訪談、文件分析等方式為主要資料蒐集來源。資料的涵蓋面向包含：(1) 教師對九年一貫課程之態度；(2) 教師對九年一貫英語課程之態度；(3) 教師對英語教科書之態度；(4) 考試及測驗對教師之影響；(5) 教師的教學技巧與能力；(6) 教師的專業發展。經由這些資料，本研究討論了三個與九年一貫相關的議題：(1) 教師的教學自主權；(2) 教師的專業發展；(3) 教科書的開放政策。 本研究並根據以上三個議題的討論結果，進一步提供相關建議，以作為教育行政單位、學校單位、國民中學英文領域教師及未來研究的參考。 / The purpose of this study is to present the results of junior high school EFL teachers’ attitudes toward Grade 1-9 Curriculum and their classroom practice. This study aims to reveal how junior high school EFL teachers view Grade 1-9 Curriculum and how they implement this new curriculum in their classrooms.This study also offers another chance to take a look at the current situation of the implementation of Grade 1-9 Curriculum. This study adopts a qualitative research method and selects two participant teachers in a well established junior high school to serve as cases which work for in-depth understanding of teachers’ attitudes and their classroom practice. In this case study, data-gathering methods include interview, observation, and document analysis. The collecting information is presented in six dimensions: (1) teachers’ attitudes toward Grade 1-9 Curriculum, (2) teachers’ attitudes toward Grade 1-9 English Curriculum, (3) teachers’ attitudes toward English textbooks, (4) the influence of examinations and tests on teaching, (5) teaching skills and abilities, and (6) teacher professional development. Based on the above information, this study discusses three concerns related to Grade 1-9 Curriculum: (1) teacher autonomy, (2) professionalism, and (3) the policy of liberation of textbooks. Finally, some pedagogical implications and suggestions stemmed from the previous discussions are proposed to serve as a reference for the central authority, school administrators, junior high school EFL teachers, and future research on Grade 1-9 Curriculum.