This study investigates the predictive value of the high-school-level battery of the Tests of General Educational Development (GED) for two-year college academic performance. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using a variety of statistical techniques including univariate and multivariate correlation methods, t-test, and analysis of variance. Of the thirteen hypotheses formulated and tested in the study, eleven were statistically significant at the .05 level. With the acceptance of the majority of the research hypotheses, it is concluded that the GED is a valid predictor of first semester, two-year college GPA. It is also concluded that the use of the standard scores of individual component subtests of the GED as predictors provides valid and slightly more efficient prediction of first semester, two-year college GPA than the use of only mean GED standard score as a predictor, and that GED Test 4, Interpretation of Literary Materials, is the single most effective GED subtest in predicting this criterion.

Doctor Educationis / The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between identity and differential academic performance in a cohort of preprimary teachers-in-training. The study draws on indepth interviews with, and detailed observations of, nineteen students and five of their lecturers at a college of education in Cape Town in the late 1990s. Through an analysis of the narratives of academic performance of these students, this work argues that students constructed narratives of academic performance framed by their expectations of what they considered possible for people of their particular identity. Thus as a consequence, students who shared common identities and social locations tended to share common narrative threads. This was most evident in the way in which three broad narrative perspectives emerged - framed by shared social locations of race, class, and gender, and common understandings of religion and cognitive ability. However, within each broad grouping .individual agency nuanced how each student interpreted his or her personal history and particular social locations through the discourses to which he or she had access. This work presents a. challenge to the dominant metaphor of reproduction in the field of educational studies. It is clear from analysis of the students' narratives that as active agents they were not unproblematically reproduced by the teacher college as classed, raced, and gendered subjects. Rather, they produced themselves within existing, and often potentially contradictory, material and discursive contexts. In explaining differential academic performance, this work examines the way in which narrative understandings introduce people into particular ways of life through their authorial voice and legitimating functions. More specifically, it explains how subjective narratives of academic performance introduce students into particular social actions that result in 'objective' differential academic performance as recorded on year-end mark schedules. However, in selecting narrative analysis as a conceptual framework for the work, it has been possible to motivate for an explanation that goes beyond an analysis of academic achievement and failure. In successive chapters evidence is marshaled to frame an argument that students' narratives shape their social action as agents of history, and are implicated in the distribution of privilege within society. The framing of the research question was premised on the assumption that a relationship exists between educational outcomes and access to life chances. While evidence is presented that signals how subjective narratives of academic performance are 'lived out' as 'objective' academic performance, a linear relationship between marks as academic performance and life chances is raised as problematic. It is argued that rather than merely shaping academic performance, narratives as theories of social reality frame all understandings of the social world including access to socio-economic privilege. It is these understandings that get 'lived out' in the choices that students make about their futures. A significant thread to the argument is the extent to which lecturers are implicated in the narrative understandings that students construct, and consequently in the unequal distribution of privilege in society. While seeking to explain academic performance, the study comes to the significant conclusion that narrative understandings, rather than academic performance, are implicated in the distribution of privilege in society.

Objetivo: Evaluar la asociación entre bruxismo autorreportado y rendimiento académico en estudiantes de una universidad privada de Lima, Perú. Material y Métodos: Un total de 203 estudiantes con edades comprendidas entre 18 a 35 años fueron encuestados en esta investigación. Para la evaluación del bruxismo autoreportado se aplicó el cuestionario ‘Bruxism Assessment Questionnaire’ en su versión en español. Asimismo, el rendimiento académico se evaluó mediante la escala de Índice de Aprobación (IA). Además, se incluyeron otras variables como situación laboral, estrés, ansiedad, entre otros. La asociación de variables se realizó mediante la prueba chi cuadrado y para el análisis crudo y ajustado se utilizó la regresión logística. Resultados: Se encontró una prevalencia de bruxismo de vigilia de 53.20% y de bruxismo de sueño de 36.45%. Se evidenció asociación estadísticamente significativa entre bruxismo de vigilia con estrés y ansiedad, y bruxismo de sueño con ansiedad. Se halló que los estudiantes con rendimiento académico alto (OR=2.36; IC del 95%:1.06-5.23) y rendimiento académico bajo (OR=5.72; IC del 95%:1.28- 25.57) tienen más probabilidades de presentar bruxismo de vigilia que aquellos con rendimiento académico medio. Conclusiones: En el presente estudio se halló asociación estadísticamente significativa entre bruxismo de vigilia autorreportado y rendimiento académico. No obstante, a futuro se sugiere realizar un estudio a los estudiantes con presencia de bruxismo y con un mayor tamaño muestral de participantes con rendimiento académico bajo para afirmar la asociación encontrada entre dichas variables. / Objective: To evaluate the association between self-reported bruxism and academic performance in students at a university in Lima, Peru. Material and Methods: A total of 203 students were evaluated in this study, between the ages of 19 and 35 years. Self-reported bruxism was measured using the Bruxism Assessment Questionnaire. Academic performance was evaluated using the Approval Index Scale. In addition, other variables were included such as employment status, socioeconomic level, stress, anxiety, among others. The association of variables were factored in using the chi-square test and the logistic regression presented the unadjusted and adjusted analisis. Results: The frequency of self-reported awake bruxism and sleep bruxism was 53.20% and 36.45%, respectively. Evidence revealed there was a statistically significant association between awake bruxism with stress and anxiety, and sleep bruxism with anxiety. Students with high academic performance (OR=2.36; IC del 95%:1.06-5.23) and low academic performance (OR=5.72; IC del 95%:1.28-25.57) were found to be more likely to have awake bruxism than those with medium academic performance. Conclusion: This study revealed a statistically significant association between self-reported awake bruxism and academic performance. However, in the future it is suggested to carry out a study with focus only on students with bruxism and with a larger sample of participants with low academic performance to confirm the association found between these variables. / Revisión por pares

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo examinar el logro académico en comprensión lectora en Perú y, en especial, su relación con las características asociadas al hogar del estudiante. De acuerdo con estudios previos, existe un efecto refuerzo de una mejora en la implementación dentro del hogar en el rendimiento académico. Por este motivo, el estudio analiza esta relación aplicando la información estadística provista por el estudio de Niños del Milenio con un Modelo Jerárquico Lineal. Finalmente, el análisis concluye que existe un efecto ambiguo del entorno y hacinamiento del hogar en el rendimiento académico. El primero por una mayor o menor calidad dentro del hogar. Mientras que la segunda relación se da por un alejamiento del apoyo de los padres. Entre otras conclusiones relacionadas con la no linealidad de esta relación. / This academic research aims to examine academic achievement in reading test in Peru and, in particular, the relationship with the characteristics associated with home environment. According to previous studies, there is a reinforcing effect of an improvement in the implementation within the home in academic performance. For this reason, this study analyzes this relationship using the Young Lives data with a Linear Hierarchical Model. Finally, the analysis concludes that there’s an ambiguous effect of the home overcrowding and environment on academic performance. The first is given by a departure from parental support. While the second relationship for a higher or lower quality in the home. Among other conclusions related to the non-linearity of this relationship. / Trabajo de investigación

This paper assesses the relationship between Social Networking Sites (SNS) and the effect of its excessive use on a user’s spelling capabilities and academic performance by using a single-factor, multi-level between subjects design (One-way ANOVA). The One way Anova was applied to SNS use (independent variable) and spelling and academic performance (dependent variables). Furthermore, the independent variable consists of three levels, a few times a month or never, a few times a week and every day. Out of a possible 107 respondents a total of 56 respondents, distributed across the various groups, completed the test. A spelling test together with the academic records was used as an instrument to measure their spelling capabilities. The findings suggest that students that make excessive use of SNS performed worse in the spelling test than students that do not make use of SNS or make use of SNS a few times a month. In addition, it is established that the SNS use has no effect on spelling. Conclusions from this study are that social networking sites have many various impacts on the youth, some being positive and others negative. Although the end result was that SNS do not “significantly” affect your spelling capabilities it is suggested that further research be carried out on this topic on a larger and more representative sample. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Psychology / MA / Unrestricted

Many learners enter formal schooling without having mastered the necessary school readiness skills. Academically, those who are not equipped with the necessary school readiness skills often experience certain difficulties, a situation that can even lead to failure at the end of their first year at school. Had these learners been assessed for school readiness earlier, and their teachers informed of the interpreted results, they could have been helped to improve their literacy level earlier. With their knowledge, teachers are able to provide appropriate additional support to meet identified school readiness needs. A concern amongst educators is that many school readiness assessment instruments are available but they do not test the same skills. A further issue is that scientifically proven criteria for evaluating school readiness assessment instruments are not known to be available. Using information about the skills being assessed according to helpful and insightful criteria, would enable educators to know how best to assist learners. Learners do progress and learn differently. Focusing on the skills needed to succeed at school is essential for learners’ development. Hence the reason for engaging in this research was to explore school readiness assessment. From semi-structured interviews conducted, Grade 1 teachers did not have detailed knowledge of school readiness assessment and the instruments used. It is therefore recommended that awareness of the criteria for successful school readiness assessment becomes an integral part of the preparation for formal schooling. Irrespective of their age, applying such instruments could help learners who are not yet ready for school to be better prepared pre-schoolers. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Early Childhood Education / MEd / Unrestricted

Internationally English is increasingly being used as a language of instruction in education. This is also true within the South African context, a country with eleven official languages. Many non-native English speaking (NNES) students, for whom English might be their second, third or even fourth language, are studying through the medium of English. Previous studies on this topic acknowledge that the level of English proficiency which NNES students have, affects their academic performance. The problem under investigation in this case study was the relationship between students’ academic performance in particular modules and how their written responses in examinations contributed to them failing a module. The purpose was to establish to which extent limited English proficiency contributed to the poor academic performance of NNES preservice teachers studying through distance education. This study is underpinned by Cummins’ theory of Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (1984). It is supported by related literature which emphasises the challenges NNES students experience in understanding academic content and responding to written assessment tasks in a language other than their home language. A quantitative approach was used which focused on the written responses to examination papers of thirty undergraduate B Ed students who had failed a particular module, at a private higher education institution. The contribution of inadequate or incoherent English, as the reason why marks were not allocated to answers, was calculated and analysed. Results indicated that students’ English grammatical proficiency does have an influence on their academic performance, though it is not the main contributing factor to students failing their modules. For this case study it was determined that the pre-service teachers’ inadequate English written proficiency contributed almost a third (25,6%) of the reasons for their poor academic performance. This finding suggests the need to develop new teaching strategies to accommodate and offer language support to NNES students in higher education institutions that offer qualifications using English as the medium of instruction. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Humanities Education / MEd / Unrestricted

Student academic progress has been at the centre of concern to all higher education institutions in South Africa. It is understood that student progress emanates from a range of dynamics that gives students different educational experiences. The student cohort at University of Pretoria (Abdulghani et al., 2014) come from diverse cultural backgrounds in South Africa, aptly called the rainbow-nation, and subsequently bring different levels of proficiency and world experiences to the higher education sector. The student population is like a tapestry interwoven from different cultures and includes students from all 'walks of life', rich and poor, alternative lifestyle and background, as well as students who are disabled, and students who have diverse sexual orientations. The transition from school to university is regarded as a time of extreme stress for students arriving at the university door for the first time. The expectations of students are mostly unknown, but educators know that students entering university come from positions of extreme inequality, not only in terms of schooling, but also of financial and other resources. It is well-documented that in addition to all the other changes, a large number of students arrive at the university lacking the necessary knowledge and skills that will help them cope at university. These are largely students that come from underprivileged schools that still bear the ravages of apartheid education. To assist students in overcoming the lack of these skills and bridging the educational gap, higher education has to address these needs. Hence, it is the intention of this research to "explore the undergraduate Information Technology experience of an extended programme". The research is a four-year longitudinal study of IT students in the extended (four-year) IT degrees at UP, and has analysed interviews conducted with IT graduates in a range of professional settings. Taken together, these components have been designed to expand the researcher's understanding of undergraduate IT experience (extended programmes) and the transition from university to the workplace. Furthermore, it focuses on how students in Information Technology experience their education, how they gain knowledge of what Information Technology is, and what their post-graduation plans are. Based mainly on the theoretical framework of Vincent Tinto (1975), this study provides an analysis of research regarding student experiences, retention and withdrawal in the extended four-year programme (E4YP) in IT. The research methodology used to conduct this study includes a mixed methods approach undertaken from more than one point of view. The researcher used a combination of qualitative and quantitative research features. The data was generated by surveys (online questionnaires and mini-questionnaires), mini-essays and the results of statistical analysis using academic results and Students� Academic Readiness Survey (STARS) scores. The findings of this study paint a portrait of typical first-year students irrespective of study direction. Their experiences and journey during the first-year are fraught with issues such as finance, accommodation, transport, gender inequality, institutional hiccups, loneliness and exhaustion, and difficulty in finding their way around campus. However, many expressed experiencing the euphoria of freedom from school/parental rules, meeting new friends and socialising, and enjoying the general feeling of being a university student. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Informatics / PhD / Unrestricted

Research has indicated video-based interventions are successful at teaching skills to individuals with varying types of disabilities. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding video-based intervention, such as video modeling, as an evidence-based practice for academic skills. As technology becomes more and more integrated into U.S. classrooms each year, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions. Khan Academy videos are often used as supplemental resources by teachers to assist students with math work. The purposes of this study were to evaluate if in-class viewing of Khan Academy video models would increase math quiz performance for elementary age students with disabilities when used as a supplement to standard teacher instruction, to determine if the use of Khan Academy video models would decrease the total time required to complete a math quiz, and to evaluate the effects of behavioral skills training on math quiz scores in the event that Khan Academy was not effective. Results were evaluated using a non-concurrent multiple baseline across participants design and showed that overall, Khan Academy videos resulted in a slight increase in performance for two participants. The intervention was not effective for the other four. Overall, the duration to complete the quiz did not decrease with the implementation of Khan Academy. All 6 participants required behavioral skills training to increase their performances to mastery levels.

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...