While substantial literature exists regarding the neurocognitive sequelae of concussion and return to play determinations for student-athletes who have suffered a concussion, there is a paucity of research that has conceptualized the impact of concussion on common academic outcomes. This study examined these topics in an attempt to evaluate the impact of concussion on GPA and school attendance, the association of preinjury neurocognitive performance to changes in academic achievement following a concussion, as well as the relationship between baseline neurocognitive performance and academic outcomes. The change in monthly assignment GPA and attendance were analyzed for three comparison groups (concussion, other sport-related injuries, control) regarding their differences pre and post injury. Second, whether a student-athlete's performance on a computerized baseline neuropsychological assessment (ImPACT) moderated the change in monthly assignment GPA for a group of concussed student-athletes identified as either short recovery or long recovery was investigated. Lastly, the association between baseline ImPACT scores and cumulative GPA/standardized achievement measures was examined for the entire group of student- athletes. Results of this study indicated no systematic differences between comparison groups (concussion, control, and injury) with the change in pre and post injury monthly assignment GPA and daily attendance rates, although academic declines were evident among all student-athletes. Further analysis revealed that more athletes who experienced concussions evidenced a significant drop in GPA (> .5) than would be expected by chance. Contrary to expectations, baseline ImPACT assessment scores did not moderate the degree of academic decline for concussed student-athletes within the short or long recovery groups. Finally, baseline ImPACT composite scores were significantly related to general academic achievement outcomes. Specifically, the ImPACT Visual Memory, Visual Motor and Reaction Time Composite scores significantly predicted GPA. Standardized academic achievement scores as measured by the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (math, reading, writing and science) were all significantly predicted by the baseline ImPACT Visual Motor Composite score. This study highlights the risk factors that may lead to diminished academic performance for student-athletes and the pre-injury neurocognitive variables measured by ImPACT that predict academic performance for student-athletes.

This investigation is concerned with the problem of determining the variation of test achievement obtained by students enrolled on a MWF and a TTh schedule. The purpose of the study is to determine if either schedule is superior. The Ss were students enrolled in an Introductory Psychology course at North Texas State University. A t test was administered to the experimental data. The experimental hypothesis of an expected higher test achievement by students enrolled in the TTh schedule was rejected. It was concluded that test achievement for this study was not affected by scheduling.

This investigation was concerned with whether linguistic competence with printed material is related to the retention of information contained in prose passages of high readability. The specific purpose of the study was to investigate relationships between linguistic competence and free recall, immediate, delayed, and practiced, after the reading of a passage of high readability. In a review of related literature, indications were found that linguistic competence could be expressed by test scores of reading achievement. Therefore, in this study linguistic competence was operationally defined by scores of literal and inferential reading comprehension.

This study explores the phenomenon of Puerto Rican women who have achieved a Ph.D. degree. The researcher utilized a qualitative research methodology to investigate the social aspects that influenced Puerto Rican women to persist in their doctoral programs. Due to the national pool of potential participants, interviews were conducted with Puerto Rican women using video chat software. The researcher utilizes 5 tenets of Critical Race Theory (CRT) as the framework for this study, in an effort to address the varying aspects that contribute to the persistence of Puerto Rican women in graduate study, despite the challenges often cited in the literature as deterrents to academic achievement. The participants’ experiences are examined on an individual, interactional, and institutional level, in order to gain insight into their persistence. This study captures the stories of Puerto Rican women raised in the mainland U.S. as well as those raised on the island itself. Ultimately, this study addresses two main gaps in the literature: (1) research is lacking on Latinas who are successful in higher education, and (2) traditional research tends to describe Latino/a academic achievement as a collective, with little attention given to the cultural distinctions of Latino subgroups in their educational trajectories.

The purposes of this study were to determine if a kindergartener's developmental stage correlates with subsequent scholastic achievement, to determine whether developmentally younger children who repeat kindergarten attain higher academic achievement than developmental 1y younger children who do not repeat kindergarten, and to investigate the relationship between head circumference, developmental age, and achievement. Ninety-seven kindergartners of various ethnicity and socio-economic status were administered the Gesell School Readiness Screening Test to determine developmental age and were followed academically for three years. Head circumference was noted periodically to measure brain growth. The hypotheses predicted significant positive correlations between developmental age in kindergarten and scores on later achievement tests. Further, it was predicted that children below 5.3 years in developmental age who delayed entrance to first grade would score significantly higher on first grade achievement tests than match-paired promoted students. It was hypothesized that there would be significant correlations between head circumference growth and (a) gains in achievement test scores and (b) developmental age at kindergarten. The first hypothesis, tested by Pearson Product Moment Correlations, established the existence of significant correlations between developmental ages of test subjects and their scores on four academic achievement tests. The results indicated that developmental age was a better predictor of achievement test scores than chronological age. Since only five children in this study were retained in kindergarten, hypothesis 2 was analyzed descriptively. Mean scores on first grade achievement tests were higher for the retainees than for the "at risk" non-retainees. Hypothesis 3 was tested by stepwise multiple regression. At the first step, the linear trend between the independent variable, CTBS score, and the dependent variable, I TBS score, was calculated and found to be significant at the .001 level. The addition of head circumference growth to the equation did not add significantly to the prediction of I TBS scores from CTBS scores. There was a significant negative correlation between developmental age in kindergarten and head growth.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between the learning style of a kindergarten child and the level of achievement in language arts. The study was done at the request of the school district of a small community in north Texas, and it incorporated the total public school kindergarten population, 110 subjects. Instruments were the Learning Style Inventory: Primary by Perrin, the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, and an achievement test developed by the regional education service center. The LSI:P was administered to all students by one person while the two achievement tests were administered by individual teachers to their own classes. The children were divided into groups according to their rating on the LSI:P, using the Prescription Circle by Dunn and Dunn as modifier. ANOVA and chi square analysis were utilized to compute frequencies and percentages at the .05 level to determine relationships between learning styles' group membership and attainment in language. A definite relationship was found between a child's learning style and achievement on the language arts objectives. Indications were that the elements of motivation, persistence and responsibility, and perceptual mode preferred by the learner had strong relationship to success in achievement. It was concluded that a relationship exists between the ability to conduct successful word analysis and a child's learning style. It was also determined that children of kindergarten age can self-report learning style as measured by the Learning Style Inventory: Primary. It is recommended that longitudinal studies be conducted to discover if learning styles change with maturity. Other studies could be done on subgroups of the kindergarten population to find what impact preschool experiences, English as a second language, or sex of the child may have on the relationship between a child's learning style and achievement in language arts.

This study attempted to clarify the relationship between visuo-spatial abilities and reading achievement at the first and fifth grades. Groups of good and poor readers were selected at each grade level on the basis of student's scores on the Wide Range Achievement Test in Reading. All subjects had obtained an I.Q. score of ninety or better. The sample was composed of twenty-one females and twenty-seven males. Four tests from the Reitan-Indiana Neuropsychological Battery were given to assess visuo-spatial ability. It was hypothesized that visuo-spatial abilities are related positively to reading achievement and that this relationship is approximately equal at the two grade levels. Statistical analyses of results gave partial support to the first hypothesis.

The Church College of New Zealand is a private co-educational secondary school located near Hamilton, New Zealand and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since its opening in 1958, it has hosted a large population of Polynesian students, in particular Māori. The questions that this thesis addresses centre on the nature, history and reasons for what seems to be a disproportionately higher level of achievement amongst Māori and Pacific Island students at Church College than in New Zealand more broadly. Through a life-history approach to research, this thesis provides an overview of the rich history behind the building of the Church College, and highlights the experiences of successful graduates over three particular timeframes - 1951-1969, 1970-1989 and the 1990s. A major contributing factor to the success of the students at Church College is an environment where both religious and cultural values of students are reaffirmed and considered normal. For some students, Church College provided an environment that validated what students were being taught in their own homes. For others, it provided a refuge from a conflicted home. With the growing pressures of social problems within the wider community for many Māori and Pacific Island families, the school environment of the Church College was a key factor in providing stability and security for some students at the College. On June 29 2006, an announcement was made by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of the phased out closure of Church College beginning in the year 2007 and eventually closing at the end of the year 2009. With Māori and Pacific Island students so under-represented in achievement and participation in education settings in New Zealand, the announcement of the closure provided an opportunity to highlight some of the successes experienced at the Church College of New Zealand.

The dominant discourse regarding Black males in America is that they are less academically successful than European American males and Black females. Similarly, Black males in the Bahamas are described as less successful than Black Bahamian females. School Counselors are in a unique position to alter the trajectory of success for Black males if they are knowledgeable of factors contributing to Black male academic success; have an awareness of the potential impact their unique roles can have; and develop and execute comprehensive, culturally responsive school counseling programs. While there is little research on the Achievement Gap in the Bahamas, much of the research in America has been conducted from a deficit perspective. This study uses a strength based perspective to identify and compare factors contributing to academic success in Black male high school students in the Bahamas and the United States and suggest a framework for responsive school counseling programs. Study results indicated that school counselors in the Bahamas and the United States were ineffective in meeting the needs of Black male students. These needs included supportive teachers, friends, parents and community mentors; a socially responsive school environment; being liked, accepted and appreciated; high teacher expectations; self-reliance (resilience), perseverance; a sense of hope and a purpose; and spirituality. Study results were analyzed from an ecological perspective and a comprehensive, culturally relevant framework was

The problem of this study was to measure the effects of differing curricular patterns involving the use of planetarium centered activities on the affective domain of high-,middle-, and low-achieving secondary school students. Two different curricular patterns were studied. At each achievement level, one group viewed two planetarium lessons in conjunction with their classroom work in astronomy. Also, at each achievement level, two groups viewed the planetarium lessons as review activities which followed their completion of classroom work in astronomy earlier in the school year. The following conclusions were made with respect to the planetarium-related curricula studied. 1. Two exposures to planetarium lessons as a review activity caused a significant decline in the attitude toward astronomy among high-achieving students. 2. Two exposures to planetarium lessons did not significantly improve students' attitudes toward astronomy at any achievement level or with either curricular pattern studied. 3. Middle- and low-achieving students' attitudes were not significantly affected by two exposures to the planetarium lessons. Varying the manner of employing the planetarium in relation to classroom work in astronomy, in the manner studied, made no significant differences in the attitudes of students at either of these achievement levels.