Student mobility is an issue for high poverty schools in the shadow of increased rigor and accountability for student performance. Whereas mobility is not a sole cause for poor achievement, it is a contributing factor for students in poverty who are already considered to be at risk of low achievement. Student mobility creates a hardship for schools and districts and hampers attempts to properly monitor the progress of students. This quantitative study examined the differences between mobile and nonmobile 4th grade students from 4 high poverty schools in a Northeast Tennessee school district. Research before and after the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 (NCLB) was explored. A two-way contingency analysis was used to determine if differences exist between mobile and nonmobile students on reading and math achievements tests. Additionally, the frequency of mobility and mobile and nonmobile among 3 ethnic groups were explored to determine the effects of mobility on achievement. The analyses suggested that no significant relationship exists between the independent variables. This quantitative study examined the differences between mobile and nonmobile fourth grade students from four high poverty schools in a Northeast Tennessee school district. Research before and after the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 (NCLB) was explored. A two way contingency analysis was used to determine if differences exist between mobile and nonmobile students on reading and math achievements tests. Additionally, the frequency of mobility and mobile and nonmobile among three ethnic groups were explored to determine the effects of mobility on achievement. The analyses suggested that no significant relationship exists between the independent variables.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between the students to computer ratio and 6th grade student achievement in Math and Reading during the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years as compared by socioeconomic status at each of 562 schools in Tennessee. The independent variables in the study were the ratio of students to computer (low/middle/high), the change in ratio of students to computer from 2013-2014 to 2014-2015, and socioeconomic status (low/non-low). The dependent variables in the study were 6th grade mean Reading scores for 2014-2015, 6th grade mean Reading gain scores from 2013-2014 to 2014-2015, 6th grade mean Math scores for 2014-2015, and 6th grade mean Math gain scores from 2013-2014 to 2014-2015. There was not a significant difference between the mean TCAP scores in Reading and Math and low, middle, or high technology schools. There was no correlation between the changes in ratios and TCAP Reading and Math scores. There was no significant difference between low, middle, and high technology schools as compared by their low or non-low SES. There was no significant difference in TCAP Reading or Math scores for low, middle, or high technology schools as compared by their low or non-low SES. There was no significant difference in the change in TCAP Reading and Math scores as compared by low, middle, or high technology and their low or non-low SES. There was no significant difference in TCAP Reading and Math achievement scores as compared by low, middle, or high technology in low SES schools. There was no significant difference in TCAP Reading and Math achievement scores as compared by low, middle, or high technology in non-low SES schools.

Music education has been shown to be related to a variety of positive outcomes, including student achievement in math. This study was conducted to explore the relationship between music education and student achievement in math. The framework for the study was Miendlarzweska and Trost's model of musical instrument training. A deidentified archival data set consisting of middle school students' (N = 116) total math scores on the Iowa Assessments was used to determine the impact of music education on students' math achievement, while controlling for students' sex and socioeconomic status. Changes in student achievement were measured by calculating math scores between the 2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015 academic school years. The data were accessed from a private school system in the northeast United States. Results of a t test indicated that there were no differences in baseline scores between the group of students who received music education and the group of students who did not receive music education. Results of a regression model for 2013-2014 showed that music education was a significant predictor of math growth scores (p = .015). Results of a regression model for 2014-2015 indicated that only socioeconomic status was a significant predictor of math growth scores (p = .039). Implications for social change include improved stakeholder awareness of the value of music education for student achievement, which may motivate teachers to become advocates for music education and administrators to include music education in their curriculums. By increasing student access to music education, students may be helped to achieve to their fullest potential.

The research around the achievement gap is extensive. However, regardless that the term “achievement gap” is so widely used in academia today, there is often confusion surrounding what the achievement gap is. This study seeks to answer three research questions: (1) To what extent does an achievement gap exist among different subgroups of students in Kentucky’s K-12 public schools? (2) How do the perceptions of parents and teachers interact with decision-making? (3) How do the ideas of parents and teachers regarding closing the achievement gap compare? This research examines perceptions of the existence of an achievement gap in Kentucky’s public schools from the perspectives of two groups of stakeholders: parents and teachers. This study aims to identify trends in thinking about the existence of an achievement gap, how information is communicated, and how stakeholders think gaps can be closed. The results of this study indicate that stakeholders have a general understanding of the achievement gap; however, methods of communication with parents need strengthening. Findings show that Kentucky schools with gaps tend to have multiple subgroups, rather than a single group, performing lower than their peers, but stakeholders have mixed ideas on closing these gaps.

Past studies have indicated that home-schooled children perform above average in measures of achievement but these studies failed to include an assessment of social skills and failed to include samples of both home-schooled and traditionally-schooled students preventing a direct comparison between these two groups. The purpose of this study was to fill this research gap by addressing the following research questions: (1) Are there significant differences in academic achievement of home-schooled and traditionally-schooled high school students? The Economic Theory of Public Administration of Schooling suggests that home-schoolers will perform academically at least as well as traditional-schoolers; and (2) Are there significant differences in social skills levels of home-schoolers and traditional-schoolers? Social Learning Theory suggests that children learn positive social interaction from other children. The participants were high school students drawn from an ethnically and socio-economically diverse suburban area in the Lancaster and Bakersfield, CA area. A MANOVA was conducted to compare academic achievement and social skills of home-schoolers and traditional-schoolers. Statistical results indicated that there were no significant differences between the two groups in academic achievement but did indicate that students who were home-schooled score significantly lower in social skills than students who are traditionally-schooled. The positive social change implications of this study center on the need to attend to the socialization opportunities for students who are home-schooled. Parents who home-school or are considering home schooling will be able to use this information in planning their children's education and social interactions with other students.

At the national, state, district, and building levels, girls outperform boys in writing. The purpose of this study was to examine the achievement gap between 5th grade girls and boys in the content area of writing. The research questions explored the perceptions of 5th grade teachers and building administrators and examined the instructional strategies that were used to teach writing to 5th grade students. Attribution theory was used as the theoretical framework to address the achievement gap. Using a qualitative instrumental case study design, data were collected from a building administrator and a 5th grade writing teacher in the form of semi structured interviews, an observation of the 5th grade writing teacher, and the examination of writing instructional resources used to teach writing. Data from these sources were transcribed, coded, and analyzed to find emerging themes. The findings revealed that gender-specific instructional strategies and a progress monitoring assessment tool were needed to help close the achievement gap. Based on the findings, a white paper report was created and shared with the building administrator and 5th grade writing teacher. The white paper report included gender-specific instructional strategies and a progress monitoring assessment tool as recommendations to help close the achievement gap. Examining the achievement gap between 5th grade girls and boys in the content area of writing could promote positive social change by encouraging administrators as instructional leaders to become leading learners and by providing 5th grade teachers gender-specific instructional strategies to help students become proficient writers who are college and career ready.

This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between student reading performance and achievement in science. Many students have difficulties comprehending written materials presented to them in science and many tests used to measure achievement in science rely heavily on reading ability. Students may have trouble demonstrating their science knowledge due to their lack of reading skills.In this study, the reading ages and science achievement scores of students were calculated. Twenty activity cards used to teach the science topic Plants and Animals were modified to reduce the language difficulty level. All students in two Year 8 science classes used the modified activity cards and modified science achievement measures. Five students were selected to form a sub-sample of the class group for in-depth observations, interviews, and analysis. These students were low performance readers who achieved poorly on science topic tests even though they had excellent work habits. The student reading ages in the class groups ranged from 8 years 1 month to above 16 years 10 months.The reading performance data were found to correlate significantly with science achievement as measured on topic tests. Class 1 produced a correlation coefficient of 0.46, while Class 2 produced a correlation coefficient of 0.75. In this study it appears that science achievement is related to reading performance.Qualitative analysis of data from the five students in the sub-sample showed that the modified activity cards were relatively easy to use. Students could work on the cards independently. This study demonstrated that textual material needs to be presented at an appropriate reading level for independent learning to occur.All of the students in the sub-sample demonstrated improved science achievement on the modified Plants and Animals topic test. In addition, most other students in the ++ / study improved their performance on the modified science test. Thus, the modiifications appeared to make it easier for most students to demonstrate their science achievement.A positive correlation was found between student reading age and science achievement. Reading performance may be a critical factor in achievement on science tests. If this is the case, learning strategies must be developed that focus on helping students to utilize textual materials effectively.

The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of the patterns of science achievement for 154 ninth-grade girls and boys on multiple-choice and short-answer constructed-response items. The study was guided by a model, developed from an extensive review of the literature, incorporating the dimensions of generalised self-efficacy, item- specific self-efficacy and worry. These variables were operationalised through selected or specifically developed quantitative and/or qualitative research methods, and a series of equivalent multiple-choice and short-answer constructed-response achievement items was constructed for two different unit tests. The participants in the study rated their item-specific self-efficacies on 5-point Likert-type scales immediately before answering each of the achievement items, and they completed a series of worry items from Spielberger's Test Anxiety Inventory halfway through each test. Qualitative data were collected by surveying all the students and by interviewing selected students. The quasi-experimental analyses revealed the absence of any practically important gender-related differences in achievement for the multiple-choice and the constructed-response achievement items. However, the boys reported more item-specific self-efficacy and less worry than the girls for each of these item-response formats, and each of these gender-related differences was judged to be practically significant. The qualitative data provided additional evidence that the girls' self-perceptions of their efficacy for answering multiple-choice and short-answer constructed-response items was lower than that of the boys. It also provided support for the model underpinning the study. Overall, there was no evidence of any practically important interactions between gender and item-response formats, for either item-specific self-efficacy, worry or achievement, ++ / indicating that neither of the item-response formats used in the study, with this group of students, advantaged one sex over the other. Additionally, the findings from this study suggested that sufficient time should be allowed during testing so that all students can complete tests to the levels of their capabilities and that, during tests, the influence of students' self-efficacies is mediated through the quality of their engagement with test items.

This thesis reports the findings of a study of the influence of the classroom learning environment on students cognitive and affective outcomes among 2,498 third-year computing students in 50 university-level classes in Indonesia. Students perceptions of the classroom environment were measured using a modified Indonesian version of the What Is Happening In This Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire. To assess students affective outcomes, a scale derived from the Test of Science Related Attitudes was adapted for use in higher education computing classes and translated into Indonesian. Students' final scores in their mathematics course (either linear algebra or statistics) were used as a measure of cognitive achievement. Secondary aims of the present study were to examine whether differences exist between (a) students perceptions of the actual and preferred classroom learning environment, (b) the perceptions of male and female of the actual and preferred classroom environment and (c) students' perceptions of the actual learning environment in linear algebra and statistics courses. The results of this study make important contributions towards explaining why Indonesian students are achieving at less than desirable levels in their computing courses.

This thesis describes a research study that investigated the relationships between school level environment and student outcomes. The study involved 620 teachers and 4645 students from 57 Australian secondary schools in all states and territories. Student outcome measures included mathematics achievement, attitudes and beliefs toward mathematics and were collected as part of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. Teachers perceptions of their school environment were measured using the School Level Environment Questionnaire and included variables such as student support, affiliation, professional interest, mission consensus, empowerment, innovation, resource adequacy and work pressure. Previous research has shown that factors at the school level, like environment, influence education at the classroom level and to further investigate this, data regarding the instructional practices of teachers was included in the analysis. The unique methodology used to investigate influences on student mathematics achievement is also described in this thesis. A two-step approach to modelling consisted of the analysis of two conceptually distinct models. The first was an analysis of the measurement model, which specifies the relationships between the observed variables and the latent variables. The second involved a structural equation model, which specifies the relationships among the latent variables as posited by theory and previous research. In addition, a multilevel analysis was included to further partition the variance in student outcomes between the student level, the classroom level and the school level. The results of these analysis linked particular variables of interest to improved student outcomes. / For example, teachers who felt supported and empowered were more likely to employ student-centred instructional practices and that work pressure and resource adequacy influenced the instructional approaches in the classrooms. The success attribution of students determined which method of instruction promoted positive outcomes. Furthermore, these results indicate relationships between student outcomes, attitudes and achievement, and the relationships between attitude and achievement were recursive with influences from student background variables. The multilevel analysis demonstrated the importance of the influence of factors at the classroom level in influencing student outcomes and highlighted factors at the school level that explained differences in achievement. The significance of this study is in the provision of evidence that demonstrates the effects on student outcomes and not only supports, but significantly adds to previous research. This thesis provides practical implications for teaching and for school policy that can be implemented to promote positive student outcomes. The thesis also provides a rationale for further research that would involve an investigation of the effects of change as suggested from the results of these analysis reported from this study.