The present study examined the relationship between anxiety and academic achievement in a sample of clinic-referred children. Specifically, the study investigated whether anxiety contributed to the prediction of academic achievement above and beyond the influence of IQ. Furthermore, the study explored whether anxiety moderated the already established relationship between IQ and academic achievement. In the present study, the WISC-III Verbal IQ, the RCMAS factors of physiological anxiety (i.e., emotionality) and worry/oversensitivity, and the WIAT total and composite achievement scores were examined to investigate these relationships. Results indicate that anxiety failed, for the most part, to moderate these relationships. / Master of Science

For decades, researchers have sought greater understanding of the educational achievement gap between Blacks and Whites in the U.S. Past studies have concentrated heavily on K-12 attainment, and more recently on that of minority paths to higher education as well as obstacles to academic achievement. Often unnoticed are the interactions between social forces and the individual level psycho-social and cultural factors that may place a significant role; the stigmatization and resultant marginalization of Black students by negative stereotypes that classify them as intellectually inferior. This study explores African American and Black African highs school students' perceptions of negative stereotypes placed upon them through the conceptual frameworks of critical race theory (CRT) and the multidimensional model of racial identity (MMRI). Examining differences by immigrant status, this study seeks to uncover the intersection between the socially constructed images assigned to stigmatized groups differently influenced by negative stereotypes of Blacks and the subsequent influence on the students' perceptions and expectations of higher education. The narratives of this study illustrate the complexity of and interplay between external forces, minority youth social identities and pathways to academic attainment. This study finds that African American and Black African youth have multiple social identities that are not always reflective of the most accessible one of race. This study finds that salient social identities, personal or vicarious experiences of discrimination and being negatively stereotyped shape Black youths' individual aspirations and strategies for achievement. The present study calls into question the claim that Black youth process and respond to negative stereotypes of Blacks in a predictable manner and that these students respond to them independently of other social forces such as their families and communities in which they reside.

In this research, the author has undertaken to investigate what relationship, if any, exists between academic achievement of the child in the upper-elementary grades and his achievement in both or either, of the two- and three-dimensional arts.

Although it is widely assumed that listening is among the most important learning skills (Wolvin & Coakley, 1988), an examination of the literature indicates that it has been woefully neglected as subject matter in schools. Listening has also been neglected as an area of research. Surveys have been conducted to see if listening is being taught or can effectively be taught, but little evidence exists to suggest that effectively teaching listening improves students' academic performance. This study investigated the relationship between listening skills instruction and academic performance among university students. The purpose was to determine if teaching university students comprehensive listening skills improves their academic performance. It was assumed that listening can be effectively taught. The goal of the study was to compare 75 students who were enrolled in a listening course to a similar group of 75 students not enrolled in a listening course. The students were compared on the basis of grade point improvement the semester after the experimental group had completed the listening course. The t test was chosen because it can be used for testing the significance of the difference between the means of two independent samples. The grade point averages of the two groups were collected and the means and standard deviations of the two groups were determined. The t-value and the probability of rejection of the null hypothesis were also determined. The data showed little difference between the mean scores of the two groups or between the standard deviations of the two groups. The observed t-value did not support the hypothesis; therefore, there was insufficient evidence to reject the null, and the conclusion was that listening skills instruction has no impact on university students' academic performance.

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Psychologists have studied the relationship between personality and academic performance for over a century, and more recently the relationship between personality and situations, but no connection between academic performance and situation characteristics has been researched. The current study examines this relationship using the DIAMONDS dimensions and undergraduate GPA. Participants wore a life logging camera to capture pictures of their surroundings for 24 hours and then self-sorted and rated the photos into meaningful situations. Results found support for previous findings of the relationships for personality with GPA and situations. Significant correlations were found between GPA and Adversity, Deception, and Mating situations, though none were significant unique predictors. There was also no correlation between GPA and percentage of situations which took place in a classroom setting, though there was a significant correlation with time spent in a classroom. Limitations and future research ideas are discussed. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Teachers at an urban high school in the Southeast have failed to see an increase in classroom achievement or standardized test scores despite efforts to increase passing rates. If achievement rates do not increase, school restructuring will occur. While the site has implemented programs to reduce academic failure, data exists that external barriers may be affecting student achievement. Guided by Bandura's (1986) theory of metacognitive beliefs and self-efficacy as the conceptual framework, this qualitative case study explored teachers' perceptions about the root causes of poor student achievement. This study examines how to identify those causes to help students improve academically, while providing teacher recommendations to reducing the effects of those causes in order to improve student success. Five teachers were selected from the math and science content areas to participate in 1-on-1 interviews to identify external barriers to student success. Thematic coding and member checks allowed for data triangulation to analyze the findings. Seven themes emerged to increase student success by helping close the achievement gap through fostering support between teachers and the families of all students involved: socioeconomic status, ability of goal setting, having encouragement and motivation, seeing another environment, lacking parental support, building relationships with parents, and stress of taking state tests. Developing resources that will help students to overcome issues outside of the school day that leads to increased student academic achievement and graduation rates creates social change.

Low math achievement among elementary school students is a concern because students who lack a strong early foundation in mathematics may experience difficulty learning in future mathematics classes. Students in 2 rural southeastern school districts demonstrated low math achievement in 5th grade and their scores declined from 3rd to 5th grade. In this quantitative study, teacher-related factors that research has shown to predict student achievement were examined using Bandura's theory of self-efficacy and Ball and McDiarmid's emerging theory of subject matter content knowledge. The research question asked whether the teacher factors, years of teaching experience, hours of professional development in math pedagogy, college math courses completed, math teacher preparation courses, and teaching efficacy, predicted student math achievement in the 2 districts. Data were collected from 29 3rd grade teachers and 32 5th grade teachers and analyzed using binary logistic regression. The findings showed that the combination of predictors did not significantly predict math achievement of 5th grade students. However, teachers who had 1 to 9 years of teaching experience were more likely to have students with higher math achievement than those with more than 20 years of experience (OR = 4.96; p = .048). The inconclusive results indicate that additional factors that might influence students' math achievement have to be explored and additional professional development has to be offered, especially for teachers who have been teaching for 2 decades as they might have learned curriculum and pedagogy different from current practice. Positive social change will occur when all elementary teachers are able to facilitate students' learning of mathematics and the students successfully master math concepts.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1984. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 68-74). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 111-117). Also available in print.