A retrospective study was conducted to investigate the relationship between achievement in specific nursing courses and subsequent performance on the NCLEX-RN of students identified as at-risk. A sample of 236 graduates from a baccalaureate degree nursing program in a large midwestern university were divided into two groups, students at-risk and students not-at-risk. Answers to six research questions were sought. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance and two-tailed t tests at the .05 level of significance were utilized to test the data.Findings indicated that: (1) There was a significant difference in the performance in the first two major nursing courses between not-at-risk students and at-risk students with not-at-risk students scoring higher. (2) There was no significant difference between the grades received by at-risk students with transfer credit and at-risk students without transfer credit in the first two major nursing courses. (3) There was a significant difference in the performance in the first two major nursing courses with not-at-risk students with transfer credit achieving higher grades than not-at-risk students without transfer credit. (4) There was a significant difference in the NCLEX-RN scores between the two groups, with not-at-risk students scoring higher than at-risk students. (5) There was no significant difference in the scores on the NCLEX-RN between the two groups, at-risk students without transfer credit and at-risk students with transfer credit. (6) Not-at-risk students with transfer credit scored significantly higher on the NCLEX-RN than not-at-risk students without transfer credit. / Department of Educational Leadership

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among locality of school, type of school, gender of student, school GPA (GPA), aptitude (MEANAPT), Cambridge English Language (CAMENG), Cambridge class (CAMCLASS), and Cambridge aggregate (CAMAGGR). A second purpose of this research was to determine the relationship among GPA, MEANAPT, CAMENG, CAMCLASS, CAMAGGR, university registration status (STATUS), and average university grade (UNIMEAN) after 2 years at the University of Swaziland (UNISWA). The study was divided into two parts. In the first part, locality of school, type of school, and gender of student were the independent variables; GPA, MEANAPT, CAMENG, CAMCLASS, and CAMAGGR were the dependent variables. In the second part, performance at UNISWA, as measured by either STATUS or UNIMEAN, was the dependent variable; CAMENG, CAMCLASS, CAMAGGR, GPA, and MEANAPT were the independent variables.Answers to questions on Part 1 of the study were determined by computing means, standard deviations, and F-tests for differences between means for GPA, MEANAPT, CAMENG, CAMCLASS, and CAMAGGR for each of the general questions. Data were analyzed using Pearson r and multiple regression to answer Part 2 questions.The results of this study indicate that students enrolled in rural and government schools were outperformed by those attending urban and government-aided schools on all the measures. Although males outperformed females on the local Swaziland measures, school GPA and aptitude, there were no significant differences between males and females when the Cambridge examination scores were considered. The Cambridge examination appears to be neither efficient nor economical when used to identify the successful African student once he or she has been admitted to a local university. The same is true for the measures designed and currently used by local Swaziland educators. Swaziland officials may have to look elsewhere for predictors of university performance. / Department of Educational Psychology

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the relationship between a kindergarten screening battery (KSB) and two criterion variables (academic achievement and educational placement) varied as a function of race. The subjects were 702 elementary school students, approximately 176 per grade, in kindergarten, first, third, and fourth grade. Approximately 45 students per grade were American Indian, with the remainder Caucasian.Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between the KSB, race, and its interaction with each criterion variable. The predictor variables were the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R), the Kindergarten Language Screening Test (KLST), the Developmental Visual-Motor Integration Test (VMI), the Draw-A-Child (DAC), race, and the four race x KSB test vectors. Criterion variables were the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) total battery, and educational placement (special education vs. regular education status).The KSB predictor variables were entered into the multiple regression equations as a block. Race was then entered as a coded group vector, followed by the four race x KSB test interaction vectors. The increment in R2 due uniquely to the interaction was nonsignificant (slopes were homogeneous) in all analyses. Both the effects of race and the KSB were significant for all grades with achievement as the criterion (p < .01).Bias in predicting educational placement was tested using all subjects combined. Both the interaction and race effects were nonsignificant. The main effect of the KSB was significant (p < .01). An improvement over chance analysis showed that the KSB increased predictive accuracy of the at-risk determination over chance.The weighted composites which best predicted achievement consisted primarily of the language instrument, the PPVT-R, and race. The two psychomotor tests (the DAC and VMI) contributed useful information at the two earlier grades. The composite which best predicted educational placement was made up primarily of the expressive language measure, the KLST.Results of the study supported continued use of the KSB. However, race should be used as a variable when predicting achievement from the KSB, so as not to overpredict American Indian achievement or underpredict Caucasian achievement. Results also indicated the potential utility of early language enrichment for improving achievement of high risk children. / Department of Educational Psychology

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

A study was conducted among a sample of Korean American students to investigate the potential moderation of the risks related to English proficiency by the protection of school belonging. Perceived scholastic competence, self-reported school grades, and academic expectancies were used for dependent variables. It was hypothesized that students with higher sense of belonging would be less affected by English proficiency than their peers with lower sense of belonging. The risk of English proficiency was confirmed. However, school belonging did not have as much of an effect as expected and students with higher English proficiency seemed to gain more benefit from increased school belonging. This finding reminds educators of the pressing importance of English proficiency, and future research is suggested to investigate the unique effects of belonging among students of Korean, and perhaps other Asian, backgrounds.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Feb. 28, 2008). Directed by Susan D. Calkins; submitted to the Dept. of Psychology. Includes bibliographical references (p. 36-42).

Thesis (Ph. D. in Special Education)--Vanderbilt University, Dec. 2007. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2007. / Title from title screen (site viewed Nov. 9, 2007). PDF text: ca. 220 p. UMI publication number: AAT 3263485. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of North Texas, May, 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--School of Education. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2006. / "A dissertation in urban leadership and policy studies in education and education." Advisor: Carolyn J. Thompson. Typescript. Vita. Title from "catalog record" of the print edition Description based on contents viewed Oct. 31, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 210-219). Online version of the print edition.