eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Philosophy for Children (P4C) is an approach to teaching in which students participate in group dialogues focused on philosophical issues. Dialogues are prompted by a stimulus (for example, a story or a video) and are based around a concept such as ‘truth,’ ‘fairness’ or ‘bullying.’ The aim of P4C is to help children become more willing and able to ask questions, construct arguments, and engage in reasoned discussion. The primary goal of this evaluation was to assess whether a year of P4C instruction for pupils in Years 4 and 5 would lead to higher academic attainment in terms of maths, reading, and writing. The project also assessed whether P4C instruction had an impact on Cognitive Abilities Test results. The evaluation ran from January to December 2013. Teachers… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The study described in this report examined whether the use of “daily report cards” (“DRCs”) in elementary school classrooms improved behavior and academic achievement among students diagnosed with combined inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)/conduct disorder. Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in grades 1-6 were recruited for the study and tested for ADHD to determine eligibility. Following an intake process that determined diagnosis and eligibility, a total of 63 students, each with a unique teacher, were randomly assigned either to the intervention condition (n = 33) or to the comparison condition (n = 30). The study assessed the effectiveness of “DRCs” by comparing behavioral and academic outcomes for the intervention and comparison groups at the conclusion of… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: “I CAN Learn”[R] is a computer software system that provides math instruction through a series of interactive lessons. These lessons are delivered with a one-to-one student-to-computer ratio. Students determine the pace of each lesson and must demonstrate mastery of the lesson before progressing to the next one. Teachers provide individualized instruction to students on the basis of their performance on the lessons. The available “I CAN Learn”[R] curricula include fifth- to sixth-grade math, pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry. These curricula are aligned to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards and can be customized to meet state- or district-specific standards. Studies included in this What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) review assess the effectiveness of the pre-algebra and algebra components of “I CAN Learn”[R]. One study (Barrow, Markman, &… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: More than half of community college courses are taught by part-time faculty. Drawing on data from six community colleges, this study estimates the effects of part-time faculty versus full-time faculty on students’ current and subsequent course outcomes in developmental and gateway courses, using course fixed effects and propensity score matching to minimize bias arising from student self-sorting across and within courses. We find that part-time faculty have negative effects on student subsequent enrollments. These negative effects are driven by results in math courses. We also find that course schedules could explain substantial proportions of the estimated negative effects, while faculty individual characteristics could not. Survey results on faculty professional experiences suggest that part-time faculty had less institutional knowledge regarding both academic and nonacademic services. We infer that… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The results of the SAT 9 tests administered to Guam students in grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, and 11 have consistently indicated below average academic performance in the subjects of reading, math and language arts over the past decade of testing. To ensure that students attain the necessary skills and knowledge in reading, math, and language arts, the Student Focus Committee has constructed a district action plan designed to address problems by focusing on measurable objectives to raise student performance. These objectives, discussed in detail in the plan, are grouped into the following categories: (1) standards and assessment; (2) personnel quality and accountability; (3) federal, state, and local programs; (4) home-school connection; (5) Education Indicator System; and (6) system-wide needs/changes. Appended are the following: (1)… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Early behavioral self-regulation is an important predictor of the skills children need to be successful in school. However, little is known about the mechanism(s) through which self-regulation affects academic achievement. The current study investigates the possibility that two aspects of children’s social func- tioning, social skills and problem behaviors, mediate the relationship between preschool self-regulation and literacy and math achievement. Additionally, we investigated whether the meditational processes differed for boys and girls. We expected that better self-regulation would help children to interact well with others (social skills) and minimize impulsive or aggressive (problem) behaviors. Positive interac- tions with others and few problem behaviors were expected to relate to gains in achievement as learning takes place within a social context. Preschool-aged children (n = 118) were tested with… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: A multi-State, quasi-experimental study was conducted as a longitudinal, two-year follow-up of participation in an online, on-demand professional development (PD) program. The purpose was to ascertain whether student gains were sustained in a second year of PD participation. Data verified gains in Year 1 versus Pre-PD baseline, with continued gains in Year 2 atop those achieved in year 1 of PD participation, reflecting a positive trend and continued advantage over non-PD schools in the same districts. Results showed that student in PD schools gained 7.7% (p<0.01) more in Math in year 2 atop 18.9% (p<0.001) gains from year 1, versus gains of 0.5% (ns) and 4.2% (p<0.01) for non-PD schools in the same districts. Similarly, students in the PD schools gained 10.2% (p<0.01) more in Reading in… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Previous research shows inconsistent relationships between parent involvement and academic achievement and often asks why such inconsistencies occur. The research proposes a theoretical model that separates parent involvement into those practices linking parents to children and those practices linking parents to other adults in the school environment. The researcher hypothesizes that parent-child (i.e. discussion and monitoring) and parent-school (i.e. educational support strategies and Parent Teacher Organization involvement) practices will differentially affect student attitudes (educational expectations), behaviors (absenteeism, homework, truancy), and achievement (math and science). Using a national survey conducted in the United States of schools and students, the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88), The research estimates a series of hierarchical models to test the direct and indirect effects of parent involvement on student attitudinal, behavioral and academic… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The “Hallé SHINE on Manchester” (HSoM) programme is a Saturday school educational programme designed to increase the reading and maths attainment, as well as engagement with school, of underachieving and disadvantaged pupils at Key Stage 2. Developed in collaboration between the SHINE Trust and Hallé Orchestra, the intervention provides additional school-based literacy and numeracy lessons, based on musical themes, as well as visits to Hallé rehearsals, performances and other theme-based activities. Twenty-five Saturday sessions, each lasting five hours, were planned for the intervention over the course of an academic year, delivered by qualified teachers, teaching assistants, peer mentors, and professional musicians. The evaluation consisted of two randomised controlled trials (RCTs)–a pilot trial and a main trial–and a process evaluation conducted with primary schools in the Manchester area… Continue Reading →
eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Autonomous Learning Behavior (ALB) as mediators between internal and external influences and performance on high level cognitive tasks was proposed as a possible explanation for gender-related differences in mathematics. This study developed a measure of ALB by drawing on teachers’ working knowledge and the literature on problem-solving, including self-regulatory and metacognitive strategies. The Math Assessment Project Questionnaire was used to assess students’ awareness of their behaviors in a mathematics class and a non-routine word problem solving was used to measure the ALB. Students’ confidence and achievement were also collected as data. No gender differences were found on the math achievement measures, the ALB questionnaire, or the confidence measure on two-tailed t-tests. However, the inclusion of the interaction term between gender and confidence showed a significant rise in… Continue Reading →