Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Student Outcome Prediction'

This study examined the adequacy of using Office Discipline Referral (ODR) data to predict student behaviour outcomes. Specifically, the study identified rates of ODRs and student trajectories in a middle school population and assessed whether end-of-year behaviour outcomes can reliably be predicted as early as the first few months of Grades 6, 7, and 8. Participants were 401,852 students from 593 public middle schools (serving Grades 6 to 8) in the United States whose ODR data had been entered in the School-wide Information System (SWIS, 2012) during the 2009-2010 school year. ODRs were categorized by final ODR cut points used in positive behaviour support systems (0-1, 2-5, and 6+ total ODRs per year). Descriptive analyses and multilevel multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed; Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses were used to assess diagnostic accuracy. Results showed relatively stable mean increases in ODRs throughout the school year for students in each final ODR category, though median growth trajectories revealed a comparatively large increase in ODRs received in November and February. Results also showed that ODRs received in September, October, and November were statistically significant predictors of final behaviour outcomes, and the inclusion of types of referrals (especially for defiance) significantly improved prediction of the final ODR category. These results are discussed with regards to previous and future research, limitations, and the utility of ODRs for intervention decision-making in middle schools.

School Psychology
Ph.D.
During the 2005-2006 school year, 967 students returned from incarceration and were assigned to RETI-WRAP (Re-Entry Transition Initiative-Welcome Return Assessment Process), a ten-day transition program operated by the School District of Philadelphia designed to review, evaluate, and make recommendations for appropriate school placement upon their return to the public school system. The current study employed a retrospective analysis of archival data from the ’05-’06 school year in order to identify those variables that predict successful transition (active in school or graduated). The data included demographic information (e.g., gender, grade, high school credits, and race), educational placement (e.g., regular or special education), severity of crime and reading and math scores as determined by standardized testing conducted by RETI-WRAP personnel. Eight variables were used to determine the prevalence, relationships, and predictive power of demographic, academic, and crime-related variables. Frequency distributions, Pearson correlations, Phi coefficients, and discriminant function analysis were conducted to examine prevalence, associations between variables, and predictions to successful re-entry. A significant Wilks’ Lamba of .945 was obtained for the sole discriminant function. Three variables emerged as significant predictors of successful re-entry: the number of credits obtained, the severity of the crime committed, and the age of the student. Younger students with more credits who committed less severe crimes were more likely to have achieved a successful transition. The amount of variance (5%) explained by the statistical model was limited by the imbalanced nature of the sample, in that few students (21.9%) experienced a successful transition. The current study highlighted the dynamics and overall profile of one of the most challenging and vulnerable populations in the public school system. By using database decision- making and providing a comprehensive framework to understand the characteristics of students who transition successfully, policy makers are in a better position to identify an optimal placement match based on empirical findings, thus decreasing the number of students who drop out of school or who remain involved with the juvenile justice system.
Temple University--Theses

An approach to enhancing the success of nursing students is found in understanding the learning process and in the academic and sociologic variables placing students at risk for failure and attrition. Utilizing Bloom's Mastery Model, nurse educators may reduce failure and attrition by enhancing alterable variables. This Ex Post Facto investigation utilized Bloom's learning theory to examine a causal relationship of learner entry characteristics, learner reading and writing skills and the impact on program exit grade point average. The study sample was comprised of 143 nursing students entering an upper division urban multicultural baccalaureate nursing program. Data were collected by use of a demographic questionnaire, assessment of reading and writing skills of junior students in the nursing program, and obtainment of the program exit grade point average. A recursive path analysis was utilized for data analysis. Findings revealed older male students who transferred to the program from a university with high entry grade point averages excelled in reading assessment scores. University transfer students with a high entry grade point average excelled in writing also. Students for who French, specifically Creole, was a first language had lower writing scores and program exit grade point averages. Spanish as a first language was also associated with lower exit grade point averages. Higher reading and writing scores and entry grade point averages were associated with higher program exit grade point averages. Finally entry grade point average and university transfer were the only entry characteristics mediated by both reading and writing scores.

This dissertation is comprised of two studies that both aimed to understand the population of young adults who dropped out of college. Life course theory and the theory of emerging adulthood were used to create the theoretical foundation for the studies. The first study explored how students who dropped out of college were faring during young adulthood on multiple measures of well-being (personal income, job satisfaction, subjective socioeconomic success, mastery, happiness, depression, and stress). Five latent classes emerged from the data, which demonstrated the heterogeneity within the sample (N = 1,530). The second study then utilized the same sample to examine how transitions into adulthood predicted well-being during young adulthood while controlling for family of origin resources and developmental assets. The transitions to adulthood included timing of marriage, parenthood, and whether or not the young adult was living independently of their parents or not. The hypotheses based on theory were partially supported, with some differences existing between men and women. The discussion reviews the implications for practice and policy.
Ph. D.

This study investigated the mental health of high school students enrolled in the International Baccalaureate (IB) High School Diploma Program (n =139) in a large, southeastern high school. Mental health was assessed using both positive indicators (life satisfaction, academic achievement, academic self-efficacy) and negative indicators (psychopathology) indicators of adolescent social-emotional and school functioning. Findings from this study include that IB students perceive more stress than their general education peers, yet maintain mental health that is equivalent or superior to that of their general education peers. The role of coping in predicting mental health outcomes in IB students was also investigated. Findings indicate that specific coping styles are differentially related to mental health outcomes in this sub-population of adolescents. Furthermore, coping styles moderate the influence of stress on global life satisfaction and internalizing psychopathology. These findings suggest that participation in the academically rigorous and time-intensive IB program is not harmful to the mental health of high school students, and in fact may be beneficial, as evidenced by the superior academic functioning of students in the IB program.

Identifying the factors associated with medical students who fail Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) has been a focus of investigation for many years. Some researchers believe lower scores on the Medical Colleges Admissions Test (MCAT) are the sole factor used to identify failure. Other researchers believe lower course outcomes during the first two years of medical training are better indicators of failure. Yet, there are medical students who fail Step 1 of the USMLE who enter medical school with high MCAT scores, and conversely medical students with lower academic credentials who are expected to have difficulty passing Step 1 but pass on the first attempt. Researchers have attempted to find the factors associated with Step 1 outcomes; however, there are two problems associated with their methods used. First is the small sample size due to the high national pass rate of Step 1. And second, research using multivariate regression models indicate correlates of Step 1 but does not predict individual student performance. This study used data mining methods to create models which predict medical students at risk of failing Step 1 of the USMLE. Predictor variables include those available to admissions committees at application time, and final grades in courses taken during the preclinical years of medical education. Models were trained, tested, and validated using a stepwise approach, adding predictor variables in the order of courses taken to identify the point during the medical education continuum which best predicts students who will fail Step 1. Oversampling techniques were employed to resolve the problem of small sample sizes. Results of this study suggest at risk medical students can be identified as early as the end of the first term during the first year. The approach used in this study can serve as a framework which if implemented at other U.S. allopathic medical schools can identify students in time for appropriate interventions to impact Step 1 outcomes

Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2006.
Thesis research directed by: Dept. of Counseling and Personnel Services. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

Accountability for student learning outcomes is of importance to parents and school and district administrators, especially since the passage of The No Child Left Behind Act in 2001. The requirement for high-stakes testing to measure progress has fostered interest in ways to monitor student preparedness during the school year. This study used 2014 and 2015 test data from of 154 students from one elementary school to measure the correlation between individually administered Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement Brief Reading and DIBELS Next reading assessments and outcomes on the high-stakes Utah SAGE test. This correlational study used Pearson correlation coefficients to determine redundancy across the tests, and used multiple regression to assess how well scores on the KTEA and DIBELS Next tests predict students' subsequent scores on the SAGE test. Results indicate that DIBELS Next was a strong predictor of SAGE outcomes while KTEA Brief results were moderate predictors.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2004.
Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 177-187). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Latino students are at risk for poor social and academic outcomes in American schools, yet contextual models for understanding this risk have been elusive. Considerable research has attempted to understand the relation between the ethnic composition of schools and outcomes for Latino students, with inconsistent findings. It was hypothesized that school ethnic composition would be differentially related to outcomes in this population of students, depending on other school contextual factors. Using secondary data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), the present study examined individual and school-level moderators of the slopes of same-ethnicity representation (i.e., the percentage of same-ethnicity peers) and ethnic diversity predicting feelings of school belonging and the odds of high school completion among Latino youths. The results illustrate moderation of the slopes of ethnic composition variable depending on the socioeconomic status (SES) of schools as well as the extent of academic tracking. In low SES schools, same-ethnicity representation was positively related to both outcomes (belonging and completion) when academic tracking was low. In high SES schools, the slope of same-ethnicity representation predicting the odds of high school completion was negative under conditions of low ethnic diversity. Diversity was itself positively associated with high school completion across contexts, yet this relation was moderated by SES at the student level. Specifically, the association between diversity and completion diminished as student SES decreased, relative to the mean SES of students in a school. Altogether, the results suggest that conditions associated with reduced inequality among students, namely low systemic strain (higher SES) and low academic tracking, are related to more positive associations between both same-ethnicity representation and diversity, and social and academic outcomes for Latino students. Future research is advised to consider the intersection of school ethnic composition with other aspects of the school context as well as with characteristics of individual students.

This study has investigated whether it is possible to classify time series data originating from a gamified learning management system. By using the school data provided by the gamification company Insert Coin AB, the aim was to distribute the teacher’s supervision more efficiently among students who are more likely to fail. Motivating this is the possibility that the student retention and completion rate can be increased. This was done by using Long short-term memory and convolutional neural networks and Markov chain to classify time series of event data. Since the classes are balanced the classification was evaluated using only the accuracy metric. The results for the neural networks show positive results but overfitting seems to occur strongly for the convolutional network and less so for the Long short-term memory network. The Markov chain show potential but further work is needed to mitigate the problem of a strong correlation between sequence length and likelihood.

Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) tools are used widely to assess students’ progress within different stages of the Response to Intervention (RTI) process. Despite the wide-spread use, little research has identified the efficacy of reading CBMs in predicting secondary student outcomes on high-stakes assessments. High-stakes assessments are being utilized to determine outcomes for not just students, but teachers, administrators, and districts. More research is needed to determine if reading CBMs are useful tools for the populations of struggling secondary readers. The current study was a secondary analysis of existing data, which attempted to gain an understanding of this through examining the predictive validity of CBMs and high-stakes pre-assessments on end-of-year outcomes. The population included struggling, seventh grade readers who had not demonstrated proficiency on previous state tests and who attended urban schools representing low socio-economic status and high ethnic diversity. Results identified previous year state tests and norm-referenced tests as significant predictors of end-of-year outcomes, both individually and in combination. Though the reading fluency CBMs accounted for some variance in the regression equation, the amount was negligible. Student ethnicity and group status (i.e., whether received intervention) were not significant predictors of end-of year outcomes. These results indicate that CBMs may not provide additional valuable information in the prediction of student outcomes for secondary struggling readers. This finding is important for educators to weigh with other concerns, such as ease of use and time constraints, as existing pre-assessments (i.e., state tests, norm-referenced screening tools) may provide enough information without the additional use of CBMs.

This dissertation examines factors that are associated with college outcomes (i.e., college GPA, persistence, and academic probation) for a migrant Latina/o college student population participating in the federally funded College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). The study also examines the impact of CAMP services on college outcomes and socio-cognitive perceptions (i.e., college academic self-efficacy, academic resilience, and school connectedness). Further, the study compared participant's level of involvement in the CAMP program across universities and qualitatively examined students' open-ended responses on how the CAMP program is useful and how it can be improved. Participants were 245 CAMP participants from four universities including: Northeastern University, Central State University, Pacific Northwest University, and Southwestern University. High school achievement and academic resilience were significant positive predictors of college GPA. Living on-campus was a negative predictor. Financial aid in the form of loans, having family responsibilities, and working full-time off campus were negative predictors of persistence, while involvement in CAMP's personal and academic counseling services was a positive predictor. Higher levels of academic self-efficacy, academic resilience, and CAMP's academic and financial assistance predicted being less likely to obtain academic probation status. Student's open ended responses revealed CAMP services helped students to: integrate socially into the university system, become more resilient when facing academic, personal, and cultural barriers, navigate the higher education landscape, and provided students with financial assistance. However, students also reported that the program could be improved. Implications for practice are discussed.

Many children around the world are educated in a second language, be they speakers of the majority language of the community in which they are educated or speakers of a minority language. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of second language immersion for typically-developing students and students who are disadvantaged in the academic environment of schooling due to low levels of academic ability, disadvantaged socio-economic background, or minority ethnic group status (for a review see Genesee, 2006). In contrast, although it is generally thought that the level and kind of first language (L1) ability that children acquire prior to coming to school, and especially in domains related to literacy, are important predictors of success in school, there is little research on individual differences in second language (L2) reading and oral language development of immersion students and, in particular, on students who might be at risk for reading or oral language difficulties (Genesee, 2006). We studied 86 English-dominant children in early French Immersion (FI) programs from Fall of Kindergarten (K) to Spring of Grade 1 and tested them at three time points: Fall K, Spring K, Spring Grade 1. Our sample included both typically-developing and at-risk children and our test battery included a broad range of oral language and literacy related predictor and control measures. Consistent with extensive L1 research (e.g., NICHD, 2000), the best K predictors of L2 decoding in Study 1 were knowledge of the alphabetic principle in English and phonological awareness in English. Contrary to what others have found (Jared, Cormier, Levy, & Wade-Woolley, 2006), knowledge of French at K entry was a third significant predictor. The same variables were significant predictors of French reading comprehension, with the added contribution of scores related to oral language skills in L1, suggesting that oral language abilities play an important role in reading comprehension. Furthermore, we were able to test a popular theory of reading, the Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986), and provided support for its intra- but not cross-linguistic applicability. Study 2 involved an investigation of both oral language and literacy outcomes of children who were either typically developing or at risk for difficulties in the area of oral language or literacy. This study provides three-pronged evidence for the distinctiveness of oral language impairment and reading impairment, namely that 1) performance on oral language predictor measures was largely independent of performance on literacy predictor measures, suggesting that each domain constitutes a distinct underlying construct; 2) the most significant predictors of oral language and of literacy difficulties were different -- that is, phonological awareness (PA), phonological recoding, and letter-sound knowledge in L1 in K were significant predictors of risk for reading difficulties in L2 while performance on L1 sentence repetition, PA, and tense marking tests in K were the best predictors of risk for L1 and L2 oral language difficulties; and 3) three distinct subgroups were found in our sample and included children with oral language difficulties, children with literacy difficulties, and children presenting with difficulties in both domains. English L1 measures taken at the earliest time point (Fall K) and at the end of that academic year (Spring K) both predicted Grade 1 outcomes to a significant extent, although the latter predictors were more accurate. Overall, our results suggest that risk for oral language and reading development are distinct; and it is possible to identify, early on, children who are likely to struggle in the domains of oral language or literacy, even if they are schooled in an L2. Our findings further suggest that it is possible to predict the specific domain that is likely to be difficult for them.
Des études ont démontré l'efficacité des programmes d'immersion dans une langue seconde, tant pour les élèves qui se développent normalement que pour ceux qui sont désavantagés au plan académique soit à cause d'un rendement académique faible, soit en raison de l'appartenance à un milieu socio-économique défavorisé ou encore à un groupe ethnique minoritaire (voir Genesee, 2006, pour un résumé). Par contre, bien qu'il y ait une tendance à croire que la nature de la première langue (L1) ainsi que le niveau de développement dans cette langue avant l'entrée à l'école soient un prédicteur important du rendement académique surtout dans le domaine de la littératie, il y a peu d'études au sujet des différences individuelles notées au plan de la littératie et du langage oral dans une deuxième langue (L2) chez les élèves en immersion et surtout chez les élèves qui sont à risque de présenter des difficultés au plan de la littératie ou du langage oral (Genesee, 2006). Quatre-vingt-six (86) élèves scolarisés dans un programme d'immersion française (IF) précoce et ayant l'anglais comme langue dominante ont été évalués à trois moments distincts, soit à l'automne de la maternelle, au printemps de la maternelle et au printemps de la première année. Notre échantillon comprenait des enfants qui se développaient normalement ainsi que des enfants à risque de présenter des difficultés au plan du langage écrit ou du langage oral. Notre batterie de tests était formée d'un grand éventail d'épreuves de langage oral et de langage écrit. En accord avec la vaste littérature existant déjà au sujet de L1 (e.g. NICHD, 2000), les résultats de notre première étude ont démontré que les meilleurs prédicteurs à la maternelle pour le décodage en L2 étaient la connaissance du principe alphabétique en anglais et la conscience phonologique en anglais. Contrairement à ce que d'autres chercheurs ont trouvé (Jared, Cormier, Levy, & Wade-Woolley, 2006), la connaissance du français lors de l'entrée à la maternelle est apparue comme un troisième prédicteur significatif. Les mêmes variables ont été des prédicteurs significatifs de la compréhension en lecture, avec la contribution additionnelle des scores reliés au langage oral en L1, ce qui suggérait que les habiletés de langage oral jouent un rôle important en ce qui a trait à la compréhension en lecture. De plus, nous avons pu évaluer une théorie populaire qui porte sur la lecture, la théorie 'Simple View of Reading' (Gough & Tunmer, 1986). Nos résultats indiquaient que cette théorie était applicable de façon intralinguistique, mais pas de façon interlinguistique. Dans une deuxième étude, nous avons examiné le développement du langage oral et de la littératie chez des élèves se développant normalement ou à risque de présenter des difficultés au plan du langage oral ou du langage écrit. Cette étude a mis en évidence le caractère distinct des déficits notés soit au plan du langage oral, soit au plan du langage écrit, et ce, à trois niveaux. Même si les épreuves ont été administrées à un moment où les élèves n'avaient pas encore reçu d'enseignement en langage écrit, leur performance en anglais, langue maternelle, au début de la maternelle ainsi que celle observée à la fin de la maternelle étaient toutes les deux un prédicteur significatif de leur performance en première année. Toutefois, la performance à la fin de la maternelle est apparue comme un prédicteur plus précis. Globalement, nos résultats suggèrent l'existence de profils de risque distincts pour les difficultés au plan du langage écrit et pour celles notées au plan du langage oral. Ces résultats indiquent également qu'il est possible d'identifier très tôt les enfants qui ont de fortes chances d'avoir des difficultés de langage oral ou de langage écrit, et ce, même s'ils sont scolarisés dans une L2. Finalement, nos résultats suggèrent qu'il est possible de prédire le domaine spécifique qui pourrait être une source de difficulté pour ces enfants.

Admissions processes for health professions programs result in students entering these programs academically homogeneous. Yet some students have great difficulty with the programs. Research has shown a limited ability of traditional academic indicators to predict successful outcomes for health professions education. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between learning motivation and academic outcomes for students in health professions programs. The Modified Archer Health Professions Motivation Scale (MAHPMS) and a demographic survey were administered at orientation to 131 medical and 29 physician assistant students at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in the fall of 2005. At the end of the semester, the same version of the MAHPMS was administered, and final course grades and semester averages were collected. Descriptive statistics were analyzed for all the study variables. Analysis of variance was utilized to examine within subjects and between subjects differences for the learning motivation scores among programs and demographic categories. Linear regression analyses were used to determine the relationship between learning motivation scores and end-of-semester grades. And finally, logistic regression was performed to explore the ability of the motivation scores to predict academically high-risk students. Approximately three-fourths of the students indicated a preference for mastery learning and an internal locus of control. For the PA students, alienation to learning and performance goal scores statistically related to semester grades, and alienation to learning scores predicted high-risk academic performance almost 90% of the time. For the medical students, mastery goal scores statistically related to semester grades, but no motivation score predicted high-risk performance. External locus of control scores predicted high-risk performance 81% of the time for the total group of students at the end of the semester. Students in this study exhibited learning motivation preferences similar to those of other health professions students reported in the literature. The findings of this study agreed with the literature on achievement motivation theory and raised questions regarding the effect of health professions curricula on student learning goals. Similar studies, measuring larger samples longitudinally need to be conducted in order to further validate or elucidate the results of this study.

Previous research indicates that joint storybook reading between caregivers (parents or teachers) and children can have positive effects on the oral language development of young children (Whitehurst et al., 1988; Dickinson & Smith, 1994). This study aimed to add to this body of research by providing information on the relationship between teachers’ language complexity and vocabulary strategies used during storybook reading and vocabulary outcomes for monolingual and dual language learners in linguistically diverse Head Start classrooms. Videotapes of 23 Head Start teachers were coded and analyzed for vocabulary instruction strategies and language complexity during storybook reading using hierarchical regression techniques to determine how these factors related to gains in student vocabulary over the course of a year. Students’ oral language was assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and the Learning Express vocabulary sub-test (LE). Teacher’s language complexity was calculated with respect to both quantity (mean length of utterance) and quality (type/token ratio and use of uncommon words). Teacher’s use of vocabulary strategies was examined with respect to the words chosen for instruction and the strategies used to instruct those words. Overall, teachers in this study tended to choose high utility words to instruct, but the strategies used to teach those words, and the number of words chosen for instruction, were often not optimally aligned with best practices in vocabulary instruction (Beck et al., 2002). For the PPVT outcome measure, teachers’ use of higher numbers of vocabulary instruction strategies per word was differentially related to students’ vocabulary outcomes based on the student’s prior vocabulary knowledge, such that the use of more vocabulary instruction strategies per word was negatively related to vocabulary outcomes for students who began the year with the smallest vocabularies. There was also a significant interaction between teachers’ use of uncommon words and students’ prior vocabulary knowledge, though this relationship was only statistically significant for the PPVT outcome. Teachers’ use of more complex language was differentially related to students’ outcomes. Students who began the year with the lowest vocabulary levels exhibited a positive relationship between the teacher’s use of uncommon words and vocabulary outcomes, while average or higher vocabulary students showed a negative relationship between increased exposure to these uncommon words and their vocabulary outcomes. The implications for teachers’ professional development are discussed.

The purpose of the present correlational, ex post facto study was to evaluate the predictive ability and academic achievement criterion outcomes of two district-developed interim mathematics assessment programs for a sample of 5,801 grade 6 students in a large urban school district. Average scores for both interim assessment types were statistically significantly more related to 2013 FCAT 2.0 scores (r = .75 and .72; p < .001) than all other predictors (i.e., student demographics, Florida school grade, and student course GPA) except for 2012 FCAT 2.0 scores (r = .78; p < .001). Further, the newer interim assessment program with an instructional purpose and curriculum-based sequencing had slightly stronger overall predictive power (rs = .88) and a higher criterion mean score (M = 218.08) than the older, state-test mirror interim assessment program (rs = .85; M = 215.47). Regression models by prior year FCAT 2.0 Achievement Level yielded some predictor ranking discrepancies by prior achievement level. Although not statistically significant at the .01 level, groups of students with a more moderate total number of interim assessments outperformed groups with all or nothing. Overall, the two types of interim assessment programs evaluated in the present study were good predictors of the state high-stakes test, 2012 Grade 6 Mathematics FCAT 2.0. However, more research must be done to identify with certainty whether or not the act of taking the interim tests and receiving feedback contributes to improved student learning.

Despite the billions of dollars spent in the last forty years, America's efforts toward closing the achievement gaps among diverse learners and their receptive counterparts have not been realized. Limitations noted in previous research discussed the need to examine the unique contributions of diverse learner variables as a way of determining their specific academic needs. The purpose of this study was to examine the intra- and inter-group growth trajectories of two diverse student groups (English Language Learners and Students with Specific Learning Disabilities) on reading achievement. The study employed a longitudinal, quasi-experimental research design utilizing archival data from 26,947 students' files to answer two research questions. The first research question examined growth relationships between 3rd grade English Language Learner student categories on reading achievement while holding gender and socio-economic variables constant. The second research question explored the extent to which the initial levels and slopes of 3rd grade students with specific learning disabilities differed across racial and ethnic groups. Growth curve analyses were employed to answer both research questions. Findings revealed significant intercept and slope relationships for the two groups on reading fluency measures. Significant differences were found between the reference group (i.e., Non-ELL females who were ineligible for free and or reduced lunch) and two of the ELL subgroups. The slope relationships were only significant for ELL students (ELL-LY) who were in the currently enrolled (i.e., receiving some type of ELL instructional support or service) category. Gender and socio-economic variables were significant suggesting a negative influence on initial reading levels. Reading fluency (DORF) achievement findings relative to students with disabilities and their race and ethnic subgroups revealed White students' initial DORF scores were significantly different from Hispanic and Black students' scores. Race and ethnic slope variables were insignificant and homogeneous in nature. A discussion about these findings and their implications for closing the achievement gap for diverse students is provided in the document.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship of participation and involvement in an undergraduate student success program to academic success and persistence among students in three programs sponsored by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB): the G-Force Collegiate Work-Study Mentorship Program, the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) for Higher Education (AHE) program, and the THECB work-study program. The sample was identified using data from the THECB during the 2009-2013 academic years. Compared to THECB work-study students, significantly more AHE and G-Force students persisted toward graduation while engaged in the program (p < .001). ANOVA indicated that AHE students had a higher average GPA compared to G-Force and THECB work-study students, controlled for gender, race/ethnicity, pre-program GPA, and length of time in the position. Regression analyses found no statistically significant relationship between program associations and persistence towards graduation or GPA. Results suggest that although participation in a peer leadership programs such as AHE and G-Force encourage greater academic achievement and persistence, there is no direct relation to the achievement of these outcome variables. Implications of the study suggest the need for a deeper analysis into elements of peer leadership programs that contribute to student success, an expanded analysis of outcomes across a wider range of demographic variables, and an exploration of peer leadership programs across campuses for comparison of persistence and GPA outcomes.

Psychological Capital (PsyCap) is a theory of human behaviour that refers to a suite of four positive psychological resources comprising hope, (self-) efficacy, resilience and optimism (HERO). PsyCap theory postulates that due to shared commonalities of the HERO constructs, omnibus PsyCap (i.e., combined HERO) more powerfully predicts a range of mental health, wellbeing and occupational outcomes than any individual component part. PsyCap theory and research developed within organisational psychology as a contextual construct associated with attitudes, behaviours and performance which has been evaluated extensively with employees within workplaces and adult learners within tertiary education settings. There is extensive empirical support for PsyCap across these settings and samples, with studies consistently demonstrating associations of PsyCap with several mental health symptoms (e.g., stress, anxiety, depression), subjective wellbeing (e.g., life satisfaction) and vocational outcomes (e.g., work/study engagement, performance). Furthermore, adult PsyCap interventions have demonstrated that PsyCap can be developed in adults and may be associated with buffering mental health symptoms in the face of adverse challenges, as well as increasing wellbeing. The preventative and promotive qualities of PsyCap on outcomes of mental health and wellbeing has drawn attention from researchers seeking to assess if these effects might apply to adolescents, a population with high prevalence rates of mental health concerns, particularly anxiety and depression. Certainly, replicability of PsyCap inquiry from places of work to places of tertiary study has provided a framework for this research to be extended to a school setting. Schools, where young people have close proximal and frequent access throughout childhood and adolescence, provide a unique and powerful entry point to reach children at risk of mental illness, or with symptoms of mental ill health, via school-based interventions that might result in improvements in student wellbeing, along with greater student engagement, attendance and success at school and throughout life. Despite this, PsyCap research in young people to date has been fragmented and sparse. Some studies, seeking to determine whether PsyCap might have a therapeutic impetus, have explored PsyCap with clinically depressed teenagers. Other studies, following PsyCap’s theoretical underpinnings have tested PsyCap in adolescent students in a school setting. However, a common problem in the current literature is the absence of a developmentally sensitive and contextually grounded conceptualisation of PsyCap in children and adolescents. This crucial shortfall arguably leads to issues with reliable and valid measurement of PsyCap, drawing study conclusions into question. The overarching aim of the current program of research was to examine HERO constructs through a developmental lens, to provide a developmentally sensitive conceptualisation of PsyCap from which a PsyCap measure could be derived, and assessment and intervention could be tailored for students. The first study of this PhD explored the associations between PsyCap and mental health and subjective wellbeing outcomes, and the predictive role of PsyCap on these outcomes, in a cross-sectional sample of students aged 9 to 14 years (n = 456). The findings indicated significant negative relationships between PsyCap and mental health symptoms and significant positive relationships between PsyCap and subjective wellbeing. Further, optimism was found to be the most influential predictor of all outcome measures, although the combination of all HERO constructs was a stronger predictor on outcomes than any individual HERO construct alone. The second study was a naturalistic longitudinal observation of the impact of time and gender on mental health symptoms and subjective wellbeing in a cohort of Year 10 students aged 14 to 17 years (n = 56), prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and 3 months later during the pandemic. The predictive utility of baseline PsyCap was also examined on follow-up mental health and subjective wellbeing outcomes at 3-months assessment. Findings from this study demonstrated that there were no significant changes in mental health symptoms from time 1 to time 2; however, subjective wellbeing significantly declined between the two timepoints. There were no gender differences in the degree of change across time; however, girls had significantly higher levels of mental health symptoms than boys at both time points. Of the HERO constructs, baseline efficacy was the strongest unique predictor of mental health symptoms at time 2, and baseline hope was the strongest unique predictor of subjective wellbeing at time 2, following the onset of the pandemic, with overall PsyCap being a stronger predictor of subjective wellbeing, though not anxiety and depression, than any of the individual HERO components, after controlling for time 1 effects. The third and final study aimed to test the preliminary effectiveness and acceptability of a PsyCap intervention on a cohort of Year 12 female students aged 17 to 18 years (n = 82) in an open trial. The brief (4 modules) school-based intervention was aimed at increasing HERO capabilities and reducing perfectionism. Secondary outcomes of mental health symptoms and subjective wellbeing were also assessed. The findings of this final study indicated significant increases in levels of efficacy, optimism, and omnibus PsyCap (combined HERO), and a significant decline in perfectionism, from pre-intervention to post-intervention. There were no significant changes in hope, resilience or secondary outcomes. Informed by a conceptually sound, theoretical PsyCap framework, the findings of this current research program demonstrate the concordant and predictive relationships of student PsyCap on outcomes of mental health and wellbeing, and the potential for PsyCap to be cultivated via a school-based intervention. Taken together these findings provide an empirical foundation upon which future research can be built.
Thesis (Professional Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology (PhD ClinPsych)
School of Applied Psychology
Griffith Health
Full Text

碩士
國立臺南大學
資訊教育研究所教學碩士班
90
This study is to investigate the prediction of the mapping outcome caused by the concept mapping process processed by computer-supported concept mapping system. This study employed decision tree technique to induce the decision path between mapping process and mapping outcome. Two hundred and twenty-one primary students attended this evaluation study. It was found that the decision tree might assist teacher to gain insight into the difference of higher grades or lower ones. According to the decision path and the internal node of decision tree, teachers could discern the properties of the concept mapping process from the mapping outcome of various students.

碩士
國立成功大學
行為醫學研究所
97
Background People who access the internet excessively may result in poor academic performance, work problem, family conflict, and most importantly may cause internet addiction. Studies have shown that the primary type of internet use was playing online games. Furthermore, previous studies have consistently shown that depressive symptoms could affect individuals’ addictive behavior. Additionally, positive outcome expectancy, from Bandura's social cognitive theory has also been used to explain addictive behaviors. However, no well-established and comprehensive model has integrated depression and positive outcome expectancy in explaining the risks for online game use and internet addiction among male and female college students. Through the application of the Structural Equation Model, this study was designed to examine the psychological mechanism of online game use and internet addiction. Three hypothesized models integrating depressive symptoms, positive outcome expectancy determinants of online game use and internet addiction were proposed and examined in this study: The direct model: depressive symptoms would directly affect the online game use and in turn cause internet addiction; positive outcome expectancy of online game use would affect the online game use time in causing internet addiction through online game use. The mediation model: depressive symptoms would indirectly affect the online game use and cause internet addiction via positive outcome expectance of online game use. The hybrid model: depressive symptoms would directly, and indirectly through positive outcome expectancy of online game use, affect the online game use and cause internet addiction. Gender differences may exist in the online game addiction models for college students. Thus, the present study separated participants into male and female groups in order to examine gender differences for the hypothesized internet addiction models. Methods A cross-sectional design was taken. Participants: A cluster random sampling by department was further applied to randomly choose subjects from each major. A sample of 2,955 participants was invited to participate in this study. Finally, 2,004 participants agreed and completed all the questionnaires without missing data, which composed of 1,133 females and 871 males, gaining a response rate of 67.90%. Measurements: Questionnaires used in the present study included demographic data, Ko’s Depression Inventory, Online game use, Positive outcome expectancy of online game use scale, and The Chen Internet Addiction Scale. Procedure: Data were collected in 2006 from 14 colleges in southern Taiwan. Before group administration, the purpose and details of the study and confidentiality were fully explained and students’ informed consents were obtained. Statistical analysis: we examined the relationship among the variables through the Structural Equation Model (SEM) which was carried out by the AMOS program (Amos 7.0). Results The results showed that the hybrid model among female and male college students had a good model-fit evaluation. The primary findings is as follows:（1）College students who had more depressive symptoms had more online game usage.（2）With more online game usage, college students had a higher tendency of Internet addiction.（3）With higher positive outcome expectancy of online game, college students had more online game usage.（4）The results showed that depressive symptoms had both direct, and indirect effects via the positive outcome expectancy of online game use, on the online game use, in males and females, explaining 34% and 25%, respectively of the variance in predicting internet addiction. Conclusion and Implication Our results not only supported the self-medication model of online game use and internet addiction, but confirmed the mediated role of positive outcome expectancy between affect and online game use and internet addiction among female and male college students. We suggest preventive programs for online game addition should focus on the education of coping with depression and stress, alternative ways to meet individual needs for achievement and maintain adequate time management skills for online game usage.

Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) have been described in a range of educational contexts. Although various learning objectives, termed anticipated learning outcomes (ALOs) in this project, have been proposed, processes for identifying them may not be rigorous or well-documented, which can lead to inappropriate assessment and speculation about what students actually learn from CUREs. Additionally, evaluation of CUREs has primarily relied on student and instructor perception data rather than more reliable measures of learning.This dissertation investigated a novel biochemistry laboratory curriculum for a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) known as the Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab (BASIL). Students participating in this CURE use a combination of computational and biochemical wet-lab techniques to elucidate the function of proteins of known structure but unknown function. The goal of the project was to evaluate the efficacy of the BASIL CURE curriculum for developing students’ research abilities across implementations. Towards achieving this goal, we addressed the following four research questions (RQs): RQ1) How can ALOs be rigorously identified for the BASIL CURE; RQ2) How can the identified ALOs be used to develop a matrix that characterizes the BASIL CURE; RQ3) What are students’ perceptions of their knowledge, confidence and competence regarding their abilities to perform the top-rated ALOs for this CURE; RQ4) What are appropriate assessments for student achievement of the identified ALOs and what is the nature of student learning, and related difficulties, developed by students during the BASIL CURE? To address these RQs, this project focused on the development and use of qualitative and quantitative methods guided by constructivism and situated cognition theoretical frameworks. Data was collected using a range of instruments including, content analysis, Qualtrics surveys, open-ended questions and interviews, in order to identify ALOs and to determine student learning for the BASIL CURE. Analysis of the qualitative data was through inductive coding guided by the concept-reasoning-mode (CRM) model and the assessment triangle, while analysis of quantitative data was done by using standard statistical techniques (e.g. conducting a parried t-test and effect size). The results led to the development of a novel method for identifying ALOs, namely a process for identifying course-based undergraduate research abilities (PICURA; RQ1; Irby, Pelaez, & Anderson 2018b). Application of PICURA to the BASIL CURE resulted in the identification and rating by instructors of a wide range of ALOs, termed course-based undergraduate research abilities (CURAs), which were formulated into a matrix (RQs 2; Irby, Pelaez, & Anderson, 2018a,). The matrix was, in turn, used to characterize the BASIL CURE and to inform the design of student assessments aimed at evaluating student development of the identified CURAs (RQs 4; Irby, Pelaez, & Anderson, 2018a). Preliminary findings from implementation of the open-ended assessments in a small case study of students, revealed a range of student competencies for selected top-rated CURAs as well as evidence for student difficulties (RQ4). In this way we were able to confirm that students are developing some of the ALOs as actual learning outcomes which we term VLOs or verified learning outcomes. In addition, a participant perception indicator (PPI) survey was used to gauge students’ perceptions of their gains in knowledge, experience, and confidence during the BASIL CURE and, therefore, to inform which CURAs should be specifically targeted for assessment in specific BASIL implementations (RQ3;). These results indicate that, across implementations of the CURE, students perceived significant gains with large effect sizes in their knowledge, experience, and confidence for items on the PPI survey (RQ3;). In our view, the results of this dissertation will make important contributions to the CURE literature, as well as to the biochemistry education and assessment literature in general. More specifically, it will significantly improve understanding of the nature of student learning from CUREs and how to identify ALOs and design assessments that reveal what students actually learn from such CUREs - an area where there has been a dearth of available knowledge in the past. The outcomes of this dissertation could also help instructors and administrators identify and align assessments with the actual features of a CURE (or courses in general), use the identified CURAs to ensure the material fits departmental or university needs, and evaluate the benefits of students participating in these innovative curricula. Future research will focus on expanding the development and validation of assessments so that practitioners can better evaluate the efficacy of their CUREs for developing the research competencies of their undergraduate students and continue to render improvements to their curricula.