Introduction/Purpose
A major concern for teachers and policy makers is the lack of student engagement in schools (Lee, 2014). When students are disengaged, they are more likely to struggle academically, drop out of school and have behavior issues (Lee, 2014). However, enhancing student engagement could prevent these poor outcomes. The purpose of this study is “to examine the effect of student engagement on academic performance using U.S data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000” (Lee, 2014, p.177).
For the purposes of this study, student engagement includes behavioral and emotional components. Behavioral engagement is defined as effort and perseverance, and refers to behaviors at school such as positive conduct,
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The data used from the PISA 2000 included student performance and information regarding students’ social, economic, cultural and educational factors related to student performance. The sample included 3,268 students from 121 schools. The students were in the 9th and 10th grade, and were mostly females. Although the students were diverse in ethnic background, 62.7% were European American and 91.03% spoke English at home.
Reading literacy was measured for academic performance. Reading literacy includes: “processing skills, knowledge and understanding, and the context of application” (Lee, 2014, p.179). Behavioral engagement was measured through the following four items on a self-report: working hard, working despite difficulty, trying one’s best to acquire knowledge and skills, and putting forth one’s best effort. Emotional engagement was measured by students’ responses to questions about “the degree to which they agree that school is place where they feel that they belong, where they make friends easily, and where other students seem to like them, where they feel awkward and out of place, feel like an outsider, of feel lonely” (Lee, 2014, p. 179). The hypothesis of this study was tested using a multilevel analysis. Student responses on the self-report about behavior and emotional engagement were compared and analyzed to their reading performance (Lee,
With such high numbers of adolescents falling below basic in reading, illiteracy is a battle that must be fought head on. The largest dilemma with the struggle is the number of variations that cause adolescents to become reluctant, unmotivated or struggling readers. Fortunately, a large number of strategies exist to encourage and strengthen readers of all ages, proving that adolescence is not a time to give up on faltering students. Rather, it is a time to evaluate and intervene in an effort to turn a reluctant reader into an avid one (or near enough). Ultimately, educators must learn to properly assess a student’s strengths and weaknesses (Curtis, 2009) and pair them with the proper intervention techniques. If one method does not work, countless others exist to take its place.
Classroom/school performance positively influences future job performance by introducing the individual to engagement in the workplace, completion of work duties, attendance and punctuality to work, and teamwork in the workplace. These are important aspects in life that should be positively managed to keep a positive job performance. Positive work performance should begin in school and should be learned over time.
In conclusion, the Academic Achievement has been fueled by society's presets, minority students' lack of effort, and the failures of the schooling system in America. There has been some challenging setbacks, but the Gap can be fixed to create a common ground for all prospective members of America's society to excel on equally. By realizing that change can be achieved, there are little to no limits for minority students to create a better mindset towards education. Students, parents, and teachers have to be willing to work together, as well as tackle obstacles upheld by society, and the economic deficiencies that effect schools across America. This will, in turn, take America one step closer to closing the Academic Achievement Gap in America.
The achievement gap is defined as the disparity between the performance groups of students, especially groups defined by gender, race/ethnicity, ability and socio-economic status. The achievement gap can be observed through a variety of measures including standardized test scores, grade point averages, drop out rates, college enrollment and completion rates. The Black-White achievement gap is a critical issue in modern society’s education system. Although data surrounding the issue clearly indicates that the racial performance gap exists in areas of standardized tests, graduation rates, dropout rates, and enrollment in continuing education, the causative reasons for the gap are ambiguous—therefore presenting a significant challenge in regard to the most effective way to close the gap. The gap appears before children enter kindergarten and it persists into adulthood (Jencks 1998). Since 1970, the gap has decreased about 40 percent, but has steadily grown since. Theories suggest the Black-White achievement gap is created by a multitude of social, cultural, and economic factors as well as educational opportunities and/or learning experiences. Factors such as biased testing, discrimination by teachers, test anxiety among black students, disparities between blacks and whites in income or family structure, and genetic and cultural differences between blacks and whites have all been evaluated as explanations for the Black-White achievement gap (Farkas 2004). The research that follows will elaborate on these factors as they affect the decline in academic performance of black males—particularly the literacy achievement of black males.
“Motivation is a complex part of human psychology and behavior that influences how individuals choose to invest their time, how much energy they exert in any given task, how they think and feel about the task, and how long they persist at the task” (Urdan & Schoenfelder, 2006). The biggest question educators face in today’s classroom is what motivates a student to do something and why? Virtually all students are motivated in one way or another. Research of student motivation suggests a theory that emphasizes a social-cognitive perspective. The cognition of students regarding academic work are influenced by social factors, such as messages from the teacher about the difficulty of the task, the perceived abilities of classmates, and the information about the importance of learning the material (Urdan & Schoenfelder, 2006). In this paper the focus will primarily be on those elements within the classroom that influence student motivation and engagement.
Shoup, Rick. Kinzie, Julian. “Unmasking the Effects of Student Engagement on First-Year College Grades and Persistence.” Journal of Higher Education. Sep/Oct2008, Vol. 79 Issue 5, p540-563. Web. 29 April 2014.
This report examines the role of education in enabling American students with the skills, aptitudes, and dispositions required in order to be effective and competitive ...
Social influence/peer groups were one of the dominant themes in my observations, survey, and literature. Social influence looks at how individual thoughts, actions and feelings are influenced by social groups (Aronson, 2010).The desire to be accepted and liked by others can lead to dangerous behavior. College life can be an overwhelming experience for first time college students and or transfer students as they struggle to manage class time and social activities in an attempt to fit-in in the new environment that they may not be used to. Students can experience too much anxiety and drop out of college or fall behind classes. Working at the Cambell Student Union information Center, I observed a great deal of students falling into this trap of social influence and peer pressure. A female student tripped as she was going up the stairs to Spot Coffee but did not fall. What appears to be a group of guys who are not popular (guys who are not very well known), were seating where popular students normally seat. The group of guys started laughing at the girl and stopped. One guy kept laughing, but it was obvious he was forcing the laughter as to purposely attract attention. He started making jokes about the girl and carrying on the laughter so he would appear to be funny. Another example, which portrays peer influence, involves parties over the weekend. Multiple students stated they were falling behind in classes on the grounds of their friends wanted to go out the night before and they did not want to seem/appear “lame” so they tagged along. The influence of a group is intensified by the person’s desire to be an accepted member of the peer group. To achieve this desire he tries to conform in everyday to the patterns approved by the grou...
The data set used for this assignment was the grades.sav data file. The variables used were gender, GPA, total, and final. GPA and final were used in the histogram scales, along with skewness, kurtosis values, and scatter plot. This assignment included a sample size of (N) 105.
While I believe every child is a reader, I do not believe every child will be enthralled with reading all the time. All students have the capability to read and enjoy reading, but just like any other hobby, interest will vary from student to student. The students in my classroom will be encouraged in their reading, be provided with choice, taught how books can take you into another world but, my students will not be forced to read. This paper will illustrate my philosophy of reading through the theories I relate to, the way I want to implement reading and writing curriculum, and the methods I will use motivate my students to read and help them become literate.
Wilson, G. (2011, March 1). Parental Engagement- Oxford School Improvement. Retrieved March 20, 2012, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqxYooapk6k
Finally, it is a general opinion among many that academic performance is a manner of will and determination of an individual rather than their socioeconomic status. For instance, in schools of higher learning, there are a lot of students from richer backgrounds who do not perform well as compared to those perceived to be from poor backgrounds (Sacerdote, 2002). Research has shown that while socioeconomic status may influence the availability or access to learning materials, it is the student’s personal determination to excel that determines the kind of lifestyle they
The purpose of this literature review is to examine the relation between students’ socioeconomic status and their academic achievement. To be more specific, the goals are to determine (a) what defines low income; (b) review identified student characteristics (e.g. parental involvement, ethnicity, and school location) that have an effect on student achievement; and (c) what current research is saying about the best practices are for addressing the needs of low income students within the school setting. This literature review is not intended to provide a comprehensive review of the available literature, but to serve as a starting point for future directions for research and policy.
Suggate, S. (2009). School entry age and reading achievement in the 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). International Journal of Educational Research, 48(3), pp. 151-161.
O’brien, Eileen, and Mary Rollefson. “Extracurricular Participation and Student Engagement.” Extracurricular Participation and Student Engagement.U.S. Department of Education, June 1995. Web. 06 Feb. 2014.