scholarly journals A study of academic achievement in mathematics after the transition from primary to secondary education

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Ryan ◽  
Olivia Fitzmaurice ◽  
John O’Donoghue
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Secondary Education ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
First Year ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Academic Transition ◽  
Achievement In Mathematics

Abstract A successful transition from primary to secondary school is central to student confidence and the sustainment of student interest and passion for learning. The literature indicates that difficult transitions can result in decreased levels of motivation, negative attitudes towards school, decreased levels of confidence and disengagement particularly in relation to mathematics. This study investigated student performance in mathematics after the transition from primary to secondary education in Ireland. It comes in the aftermath of major educational reform in mathematics in Ireland at both primary and secondary level and is the first Irish study to examine the effect of the transition on mathematical achievement. Academic achievement in mathematics was measured using a standardised test at the end of the final year of primary school and the end of first year of secondary education. Progress in mathematics was measured over the transition by comparing these two test results for 249 students. On average, students’ raw scores decreased by 7% from sixth class (final year of primary school) to the end of first year of secondary education despite an additional year of instruction and extensive overlap of both syllabi. The results showed statistically significant losses in each strand area and in each process skill. This academic transition is not unique to Ireland and the findings from this research study will be of interest to the mathematics education community internationally since it extends the evidence base for studies in school transition.

scholarly journals Gender Disparities in Self-concept, Attitude and Perception in Physics and Chemistry

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inzahuli Samuel Majere Majere ◽  
Elizabeth Role ◽  
Lazarus Ndiku Makewa
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Secondary Education ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Gender Disparities ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Inferential Statistics ◽  
School Students ◽  
Single Sex ◽  
Primary School Pupils

This study sought to determine disparities and associated factors in students’ performance in Physics and Chemistry at the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) ex- amination in Nandi North District. The research objectives included determining differences in students’ performance at KCSE in Physics and Chemistry, self-concept (perception) of, attitude toward, and perception of the usefulness of Physics and Chemistry as subjects. Students were classified accord- ing to gender, using a causal-comparative design. Majority of the students aged between 15 and 19 years. Three ques- tionnaires were administered to the form four students, and KCSE results for the years 2000 – 2004 were obtained from the District Education Office. These were analyzed using de- scriptive and inferential statistics. We concluded that boys reflected better academic achievement as compared to the girls in both physics and chemistry. The boys and girls had comparable self-concept in physics. The girls had a higher self-concept in chemistry than the boys. This may suggest that self-concept does not influence performance in chemistry since boys still out-performed the girls in spite of the girls’ higher self-concept. With regard to attitude towards chemistry and physics, the boys and girls had the same attitude, mixed and single-sex school students had comparable attitude to- wards physics and chemistry. An intervention regarding the level of preparedness of primary school pupils in dealing with the challenges of learning Physics and Chemistry at sec- ondary is recommended.

scholarly journals Development of Participation in and Identification With School: Associations With Truancy

2020 ◽  
pp. 027243162091915
Author(s):  
Tuomo E. Virtanen ◽  
Eija Räikkönen ◽  
Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen ◽  
Sami Määttä ◽  
Kati Vasalampi
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Secondary Education ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Educational Transitions ◽  
Lower Secondary School ◽  
School Activities ◽  
Upper Secondary Education ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Identification With School

This longitudinal study covering two educational transitions examined 1,821 Finnish students’ participation in and identification with school and their associations with students’ academic achievement and truancy. The students were surveyed (a) at the end of primary school, (b) at the beginning of lower secondary school, (c) at the end of lower secondary school, and (d) in the first year of upper secondary education. In alignment with the participation-identification model, higher levels of participation in school activities at the end of primary school predicted higher levels of identification (i.e., feelings of belonging and valuing school) at the end of lower secondary school. This association was mediated by academic achievement. High levels of both participation and identification at the end of lower secondary school predicted lower levels of truancy in upper secondary education. The study indicates that promoting students’ participation and identification during comprehensive school prevents student disengagement from upper secondary education.

Impact of Merit-based Financial Aidon Student achievement

2014 ◽  
pp. 112-126
Author(s):  
O. Poldin ◽  
M. Yudkevich
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Financial Aid ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
First Year ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Average Distribution ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Academic Year ◽  
Russian Universities

Some Russian universities provide tuition fee discount to their students conditioned on their academic achievement. The paper examines the impact of this type of financial aid on student performance. The amount of this discounts for the first academic year depends on the admission test results, and its extension for the second year depends on the student’s academic achievement in the first year. Using regression discontinuity design and quantile regression, we show that financial aid stimulates the performance of those fee-paying students, who are in the upper part of the grade-point-average distribution.

scholarly journals Relationship between student guidance and academic achievement

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Lukkarinen ◽  
Paula Koivukangas
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
First Year ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Subsequent Performance ◽  
Major Subject ◽  
Student Guidance ◽  
Extensive Information ◽  
Using Data

We assess how different types of guidance offered to first-year students are related to the students’ subsequent academic performance. Using data from a student survey conducted at a Finnish business university, as well as the university’s student database, we build regression models to predict student performance. We find that guidance on choosing a major subject and guidance on study methods are significant predictors of subsequent performance. More tactical types of guidance are not statistically significant, and can be rather considered as enablers. The quantitative findings are supported by verbal feedback collected from students. We conclude that guidance offered to students at the start of their university careers can bear fruit still several years afterwards. The findings have implications for university educators and staff responsible for the orientation of first-year students. Educators and staff can seek to enhance academic achievement by ensuring that students are equipped with sufficient methods and skills necessary for their university studies and by providing students with extensive information on possible study paths beyond the first year.

scholarly journals Relationships between teacher practices in secondary education and first-year students’ adjustment and academic achievement

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-27
Author(s):  
Petrie Van der Zanden ◽  
Eddie Denessen ◽  
Anthonius H. N. Cillessen ◽  
Paulien C. Meijer
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Secondary Education ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Autonomy Support ◽  
Teacher Practices ◽  
Emotional Adjustment ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Social And Emotional

To ease the transition to university, preparation in secondary school is often seen as a first step. This study investigated longitudinal relationships between teacher practices in secondary education (i.e., emotional support, autonomy support, and student-centred teacher practices) and first-year students’ academic achievement and social and emotional adjustment at university. We focused on students’ perceptions of their teachers’ practices to, on the one hand, take individual differences into account and, on the other hand, to investigate differences in teacher practices between schools. In a three-wave longitudinal study, 235 students were followed from their final year of secondary school to the end of the first year at university. The results indicated that teacher practices related to students’ social and emotional adjustment across the transition to university, but not to their academic achievement. Specifically, we found that perceived teachers’ emotional support was related to students’ social adjustment at university whereas autonomy support was associated with emotional adjustment. Differences in teacher practices between schools were quite small. This study indicated that teachers in secondary education might play a pivotal role in preparing students for university. This role goes beyond preparing students for academic achievement, as teachers may have a long-term impact on first-year students’ social and emotional adjustment.

The Application of American Models to the Experiences and Outcomes of Canadian and International Students Studying in Canada

2005 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Paul Grayson
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
International Students ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
First Year ◽  
Program Satisfaction ◽  
Canadian Universities ◽  
General Utility ◽  
American Students ◽  
The Us

In order to test the general utility of models developed in the US for explaining university outcomes of Canadian and international students, a three year study is currently underway at four Canadian universities. As a first step in this research, a pilot study with two objectives was conducted at York University in Toronto. The first objective is to compare the experiences and outcomes of domestic and international students in their first year of study. The second objective is to test the applicability of a parsimonious general model of student outcomes derived from examinations of American students to Canadian and international students studying in Canada. The specific outcomes examined are academic achievement, credit completion, and program satisfaction in the first year of study.

Do primary school libraries affect teenagers’ attitudes towards leisure reading?

IFLA Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 034003522098335
Author(s):  
Pamela McKirdy
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Family Background ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
First Year ◽  
Noisy Environments ◽  
Primary School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Leisure Reading ◽  
Reading For Pleasure

This study explores how New Zealand primary school students’ experiences of school libraries affected their attitudes towards reading for pleasure once they entered secondary school. Two hundred and seventy-six students in their first year at high school completed a survey asking about their primary school libraries. The students were asked to self-identify as keen readers, occasional readers or non-readers. The results were analysed in a spreadsheet, considering variables such as attitude to reading, former school and family background. The students were mainly positive about their libraries, but were bothered by cramped and noisy environments and books they perceived as babyish. Students from schools with a librarian were more positive about reading for fun than those from schools where the library was not prioritised. Students from a family background where reading was encouraged were more likely to maintain a positive attitude to reading by the time they reached high school.

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