scholarly journals Social Networks and Educational Attainment among Adolescents Experiencing Pregnancy

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 237802311880380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Humberstone

Pregnant adolescents are a population at risk for dropout and have been found to complete fewer years of education than peers. Pregnant girls’ social experience in school may be a factor in their likelihood to persist, as social integration is thought to buffer dropout risk. Pregnant teens have been found to have fewer friends than their peers, but the academic ramifications of these social differences have yet to be studied. In this study the author examines whether friendship networks are associated with the relationship between adolescent pregnancy and educational attainment. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and multilevel models, the author specifically explores associations between high school graduation and reported friendships, friendship reciprocation, and network centrality. Having more friends and greater centrality in one’s school prior to pregnancy are associated with reduced risk for high school dropout compared with more socially isolated pregnant teens.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 985
Author(s):  
Shenghua Lu ◽  
Fabian Herold ◽  
Yanjie Zhang ◽  
Yuruo Lei ◽  
Arthur F. Kramer ◽  
...  

Objective: There is growing evidence that in adults, higher levels of handgrip strength (HGS) are linked to better cognitive performance. However, the relationship between HGS and cognitive performance has not been sufficiently investigated in special cohorts, such as individuals with hypertension who have an intrinsically higher risk of cognitive decline. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between HGS and cognitive performance in adults with hypertension using data from the Global Ageing and Adult Health Survey (SAGE). Methods: A total of 4486 Chinese adults with hypertension from the SAGE were included in this study. Absolute handgrip strength (aHGS in kilograms) was measured using a handheld electronic dynamometer, and cognitive performance was assessed in the domains of short-term memory, delayed memory, and language ability. Multiple linear regression models were fitted to examine the association between relative handgrip strength (rHGS; aHGS divided by body mass index) and measures of cognitive performance. Results: Overall, higher levels of rHGS were associated with higher scores in short-term memory (β = 0.20) and language (β = 0.63) compared with the lowest tertiles of rHGS. In male participants, higher HGS was associated with higher scores in short-term memory (β = 0.31), language (β = 0.64), and delayed memory (β = 0.22). There were no associations between rHGS and cognitive performance measures in females. Conclusion: We observed that a higher level of rHGS was associated with better cognitive performance among hypertensive male individuals. Further studies are needed to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms, including sex-specific differences driving the relationship between measures of HGS and cognitive performance in individuals with hypertension.


2020 ◽  
pp. 001312452093145
Author(s):  
Lawrence Jackson ◽  
Jesse Ford ◽  
Chélynn Randolph ◽  
Cydney Schleiden ◽  
DeAnna Harris-McKoy ◽  
...  

The association between students’ academic identity and their academic outcomes has been well-established. The importance of a positive school climate has also been widely documented. However, Black males experience factors that uniquely and collectively comprise their school climate. As such, the purpose of this study was to test the extent to which school climate mediated the relationships between math academic identity and math outcomes of Black males. Bootstrapping mediation analyses were conducted in a sample of students in the 11th grade ( n = 1,106) using data from the High School Longitudinal Study. Results indicated that students’ math identity was positively associated with math scores. Moreover, partial mediation was established, demonstrating that school climate partially explained the relationship between math identity and student outcomes. Implications of these findings for school administrators, teachers, and counselors are discussed.


2009 ◽  
Vol 111 (9) ◽  
pp. 2101-2126
Author(s):  
Xin Ma

Background/Context There has been little research on the relationship between mathematics and science coursework in secondary school. Purpose of Study The present analysis explored the patterns of science course-taking in relation to the patterns of mathematics course-taking among high school graduates. Research Design Using data from the 2000 High School Transcript Study (N = 20,368), secondary analysis was performed in the form of multilevel models with students nested within schools to document a strong relationship between mathematics and science course-work patterns. Findings/Results Results highlighted that (1) taking more courses in advanced mathematics was related to taking more courses in advanced science (this relationship remained strong even after adjustment for student-level and school-level variables); (2) the more courses that students took in advanced mathematics, the more likely it was that student and school characteristics would join in to select students into taking more courses in advanced science; (3) many high school graduates complied with graduation requirements by taking limited non-advanced mathematics and science coursework during high school; and (4) mathematics coursework was necessary but insufficient to promote advanced science coursework. Conclusions/Recommendations State governments are encouraged to prescribe not only the number but also the content of mathematics and science courses required for high school graduation. School personnel such as career counselors are encouraged to help promote better coursework of students in mathematics and science.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Annah Vimbai Bengesai ◽  
Nompumelelo Nzimande

Over the past few years, family structures have been dramatically transformed, yet limited research from South Africa has assessed the effect on children’s developmental outcomes. Using data from the National Income Dynamics Study, we aim to contribute to the literature by examining the relationship between family structure disruption and high school completion in South Africa. Our sample consisted of 1649 young people who were aged 12, 13 and 14 in 2008 and their educational attainment was tracked through to 2017. The results from the logistic regression analysis demonstrate that family structure disruption is negatively associated with high school completion. After controlling for variation in household income change, the child’s educational factors and socio-demographic controls, young people who experienced a change from a co-resident family or were in stable non-resident parent family structures were up to 50% less likely to complete high school relative to those from undisrupted co-resident parent family structures. Given that family structure disruption is a widespread phenomenon in South Africa, research should consider it as a key determinant of educational attainment and policymakers should come up with holistic interventions to support families as well as allocate public resources in ways that can help reduce educational inequalities.


2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee SmithBattle

Because the success of teen mothers is enhanced by completing high school, school districts should give high priority to supporting teen mothers to remain in school and to graduate. This article reviews the literature on the educational attainment of these students, their school aspirations, and the policies affecting their education. Although teens often begin mothering with a range of educational and social disadvantages, many teen mothers recommit to school to enhance their future opportunities. Unfortunately, rising school aspirations among teen mothers often are undermined by competing demands and the lack of consistent family and school support. School nurses can support teen mothers’ aspirations and contribute to their long-term success by linking them to resources and advocating for policies and practices that promote high school graduation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (10) ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Mathew C. Uretsky

Background/Context There is an expansive body of research concerning high school graduation; however, most studies omit students who persist through four years of high school without earning a diploma. In addition, there is scant research exploring longer term outcomes among students whose academic trajectories do not fit within the traditional four-year model of high school graduation, including eventual graduation, postsecondary enrollment, or engagement in the workforce. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study The current study addresses the substantive gaps in research regarding high school noncompletion by examining the college and workforce outcomes of persisters—defined here as students who do not formally withdraw from high school, nor earn a regular diploma, four years after entering high school as a first-time ninth grader. Research Design The present study accessed five years of linked, longitudinal, student-level administrative data from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System. Multilevel models assessed the relationship between student- and school-level factors with the odds of students earning a high school diploma four years after beginning their freshman year. Independent variables included student-level demographic and academic indicators and school-level concentrations of student characteristics. Conclusions/Recommendations This study offers a first look into the academic and employment trajectories of an understudied and high-risk group of young adults. The multilevel examination of student- and school-level factors indicated that on-time graduation for four-year persisters should be understood as a function of students within their academic environment. Overall, persisters had less favorable college and workforce outcomes when compared with students who earned a high school diploma, suggesting the need for interventions that promote college and workforce readiness across the population of persisters. The findings presented herein suggest that the phenomenon of persisting should be considered, along with dropout, as a critical element of a more informed analysis of high school graduation. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S591-S591
Author(s):  
Grace A Noppert

Abstract There is compelling evidence to suggest that educational disparities in health differ by both race and gender. This study examines the relationship between respondents’ education and six health outcomes related to cardiometabolic and inflammatory outcomes using data from Wave IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (ages 24-32 years; N = 13,458). We used logistic regression models to examine the relationship between education and the odds of each health outcome. Models were stratified by race and gender. We found that the association between education and each health outcome differed by race/ethnicity and gender. While among whites we observed an association between education and each health outcome, for blacks we observed no such associations. It may be that the benefits of education are particularly salient for those in more structurally advantaged positions, pointing to the continued need to address structural inequalities by both gender and race.


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 980-998
Author(s):  
Cheryl L. Johnson ◽  
Pamela Wilcox ◽  
Samuel Peterson

Using data on middle-school adolescents from the Rural Substance Abuse and Violence Project (RSVP), the authors examined the extent to which psychological difficulties are related to student weapon carrying and use, net of other criminological variables. Furthermore, the authors examined whether psychological difficulties had variable effects across school contexts. Initial logistic regression models showed that variables tapping psychological difficulties (fear of crime, family history of mental illness, and low self-control) were significantly related to student weapon carrying and use. Once other criminological and demographic controls were added, only low self-control remained significant. Multilevel models incorporating random slope coefficients and cross-level interactions showed that the relationship between low self-control and student weapon carrying/use was attenuated in schools with higher levels of school efficacy and school security. Similarly, the relationship between fear of crime and weapon carrying depended on the level of school security, with the effect weakened as school security increased.


Author(s):  
Irene Mosca ◽  
Vincent O’Sullivan ◽  
Robert E Wright

Abstract The relationship between maternal employment and the educational attainment of children is examined using data from the third wave of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing. Because maternal employment is potentially endogenous with respect to child educational attainment, instrumental variable estimation is used. In this analysis, two sets of instruments are used based on whether the mother’s employment was affected by the Marriage Bar that was in place at that time in Ireland. A Marriage Bar is the requirement that women in certain jobs must leave that job when they marry. It is found that the probability that a child completes university is 1–3 percentage points lower for each additional year of maternal employment during the first 18 years of the child’s life.


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