scholarly journals Inequality’s Association with Poor Educational Outcomes in U.S. States Relates to Interest in Academic Shortcuts

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Moshontz ◽  
Heidi A. Vuletich ◽  
Keith Payne ◽  
Elizabeth Marsh
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Income Inequality ◽  
Academic Outcomes ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
8Th Grade ◽  
Standardized Test Performance ◽  
Google Search

Regional income inequality is associated with poor academic outcomes. Using U.S. data (2005 - 2016), we explored whether inequality has psychological consequences that may harm student outcomes. Theoretically, income inequality causes excessive focus on immediate concerns, therefore we examined whether inequality is associated with increased interest in academic shortcuts, and whether interest in shortcuts explains the academic outcomes of 4th graders, 8th graders, and adults. We used state-level Google search frequencies to measure interest in academic shortcuts (e.g., “cliff notes”). Inequality was associated with 8th grade standardized test performance and adult high school degrees, but not 4th grade standardized test performance. Interest in academic shortcuts mediated the effect of inequality on 8th grade performance and high school degrees (with some caveats). Our analyses are consistent with theorized psychological consequences of inequality suggesting that it biases students’ focus on the present in ways that undermine their educational achievement and attainment.

Excused Versus Unexcused: How Student Absences in Elementary School Affect Academic Achievement

2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 392-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Gottfried
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Quantitative Model ◽  
Academic Risk ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Unexcused Absences ◽  
Reading And Math

The literature on school absences has focused predominantly on the reasons for student truancy, or it has assessed only aggregate student absences in their effect on achievement. However, this study brings forth a new issue: the relationship between types of absences—excused versus unexcused—and school performance. With a quantitative model of educational achievement on a longitudinal multilevel data set of all second-through fourth-grade students in the Philadelphia School District from 1994 to 2000, this study disaggregated absence information to provide new insight on the attendance–achievement relationship. Specifically, a model using fixed effects with classroom-level clustering was employed to determine how the distinction among varying proportions of excused versus unexcused absences related to students’ standardized test performance in reading and math. This article demonstrates that distinguishing between students with high rates of excused or unexcused absences is significant. Having a higher proportion of excused absences to total absences exhibits a positive relationship between reading and math test scores. Conversely, students with a higher proportion of unexcused absences places them at academic risk, particularly in math achievement and as early as in elementary school. Implications for policy are discussed.

scholarly journals INFLUENCE OF IRRELEVANT SPEECH ON STANDARDIZED TEST PERFORMANCE

2002 ◽  
Vol 2002 (1) ◽  
pp. i-46
Author(s):  
Donald E. Powers ◽  
Wendy Albertson ◽  
Thomas Florek ◽  
Kathy Johnson ◽  
John Malak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Irrelevant Speech ◽  
Standardized Test Performance

scholarly journals Converging Evidence that Higher Trait Working Memory Capacity aids Standardized Test Performance under Race Related Stereotype Threat

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
LaTasha R Holden ◽  
Kerri A. Goodwin ◽  
Andrew R. A. Conway
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Stereotype Threat ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Standardized Test Performance

Stereotype threat (ST) occurs when individuals primed with negative stereotypes underperform relative to a control group. The current work considers individual differences in ST effects on real world measures like standardized test performance (SDTP). Working Memory Capacity (WMC) is investigated as a mediator and/or moderator of ST for race/ethnicity. Findings revealed a lack of strong evidence for the effect of ST. However, we demonstrated that trait WMC moderates ST for race such that higher WMC is associated with higher scores on standardized tests under conditions of race related ST. For future work on ST, we consider replication issues as well as the importance of WMC for performance under ST including how WMC and SDTP have been shown to improve through implementing self-regulation and mindfulness.

scholarly journals Short mindset intervention effective in attitude change but no evidence of transfer to improved cognitive outcomes of working memory capacity and standardized test performance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
LaTasha R Holden ◽  
Bear Goldstein
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Academic Attitudes ◽  
Standardized Test Performance ◽  
Mindset Intervention

There has been extensive research conducted on mindset, involving both experimental and observational methods. However, the findings in the literature remain mixed. This should give educators and researchers pause from an intervention perspective —if we still do not have a good understanding of how mindset works, then more research is needed. To better understand how mindset interventions work, we looked at self-report measures as well as post-intervention behavior within and across individuals. We implemented a mindset intervention to improve cognitive performance measures relevant to academic performance—working memory capacity and standardized test performance in math. We also explored individual differences in academic attitudes (e.g., academic identification and sense of belonging in university) that might moderate students’ mindset and the effect of the mindset intervention on subsequent cognitive performance. We expected the malleable mindset intervention to significantly improve cognitive performance and to cause more positive academic attitudes and attitudinal change. The mindset intervention did change students’ beliefs about ability but also caused students to report higher grit (no condition difference), and to feel less belonging in terms of connection to their university—which was not in line with our hypotheses. We also found that the malleable mindset intervention had no significant effects on improving WMC or standardized test performance. We discuss the implications of these findings and make suggestions for future work in this area.

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