Perception of public school students about animal welfare and the occurrence of the topic in education books

In current time, it is evident the necessity of animal welfare education policies. Animal welfare is defined as the state of an individual attempting to adjust to the environment and education material can encourage dialogue inside schools. We aimed to verify the presence or absence of animal welfare related content in school books and survey the perceptions of the students about the subject, associating with the socioeconomic profile of the school district and with the overall school performance in the SARESP test. This study was performed between July and November, with seven of the twenty-two public schools in the city of Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. Seven books were collected for analysis from each school, totalizing 49 books, and 430 students answered a survey with 10 questions. The statistical analysis did not show relevant difference between biological gender, age, grade and socioeconomic profile and animal welfare knowledge perception. This study concluded that in most of the analyzed books, animal welfare topics are absent, and that there is no difference between the schools’ socioeconomic profile and animal welfare knowledge perception of the students.

Reasons for low academic achievement among public school students from the point of view of mathematics teachers in the city of Aqaba: أسباب تدني التحصيل الدراسي لدى طلبة المدارس الحكوميّة من وجهة نظر معلمي الرياضيات في مدينة العقبة

The study aimed to identify the reasons for the low academic achievement of public school students from the point of view of mathematics teachers in the city of Aqaba. For data analysis, arithmetic means, standard deviations, t-test for independent samples, one-way analysis of variance, and (LSD) test were used. This is significant in terms of the arithmetic average, which amounted to (3.66), as it was found that the most important reasons for low achievement are the lack of incentives for the creative student, in addition to the fact that parents’ preoccupation with their children does not encourage education, and the weak financial return for the teacher, as well as the lack of incentives for the creative teacher, and based on the The results of the study The researcher made several recommendations, the most important of which were: the necessity for mathematics teachers to use incentives for students in basic schools in order to increase their academic achievement, and the need for mathematics teachers to follow appropriate methods in the education process in order to increase their academic achievement. The level of academic achievement.‏

Exploring the Relationship between Interest in Higher Education and 12th Grade Mathematics NAEP Scores

This study presented a secondary analysis of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) dataset. The paper examined if a gap exists between the mathematics scores of 12th-grade public school students who have different levels of interest in higher education. - This study used a quantitative descriptive research design to analyze data from the 2013, 2015, and 2019 NAEP data sets. The findings include (1) the average mathematics scale score of students who complete college entrance exams, ACT/SAT, is higher than those who do not complete these exams. (2) The average mathematics scale score of students who complete the FAFSA is higher than those who do not complete the FAFSA. (3) Students who applied to four-year colleges performed significantly higher on the 12th-grade mathematics NAEP than those who did not. (4) Students who applied to two-year colleges performed significantly lower on the 12th-grade mathematics NAEP than those who did not. (5) Students who perceived a future benefit to mathematics scored higher on the mathematics NAEP. These findings indicate that students who are interested in higher education, particularly four-year education, do have higher 12th NAEP mathematics scores. These findings may provide insight into college preparation and guidance at the high school level.

School Sanitation-Related Psychosocial Stressors among Nigerian Students

Psychosocial stressors are indicative of challenges associated with the social and environmental conditions an individual is subjected to. In a bid to clearly understand the present gaps in school sanitation, this cross-sectional study aimed to identify the sanitation-related psychosocial stressors experienced by students in a Nigerian peri-urban community and their associated impacts. A three-stage sampling technique was used to select 400 students from 10 schools. The students to toilet ratio were 1,521:0 and 1,510:0 for the public-school boys and girls, respectively, and 74:1 and 70:1 for the private-school boys and girls, respectively. Furthermore, public-school students had a significantly higher average stress level (P < 0.001, η2p = 0.071) and a significantly higher proportion of students experiencing school absenteeism (P < 0.001; odds ratio [OR] = 4.8; 95% confidence interval [C.I] = 2.7–8.2), missed classes (P < 0.001; OR = 5.8; CI = 2.8–12.0), long urine/fecal retention time (P < 0.001; OR = 2.9; CI = 1.8–4.7), open defecation practice (P < 0.001; OR = 4.2; CI = 2.5–7.1), and open defecation-related anxiety (P < 0.001; OR = 3.6; CI = 2.0–6.5). Moreover, the inability to practice menstrual hygiene management was significantly associated with student-reported monthly school absence among girls (P < 0.001; OR = 4.5; CI = 2.2–9.4). Overall, over 50% of the respondents had reportedly been subjected to at least 14 of the 17 stressors outlined. The most prevalent stressors identified were concerns about disease contraction, toilet cleanliness, toilet phobia, privacy, and assault/injury during open defecation/urination. In conclusion, results show that the absence of functional sanitation facilities purportedly has a grievous effect on the mental, physical, social, and academic well-being of the students. This was clearly seen among public-school students. Subsequent sanitation interventions need to be targeted at ameliorating identified stressors.

Achievement Growth in K-8 Catholic Schools Using NWEA Data

Using a national sample of kindergarten to eighth grade students from Catholic and public schools who took MAP Growth assessments, we examine achievement growth over time between sectors. Our findings suggest that while Catholic school students score higher in math and reading than public school students on average, they also enter each school year at a higher level. Public school students close this gap to some degree during the school year. Additionally, these patterns varied by age and subject. Catholic school students in the earlier grades show less growth in both reading and math during the academic year compared to their public school peers, but in middle school growth patterns in math were comparable across sectors.

SENNA Inventory for the Assessment of Social and Emotional Skills in Public School Students in Brazil: Measuring Both Identity and Self-Efficacy

Responding to the need for school-based, broadly applicable, low-cost, and brief assessments of socio-emotional skills, we describe the conceptual background and empirical development of the SENNA inventory and provide new psychometric information on its internal structure. Data were obtained through a computerized survey from 50,000 Brazilian students enrolled in public school grades 6 to 12, spread across the entire State of São Paulo. The SENNA inventory was designed to assess 18 particular skills (e.g., empathy, responsibility, tolerance of frustration, and social initiative), each operationalized by nine items that represent three types of items: three positively keyed trait-identity items, three negatively keyed identity items, and three (always positively keyed) self-efficacy items, totaling a set of 162 items. Results show that the 18 skill constructs empirically defined a higher-order structure that we interpret as the social-emotional Big Five, labeled as Engaging with Others, Amity, Self-Management, Emotional Regulation, and Open-Mindedness. The same five factors emerged whether we assessed the 18 skills with items representing (a) a trait-identity approach that emphasizes lived skills (what do I typically do?) or (b) a self-efficacy approach that emphasizes capability (how well can I do that?). Given that its target youth group is as young as 11 years old (grade 6), a population particularly prone to the response bias of acquiescence, SENNA is also equipped to correct for individual differences in acquiescence, which are shown to systematically bias results when not corrected.

What's Law Got to Do With It? Dignity and Menstruation

When I think about all that is wrong in the world—the threat to democracy in the United States, the persistent systemic and individually-inflicted racism, the devastation wrought by COVID-19—I find myself asking, “Why do I care so much about menstrual laws and policies?” The answer, I have realized, is quite simple: the failure of the government and private institutions to adopt sane, respectful, smart policies concerning menstruation is an affront to dignity. Myriad policies intruding on a menstruator’s right to dignity are described throughout this Symposium and include: failing to include menstrual products in emergency- preparedness or response packages; not supplying public school students with free access to quality products; denying free and ready access to such products to people who are incarcerated or detained through our country’s immigration policies; imposing state and use taxes on such products as though they are “non-essential” goods; and not permitting menstruators to bring their own products into the bar exam.

Examining the Nature of Item Bias on Students’ Performance in National Examinations Council (NECO) Mathematics Senior School Certificate Dichotomously Scored Items in Nigeria

This study examined the nature of item bias on students’ performance in 2017 National Examinations Council (NECO) mathematics senior school certificate dichotomously scored items in Nigeria. The study adopted an ex-post-facto research design. A sample of 256,039 candidates was randomly selected from the population of 1,034,629 students who took the test. Instrument for data collection was 'Student Results' (SR). Data collected were analysed using the R language environment and an independent t-test. Results showed that the 2017 NECO Mathematics test was essentially unidimensional (-0.28 (<.20), ASSI = -0.31 (< 0.25) and RATIO = -0.31 (< 0.36). Results also showed that the nature of bias statistically encountered was a mean difference in scores bias, indicating that 86% (52 items), 79.1% (34 items), and 96% (56 items) were biased against male students, urban and public-school students, respectively. It was concluded that item bias is a notable factor that affected the validity of the NECO 2017 Mathematics test and conclusions drawn from the scores in Nigeria. Hence, it was recommended that before tests are administered for public use, examination bodies should make a careful review of tests through dimensionality assessment at the developmental stage to eliminate any perspectives that could cause test inequity among examinees.

Did attending P.A.R.T.Y. change youth perceptions? Results from 148 Queensland schools participating in the Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth Program, 2018–2019

BackgroundPrevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth (P.A.R.T.Y.) is an immersive 1 day in-hospital injury awareness and prevention programme designed to educate high-school students on the consequences of a variety of risk-taking behaviours. This multisite contemporary analysis examined differences in programme effect and temporal changes on participant knowledge and attitudes.MethodsMetropolitan and rural schools were invited to attend the programme at one of the 11 hospital sites throughout Queensland, Australia. Pre–post study design with participant questionnaires provided at three time periods: immediately preprogramme and postprogramme, and 4 months later. The questionnaire used scenarios to determine a participant’s opinion on the safety of drugs/alcohol, driving and risk-taking activities, using Likert scales.ResultsA total of 5999 students participated in the programme between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2019. Responses to all questions related to safety, harm or risk followed a similar pattern. The immediate postcourse responses demonstrated significant increased awareness of risk or change in action, followed by a decay at 4 months to within 10% of preprogramme levels. Public school students, males and students from Central and North Queensland demonstrated lower risk-aversion (p<0.05).ConclusionThis study demonstrated across more than 100 school sites, the positive change in knowledge and student participant attitudes towards risk-taking behaviours after attending the P.A.R.T.Y. programme. The need to address the significant decay at the 4-month follow-up was identified. Findings offered potential for tailoring of messaging to target key demographic groups/topics where the decay was greatest.

Class Rank and Long-Run Outcomes

This paper considers an unavoidable feature of the school environment, class rank. What are the long-run effects of a student's ordinal rank in elementary school? Using administrative data on all public-school students in Texas, we show that students with a higher third-grade academic rank, conditional on achievement and classroom fixed effects, have higher subsequent test scores, are more likely to take AP classes, graduate from high school, enroll in and graduate from college, and ultimately have higher earnings 19 years later. We also discuss the necessary assumptions for the identification of rank effects and propose new solutions to identification challenges. The paper concludes by exploring the tradeoff between higher quality schools and higher rank in the presence of these rank-based peer effects.