Anxietatea la preadolescenții cu insucces școlar

Currently, preadolescents face states of anxiety generated by the complexity of the educational process, by school failure. The student - anxiously refuses to go to school due to stressful situations. Anxiety causes a decrease in attention and adequate perception of reality, creates a general emotional discomfort. General anxiety is characterized by low productivity, shyness, low self-confi dence, hypermobility, poor assimilation of knowledge. The study was conducted on a group of 30 low-achieving students in grades VIII-X aged 14-16. The level of anxiety was studied by applying two techniques: the State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory (STAI) inventory by D. Spielberger and the Manifest Anxiety Scale (MAS) developed by Taylor and James Garden. The results showed a moderate level of anxiety stable at 33.3% and a high level of anxiety stable at 43.3%, and more than 86.6% of students show general anxiety at severe and moderate level.

Academic performance of K-12 students in an online-learning environment for mathematics increased during the shutdown of schools in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

The shutdown of schools in response to the rapid spread of COVID-19 poses risks to the education of young children, including a widening education gap. In the present article, we investigate how school closures in 2020 influenced the performance of German students in a curriculum-based online learning software for mathematics. We analyzed data from more than 2,500 K-12 students who computed over 124,000 mathematical problem sets before and during the shutdown, and found that students’ performance increased during the shutdown of schools in 2020 relative to the year before. Our analyses also revealed that low-achieving students showed greater improvements in performance than high-achieving students, suggesting a narrowing gap in performance between low- and high-achieving students. We conclude that online learning environments may be effective in preventing educational losses associated with current and future shutdowns of schools.

Beliefs about school mathematics vs. university mathematics and beliefs about teaching and learning in different contexts of students’ achievement

[English]: This quantitative study with n = 206 participants (mathematics pre-service teachers from Indonesia) investigates the effect of two factors on pre-service teachers’ beliefs: (1) contexts related to students’ achievement as well as (2) the differences between school mathematics and university mathematics. The results of this quantitative study show that the participants (1) have different beliefs about teaching and learning of mathematics in different contexts of students’ achievement (a class dominated by high-achieving students vs. a class dominated by low-achieving students) and (2) have different beliefs about school mathematics and university mathematics. Interestingly, compared to their beliefs about school mathematics, the pre-service teachers’ beliefs about university mathematics correlate better with their beliefs about teaching and learning in different contexts of students’ achievement. The implication of the better correlations for the pre-service teacher education are further discussed. [Bahasa]: Penelitian kuantitatif dengan 206 calon guru matematika ini bertujuan untuk menginvestigasi efek dari dua faktor yang mempengaruhi keyakinan para calon guru: (1) konteks yang berhubungan dengan capaian siswa dan (2) perbedaan karakteristik antara matematika sekolah dan matematika universitas. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa para calon guru tersebut (1) memiliki keyakinan yang berbeda tentang bagaimana mengajar dan belajar matematika di dalam konteks yang berbeda, yaitu antara kelas yang didominasi oleh siswa-siswa capaian tinggi dan kelas yang didominasi oleh siswa-siswa capaian rendah, dan (2) memiliki keyakinan yang berbeda antara matematika sekolah dan matematika universitas. Menariknya, jika dibandingkan dengan keyakinan tentang matematika sekolah, keyakinan para calon guru tentang matematika universitas ternyata lebih baik korelasinya terhadap keyakinan mereka tentang bagaimana mengajar dan belajar di dua konteks kelas tersebut. Selanjutnya, artikel ini akan mendiskusikan implikasi dari korelasi yang lebih baik tersebut terhadap pendidikan para calon guru matematika.

Impact of Scientific Calculators in Mathematics among Low- Achieving Students in a Secondary School in Kajang, Selangor

This study aims to investigate the effects of scientific calculators on mathematics achievement in support of problem-solving instructions. In this study, 49 low achieving mathematics students aged 14 years were selected from a secondary school in Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia. A pre-test post-test quasi-experimental design with two groups was employed in this action research study. The experimental group learned solid geometry and statistics topics, with the aid of a scientific calculator; while the control group did not use any technological aid to learn these topics. By controlling the pre-test score, the ANCOVA two-way test was applied to the post-test results. A positive significant difference was reported in favour of the experimental group. However, no significant interactions were noted between group and gender. The analysis results indicate that the use of a scientific calculator in the integrated teaching and learning of mathematics helped the students improved their mathematics achievements. These findings have important implications in the educational setting, particularly for educators to support and facilitate low-achieving students in mathematics.

Did Students Learn Less During the COVID-19 Pandemic? Reading and Mathematics Competencies Before and After the First Pandemic Wave

The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted regular classes in spring 2020. Temporary school closures supposedly led to a considerable learning loss, particularly for low-achieving students. Schools in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, were closed for two months. Although distance learning was implemented, students spent less time learning. Additionally, teachers were faced with organizational and technological challenges of remote learning environments. The present study investigates the competencies of fifth-graders, using large-scale assessment results in reading and mathematics from annual mandatory tests in September (each n > 80,000). In line with studies from other countries, competence scores were slightly lower in 2020 compared with the three previous years (–0.07 standard deviations for reading comprehension, –0.09 for operations, and –0.03 for numbers). Low-achieving readers managed to attain pre-pandemic competence levels. On the other hand, low-achieving students seem to have a learning backlog regarding mathematics competencies (such as operations) that deserves attention in future education.

“I Hate to Read-Or Do I?” Low-Achievers and Their Reading

Phase 2 of the Barnstable Study of a web-based summer reading program focuses on low-achieving students who had a low participation rate in the first two years of the program. The researchers interviewed and surveyed seventy students who formed seven focus groups. This study challenges assumptions about struggling readers. Do struggling readers consider themselves readers outside of school, where they have choices that relate to what they like to do? Do they read? What do they read? Do they really hate to read? Gender and grade level emerged as factors in participation rates in the program. Student responses emphasized the importance of relevance of reading materials to reading preferences. Low achievers had a strong preference for alternative reading materials.

Predictor Analysis of Middle and Low Achieving Students in Cell Biology Online Course in Health Nutrition Undergraduate Program

Background Lack of direct contact with the students in online courses can result in lower lecturer’s awareness of their engagement and progress. Examination scores generally have the highest proportion in determining students’ grades. Predicting examination scores from the earliest point of the course may be useful in designing timely and appropriate interventions. Aim To analyze the predictors of midterm and final examination scores in an online cell biology course of health nutrition in the undergraduate program at the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta Indonesia. Methods The learning materials including texts, PowerPoints, videos and miniquizzes were uploaded in a course management system before conducting online meetings. In total, 10 different topics were delivered. Pretest and posttest, both not used for grading, were given at the first and last online meeting. Components of the final score were classroom assessments, group assignments, midterm and final examinations. Students (n = 154) were divided into three groups based on their final examination scores, i.e., low, middle and high score. Each component of the final score was reported as mean ± standard deviation and the mean difference between groups was analyzed. Linear regression analysis was performed to reveal the main predictors of the midterm and final exam scores. Two-step cluster analysis determined by the earliest-obtained scores was performed to identify low achieving students. Results Students with higher final examination scores had significantly higher scores for pretest, posttest, pre and post-midterm class assessments, midterm exam and group assignments (p < 0.05). Premidterm class assessment was the main predictor of the midterm exam score. Midterm exam score was the strongest predictor of final exam score and clustering using midterm-premidterm scores identified 75% of low achieving students. To assist students with low and middle achievement, several modifications were considered such as providing longer and multiple access to the learning and formative test materials, facilitating a communication platform with fellow students and sending personal encouraging messages. Conclusion Scores obtained in various activities during the course potentially predict student grades. The activities should be optimized to improve students’ achievement especially for the less privileged students.

Teaching to Self-Regulate in Mathematics: A Quasi-Experimental Study with Low-Achieving Elementary School Students

Teaching students to self-regulate enhances their mathematics performance, yet few studies have investigated the long-term differential impact of particular self-regulation strategies specifically for low-achieving students. This quasi-experimental study evaluates the effect of teaching different self-regulation strategies on mathematical problem solving in low-achieving students. The participants were 69 sixth-grade elementary school students randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups (and taught predominantly cognitive, metacognitive or volitional strategies, while verifying intervention fidelity) or a control group for 16 sessions. Mathematical problem-solving skills were evaluated prior to the intervention, upon completion, and two months later. While all three intervention groups obtained significantly better results compared to the control group immediately after the intervention, volitional and metacognitive strategies showed the strongest and most lasting positive effects. We conclude that low-achieving students could benefit from learning self-regulation strategies, particularly when these strategies take into account the affective and motivational dynamics of learning.