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PubMed1997

A hospital/school science fair mentoring program for middle school students.

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the James P. Timilty Middle School established a partnership to enhance science education, promote faculty development, and improve the health status and academic performance of all Timilty students. This article describes one of the Partnership's Science Connection programs, the Science Fair Mentoring Program, designed to enhance middle school science education, inform urban early adolescents about professions in the health field, inspire them to pursue postsecondary study in the health sciences, and prepare them for rigorous academic work in high school. In this program, hospital-based clinical and research staff mentor young adolescent students. The authors describe the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the Science Fair Mentoring Program as an innovative learning experience.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

The impact of school nursing on school performance: a research synthesis.

School nurses work in an educational setting. Due to budget cuts, different goals, and confusion between educators and nurses regarding the school nurse role, school nurses are being asked to demonstrate their effectiveness and justify their presence in elementary and secondary schools. Although school nursing was first initiated 100 years ago, a review of the literature published since 1965 indicates that 15 studies have been conducted that examine the impact of school nurses on academic performance. However, today many articles have recommended more research linking school nursing to educational outcomes. This article synthesizes the results of 15 research articles. Findings from these studies indicate that nursing interventions targeted at specific populations, including parents, have had significant effects. A relationship between school nurses' interventions and absenteeism is also suggested. Limitations of these studies are discussed, along with suggestions for future research.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed2000

Amphetamine abuse during pregnancy: environmental factors and outcome after 14-15 years.

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of social environmental factors on school performance and behavioural problems among 14-year-old children who had been exposed to amphetamine during foetal life. The study group comprised a cohort of 65 children who had suffered intrauterine exposure to amphetamine due to maternal drug abuse. This group has been followed since birth and examined at regular intervals. Information regarding the academic performance of the children was gathered from the school authorities. The psychosocial environment of the children was determined through interviews and through information obtained from the social authorities. Of the 64 children who attended a school within the state school system, 10 (15%) were a year behind for their age. The mean grades were significantly lower than those of their classmates. Behavioural problems were mentioned in the social authority documentation of one-third of the children, regardless of whether the child was placed in a foster home or was residing with the biological mother. A positive significant correlation was found between maternal age and the outcome of the children, as well as between therapy during pregnancy and outcome, whilst several environmental factors, particularly during the child's first four years, correlate negatively to outcome. Psychosocial factors early in life influence the outcome at 14 years. The positive effect of intervention during pregnancy illustrates the importance of early identification preferable during pregnancy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

The efficacy of an all-positive approach to classroom management.

This study addressed the question of whether an all-positive approach to classroom management can be effective. The on-task behavior and academic performance of eight, second- and third-grade children with behavior problems were examined. Results indicated that an all-positive approach that relied primarily on praise was not effective. However, when an individualized reward system was used, the children's rates of on-task behavior were high and stable. Similar effects were observed for academic productivity. Thus, a classroom can be managed using only positive consequences. However, to be successful, such an approach may require a considerable amount of teacher time and effort, particularly potent, varied and individual rewards, and high rates of appropriate behavior previously established using both positive and negative consequences.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Seven ipsative keys to understanding the poor 'Hispanic' student in the USA].

INTRODUCTION: Examination of the special bilingual student (5% of the bilingual student population of the USA) permits us to use not only (1) the statistical reports of the population coefficients and percentages), (2) measurements of progress or performance (age in years or grades of progress at school) and (3) the neuropsychological dimensions of the brain (left and right, anterior and posterior, inferior and superior). DEVELOPMENT: It is possible to put into parenthesis the statistical norms, either national, local, regional or even Hispanic national, given the great disparity seen in the results. At the present time the Hispanic population is made up mainly of young persons, recent immigrants with limited education. So it is logical that there are three major sources of error for students who do an exam in a foreign language when they are already disadvantaged and handicapped. Alternatively, we may pay attention to ipsative comparisons (of the same subject regarding different aspects of his behavior), which are almost free of any norm but comparison between themselves. CONCLUSIONS: Here we list a series of comparisons connected with concrete and abstract conduct, asynchrony between knowledge and operations, hand work (unilateral and bilateral), linguistic and academic performance, in one language or the other. The comparisons observed help us to understand, in a new, relevant manner, the cognitive and academic function of the child who is handicapped, disadvantaged and bilingual . It also allows us to describe the basic dimensions of his cognitive and academic progress.

Brain↗
PubMed2004

Return to school after brain injury.

AIMS: To examine return to school and classroom performance following traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHODS: This cross-sectional study set in the community comprised a group of 67 school-age children with TBI (35 mild, 13 moderate, 19 severe) and 14 uninjured matched controls. Parents and children were interviewed and children assessed at a mean of 2 years post injury. Teachers reported on academic performance and educational needs. The main measures used were classroom performance, the Children's Memory Scale (CMS), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-third edition UK (WISC-III) and the Weschler Objective Reading Dimensions (WORD). RESULTS: One third of teachers were unaware of the TBI. On return to school, special arrangements were made for 18 children (27%). Special educational needs were identified for 16 (24%), but only six children (9%) received specialist help. Two thirds of children with TBI had difficulties with school work, half had attention/concentration problems and 26 (39%) had memory problems. Compared to other pupils in the class, one third of children with TBI were performing below average. On the CMS, one third of the severe group were impaired/borderline for immediate and delayed recall of verbal material, and over one quarter were impaired/borderline for general memory. Children in the severe group had a mean full-scale IQ significantly lower than controls. Half the TBI group had a reading age > or =1 year below their chronological age, one third were reading > or =2 years below their chronological age. CONCLUSIONS: Schools rely on parents to inform them about a TBI, and rarely receive information on possible long-term sequelae. At hospital discharge, health professionals should provide schools with information about TBI and possible long-term impairments, so that children returning to school receive appropriate support.

Brain Injuries↗
PubMed1993

Precursors of hyperactivity and aggression.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the early characteristics of children who at 8 years old were hyperactive, aggressive, or both, to clarify the etiology of these disorders. METHOD: Prospective data from infancy to 8 years on children who were hyperactive (N = 65), aggressive (N = 57), or both (N = 60) at 8 years were compared with those on a normal comparison group (N = 70). Variables included ratings of temperament, behavior, school performance, and socioeconomic and life stress indices. RESULTS: The two aggressive groups, particularly the hyperactive-aggressive group, were more difficult in temperament and behavior from infancy and had less optimal environments. In contrast, the "pure" hyperactive group showed more problems than did the comparison group only from 3 to 4 years on. All three clinical groups had poorer academic performance than did the controls. CONCLUSIONS: The findings are consistent with a transactional model of development in which aggression (with or without hyperactivity) emerges when difficultness in infancy interacts with a stressed environment. Hyperactivity, when unassociated with aggression, may emerge later from poor self-regulation when faced with societal, especially school, demands. The pattern of group differences found suggest that risk indicators for specific patterns of later maladjustment may be identifiable for early intervention.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

A critical evaluation of enzyme immunoassay kits for detection of antinuclear autoantibodies of defined specificities. III. Comparative performance characteristics of academic and manufacturers' laboratories.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the performance of different commercial enzyme immunoassay (EIA) kits for measuring antinuclear antibodies (ANA) specific for dsDNA, SSB/La, Sm, and Scl-70. METHODS: EIA kits for detection of ANA from 9 commercial manufacturers were evaluated. The manufacturers were advised that they would be sent coded sera containing mixtures of the Arthritis Foundation/Centers for Disease Control reference reagents, and that they were to use their own test kits to analyze the antibody specificities of these sera and to report the data, in optical density (OD) units or their equivalent. Independently, 12 investigators in academic institutions who have done research in this field agreed to participate in a parallel study. The concentration of the antibodies and the specificities were blinded to the analysts and the coefficients of variation (CV) were computed for each participant. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences between laboratories in terms of CV for all 9 kits tested. With the exception of one kit, there were no significant CV differences between the various autoantibody kits provided by each manufacturer and, with the exception of kits from 2 manufacturers, there were no significant differences between the various antibody kits in terms of reproducibility (CV). From the point of view of interlaboratory variability, manufacturers could be separated into either a high or low performance group. CONCLUSION: We found a disconcertingly large range of performance characteristics in the various laboratories, which could be quite detrimental in routine utilization of EIA ANA kits. Clinicians should be aware of the performance issues raised in our study, and should know and be involved in how their service laboratory assesses its own performance and the performance of commercial testing systems utilized. Manufacturers and clinical laboratories need to exercise constant quality assurance and surveillance of kit performance in the hands of medical laboratory technologists involved in routine testing.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1983

Predicting success of pharmacy students in basic science and clinical clerkship courses.

A number of studies on the ability of admissions variables to predict success in pharmacy schools have examined only success in the first professional year, which typically consists primarily of basic science courses. This study examined not only grades in basic science courses but also performance on clinical clerkships, for two classes of students. It also examined the ability of various personality variables to predict performance in clinical and basic science coursework. Previous grade point average (GPA) was the best single predictor of performance. In one class, the personality variable of Responsibility best predicted clinical clerkship performance. However, it only accounted for 13 percent of the variance in clerkship grades. Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) Biology and PCAT Verbal Ability scores added to the predictive ability of previous GPA in one class, but none of the PCAT scales entered a prediction equation for the other class. The limitations on our ability to predict, with any consistency, academic performance in pharmacy school is discussed.

College Admission Test↗
PubMed2006

Measuring motivational orientations toward support-seeking: the development and predictive validity of the Motives for Tutorial Support-Seeking Questionnaire.

The use of tutorial support as an effective proactive intervention programme mandatory for students who do not meet the admission criteria to some US universities, shows how important the factors that motivate students to seek support willingly really are. A factor analytically derived psychometric scale for assessing nursing students' motivational orientations toward support-seeking was developed. The Motives for Tutorial Support-Seeking Questionnaire (MTSSQ) is a composite academic risk assessment tool made up of three academically orientated subscales, namely, Expectancy, Internality and Worry. The MTSSQ derives its theoretical framework from the findings of previous work by Ofori and Charlton [Ofori, R., Charlton, J.P., 2002. A path model of factors influencing the academic performance of nursing students. Journal of Advanced Nursing 38 (5), 507-515] that suggest that the above motivational factors combine in exerting their effects upon nursing students' support-seeking behaviours and subsequent performance. The factor structure that emerged during factor analysis confirmed the existence of the three-factor structure while the data pertaining to the internal reliability of the three subscales and the MTSSQ in general suggest sound technical attributes. The MTSSQ is found not only to predict differences in support-seeking but also age difference and performance. The 35% variance in support-seeking explained by the MTSSQ is quite respectable, although statistically this appears to be mainly attributable to internality and worry. It is concluded that the MTSSQ promises to be useful in identifying nursing students who seek tutorial support willingly from those who do not and therefore has the potential to be used as an academic risk assessment tool. The practical implications of the present findings for nurse education are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Which sociodemographic factors are important on smoking behaviour of high school students? The contribution of classification and regression tree methodology in a broad epidemiological survey.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the most important sociodemographic factors on smoking status of high school students using a broad randomised epidemiological survey. METHODS: Using in-class, self administered questionnaire about their sociodemographic variables and smoking behaviour, a representative sample of total 3304 students of preparatory, 9th, 10th, and 11th grades, from 22 randomly selected schools of Mersin, were evaluated and discriminative factors have been determined using appropriate statistics. In addition to binary logistic regression analysis, the study evaluated combined effects of these factors using classification and regression tree methodology, as a new statistical method. RESULTS: The data showed that 38% of the students reported lifetime smoking and 16.9% of them reported current smoking with a male predominancy and increasing prevalence by age. Second hand smoking was reported at a 74.3% frequency with father predominance (56.6%). The significantly important factors that affect current smoking in these age groups were increased by household size, late birth rank, certain school types, low academic performance, increased second hand smoking, and stress (especially reported as separation from a close friend or because of violence at home). Classification and regression tree methodology showed the importance of some neglected sociodemographic factors with a good classification capacity. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that, as closely related with sociocultural factors, smoking was a common problem in this young population, generating important academic and social burden in youth life and with increasing data about this behaviour and using new statistical methods, effective coping strategies could be composed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Adolescent adjustment in a nationally collected sample: identifying group differences by adoption status, adoption subtype, developmental stage and gender.

The current study investigated group differences in adolescent adjustment by adoption status and adoption subtype in a national sample, in contrast to group differences based on developmental stage or gender. Secondary analyses of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were performed to describe group differences in a broad range of adjustment measures (a) between adoptees and non-adoptees, (b) between different-race adoptees and same-race adoptees and, (c) across adolescent developmental stage and gender groups. Based upon a developmental deviance hypothesis, the current study hypothesized that early adolescent different-race adoptees would fair better across measures of academic performance, familial relationships, psychological adjustment, and physical health than their middle and late adolescent counterparts. Group comparisons revealed little evidence of increased maladjustment among adopted adolescents compared to non-adopted study participants. In addition, group comparisons revealed few differences across indices of adolescent adjustment by adoption subtype (i.e. by the degree of racial congruence adopted child and adoptive parent). However, significant group differences in adolescent adjustment were found based on participants' developmental stage and gender. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2005

Effects of twin separation in primary school.

We studied the short- and long-term effects of classroom separation in twins on behavior problems and academic performance. Short-term effects were studied at age 7 in twins separated at age 5 and long-term effects at age 12 in twins who had been separated or together most of the time at school. Behavior problems were rated by mothers (Child Behavior Checklist at ages 3, 7 and 12) and teachers (Teacher Report Form at ages 7 and 12). Academic achievement was measured at age 12 using a national academic achievement test (CITO). At age 7, twins from separated pairs had more internalizing and externalizing problems than nonseparated twins, as rated by both mothers and teachers. Only for the maternal ratings of internalizing problems, however, could these effects be attributed to the separation itself and not to preexisting problems (at age 3) between separated and nonseparated twins. Long-term effects of separation were significant for maternal and teacher ratings of internalizing and externalizing problems, but these effects could be explained by preexisting differences between separated and nonseparated groups. There were no differences in academic achievement between the separated and nonseparated group. These results suggest that the decision to separate twins when they go to school is based in part on the existing behavioral problems of the twins and that, in the long run, separation does not affect problem behavior or academic achievement. The findings were the same for monozygotic and dizygotic twins.

Child↗
PubMed1993

Could final year school grades suffice as a predictor for future performance?

The performance of three groups of medical students was evaluated at the end of one phase of their studies--after 2 years of premedicine. The aim of the study was to determine whether any of the assessment methods--secondary school grades, entrance examination or test for proficiency in the English language, used for selection of medical students, could reliably predict student performance in the early stages of their education. A significant correlation was found between secondary school grades and the entrance exam on the one hand and grade point average (GPA) on the other. However the results of the test for English proficiency did not correlate with the GPA. It is concluded that the secondary school grade on its own is a good predictor of academic performance in the early stages of medical undergraduate education.

Education, Medical, Undergraduate↗
PubMed2005

Prevalence and correlates of misconduct among ethnically diverse adolescents of Native Hawaiian/ part-Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian ancestry.

BACKGROUND: Research on the prevalence and correlates of adolescent misconduct, arrests, and juvenile delinquency has been greatly neglected for the ethnically diverse adolescent groups in Hawai'i (i.e. Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders). AIMS: The aims of the present study are three-fold: (1) to determine whether there are differential rates of adolescent misconduct based on ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic (SES) factors; (2) on an exploratory basis, to ascertain the demographic, social-cultural, psychological-psychiatric, and school-related correlates of misconduct, with some focus on cultural identification; and (3) to derive a parsimonious model of the correlates for an ethnically diverse group of adolescents by disentangling cultural identification from other variables including ethnicity. METHODS: Data were analyzed from the Native Hawaiian Mental Health Research Development Program, consisting of 2,732 Asian/Pacific Islander youths. Misconduct was operationally defined as 'was arrested or got in serious trouble with the law' within the past six months via adolescent self-report. Of added importance were the inclusion of a valid measure of Hawaiian cultural identification and actual school data. RESULTS: Significantly higher rates were obtained for Native Hawaiians, males, and adolescents whose main wage earners' educational attainment was at the high school level or less. Absences may be a more important marker for females than males in the prediction of arrests and serious trouble with the law. The most parsimonious model of self-reported arrests/serious trouble with the law consisted of four variables in the following order of importance: substance use, actual grade-point average, aggressive symptoms, and gender. CONCLUSION: This is one of the first major studies to examine the prevalence and risk-protective factors of misconduct for adolescents of Asian/Pacific Islander ancestry, and the first to include a valid measure of cultural identification and actual school data. The findings indicated that gender-specific prevention and intervention programs are needed. However, the issues are also complex whereby the use of substances, school performance, and aggression must be taken into account in deriving successful programs. The lack of sustained association between culturally based factors (e.g., ethnicity, Hawaiian cultural identification) and misconduct in the final parsimonious model suggested that the culturally based variables are not direct causes of misconduct, but rather correlates of misconduct that are over-shadowed by more substantive factors, such as substance use and academic performance, the latter being variables that must be addressed for youths across the United States. The present results reaffirmed the common correlates of misconduct across different ethnic groups. Further research is needed in the causal relationships among these important associations with misconduct.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2007

A meta-analytic examination of the goal orientation nomological net.

The authors present an empirical review of the literature concerning trait and state goal orientation (GO). Three dimensions of GO were examined: learning, prove performance, and avoid performance along with presumed antecedents and proximal and distal consequences of these dimensions. Antecedent variables included cognitive ability, implicit theory of intelligence, need for achievement, self-esteem, general self-efficacy, and the Big Five personality characteristics. Proximal consequences included state GO, task-specific self-efficacy, self-set goal level, learning strategies, feedback seeking, and state anxiety. Distal consequences included learning, academic performance, task performance, and job performance. Generally speaking, learning GO was positively correlated, avoid performance GO was negatively correlated, and prove performance GO was uncorrelated with these variables. Consistent with theory, state GO tended to have stronger relationships with the distal consequences than did trait GO. Finally, using a meta-correlation matrix, the authors found that trait GO predicted job performance above and beyond cognitive ability and personality. These results demonstrate the value of GO to organizational researchers.

Employee Performance Appraisal↗
PubMed1994

Effect of Schistosoma haematobium infection on the physical growth and school performance of Nigerian children.

A cross-sectional study of urinary schistosomiasis among 510 primary school children in Ijiman community in south eastern Nigeria was undertaken in May 1992. Schistosoma prevalence and intensity of infection including the impact of the disease on the physical growth and school performance of the subjects aged 5-15 years was assessed. Prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium was 44 pc with the rate rising progressively with age, with a peak prevalence at 10-15. The ova burden was of light intensity (1-49 ova/10 ml) in a majority (73 pc) of the cases. No significant impact of the disease could be demonstrated regarding anthropometric parameters, school attendance and academic performance among the infected children compared with the controls. The lack of discernable effect of S. haematobium infection on these parameters is similar to the general pattern in the west African sub region and is attributed to the generally light ova burden among these children. It is also suggested that differences in the strains of the parasite between regions may be important determinants of morbidity.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed2006

Ownership of alcohol-branded merchandise and initiation of teen drinking.

BACKGROUND: The alcohol industry spends over $5 billion a year on marketing, much of which is accessible to children. The distribution of branded articles of clothing and other personal items is one aspect of alcohol marketing that has not been adequately studied. In this study, the prevalence of ownership of alcohol-branded merchandise (ABM) was determined in a sample of rural northern New England adolescents, and the relationship between ownership of such items and initiation of alcohol use was examined. DESIGN/METHODS: Northern New England middle school students who had not yet initiated alcohol use were captured at baseline in a 1999 school-based survey, and ownership of an ABM item and initiation of alcohol use were determined 1 to 2 years later by telephone. The analysis controlled for demographics (gender, grade in school); characteristics of the child (school performance, sensation seeking, rebelliousness); parenting style; and peer alcohol use. RESULTS: Of 2406 baseline never-drinkers, 15% had initiated alcohol use and 14% owned an ABM item by follow-up. ABM items consisted primarily of articles of clothing such as t-shirts and hats. ABM ownership was associated with higher grade in school, male gender, exposure to peer drinking, having tried smoking, poorer academic performance, higher levels of sensation seeking and rebelliousness, and less-responsive and restrictive parenting styles. Owners of ABM items at follow-up had higher rates of alcohol initiation compared with non-owners (25.5% vs 13.1%, respectively, p<0.001). After adjusting for the above confounders, students who owned an ABM item were significantly more likely to have initiated alcohol use compared with students who did not own one (adjusted odds ratio 1.5, 95% confidence interval, 1.1-2.0). CONCLUSIONS: In this northern New England adolescent sample, ownership of alcohol-branded merchandise was prevalent and exhibited an independent cross-sectional association with onset of adolescent drinking. Further studies are necessary to determine whether the relationship is causal, and whether teen use of ABM items influences peer drinking norms and behavior.

Adolescent↗