The effects of paternal and maternal nurturance and involvement on young adult academic outcomes

The present study examines how mothering and fathering impact child academic outcomes in divorced and intact families, and if there are unique influences of mothering and fathering variables for sons and daughters. An ethnically diverse sample of 1,714 university students from Florida International University (n=1371) and Florida State University (n=343) responded to measures on a questionnaire that included the Nurturant Fathering and Mothering Scales (Finley & Schwartz, 2004; Schwartz & Finley, 2005; Finley & Schwartz, 2006), the Mother and Father Involvement Scales (Finley, Mira, & Schwartz, 2008), demographic measures, and academic outcome measures. In intact families, mothering and fathering variables were significantly correlated with each other, and positively correlated with child academic outcomes including grades, GPA, academic satisfaction, and academic importance. In divorced families, mothering and fathering variables were not correlated with each other. Furthermore, when analyzing divorced families, significant effects were found for both parent and child gender. Mothering variables were found to have the greatest positive impact for sons' academic outcomes. Maternal nurturance and maternal involvement were correlated positively with academic outcomes for sons from divorced families and accounted for 3-4% of the unique variance explained. Consistently, desired mother involvement, how much involvement the child wished they had received, was negatively correlated with academic outcomes for sons from divorced families and accounted for 10-15% of the unique variance explained. This means that when the amount of maternal involvement that sons in divorced families received matched or exceeded their desired level of involvement, sons had more positive academic outcomes including grades, GPA, satisfaction with academics and academic importance. This suggests that in intact family forms, nurturant and involved mothering and fathering have a positive effect on academic outcomes for sons and daughters. In divorced family forms, the effects of fathering on child academic outcomes were not significant. Therefore, in divorced families, the positive effects fathering on academic outcomes of sons and daughters drop out, and mothers are uniquely important for sons' academic success.^

The Effects of Paternal and Maternal Nurturance and Involvement on Young Adult Academic Outcomes

The present study examines how mothering and fathering impact child academic outcomes in divorced and intact families, and if there are unique influences of mothering and fathering variables for sons and daughters. An ethnically diverse sample of 1,714 university students from Florida International University (n=1371) and Florida State University (n=343) responded to measures on a questionnaire that included the Nurturant Fathering and Mothering Scales (Finley & Schwartz, 2004; Schwartz & Finley, 2005; Finley & Schwartz, 2006), the Mother and Father Involvement Scales (Finley, Mira, & Schwartz, 2008), demographic measures, and academic outcome measures. In intact families, mothering and fathering variables were significantly correlated with each other, and positively correlated with child academic outcomes including grades, GPA, academic satisfaction, and academic importance. In divorced families, mothering and fathering variables were not correlated with each other. Furthermore, when analyzing divorced families, significant effects were found for both parent and child gender. Mothering variables were found to have the greatest positive impact for sons’ academic outcomes. Maternal nurturance and maternal involvement were correlated positively with academic outcomes for sons from divorced families and accounted for 3-4% of the unique variance explained. Consistently, desired mother involvement, how much involvement the child wished they had received, was negatively correlated with academic outcomes for sons from divorced families and accounted for 10-15% of the unique variance explained. This means that when the amount of maternal involvement that sons in divorced families received matched or exceeded their desired level of involvement, sons had more positive academic outcomes including grades, GPA, satisfaction with academics and academic importance. This suggests that in intact family forms, nurturant and involved mothering and fathering have a positive effect on academic outcomes for sons and daughters. In divorced family forms, the effects of fathering on child academic outcomes were not significant. Therefore, in divorced families, the positive effects fathering on academic outcomes of sons and daughters drop out, and mothers are uniquely important for sons’ academic success.

Substance Use and Academic Outcomes among High School Seniors: Examining the Influence of Emotional Academic Engagement

Substance use is prevalent among adolescents, with two-thirds trying alcohol and half trying an illicit drug by twelfth grade (Miech et al., 2015). Substance use is known to affect academic performance. This study utilized nationally representative data from the 2013 Monitoring the Future twelfth grade survey to examine the relationships between substance use, skipping school, grades, and academic engagement. One-quarter of respondents (26%) had never used a substance. The majority (67%) had used at least one substance during the past year. Substance use during their lifetime but not during the past year was uncommon (7%). Lifetime non-users were less likely than past-year users to skip school during the past month and to have low grades. Lifetime non-users also had greater academic self-efficacy and emotional academic engagement relative to past-year users. These findings underscore the importance of screening and intervention for substance use to promote academic achievement and adolescent wellbeing.

LSP communication in a digital age: the outcomes of teaching and learning in tertiary education

This paper discusses the changes brought by the communication revolution in teaching and learning in the scope of LSP. Its aim is to provide an insight on how teaching which was bi-dimensional, turned into a multidimensional system, gathering other complementary resources that have transformed, in a incredibly short time, the ways we receive share and store information, for instance as professionals, and keep in touch with our peers. The increasing rise of electronic publications, the incredible boom of social and professional networks, search engines, blogs, list servs, forums, e-mail blasts, Facebook pages, YouTube contents, Tweets and Apps, have twisted the way information is conveyed. Classes ceased to be predictable and have been empowered by digital platforms, innumerous and different data repositories (TILDE, IATE, LINGUEE, and so many other terminological data banks) that have definitely transformed the academic world in general and tertiary education in particular. There is a bulk of information to be digested by students, who are no longer passive but instead responsible and active for their academic outcomes. The question is whether they possess the tools to select only what is accurate and important for a certain subject or assignment, due to that overflow? Due to the reduction of the number of course years in most degrees, after the implementation of Bologna and the shrinking of the curricula contents, have students the possibility of developing critical thinking? Both teaching and learning rely on digital resources to improve the speed of the spreading of knowledge. But have those changes been effective to promote really communication? Furthermore, with the increasing Apps that have already been developed and will continue to appear for learning foreign languages, for translation among others, will the students feel the need of learning them once they have those Apps. These are some the questions we would like to discuss in our paper.

Kindergarten classroom engagement skills : the road to academic success in elementary school

Les caractéristiques de l’enfant à la maternelle prédisent le succès des transitions à travers les premières années scolaires ainsi que la poursuite académique à l’âge de 22 ans. Les habiletés en mathématiques et langagières à la maternelle sont étroitement liées au rendement scolaire. Cependant, il est également important de tenir compte du rôle de l’autocontrôle et de la maîtrise de soi dans la réussite académique. Spécifiquement, la capacité de suivre des instructions et travailler de manière autonome pourrait faciliter l’adaptation des enfants en milieu scolaire. La présente thèse examine la valeur potentielle de cibler l’engagement scolaire à la maternelle, sous forme d’orientation vers la tâche, pour améliorer l’ajustement académique des enfants au cours du primaire. Une première étude, a examiné si l’engagement scolaire à la maternelle est associé à un meilleur niveau de réussite scolaire et d’ajustement psychosocial à la quatrième année du primaire. Les résultats suggèrent que les habitudes de travail dès l’entrée à l’école représentent des prédicteurs robustes du rendement académique quatre ans plus tard. Un plus haut niveau d’engagement prédit également moins de comportements externalisés et de victimisation par les pairs en quatrième année. Ces résultats sont demeurés significatifs suite au contrôle statistique des habilités en mathématique, langagières et socio-émotionnelles des enfants ainsi que de facteurs de risques familiaux. Une deuxième étude a examiné l’origine de l’engagement scolaire au primaire. Cette étude a permis d’observer que le niveau de contrôle cognitif des enfants d’âge préscolaire représente un prédicteur significatif de l’engagement scolaire à la maternelle. Ces résultats suggèrent l’existence d’une continuité développementale du contrôle cognitif de la petite enfance à la maternelle, et que celle-ci pourrait servir de base pour le développement de bonnes habitudes de travail au primaire. Finalement dans une troisième étude, des analyses centrées sur la personne ont été effectués. Trois sous-groupes d’enfants ont été identifiés dans notre échantillon. Les résultats obtenus indiquent des trajectoires d’engagement bas, moyen et élevé respectivement, au primaire. Le faible contrôle cognitif et les facteurs de risques familiaux ont prédit l’appartenance à la trajectoire d’engagement faible. Dans l’ensemble, les résultats de ces trois études soulignent l’importance de tenir compte de l’engagement dans les évaluations de la maturité scolaire à la maternelle. Cette recherche pourrait également informer le développement de programmes d’interventions préscolaires visant à augmenter la préparation scolaire ainsi que la réduction des écarts au niveau de la réussite académique des enfants.

The influence of weak parental and peer attachment on academic achievement among late adolescent college students

The current study examined the influence of weak parental and peer attachment on academic achievement among late adolescent college students. In previous research, weak attachment to parents and/or peers had been found to have an adverse influence on the academic success of college students. This study also examined the potential moderating influence of several cognitive and non-cognitive psychosocial variables that might act as protective factors for weakly attached students and, therefore, enhance their academic competence. Data regarding attachment, cognitive variables, and non-cognitive variables were collected using several self-report measures. The multi-ethnic sample of students in this study (n = 357) attended an urban university. Students were classified into one of nine parental-peer attachment groups (e.g., Low-Low, Medium-Medium, High-High). Attachment groups were compared in terms of cognitive and non-cognitive variables. Contrary to the hypothesis, no statistically significant academic achievement differences were revealed for the group of college students who perceived themselves to be weakly attached to both parents and peers. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) identified the High-High group to be significantly different in terms of academic outcome variables from the other eight groups while the Low-Low group had significantly lower levels of non-cognitive variables than several of the other attachment groups. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that cognitive variables accounted for significant amounts of variance in academic outcomes and that several non-cognitive variables were significant predictors of scholastic competence. Correlational analyses revealed that parental and peer attachment were positively correlated with several cognitive and non-cognitive variables but neither was significantly correlated with self-reported college GPA. In general, the findings do not provide support for a main effect of weak attachment to parents and peers upon academic adversity among college students. Results suggest that both cognitive variables and non-cognitive variables may moderate academic risk due to weak attachment to parents and peers. Descriptive within group analyses of the Low-Low group revealed a heterogeneous group of students with regards to academic outcomes and scores on non-cognitive measures. Gender and ethnic differences were found for attachment status but not for cognitive or non-cognitive variables. Implications for interventions and suggestions for future research are presented. ^

BLACK, MALE, AND HIGH-ACHIEVING: AN EXAMINATION OF A RISK FACTOR AND CULTURAL RESOURCES FOR BLACK MALE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Black boys are confronted with unique educational circumstances. They are often misdiagnosed and misplaced into special education programs (Bush-Daniels, 2008; Patton, 1998; Terman et al., 1996). Additionally, they are less likely to be enrolled in gifted and talented programs, even if their former achievements reflect their aptitude to succeed (Black Alliance for Educational Options, n.d.; Moore & Flowers, 2012). Given these statistics, a considerable emphasis has been placed on the causes and the consequences of low/under achievement for this population. As a result, the experiences of Black males who are achieving have been greatly neglected. Moreover, little is known about the factors that facilitate academic achievement among high-achieving Black boys. In an effort to bring the heterogenic nature of schooling experiences for Black boys to light, the present study examined the influence risk and protective factors had on the academic experiences of high-achieving Black boys. Grounded in the risk and resilience framework and the Integrative Model for the Study of Minority Youth Development, this study explored whether the high-achieving Black high school boys in this sample (n =88) reported experiencing discrimination (i.e. academic-based) and how this academic-based discrimination related to their 1) academic performance (i.e. GPA), 2) perceptions of math ability, and 3) race-based academic self-concept. In addition to exploring how academic-based discrimination was linked to academic achievement, this study examined how cultural resources such as racial socialization messages and racial identity related to academic achievement. Specifically, cultural socialization, preparation for bias, egalitarianism, private regard and public regard were evaluated alongside the three academic outcomes under study. Finally, the study explored whether aspects of racial socialization or racial identity buffered the effects of discrimination on any of the outcomes. Interestingly, the race/ethnicity of the student mattered for how students perceived their math ability. The risk factor academic-based discrimination was linked to academic performance. Cultural resources cultural socialization, preparation for bias, and private regard were linked to various academic outcomes of interest. There was only one significant moderating effect: a high private regard buffered the relationship between academic-based discrimination and race-based academic self-concept. Limitations and implications of this study are discussed.

A distributed system for learning programming on-line

Several Web-based on-line judges or on-line programming trainers have been developed in order to allow students to train their programming skills. However, their pedagogical functionalities in the learning of programming have not been clearly defined. EduJudge is a project which aims to integrate the “UVA On-line Judge”, an existing on-line programming trainer with an important number of problems and users, into an effective educational environment consisting of the e-learning platform Moodle and the competitive learning tool QUESTOURnament. The result is the EduJudge system which allows teachers to apply different pedagogical approaches using a proven e-learning platform, makes problems easy to search through an effective search engine, and provides an automated evaluation of the solutions submitted to these problems. The final objective is to provide new learning strategies to motivate students and present programming as an easy and attractive challenge. EduJudge has been tried and tested in three algorithms and programming courses in three different Engineering degrees. The students’ motivation and satisfaction levels were analysed alongside the effects of the EduJudge system on students’ academic outcomes. Results indicate that both students and teachers found that among other multiple benefits the EduJudge system facilitates the learning process. Furthermore, the experi- ment also showed an improvement in students’ academic outcomes. It must be noted that the students’ level of satisfaction did not depend on their computer skills or their gender.

Designing video lectures for MOOC

Educational videos differ from other teaching and learning technologies as they allow the benefit of using visual perception. Video lectures are not new to education, however with the use of innovative video technologies they can improve academic outcomes and extend the reach of education. They may offer extraordinary new experiences for higher education institutions (HEI). Through them lecturers can provide information and contents to students, and if used creatively, video lectures can become a powerful technological tool in education, inside and outside classrooms. Inside a classroom it can motivate students and improve topics’ debate and outside it is a good support for students’ self- learning. In some cases they can be used to work some subjects standing behind, but needed to support actual courses contents, that students do not remember (or were not even taught), opening an “in front to the past door” that backs students self-study. The student-educator dynamic is changing. Students are expecting exceptional instruction and educators are expecting students to be more and more well informed about subjects from online viewing.This article explores some of the potential benefits and challenges associated with the use of video lectures in the teaching and learning process at higher education. We will also discuss some thoughts and examples for the use of teaching materials to enhance student’s learning and try to understand how video can act as powerful and innovative to enlighten teaching and learning (note that unfortunately, sometimes, the opposite is happening).

The reasons behind the progression in PISA scores: An education production function approach using semi-parametric techniques

Research Masters

Características clínicas y tratamiento de la ansiedad académica y ante los exámenes como fobia específica de tipo situacional

L'ansietat acadèmica i davant els exàmens com a fòbia específica de tipus situacional és un trastorn infantil i juvenil d'efectes pertorbadors i negatius que repercuteixen sobre la salut mental i emocional, el rendiment acadèmic i la integració social de l'estudiant que la pateix. En aquest treball s'especifiquen les seves característiques clíniques. Així mateix, s'inclou un cas clínic d'un adolescent de 14 anys que patia d'aquest trastorn fòbic escolar, acompanyat de baixa autoestima personal i dificultats d'adaptació amb el seu grup-classe. Se li va aplicar una avaluació i tractament de tall cognitiu-conductual que ha tingut com a finalitat la superació de la fòbia, i la millora del seu rendiment acadèmic i social. D'entre totes les eines terapèutiques utilitzades destaquen: l'exposició en viu, i l'aprenentatge i utilització de mecanismes de control de l'ansietat (la relaxació Jacobson i la reestructuració cognitiva). Finalment, assenyalar que aquesta intervenció terapèutica ha estat possible gràcies a la participació coordinada i cooperant de l'equip interdisciplinari.

Experimental insights into deformation dynamics and intermittency in rapid granular shear flows

This work concerns the experimental study of rapid granular shear flows in annular Couette geometry. The flow is induced by continuous driving of the horizontal plate at the top of the granular bed in an annulus. The compressive pressure, driving torque, instantaneous bed height and rotational speed of the shearing plate are measured. Moreover, local stress fluctuations are measured in a medium made of steel spheres 2 and 3 mm in diameter. Both monodisperse packing and bidisperse packing are investigated to reveal the influence of size diversity in intermittent features of granular materials. Experiments are conducted in an annulus that can contain up to 15 kg of spherical steel balls. The shearing granular medium takes place via the rotation of the upper plate which compresses the material loaded inside the annulus. Fluctuations of compressive force are locally measured at the bottom of the annulus using a piezoelectric sensor. Rapid shear flow experiments are pursued at different compressive forces and shear rates and the sensitivity of fluctuations are then investigated by different means through monodisperse and bidisperse packings. Another important feature of rapid granular shear flows is the formation of ordered structures upon shearing. It requires a certain range for the amount of granular material (uniform size distribution) loaded in the system in order to obtain stable flows. This is studied more deeply in this thesis. The results of the current work bring some new insights into deformation dynamics and intermittency in rapid granular shear flows. The experimental apparatus is modified in comparison to earlier investigations. The measurements produce data for various quantities continuously sampled from the start of shearing to the end. Static failure and dynamic shearing ofa granular medium is investigated. The results of this work revealed some important features of failure dynamics and structure formation in the system. Furthermore, some computer simulations are performed in a 2D annulus to examine the nature of kinetic energy dissipation. It is found that turbulent flow models can statistically represent rapid granular flows with high accuracy. In addition to academic outcomes and scientific publications our results have a number of technological applications associated with grinding, mining and massive grain storages.

VOCATIONAL INTERESTS: CONSTRUCT VALIDITY AND MEASUREMENT

This dissertation addressed several questions relevant to vocational interests and personality characteristics, examining (a) the roles of personality, vocational interests, and sexual fantasies in defining a general factor of Masculinity/Femininity (M/F) (Study 1), (b) the validity of a new measure of vocational interests (Study 2), and (c) the individual difference characteristics that discriminate between students in various academic majors, and that predict academic outcomes (Study 3). In Study 1, vocational interests, personality, and sexual fantasies were examined to find whether these variables would yield a general Masculinity/Femininity (M/F) factor, and whether that factor would still emerge when controlling for participant sex. The results of Study 1 revealed that a general factor of M/F did emerge. When sex was removed, the loadings of vocational interests decreased from high to very low, suggesting that the link of vocational interests with other indicators of M/F is mainly due to sex differences in these variables. The purpose of Study 2 was to validate the Oregon Vocational Interest Scales (ORVIS), a new public domain vocational interests questionnaire designed to measure eight vocational interest scales. ORVIS scores obtained in a college and community sample were compared with those of two personality measures and two cognitive ability tests. Results from this study showed that the ORVIS scales were reliable and showed good construct validity. The purpose of Study 3, using the ORVIS along with the HEXACO-PI and tests of cognitive ability, was to examine the individual difference characteristics of students in different academic majors, and to use the congruence between a student's academic major and vocational interests as a predictor of academic outcomes, such as GPA, academic major change, and satisfaction with major. The results of Study 3 revealed that students in different academic majors show theoretically meaningful differences in personality, abilities, and interests. Conscientiousness and math ability were found to be the best predictors of academic outcomes. However, congruence between major and interests did not add significant predictive validity to any of these outcomes beyond personality and ability. Together, these three studies show the role of vocational interests in defming MlF and in predicting various academic outcomes.

Mixed oligopoly in education

This paper studies oligopolistic competition in education markets when schools can be private and public and when the quality of education depends on ìpeer groupî e§ects. In the Örst stage of our game schools set their quality and in the second stage they Öx their tuition fees. We examine how the (subgame perfect Nash) equilibrium allocation (qualities, tuition fees and welfare) is a§ected by the presence of public schools and by their relative position in the quality range. When there are no peer group e§ects, e¢ ciency is achieved when (at least) all but one school are public. In particular in the two school case, the impact of a public school is spectacular as we go from a setting of extreme di§erentiation to an e¢ cient allocation. However, in the three school case, a single public school will lower welfare compared to the private equilibrium. We then introduce a peer group e§ect which, for any given school is determined by its student with the highest ability. These PGE do have a signiÖcant impact on the results. The mixed equilibrium is now never e¢ cient. However, welfare continues to be improved if all but one school are public. Overall, the presence of PGE reduces the e§ectiveness of public schools as regulatory tool in an otherwise private education sector.

Cotas nas universidades e aprendizado escolar: modelo teórico e evidências empíricas

Esse trabalho objetiva avaliar as consequências da adoção de cotas para acesso às universidades públicas sobre o aprendizado em idade escolar. A literatura sobre o tema é controversa; há autores que argumentam teórica e empiricamente que os incentivos ao acumulo de capital humano diminuem com esse tipo de ação afirmativa, mas há também aqueles que sustentam o oposto. No Brasil, há poucos estudos, especialmente teóricos. As evidências empíricas são normalmente restritas a um ou dois estados e esse pode ser um dos motivos que levam a essa divergência. O modelo teórico apresentado neste trabalho explicita condições para que as duas situações (aumento ou diminuição do esforço) ocorram, mostrando ainda que as consequências das cotas podem ser heterogêneas, dependendo das características dos indivíduos afetados. As evidências empíricas apresentadas parecem comprovar essa possibilidade, pois mostram que o desempenho tanto dos negros quanto dos brancos pode melhorar ou piorar.