Search

Students perceive care as a quality of highly effective faculty, and building positive relationships is essential to a successful college experience. However, many college students report never having developed caring relationships with faculty. We propose faculty have an opportunity to use technology to help build caring relationships in an effort to improve overall academic success. The majority of research on student-faculty interaction has primarily focused on determining what kinds of interactions students have with faculty. The aim of this study was to explore students' perceptions of care and the role safe texting and electronic feedback played in building student-faculty relationships. A mixed-methods approach was used with college student participants (n = 307) to answer the following research questions: (1) What actions by faculty constitute "caring"? (2) What role does technology play in students feeling "cared for"? The findings indicate that safe texting platforms and electronic feedback had a positive impact by increasing accessibility and direct contact.

The authors examined the degree to which callous-unemotional traits and narcissism predict relational aggression, social aggression, and prosocial skills in a sample of 79 adolescent offenders (13-18 years old; 26% girls; 74% boys) attending a school for youth with behavior disorders in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Narcissism made a significant contribution to the prediction of both relational aggression and social aggression, accounting for most of the unique variance in the prediction of these indirect forms of aggression. Conversely, callous-unemotional traits--but not narcissism--made a significant contribution to the prediction of lower prosocial skills. Furthermore, in contrast to the large number of studies indicating gender differences in the expression of aggression, no significant gender differences in the present study were found.

In this study, we report results of a study examining the relationship between home environment factors and reading achievement in Zimbabwe. The study utilised data collected by the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ). The data were submitted to linear regression analysis through structural equation modelling using AMOS 4.0. In our results, we showed that a proxy for SES was the strongest predictor of reading achievement. (Contains 3 tables.)

The purpose of this article is to discuss Zimbabwe's public education system. First, the article provides a brief look at pre-independence education in Zimbabwe. Second, it discusses some of the reforms that took place in the Zimbabwe education system following independence. Third, it looks at the current structure of Zimbabwe's education system and fourth it discusses some of the successes and challenges faced by the education system within the context of the prevailing social, political and economic environment. (Contains 4 footnotes.)

This study investigated the relationship between socio-economic status, school-level variables and mathematics achievement of sixth graders in Kenya and Zimbabwe. The study is based on secondary data collected by the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ III). SACMEQ employed cluster-sampling procedures to collect data from 4412 students in 193 schools in Kenya, and 3021 students in 155 schools in Zimbabwe. A multilevel model (Hierarchical linear model) was used to analyse variation in student achievement in mathematics between and within schools. Owing to the nested nature of the data, the study utilised the Wiley and Harnischfeger model as a general framework for choosing variables and conceptualising multiple components of education. The findings in both countries showed that socio-economic status and school resources were significant predictors of mathematics achievement. The variable "class size" in Kenya was positively related to mathematics achievement, but in Zimbabwe a negative and significant relationship existed between "class size" and "achievement." In Kenya "school type" was positively associated with mathematic achievement, but in Zimbabwe no such association existed. Additionally, 25-30% of the variance in student achievement in mathematics in both countries is explained by differences between schools. These findings suggest a disparity in mathematics achievement between schools in both countries based on class size and school type. Stakeholders can use these findings to make policies that help establish parity across the schools.

This study employed regression analysis to investigate the relationship between primary school teachers' pedagogical practices and their knowledge of mathematics. The sample composed of 606 Grade 6 mathematics teachers in Namibia, i.e. 304 (50.2%) males and 302 (49.8%) females. The study utilized existing questionnaire data collected by the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ). The data were collected as part of a policy evaluation project covering 14 Southern African countries. Results from the study showed that teachers with high knowledge in mathematics at primary school level tend to use practical equipment in teaching mathematics, and employ individual problem solving by students in their teaching. On the other hand, teachers with low content knowledge of mathematics tend to use small groups problem-solving, quizzes and tests as part of their teaching strategies.

The authors aim to describe student attendance-mobility within a large urban district in ways that are meaningful and useful to schools and the community. First, the prevalence of mobility and nonattendance in Grades 1-12 across all students and by gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic subgroups is presented. Second, the impact on student mathematics achievement is examined. Results show that nonattendance-mobility negatively impact mathematics achievement as measured by the state's assessment, even after controlling for socioeconomic status and gender. Interestingly, there is not a differential impact across ethnicities. Black and White subgroups show similar patterns of achievement across attendance and mobility levels. Finally, the authors take a closer look at the 10 district high schools to determine where nonattendance-mobility is of particular concern. Implications for districts are discussed in terms of targeting the extent of the problem and where it is occurring, using that information to improve attendance and reduce mobility, and finally, instituting systematic approaches to deal with student movement in and out of schools. (Contains 3 notes, 3 tables and 7 figures.)

This article provides real life examples that can be used to explain statistical concepts. It does not attempt to be exhaustive, but rather, provide a few examples for selected concepts based on what students should know after taking a statistics course. (Contains 2 tables.)

This study examines the relationship between educators' locus of control and job stress using samples from the US and Zimbabwe. Multiple regression analyses are used to identify significant relationships in the US sample between teachers' external locus of control and the severity of the job stress that they experience, coupled with the perceived degree of organisational support received. However, this relationship between the locus of control and stress indices could not be identified for the Zimbabwean sample. Significant differences between the two samples were noted in terms of educators' perceptions of the frequency of poor organisational support, with the Zimbabwean teachers reporting greater dissatisfaction. To explain these differences, a qualitative approach was utilised to illuminate the contextual stressors that educators face in Zimbabwe. The implications for teacher preparation measures are discussed.

The need for global competence in mathematics is apparent. Algebra is considered a gateway course to prepare students for the demands of a competitive global market. Many students demonstrate low performance in algebra; this is especially true for students with disabilities. Effective algebra instruction is essential to increase algebra achievement of struggling learners. This meta-analysis analyzes interventions aimed at improving algebra performance of students with disabilities and those who are considered at-risk for a mathematics disability. Individual and weighted effect sizes are reported. Findings indicate schema/model-based interventions and concretere-presentational-abstract sequence had the largest effect sizes. Implications and need for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides real life examples that can be used to explain statistical concepts. It does not attempt to be exhaustive, but rather, provide a few examples for selected concepts based on what students should know after taking a statistics course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine patient, clinical, and hospital factors associated with receiving total hip arthroplasty (THA) and hemiarthroplasty (HA) in the United States., Study Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional study., Methods: Hospital discharge records with a principal diagnosis of hip fracture and primary hip arthroplasty or no surgery were identified from the 2009 Nationwide Inpatient Sample data set of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Patient (age, sex, race, income, payer), clinical (comorbidities, severity, fracture type), hospital (region, location, teaching status, bed size, ownership), and outcome (receipt of THA or HA) variables were extracted and weighted for the analyses. Univariate and multivariate analysis were conducted and significance was set at P < .05., Results: A total of 92,861, 15,489, and 9863 discharges occurred for HA, no surgery, and THA, respectively. Compared with no surgery, THA or HA was significantly more likely in patients who were aged > 50 years, white, and female; had > $39,000 income; lived in a medium-metro or noncore county; had comorbidities (anemia, hypertension); and had intracapsular fracture. THA or HA was significantly more likely in urban, privately owned hospitals with > 249 beds. Compared with no surgery, THA was significantly more likely in nonteaching hospitals, the Northeast region, and in private insurance or self-pay patients with moderate to severe fractures; HA was more likely in teaching hospitals, in the South and West, and in Medicare patients with minor fractures., Conclusions: Similarities and differences in patient, clinical, and hospital factors associated with surgical treatments of hip fracture warrant the attention of providers and payers.