Digitized Theses and Dissertations (1940 - 2009)
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://hdl.handle.net/10657/3932
About UH Libraries' Digitized Theses and Dissertations Project
University of Houston (UH) Libraries is engaged in a multi-year project to digitize and deliver online its collection of print theses and dissertations dating back to 1940, making the full breadth of scholarship produced by UH students more readily accessible around the world. There is no cost to the author for this service.
Alumni and other readers will be able to view these works as they are processed and made available through UH's open access repository. Works that are presumed to be under copyright will be restricted only to users who have an active CougarNet ID.
Please note, text may be faint or difficult to read, and pages may be missing or misnumbered in the print copies of theses or dissertations. UH Libraries staff have made every effort to provide the highest possible quality representation of the original works. To protect privacy and other rights, some personally identifiable information and/or copyrighted material is redacted from the works in this collection.
Theses and dissertations will continue to be made available through interlibrary loan (ILL) to other libraries, as when they were only available in print.
Requests for withdrawing works (except electronic theses and dissertations) must be directed to the online Takedown Request Form. Any other questions about this project may be directed to cougarroar@uh.edu.
Browse
Browsing Digitized Theses and Dissertations (1940 - 2009) by Subject "Academic achievement"
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item A comparative study of fifteen elementary students from monolingual Spanish-speaking homes : grade level achievers and low achievers(1986) Hansen, Alexandra F.; Walker-Felix, Judith; Peรฑa, Sylvia C.; Warner, Allen R.; Baptiste, H. Prentice, Jr.The Hispanic population in the Southwest is increasing very rapidly. The school districts must determine how best to meet the educational needs of low achieving limited English proficient (LEP) students. Educators are attempting to find ways to identify LEP minority children who belong in classes for the learning disabled. Although Public Law 94- 142 defined broad guidelines for identifying LD students in an average English-speaking population (they must have a significant intelligence-achievement discrepancy), differentiating LD students in a LEP population presents a different problem. Although they may be of normal intelligence, Hispanic bilingual childrenโs lack of English proficiency may retard their achievement in English academic subjects, making them seem like LD children. The use of a Performance (nonverbal) score as a measure of their intelligence, as is frequent practise, increases their chances of being labeled LD, because it is often much higher than their achievement scores. This case study of 15 children took a holistic approach to the identification of LD Hispanic children. By comparing in many areas low achieving children referred and placed in special education with similar children achieving on grade level, the researcher hoped to isolate characteristics which set the low achievers apart. She questioned parents and teachers, collected data from cumulative record and special education folders, and observed and tested children with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery of achievement tests. [...]Item A comparative study of selected background factors related to achievement of fifth- and sixth-grade students(1963) Ashworth, Marion Schrimsher, 1921-; Bishop, John E.; Moore, Alfred H.; Bottrell, Harold R.; Yost, William J.; Benbrook, JoyceThe purpose of this study was to discover if there were differences in selected background factors between mentally able children who achieved beyond expectancy and mentally able children who achieved below expectancy as measured by standardized achievement and mental maturity tests. The following background factors were investigated: (1) Socio-economic level, (2) Parental educational level, (5) Parental occupation and job stability, (4) Sibling status and birth order, (5) Parental vocational goal, (6) Talents and skills, (7) Private lessons, (8) Books and magazines, (9) Child's travel, (10) Child's home responsibilities, (11) Child's allowance, (12) Child's school needs, (15) Parental school activities, (14) School attendance, and (15) Special health and physical problems.Item A follow-up study of 331 Humacao, Puerto Rico Regional College alumni five years after starting as freshmen(1976) Velรยกzquez Flores, Guillermo; Proff, Fred C.; Cutting, Guy D.; Osborne, Gerald E.; Stovall, Franklin L.The University of Puerto Rico is an organic system of public higher education with a President as director and the Council on Higher Education as its governing board. The system is composed of the following autonomous units, each headed by a Chancellor: the University Campus at Rรยญo Piedras, the University Campus at Mayaguez, the University Campus for Medical Sciences, and the Administration of Regional Colleges of Higher Education. The Rรยญo Piedras Campus is one of the two units included in this study. It is by far the largest campus with an enrollment of 26,357 students. The second unit is the Humacao Regional College, which began operations in August 1962 at the city of Humacao with 267 students. Presently it has close to 3,000 students and 150 faculty members. The Humacao Regional College is a sub-unit headed by a Director, who is responsible to the Chancellor for all academic and administrative operations of the college. Considering the need for a systematic study of the public junior college in Puerto Rico, and with the advantage that most Humacao students do transfer to the main campus at Rรยญo Piedras, a fact finding a fact finding survey of all full-time students working toward a bachelor's degree and registered for the fall of 1967 was done at Humacao. All transfer students (331) fo the General Studies Faculty were included. Their official transcripts for five consecutive years including the spring of 1972 served as the main source for basic data. A multiple correlation matrix was prepared for the following variables: (1) Sex, (2) College Board Percentage, (3) High School General Point Average, (4) Humacao College General Point Average, (5) Rio Piedras Campus General Point Average, (6) Total College General Point Average, (7) One or More Probations, (8) One or MOre Courses Dropped, (9) One or More Departamental Changes, (10) Termination Year (1 to 5), (11) Success, (12) Age, and (13) Transfers. [...]Item A study of student achievement as evidenced by grades in two introductory biology courses in a large American university(1966) Flanagan, Frank G.; Stovall, Franklin L.; Carmical, LaVerne L.; Taulbee, George C.This study was undertaken to analyze student achievement as evidenced by grades made in two introductory courses in biology at a large university during the fall and spring semesters, 1964-65. These courses are recommended at the freshman level. They are designed to offer a foundation in the principles of general biology as background for later specialization in the area of botany, zoology, biochemistry, and other life sciences. Both courses consisted of two television lectures and one class meeting per week. The class meetings consisted of summarizing the television lectures of the previous week and administering ten unannounced quizzes during each course. Final course grades were determined by scores on two one-hour departmental tests, one departmental final examination, and the quizzes given in class. The majority of data for this study was derived from the final grade sheets of the individual instructors of each course. The university counseling and testing service provided Scholastic Aptitude Test scores for a random sample of freshman students. The analysis of data revealed these findings: (1) A high rate of failure was noted in Biology A. (2) The frequency of grades in Biology B was well distributed. (3) The enrollment in Biology B reflected a 26% decrease when compared with Biology A. (4) Two instructors, one in each course, departed markedly from their fellow instructors in the high percentage of D & F grades assigned. (5) The best chances for success in both courses appear to be in the sophomore year. (6) For a random sample of freshman students enrolled in Biology A, a significant relationship existed between course grades and SAT-Verbal and Total scores. It was recommended that the department under consideration reconsider the difficulty level of both courses. Similar studies of these courses for subsequent years were recommended to discover trends. It was further recommended that other departments of instruction conduct similar studies of student achievement.Item A study of the relationship between achievement motivation and academic achievement in Mexican-American elementary school boys(1966) Fairchild, Louis; Johnson, Dale; Stovall, Franklin L.; Red, Samuel Bliss; Carmical, LaVerne L.This study involved an investigation of achievement motivation and its relation to academic success in 50 Mexican-American elementary school boys, ranging in age from 10.6 to 13.9 years of age. Mexican-American subjects were selected for this study because of this group's low level of educational attainment and cultural heritage which would tend to promote motivational retardation. The hypothesis of the study was that a sample of achieving elementary school boys would have a greater need to achieve than a sample of nonachieving boys. A review of the literature produced some studies which concluded that achieving students do experience a greater need to achieve than nonachieving students, while other studies reported findings to the effect that this relationship does not exist. Most of these studies involved college students. A short version of a Thematic Apperception Test developed by McClelland was used to attain a measurement of achievement motivation in the subjects. Additional measures of motivation were obtained from a vocational choice and three wish projections made by each boy and teachers' ratings of the subjects' desire to achieve in school. An analysis of the data revealed no significant differences between the achieving and nonachieving boys along the dimensions of n achievement, vocational choice, or wish projections. A statistically significant correlation was obtained between intelligence and achievement motivation; correlations between n achievement and grade point averages and between n achievement and teachers' ratings of the subjects' desire to achieve were not significant. These results were discussed in terms of the validity of the measuring instrument, the definition of achievers and nonachievers, the possibility that the two groups did not in fact differ with respect to n achievement, and the relationship obtained between intelligence and achievement motivation. Three promising avenues of research were suggested.Item A study of the relationship between selected fine manipulative motor abilities and achievement in the introductory physical science course(1971) Lescarbeau, Wilfred J., 1918-; Schirner, Silas W.; Butler, John C.; Jackson, Andrew S.; Williams, Robert E.The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between fine manipulative motor abilities and achievement in a laboratory-oriented course, Introductory Physical Science (IPS). Fifty randomly selected 14 to 15 year old ninth grade male students were tested on five different measures of fine manipulative motor ability and an IPS standardized achievement test. School and College Ability Test (SCAT) scores for these subjects were obtained from the school counselor. The five fine manipulative motor ability factors tested were: Finger Dexterity, Speed of Arm Movement, Manual Dexterity, Aiming, and Arm-Hand Steadiness. A pilot study was accomplished for a five-fold purpose: to determine the suitability of the motor ability test equipment for use with eighth or ninth grade students, to write procedures for the use of this equipment, to test the capability of the equipment for subject discrimination, to determine the appropriate number of trials for use in the major study, and to calculate test reliability. [...]Item A study of the relationship between undergraduate and graduate marks in selected Texas schools(1953) Miller, Kenneth A., 1917-; Callicutt, Laurie T.; Donner, Arvin N.; Stovall, Franklin L.; Gibney, Esther F.; Hyer, JuneThe purpose of this investigation was to make a study of the relationships existing between undergraduate marks and graduate marks as a possible means of predicting graduate school success in nine Texas colleges and universities. These relationships were established through computing correlations between the grades gathered on 3,000 graduate students who had been awarded the master's degree from 1947-48 through 1951-52. Such factors as sex differences, veteran or non-veteran status, transfers and non-transfers, areas of academic study, and the time-lag factor between the awarding of the baccalaureate and graduate degrees were studied to determine their effect on the relationships.Item A study of the relationship of alienation to selected academic and behavioral variables in a high school student population(1970) Beneke, Joseph Simmons; North, Stewart D.; Cutting, Guy D.; Carbonari, Joseph P., Jr.; Burke, Richard L.The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship of alienation to selected academic and behavioral variables describing the students in a high school population. If significant relationships exist, alienation is a factor worthy of consideration by school administrators in efforts aimed toward improvement of schools as socializing institutions.Item Academic achievement and progress status associated factors in minimally brain injured children(1970) Gonzalez, Ann B. Hebal; McGaughran, L. S.; Gratch, Gerald; McCary, James L.; Baxter, James C.; Arnold, GenevieveThe study was an investigation of academic achievement and factors associated with differences in academic progress in minimally brain injured children. Data for the study were obtained from file records of the Houston Independent School District Special Services Center on pupils enrolled In special education classes for minimally brain injured children. Such children, in spite of apparent normal or above normal intellectual potential, were unable to adjust to or profit from the regular school program, presumably because of neurologically-based learning and/or behavior problems, and, therefore, had been placed in special education classes. A Criterion Instrument was developed, as part of the study, to delineate academic achievement criteria to be used to identify the "poor progressor" and "good progressor" children in the special education program. This instrument was designed to include information of classroom grade level performance, educational achievement test grade level status, and specific professional comments and recommendations indicative of academic progress status. Such criteria were found to be meaningful and reliable indications of pupil academic progress status. The poor progressors and good progressors classified on this basis showed significant differences on the individual Criterion Instrument item measures. The poor progressor and good progressor groups, classified on the basis of the Criterion Instrument assessment of progress status, were then matched for age, IQ, sex, race, special education experience, and socio-economic status. Forty matched pairs were selected; twenty pairs each were assigned at random to form the equated initial and cross-validation samples for the Predictor Indices investigation. The Predictor Indices were developed and used in the study to investigate factors related to the progress status of minimally brain injured children. These Indices included items concerned with physical history, family and home situation, school history, learning asset and liability patterns, and behavioral symptoms. The Predictor Indices factors that showed the anticipated significant relationship to poor academic progress status in the cross-validation or combined Initial and cross-validation samples are as follows: (a) greater physical defect incidence and degree of significance for school performance, (b) greater incidence of somatic complaints unrelated to neurological involvement, (c) greater need for medical attention significantly related to school performance, (d) greater frequency of EEG evidence of neurological involvement, (e) greater number of children in the home, (f) higher incidence of parent physical and emotional health problems, (g) greater frequency of less parent educational achievement, (h) greater incidence of parent-child relationship disturbance, (1) higher frequency of leniency and Inconsistency in child management and parental rejection, overprotection, and lack of cooperation with professional school personnel, (j) greater Incidence of grade repetition prior to special class enrollment, (k) less personal educational special services received prior to MBI class placement, (1) lower grade status at the time of special class placement, (m) fewer liabilities and greater assets evidenced In learning modality functioning prior to special education placement, and (n) lower activity level and less general expressive behavior prior to special class enrollment. These findings suggest that the Predictor Indices have value for practical application. The indices may be helpful in selecting pupils who are likely to benefit from special class placement. A preliminary Indices evaluation would also aid in detecting negative influences that require correction or modification before proper academic achievement can be effected.Item Academic achievement and student perception of importance of non-cognitive correlates(1970) Eichman, Nelson Franklin, 1934-; Sanders, Stanley G.; Atkinson, Gene; Carbonari, Joseph P., Jr.; Stovall, Franklin L.Problem. The purpose of this study was three-fold: first, to identify factors which have been recognized in earlier research as being non-cognitive correlates of academic achievement; second, to develop an instrument which would measure the perceptions of students as to the relative importance of these non-cognitive correlates; and, third, to determine whether students' perceptions of the relative importance of non-cognitive correlates of academic achievement significantly affected academic success. Procedures. A thorough survey of the literature and research identified a list of predictors of academic achievement. This list was refined through consolidation of statements of similarity. The refined list was adapted to eleven statements in language appropriate for fifth-grade students. A pilot study was conducted in a neighboring school district. [...]Item An analysis of academic achievement trends for Anglo-American, Mexican-American, and Negro-American students in a desegregated school environment(1972) Morrison, Grant A., Jr.; Kennedy, V. J.; Doughtie, Eugene B.; Nesbitt, William O.; Sanders, Stanley G.The purpose of this study was to determine whether the academic performance of Anglo-American, Mexican-American, and Negro-American students is affected by being involved in a desegregated school setting. An analysis was made of the longitudinal effects that a desegregated school setting in a large, urban school district had on the academic achievement of these three ethnic groups, as compared to the academic achievement of students who were enrolled in a segregated school setting in a large, urban school district. Procedures. The design for the study and the analyses of the data was that of a quasi-experimental, time-series format, with two component groups of subjects, Group I and Group II. The Group I component contained a total of 1200 subjects, selected in such a manner that each subject was used only in one, one-year interval of the study. Group II made use of the same subjects and their scores for each of the six, one-year intervals of the study. Both Group I and the Group II component subjects were selected through cluster and random sampling techniques for use in the collection of data from the three ethnic groups. All subjects were administered an achievement test at Grade 3 through Grade 8. The Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Form 3 and Form 4, Multi-level Edition were administered to students in Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8. The testing began in the Spring of the 1965-1966 school year for Grade 3, with subsequent administration annually in the Spring of each year of the study: 1967, 1968, and 1969. The last administration was to the Grade 8 sample in the Fall of the 1970-1971 school year, which reflects the academic achievement at Grade 7. A four dimensional factorial analysis of variance was used to analyze the independent and interactive independent variable effects that (1) race, (2) sex, (3) years, and (4) segregated/desegregated treatment had on each of the four dependent variables: vocabulary, reading, arithmetic concepts, and total basic skill achievement. [...]Item An analysis of the effects of teacher assignment in the Houston Independent School District on student academic achievement(1978) Sanders, Jimy Mack; Dworkin, A. Gary; Bell, David P.; Black, Frank S.The Singleton Ratio is a court ordered plan requiring the racial makeup of certified employees and teacher aides in every school of a district to roughly represent the racial characteristics of those employees district wide. The ongoing educational process between determinants of student achievement and student achievement outcomes is the avenue through which the Singleton Ratio process may affect student achievement. Faculty desegregation has impacted certain determinants of student academic achievement (e.g., teaching experience of faculty members, the degree of similarity between the ethnic backgrounds of students and teachers). The resulting changes in these determinants of student achievement have, it is alleged by critics of the faculty desegregation policy, tended to lower student and teacher commitment to the educational attainment of students. As a result of lowered commitment among students and teachers, it is further charged that the academic achievement outcomes of students have been lowered. A model has been developed in order to analyze the theoretical process described above. The model considers several determinants of student academic achievement which have been affected by the Singleton Ratio process and observable indicators of student commitment, teacher commitment and student academic achievement. The results of measuring the strengths of the relationships within the model suggest that the Singleton Ratio process has not affected student academic achievement in the elementary grades of the Houston Independent School District.Item An evaluation of a type of special counseling at the undergraduate level as related to academic success(1968) Sherman, Jerome Nathaniel; Stovall, Franklin L.At many colleges, the freshmen who arrive in the fall receive little aid from faculty advisers. The student is in need of discovering the proper approach and the appropriate method of selecting courses as well as the proper amount of course hours requirements and prerequisites established by the specific university. The new student needs to be involved in an advisement system which cares about him as an individual. Faculty members are in an excellent position to carry out such advisement. It is obvious that such successful programs depend upon several factors. Various sets of criteria may produce various results, oftentimes even conflicting ones. The study and experiment reported here pertain to the overall academic success of students after a brief counseling session with specially trained faculty members. The question asked is: Will those students who have been advised by the special counselors reflect seme of the effects of this program? In the fall of 1966, a random sample of incoming freshmen students were involved with this study. There were 351 freshmen in the control and experimental groups - 169 in the control group and 182 in the experimental group. Within the control group, 76 were males and 93 were females, while within the experimental group, 78 were males and 104 were females. The two groups were statistically comparable in regard to age, high school grade point average, class quarter rank, senior class percentile rank, and the math and verbal scores on the scholastic aptitude test. The control group went through the usual registration and advising routine. The experimental group was given special advising and counseling by faculty members who had undergone a period of instruction and indoctrination. These advisers tried to communicate their genuine concern for the students' wellbeing within the university system. The variables used at the end of three semesters to discover whether some effect was attained are: grade point averages, grade points comparison, course hours completed, course hours dropped, proportion of dropouts, proportion of probation, proportion on the dean's list, change of major, and high vs. low achievers. To ascertain whether the observed differences between the experimental and control groups were statistically significant, t tests and chi square tests were applied to the data. On the basis of the statistical analysis there is no evidence to refute the null hypothesis that under the special advisement system set forth in this study, there are no statistically significant differences between the experimental and control students. The brief advisement session with the special faculty members does not seem to be a long enough period to have significant effects. However, there are strong trends and tendencies apparent to suggest that there was sore effect upon the experimental group due to the special advisers. The students of the experimental group always produced higher grade point averages, higher grade points, less dropouts after the first semester, less probationary students, and more high achievers.Item An investigation of the effect of the Follow Through Program on selected behavior and personality constructs of Mexican American pupils(1975) Pรฉrez, Antonio; Cutting, Guy D.; Osburn, Hobart G.; Sanders, Stanley G.; Stewart, Ida SantosThe major purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the Corpus Christi Independent School District's Follow Through Program on selected behavior and personality constructs of participating Mexican American pupils. The behavior constructs investigated were achievement and absenteeism. The personality constructs investigated were self-concept and motivation. A secondary purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between the instruments used to determine achievement, self-concept and motivation. The study involved an experimental and a comparison group. The experimental group consisted of second and third grade pupils who were enrolled in the Follow Through Program. The components of the program were: (1) bilingual instruction; (2) medical and dental services; (3) guidance and psychological services; (4) social services; (5) parental involvement; (6) nutrition; (7) staff development; and (8) evaluation. The comparison group consisted of second and third grade pupils in two similar schools. The pupils were involved in the Title I Diagnostic Reading and Mathematics Program. The Static Group Comparison statistical design was used to determine the differences between groups. The data were treated through the analysis of variance technique. The Pearson (product/moment) correlation coefficient statistical technique was used to determine the correlation between test and subtests. The significance of differences and correlation were tested at the .05 level. The instruments used to measure achievement were the Science Research Associates Assessment Survey, the Inter-American Test of Reading, and the Pruebas de Lecture. The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory and the Self-Concept and Motivation Inventory were used to measure self-concept. The Self-Concept and Motivation Inventory was used to measure motivation. Absenteeism was determined by the number of days pupils were absent during the 1973-74 school year as reported by the Attendance Register. [...]Item Effects of modularized science instruction on student achievement and attitudes in inner city junior high schools(1972) Connor, James Lewis; Jones, Howard L.; Kimball, Aubrey P.; McClintock, Robert E.; Roberts, Richard A.This study was designed to investigate the effects of the presentation of eighth grade science material in modular form. The factors investigated were the effect of modularized instruction on (1) students' attitudes toward school, science class, scientists, and science, (2) student achievement of subject matter mastery in eighth grade science, and (3) the retention of the subject matter. The basis for comparison was a control group taught by the teachers' usual methods. The various experiences of the students, other than instructional mode, were held as constant as was feasible. This included the use of common behavioral objectives, laboratory activities, use of audiovisual materials, field experiences, and other potential or probable sources of variability. In short, the only difference between the experimental treatment and the treatment of the control group was assumed to be the use of modules for the experimental group and nonmodularized instruction for the control group. [...]Item Factorial study of teacher marks and standardized tests(1965) Pope, Billy Newton, 1930-; Kowitz, Gerald T.; Nesbitt, William O.; Fearing, Joseph L.; Sterrett, Marvin D.; Yost, William J.Purpose of the study. The study was based on the premise that effective decision-making on the management level can be materially aided through the use of a cybernetic approach. The feasibility of such a system is dependent upon reliable and valid information being furnished through an iterative loop. The study explored the utility of currently existing measurements of student achievement for the possible future development of a model for cybernetic-assisted management in curriculum development. Procedures and sources of data. Data utilized in the study were obtained from the scores on the subtests of the Iowa Tests of Educational Development and teacher-made tests and grades in biology, English, and American history. The data were obtained on 480 eleventh grade students in eight selected high schools in the Gulf Coast Area of Texas. The analysis of the data was accomplished on the 7094 IBM computer of the Data Processing Center of the University of Houston. The principal axes factor analysis was used to determine the factorial structure of student achievement. [...]Item "Full-term scholastic survival" empiric keying of an interest inventory in the prediction of academic performance(1966) Yanis, Martin; Taulbee, George C., Sr.; Schnitzen, Joseph P.; Stovall, Franklin L.; Osburn, Hobart G.; Ferguson, Noel M.This study was designed to test a concept not hitherto reported In the research on scholastic performance prediction. Theory and empiric research on the relationship of Inventoried interests to student success In higher education were reviewed. The major approaches described and evaluated were the use of relevant established occupational scales, the empiric sifting of many diverse interest scales, and the construction of situation-specific special-purpose keys by item analysis and re-valldatlon. The particular needs of a predictive Instrument to supplement aptitude tests and prior grades for pharmacy students were indicated. A rationale was outlined for using, In the prediction of academic success, the Interest patterns of terminal students who maintained normal progress throughout their studies In pharmacy. Postulated as prerequisite or facilitative to predictions of unique variance by this method were: scholastic-efficiency differentiability of curriculum-homogeneous students by their SVIB responses; longitudinal differentiability of such populations by the same means; and the durability and relevance to individual learning processes of these differentiations. Hypotheses were formulated to represent these postulates and to determine the role of Interests characteristic of practicing community pharmacists. Longitudinal differentiability by SVIB responses was clearly established, while scholastic-efficiency differentiability was shown to be more feasible for freshmen than for first professional year students. The negative relationship between the Interest patterns of established pharmacists and scholastic criteria in undergraduates was accompanied by a similar finding for the Interest key derived from 1965 graduates who experienced normal progress throughout their studies. Some Implications for pharmaceutical education and for Interest key construction were discussed.Item Length of time in a bilingual program and academic achievement among second grade Mexican American students(1980) Richardson, Juanita Casillas; Baptiste, H. Prentice, Jr.; Flores, Alfredo R.; McDaniel, Clyde O., Jr.; Walker, Judith A.The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between length of time in a bilingual program and academic achievement among second grade Mexican American students. One hundred seventy-five students were selected. Their selection was based upon their presence and length of time in a bilingual program. Specifically, the time variable was one, two, and three years spent in a bilingual program. The following instruments were used to obtain data: Self-Concept and Motivation Inventory, Early Elementary Form for Grade 2; Bilingual Syntax Measure, English Version; and Primary Battery of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. To ascertain the magnitude of the relationship between length of time in a bilingual program, a Pearson product moment correlation coefficient rxy was computed. It was expected that the relationship would be positive. A partial correlation was also computed on the relationship between length of time in a bilingual program and academic achievement, controlling for self-concept, oral English language proficiency, and gender. The level of significance was set at .05. Statistical Findings The analysis of the data revealed four significant statistical correlations: 1. Length of time in a bilingual program does affect a pupil's school achievement. 2. Low self-concept was significantly related to length of time in a bilingual program and academic achievement . 3. For females, there was a significant correlation between length of time in a bilingual program and academic achievement. 4. For the highest level of oral English language proficiency, there was a significant correlation between length of time in a bilingual program and academic achievement. In contrast, this study also revealed no significant relationships: 1. Between length of time in the program and academic achievement for students with a high self-concept. 2. Between length of time in the program and academic achievement for males. 3. Between length of time in the program and academic achievement for levels 3 and 4 on the Bilingual Syntax Measure. [...]Item Patterns of relationships of fluid and crystallized mental abilities to achievement in different ethnic groups(1972) Miller, Max Donald; McClintock, Robert E.; Frankiewicz, Ronald G.; Miller, Albert H.; Strauss, Gary H.; Rice, James A.Important variations of mental abilities and their relationships to achievement patterns in different ethnic groups have not been thoroughly studied in a systematic manner. A basic premise is that ethnic influences result in different kinds of intellectual skills. This premise can be translated into questions of the meaning, in terms of fluid and crystallized mental abilities, of ethnic group membership and the relationship of patterns of mental abilities to achievement in different ethnic groups. The purpose of this study was to test the hypotheses that there were no differences in patterns of mental ability among different ethnic groups and that there were no differences in patterns of relationships between ability and achievement for different ethnic groups. By examination of the entire set of means on measures of mental abilities it was possible to determine that three ethnic groups--Mexican American, White, and Black--could be differentiated in terms of fluid and crystallized intelligence. Stepwise discriminant analysis was used to determine the dimensions of differences that occurred. Canonical correlation was used to determine relationships between ability and achievement variables; coefficients of congruence were calculated for pair-wise comparisons of canonical vectors between groups, and specific ethnic patterns of relationships were found.Item Peer effects on academic achievement(1988) Jones, David Lester; Dworkin, A. Gary; Rodriguez, Nestor; Randall, Robert S.This thesis is based on 905 students in 150 classrooms for grades four, five, and six in the Houston Independent School District for 1977. Peer effects was added to a model developed by Dworkin (1987) that employed teacher, student, and campus effects to explain student academic achievement (gain score). The results of this thesis are that there is a significant increase in the amount of variance explained in student academic achievement (gain score) for each grade, as well as when the overall caseis tested.