The COVID-19 pandemic caused schools nationwide to open the 2019-2020 school year with educational options for students and parents. Distance learning has become increasingly popular with the ability to learn anytime and anywhere. Traditional learning provides face-to-face instruction with the ability for collaboration among students. This…

Unlike organized activities such as sports and arts, civic activities in adolescence (e.g., volunteering, student government) have been less studied in relation to school success and almost all existing evidence consists of cross-sectional findings. In a longitudinal study, 1035 pupils (64% females, 20% nonwhite, M[subscript age] = 14.21 years)…

This dissertation investigates whether dual credit students' academic performance in subsequent university courses is comparable to that of non-dual-credit students. The study uses data from a Midwest regional public university over a ten-year period and employs propensity score matching and proportional odds ordinal logistic regression to create…

This research brief examines the effect of dual credit participation on second-year persistence and first-year GPA at Kentucky public four-year universities, broken down by income. It is the fifth of six research briefs exploring the effects of dual credit on postsecondary outcomes.

This study examined physics major retention to degree at two institutions with substantially different admissions selectivity. Two modes of leaving the physics major were examined: leaving college and changing to another major while staying in college. The risk of leaving college while still enrolled as a physics major was highest in the spring…

Social and emotional (SE) skills are known to be linked with many important life outcomes, including academic performance, performance on standardized college entrance exams, and college enrollment, although research on enrollment is limited. In this report, the authors present data points from a study that evaluated test-criterion validity…

Background/Context: Taking even one Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), dual enrollment, or other college-preparatory course is positively associated with student outcomes including test scores; high school graduation; and college matriculation, major choice, and completion (Adelman, 2006; An & Taylor, 2019; Author,…

The main purpose of this study is determining the correlations between personality traits, academic mental skills and educational outcomes using a quantitative methodology, based on a non-experimental, correlational study. In addition, the following variables are taken into consideration: gender, grade averages and school cycle. The sample is…

Dual credit programs are collaborations between secondary and postsecondary institutions that enable high school students to enroll in college courses and receive simultaneous academic or technical credit that counts toward high school and college completion. Nationally and in Kentucky, dual credit participation is on the rise. The total number of…

This study sought to estimate the potential benefits of using ACT® WorkKeys® Curriculum to improve foundational workplace skills and subsequent performance on the ACT® WorkKeys® Applied Math, Workplace Documents, and Graphic Literacy assessments. Students at Nevada State High School (NSHS) took the WorkKeys Assessments before and after using ACT…

Adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at heightened risk of experiencing academic difficulties due to organizational deficits. Impairment can be exacerbated through poor sleep hygiene and excessive daytime sleepiness, prevalent sleep challenges for adolescents with ADHD. Given established relationships among sleep,…

Traditionally, a college grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 or higher has signified that a student has made acceptable academic progress and avoided academic probation. However, having a 3.00 or higher has signified a level of success that is often required for admission to graduate school, maintaining a scholarship or enrollment in an honors…

Conventional wisdom suggests that parents' educational expectations (how far they expect their children to go) and aspirations (how far they want their children to go) positively impact academic outcomes and benefits from attending high-ability schools. However, here we juxtapose the following: largely positive effects of educational expectations…

The health benefits of physical activity are empirically supported and well accepted. However, the relationship between physical activity, physical fitness, and academic performance remains to be clearly established. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between physical fitness and academic achievement among a sample of…

Using a randomized control trial design, this study examines the extent to which a comprehensive college transition program (CCTP) shapes students' time-use during their first 3 years in college. The CCTP provides comprehensive student-centered support as well as a generous scholarship. We compare students who had access to the CCTP with those who…