American Educational Research Journal 53卷第5期

1. “The Behavior Kids”  Examining the Conflation of Youth Reading Difficulty and Behavior Problem Positioning Among School Institutional Contexts

Author: Julie E. Learned

Source: American Educational Research Journal(October 1, 2016): 1271–1309

Abstract:

Youth readers navigate complex school contexts involving not only different classes, teachers, and texts but also various institutional processes, such as tracking and reading assessment. Yet little research has examined how or why adolescents’ literacy skills vary as youths interact with these myriad contexts across space and time. During this year-long study, I shadowed eight ninth graders identified as struggling readers across content classes. Data sources included 425 hours of observations, 64 interviews, assessments, and school records and artifacts. Analysis showed that participants’ interactions with interrelated institutional contexts for reading intervention and school discipline tended to position students as deficient readers and deviant youths regardless, sometimes, of engaged, skillful reading. Findings have implications for the reconstruction of secondary literacy contexts.

2. Indiana Emergent Bilingual Student Time to Reclassification  A Survival Analysis

Author: April M. Burke, Trish Morita-Mullaney, Malkeet Singh

Source: American Educational Research Journal(October 1, 2016): 1310–1342

Abstract:

In this study, we employed a discrete-time survival analysis model to examine Indiana emergent bilingual time to reclassification as fluent English proficient. The data consisted of five years of statewide English language proficiency scores. Indiana has a large and rapidly growing Spanish-speaking emergent bilingual population, and these students are prevalent in the low socioeconomic status group. Our findings suggest that Spanish home language status, low socioeconomic status, and special education status are negatively associated with the odds to reclassification. Based on our findings, we recommend a careful investigation to inform best practices that will meet the needs of Spanish-speaking emergent bilinguals and reduce inequities in education.

3. Effects of Extracurricular Participation During Middle School on Academic Motivation and Achievement at Grade 9

Author: Qian Cao, Oi-man Kwok

Source: American Educational Research Journal(October 1, 2016):1343–1375

Abstract:

We investigated the effect of participating in two domains of extracurricular activities (sports and performance arts/clubs) in Grades 7 and 8 on Grade 9 academic motivation and letter grades, above baseline performance. Participants were 483 students (55% male; 33% Euro-American, 25% African American, and 39% Latino). Propensity score weighting controlled for potential confounders in all analyses. Delayed (Grade 8 only) and continuous participation (Grades 7 and 8) in sports predicted competence beliefs and valuing education; delayed and continuous participation in performance arts/clubs predicted teacher-rated engagement and letter grades. Benefits of participation were similar across gender and ethnicity; however, Latino youth were least likely to participate in extracurricular activities. Implications for reducing ethnic and income disparities in educational attainment are discussed.

4. Extracurricular Activity Participation in High School  Mechanisms Linking Participation to Math Achievement and 4-Year College Attendance

Author: David S. Morris

Source: American Educational Research Journal(October 1, 2016):1376–1410

Abstract:

Extracurricular activity participation (EAP) has been positively linked with increased academic achievement and college attendance. However, the mechanisms linking EAP to educational outcomes are poorly understood. Using the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS), this study contributes to our understanding of the relationship between EAP and educational success by (1) examining the ability of nine educational, social, and developmental mechanisms to explain the link between EAP and high school math achievement gains and the chances of 4-year college attendance and (2) examining the ability of family income to moderate the influence of these mechanisms. Results suggest that educational expectations, noncognitive skills, and social capital in the form of communication among parental groups are meaningful mediators, regardless of family income. These findings extend the literature concerned with understanding how EAP is related to academic outcomes, a connection that is not necessarily intuitive.

5. School Organizational Contexts, Teacher Turnover, and Student Achievement  Evidence From Panel Data

Author: Matthew A. Kraft, William H. Marinell, Darrick Shen-Wei Yee

Source: American Educational Research Journal(October 1, 2016):1411–1449

Abstract:

We study the relationship between school organizational contexts, teacher turnover, and student achievement in New York City (NYC) middle schools. Using factor analysis, we construct measures of four distinct dimensions of school climate captured on the annual NYC School Survey. We identify credible estimates by isolating variation in organizational contexts within schools over time. We find that improvements in school leadership especially, as well as in academic expectations, teacher relationships, and school safety are all independently associated with corresponding reductions in teacher turnover. Increases in school safety and academic expectations also correspond with student achievement gains. These results are robust to a range of threats to validity suggesting that our findings are consistent with an underlying causal relationship.

6. Do Top Dogs Rule in Middle School?   Evidence on Bullying, Safety, and Belonging

Author: Amy Ellen Schwartz, Leanna Stiefel, Michah W. Rothbart

Source: American Educational Research Journal(October 1, 2016):1450–1484

Abstract:

Recent research finds that grade span affects academic achievement but only speculates about the mechanisms. In this study, we examine one commonly cited mechanism, the top dog/bottom dog phenomenon, which states that students at the top of a grade span (“top dogs”) have better experiences than those at the bottom (“bottom dogs”). Using an instrumental variables strategy introduced in Rockoff and Lockwood (2010) and a longitudinal data set containing student survey data for New York City public middle school students, we estimate the impact of top dog and bottom dog status on bullying, safety, belonging, and academic achievement. This article provides the first credibly causal evidence that top dog status improves the learning environment and academic achievement. We further find that the top dog effect is strongest in sixth grade and in schools with longer grade spans and that the top dog effect is not explained by new students to a school or student height.