Category: Achievement

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Achievement Educational Administration and Leadership Primary School Education Programme Evaluation

Evidence supports Air Reading

Research consistently highlights the benefits of tutoring for improving student learning and closing achievement gaps. However, scaling up in-person tutoring can be challenging in certain settings. As a result, an increasing number of studies are exploring the efficacy of virtual tutoring as a potential solution. A recent study conducted in spring 2024 of the Air Reading program adds valuable insight to this discussion.

Air Reading is a virtual tutoring program providing skills-based instruction in reading, delivered via paid tutors using a virtual synchronous instruction platform. With a 1:3 tutor-to-student ratio, the program is intended to strike a balance between scalability and individualization.

A randomized controlled trial of Air Reading was conducted in a rural Texas district with 418 first-sixth grade students across six schools. Tutored students received four 40-minute sessions per week for one semester. At post-test, Air Reading students outperformed control students on the NWEA MAP reading assessment (ES = + 0.12), equivalent to an average of 1.6 additional months of learning. Treatment students attended an average of 39.8 sessions of tutoring, and those who completed 40 or more sessions demonstrated significantly higher gains than those with fewer sessions (ES = + 0.17).

 

Source (Open Access): Neitzel, A. J., & Storey, N. (2024). Air reading: A randomized evaluation of a virtual tutoring model. https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/handle/1774.2/70119… Read the rest

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Achievement Educational Administration and Leadership K-12 Education Social and Motivational Outcomes

Effectiveness of flipped classrooms on student outcomes

Flipped classroom refers to an instructional approach where students first learn new material through videos outside of class, and then use class time for reviewing the content, hands-on activities, and deeper learning.

A meta-analysis conducted by Li and colleagues examined the effects of flipped classrooms on K–12 student outcomes. The authors included randomized and quasi-experimental studies with more than ten students in which flipped classrooms were compared to regular teacher practice. After excluding the studies that did not meet the criteria, 129 studies were included in the review.

The average effect sizes after excluding outliers were +0.53 for student performance, +0.56 for cognitive outcomes, and +0.46 for affective outcomes. Due to the high variability in effects between studies, the authors examined which characteristics are factors (e.g., duration, teacher training) that moderate the effects of flipped classrooms. Region was found to be a significant moderator, with a larger effect in low- and middle-income countries compared to high-income countries. Considering methodological characteristics, the authors found that it is more effective when the same instructor teaches consistently than when instructors change during an intervention. In addition, outcomes that include a wide range of tests show smaller effect sizes than those that use more specific measures, such as a unit test.

Overall, the characteristics related to educational context and research methodology explained a substantial portion of the variability in the overall effects.

 

Source: Li, S., Fu, W., Liu, X., & Hwang, G.-J. (2024). Effectiveness of flipped classrooms for k–12 students: Evidence from a three-level meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 00346543241261732. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543241261732… Read the rest

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Achievement Educational Administration and Leadership K-12 Education

Can metacognition predict academic achievement? A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies

Metacognition refers to students’ self-regulation abilities in their learning process, involving planning, monitoring, and assessing one’s understanding and performance. For instance, the degree to which students monitor their progress during preparing for exams and recognize necessary adjustment for academic success. Previous studies indicated early metacognitive predicts subsequent academic achievement. Though meta-analyses examined the relationships between metacognition and academic outcomes, relying primarily on cross-sectional studies would risk bias from common method variance. To address this, He and colleagues conducted a three-level meta-analysis utilizing only longitudinal studies.

The meta-analysis included 28 studies, yielding 66 effect sizes, published between 1990 and 2023. These studies featured time-lag between measures of metacognition and academic outcomes ranging from 3 to 24 months, with an average of 10.3 months. Results revealed a small but significant positive correlation between initial metacognition and subsequent academic achievement (r = +0.22). Moderator analyses found on-line measures (r = +0.32), which utilized behavioral measure (e.g., on-going task performance), were stronger predictors than off-line measures (r=+0.17), which mainly used self-report questionnaire, after controlling other moderators. Effects also varied by metacognition components with largest effect for metacognitive skill (r = +0.34), followed by metacognitive awareness (r=+0.22), metacognitive strategy study (r = +0.21), and metacognitive knowledge (r = +0.17).

Additionally, examining the reversal link, results found a small positive correlation between initial academic achievement and subsequent metacognition (r=+0.12). Furthermore, autoregressive cross-lagged meta-analytic structural equation modelling revealed significant small bidirectional associations: students’ metacognition predicted their subsequent academic performance (beta = +0.038), and their academic outcomes also predicted future metacognition (beta = +0.079).

While longitudinal data shed light on dynamic relationships, the authors caution that causal inferences cannot be definitively drawn from fitting hypothesized model. Overall, the meta-analysis provides evidence that metacognition and achievement reciprocally and weakly predict each other over time.

 

Source: He, G., Chen, S., Lin, H., & Su, A. (2024). The association between initial metacognition and subsequent academic achievement: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Educational Psychology Review, 36(3), 81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09922-w… Read the rest

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Achievement Educational Administration and Leadership K-12 Education

Effectiveness of collaborative teaching models on academic achievement

A recent meta-analysis published in Review of Educational Research examined the effects of co-teaching. Co-teaching and related collaborative teaching models are defined as interventions delivered by two or more teachers or professionals in the same physical space. The authors included randomized and quasi-experimental studies that investigated the effects of collaborative teaching models on student outcomes in arts, social science, and STEM subjects in K-12, published between 1984 and 2020. After excluding studies that did not meet the criteria, as well as another 52 studies for low methodological quality, 76 studies were included in the review.

The mean effect size across the studies was +0.11, with a large variability. Characteristics highlighted in the literature as relevant factors (e.g., duration, teacher training) for the impact of co-teaching did not play a role in the results. Similar results were found for interventions conducted by trained teachers and by teaching assistants without a qualification, suggesting that co-teaching may be implemented in a more cost-effective way.

 

Source: Vembye, M. H., Weiss, F., & Hamilton Bhat, B. (2024). The effects of co-teaching and related collaborative models of instruction on student achievement: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 94(3), 376–422. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543231186588… Read the rest

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Achievement Primary School Education Secondary School Education Social and Motivational Outcomes

Student engagement and its association with academic achievement and subjective well-being

Student engagement is one of the key indicators of student motivation and student outcomes. Wong and colleagues conducted a systemic review including 137 studies to examine how student engagement (i.e., affective, behavioral, and cognitive) is measured and its correlation with academic achievement and subjective well-being (SWB). The review found following subtypes among included studies:

  • Affective engagement: divided into (a) relational engagement, (b) affective engagement in school, and (c) affective engagement in learning.
  • Behavioral engagement: categorized into (a) participatory and (b) effortful engagement.
  • Cognitive engagement included (a) motivational, (b) self-regulatory, and (c) effortful engagement, the latter overlapped with behavioral engagement due to same indicators.

The meta-analysis of 533 effect sizes from 110 studies revealed a moderate correlation between student engagement and academic performance (r=+0.33). Behavioral engagement had the largest correlation (r=+0.39), followed by cognitive (r=+0.31) and affective (r=+0.26). Findings of meta-regression with multiple moderators revealed:

  • Teacher reported engagement has a stronger association with academic performance than student reported measures.
  • School grades showed a higher effect size than standardized test scores.
  • Correlation was stronger when academic achievement was measured in the same year as student engagement.
  • Subtype of affective engagement was a significantly moderator, with affective in learning activities showing the largest effect size (r=+0.33). Participatory behavioral engagement also showed a stronger association (r=+0.40) compared to effortful engagement (r=+0.38).

A separate meta-analysis of 158 effect sizes across 18 studies found a significant correlation between student engagement and SWB (r=+0.35). Affective engagement showed the largest effect size (r=+0.40) compared to cognitive (r=+0.35) and behavioral (r=+0.31). Association was significantly smaller when SWB was measured as negative affect (r=-0.20), compared to positive affect (r=+0.36) or life satisfaction (r=+0.39).

The findings emphasize the importance of precisely defining and measuring the subtypes of engagement to avoid overgeneralization and improve conceptual clarity. The study encouraged scholars to refine and clarify the operational definitions used in engagement research.

Source: Wong, Z. Y., Liem, G. A. D., Chan, M., & Datu, J. A. D. (2024). Student engagement and its association with academic achievement and subjective well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 116(1), 48–75. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000833… Read the rest

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Achievement Educational Administration and Leadership Primary School Education Secondary School Education

Improving student outcomes through school meals

An increasing body of literature connects the benefits of school meals and dietary interventions to student academic outcomes and attendance. Despite this, 15 states rejected federal funds for summer food programs targeting hungry children. Those states quick to cut or devalue such programs may want to examine the results from Olarte and colleagues’ systematic review of alternative school breakfast service models.

The authors drew from 332 articles, resulting in a sample of 37 studies and reports, to examine the effect of Breakfast-After-The-Bell (BATB) programs on student diet and academic outcomes, including classroom behavior, program participation, dietary quality, body mass index, school attendance, and academic performance.

The study found strong ties between BATB programs and increased school breakfast participation, as well as improvements to student diet quality and classroom behavior. These results were found to be particularly strong for students from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, as well as for students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Although there were no significant results on student achievement, there were positive results regarding attendance. Of the ten studies conducted in elementary schools, six found increased student attendance, while all four studies conducted in middle or high school settings found improved student attendance. Studies that examined the effect across elementary, middle, and high school also saw positive impacts on attendance. The authors suggest these results might point to greater impacts for older students of BATB programs.

 

Source (Open Access): Olarte, D. A., Tsai, M. M., Chapman, L., Hager, E. R., & Cohen, J. F. W. (2023). Alternative school breakfast service models and associations with breakfast participation, diet quality, body mass index, attendance, behavior, and academic performance: A systematic review. Nutrients, 15(13), Article 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15132951… Read the rest