Journal articles on the topic 'Indigenous student retention and attendance'

This paper aims to provide some insight into the links between attendance, retention and engagement of Indigenous senior students in an urban environment. A study of 58 students from two urban high schools during the period 2009–14 was undertaken. The study used data from a variety of school records, as well as informal interviews with students. It is argued that while the broader comprehensive statistical studies are useful there is a need to have some more, in depth, localised studies in urban schools. Results of the study support the link between absences and student disengagement. There was a clear positive link between retention to Year 12 and superior attendance. In many individual instances, the links between attendance, retention and engagement were complex. There was also a need to place emphasis on alternative paths for some of the disengaged group rather than just trying to improve attendance. These paths included employment opportunities, Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and post school traineeships or apprenticeships. This paper points to the need for further longitudinal studies in urban high schools to study the long-term life outcomes for Indigenous students.

In the remote schooling context, much recent media attention has been directed to issues of poor attendance, low attainment rates of minimal benchmarks in literacy and numeracy, poor retention and the virtual absence of transitions from school to work. The Australian government's recent ‘Gonski review’ (Review of Funding for Schooling – Final Report 2011) also strongly advocates the need to increase investment and effort into remote education across Australia in order to address the concerns of under-achievement, particularly of Indigenous students. Large-scale policies designed to improve access to services have caused a significant increase in services delivered from external sources, policy development at all levels of government, and tight accountability measures that affect remote communities and in turn, schools in various ways. Remote educators find themselves caught in the middle of this systemic discourse and the voices and values that exist in the remote communities where they live. Within this complex environment, the purpose of this article is to amplify Indigenous community voices and values in the discourse and by doing so, challenge ourselves as educators and educational leaders to examine the question: ‘While we're busy delivering education, is anybody learning anything?’ This article focuses on the Anangu (Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara) context of the North-West of South Australia, southern regions of the Northern Territory and into Western Australia. This region is referred to as the ‘tri-state’ region. Using a qualitative methodology, this article examines three Pitjantjatjara language oral narrative transcripts where Anangu reflect on their experiences of growing up and learning. By privileging these Anangu voices in the dialogue about learning in the remote Aboriginal community context, key themes are identified and analysed, highlighting important considerations for remote educators in understanding the values and cultural elements that inform Anangu students in their engagement with a formal education context.

Leaders at Canadian universities seek to attract and graduate more Indigenous students as part of their institutions’ strategic plans. Admissions and student retention data suggest that while progress is being made, a gap remains between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and especially in the student retention area. Research has proven that student engagement plays a large role in facilitating academic progression and student retention in our institutions of higher learning. Throughout time, many students point to their experience as campus recreation program participants and/or leaders as their most important source of engagement. Some have suggested that campus recreation programs could play a larger and more effective role in engaging Indigenous students and heightening their retention rates. In this conceptual article, the authors analyze the student engagement and retention literature bases relative to Indigenous students. They also highlight the role that campus recreation programs can play in heightening Indigenous student engagement and retention and offer professionals 12 recommendations to help advance this strategic priority.

Private universities require more effort to retain student students so that these students can complete their studies and then work in the community. Through this research, input will be given to the study program regarding the improvement that must be made so that the private university can compete with the public university and educate the nation's children. Data collection was obtained through questionnaires and observations to 209 students. Data processed by Discriminant Analysis, Crosstabulations, and Correlations Analysis dan statistical descriptive methods. Independent variables that significantly affect student retention are satisfaction with the closeness of social relationships with fellow students, student confidence to graduate on time, student confidence to get a good career after graduation, and college attendance. Study program still has to work hard to make improvements to increase satisfaction and students' engagement level.

Aboriginal Australians are entering university in greater numbers than in past decades, yet many struggle to complete their degrees. This paper reports on the qualitative component of a research project aimed at enhancing understandings about this issue by investigating student perspectives about those structures that facilitate or impede their retention. Interview and survey data were gathered from 57 participants at one university and analysed for emerging themes. The findings demonstrate a diverse Indigenous student population in terms of age; comprised personal, professional and university networks; institutional services and resources; and the students’ personal qualities and study practices. Factors perceived to obstruct retention included: a lack of support from some teaching staff, schools and faculties; financial insecurity; and often interrelated issues surrounding university workload, jobs, health, as well as family and community responsibilities. These findings are discussed in the light of relevant literature and recommendations.

Hispanic college students attending a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in the southwest United States were administered the short grit survey during new student orientation for 2 consecutive years ( N = 496) to ascertain the association with grit scores and retention after the first year of university attendance. Results indicate that there was a gender difference in grit scores and retention. Few grit survey items were associated with retention, thus suggesting that the grit survey may not be an appropriate predictor of retention for first-generation Hispanic college students.

Community engagement is an effective method of preparing nursing students to be influential providers for diverse patient populations. Over the course of the 2016-2017 academic year, volunteer attendance was recorded and a qualitative survey was distributed to evaluate attendance rates and retention of Community Champion volunteers, and to determine factors that contributed to the success and sustainability of the program. There was an 83% attendance rate overall at the community-based initiatives, with the highest attendance rate of 98% amongst initiative leaders. The following themes emerged from the qualitative surveys assessing retention: 1) Self motivation and enthusiasm among community members 2) diverse and interdisciplinary interactions 3) communication and organization and 4) student commitment barriers. Students with the greatest amount of experience with community engagement assumed more responsibility and dedicated the most amount of time to the program. The consistent commitment of volunteers to Community Champions has positively impacted the students’ academic careers and the sustainability of the community partnership. In order to optimize community programming, volunteer reliability, consistency and commitment are necessary.

Abstract Objective – To assess the impact of community college academic librarians upon student retention and grades through reference desk visits and attendance in library instruction classes. Methods – Student ID data used for this research was collected from students that visited the reference desk to consult about a course-related question or attended a library instruction class for a specific course. After consenting to share their student ID number, the students’ IDs were scanned and uploaded to a Blackboard Analytics data warehouse. A Pyramid Analytics reporting tool was used to query and extract student-level retention and grade data based upon whether the student had visited the reference desk or attended a library instruction class. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to discern any statistical difference in retention rates and grades between students that engaged a librarian through reference or instruction and the general student population. Results – When comparing fall-to-fall retention for all degree-seeking students, students that visited the reference desk or attended a library instruction class had a statistically higher rate of retention. When comparing fall-to-fall retention within low-retention student cohorts, students that visited the reference desk or attended a library instruction class had higher rates of retention among all low-retention cohorts. Eight of 10 cohorts were statistically higher for library instruction and 6 of 10 cohorts were statistically higher for reference visits. With respect to course grades, only 1 of 5 high enrollment courses showed a higher grade average for students that attended a library instruction class. None of the differences in average grades between students that attended a library instruction class and all students in the five courses were statistically significant. For the impact of a reference visit upon a course grade, all five courses showed a higher average grade average for students that visited the reference desk for a question related to their course than all students in the course. Four of the 5 differences were statistically significant. Conclusions – The data collected by systematically tracking students that interact with community college librarians suggests that reference desk visits and attendance of library instruction classes both have a positive, statistically significant impact upon student retention. When looking at course grades, the data does not indicate a statistically significant positive or negative impact for library instruction. The impact of visiting the reference desk upon course grades does suggest a strong, statistically significant positive correlation.

This paper explores success factors contributing to the retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students identified through a National Teaching Fellowship. Interviews with Indigenous HDR graduates are analysed to explore inhibiting and success factors to completing an HDR. While the fellowship focused mostly on building successful pathways from undergraduate study into HDRs, interviewees also discussed success factors for completing an HDR. In order to address Indigenous student retention and success in higher education, finding out what contributes to successful HDR completions for Indigenous students across diverse disciplines is critical.

College student attrition rates remain constant despite institution level efforts. This retrospective archival study examined how individual instructors at the course level might impact academic success and retention by acting on a real time at risk warning system. Five semesters of scores on the first exam in an undergraduate psychology course revealed a bimodal inverted bell grade distribution in which the majority of students, and nearly equal proportion, performed high (earned A or B) or low (earned D or F). Study 1 ( N = 310) distinguished early high performers from low performers by examining academic major, academic level, early attendance, and early quiz performance. Study 2 ( N = 158) distinguished those early low performers who ultimately succeeded in the course from those who did not by also examining optional opportunities for success built into the syllabus. Findings informed five specific recommendations within the control of the instructor.

The current change agenda to improve the persistently lower rates of access, participation and outcomes of Indigenous Australians in higher education is a broad one that attempts to address the complex range of contributing factors. A proposition in this paper is that the broad and longer-term focus runs the risk of distracting from the detailed considerations needed to improve support provisions for enrolled students in the immediate term. To bring more attention to this area of indicated change, we revisit ‘the gaps’ that exist between the performance of Indigenous and all other domestic students and the role that student support services have to play in improving retention and completion rates of enrolled Indigenous students. We outline some principles that can guide strategies for change in Indigenous undergraduate student support practices in Australian universities to respond to individual student needs in more effective and timely ways. These are illustrated using examples from the redevelopment of services provided by an Indigenous Education centre in a Go8 university, along with data gathered from our ARC study into Indigenous academic persistence in formal learning across three Australian universities.

ABSTRACTIntroductory American government is a common component of college and university core curricula and, as such, it often is taught in large sections. This makes active learning more difficult, which may contribute to student dissatisfaction and lower levels of student achievement. In turn, this can affect larger issues of university retention. This article considers whether different models of instruction in large classes affect student success and satisfaction. We compare a lecture-only class and one that combined lectures with smaller student breakout sessions. To our surprise, we found that students in the breakout—lecture class were not more satisfied and did not succeed at higher levels as compared to their peers in the lecture-only class. Above all, attendance is the key predictor of student success.

Selective education research has demonstrated that students are aware of the low status of being allocated to a low-ability school. Recent data in Guyana has shown that low-ability school attendance is associated with low rates of student attendance, retention, and graduation. This study aims to understand the effects of ability grouping on students by comparing the psychosocial well-being of students from different ability schools. Data was collected from a sample of 193 adolescents (70 males and 123 females) aged 13-18 from four secondary schools; representing the four school ability rankings. It was hypothesised that student psychosocial well-being would be significantly lower in low-ability schools compared to high-ability schools. Unexpectedly, the results indicated that the highest ability school had significantly lower psychosocial well-being than the other lower ability schools. The results may be potentially explained by the theory of Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect, however confirmation in future research is warranted.

What does it mean to be “successful” in higher education? For some in mainstream society, the value is placed on the financial status gained from a university education. Governments and university administration measure success through graduation rates. While the economic and social benefits of a university education are also important to Aboriginal people, successful negotiation of mainstream higher education also entails maintaining their cultural integrity (Tierney & Jun, 2001). Broadening notions of success and corresponding retention theories is important to move forward the agenda of Aboriginal higher education. The purpose of this article is to further the theoretical and practical discussions of educational success of Aboriginal students. Using social reproduction theory and a post-colonial framework, this article presents an argument that shows how/why conventional discourses on retention and student success often exclude Indigenous understandings and worldviews. To this end, it provides a counter-hegemonic on current discourses relating to retention and Aboriginal persistence in mainstream institutions. The article concludes with some thoughts on how to enrich the educational experiences of Aboriginal students from an Indigenous understanding of success and retention.

AbstractThe numbers of Indigenous students studying in health career courses at the tertiary level is low. This paper describes a forum conducted as part of a project of national significance which examines the solutions and barriers for Indigenous student entry to medical and other health science education. Small group discussions and observations were used to determine how a group of Indigenous students, school age and mature, became interested in a health career, what influenced them, their expectations and where they sourced information. The initial design of the forum, based on other successful non-Indigenous health career events, was deemed inappropriate. When an Indigenous educator intervened, and used a more culturally appropriate approach, the engagement of the Indigenous students increased. The importance of culturally relevant health career promotion is a vital part of a complex series of actions needed to increase the recruitment and retention of Indigenous students into health science careers.

Background: Problem Based Learning (PBL) for teaching preclinical sciences has been proposed in curricular reform by Medical Council of India. PBL is a student-centred approach, enabling deep and transformative student learning. A 'hybrid' approach to PBL uses a range of class-based teaching methods; delivering a mode of PBL which is less resource intensive and more flexible than ‘pure’ PBL. In hybrid PBL, problems are solved in groups, but lectures are used to present the fundamental concepts and difficult topics. Our institution follows a traditional lecture-based curriculum. The present cohort study was undertaken to determine student and faculty perceptions for hybrid PBL as well as impact on student engagement.Methods: Hybrid PBL method was implemented for one cohort of hundred first year medical students. Previous batch was used as control taught by traditional lecture-based curriculum alone. Methodological triangulation design was employed for impact of hybrid PBL on student engagement (attendance scores-Chi square) and student and faculty perception to hybrid PBL (reflections- grounded theory)Results: The mean attendance score of MBBS batch 2016 was significantly better than batch 2015 (p=0.0001). The emerging themes in student reflections were innovative method, collaborative learning, quest for knowledge, promote long term retention and links to real-life scenario. Acquisition of soft skills (social and moral responsibility) was novel emerging theme in student reflections. Active student participation and improved critical thinking were themes expressed in faculty perceptions.Conclusions: Hybrid PBL with small groups is successful in large classrooms. Introduced at the initial phase of undergraduate medical education, it can assist robust self-appraisal in students and strengthen soft skills.

A federal report released by the Department of Families and Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA, 2009), entitled Closing the Gap on Indigenous Disadvantage: The Challenge for Australia, highlighted the inequality that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students based on a restricted access to resources, issues of isolation, staff and student retention, and cultural differences and challenges. In New South Wales (NSW), the Department of Education and Training (DET) and the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) in 2003/2004 undertook their own review of Aboriginal education in NSW Government schools that revealed significant concerns about the outcomes being achieved by Aboriginal students in NSW DET schools, confirming the more recent FaHCSIA (2009) findings. In 2006 the NSW DET implemented the Enhanced Teacher Training Scholarship Program (ETTSP) to empower 20 final-year education students to successfully engage with Indigenous students in schools and their wider community during their internship period. Using themes, this article explores the experiences of 10 University of New England scholarship holders at the end of their final year of teacher training and immersion/internship experience in 2010. The article puts forward useful recommendations for both teacher universities and students intending to teach in schools with high Indigenous student populations.

This article reports on efforts to investigate and improve retention and graduation rates at a New Zealand polytechnic. A literature review and Tinto's Longitudinal Model of Institutional Departure provided the theoretical underpinning for the work. A case study methodology was used, whereby a member of the institute's Academic Quality Unit worked with staff involved in the delivery of selected programs. Pre-entry factors, institutional experiences, and students' social and academic integration were examined, and some interventions trialed. An academic mentoring scheme and personal education journal were introduced and these were partially successful. Other matters examined included pre-entry practices, orientation, learning style preferences, program delivery and design, course materials, assessment, and attendance. Efforts in these areas improved retention and success, although the results and contributing factors varied from program to program. Whether students are retained and graduate ultimately rests with the student. However, institutional actions and systems can make a difference.

In this paper I offer an explanation for teacher-held beliefs that contribute to perceptions of school failure by indigenous children and discuss the ends served by these perceptions. Although the validity of using retention rates as an indicator of actual educational outcomes is questioned (Luke, A. et al, 1993:144), there are few other indicators presently available. The figures on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student participation rates-indicate that few children of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent complete secondary school. The following figures, based on data collected in the 1991 Australian Census, show the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school children of a particular sex and age expressed as a proportion of the population of children of the same sex and age, in Queensland.

The intensive nature of gateway biology courses often results in poor student performance. This issue can be resolved with the usage of the flipped classroom method. Our application of this model to a human anatomy and physiology course increased the retention and passing rates. However, the beneficial effects of flipping a classroom can be substantially weakened due to student disposition. To target this, we used the flipped classroom model in conjunction with a series of nudges in the form of self-monitoring logs and reminder notifications. Students were responsible for tracking their attendance, punctuality, preparedness, and grades via a self-monitoring log that they had to complete each week. Reminder notifications were sent to students via text or email messages. While the flipped classroom method accompanied by both self-monitoring logs and reminder techniques can be a powerful learning model leading to higher student success rates, we found that consistent nudging via text messages appears to be pivotal in ensuring student success.

AbstractIn 2002 the Faculty of Information Technology at the University of Technology Sydney began a major initiative to improve the participation of Indigenous Australians in the Information Technology (IT) sector. This followed an initial study which showed that very few Indigenous students undertook studies in IT at university and therefore few found employment as IT professionals. As a result of the new programme, the Faculty’s first Indigenous staff were hired, an Indigenous resource centre was established and the first postgraduate students recruited. In addition, an IT tertiary preparation short course, the Indigenous Pre-IT Program, was launched successfully, the Faculty’s first Indigenous-specific course. With the project, Indigenous student enrolments have increased, mainly as part of the Pre-IT Program and as a result of recruitment of undergraduates from amongst successful Pre-IT Program students. However, retention of undergraduates recruited via special admission provisions has proved difficult despite attempts to secure scholarships and to provide academic support. This paper traces the development of the project and analyses the achievements and challenges in the first three years.

A unilateral decision was made by the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Office of Academic Outreach and Support, and the Office of Academic Support and Retention (AS&R) to implement a pilot initiative for reporting, monitoring, and tracking excessive absenteeism during the Spring semester 2003. A Web-based system of notification was designed and provided to instructors for completion and submission. There were 216 students reported as having excessive absenteeism during the first six weeks of the spring semester. There were 78 instructors who submitted absenteeism reporting forms for 25 different courses. Ninety one students were successfully contacted by their advisors and responded. Of the students contacted and responded, 44 passed the course, 33 failed the course and 14 dropped the course. The implementation of this pilot study demonstrated its effectiveness by reducing the number of students who would have dropped, or failed courses due to a lack of attendance. Students reported that they were surprised to learn that their attendance was being monitored and amazed that someone cared enough to contact them and offer guidance and assistance. Faculty and staff were surprised that attendance was being monitored and that student and faculty contacts were initiated, responded to and reported back to the instructor.

In 1991, the Australian Government released the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Report. Of the 339 recommendations, Recommendation 62 identified that there was an alarming over-representation of Indigenous youth in contact with the criminal justice system. The report called for immediate action by governments to develop strategies that would urgently reduce retention rates of Indigenous youth within the prison system. Analysis of the literature indicates that almost three decades after the release of this report, the high numbers of Indigenous youth who are incarcerated, or who have come into contact with the juvenile justice system remains the same. Although there is a good deal of literature investigating the criminological characteristics of this phenomena; there is a substantial gap in the literature surrounding the educational exclusion of young Indigenous males from the formal education system. This paper focusses specifically on the literature surrounding student exclusion from state schools and how this may provide some insight into the subsequent over-representation of young Indigenous males within the Queensland juvenile justice system.

The current Canadian landscape of graduate education has pockets of presence of Indigenous faculty, students, and staff. The reality is that all too often, Aboriginal graduate students are either among the few, or is the sole Aboriginal person in an entire faculty. They usually do not have mentorship or guidance from an Indigenous faculty member orally, that is, someone who is supportive of Indigenous knowledges and Indigenity. While many institutions are working to recruit and retain Aboriginal graduate students, more attention needs to be paid to culturally relevant strategies, policies, and approaches. This paper critically examines the role of a culturally relevant peer and faculty mentoring initiative—SAGE (Supporting Aboriginal Graduate Enhancement)—which works to better guide institutional change for Indigenous graduate student success. The key findings show that the relationships in SAGE create a sense of belonging and networking opportunities, and it also fosters self-accountability to academic studies for many students because they no longer feel alone in their graduate journey. The paper concludes with a discussion on the implications of a culturally relevant peer-support program for mentoring, recruiting, and retaining Aboriginal graduate students. It also puts forth a challenge to institutions to better support Aboriginal graduate student recruitment and retention through their policies, programs, and services within the institution.

This article analyses the status and future of bilingual education programs using Indigenous languages and English in remote Northern Territory schools. It explains why this educational approach is so contested at present, resulting in an unresolved situation which can best be regarded as an uneasy compromise on the ground and a stalemate at higher levels of political decision making. If the bilingual education approach was better understood by the current NT Government, there would a strong impetus now to refine and effectively implement a model of schooling that is appropriate for students in remote areas. Instead, current politicians debunk the bilingual approach, thereby robbing schools and literacy plans of any momentum and distracting attention away from the work that needs to be done. Meanwhile, student attendance rates have fallen away to worryingly low levels (Dickson, 2010). The current regime may well resolve the impasse, but in the absence of any meaningful, open negotiation the future looks uncertain. It is too soon to judge the cost of this uncertainty, but it may well result in further alienation and the emergence of non-government alternatives.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine assessed seminars in law modules across first-, second- and third-year students at a higher education academy in Lancashire (England). This form of assessment is essentially a 1 h tutorial, where students are given marks for their oral contribution to class discussions. Assessment is a feature in all degree programmes conducted throughout higher education institutions. Recently, a move has been made from traditional examinations and coursework to assess students learning, to more inclusive forms of assessment following the changing nature of those entering higher education. Design/methodology/approach Using a quantitative survey, participants were asked to answer ten questions on their perceptions of assessed seminars as a form of assessment. To enhance the findings, interviews also took place with members of staff who had experience in teaching both assessed and non-assessed seminars. Findings This research found that although some students were daunted by assessed seminars, over the course of three years, their key legal skills had improved. Key skills enhanced through assessed seminars include communication-based skills and public speaking, whilst also being a positive form of assessment that maintains student retention. Research limitations/implications This is a small-scale research project, completed in the fulfilment of the authors PgCert. However, it does provide a template for other legal institutions to follow. Originality/value With a growing concern across the higher education sector around student retention, assessed seminars are proven to be a form of assessment that ensures student attendance, whilst enhancing skills ready for the workplace.

<p>Low-income students are at increased risk for grade retention and suspension, which dampens their chances of high school graduation, college attendance, and future success. Drawing from a sample of 357 children and their families who participated in the Chicago School Readiness Project, we examine whether greater exposure to cumulative poverty-related risk from preschool through 5^th grade is associated with greater risk of student retention and suspension in 6^th grade. Logistic regression results indicate that exposure to higher levels of cumulative risk across the elementary school years is associated with students’ increased risk of retention in 6^th grade, even after controlling for child school readiness skills and other covariates. Importantly, findings of the association between average cumulative risk exposure and student suspension are more complex; the role of poverty-related risk is reduced to non-significance once early indicators of child school readiness and other covariates are included in regression models. While, children’s early externalizing behavior prior to kindergarten places children at greater risk of suspension 7 years later, children’s higher levels of internalizing behaviors and early math skills are associated with significantly decreased risk of suspension in the 6^th grade. Together, findings from the study suggest the complex ways that both early school readiness and subsequent exposure to poverty-related risk may both serve as compelling predictors of children’s likelihood of “staying on track” academically in the 6^th grade.</p>

Teacher educators have a very daunting task requiring currency in their discipline, curricular, policy and institutional imperatives as well as pedagogical and cultural issues. Tertiary institutions are facing increasing expectations to cater for and increase retention of underrepresented groups, whilst class sizes increase and face-to-face contact decreases. This paper outlines a case study of two lecturers (one European and one Pacific Island) who developed a successful partnership to raise student retention and achievement within a cohort of Pacific Islanders (an underrepresented group in all New Zealand universities). Key aspects which formed the foundation threads of this successful partnership are elaborated upon via the metaphor of weaving. Weaving is a very valuable and highly prized skill and art form amongst many indigenous groups including those of the Pacific Islands. Weaving in the Pacific Island context involves group work, with weavers supporting each other and sharing their expertise.

Problem-based learning (PBL) can be described as a learning environment where the problem drives the learning. This technique usually involves learning in small groups, which are supervised by tutors. It is becoming evident that PBL in a small-group setting has a robust positive effect on student learning and skills, including better problem-solving skills and an increase in overall motivation. However, very little research has been done on the educational benefits of PBL in a large classroom setting. Here, we describe a PBL approach (using tutorless groups) that was introduced as a supplement to standard didactic lectures in University of British Columbia Okanagan undergraduate biochemistry classes consisting of 45–85 students. PBL was chosen as an effective method to assist students in learning biochemical and physiological processes. By monitoring student attendance and using informal and formal surveys, we demonstrated that PBL has a significant positive impact on student motivation to attend and participate in the course work. Student responses indicated that PBL is superior to traditional lecture format with regard to the understanding of course content and retention of information. We also demonstrated that student problem-solving skills are significantly improved, but additional controlled studies are needed to determine how much PBL exercises contribute to this improvement. These preliminary data indicated several positive outcomes of using PBL in a large classroom setting, although further studies aimed at assessing student learning are needed to further justify implementation of this technique in courses delivered to large undergraduate classes.

Prior studies of studentsqqaposxx and adultsqqaposxx cognitive competence have shown large differences between nations, equivalent to a difference of 5 to 10 years of schooling. These differences seem to be relevant because studies using different research paradigms have demonstrated that population-level cognitive abilities are related to a number of important societal outcomes, including productivity, democratization, and health. In this overview of transnational differences, we document a number of positive predictors of international differences in student competence, including the amount of preschool education, student discipline, quantity of education, attendance at additional schools, early tracking, the use of centralized exams and high-stakes tests, and adult educational attainment. We found rather negative relationships for grade retention rates, age of school onset, and class size. Altogether, these results, when combined with the outcomes of earlier studies, demonstrate that international differences in cognitive competence can be explained in part by aspects of the respective countriesqqaposxx educational systems and that these differences consequently can be reduced by reform of their educational policy. This has important implications not just for closing gaps in educational achievement, but for narrowing international gaps in wealth, health, and democracy.

To investigate school size effects for secondary schools, 18 school outcomes, including the average scores on state-developed tests, student retention, suspensions, postschool employment, and college attendance for 293 public secondary schools in New Jersey were regressed on 23 school characteristics, including district socioeconomic status and percentages of students from low-income families; school size and number of schools within each district; and teacher characteristics encompassing salaries, degree status, and years of experience. District socioeconomic status and the percentage of students from low-income families in the school were the most influential and consistent factors related to schooling outcomes. School size was the next most consistent and was negatively related to outcomes. This finding corroborates previous research conducted primarily on public elementary school and suggests that smaller school districts and smaller schools, regardless of socioeconomic status and grade level, may be more efficient at enhancing educational outcomes.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo discorrer sobre algumas experiências vividas durante o desenvolvimento das atividades de secretaria do curso de Formação Intercultural Para Educadores Indígenas, no que se refere ao atendimento aos estudantes, aos docentes e ao público em geral. Serão apresentados alguns desafios do processo de institucionalização do curso assim como da inserção e aceitação do estudante indígena pela comunidade universitária. Observa-se que os indígenas buscam fortalecer suas identidades na interação com os não indígenas e mesmo entre indígenas. Há também um esforço por parte dos professores e outros profissionais mais próximos deles no curso de que os mesmos tenham seus direitos assegurados. A inserção dos povos indígenas na universidade demonstra o quão importante e necessário é a troca de experiências entre os dois mundos: indígena e não indígena. Aponta também para a necessidade de que se promova o debate e reflexão sobre os povos indígenas e suas demandas. Nesse sentido, considera-se que a reflexão sobre o dia a dia da secretaria poderá contribuir para o aprimoramento da inserção indígena na universidade uma vez que neste espaço o exercício de compreensão do mundo indígena para atendimento às suas demandas é potencializado.Palavras-chave: Povos indígenas; Direitos; Ensino Superior. ABSTRACT: The present work aims to discuss some experiences during the development of the activities of secretariat of the course of Intercultural Training for Indigenous Educators, regarding the attendance to students, teachers and the public in general. It will present some challenges of the process of institutionalization of the course as well as the insertion and acceptance of the indigenous student by the university community. It is observed that indigenous peoples seek to strengthen their identities in interaction with non-indigenous people and even among indigenous peoples. There is also an effort on the part of teachers and other professionals who are closest to them in the course that they have their rights guaranteed. The insertion of indigenous peoples in the university demonstrates how important and necessary is the exchange of experiences between the two worlds: indigenous and non-indigenous. It also points to the need to promote debate and reflection on indigenous peoples and their demands. In this sense, it is considered that the reflection on the day-to-day work of the secretariat can contribute to the improvement of the indigenous insertion in the university since in this space the exercise of understanding of the indigenous world to attend to their demands is enhanced.Keywords: Indigenous people; Indigenous rights; Higher Education.

This study aims to explore the role of the principal’s leadership in the improvement of school performance in community schools and to identify the major challenges faced by principals of community schools while improving school performance. A qualitative approach and phenomenology research design was used in this study. Interview and Focus Group Discussions schedule were used to collect data from the field, 5 principals were the respondents for interview and 20 principals of different community schools were involved in focused group. The data were analyzed using qualitative data management software Atlas ti. The determination and taking self-initiative is a crucial role for community school principals to maintain school enrollments, education quality, and collecting funds for school performance. Principals have adopted several noticeable strategies to increase education quality. Some of the ways and means adopted by the successful schools are maintaining constant discipline in school encouraging students and teachers by rewards and appreciation, consistent observing and supervision of class conduction, student attendance and teacher’s consistency, coaching classes for feeble and interested students, parent-teacher communication, contests and competitions between the cluster and individual. Every principal faces some of the biggest frustrations to control student behavior, recruiting teachers and cooperation between staff, promote personalized learning, improve the teaching and learning environment, student retention, and parents’ support in the improvement of the school. The study further recommended that principals and teachers should be given sufficient training to improve the school’s performance.

This study aims to explore the role of the principal’s leadership in the improvement of school performance in community schools and to identify the major challenges faced by principals of community schools while improving school performance. A qualitative approach and phenomenology research design was used in this study. Interview and Focus Group Discussions schedule were used to collect data from the field, 5 principals were the respondents for interview and 20 principals of different community schools were involved in focused group. The data were analyzed using qualitative data management software Atlas ti. The determination and taking self-initiative is a crucial role for community school principals to maintain school enrollments, education quality, and collecting funds for school performance. Principals have adopted several noticeable strategies to increase education quality. Some of the ways and means adopted by the successful schools are maintaining constant discipline in school encouraging students and teachers by rewards and appreciation, consistent observing and supervision of class conduction, student attendance and teacher’s consistency, coaching classes for feeble and interested students, parent-teacher communication, contests and competitions between the cluster and individual. Every principal faces some of the biggest frustrations to control student behavior, recruiting teachers and cooperation between staff, promote personalized learning, improve the teaching and learning environment, student retention, and parents’ support in the improvement of the school. The study further recommended that principals and teachers should be given sufficient training to improve the school’s performance.

Background: The need for case-based learning in basic subjects is being recognized world over. Early clinical illustrations and actual clinical exposure enable students to associate basic science and real patient situations, probably increasing their retention of knowledge. The study was conducted to introduce an alternate method of teaching-learning in pharmacology in a large classroom setting to integrate pharmacology into clinical setting for better learning and understanding of the subject. Methods: Ninety-four students of second professional MBBS of a medical college in Punjab were divided into 2 groups and were taught a 2-hour topic in pharmacology using case-based learning (CBL) method and didactic lecture (DL) method using a crossover design. Their attendance and written test score at the end of teaching session were compared. Feedback from students and faculty was taken by prestructured questionnaires. Results: There was an increase in students’ attendance ( P = .008) in CBL sessions but insignificant difference in their performance ( P = .98) in the tests. Most (84%) of the students felt that CBL is a better method of teaching-learning than traditional DL. The teaching faculty felt that the students looked more interested and were themselves more motivated for the newer method of teaching. Conclusions: Case-based learning led to improvement in student motivation, satisfaction, and engagement. Most students and faculty accepted that CBL was an effective learning tool for pharmacology teaching in a large group setting and supported the incorporation of CBL into traditional DL teaching.

The 2014 Wilson review of Indigenous Education in the Northern Territory recommended boarding school models as the preferred secondary education option for very remote Aboriginal students. This study considers boarding uptake by Aboriginal students from the Central Land Council region of the Northern Territory. An examination of boarding programs available to Aboriginal students in this region found that scholarship access is largely determined by socioeducational advantage and the perceived social stability of the family and student. To increase access and participation in boarding, more flexible funding assistance programs are needed. An expanded role for brokering could also increase retention and completion rates. Ultimately, more investment is also required in remote community schools, and in the development of ‘both ways’ capital if the social and educational aspirations of young Aboriginal students and their families in this region are to be realised through a boarding school model.

Appalachia has low rates of college attendance and graduation, but relevant data investigating student attrition from physiology majors in this region are lacking. This exploratory study examined freshman attrition from an undergraduate exercise physiology program in Appalachia with the goal of identifying potential strategies for improving retention across similar programs in this underserved region. Questionnaires were administered at the beginning and end of the fall semester to freshman ( n = 247) and students transferring out of the major [Transferred group (T); n = 50] by the end of their first semester were compared against those that remained [Retained group (R); n = 190]. The Transferred group was invited to participate in qualitative interviews. Fewer Transferred students reported feeling underprepared in academic preparedness skills, but more reported feeling underprepared in math. At the end of the semester, more in the Transferred group reported doing worse than expected in math and in getting good grades and had a lower grade point average (R: 3.27 ± 0.05; T: 2.62 ± 0.15; P < 0.01). More in the Transferred group were first-generation (FG) college students (R: 17%; T: 30%). Transferred FG had lower academic preparation and performance and more financial need than Retained FG. In interviews ( n = 35), most students expressed a change in career goals and many noted the academic rigor of the program, while academic advising, faculty, and the major received generally positive praise. This study identified several factors that would allow for early identification of incoming freshmen at risk for attrition and proposes strategies for improving retention within Appalachian physiology programs.

Retention of students who major in STEM continues to be a major concern for universities. Many students cite poor teaching and disappointing grades as reasons for dropping out of STEM courses. Current college chemistry courses often assess what a student has learned through summative exams. To understand students' experiences of the exam process, including how students prepare for an exam, take an exam, and respond to feedback from an exam, data was collected through interviews with students in an introductory college chemistry course. The interview data was analyzed using emergent coding to describe students' experiences of the exam process using phenomenography. Data indicated that students' experiences with the exam process could be categorized based on their reported exam performance. Overall, differences could be seen between these students' self-efficacy beliefs and metacognitive skills based on the grade each student reported receiving on the exam. The students who performed highest on the exam had self-efficacy beliefs primarily from their mastery experience, and middle performing students' self-efficacy beliefs came from vicarious experience. The lowest performing student had low self-efficacy beliefs. Students who received the highest grades on the exam viewed learning as making meaningful connections between topics, and students who received lower grades viewed learning as memorization. By further understanding students study habits, their views on the exam process, and the development of their self-efficacy beliefs, instructors may be better able to assist low and middle performing students in our general chemistry courses. The findings from this study suggest several ways instructors could facilitate more effective studying and promote higher self-efficacy beliefs, including promoting group work, talking with students about study skills, and encouraging attendance at office hours to review exam responses.

Engaging and gauging (engauging) first-generation, under-represented minority undergraduate general biology students through processes of inquiry, critical thinking, and affective learning is vital as they develop their scientific identity. An important challenge is how we can establish communities of practice and instill in our first-generation students self-awareness and reflection as they apply, analyze, and evaluate data on biological principles. In my article, I describe an innovative weekly assignment for my first generation Hispanic and Native Indigenous students called Quizfolio: quiz and mini-portfolios on biological principles and themes outlined in Vision and Change. Within a SOAR framework that will be introduced in my article, quizfolios provide an active learning space for students to integrate inclusive student-centered, in-class discussions and longitudinal lab inquiries in a first-year undergraduate biology course through metacognition and reflection-in-action. This transformative, culturally responsive mentoring approach encourages first-generation undergraduates to bring self-awareness to unclear or confusing topics that are clarified at the start of class or lab settings, and provides future framework for long-term retention of biological concepts.

An abundance of literature exists that explores the potential applications of grit in predicting several academic outcomes. Regardless, the concept of grit has been heavily criticised due to the number of inconsistencies among current research. Fully understanding the usefulness of grit in an educational context is a worthwhile pursuit and could yield incredibly influential implications. The current narrative review aimed to address and explore these inconsistencies to determine the true impact of grit on the academic outcomes of school students. Such that, it aimed to establish whether grit was useful in improving outcomes such as academic achievement, attendance and retention. Research posits that grit is a strong predictor of academic outcomes for many, but not all, students. Furthermore, it seems that the predictive abilities of grit can be enhanced by concentrating on the perseverance of efforts component of grit, rather than overall grit. While the importance of grit’s perseverance component has been confirmed; there are several recommendations for future research. Likewise, a number of inconsistencies are discussed relating to grits practical applications within an educational context. Cultivating grittiness, specifically perseverance of efforts, in student populations would reap huge rewards. Indeed, the educational rewards for students would be substantial, as well as the financial benefits for schools and educating institutions. The usefulness of cultivating a perseverance of efforts in students is discussed.

Abstract Objective Biomedical informatics attracts few underrepresented racial minorities (URMs) into PhD programs. We examine graduation trends from 2002 to 2017 to determine how URM representation has changed over time. We also examine academic job placements by race and identify individual and institutional characteristics associated with URM graduates being successfully placed in academic jobs. Materials and Methods We analyze a near census of all research doctoral graduates from US-accredited institutions, surveyed at graduation by the National Science Foundation Survey of Earned Doctorates. Graduates of biomedical informatics-related programs were identified using self-reported primary and secondary disciplines. Data are analyzed using bivariate and multivariable logistic regressions. Results During the study period, 2426 individuals earned doctoral degrees in biomedical informatics-related disciplines. URM students comprised nearly 12% of graduates, and this proportion did not change over time (2002–2017). URMs included Hispanic (5.7%), Black (3.2%), and others, including multi-racial and indigenous American populations (2.8%). Overall, 82.3% of all graduates accepted academic positions at the time of graduation with significantly more Hispanic graduates electing to go into academia (89.2%; P &lt; .001). URM graduates were more likely to be single (OR = 1.38; P &lt; .05), have a dependent (1.95; P &lt; .01), and not receive full tuition remission (OR = 1.37; P = .05) as a student. URM graduates accepting an academic position were less likely to be a graduate of a private institution (OR = 0.70; P &lt; .05). Discussion and Conclusion The proportion of URM candidates among biomedical informatics doctoral graduates has not increased over time and remains low. In order to improve URM recruitment and retention within academia, leaders in biomedical informatics should replicate strategies used to improve URM graduation rates in other fields.

<p><em>Religious education is one of education that fosters human development, especially helping in ethical and moral development. Thus, religious education in Indonesia gets a considerable portion of the education system. Through religious education can increase moral ethics in order to maintain harmony of the nation, mutual respect respects between followers of different religions. Hindu religious education conducted formally in schools has not provided the expected results. Theoretically the children know by heart and understand the teachings of religion but the implementation of the teaching is done in everyday life seems to need to be balanced with religious practices. These religious practices can be taught to children through non-formal education in the form of pasraman, because formal education is bound by the curriculum and time targets. Thus, non-formal education needs to be developed, in the hope that children are not only intellectually savvy but also spiritual savvy and grow up to be virtuous people. Form of non-formal religious education can be done through pasraman system. Implementation of pasraman activities in Desa Adat Tangeb have differences with pasraman in general. Pasraman Lingga Yoni Desa Adat Tangeb includes children who are genuine Catholics from Indigenous Desa Adat Tangeb.</em></p><p><em>The theory used to analyze the problem formulation is the multicultural theory used to dissect the formulation of the first problem, the behavioristic theory used to dissect the formulation of the second and third problems. The research method used is the type of qualitative research with primary data sources bendesa adat and teachers pasraman and secondary data source is the source of other supporting data. Data were collected using participant observation method, unstructured interview, documentation and literature. The collected data was analyzed using data analysis method with three steps: (1) data reduction, (2) data presentation and (3) inference / verification.</em></p><p><em>The results of this research are: First: multicultural learning pattern in pasraman Lingga Yoni is (1) contextual teaching and learning (CTL), (2) coopertative (cooperative learning), (3) instilling understanding that leads to multicultural education in self Children, through several approaches are: Instilling pluralism education, instilling and implementing the concept of Bhineka Tunggal Ika, instilling the concept of manners / ethics, applying the concept of Tri Hita Karana, and applying the concept of menyama braya. Second: the constraints on parsaman Lingga Yoni are (1) lack of understanding of Catholic children about pasraman (2) environmental influences, (3) the need for more guidance for Catholic children, (4) decreased interest of children following pasraman, (5) facilities and infrastructure are still minimal. Third: the efforts undertaken to facilitate pasraman learning activities are, (1) conduct socialization, (2) provide understanding to Catholic children, (3) guide wholeheartedly and apply multicultural learning pattern, (4) affirm student attendance, (5) submit proposal.</em><strong><em></em></strong></p>

Background Young people report higher levels of unsafe sex and have higher rates of sexually transmitted infections than any other age group. Schools are well placed to facilitate early intervention, but more effective approaches are required. Peer-led approaches can augment school-based education, but often fail to capitalise on mechanisms of social influence. The potential of using social media in sexual health has not been tested in school settings. Objectives Finalise the design of the Sexually Transmitted infections And Sexual Health (STASH) intervention; assess the recruitment and retention of peer supporters, and acceptability to participants and stakeholders; assess the fidelity and reach, in addition to the barriers to and facilitators of, implementation; refine programme theory; understand the potential of social media; determine design parameters for a future randomised controlled trial, including economic evaluation; and establish whether or not progression criteria were met. Design This was a feasibility study comprising intervention development and refinement of the STASH pilot and non-randomised feasibility trial in six schools. Control data were provided by students in the year above the intervention group. Setting Secondary schools in Scotland. Participants Students aged 14–16 years, teachers and intervention delivery partners. Interventions The STASH intervention was adapted from A Stop Smoking In Schools Trial (ASSIST) (an effective peer-led smoking intervention). Based on diffusion of innovation theory, the STASH study involves peer nomination to identify the most influential students, with the aim of recruiting and training 15% of the year group as peer supporters. The peer supporters deliver sexual health messages to friends in their year group via conversations and use of Facebook (www.facebook.com; Facebook, Inc., Menlo Park, CA, USA) to share varied content from a curated set of web-based resources. Peer supporters are given support themselves via follow-up sessions and via trainer membership of Facebook groups. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was whether or not progression criteria were met in relation to intervention acceptability and feasibility. The study also piloted indicative primary outcomes for a full-scale evaluation. Data sources Peer supporter questionnaire; observations of activities; interviews with trainers, teachers, peer supporters and students; monitoring log of peer supporter activities (including on Facebook and meeting attendance); questionnaire to control year group (baseline characteristics, social networks, mediators and sexual health outcomes); baseline and follow-up questionnaire (approximately 6 months later) for intervention year group. Results A total of 104 students were trained as peer supporters (just over half of those nominated for the role by their peers). Role retention was very high (97%). Of 611 students completing the follow-up questionnaire, 58% reported exposure to STASH study activities. Intervention acceptability was high among students and stakeholders. Activities were delivered with good fidelity. The peer supporters were active, representative of their year group and well connected within their social network. Carefully managed social media use by peer supporters augmented conversations. A primary outcome of ‘always safer sex’ was identified, measured as no sex or always condom use for vaginal or anal sex in the last 6 months. The intervention cost £42 per student. Six progression criteria were met. A seventh criterion (regarding uptake of role by peer supporters) was not. Limitations Small feasibility study that cannot comment on effectiveness. Conclusions The STASH intervention is feasible and acceptable within the context of Scottish secondary schools. The results support continuation to a full-scale evaluation. Future work Small-scale improvements to the intervention, refinement to programme theory and funding sought for full-scale evaluation. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN97369178. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 8, No. 15. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Supplemental Instruction (SI) has been a successful implementation into institutions worldwide. It serves as a means of reducing attrition and increasing the overall learning of course material. The City College of New York (CCNY) has recently implemented SI to General Chemistry I courses to examine whether or not SI would help students succeed in the course and understand and grasp the course material better. SI was made available several times a week during flexible times to students who are struggling in the course. Our method of data collection is a Likert-type and open-ended questionnaire that was distributed at the end of each of the semesters to SI participants in an anonymous fashion. Furthermore, we compared the grades and performance of students participating in SI with those who did not. The collected data enabled us to examine the impact of implementing Supplemental Instruction (SI) in General Chemistry I at CCNY. Our data show that SI was beneficial, contributed to improving students’ understanding of course material, and increased their success rate. About 80 percent of students who failed the first exam and participated in SI obtained a passing grade compared to 11 percent of those who did not.Keywords: supplemental instruction, chemistry education research, student learningINTRODUCTION Supplemental instruction is derived from the term developmental education and stems from a branch of Learning Assistance Centers or LACS [1]. To better understand the origins of Supplemental Instruction, we must first understand the framework that set up this type of education. Developmental education originates in the 1600s and focuses mainly on the assumption that each student has multifaceted talents that can be developed academically, opposed to focusing on the deficits of a student [1]. The main goal was to naturally adapt the students’ population to higher education through means of social and academic domains allowing the students to grow in multiple dimensions in their academic skills [1].Developmental education later paved the way for academic programs such as Learning Assistance Centers (LACs). It was viewed as an extension of the classroom and did not discriminate between faculty and students, and within the student population did not discriminate between students who performed to standard and those who performed below par. LACs were for everyone who wanted to be academically enriched [1]. As a new program, LACs had six main objectives: “higher course grades for participating students; central location for students to receive tutorial assistance; a referral source to other helping agencies; a comprehensive library of basic study aids; a training agency for paraprofessionals, peer counselors, and tutors; and a center for faculty development.” [1]. These goals made it very clear that this service was not to be mislabeled as remedial, which was a main topic of interest when it comes to implementing new services, like this one, in schools. LACs are essentially a tool used to attain higher education, not provide a remedial course. Another important reason as to why LACs were adopted into other higher education institutions is to increase student retention [1]. LACs jump-started improved learning across campuses not only in the United States but across the world.In the 1990’s developmental or remedial courses were not allowed to be offered at public four-year universities, thus making supplemental instruction a very attractive candidate to solving the issue with students’ academic integrity and attrition [1]. College faculty members were drawn to SI due to its minute fiscal commitment and that it strongly promoted individual self-learning for the students, this meant less time spent teaching for instructors [1].SI or supplemental instruction is as it states - supplemental instruction offered to the students enrolled in a course. SI gives the students the opportunity to work in a cooperative setting on problems and is supported by peer instructors [2]. SI works to increase academic performance and retention but utilizing both collaborative studying in addition to independent studying and analysis of study strategies. SI sessions are offered for traditionally difficult high risk course; ‘historically difficult’ courses are also identified by analyzing the grade distribution of courses throughout each academic division, “courses in which 30% or more of the students receive D or F grades or withdraw, become targets” [3]. One of the main factors that attribute to the individuality of SI programs is that it focuses on historically difficult courses [4] and large classes where students have little opportunity for interaction with the professor or other students [5]. Labeling a course as historically difficult allows you to categorize the class as challenging without placing blame on the professor or the students.SI sessions are scheduled on a weekly basis and all students enrolled in the course are encouraged to join. SI sessions act as a continuation of the lesson learned during in-class lecture with the instructor. Being that SI sessions are not tied down to class time, students can attend whenever and however many times they wish without the restriction of a required course preventing them. Constant feedback will be given based on the student’s grasp of the material taught in class, thus giving them ample time and motivation to alter their study methods to adapt, if need be. Research on SI suggests that problem-solving skills and study strategies learned in SI courses are transferable to other courses which leads to improved performance [6]. Supplemental instruction sessions are typically led by an SI leader, who would be a former student that succeeded in the same course, however it is not uncommon for a professor to join an SI session for a course. SI may improve students’ retention and graduation because it offers the students the opportunity to network socially which speeds up the acclimatization to the college experience [7].SI provides a way to combine “how do I teach myself this” with “what do I need to know”. While SI helps students gain a more thorough understanding of the material, it also helps students to condition themselves and alters their thinking to accommodate for the type of information they are processing. SI differs from a remedial tutoring course because it is created based on the course versus the students [1]. This potentially makes attending SI sessions more attractive to students who are afraid or shy to ask for help.SI is not a remedial course, it is considered a mediator connecting the gap between the new information presented to students and the students current knowledge and practices, “SI bridges the gap between the current knowledge base and the acquisition of new knowledge by focusing on the refinement of the learning skills indispensable for acquiring new knowledge” [8]. Successfully implemented SI programs were able to track those students who attended and the impact it made towards their grade, for data that was collected institutionally [9]. SI can be effectively used to develop study skills, increase motivation and improve performance in participants [10].According to Wolfe, “…there appear to be benefits of SI in courses where students are being newly introduced to chemical concepts and methods, but these benefits seem to drop off when students are more experienced with the material.” [5]. The results further go on to conclude that SI is most beneficial to entry level science courses such as, General Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I. It seems as though SI is a great addition into institutions to overall help attrition rates and more generally help students improve within their courses. More research has been done to give us a wider range of knowledge on SI within Chemistry courses [9]. SI can be used to address the continuous decline of fundamental chemical knowledge noticed in recent college graduates [11].In large lecture classes, there is a disconnect between the lecturer and the student. Supplemental Instruction (SI) is often offered in a more intimate setting where the SI instructors can have one-on-one time with students to individually hone in on their specific problems, whether it is conceptual or problem-solving. As for learning environment, SI is usually held in a smaller more accommodating room where it is a less intimidating more inviting space. This setting provides a social interaction component in which usual Chemistry lectures don’t provide. In addition to the more personal tutoring time available, students are also encouraged to interact in a common social setting. This allows for an opportunity of collaborative learning and may help foster a sense of community [12].The attraction to SI in a college setting is due to its short and long-term effects. The short-term effects of SI sessions are to instill a deeper understanding of the coursework within students. Whereas the long-term goals are two-fold, the academic goal is to change the way students learn, study, and understand information so that the knowledge stays with them. Students who participate in SI earn higher grades not only the course but in subsequent semesters, which is due to improved study habits and is considered a long-term positive outcome of SI [13]. The second long-term goal is to develop better social interaction skills within these students.Many public institutions have implemented SI and thus have uncovered several significant findings. Findings that were previously mentioned pertaining to the outcomes of SI includes achieving higher percentages of passing grades [1, 14]. Some studies also found higher graduation rates among participants [1]. Despite their better performance, SI takers often score lower on academic success predictors such as the SAT and ACT exams [14]; increases in performance, therefore, appear to not occur because stronger students use SI. SI helps promote problem-solving skills because it involves the learner in the construction of knowledge and information processing based on their prior experiences which could contribute to cognitive development [15-16]. Furthermore, SI has been shown to improve motivation and enhance study habits and understanding difficult concepts [17]. Participants in SI have been found to have better control on their achievement, self-esteem, and confidence [18]. SI has also been found to higher academic self-efficacy and grades [19]. Studies have reported that students who participated in SI in introductory courses in Biology or Chemistry courses tended to continue onto upper level courses in the field; SI has a positive effect on students’ enrollment in upper level courses [20-21]. We should note that Rabitoy and co-authors reported that SI enhanced students’ achievement in STEM fields and this was greater for females and students of color [22]. METHODS While researching the topic of SI as a whole, we were able to uncover many studies that were in favor of this new implementation in institutions. Our research study is unique because it targets only at risk students and provides an added value to the curriculum. SI was implemented into The City College of New York (CCNY) as a test run in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The CCNY is an urban minority serving institute that offers a diverse selection of classes, which vary from the arts to the sciences and everything in between. We wanted to try implementing SI into the sciences to see if at risk science students can benefit from it. Grasping the S in stem, our main goal is to use the successful methods of SI to see what benefits it can bring to general science courses.Beginning during the Spring semester of 2018, SI was implemented at The CCNY’s General Chemistry I course which is composed of lecture, lab, and Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) workshop. PLTL is implemented as an integrated part of the course [23]. In the General Chemistry course, after exam one was distributed and grades were given back, an announcement was made introducing SI. The lecture professor would encourage students who received a failing grade, classified as a grade below a 65 out of 100 on exam one, to attend SI as means of improving in the course. This makes our study unique since we are only targeting students who are struggling the course and are not likely to earn a passing grade. It is noteworthy that PLTL offers a collaborative learning experience for all students. SI instructors targeted weaknesses in study habits, socialization, conceptual-understanding, and problem-solving skills.SI was made available for five days a week and on those days, SI was scheduled around classes times which makes it easier for students with busy schedules involving work and class to attend. During SI sessions there are instructors that have been hand-picked by instructors from a cohort of recitation leaders and who have successfully completed the course and have received a grade of A in the course. SI attendance was not mandatory.Throughout the first session available after the Supplemental Instruction announcement was made to the lecture class, those who chose to attend, because SI was not mandatory and it was strongly recommended for struggling students. Students brought their first exam with them to be discussed. This initial discussion is a one-on-one between the student and instructor, which serves as a more social component to learning whereas that isn’t available during class time. The first exam was then discussed so that the instructor can now sift through the student’s strengths and weaknesses to later target them in the weeks to come. The overall composition of our Supplementary Instruction sessions was influenced by the previous studies done and researched, hand-picking methods that seemed to work and leaving off ones that were less successful. SI sessions included cooperative learning activities, and addressed students’ misconceptions and difficulties, explored difficult concepts in depth, and enhanced problem-solving skills [24].Every week during Supplementary Instruction sessions students were encouraged to come back to further work through their weaknesses. During this trial specifically, it was noticed by the SI instructors that a lot of students actually struggle with basic problem-solving skills and reasoning. To help combat this, worksheets were made each week based on the lecture topics covered in class, based on problem-solving to help build their skills. Aside from doing the worksheets, students were encouraged to bring in topics or questions they have on the material so the SI instructors can further clarify and explain. Furthermore, students came to SI with questions that they were struggling with. Students provided questions for the SI instructor to explain which created a mutually beneficial relationship [11, 25].Our research question is: How does Supplemental Instruction in General Chemistry I impact students’ learning, conceptual understanding, retention, and attitudes?In order to properly assess how beneficial SI is to the way students learn Chemistry, data were collected at the end of the Spring and Fall of 2018 semesters, as well as Spring 2019. We used a combination Likert-type and open-ended questionnaire, as well as, grade comparisons. The Likert-type section included a five-point scale, where (1) Strongly Disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Neutral, (4) Agree, (5) Strongly Agree. For each question, the average was taken which helps make sense of the data. For the open ended questions, questions 1 through 3, we created and used a rubric to score the questions on a scale from 1 to 5 similar to what was mentioned above. For question 4, we compiled the answers and created pie charts based on the type and number of responses.As previously stated, at the end of the semester surveys were printed and distributed to each SI session. Students that attended SI were all encouraged to participate in this survey. A total of 44 out of 60 students were available and willing to participate in the optional survey.RESULT AND DISCUSSION Graphical depictions of each Likert-type question along with average responses are shown in Figure 1. FIGURE 1. Averages for the answers for each of the Likert-type questionnaire. Our data clearly shows that students overall had a positive learning experience with SI. The students agree that SI improved their basic problem-solving skills, understanding of concepts covered, and attaining a better grade in the course. Furthermore, SI participation encouraged students to practice problems and tackle their weaknesses in the course. SI participants believe that the SI instructors targeted their weak areas and helped them improve. Finally, students felt that SI was worth the time and effort they put into it and that it was beneficial and contributed to improvements in grades.FIGURE 2. Averages of the short-answer responses were numerically scaled using a rubric.Figure 2 shows that students overall had a positive learning experience with SI and that it helped them better understand the concepts. Furthermore, the participants would enthusiastically would recommend SI to other Chemistry students.FIGURE 3. The pie chart above shows the beneficial components of SI to studentsFigure 3 shows the parts of SI that students found beneficial. Overall, there were many useful features of the SI program that facilitated students’ learning and succeeding in the course. The students appreciated the time spent on problem-solving, the flexibility of the offerings – refers to the times and days, the individualized learning experience, and the one-on-one support, guidance, and tutoring. From the Likert-type questions given in part one of the survey, responses were broken down for each given question in order to visualize the impact of SI for the students/participants. The average of the responses can be seen above and was about 4.8. The corresponding results can be viewed above as shown in Figure 1. To turn our attention to Figure 1 ‘SI has helped me to improve my basic problem solving skills’, upon meeting with the SI instructor team at The CCNY we were made aware that students have trouble with basic problem-solving which leads to the disconnect in understanding how to build upon this knowledge. When students lack this basic skill, it is difficult for them to move on and build upon this skill as the course progresses, which ultimately leads to their failure to meet the level of understanding for each lecture exam. From the responses, we can see that majority of the students feel as though their problem solving skills have developed as a result of participating in SI. Questions 6-8 deal with an overall belief about the experience of SI participation. Based on Figure 1, SI helped students better understand the course material, and had an overall positive response as 100% of students felt like they did have a better understanding of the course material after attending SI. Students overwhelmingly agree that SI is very beneficial to the way they learn Chemistry. Our data show that SI is well received by the participants which is consistent with other researchers [11]. Short answer questions 1-3 were made in order to have a more in-depth understanding of the student experience with SI this past semester. These questions were formed as short answer so students were more inclined to share their opinions of SI. The collected data shows that the students strongly agree that SI has been very beneficial for ways unique to each student. Some students enjoyed the SI instructors and their way of teaching and helping the students understand the material. While others enjoyed how personal the experience was. It wasn’t a ‘one size fits all’ experience but an experience that was personalized to each student’s needs, strengths, and weaknesses. Short answers for question 4 also had very personalized responses. Question 4 in particular – ‘What features of SI did you find to be most beneficial to you?’ was very helpful in understanding what students appreciate most about SI, and served as a standard to which should be upheld. Responses ranged from the flexible times SI was offered to the small class setting which is extremely different than the lecture, and more comfortable. Students also enjoyed and benefited from the one-on-one attention they received in SI session. For that reason, students would make time to attend the SI section of their ‘favorite instructor’. Furthermore, the individualized learning experience was appealing to SI participants. The overall goal is to get each student to understand complex concepts and if one instructor can better help someone to reach this goal; SI is a success. The overall responses show that SI is very beneficial and contributed a great deal to the way that students learn Chemistry. One main issue we have encountered during this initial phase of implementation is low number of students who self-select to participate in SI. Only about 10 percent of students who failed the first exam, participated in SI. One reason could be that students might not buy into the philosophy of SI. A second reason might be that students do not think that SI would help them better understand the content and succeed on the course. A third reason could be due to lack of motivation in these students. Another reason could be attributed to the lack of maturity in students who are taking General Chemistry I. We use the term ‘lack of maturity’ loosely in this sense to mean the lack of knowledge of how to conduct oneself in a college setting [26]. Most commonly, freshman students come straight from high school where they have not yet acquired good study techniques or methods which work best for them. These reasons combined with the hardship required to understand such complex concepts that they’re learning for the very first time can deter students. Our data show that students who participated in SI after failing the first exam achieved a success rate of about 80%. Students who failed the first exam and did not participate in SI had an 11% chance of passing the course. This data is consistent with several research in the field indicating that students who participate in SI have a higher chance of successfully completing the course with a passing grade [14, 27]. We feel these data make powerful statement for the added value of SI in General Chemistry courses and its impact on students learning and attitudes.CONCLUSION In conclusion, our research study on SI provided valuable data into students’ learning and conceptual understanding of content in General Chemistry. Furthermore, our findings provide insights into students’ attitudes about SI implementation and its benefits to the participants. Our research data supports the introduction of SI into General Chemistry courses and provides students with learning skills, socialization competencies, problem-solving skills, and the knowledge required to successfully complete the course. We believe that our data supports the notion that SI had a significantly affected the participants grades in a positive manner and it should be noted that that majority of SI participants earned a passing grade in the course. Our results and data on the implementation of SI in General Chemistry courses improved students’ attitudes towards the subject matter, learning, socialization, and study habits. We are confident we can reach a larger population and improve our recruitment so more students can experience SI and increase their chances of successful completion of the course. As an implication for curriculum, we would recommend supplemental instruction for all introductory courses STEM fields. ACKNOWLEDGMENT We also would like to thank the Department of Psychology at the CCNY and CUNY Coordinated Undergraduate Education (CUE) for funding our Supplemental Instruction program.

As a response to the recent international calls to decolonize the education of Indigenous students and increase school success among them by including indigenous knowledge into school curricula, aspects of Aboriginall cultural knowledge/perspectives were integrated into the Social Studies curriculum in a Canadian inner city school in order to appraise the effect on academic achievement, class attendance and school retention among some Canadian Aboriginal students. Results suggest some optimism about increasing school success among these students by integrating Aboriginal perspectives. Five effective approaches to the integration of Indigenous perspectives into the school curriculum and some critical elements of instruction that appear to affect academic achievement, class attendance and school retention among some Canadian Aboriginal students are discussed. Les recents appels internationaux exigent la decolonisation de l'enseignement des eleves indigenes pour augmenter leur succes scolaire en incluant les connaissances indigenes dans les curricula des ecoles. Pour repondre aces appels, des aspects de la connaissance et des perspectives de la culture autochtone ont eM integres dans le curriculum des sciences humaines d'une ecole dans un vieux quartier pauvre du Canada afin d'evaluer les effets sur l'accomplissement academique, l'assiduite et le redoublement scolaires chez quelques eleves autochtones canadiens. Le resultat suggere un certain optimisme dans l'augmentation du succes scolaire chez ces eleves avec l'integration des perspectives autochtones. Cinq fac;ons efficaces pour integrer les perspectives indigenes au curriculum de l'ecale et quelques elements critiques de l'instruction qui semblent avoir affecte le succes academique, l'assiduite et le redaublement scolaires chez quelques eleves autochtanes canadiens sont examines ici.

Abstract This project focused on 45 Indigenous students who attended most often (90–100%) at an Australian urban primary school to identify factors that facilitate high attendance. We analysed student records and to provide student voice, an Indigenous Worker in the school conducted a student questionnaire. Student responses showed friendships, relationships, family stability and resilience were important contributors for high attendance. Administrative data revealed poverty was the only almost universally shared trait. Common characteristics among students were identified at cohort-level. At student-level, no combination or single trait applied to every high-attending student. They showed great diversity. The study school's attendance strategies included increasing cultural inclusion and support for students living in poverty, which positively impacted many students' attendance, although not all. A personalised approach was also required. An Indigenous Worker identified individual student's attendance barriers and tailored solutions. If school-level strategies are ineffective for all students, strategies and policies designed for all of Australia's Indigenous students will also affect only some of the population. Without a personalised approach, Closing the Gap attendance strategies were limited in reach, and ultimately success. Refreshing the Closing the Gap strategy now provides opportunities for attendance strategies to include personalised approaches.

AbstractFor many Queer and Gender Diverse (QGD) Indigenous Australian people, there is little to no separation between our queer or gender identity, and our cultural identity. We are increasingly calling upon institutions to consider and cater to our identities and the needs which correlate with such identities. This paper discusses the findings of a project that investigated the ways in which QGD Indigenous Australian students are included, or not, in the Australian higher education space. Our findings suggest QGD Indigenous Australians are often overlooked in these spaces. We explore the consequences for university access, retention and personal impact for this cohort of students.

Cellular phone distractions inhibit faculty delivering and students learning the curriculum by reducing student attendance and active engagement. Arguably, cellular phone usage during precious class times can be a risk factor for student attrition, but scarce solutions have been offered to address this problem in colleges. The Flipd App, a cellular phone distraction reduction technology was tested on 266 college students. The results showed a positive linear relationship between usage and attendance rates and a negative linear relationship between usage and ≥ 3 absence rates, and ∼10% of students resisted its use. The Flipd App may serve as a predictive educational intervention tool that increases active learning, reduces attrition, and increases retention. It may be useful in classes with less hands-on activities to reduce distractions and increase active student engagement. The Flipd App may prove useful in helping college students curb their screen time habits from the Fear of Missing Out to the Joy of Missing Out.