School support, parental involvement, and academic and social-emotional outcomes for English-language learners in elementary school.

This dissertation study examined the relationships between school support (i.e., student services and family outreach), parental school involvement, and academic and social-emotional outcomes for children who are English Language Learners (ELLs). Specifically, the goals of the study were to: a) determine if higher levels of school support were associated with more positive academic and social-emotional outcomes for ELLs, b) examine the extent to which parental school involvement mediated the relationship between school support and ELL student outcomes, and c) explore how ELLs\u27 perceived academic and social-emotional skills were related to their actual achievement levels. Restricted-use data collected from direct child assessments, children\u27s self-reports, and parent, teacher, and school administrator surveys from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort of 1998 (ECLS-K) were used. The sample included approximately 1,020 third-grade students who were identified in kindergarten as ELLs. Structural equation modeling was used to measure school support and then to analyze the direct and indirect effects of school support on ELL student outcomes, as potentially mediated by parental school involvement. Results showed that higher levels of school support predicted more parental involvement among ELL families, more parental involvement was associated with fewer social-emotional concerns for ELL children at school, and fewer social-emotional problems were linked to higher achievement scores. ELL students\u27 overall academic self-concept was not significantly related to their academic achievement, but this relationship was stronger when considering domain-specific measures of self-concept and achievement in reading and mathematics. Contrary to expectations, results showed that ELL students had lower achievement and more social-emotional concerns when they attended schools that provided more support services, although there are a variety of possible explanations for these findings that are discussed in the paper. Mediation analyses showed that none of the indirect effects reached conventional levels of statistical significance. Several avenues for future research are discussed as well as implications for policy and practice in terms of how schools can best serve the growing population of ELL students and families

Self-Efficacy, Intrinsic Motivation, and Academic Outcomes Among Latino Middle School Students Participating in an After-School Program

This longitudinal study examined how academic self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, and participation in an after-school program contributed to the academic achievement of Latino middle school students over the course of one school year. Participants were 47 Latino students in sixth through eighth grades who attended two public middle schools in which an after-school program was held that was specifically for Latino students. Results from ordinary least squares regression revealed that intrinsic motivation was positively associated with students GPAs, self-efficacy was a positive predictor of students’ school attendance and standardized math achievement scores, and attendance at the after-school program also contributed positively to students’ math achievement. Results from multilevel growth modeling showed that students’ self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation remained stable across the school year and were not related to students’ degree of participation in the after-school program. Several avenues for future research within the Latino student population are discussed

New zooarchaeological evidence from Pictish sites in Scotland : implications for early medieval economies and animal-human relationships

Funding This research was part of the Northern Picts Project (2009–2015), The Comparative Kingship Project (since 2017) funded by the Leverhulme Trust as part of a Research Leadership Award under Grant RL-2016-069, and Historic Environment Scotland Citadel project—code is RG15531-10. KB was supported by the Leverhulme Trust (PLP-2019–284). Acknowledgments We wish to thank the two reviewers for their constructive comments that have improved the original version of this paper. We thank the University of Aberdeen students and volunteer excavators who participated in the excavations and the onsite collection of samples as well as helping clean and sort the faunal material. We also wish to thank Zena Timmons and Jerry Herman (National Museum of Scotland) for access to NMS collections and for their time. Thanks to funding from Don and Elizabeth Cruickshank that allowed many of the excavations referenced here to take place and enabled publication of results.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Gender Inequity Norms Are Associated with Increased Male-Perpetrated Rape and Sexual Risks for HIV Infection in Botswana and Swaziland

There is limited empirical research on the underlying gender inequity norms shaping gender-based violence, power, and HIV risks in sub-Saharan Africa, or how risk pathways may differ for men and women. This study is among the first to directly evaluate the adherence to gender inequity norms and epidemiological relationships with violence and sexual risks for HIV infection.Data were derived from population-based cross-sectional samples recruited through two-stage probability sampling from the 5 highest HIV prevalence districts in Botswana and all districts in Swaziland (2004-5). Based on evidence of established risk factors for HIV infection, we aimed 1) to estimate the mean adherence to gender inequity norms for both men and women; and 2) to model the independent effects of higher adherence to gender inequity norms on a) male sexual dominance (male-controlled sexual decision making and rape (forced sex)); b) sexual risk practices (multiple/concurrent sex partners, transactional sex, unprotected sex with non-primary partner, intergenerational sex).A total of 2049 individuals were included, n = 1255 from Botswana and n = 796 from Swaziland. In separate multivariate logistic regression analyses, higher gender inequity norms scores remained independently associated with increased male-controlled sexual decision making power (AORmen = 1.90, 95%CI:1.09-2.35; AORwomen = 2.05, 95%CI:1.32-2.49), perpetration of rape (AORmen = 2.19 95%CI:1.22-3.51), unprotected sex with a non-primary partner (AORmen = 1.90, 95%CI:1.14-2.31), intergenerational sex (AORwomen = 1.36, 95%CI:1.08-1.79), and multiple/concurrent sex partners (AORmen = 1.42, 95%CI:1.10-1.93).These findings support the critical evidence-based need for gender-transformative HIV prevention efforts including legislation of women's rights in two of the most HIV affected countries in the world

Promoting novelty, rigor, and style in energy social science: towards codes of practice for appropriate methods and research design

A series of weaknesses in creativity, research design, and quality of writing continue to handicap energy social science. Many studies ask uninteresting research questions, make only marginal contributions, and lack innovative methods or application to theory. Many studies also have no explicit research design, lack rigor, or suffer from mangled structure and poor quality of writing. To help remedy these shortcomings, this Review offers suggestions for how to construct research questions; thoughtfully engage with concepts; state objectives; and appropriately select research methods. Then, the Review offers suggestions for enhancing theoretical, methodological, and empirical novelty. In terms of rigor, codes of practice are presented across seven method categories: experiments, literature reviews, data collection, data analysis, quantitative energy modeling, qualitative analysis, and case studies. We also recommend that researchers beware of hierarchies of evidence utilized in some disciplines, and that researchers place more emphasis on balance and appropriateness in research design. In terms of style, we offer tips regarding macro and microstructure and analysis, as well as coherent writing. Our hope is that this Review will inspire more interesting, robust, multi-method, comparative, interdisciplinary and impactful research that will accelerate the contribution that energy social science can make to both theory and practice

A longitudinal study of school connectedness and academic outcomes across sixth grade

The current longitudinal study examines the extent to which school connectedness (i.e., students\u27 perceptions of school support and the number of adults with whom they have a positive relationship) is associated with academic outcomes across sixth grade for students from high poverty neighborhoods. Data were collected from 330 sixth-grade students attending two middle schools in a large public school district. Specifically, students completed a survey to assess their perceived connection to the school environment, and academic information regarding students\u27 grades, attendance, and discipline referrals was obtained from school records. Results fromlatent growth curve modeling showed that, on average, students\u27 perceptions of school support declined significantly across the sixth-grade year. However, students who reported less decline, or growth, in school support across sixth grade had higher academic achievement at the end of the year than students who reported more decline in school support. Sixth-grade boys were at a greater risk for negative outcomes (i.e., lower school support, lower GPAs, and more discipline referrals) across the school year than girls. Results point to the importance of perceived connectedness to school in helping economically disadvantaged students experience a safe and successful transition to middle school

Teacher support mediates concurrent and longitudinal associations between temperament and mild depressive symptoms in sixth grade

The combination of changes occurring at the transition to middle school may be a catalyst for the onset of depressive symptoms, yet teacher support at this transition is protective. Research points to certain temperamental traits as risk factors for developing depressive symptoms. This study examines student reports of teacher support and teacher reports of student–teacher relationship (STR) quality as mediators of associations between child temperament (i.e. negative emotionality at age 4½ : and emotional reactivity in elementary grades) and depressive symptoms in sixth grade. Results indicate (a) negative emotionality predicted emotional reactivity and depressive symptoms; (b) emotional reactivity predicted depressive symptoms; (c) students’ perceptions of teacher support (in grade 6) and teachers’ perceptions of STR quality (in grades 4-6) predicted depressive symptoms; and (d) student–teacher conflict mediated associations between emotional reactivity and depressive symptoms. Findings point to the importance of teacher support and positive STRs during the transition to middle school

Changes in School Connectedness and Deviant Peer Affiliation among Sixth-Grade Students from High-Poverty Neighborhoods

This longitudinal study examined associations between changes in School Connectedness and changes in Affiliation With Deviant Peers among students from high-poverty backgrounds during the year immediately following the transition to middle school. Sixth-graders (N = 328) attending two middle schools in a large school district completed measures of School Connectedness and Affiliation With Deviant Peers at three points across the year. Results from parallel process modeling showed that students’ reports of School Support significantly declined across the school year, School Support and Affiliation With Deviant Peers were negatively associated at the beginning of the school year, and students who reported more declines in School Support were more likely to report growth in Affiliation With Deviant Peers across sixth grade. Gender differences were also found. Findings suggest that School Connectedness may be important for high-poverty students following the transition to middle school

Temperament in early childhood and peer interactions in third grade: The role of teacher–child relationships in early elementary grades

Children’s interactions with peers in early childhood have been consistently linked to their academic and social outcomes. Although both child and classroom characteristics have been implicated as contributors to children’s success, there has been scant research linking child temperament, teacher–child relationship quality, and peer interactions in the same study. The purpose of this study is to examine children’s early temperament, rated at preschool age, as a predictor of interactions with peers (i.e., aggression, relational aggression, victimization, and prosociality) in third grade while considering teacher–child relationship quality in kindergarten through second grades as a moderator and mediator of this association. The sample (N = 1364) was drawn from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Results from structural equation models indicated that teacher–child conflict in early elementary grades mediated links between children’s temperament and later peer interactions. Findings underscore the importance of considering children’s temperament traits and teacher–child relationship quality when examining the mechanisms of the development of peer interactions

Health Informatics via Machine Learning for the Clinical Management of Patients

Objectives: To review how health informatics systems based on machine learning methods have impacted the clinical management of patients, by affecting clinical practice. Methods: We reviewed literature from 2010-2015 from databases such as Pubmed, IEEE xplore, and INSPEC, in which methods based on machine learning are likely to be reported. We bring together a broad body of literature, aiming to identify those leading examples of health informatics that have advanced the methodology of machine learning. While individual methods may have further examples that might be added, we have chosen some of the most representative, informative exemplars in each case. Results Our survey highlights that, while much research is taking place in this high-profile field, examples of those that affect the clinical management of patients are seldom found. We show that substantial progress is being made in terms of methodology, often by data scientists working in close collaboration with clinical groups. Conclusions Health informatics systems based on machine learning are in their infancy and the translation of such systems into clinical management has yet to be performed at scale.</p