With close to a million Texas students attending rural schools, research on what influences student achievement is needed to guide policy, practice, and further research. Building on research relating student demographic variables and per student spending in rural schools to student achievement, through this dissertation research I used…

The purpose of this study was to determine if a gender-based learning environment fosters academic success for female students. This study was, also, meant to determine if the socioeconomic status (SES) and race of females was a predicting factor for the academic success of females enrolled in single gender learning environments in comparison to…

A complex web of factors can influence whether students participate in computer science (CS) during high school. In order to increase participation in CS for all students, there is a need to better understand who is currently participating and what factors might be hindering participation. This study utilized a large-scale, student-level dataset…

This quantitative study explored the relationship between community sociodemographic factors and student outcomes on the 2019 Texas high school mandated end-of-course (EOC) exams for Algebra I, Biology, English I, English II, and U.S. History in Texas midsized high schools. Correlational analysis was run on community sociodemographic factors on…

Eighth-grade students who are placed into Algebra 1 but fail end-of-course exams may experience lowered grade point averages (GPAs) and loss of motivation for math or avoid taking advanced mathematics courses in high school. Middle-achieving students present challenges in terms of mathematics placement. Self-efficacy theory and locus of control…

Recent methods have sought to improve precision in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) by utilizing data from large observational datasets for covariate adjustment. For example, consider an RCT aimed at evaluating a new algebra curriculum, in which a few dozen schools are randomly assigned to treatment (new curriculum) or control (standard…

Advisors use placement test scores as a means of predicting students' proficiency in mathematics; however, there is a debate about how accurately these scores predict students' success. This nonexperimental quantitative study focused on one test, the Texas Success Initiative (TSI). The purpose of the study was to determine whether the test is an…

For over 40 years, an academic achievement gap has separated the Hispanic and White students in public schools on both national- and state-level standardized tests. The demographics in America have shown an increase in the Hispanic population in many states, especially Texas. This increase, which included the addition of many Hispanic families…

Historical student data can help elucidate the factors that promote student success in mathematics courses. Herein we use both multiple regression and principal component analyses to explore ten years of historical data from over 20,000 students in an introductory college-level Algebra course in an urban American research university with a diverse…

This study considered whether delivery modality, student GPA, or time since high school affected whether 290 students who had completed a developmental math series as a community college were able to successfully complete college-level math. The data used in the study was comprised of a 4-year period historical student data from Odessa College…

Demand for online learning has increased in recent years due to the convenience of course delivery. However, some students appear to have difficulties with online education resulting in lack of completion. The study utilized a quantitative approach with archival data. The factors of achievement and demographics were compared for face-to-face and…

Mathematics is a particular stumbling block for community college students in developmental course work. The present study empirically investigated student-level and teacher-level factors that influence the success of community college students enrolled in developmental mathematics courses. Specifically, numerous variables in one statistical model…

Demand for online learning has increased in recent years due to the convenience of course delivery. However, some students appear to have difficulties with online education resulting in lack of completion. The study utilized a quantitative approach with archival data and survey design. The factors of demographics, motivation, technology, and…

Algebra is a prerequisite for access to STEM careers and occupational success (NMAP, 2008a), yet algebra is difficult for students through high school (US DOE, 2008). Growth in children's conceptual and procedural arithmetical knowledge is reciprocal, although conceptual knowledge has more impact on procedural knowledge than the reverse…

This study was designed to forge stronger theoretical and empirical links between achievement goal theory and attribution theory. High school students ("N" = 224) completed a self-report survey that assessed 3 types of achievement goals, 7 types of attributions, and self-efficacy. Results indicated that students' adoption of achievement…