In this paper, we present an extended evaluation of a course recommender system designed to support students who struggle in the first semesters of their studies and are at risk of dropping out. The system, which was developed in earlier work using a student-centered design and which is based on the explainable k-nearest neighbor algorithm,…

Developing tools to support students and learning in a traditional or online setting is a significant task in today's educational environment. The initial steps towards enabling such technologies using machine learning techniques focused on predicting the student's performance in terms of the achieved grades. The disadvantage of these approaches…

This Innovative Practice Category Work In Progress paper presents an application of machine learning and data mining to student performance data in an undergraduate electrical engineering program. We are developing an analytical approach to enhance retention in the program especially among underrepresented groups. Our approach will provide…

This qualitative case study considers factors such as difficulty of understanding mathematics and poor mathematics practicing strategy under academic factors and lack of family support under social factors as those that contribute to the failure. Many students entering community college have deficiencies in mathematics background and are required…

Data were collected on 211 undergraduates who were followed by Learning Disabled Student Services (LDSS) at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst during the academic year 1988-1989. Additional data on educational backgrounds were collected for 80 members of the LDSS population, to define variables important in predicting college outcomes.…

One of the concerns expressed by educators nationwide is the alarmingly high numbers of students who withdraw from schools before graduating. In response to this concern, the Austin Independent School District interviewed 95 dropouts in their homes, asking them why they left school and what could have been done that would have enabled them to…

A simulation study was designed to assess the severity of regression effects when a set of selection scores is also used as pretest scores as this pertains to RMC Model A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title I evaluation and reporting system. Data sets were created with various characteristics (varying data reliability and…

This paper identifies and assesses factors that may characterize students at risk of dropping out, based on a ninth grade class of Cincinnati (Ohio) public school students which was followed for five years, from 1984-85 to 1988-89. The paper aims to develop a quick, easy, and reliable method that teachers, counselors, and principals can use to…

The purpose of this study was to explore the value of variables beyond undergraduate grades and admission test scores in predicting success in the preclinical curriculum of the College of Human Medicine of Michigan State University (East Lansing). Subjects included about 93 students with relatively low scores on the Medical College Admissions Test…

One approach to identifying effective schools defines effectiveness in terms of student achievement in reading, mathematics, and language usage. Exceptional school achievement is indicated by performance above or below the level expected if students were merely to maintain their previous rate of growth. Regression analysis is used to compute…

Possible gender differences in attitudes toward mathematics were studied between low-achieving and high-achieving fifth-grade students in selected elementary schools within a large, metropolitan area. The attitudes of pre-adolescent children at an intermediate grade level were assessed to determine the effects of rapidly emerging gender-related…

The influences of student-level and campus factors on the academic performance of intercollegiate athletes were studied. Approximately 80 full-time student athletes were selected from each of 42 institutions in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Data were drawn from the 1987-88 National Study of Intercollegiate…

This study examined factors associated with Hispanic students' high dropout rates, considering not only demographic factors but also the role of family background, early school experiences, and social influences in the high Hispanic student dropout rate. Data came from students in the High School and Beyond (HS&B) longitudinal study of the…

The relationships of various different variables which had been used to define socio-economic status (SES) to achievement for second- and fifth-grade students were examined. Interviews were conducted with 533 parents across the Austin Independent School District to obtain information on job status, age, income, education, attitude toward…

Reading and writing development of 54 children from grade one through four was studied. Poor first-grade readers almost invariably were poor readers at completion of grade four. Poor readers tended to become poor writers. Early writing skill did not predict later ability as well as did early reading ability. (SLD)