Using a longitudinal national educational dataset, data science methods were applied to explain students' educational trajectories and determine the most predictive variables in STEM degree attainment. Challenging the notion of the STEM pipeline, an Alternative Pathways to STEM (APS) model was proposed. Using a foundation of Social Cognitive…

Introduction: Educational attainment is associated with higher rates of employment, income, and standard of living; yet leaving secondary school before completion of the final year remains common, particularly for youth experiencing disadvantage. This study aimed to identify key indicators of vulnerability, derived from a proposed framework of…

Recent advances in genomics make it possible to predict individual differences in education from polygenic scores that are person-specific aggregates of inherited DNA differences. Here, we systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed the strength of these DNA-based predictions for educational attainment (e.g., years spent in full-time education) and…

Kindergarten readiness is shaped by both family and school contexts, highlighting the importance of an ecological perspective on early learning. The current study examined whether parental engagement mediates the relationship between parents' protective factors (e.g., social support) and children's kindergarten readiness when controlling for…

Dutch secondary education is a multi-tiered system, and many students are placed in a single track in the first year (seventh grade) of secondary education. As part of the placement procedure, all sixth-grade students take an end of primary school test. Although these standardised attainment tests (SATs) are considered high-stakes tests, the…

The goal of this study was to identify the onset and magnitude of prediction of early cognition to adult socioeconomic outcomes. Specifically, we were interested in examining which cognitive skills measured at 15, 24, 36, and 54 months predict educational attainment and salary at age 26. Data (N = 1364, 52% male) included a diverse sample (76%…

This paper aims to analyze the structure of academic performance by investigating the influence of ascribed and achieved factors on student outcomes. Specifically, it explores the impact of gender, socioeconomic status of parents, parental education, type of high school attended, and level of study on academic success. Utilizing a longitudinal…

In putatively meritocratic societies, doing well in school is a pivotal precondition for accessing further and higher education, which, in turn, has a pervasive, long-term influence on adulthood development. Yet, doing well in school may also predict "real-life success" outside formal education settings and independent of the educational…

This quantitative study investigates the predictive power of machine learning (ML) models on degree completion among adult learners in higher education, emphasizing the enhancement of data-driven decision-making (DDDM). By analyzing three ML models - Random Forest, Gradient-Boosting machine (GBM), and CART Decision Tree - within a not-for-profit,…

Since 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has been the primary benchmark for tracking the progress of state education reform. The focus on math and reading achievement is motivated by the cross-sectional relationship between test scores and adult outcomes, such as earnings and college completion. But do changes in NAEP…

In this study, it was aimed to examine the relationship between teachers' organizational commitment and career anxiety. A cross-sectional correlational design belonging to the relational survey model was used. A simple random sampling method was utilized to determine the sample. The sample consisted of 384 teachers. Personal Information Form,…

The analysis presented in this report investigates the influence of socioeconomic background, behaviour, neighbourhood context, and family-related characteristics on attainment. Collectively, these dimensions are referred to as demographic factors and behavioural factors and shape the learning environment at home. The home learning environment…

The following tables are presented in this appendix to accompany the full report "The Home Learning Environment and Attainment. Research Report": (1) Summary crosstabulations of FSM and non-FSM pupils by key educational, behavioural and HLE related characteristics; (2) Univariate regression models for L2 and L3 attainment by key…

Since the 1970s, master's degrees represent the fastest growing degree in the United States (US). Accordingly, there is a need for greater understanding of the factors that have contributed to this sustained, upward trend. Guided by resource dependence theory, we conducted hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses to examine whether more…

Purpose: Shared reading is one of the most language-enriched contexts in children's home environments. A salient, understudied characteristic of shared reading is caregiver oral reading prosody. While caregiver prosody in conversational contexts is linked to children's understanding of spoken language, it remains unclear whether caregivers' oral…