Purpose: The purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to examine the extent to which differences were present by student demographic characteristic in the reading achievement of Texas Grade 3 students. In the first article, the extent to which the economic status (i.e., Poor, Not Poor) of Grade 3 underrepresented boys in Texas is related to…

Internet has a potential that will lead to important changes in our social life and our attitudes, behaviors and habits. Indeed, Internet seems to have started to change a number of social structures from family, friendship to business relationships. Internet serves many purposes such as information transfer, academic research, entertainment,…

Substance use is a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality; it is in large part why, among 17 high-income nations, people in the U.S. have the highest probability of dying by age 50. Substance use is also an important contributor to many social ills including child and spouse abuse, violence more generally, theft, suicide, and more;…

Globalisation and rapid technological progress have increased the focus on efficient investment in high-quality skills across the European Union (EU) countries. One issue that is high on the political agenda is the persistent underachievement among youths in many European countries meaning that approximately 20 percent of Europe's 15 year olds…

Various pressures and influences of family, society, media, and other agents of socialization on individuals and their own pressures, associated with setting unrealistic goals and requirements lead to a life filled with worry, frustration and guilt, (Ferbezer, 2002). Perfectionism emerges especially as a negative trend in the behaviour of a…

The first 1,000 days of life are a critical window of vulnerability to exposure to socioeconomic and health challenges (i.e. poverty/undernutrition). The Brain Imaging for Global Health (BRIGHT) project has been established to deliver longitudinal measures of brain development from 0 to 24 months in UK and Gambian infants and to assess the impact…

Regarding research on inclusive education, it is unknown whether differences in classroom composition provide unequal opportunities for educational outcomes of students with special educational needs (SEN). We investigated effects of student characteristics and classroom composition on reading achievement and social participation of SEN students.…

Reading is a tool that promotes the learning of science across schooling. Scientific texts are conceptually and linguistically complex, especially for students from low-income contexts because they have neither the experience with the language nor the literacy skills to face the challenges of scientific knowledge. This study used a mix method…

As a form of exclusionary discipline, student placement into an alternative learning program (ALP) may lead to negative outcomes for students (e.g., lower academic achievement, attrition, involvement in the juvenile justice system; Anderson and Ritter in Educ Policy Anal Arch 25(49):1-33, 2017). School counselors are called to address inequitable…

Schools differentially sort students into special education by race, though researchers debate the extent to which this is caused by racist school practices versus variation in student need due to other racial inequalities. I test the interaction between school-level racial composition and student-level race as a predictor of special education…

Scholars and policymakers have yet to hold a robust conversation about diversity in K-12 online schools. This study builds on research that suggests online charter schools enroll higher percentages of White and economically advantaged students compared to national K-12 school enrollment averages. While these findings remain consistent, the study…

Based on the concept of educational quality of the home learning environment, stimulating and responsive family time is crucial for children's development. In turn, time use depends on the developmental stages in childhood. International studies indicate that family patterns of time use are associated with a family's resources (i.e. level of…

In today's globalised world, many issues have become controversial. These controversial issues affect society and the individuals who form them. It is inevitable that these topics are brought into social studies classrooms, because this learning area is profoundly related to society. Social studies teachers' behaviours, attitudes, and professional…

Healthy life expectancy (HLE) is an emerging field in aging studies. Nevertheless, understanding of HLE from the perspective of socioeconomic status (SES) is inadequate. To fill this gap, the present study explores differences in HLE by SES based on two nationally representative longitudinal databases in China. The study adopts education as a…

Recent changes in higher education financing policies in England have led to more students funding their studies via two types of student loan--for tuition fees and/or for maintenance. Moreover, the average amount borrowed has been increasing. Yet not all students take out loans, and understanding the determinants of take-up is important, not…