Longitudinal Study Database

After watching the short film “The Middle School Moment,” and hearing the research finding of Dr. Robert Balfanz, took me by surprise on how serious the issue about kids dropping out is. I found it shocking in discovering that about 7,000 students dropped out of school everyday. Not only that but the fact that their personal lives and society play a huge role in their decisions, which schools tend to ignore. Another thing that I found interesting about the video was the prevention program that was adopted by Middle School 244 in the Bronx, and how it gave struggling students like Omarina Cabrera, the opportunity to continue their education after having issues preventing them from getting a proper education.

Answer: This is a ordinal variable since education level is ordered from less to higher education and is put into 4 categories.

Nominal data is the most basic level of measurement. It is also known as categorical. The numbers do not imply an order. Basically nominal data is used for frequency and the only number property of the nominal scale of measurement is identity. An everyday example of the use of nominal data would be classifying people according to gender is a common application of the nominal scale. When you first meet someone, an observation is generally made on the specific gender of the person you are meeting for the first time.

The study design included a sample of 80 high schools and 52 middle schools with an unequal probability of selection, ensuring representativeness with regard to region of country, urban city, school size, school type, and ethnicity. The sample has been followed through adolescence and early adulthood (with ongoing data collection). More than 20,000 students participated in the first wave of data between years 1994 and 1995.1 Approximately 15,700

1. This first clinic was a little intimidating. I mostly just shadowed some an older student today while he was interviewing patients. I felt like we have been well prepared to see patients though IPE and the standardized patients, however, knowing that these were real patients made it feel much different. Knowing that the patients had real problems and not knowing what to expect at first was the most anxious part.

Demographics and control variable. Participants reported sex, age, U. S. citizenship, ethnicity, and educational grade level.

Without designed or determined variables, a research cannot be conducted. As denoted in Meyers et al. (2013) “As a rather conceptual but important characterization, a variable is an obstruction or construct that can take on different values.” The values of variables could be numbers expressing quantitative meaning (Meyers et al., 2012). “Quantitative” relates to numerical values, it may also justify the weight or variability of any population; it also can be anything represented by numerical values. Some values may be represented by names of people or animals. Such values are used to determine “qualitative” or categorical differences between cases (Meyers et al., 2013). In terms of measurement, I have apprehended that there are five scales of measurements. There are as follows: Ordinal, Nominal, Summative response, Interval, and Ratio scales (GCU, 2012). From the PSYC 845, I have also recall of learning about the ANOVA research design. As noted by Santayana (2011): “Measurement is at the core of doing

It is essential to consider the interconnectedness of the system from an ecological perspective, contemplating the involvement of the system parts, which include the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. Characteristics such as the neighborhood in which the adolescent lives, their socioeconomic status, racial and ethnic background, play a role in their development. A spectrum that considers a multifaceted framework, provides a platform to enhance one’s understanding of the assessment outcomes. According to Hill, Bromell, Tyson & Flint (2007), the stages of adolescent development from ages eight to sixteen, involve biological, social, and cognitive components. Adolescents move through phases of identity development which encapsulates changes within relationships of friends, peers, family members, and parents. Within that timeframe, approximately two transitions occur between educational facilities in the adolescent’s life. The biological shift occurring, involves hormonal changes and affects the adolescent’s mood. Behavioral changes are expressed through heightened anxiety, the onset of depression, and extreme high mood levels followed by extreme low levels. The identity development phase involves self-conscious behavior, self-centeredness, and questioning one’s ability to be successful.

The researchers analyzed the data they collected as though it were at what level of measurement?

Internal validity of this study included data collection process and student personal interest in education. For example, students may have scored in exam because they concern about their own education. Reliability of this study instrument has not been tested. This is the first time this group will have this survey. There is no former survey to use as a standard to see if there are many changes.

2. Identify all of the major dependent and independent variables and the level of measurement for each variable

2. Identify all of the major dependent and independent variables and the level of measurement for each variable

The research method used for this study was a survey distributed as a self-report questionnaire. Data were collected by giving the questionnaire to 3,065 male and female adolescents attending grades 7 through 12 in three midwestern states. The sample design consisted of two parts. First, schools were chosen within a participating school district, which was representative for size and location within the area. Second, two or three classrooms per grade level were chosen among the general enrollment classes. A small subset was also added from applicants who volunteered from the districts who were interviewed a few weeks before the questionnaire was administered (Akers, Lanza-Kaduce, & Radiosevich, 1979).

The objective of this chapter is to describe the procedures used in the analysis of the data and present the main findings. It also presents the different tests performed to help choose the appropriate model for the study. The chapter concludes by providing thorough statistical interpretation of the findings.

The purpose of this study is to identify the students’ profile in terms of age, gender, family income, parents’ educational attainment, and grades for the last school year attended. It also needs to identify the school climate condition that provides school to understand the working condition and leadership, instructional focus and physical environment.