Affective education

The purpose of this study was to examine non-identifying archival data from the
2012-2013 school year to assess the effect participation in the Student Success
Skills (SSS) school counselor-led classroom guidance program (Brigman & Webb,
2010) had on the behavioral and cognitive engagement of grade 5 Exceptional
Student Education (ESE) students serviced within the general education classroom
setting. Data for this study was collected at three different intervals. School
attendance data was collected on students during the 2012, 2013, and 2014 school
years when students were enrolled in grades 4, 5, and 6 respectively. Pre-test selfreport
data was collected within two weeks prior to implementation of the SSS
program. Posttest self-report data was collected within two weeks immediately
following completion of the intervention and post-posttest self-report data was
collected 30 weeks post-intervention. School counselors and classroom teachers
were trained in the SSS program. Students received five 45 minute classroom lessons delivered one week apart followed by three booster sessions delivered one
month apart. Lessons were designed to teach cognitive, social, self-management,
and test-taking skills. This study followed a randomized controlled trial (RCT)
design. For the purposes of this study behavioral engagement was measured by
school attendance data. Cognitive engagement was measured by the Test Anxiety
and Metacognitive Activity scales of the Motivated Strategies for Learning
Questionnaire (MSLQ) (Pintrich & DeGroot, 1990) and the Self-Regulation of
Arousal scale of the Student Engagement in School Success Skills (SESSS) survey
(Carey, Webb, Brigman, & Harrington, 2010). A series of multivariate analysis of
covariance (MANCOVA) tests were conducted to determine whether or not there
were statistically significant differences between the treatment and control groups.
While no statistically significant differences were evident on the Metacognitive
Activity scale, results indicated a statistically significant decrease in absences and
test anxiety for students in the treatment group. Additionally, a statistically
significant increase was evident on the Self-Regulation of Arousal scale for
students in the treatment group. This study suggests that research-based school
counseling programs delivered in small or large groups using inclusionary practices
may be beneficial in supporting the academic achievement and social-emotional
adjustment of ESE students.

This study focused on evaluating the impact of a school counselor-led program,
Ready for Success (RFS), on the academic achievement of third grade students. The
research questions that were investigated in the study were: (a) Does participation in the Ready for Success Program, a counselor-led classroom intervention, increase reading scores among 3rd grade African American, Hispanic, and White students as measured by the FCAT third grade reading test? and (b) Does participation in the Ready for Success Program, a counselor-led classroom intervention, increase reading scores among third grade African American, Hispanic, and White students as measured by the SSSDT reading test? The significance of the study lies in its focus on the need for more outcome research linking school counselor-led interventions to student achievement. The importance of counselor-led research based interventions in positively affecting student achievement addresses a national mandate delineated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which calls for evidence-based interventions in education. The population for this study included male and female, third grade, general
education students from diverse backgrounds, from one large school district located in
south Florida, herein referred to as Pineapple State School District. A standardized
objective statewide assessment instrument, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) and the school district generated standardized test, Sunshine State Standards Diagnostics Test (SSSDT), were used to measure academic achievement. Analysis of the results in this study was done using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with Pretest scores on the SSSDT 3rd grade reading (2010-2011) as covariates on the dependent variables to account for differences at pretest.

The purpose of this study was to identify and understand Hispanic students' perceptions of the influences on their success at a community college. Using a qualitative design, six students were interviewed in depth in order to gain insight and perspective of their educational experience at the community college. The investigation explored each student's decision to enroll at the community college and sought to describe factors that the participants identified as having impacted their experiences at the community college, including their perceptions of themselves and their families. The study also explored the programs and practices that are in place in the community college that may influence these students' academic success. Finally, the relationship between the Hispanic students' perceptions about their academic successes and the community college's employees' perceptions were examined. Tinto's (1975) model of student integration theory provided the theoretical framework for data collection and analysis. The major analytical categories that were developed during data analysis were as follows : other academic experiences ; motivation to succeed, both internal and external ; issues of ethnicity ; issues of age ; and issues of family. The students' perceptions of their community college experiences were both positive and critical.