| Clare Von Secker
University of Maryland
Using hierarchical linear growth models to evaluate protective mechanisms that mediate science achievement
FINAL REPORT:
The study of students at risk is a major topic of science education policy and discussion. Most research has focused on describing conditions and problems associated with the statistical risk of low science achievement among individuals who are members of groups characterized by problems such as poverty and social disadvantage. But outcomes attributed to these factors do not explain the nature and extent of mechanisms that account for differences in performance among individual at risk. There is ample theoretical and empirical evidence that demographic differences should be conceptualized as social contexts, or collections of variables, that alter the psychological significance and social demands of life events, and affect subsequent relationships between risk and resilience. Models of science achievement that capture complexities of the social contexts in which learning occurs at the individual level provide a way of extracting more information from variables already associated with achievement gaps. The hierarchical linear growth models used in this dissertation provide greater specification of the role of social contexts and the protective effects of attitude, expectations, parenting practices, peer influences, and learning opportunities on science achievement. A comprehensive model of achievement that examines the psychological and environmental processes that mediate risk mechanisms, such as the one presented in this dissertation, provide educators with insights about why past interventions have not achieved desired results, and offer direction for future policy and practice. Results suggest that the protective effects of attitude, expectations, parenting practices, peer influences, and learning opportunities vary significantly. Positive attitudes, high expectations, and more intense science course-taking had positve effects on achievement of all students, although these factors were not equally protective in all social contexts. In general, effects associated with authoritative parenting and peer influences were negative, regardless of social context.
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