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Predicted NAPLAN numeracy and reading scores for young people with 0 and 10 absences from school in the previous 6 months, by quintiles of SES. Number of absence observations: Age 12 numeracy, 0 times (1012) and 10 times (335); Age 12 reading, 0 times (1015) and 10 times (338); Age 14 numeracy, 0 times (640) and 10 times (293); Age 14 reading, 0 times (640) and 10 times (313)
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Absence from school, especially frequent or prolonged absence, is acknowledged as a potential factor in school dropout and suboptimal academic achievement. The issue of absence from school took on added significance in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, which resulted in schooling interruptions in several jurisdictions. However, there is l...
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Context 1
... 4 also shows a positive and significant relationship between SES quintile membership and the three dependent variables at both ages 12 and 14. While most interaction effects of SES quintiles by absence were not significant, there was one important exception: the effect of the 5th SES quintile by absence on numeracy was significant at both ages 12 and 14. Figures 2 and 3 show predicted belonging, numeracy and reading scores by quintiles of SES, where young people reported no absences, and 10 absences (numbers of observations with 0 and 10 absences are listed in notes to the Fig- ures). Predicted scores were derived from the model presented in Table 4 using Stata margins command, which multiplies proportional shares by regression coefficients and calculates standard errors for resulting estimates. ...
Context 2
... Bonferroni correction), but not for young people with 10 absences. Figure 3 shows predicted NAPLAN scores for young people with no absences from school (lighter lines) and young people with 10 absences (darker lines) in the 6 months before the interview. In the reading panels for ages 12 and 14, there is a clear SES gradient for predicted NAPLAN scores at both no absences and 10 absences. ...
Context 3
... Online Appendix Tables also show results from robustness checks, where SES is included in the regression model as a continuous variable, and absence as a categorical variable. Effects are broadly the same as those presented in Figs. 2 and 3, except that in the model with continuous SES and categorical absence variables, the difference in predicted numeracy scores between young people at age 12 in the top SES quintile with no absences and 10 absences is not significant (in Fig. 3 and in the discussion above, the difference is reported as significant). On the other hand, ...
Context 4
... and absence as a categorical variable. Effects are broadly the same as those presented in Figs. 2 and 3, except that in the model with continuous SES and categorical absence variables, the difference in predicted numeracy scores between young people at age 12 in the top SES quintile with no absences and 10 absences is not significant (in Fig. 3 and in the discussion above, the difference is reported as significant). On the other hand, the robustness checks and the gender analysis confirm that among both boys and girls in the bottom SES quintile, absence is negatively and significantly associated with numeracy at age ...
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... An alternative mechanism explaining the link between temperature and learning is children's absenteeism. Existing studies described a link between school absences and test scores (Cattan et al., 2023;Liu et al., 2019;Mooney et al., 2022). Also, a study documented snow days to increase absences and reduce test scores (Goodman, 2014). ...
Extreme temperature affects children’s health, cognitive abilities, and behavior with implications for human capital accumulation. For example, several studies documented both heat and cold to decrease cognitive abilities and being consequential for test scores. An alternative, less explored pathway, by which temperature is consequential for educational achievement, is absenteeism. In this study, we explore how heat affects school attendance leveraging administrative data on more than 22,000 schools in England from the school years 2011/2012 to 2018/2019. Using a fixed-effects approach largely used in the literature, we exploit the variations in temperature by school year to estimate the effect of heat and cold days on absences. The results expose hot days to increase absences. Inquiring specific types of absences, we observe hot days to increase illness-related absences and authorized holidays. Conversely, we do not find any substantive impact of cold exposure, except for illness-related absences in energy-poor neighborhoods. In conclusion, we provide additional evidence on the impact of temperature on children and propose an alternative pathway through which societal challenges associated with climate change and energy poverty could affect human capital accumulation.
... Some studies point to the positive influence of engagement on attendance (Miranda-Zapata et al., 2018) and on school completion (Fall and Roberts, 2012;Wang and Fredricks, 2014;Niehaus et al., 2016), encompassing affective, behavioral, and/or academic aspects of engagement. Other studies point to the negative influence of absence from school on engagement (Kızıldağ et al., 2017) and on the related construct of belonging (Mooney et al., 2022), indicating that school attendance is important in maintaining positive engagement trajectories that benefit outcomes for learners. ...
In a world characterized by dynamic demographic shifts, rapid technological transformations, and evolving pedagogical practices, the need for reimagining school attendance and a relationship with education has become paramount. This Research Topic, boldly titled “The Unlearning of School Attendance: Ideas for Change,” compels us to challenge conventional thinking and working in this domain. The collection of 12 articles offers compelling opportunities for change, ranging from subtle recalibrations to radical overhauls, depending on the extent to which our current ideas and methods have grown outdated. This opening article serves as a thematic guide, curating the diverse prospects for transformation found within the collection. Four themes encourage us to reconceptualize school attendance and a relationship with education, while another four themes inspire new ways of working in this realm. Furthermore, we explore the pivotal role of the International Network for School Attendance (INSA) in facilitating change, as it strives to foster relationships with education, forge alliances among interested parties, and promote interdisciplinary research. As you engage with this article and the other 12 contributions in this collection, we invite you to reflect on your current ideas and methods, embracing the call for transformative change with compassion and a strong sense of purpose. Together, we can shape a future where school attendance and engagement with learning thrive in harmony with our evolving world.
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Introduction
Population‐level, nationally representative data on the prevalence of minority stressors and traumatic events, mental ill‐health effects, and the preventative utility of school climate, among gender and sexuality diverse young people in Australia, is significantly lacking. In this study, we estimated the prevalence and distribution of minority stressors and traumatic events among young people by sexuality identity (gay/lesbian, bisexual, other sexuality, heterosexual), sexuality diversity (sexuality diverse, not sexuality diverse), and gender identity (transgender, cisgender) and assessed associations with mental ill‐health and the moderating role of school climate factors.
Methods
Using Wave 8 (2018) follow‐up data from a population‐level, nationally representative longitudinal cohort study, the sample comprised 3037 young people aged 17–19 years in Australia. Prevalence ratios for minority stressors and traumatic events were calculated for gender and sexuality diverse categories using logistic regression models. Linear regression models were used to test associations between traumatic events and minority stressors, and mental ill‐health. Multivariate linear regression tested school climate factors as effect modifier between minority stressors and mental ill‐health among sexuality diverse young people.
Results
Rates of traumatic events and minority stressors were highest among bisexual and gay/lesbian young people and were significantly associated with mental ill‐health among all gender and sexuality diverse young people. Highest mental ill‐health effects were observed among trans young people. Among sexuality diverse young people, positive and negative feelings toward school climate were associated with decreased and increased mental ill‐health, respectively. After accounting for sexuality diversity, positive overall school climate appeared protective of mental ill‐health effects of sexuality‐based discrimination.
Discussion
Minority stressors, traumatic events, and associated mental ill‐health are prevalent among gender and sexuality diverse young people in Australia, especially trans, bisexual, and gay/lesbian young people. Promotion of affirmative, safe, and inclusive school climate demonstrates significant promise for the prevention and early intervention of mental ill‐health among gender and sexuality diverse young people.
... Children from low socioeconomic status households have significantly less developmental capital, such as a lack of a healthy home educational environment, and thus have relatively less access to educational resources, experiences, and social capital necessary for children's academic growth to succeed (Early et al., 2020;Miller et al., 2015;Yeung et al., 2002). Lower levels of socioeconomic status have also been associated with lower learning motivation (Akram & Ghani, 2013), lower self-efficacy (Artelt et al., 2003), school absence (Mooney et al., 2023) and consequently lower academic achievement (Sirin, 2005) On the other hand, children who grow up in families with a wide social environment and cultural resources are more interested in reading, make more effort, and are more successful (Chiu & Chow, 2010), while families in a high socioeconomic class allocate more budget to educational resources and create richer learning environments (Chiu, 2010). Students with a high family income can afford learning activities after school, build important social networks (Lareau, 2002), and have easier access to information resources associated with cognitive development and academic success (Aslanargun et al., 2016;Daoud et al., 2020;Johnson, 2010;Kolikant, 2009;Lie & Zhou, 2012;Pagani et al., 2016). ...
This research aims to examine the predictive relationship between the economic, social and cultural level index (ESCS) and academic achievement in the context of PISA 2018 Turkey sample. Research used secondary data analysis, a quantitative research method. In this regard, advanced analyzes were carried out in line with the new and different research questions on the data set obtained for the Turkish sample within the scope of PISA 2018. The sample of the research consists of 186 schools representing 12 regions and 6890 students representing these schools, which were selected in two stages by random stratified sampling from students in the 15-age group and continuing formal education in 2018. The findings revealed that the ESCS index is an important predictor of students' reading, mathematics and science scores in terms of both public and private schools. According to the findings, ESCS index explains greater variance in terms of academic achievement within the sample of private schools. The research also showed that the ICT resources index has emerged as a more effective predictor of academic success compared to the other sub-variables of ESCS such as educational resources index, parent education level and parent professional level.
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Australian adolescents living in regional communities are significantly more likely to perform worse at school, relative to those in metropolitan communities. These disparities are partially due to the development of lower educational expectations among regional adolescents. In the current study, we tested whether the differences in educational expectations across communities were reduced when adolescents engage in extracurricular activities, and any subsequent downstream effects on academic outcomes. The current study used a subsample of 1,477 adolescents recruited as part of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children who have graduated from high school. Using a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model, we found that residing in a regional community at the start of secondary education predicted worse academic performance when graduating 6 years later. This association was partially mediated by lower educational expectations and school functioning, measured biennially. However, the significant difference between adolescents in metropolitan and regional communities dissipated when participants engaged in three or more types of extracurricular activities. These results highlight that increasing access and support to participate in extracurricular activities in regional communities may contribute to reducing inequities in educational outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
... For example, in China, most of the grilled food is meat, but also soy products, which are high in protein, and high protein has a positive effect on cognition [46]. Moreover, the consumption of high-energy diets in developing countries is often associated with better economic conditions, in our study; the bivariate correlation analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between the consumption frequency of high-energy diet and the household income (spearman correlation, r = 1.070, p < 0.001), which can also positively affect cognitive performance [47]. ...
This study aimed to understand the consumption frequency of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and high-energy diets in junior school students in China and to explore the relationship between SSBs and high-energy diets and academic performance. Information about 9251 junior school students was retrieved from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) database. The Mann–Whitney U test and the Kruskal–Wallis test were used to compare differences in academic performance based on the variables of interest. Generalized linear mixed models were used to analyze the association between the consumption frequency of SSBs and high-energy diet and student academic performance, fixed and random effects were included to control for confounding factors. The proportions of the “often” consumption group of SSBs and high-energy diets were 21.5% and 14.6%, respectively. For SSBs, the total score of the “often” consume group was 4.902 (95%CI：−7.660~−2.144, p < 0.001) points lower than that of the “seldom” consume group. Scores of Chinese math, and English were 0.864 (95%CI：−1.551~−0.177, p = 0.014), 2.164 (95%CI：−3.498~−0.831, p = 0.001), and 1.836 (95%CI：−2.961~−0.710, p = 0.001) points lower, respectively. For high-energy diets, the scores of total Chinese and English in the “sometimes” consume group were 2.519 (95%CI：0.452~4.585, p = 0.017), 1.025 (95%CI：0.510~1.540, p < 0.001) and 1.010 (95%CI：0.167~1.853, p = 0.019) points higher than that of the “seldom” consume group, respectively. Our findings suggested that consumption of SSBs was often negatively associated with academic performance in junior school students, while medium consumption of high-energy diets had a positive correlation. The positive association between high-energy diets and academic performance may be related to the food items included in the high-energy diets consumed by Chinese students. Schools and families should pay more effort to reduce the consumption of SSBs, and for high-energy diets, the focus should be on food selection and avoiding excessive intake. Longitudinal studies are needed to further test these findings among adolescents.
This chapter includes a discussion of the key concepts that inform understandings of the dimensions of youth experiences of education and the connection between engagement in education, youth crime, and recidivism. These concepts are discussed with close reference to current research on the key issues and its attendant scholarship.
Introduction
Mental ill-health, substance use and their co-occurrence among sexuality diverse young people during earlier adolescence is relatively understudied. The preventive utility of positive school climate for sexuality diverse adolescents’ mental health is also unclear, as well as the role of teachers in conferring this benefit.
Method
Using Wave 8 ‘B Cohort’ data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian children ( N = 3127, M age = 14.3), prevalence ratios and odds ratios were used to assess prevalence and disparities in mental ill-health and substance use, and multinomial logistic regression for co-occurring outcomes, among sexuality diverse adolescents relative to heterosexual peers. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between school climate and teacher self-efficacy with sexuality diverse adolescents’ mental health.
Results
Mental ill-health prevalence ranged from 22% (suicidal thoughts/behaviour) to 46% (probable depressive disorders) and substance use between 66% (cigarette use) and 97% (alcohol use). Sexuality diverse participants were significantly more likely to report self-harm and high levels of emotional symptoms in co-occurrence with cigarette, alcohol and/or cannabis use. For each 1-point increase in school climate scores as measured by the Psychological Sense of School Membership scale, there was 10% reduction in sexuality diverse adolescents reporting high levels of emotional symptoms, probable depressive disorder, self-harm thoughts/behaviour and suicidal thoughts/behaviour. For each 1-point increase in lower perceived (worse) teacher self-efficacy scores as measured by four bespoke teacher self-efficacy items, odds of sexuality diverse adolescent-reported suicidal thoughts/behaviour increased by 80%.
Discussion
Mental ill-health, substance use and especially their co-occurrence, are highly prevalent and pose significant and inequitable health and well-being risks. Schools represent a potential site for focusing future prevention efforts and educating and training teachers on sexuality diversity is a promising pathway towards optimising these.
