Community health indicators predicting adolescent academic achievement.
Throughout the literature investigating adolescent academic achievement, little or no attention has been focused on indicators of community health as factors that share variance with academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to conduct exploratory analyses using indicators of community health to investigate adolescent academic achievement. This study employed hierarchical linear multiple regression to explain variations in adolescent academic achievement as measured by standardized tests for two different school years. The unit of analyses was the school district with the standardized test results of 8th grade students as academic achievement. The first model of the school district for school year 1997-98 accounted for almost 58% of the variance in adolescent academic achievement. This model was replicated on a different school year and it accounted for almost 63% of the variance in adolescent academic achievement. These strong models hold great promise for future investigations of adolescent academic achievement using indicators of community health and other community contextual variables.
Baker
S R
SR
School of Liberal Arts and Education, Department of Education, Hampton University Behavioral Sciences Research Center, USA. spencer.baker@hamptonu.edu
Davis
B L
BL
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015406:Single Parent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014768:Virginia