Graduation Year

2004

Document Type

Ed. Specalist

Degree

Ed.S.

Degree Granting Department

Psychological and Social Foundations

Major Professor

Linda Raffaele-Mendez, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Kathy Bradley-Klug, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Robert Dedrick, Ph.D.

Keywords

achievement, longitudinal, education, behavior, illness

Abstract

This study examined the school functioning of children with asthma compared to the school functioning of children without asthma over a 9-year time span. The present study was a secondary analysis of data from one large school district in a southeastern state. Information was gathered from multiple sources, including student records and parent and teacher surveys. Variables related to academics, behavior, and teacher perception were examined. A total of 646 participants were initially included in the study. These participants included 296 students identified as having asthma and 350 students identified as not having asthma. Participants were matched on gender, race, and socioeconomic status.

Results of this study indicated significant differences for various years and subjects on a standardized achievement test. However, computed effect sizes were quite low, suggesting no practical difference between the groups. Additionally, rates of special education placement differed for the groups for one school year. All other years and variables indicated no significant differences between the groups. These findings suggest that educational experience of children with asthma may not differ significantly from that of their peers without asthma. However, future research should attempt to measure variables in different ways and possibly examine cases in a more qualitative manner.

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