Podcast Revised

The show "Exploring Education" discusses how various factors, such as income, athletics, educational styles, and assessments, impact a student's academic well-being. Socioeconomic status plays a significant role in educational outcomes, with wealthier families providing more resources and opportunities for their children. Athletics teach important skills like time management and discipline, and physically active students tend to perform better academically. Different students have different learning styles, and the traditional one-size-fits-all approach may not be effective for everyone. Standardized testing may not accurately reflect a student's true potential. Overall, achieving academic well-being requires addressing these influences and creating an inclusive environment for all students. Welcome back to the show, Exploring Education, where we examine the intricate connections that shape our educational landscape. Today, we're exploring a multitude of factors that adamantly influence a student's academic well-being. Income, athletics, educational styles, and overall assessments. Stay tuned for a deep dive into the world of learning through these lenses and a brief overview. Hello, hello, hello. I hope everyone's doing good today, and I'd like to welcome everyone back. Today we're going to begin the conversation on the influence of income. And I kind of want to start off with a topic that does not get talked about as often as it should, in my opinion. And that really is the impact of income on a student's academic journey. It's no secret that socioeconomic status can play a pivotal role in educational outcomes. From access to resources to the quality of education, a student's family income can significantly shape their academic well-being. Furthermore, income influences the student's access to academic resources. As a study by the Urban states that an average person from a high-wealth family is 29% more likely to complete at least two years of college than an average person from a low-wealth family. About 70% versus 41%. We see a glaring disparity in this access between students from different income brackets. Wealthier families may provide supplementary learning materials, provide tutoring, or access to extracurricular activities that enhance a child's overall educational experience. Families who are not as financially lenient may not be able to provide their child with these same resources, leading to a potentially huge difference in education and upbringing. With that brings us to our second topic on the influence of athletics in overall education. I'd like to pivot to this topic and its intricate connection to academic well-being. They're not just about enjoying the game. Athletics can have a profound impact on a student's ability to learn and succeed academically. Athletics teach invaluable skills, such as time management and discipline. Student-athletes often juggle demanding training schedules with academic responsibilities, helping build a sense of responsibility and dedication. Backing this up is a national study provided by Crystal & Comp, where they state that compared to students who are not participating in athletics, physically active students are 20% more likely to earn top marks in math, science, and English. Moreover, high school student-athletes are more likely to attend college and earn a degree than their counterparts. You know what that means. We've reached our third and final topic of today's show. And that's going to be reflecting on educational styles and assessments and their overall effect on a student's learning capabilities. The traditional one-size-fits-all approach may not be the most effective option for every student. Understanding diverse learning styles is crucial to creating an environment that nurtures academic well-being. However, some students thrive in hands-on experiential learning environments, while others may excel in more traditional classroom settings. According to a recent study done by the National Center for Biotechnology Information on about 250 college students, the results indicated that the students demonstrated a range of learning style preferences. The most frequently preferred style was the auditory learning style, followed by the kinesthetic and individual learning styles. The least preferred style was group learning. The results also showed significant differences in the students' learning styles across colleges, with preferences towards the auditory, individual, and group learning styles, and insignificant differences for the visual preference, kinesthetic, and tactile preference learning styles. Finally, the relationship between learning style and GPA was only positive with the individual learning style, and negative with the group learning style. And this is also a very important point that I want to highlight, is the overall effect on grades through the grade point average. And while some may argue this is an outdated system, or that, you know, each different learning environment gauges academic progress differently, I still think it's a vital flag, in a sense, to reflect what we're talking about. Yet when it comes to standardized testing, its specificity might not accurately reflect a student's true potential. Assessments leave little room for student freedom, and often do not truly reflect the academic capabilities of a student outside of the standard in which they are thought of today. We went over a lot today, and as we wrap up our conversation, it's clear that the intersection of income, athletics, in relation to educational styles and assessments, paints a complex picture of a student's academic journey. Achieving academic well-being requires a holistic approach that addresses these ranging influences, creating an environment where every student has the opportunity to thrive. Join us next time for another reflection of learning in our society today. All those viewers out there, take care.