Differential Prediction of College Grades by Gender and by Ethnicity: A Replication Study

Abstract

Differential predictive validity in forecasting academic performance in college has been observed for a number of years. A common finding is that the use of a single regression equation generally under predicts the grades of women and over predicts the grades of minority students. This study was undertaken to determine whether differential prediction was evident for a recent cohort of students at a state university. The results confirm that the phenomenon still exists. For women, but not for minority students, the difference in predictive validity appears to be related to the effects of course selection.