The relation between social problem-solving ability and subsequent level of academic competence in college students

Abstract

A prospective design was used to examine the relations between problem-solving scores derived from the Social Problem-Solving Inventory (SPSI) and later academic performance in college students, while controlling for the level of academic aptitude. The SPSI is a new, multidimensional, self-report measure of social problem-solving ability that provides for a separate assessment of a person's “problem orientation” (i.e., generalized cognitive—emotional—behavioral response set) and his or her “problem-solving skills” (i.e., problem definition and formulation, generation of alternative solutions, decision making, solution implementation and verification). The results showed that the skills measure, but not the orientation measure, significantly predicted cumulative grade point average at the end of the academic year, even after controlling for academic aptitude. The results were interpreted as contributing to the validity of the SPSI and are discussed in relation to other predictors of academic competence.