Academic Achievement In College Research Articles

A Comparative Analysis of the Predictors of Black and White Students’ Academic Achievement in College: A Case for Expanding Admissions Policies to Include Quality of the College Experience

A Comparative Analysis of the Predictors of Black and White Students’ Academic Achievement in College: A Case for Expanding Admissions Policies to Include Quality of the College Experience

A LONGITUDINAL ASSESSMENT OF ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT IN AN UPWARD BOUND SUMMER PROGRAM

This study is a longitudinal assessment of an Upward Bound program's success in increasing college attendance and academic achievement. Although as a whole the data appear to indicate no significant gains in reading and spelling, a “ceiling effect” was noted to be the confounding variable. Hence, the total program results did indicate significant achievement in both language arts and quantitative skills. The results indicate Upward Bound is still meeting its goals.

Comparison of Protesting and Non-Protesting Students

127 protesting and non-protesting college students were compared on 23 variables assessing ability and achievement, family-related factors, biographical, college-related factors, and personal adjustment. When compared with controls, the protest sample did not differ significantly in ability but was lower in high school and college academic achievement; came from higher socio-economic level homes; had a higher proportion of out-of-state and Jewish students; had more members in areas of fine arts and government/history and fewer in areas of business, education, engineering and science; had more students with past university disciplinary offenses, and a greater number who had obtained personal counseling. These protestors appeared actually more “alienated” than “activist.”

Application of a Biographical Data Inventory to Estimate College Academic Achievement

A sample of 931 freshman college males and 818 females were administered a factored biographical inventory. When those biodata were used together with Scholastic Aptitude Test verbal and mathematical scores and high school grade average, multiple correlations of.56 for males and.53 for females were found with freshman GPA. The chief contributors for both males and females were self-described postpositive academic achievement experiences and the mathematics test of the SAT.

Biographical Factors Related to Academic Achievement

Biographical factors related to academic achievement in college were identified. Academic achievement in high school was positively related to both grade in educational psychology class and college grade-point average for females and to college grade-point average for males. For women, popularity with the opposite sex was negatively related to college grade-point average. For men, parental warmth was negatively related to college grade-point average. Athletic participation was negatively related to grade in educational psychology for both sexes.

Measurement of College Achievement by the College-Level Examination Program

The criterion-related and construct validity of the College-Level Examination Program's General Examinations are discussed primarily in terms of research studies conducted at institutions of higher education. While most of the research provides support for the validity of the examinations as measures of academic achievement in college, the results of many of the studies have alternative explanations. The examinations correlate positively with course grades and amount of previous college instruction. Significant gains on the tests are generally made by students over the first two years of college and the highest scores on each test are obtained by students intending to major in the subject covered by the test. There is some question as to whether each of the five examinations is measuring a unique factor.

MEASUREMENT OF COLLEGE ACHIEVEMENT BY THE COLLEGE‐LEVEL EXAMINATION PROGRAM

ABSTRACTThe criterion‐related and construct validity of the College‐Level Examination Program's General Examinations are discussed primarily in terms of research studies conducted at institutions of higher education. While most of the research provides support for the validity of the examinations as measures of academic achievement in college, the results of many of the studies have alternative explanations. The examinations correlate positively with course grades and amount of previous college instruction. Significant gains on the tests are generally made by students over the first two years of college and the highest scores on each test are obtained by students intending to major in the subject covered by the test. There is some question as to whether each of the five examinations is measuring a unique factor.

Temporal orientation and academic achievement in college.

Temporal orientation and academic achievement in college.

Predicting College Academic Achievement from TAV Selection System, Theoretical Scores and Age of Ninety-Five Female Elementary Teacher Trainees

MOST STUDIES attempting to predict college achieve ment have utilized standardized tests of intelligence, achievement, study habits, previous grade-point average, and related measures. None, however, have tried forecast ing college grades from a battery of instruments de veloped from a single theory of personal makeup includ ing prediction scores based on that theory and not item analysis. The original intent in developing the TAV Selection System was the prediction of criterion perform ance where considerable amounts of interpersonal reac tions were involved. But it was decided to also check out its relative predictive effectiveness in the training or schooling for those occupations which required extensive inter-personal relations. Surprising success has been discovered in the ability of TAV to adequately predict certain performances with law enforcement groups. Four completed studies have shown significant results in predicting on the job success of police officers. The most recent study (6), involving 27 Municipal police officers, found a multiple correlation coefficient of .84 (1% level) using eight test and two non test predictors against job rankings by superiors; and a multiple correlation coefficient .90 (1% level) between nine test and three non-test predictors and an overall rating criterion.

Predicting College Academic Achievement from TAV Selection System on Fifty Male Elementary Teacher Trainees

The problem was to determine the multiple relationship of theoretical scores obtained from a new non-ability selection system to Spring semester grade-point average. Empirical item analytical procedures were not used but theoretical scoring keys were developed as a modification of Horney's theory of personal make-up reflecting movement Toward, Away, and Versus people.Fifty male elementary teacher trainees comprised the sample.A multiple R of .41 (5% level) was obtained with three theoretical test-scoring dimensions contributing to the total variance.The study demonstrated the feasibility of developing a new test battery of relatively high reliability (.79-.94), using a priori keys based on a modified theory of personal make-up and effecting a significant multiple prediction of an academic achievement criterion.

Rank-in-Class

Few academic statistics have generated as much controversy as has rank-in-class. For all of the debate, it remains a significant predictor of academic achievement in college.

Machiavellian Attitudes: Some Measurement and Behavioral Considerations

Two studies were conducted, one to evaluate the role of test-taking strategies on the scores of Christie's scale for Machiavellian attitudes (Mach V), and the other to examine the joint relationship of college academic achievement to scholastic ability, birth order and Machiavellianism. The first study indicated that subjects can manipulate their responses to the Mach V scale in specified directions given a specific test strategy. Academic achievement was found to be an additive function of scholastic ability and Machiavellianism, whereas the hypothesized moderator effect of ability on the relationship between Machiavellianism and achievement (i.e., brighter students are better able to implement Machiavellian strategies in the achievement of higher grades) was not supported. Results were discussed in terms of the conceptualization and measurement of Machiavellianism as a multidimensional vari

Counselor and Student Estimates of Grades as Predictors of Academic Achievement

Traditionally, academic achievement in college has beenpredicted by correlating test scores and/or high school grades with first semester grade point averages. With the rise in popularity of research on the self-concept variable, consideration has been given to the possibility of using student self estimates and/or counselor estimates as predictors of grades. The rationale for this approach seems to be that in addition to information about test scores, counselors and students can take advantage of relevant but essentially unmeasurable variables in their prediction of grades. The few studies utilizing student and counselor estimates of grades have yielded interesting but con flicting results. For example, Young (7) obtained a correlation of . 71 between student estimates of grades and actual grades. In the same study, the correlation for counselor estimates with grades was .68. On the other hand, Budd (1) found a very high (. 76) correlation between counselor estimates and actual grades but a low (. 29) correlation between student estimates and grades. Freehill (2) also re ported a low (. 23) correlation of student estimates with grades earned at the end of the first semester in college. In a study of student aspirations at the beginning of college, Matteson(3) obtained a signif icant association between predicted and o b t ained grade point averages. Finally, Robertson (4) com pared student estimates with counselor estimates of freshman grades and found a statistically significant agreement between the two sets of predictions. In view of the promising but inconsistent find ings, the present study was under taken with the hope of providing some definitive conclusions. Students attending a precollege testing and c o uns eling pro gram were asked to predict their first semester grades both before and after the precollege program. Counselors were asked to predict the grades for each student they counseled. The two sets of pre dictions were then compared with grades received at the end of the fall semester. Procedure

Personality factors and academic achievement in college.

Personality factors and academic achievement in college.