College GPA Research Articles

An Analysis of the Effect of Cross-Enrollment between High School and University on the Labor Market Performances

This study analyses the effect of cross-enrollment between high school and college on the college GPA as well as labor market performances. It uses a three-year(2017-2019) survey of the Graduates Occupational Mobility Survey(GOMS) and sets up the comparison group with similar attributes of the treated group based on the propensity score matching method. The results show that liberal arts students at high school who enrolled in science majors acquired a lower GPA at college than the comparison groups, but they were advantageous in employment. Similar results were found among science students who enrolled in liberal arts majors, but the results were not statistically significant. In addition, no meaningful differences were found in the probability of getting permanent job employments nor in earning levels. The results imply that cross-enrollment decisions do not seem to be a mere strategic behavior when it comes to college entrance. Therefore, it should to be encouraged to exploit the advantages of integrated learning rather than to be discouraged.

Interest–Major Fit predicts study satisfaction and/or achievement? Comparing different ways of assessment

ABSTRACT Prospective students and higher educational institutions often share the matching goal to ensure an optimal fit between the demands of study programs and the student profile. A strong personal fit is meant to facilitate long-term study satisfaction and optimal performance. However, to truly understand the impact of such a fit, we must first reach a consensus on how to measure the construct. At this point, researchers and higher education practitioners are debating different avenues in this regard: In the past, the fit has often been measured by assessing vocational interests tied to potential occupations that are attainable through a study program (Interest–Vocation Fit). Here, we argue that more specific measures tailored to the respective major (Interest–Major Fit) have more predictive power. We compare the two operationalizations of fit as predictors of performance and study satisfaction in a sample of 455 German university students who participated in a longitudinal survey study. We found that the different measures of personal fit were associated with subsequent university GPA and study satisfaction. Moreover, we found that Interest–Major Fit was more closely associated with these outcome measures compared to Interest–Vocation Fit. We also found that only Interest–Major Fit has incremental predictive power for study satisfaction beyond high school GPA. These findings should be helpful to researchers interested in the intricacies of measuring fit and higher education practitioners aiming to develop diagnostic tools alike. Such tools may in turn assist prospective students in finding the major that caters best to their personal needs and interests.

A Brief Pro-Diversity Social Marketing Intervention Improves Grades and Well-Being of Students From Marginalized Groups.

Despite much research on improving intergroup relations, the evidence for long-term effects in real-world settings is mixed. We used the social marketing approach to create an "Inclusivity Page" that could be added to course syllabi. The page contained three targeted pro-diversity messages based on social norms, personal benefits, and concrete behavioral recommendations. We tested our intervention in a large randomized controlled trial in university classrooms (Nstudents = 1,799). We obtained students' course grades and overall college GPAs several years later. A subset of students also completed an outcome survey three months after the intervention. Students from underrepresented racial groups exposed to the intervention early in college had better course grades and GPAs. We also observed an enhanced sense of belonging and better emotional and physical health among students from all marginalized groups. Our research demonstrates the utility of employing a targeted approach to improve experiences of members of marginalized groups.

Evaluating the fairness of a high-stakes college entrance exam in Kuwait

The use of college entrance exams for facilitating admission decisions become controversial, and the central argument is around the fairness of test scores. The Kuwait University English Aptitude Test (KUEAT) is a high-stakes test, but very few studies have examined the psychometric quality of the scores for this national-level assessment. This study illustrates how measurement approaches can be used to examine the fairness issues in educational testing. Through a modern view of fairness, we assess the internal and external bias of KUEAT scores using differential item functioning analysis and differential prediction analysis, respectively, and provide a comprehensive fairness argument for KUEAT scores. The analysis for examining the internal evidence of bias was based on 1790 examinees’ KUEAT scores in November 2018. KUEAT scores and first-year college GPAs of 4033 students enrolled in KU were used for assessing the external evidence of bias. Results revealed many items showing differential item functioning across student subpopulation groups (i.e., nationality, gender, high school majors, and high school types). Meanwhile, KUEAT scores also predicted college performance differentially by different student subgroups (i.e., nationality, high school majors, and high school types). Discussion and implications on the fairness issues of college entrance tests in Kuwait are provided.

Atopy and allergic diseases among college students at a Saudi Public University.

Despite its significant prevalence worldwide, atopy and allergic diseases continue to need more studies, with a need for published articles describing the prevalence of atopy and allergic diseases in Saudi society. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of atopic dermatitis diseases among college students at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University. The Cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia among college students at Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh based on self-report Asthma and Allergies questionnaires (ISSAC questionnaire, atopic dermatitis part). Seven hundred ninety-seven (797) students from 11 colleges participated in the study. About half (47.6%) aged between 21 and 24, and 73.7% were females. More than one-third (34.8%) had atopic dermatitis during the last six months, while 30.7% of the participants reported having itchy rash in the past 12 months, and 33.8% were diagnosed with eczema in any life interval. Age is not one of the significant factors affecting the prevalence of atopic dermatitis. However, the prevalence of atopic dermatitis slightly increases with age (P = 0.062). Atopic dermatitis was significantly higher among female students (39.7%) than 21.0% among male students (P = 0.000). College level nor GPA had no significant impact on the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (P = 0.238 and 0.884, respectively). Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University students have a high prevalence of atopic dermatitis, which may indicate a higher prevalence of allergens. Females and older participants were more liable to reported atopic dermatitis.

The University of California Was Wrong to Abolish the SAT: Admissions When Affirmative Action Was Banned

AbstractI study student characteristics and academic performance at the University of California, where consideration of an applicant's ethnicity has been banned since 1996 and SAT scores were used in admitting students to the university until fall 2021. I show the following: (1) SAT scores were more important than high school grades in predicting first‐year university GPA; (2) the use of SAT scores alone or with high school grades in determining admission is biased in favor of admitting underrepresented minorities and students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged; (3) SAT scores are more important and high school grades are less important in predicting GPA for underrepresented minorities and/or those students from low‐income families than they are for those students who are white and/or from high‐income families; and (4) the University of California found ways to admit a significant number of underrepresented minorities despite many of them having low SAT scores.

Similarities and differences between typical- and maximum-performance in emotion management situational judgment tests

Emotion management is an important dimension of emotional intelligence (EI) and is commonly measured with situational judgment tests (SJTs), which can use either maximum- (MP) or typical-performance (TP) instructions. The goals of the current study were to identify the distinct relation of typical- and maximum-performance emotion management with several criterion variables, and to identify predictors of the difference between MP and TP emotion management. We conducted two studies, with samples from Croatia (N = 215, 65 % female, Mage = 20.91) and Australia (N = 138, 76.8 % female, Mage = 19.21). As predicted, MP emotion management was a significant predictor of college GPA, and TP was significant predictor of ego-resiliency. Polynomial regression analysis with response surface methodology showed that participants who scored higher on TP compared to their results on the MP on the same test had higher results on ego-resiliency. Conscientiousness significantly predicted the gap between typical and maximum-performance, indicating that conscientious individuals were more likely to perform to their maximum emotion management capacity. We suggest that typical performance may be an appropriate way to conceptualize emotion management as a behavioral tendency rather than a knowledge base, in line with interpretation and theory around emotion management.

Social, Behavioral, and Academic Ramifications of Video Game Playing in College

The purpose of this research project is to determine whether video game usage influences the psychological well-being of college students. This project seeks to understand technology usage habits among students and whether this affects school performance. Previous research suggests video games may be used to treat psychological issues such as anxiety. Self-report studies note video games were helpful in certain populations in coping with stress, developing positive social behaviors, and improving cognitive abilities (Carras et al., 2018; Nuyens et al., 2019; Schuurmans et al., 2018;). Since psychological well-being is a crucial factor in academic performance (Carton & Goodboy, 2015; Punia & Malaviya, 2015), the current study will examine potential relationships between gaming and college GPAs. Poor habits related to technological usage may lead to negative mental health outcomes. A survey examining these factors was completed by college students at Texas Woman’s University. The survey was composed of questions from the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale, Psychological Wellbeing Scale, and Boundary Management Subscale. Data was tested using ANOVAs, a Tukey HSD test as a post hoc test, and Eta squared. The results of the data found gaming tendencies were not significantly associated with GPA but were associated with negative mental health outcomes and increased issues with technology boundary management. The study has marked limitations due to the lack of non-gaming survey participants and most respondents identifying as female. These findings may be useful for clinicians in treating addictive gaming tendencies. Future research should examine more diverse student populations.

Predictors of attrition and program dismissal in a nursing major

BackgroundIncreasing the representation of nurses and other health professionals from minority populations is one way to address health disparities. The purpose of this study was to investigate nursing admission criteria that predicted first, second, third semester attrition and program dismissal. MethodA retrospective secondary data analysis was conducted on existing student records spanning from 2016 to 2020 in one BSN program from a Hispanic-serving institution to gain an understanding about program attrition and dismissal. A total of n = 349 student records were included in the analysis. ResultsPre-nursing science GPA, pre-nursing college GPA, and reading ability were found significant predictors for attrition and dismissal, respectively. ConclusionsAptitudes in the sciences and in reading should be emphasized in pre-nursing to enhance student success in nursing. Findings from this study could inform administrators in postsecondary and in secondary education about establishing infrastructures for at-risk students to better prepare the latter for a nursing major.

Which course resources and student approaches to learning are related to higher grades in introductory biology?

Undergraduate students in large enrollment gateway courses like introductory biology are often inundated with different study resources to enhance their success on course exams. A good performance on these exams as measured by course grades is a strong determinant of their downstream success in the biology major and ultimately retention in STEM fields. Previous studies have suggested best-practices like pre-class reading guides or Supplemental Instruction. However, many of these studies do not also corroborate student course outcomes with Student Approaches to Learning (SAL). We investigated the association between specific resources and how they correlated with higher exam grades. We further investigated the degree to which SAL also correlated with student outcomes. We collected data over a span of two years from a large introductory biology course (N= 307) from a southeastern university by using a post-semester resource questionnaire. This questionnaire asked the students to describe the study resources they had utilized during the course of the semester and further assessed SAL via the Revised Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F). Our results indicate that students who earned a higher overall grade in the course were significantly more likely to self-report higher attendance in optional peer-led Supplemental Instruction meetings and, unexpectedly, were less likely to use pre-class reading guides. These students were more likely to report finding course material interesting, whereas students with lower overall final grades were more likely to report trying to memorize course material. However, we also found that students with higher course grades and high previous college GPAs also reported using rote memorization. Given that the efficacy of resources can vary based on the student, we not only encourage the promotion of resources supported by empirical evidence, but also encourage a deeper understanding of the SAL which shapes resource use.

Retrieving and transferring knowledge: Effects of test item variation on transfer in an authentic learning environment

IntroductionLaboratory research has found superiority of transfer to new questions when prior ones asking about the same underlying problem (or construct) were varied in nature as compared to being constant. The current study examines this matter in a college Introduction to Methods in Psychology course. MethodsStudents (N = 287) with varying aptitudes as measured by college GPA and admissions test scores were taught and then repeatedly tested on a set of constructs (e.g., identifying a particular source of confounding). For half of those constructs, the four ‘mid-term’ exams repeatedly asked the same question (Constant condition). For the other half, each of those exams asked about the constructs via a new question (Varied condition). The final exam included both repeated and novel items testing each construct. We utilized explanatory item response models to examine whether students' performance on the final exam (the probability of a particular student correctly answering a particular item) depends on the type of question (Constant or Varied) previously asked about that construct and on aptitude. ResultsStudents with lower aptitude performed differentially worse on novel final exam items in the Varied condition. Evidence for the superiority of transfer items in the Varied over the Constant case was observed, though not as strongly as predicted.

Are students time constrained? Course load, GPA, and failing

Given the simultaneous rise in time-to-graduation and college GPA, it may be that students reduce their course load to improve their performance. Yet, evidence to date only shows increased course loads increase GPA. We provide a model showing many unobservable factors – beyond student ability – can generate a positive relationship between course load and GPA unless researchers control student schedules. West Point regularly implements the ideal experiment by randomly modifying student schedules with additional training courses. Using 19 years of administrative data, we provide the first causal evidence that taking more courses reduces GPA and increases course failure rates, sometimes substantially.

Dining Together: Social Networks With International and Domestic Students as Predictors of International Students’ College Success

ABSTRACT Prior research has explored how international students’ interactions with domestic students and with other international students predict their self-reported short-term outcomes, particularly in the context of the environmental challenges that international students may encounter. The present study builds upon this earlier work by using institutional data from dining hall meal swipe cards to measure interpersonal relationships and examine how these meal-indices from the first semester predict international students’ subsequent credits earned, grades, retention, and graduation. Within a sample of 1,634 first-year international students, the results indicate that social networks with international students and with domestic students both predict postsecondary success outcomes; the findings are even significant when based on dining hall data measured at the end of students’ first week of classes. The patterns vary somewhat across outcomes: meal-indices with both groups of students consistently predict international students’ chances of graduation, relationships with international students are more consistently related to retention, and relationships with domestic students are more often associated with college GPA and credits earned.

Teaching to Fish: Impacts of a Social Capital Intervention for College Students

Social capital plays a key role in college students’ academic and career success. Using a random assignment design, the current study evaluated the impacts of a one-credit college course designed to increase student help-seeking and social capital within a racially diverse sample of college students. Compared to the control group, students in the treatment group reported improved attitudes towards help-seeking, increased help-seeking behavior, and higher levels of social capital and mentoring support. Academic benefits were mixed, however, with an increase in academic self-efficacy, no impact on college GPA, and a decrease in academic cognitive engagement. Additionally, differential impacts based on year in college, race, and first-generation college student status were observed. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Course Placement for Non-Traditional Community College Students

ABSTRACT Community colleges often employ measures to determine student course placement. Though much research has examined the predictive validity of placement measures such as ACT or high-school GPA, little research examines the effects of students’ traditional and non-traditional status. Using data from a rural state community college, we examined the predictability of high-school GPA and ACT scores on college GPA and passing math and English courses. The results confirm previous research that finds high-school GPA to predict better than other placement measures. The results from the analyses of traditional and non-traditional students add to the placement literature by suggesting that the number of years between high-school graduation and community college attendance also affects overall success. This signifies that the number of years since a student graduated high school should be factored into placement decisions.

Developing culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy through engaged, asset-based teacher preparation

ABSTRACT Student teaching offers a potentially rich yet underutilized space for teacher educators to support elementary teacher candidates (TCs) in developing dispositions and practices consistent with culturally responsive teaching (CRT). In this study, we found that a cohort of TCs who engaged in a hands-on anti-bias family/community engagement module during student teaching experienced significant growth in self-efficacy for CRT compared with earlier cohorts who did not complete the module. Differences in growth were associated with teacher preferences such as the SES and racial make-up of the schools in which TCs wanted to teach, rather than identity characteristics such as the TCs’ race, SES, or college GPA. This work has implications for how programs that are considering hands-on anti-bias work in conjunction with student teaching might implement, differentiate, and enhance such curricula. It also has implications for future research to understand TCs’ preferences.

The Legitimacy of Admission Criteria in Predicting the Achievement of the Students in the Medical Colleges at the University of Hafr Al-Batin

The purpose of this study is to show how the admission criteria can predict first-year college students’ performance. The study uses the data of the students’ high school GPA (HSGPA) and the scores of the Prerequirement standardized tests in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(achievement test score (ACT) and aptitude score (APT)), and the data of the first-year college GPA for correlations analysis and inferential statistics. As far as we are aware, no study has been conducted or has been made publicly accessible regarding the validity of admission criteria of the medical colleges at the University of Hafr Batin. The Bayesian Information Criterion and the Akaike Information Criterion are applied as model selection criteria in order to select the best model. Actual data is used to establish the legitimacy of the admission criteria.

Determinants of accounting remote learning performance: Evidence from Kuwait in the context of COVID-19 pandemic

This study intended to empirically investigate the influence of select factors on the remote learning performance of accounting students at a business college in Kuwait. The study attempted to address some factors that might influence accounting students’ performance when learning remotely and that have not been investigated in prior research within distance accounting education literature. A stepwise regression model used a sample of 100 accounting students who were enrolled during the COVID-19 pandemic and had learned remotely to test the study’s hypotheses. The results indicated that the college GPA had the most significant influence on the remote learning performance of accounting students, followed by students’ age.

Inclusion of Academic Self-Efficacy, Motivation, and Engagement with The Pre-University Cognitive Ability To Predict Students’ University GPA

Inclusion of Academic Self-Efficacy, Motivation, and Engagement with The Pre-University Cognitive Ability To Predict Students’ University GPA

Admission Requirements and Academic Performance of Board vs Non-Board Course in Higher Education Institution

Higher Education Institutions require specific admission criteria to select the best candidates for a particular program. This study aims to assess the admission requirements and academic performance of the board and non-board course learners. Specifically, this quantitative study utilized a descriptive-correlational research design. The data came from randomly selected third-year college students in the different Board and Non-Board programs enrolled in the academic year 2020-2021. There were 286 respondents who took part in the study, 153 from the board course program, Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, and 133 from the non-board course program, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. The data revealed that the most number of enrollees in the non-board course, BSIT is from the Technical-Vocational-Livelihood (TVL) Strand, while most learners from the Board course, BSEE belong to the General Academic Strand (GAS). Further, findings showed that the High-school Grade Point Average and the College Academic Performance of students from the non-board course, BSIT, were moderately correlated, and a similar relationship is observed for the variables College Admission Test and GPA. Meanwhile, for the Board Course, BSEE, admission tests, and high-school GPA are predictors of college academic performance. On the other hand, high-school strands are not predictors of the BSEE student's GPA. In conclusion, the College admission tests and high-school GPA are essential admission requirements for the board and non-board programs to predict academic performance. However, the high-school strand can be a determining factor for the academic performance for the non-board course, but not for the board course.