Domains Of Academic Achievement Research Articles

Path analysis reveals cross-country differences between Czech and Chinese university students in effect of internet and smartphone addiction, mental health, and personality traits on academic achievement in the post-pandemic era

Despite extensive evidence on the impact of various mental health issues including smartphone/internet addiction, and personality traits on academic achievement, little is known about the complex interactions between multiple of these factors simultaneously, as well as cross-country differences in these nuanced relationships. In particular, understanding the role of the mentioned addictions has become increasingly important in recent years in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this cross-country study was to investigate, using path analysis, the complex relationships between mental health determinants (depression, anxiety, stress, resilience, and smartphone/internet addiction) and academic achievement in 1785 Czech and Chinese university students using an online battery of psychological tests. The results confirmed the previously described effect of multiple factors (anxiety, stress, resilience, smartphone/internet addiction, personality traits, and sex, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness) on academic achievement, overlapping in most cases for both groups of students. At the same time, however, different country-dependent patterns of interactions emerged. For the Czech students, the variables formed a complex network of interacting factors, whereas for the Chinese students, the effect of each cluster of factors was separate for individual domains of academic achievement. These cross-country differences have implications particularly for planning and targeting the most effective interventions to promote and develop academic achievement.

Undergraduate nursing students’ perception of bullying behavior and its relation to their academic achievement

Background Bullying among students is certainly not a new notion, however, due to its high incidence rates and the short-term and long-term implications. Students were subjected to a lot of factors during their study, either academic or clinical, that revealed them suffering high levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Aim Assess undergraduate nursing students’ perception of bullying behavior and its relation to their academic achievement. Design A descriptive correlational research design was used. Sample A convenience sample (n=1255) of undergraduate nursing student out of N=3108. Setting The study was conducted in an accredited Faculty of Nursing which is affiliated to Cairo University. Tools Three tools were used personal characteristics data sheet, Bullying Behavior in Nursing Education Questionnaire, and academic achievement checklist Grade Point Average form. Results The main findings indicated that the bullying highest mean percent (58.33 and 55.14%) as perceived by the study sample was regarded as direct negative behaviors domains and attack on academic achievement domains, respectively. While the lowest mean percent (8.7%) was in regard to types of bullying domain. Data added that there was no statistically significant relationship (P=0.72) between the total perception of bullying in nursing education and students’ academic achievement. Conclusion The study concluded that there was no statistically significant relationship between total bullying as perceived by undergraduate nursing students in nursing education and their academic achievement. Recommendations Develop training programs to educate clinical instructors and assistant lecturers on how to achieve the academic objectives and advocate students’ rights. Design educational workshops to inform nursing students how to report bullying and how to overcome it.

Predictors of academic achievement in distance learning for Sudanese nursing students

Objective: To investigate the factors that influence undergraduate Sudanese nursing students' academic achievement. Methods: An online survey was conducted among 235 Sudanese nursing students using several scales and questionnaires to assess cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of academic achievement, self-regulated learning (S.R.L.), engagement, academic stress, and grade point average (GPA). A hierarchical multiple linear regression model was used to identify the predictors of academic achievement. Results: Academic achievement was significantly correlated with SRL (r = 0.588, p<0.001), engagement in distance learning (r = 0.476, p < 0.001), academic stress (r = 0.355, p<0.001), and GPA (r = 0.162, p=0.02). No significant correlation was found between academic achievement level and demographic or learning experience variables, participating in a learning support program, voluntary study meetings, and receiving learning counseling. Engagement in distance learning and SRL were identified as significant predictors of academic achievement, with adjusted R2 values of 0.216 and 0.377, respectively. Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of engagement in distance learning and SRL among Sudanese nursing students in the context of distance learning. The nursing institutions need to develop effective strategies to enhance students' engagement and SRL skills to promote academic success in distil learning.

32 Effects of Emotion Regulation and Emotional Lability/Negativity on Academic Achievement Among Youth With and Without ADHD

Objective:Youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), characterized by symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity, often experience challenges with emotion regulation (ER) and/or emotional lability/negativity (ELN).1-3 Prior work has shown that difficulties with ER and ELN among young children contribute to lower academic achievement.4-6 To date, research examining associations between ADHD and academic achievement have primarily focused on the roles of inattentive symptoms and executive functioning.7-8 However, preliminary work among youth with ADHD suggests significant associations between disruptions in emotional functioning and poor academic outcomes.9-10 The current study will examine associations between ER, ELN, and specific subdomains of academic achievement (i.e., reading, spelling, math) among youth with and without ADHD.Participants and Methods:Forty-six youth (52% male; Mage=9.52 years; 76.1% Hispanic/Latino; 21 with ADHD) and their parents were recruited as part of an ongoing study. Parents completed the Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale11 and Emotion Regulation Checklist12 about their child. Youth completed the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-II13 and three subtests [Spelling (SP), Numerical Operations (NO), Word Reading (WR)] of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-III.14 Univariate analysis of variance assessed differences in emotional functioning and academic achievement among youth with and without ADHD. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between emotional factors and the three subtests of academic achievement.Results:Youth with ADHD exhibited significantly higher ELN (M=30.7, SD=8.7) compared to their peers (M=23.2, SD=5.8), when controlling for child age, sex, and diagnoses of conduct disorder and/or oppositional defiant disorder [F(1,41)=8.96, p<.01, ŋp2=.18]. With respect to ER, youth with (M=24.8, SD=4.2) and without ADHD (M=25.8, SD=4.3) did not differ [F(1,41)=.51, p=.48]. Surprisingly, within this sample, ADHD diagnostic status was not significantly associated with performance on any of the academic achievement subtests [WR: F(1,41)=.29, p=.59; NO: F(1,41)=.91, p=.35; SP: F(1,41)=2.14, p=.15]. Among all youth, ER was significantly associated with WR (r=.31, p=.04) and SP (r=.35, p=.02), whereas ELN was associated with performance on NO (r=-.30, p=.04). When controlling for child age, sex, IQ, and ER within the full sample, higher ELN was associated with lower scores on the NO subtest (b=-.56, SE=.26, p=.04). The associations between higher ER and WR scores (b=1.12, SE=.51, p=.03), as well as higher ER and SP scores (b=1.47, SE=.56, p=.01), were significant when controlling for child age and sex, but not ELN and IQ (p=.73 and p=.64, respectively).Conclusions:As expected, youth with ADHD had higher ELN, although they did not differ from their peers in terms of ER. Results identified distinct associations between ER and higher reading/spelling performance, as well as ELN and lower math performance across all youth. Thus, findings suggest that appropriate emotional coping skills may be most important for reading and spelling, while emotional reactivity appears most salient to math performance outcomes. In particular, ELN may be a beneficial target for intervention, especially with respect to improvement in math problem-solving skills. Future work should account for executive functioning skills, expand the academic achievement domains to include fluency and more complex academic skills, and assess longitudinal pathways within a larger sample.

A-B-3-Associations and dissociations of reading and arithmetic: Is domain-specific prediction outdated?

Reading and arithmetic are core domains of academic achievement with marked impact on career opportunities and socioeconomic status. While associations between reading and arithmetic are well established, evidence on underlying mechanisms is inconclusive. The main goal of this study was to reevaluate the domain-specificity of established predictors and to enhance our understanding of the (co-)development of reading and arithmetic. In a sample of 885 German-speaking children, standard domain-specific predictors of reading and arithmetic were assessed before and/or at the onset of formal schooling. Reading and arithmetic skills were measured at the beginning and end of second grade. Latent variables were extracted for all relevant constructs: Grapheme-phoneme processing (phonological awareness, letter identification), RAN (RAN-objects, RAN-digits), number system knowledge (number identification, successor knowledge), and magnitude processing (non-symbolic and symbolic magnitude comparison), as well as the criterion measures reading and arithmetic. Four structural equation models tested distinct research questions. Grapheme-phoneme processing was a specific predictor of reading, and magnitude processing explained variance specific to arithmetic. RAN explained variance in both domains, and it explained variance in reading even after controlling for arithmetic. RAN and number system knowledge further explained variance in skills shared between reading and arithmetic. Reading and arithmetic entail domain-specific cognitive components, and they both require tight networks of visual, verbal, and semantic information, as reflected by RAN. This perspective provides a useful background to explain associations and dissociations between reading and arithmetic performance.

A mixed‐methods evaluation of the experience of emerging young adult care partners

AbstractThere is limited literature on emerging young adult (EYA) care partners, despite a recent rise in interest in this group. The purpose of this study is to compare EYA care partners and their non‐care partner peers in the domains of academic achievement and engagement, employment, health‐related behaviors and self‐care, and mental health and respite, as well as to assess EYA care partners’ burden and potential for positive psychosocial sequelae and life changes as a result of their role. Further, within EYA care partners, we examine the relationship between mental health variables and care partner‐relevant variables. Two hundred undergraduates (100 care partners and 100 non‐care partners) completed measures of academic achievement and engagement (grade point average and credit load), employment (number of paid positions held and number of hours worked per week), health‐related behavior/self‐care (visits to the dentist, primary care physician, optometrist, diet healthfulness, exercise, cigarette smoking, and drinks per week) and mental health/respite (depression, anxiety, loneliness, drinking, social support, peer pressure, vacation recency, and frequency). Care partners completed measures of spiritual well‐being, burden, meaning, and benefit‐finding, as well as provided qualitative feedback on how caregiving changed their lives. EYA care partners and non‐care partners did not differ on any variables examined except for the number of jobs held, as EYA care partners held more paid jobs than EYA non‐care partners. EYA care partners showed moderate burden and high levels of finding meaning/benefit, the latter of which was supported by the themes that emerged from their qualitative data. Within EYA care partners, we found that depression and anxiety (mental health variables) were significantly related to spiritual well‐being, burden, benefit finding, and finding meaning through caregiving (care partner‐relevant variables). It is encouraging that the care partner and non‐care partner groups were similar in domains critical for this age group, such as academic achievement and engagement.

Aerobic fitness and academic achievement: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACTThis study aims to quantify the association between aerobic fitness and academic achievement, and determine how different aerobic fitness tests and individual demographic characteristics may modify this association. It includes 41 cross-sectional and 7 longitudinal studies focusing on children and adolescents, from MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database and Web of Science. Pooled effect sizes (ES) were estimated for the association between aerobic fitness and specific domains of academic achievement. Subgroup analyses and meta-regressions were based on aerobic fitness tests and demographic characteristics. The ES for the association between aerobic fitness with language/reading-skills, mathematics-related skills and composite scores, were 0.23 (95% CI: 0.12; 0.34); 0.27 (95% CI: 0.19; 0.36) and 0.28 (95% CI: 0.12; 0.45), respectively. Subgroup analyses by aerobic fitness test modified these associations; additionally, analyses by sex or age showed differences between boys and girls as well as between children and adolescents. Finally, meta-regressions revealed a slight effect of body mass index on these associations. Cardiorespiratory fitness is positively associated with academic achievement. Associations were dependent on demographic and aerobic fitness test characteristics, being stronger in boys than in girls, and in children than in adolescents.Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42017069677

Do Adolescents’ Perceptions of Mothers’ and Fathers’ Parenting Behaviors Predict Academic Achievement and Social Skills?

This study examines how adolescents’ perceptions of fathers’ and mothers’ parenting behaviors predict outcomes in the domains of academic achievement and social skills, and whether these outcomes differ according to the adolescents’ gender. Participants included 168 students enrolled in the 10th (13.14%) and 11th (86.86%) grade in the only two public schools of a small city in the North of Portugal, male (42.26%) and female (57.74%), aged 16 to 19 (M = 16.76; SD = 0.45). Measures included the adolescents’ perceptions of their fathers’ and mothers’ parenting behaviors, and the adolescents’ academic achievement, and social skills. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. The models included the adolescents’ perception of their fathers’ and mothers’ parenting behaviors (autonomy granting, warmth, and knowledge) as predictors of academic achievement and social skills. Regarding the outcome academic achievement, the model also included adolescents’ age and parents’ years of schooling as covariates. Adolescents’ academic achievement was negatively predicted by their perception of fathers’ warmth, and positively predicted by their perception of fathers’ knowledge, whereas adolescents’ social skills were positively predicted by their perceptions of mothers’ knowledge. Multi-group analysis revealed that the structural equation paths did not differ according to the adolescents’ gender. Further analysis identified that moderate levels of fathers’ warmth are more related to better adolescents’ academic achievement than do high levels of fathers’ warmth. Results point out the differential role of perceived parenting behaviors on adolescents’ development, with the adolescents’ perceived fathers’ parenting behaviors showing greater impact on academic achievement, and the adolescents’ perceived mothers’ parenting behaviors showing a positive effect on social skills.

Active Commute in Relation to Cognition and Academic Achievement in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Future Recommendations.

Active commuting to school (ACS) is an important source of physical activity among children. Recent research has focused on ACS and its benefits on cognition and academic achievement (AA), factors important for success in school. This review aims to synthesize literature on the relationship between ACS and cognition or AA among children and adolescents. Peer-reviewed articles in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Cochrane Library assessing ACS with cognition and/or AA among children, until February 2019, were selected. Twelve studies across nine countries (age range 4–18.5 years) were included. One study used accelerometers, whereas all others used self-report measures of ACS. A wide range of objective assessments of cognitive functioning and AA domains were used. Five among eight studies, and four among six found a positive relationship between ACS and cognitive or AA measure, respectively. Four studies found dose–response relationships, and some studies found sex differences. The quantitative analysis found that ACS was not significantly associated with mathematics score (odds ratio = 1.18; CI = 0.40, 3.48). Findings are discussed in terms of methodological issues, potential confounders, and the strength of the evidence. Future studies should conduct longitudinal studies and use objective measures of ACS to understand this relationship further.

Further Examination of a Critical Assumption Underlying the Dual-Discrepancy/Consistency Approach to Specific Learning Disability Identification

The aim of this study was to further examine a critical assumption underlying the dual-discrepancy/consistency (DD/C) patterns of strengths and weaknesses method of specific learning disability (SLD) identification. To examine the concordance between strengths and weaknesses in cognitive abilities and academic achievement, we conducted classification agreement analyses on data gathered from three large representative samples of children and adolescents (n = 300 for each group) at different age levels using composite scores from the norming sample of the Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities and Achievement. We also followed the decision processes for determining significant weaknesses in the DD/C method and used the accompanying Cross-Battery Assessment Software System to analyze data. Results of classification agreement analyses indicated that, although specificity and negative predictive values were high across all academic achievement domains and cognitive abilities examined, sensitivity and positive predictive values were low. These findings further the empirical literature research questioning the utility of the DD/C methods of SLD identification. Altogether, research on the utility of the DD/C method suggests that use of these methods will result in school psychologists spending too much time conducting assessments with a low probability of accurately identifying SLD.

"Testing longitudinal associations between executive function and academic achievement": Correction to Willoughby, Wylie, and Little (2019).

Reports an error in "Testing longitudinal associations between executive function and academic achievement" by Michael T. Willoughby, Amanda C. Wylie and Michael H. Little (Developmental Psychology, 2019[Apr], Vol 55[4], 767-779). In the article, the authors report a coding error. Specifically, in the ECLS-K dataset, there are two variables that refer to free/reduced-price lunch. An incorrect variable was used to construct the free/reduced price lunch subsample, which resulted in the over-selection of students into the free/reduced-price lunch subsample (i.e., 2,830 were included but only 1,910 should have been). The authors reanalyzed all data using the corrected free/reduced price lunch subsample. While all the numerical values related to the free/reduced-price lunch subsample that were reported in the original text and tables changed, the magnitude of changes were trivial and none of the substantive conclusions made in the article changed. Updated results are available from the first author. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2018-65595-001.) Children with higher levels of executive function (EF) skills consistently demonstrate higher levels of academic achievement. Despite the consistency of these associations, fundamental questions remain about whether efforts to improve an individual child's EF skills result in corresponding improvements in his or her academic performance. In the absence of experimental evidence, developmentalists have used repeated measures designs to test the nature, magnitude, and direction of the associations between EF skills and academic achievement. In contrast to previous studies, this study described how between- and within-person associations between EF and achievement address different questions. Using data from a subsample of participants (N = 6,040) from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten, 2010-2011 (ECLS-K:2011) cohort, we estimated a series of latent growth curve models with structured residuals to test the between and within-person associations between 2 dimensions of EF (working memory, cognitive flexibility) and 2 domains of academic achievement (math, reading). Whereas between-person associations between EF and achievement were large (φ = .55-.91), the within-person associations were small (βs = -.10-.25). Within-person effects of earlier reading achievement on later EF skills was the most consistent finding. Results were unchanged when analyses were repeated using the subset of children who were eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, a proxy for low socioeconomic households. Results are discussed with respect to interest in improving EF skills as a means for facilitating school outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Can worry and physiological anxiety uniquely predict children and adolescents’ academic achievement and intelligence?

When exploring the relationship anxiety has with IQ, academic achievement studies often rely on diagnostic groups or total scores for an anxiety measure. The differential effects caused by anxiety dimensions, as well as their interactions, were examined with an exploratory method. This study examined the main effect of worry and physiological anxiety as predictors of youths’ academic and cognitive functioning. Two samples of youth that presented to an out-patient clinic (n = 121, M = 10.59, SD = 2.78, range = 6–16; n = 92, M = 10.07, SD = 2.76, range = 6–16) were administered well-established performance measures of academic and intellectual functioning, along with a measurement of anxiety. In an exploratory analysis, the interaction between worry and physiological anxiety was the only significant effect, robust across all academic composites and intelligence indices. Physiological anxiety had a differential relationship with academic achievement domains (and processing speed) dependent on levels of worry; low-levels of worry were predictive of improved scores at high, but not low-, levels of physiological anxiety. In contrast, high-, but not low-, levels of physiological anxiety were associated with lower scores when accompanied by elevated levels of worry when predicting intelligence indices.

Testing longitudinal associations between executive function and academic achievement.

Children with higher levels of executive function (EF) skills consistently demonstrate higher levels of academic achievement. Despite the consistency of these associations, fundamental questions remain about whether efforts to improve an individual child's EF skills result in corresponding improvements in his or her academic performance. In the absence of experimental evidence, developmentalists have used repeated measures designs to test the nature, magnitude, and direction of the associations between EF skills and academic achievement. In contrast to previous studies, this study described how between- and within-person associations between EF and achievement address different questions. Using data from a subsample of participants (N = 6,040) from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten, 2010-2011 (ECLS-K:2011) cohort, we estimated a series of latent growth curve models with structured residuals to test the between and within-person associations between 2 dimensions of EF (working memory, cognitive flexibility) and 2 domains of academic achievement (math, reading). Whereas between-person associations between EF and achievement were large (φ = .55-.91), the within-person associations were small (βs = -.10-.25). Within-person effects of earlier reading achievement on later EF skills was the most consistent finding. Results were unchanged when analyses were repeated using the subset of children who were eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, a proxy for low socioeconomic households. Results are discussed with respect to interest in improving EF skills as a means for facilitating school outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Relationships between teacher-reported ADHD symptom profiles and academic achievement domains in a nonreferred convenience sample of first- to fourth-grade students

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies suggested that inattention was related particularly with reading problems among students. However, most of the former studies had clinically referred samples. A majorit...

Potential return on investment of a family-centered early childhood intervention: a cost-effectiveness analysis

BackgroundParentCorps is a family-centered enhancement to pre-kindergarten programming in elementary schools and early education centers. When implemented in high-poverty, urban elementary schools serving primarily Black and Latino children, it has been found to yield benefits in childhood across domains of academic achievement, behavior problems, and obesity. However, its long-term cost-effectiveness is unknown.MethodsWe determined the cost-effectiveness of ParentCorps in high-poverty, urban schools using a Markov Model projecting the long-term impact of ParentCorps compared to standard pre-kindergarten programming. We measured costs and quality adjusted life years (QALYs) resulting from the development of three disease states (i.e., drug abuse, obesity, and diabetes); from the health sequelae of these disease states; from graduation from high school; from interaction with the judiciary system; and opportunity costs of unemployment with a lifetime time horizon. The model was built, and analyses were performed in 2015–2016.ResultsParentCorps was estimated to save $4387 per individual and increase each individual’s quality adjusted life expectancy by 0.27 QALYs. These benefits were primarily due to the impact of ParentCorps on childhood obesity and the subsequent predicted prevention of diabetes, and ParentCorps’ impact on childhood behavior problems and the subsequent predicted prevention of interaction with the judiciary system and unemployment. Results were robust on sensitivity analyses, with ParentCorps remaining cost saving and health generating under nearly all assumptions, except when schools had very small pre-kindergarten programs.ConclusionsEffective family-centered interventions early in life such as ParentCorps that impact academic, behavioral and health outcomes among children attending high-poverty, urban schools have the potential to result in longer-term health benefits and substantial cost savings.

Inattention Symptoms Are Associated With Academic Achievement Mostly Through Variance Shared With Intrinsic Motivation and Behavioral Engagement

Objective: The main goal of the current study is to investigate whether intrinsic motivation and behavioral engagement mediate the association between inattention symptoms and academic achievement (reading, writing, and mathematics), as well as to document the extent to which inattention symptoms contribute to academic achievement due to variance overlapping with intrinsic motivation and behavioral engagement. Method: Participants were 92 children (Grades 1-4). Data were gathered using a combination of parent and teacher reports as well as objective assessments. Results: Results did not support the mediating role of intrinsic motivation and behavioral engagement. A commonality analysis showed that 77.44% to 82.10% of the variance explained in each academic achievement domains was due to variance shared by inattention symptoms, intrinsic motivation, and behavioral engagement. Conclusion: These results suggest more commonality than differences between inattention symptoms, intrinsic motivation, and behavioral engagement with regard to their association with academic achievement. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Neuropsychological Function in Adolescent Girls With Conduct Disorder

Conduct disorder (CD) in adolescent girls is a significant problem, but few data exist on the neuropsychological function of girls with this disorder. We investigated whether girls with CD have poorer neuropsychological function than girls without any psychiatric disorder, whether these differences remained significant after adjusting for demographics, and whether psychiatric comorbidity, age at onset of CD symptoms, or aggressive CD behaviors were differentially associated with neuropsychological function within the CD group. Ninety-three girls, ages 15 to 17 years, from the community (52 CD; 41 without any disorder [normal controls]) received a neuropsychological battery examining motor/laterality, general intelligence, language, visuospatial, visual-motor, executive function, and academic achievement domains. Girls with CD had lower general intelligence and poorer performance on visuospatial, executive function, and academic achievement domains. After adjusting for demographic factors, scores in the CD group were worse for general intelligence and in the visuospatial and academic achievement domains. Comorbid substance use disorder was negatively correlated with motor/laterality; no other intra-CD group comparisons were statistically significant. Girls with CD had deficits in several domains of neuropsychological function. Possible explanations for the findings and clinical implications are discussed.

Peer Support for African American Male College Achievement: Beyond Internalized Racism and the Burden of “Acting White”

Theorists posit that the social reinforcement of racially oppressive assumptions eventually works its way into the psyche of African Americans and negatively shapes the way they see themselves and others within their race. Some scholars have attempted to prove and others have subsequently disputed the idea that school achievement within African American peer groups is seen as “acting White.” In this study, internalized racism and Fordham and Ogbu's (1986) Acting White Hypothesis were explored among high-achieving African American male undergraduates at six predominantly White universities. Findings from individual interviews contradict the hypothesis and reveal ways through which peer support for leadership and achievement were negotiated within African American peer groups on the six campuses. There was no evidence of internalized racism in the domains of academic achievement and African American male leadership. Instead, the participants attributed much of their college success to the support offered by their same-race peers.

Effects of Cochlear Implants on Children's Reading and Academic Achievement

This article presents a critical analysis of empirical studies assessing literacy and other domains of academic achievement among children with cochlear implants. A variety of recent studies have demonstrated benefits to hearing, language, and speech from implants, leading to assumptions that early implantation and longer periods of implant should be associated with higher reading and academic achievement. This review, however, reveals that although there are clear benefits of cochlear implantation to achievement in young deaf children, empirical results have been somewhat variable. Examination of the literature with regard to reading achievement suggests that the lack of consistent findings might be the result of frequent failures to control potentially confounding variables such as age of implantation, language skills prior to implantation, reading ability prior to implantation, and consistency of implant use. Studies of academic achievement beyond reading are relatively rare, and the extent to which performance in such domains is mediated by reading abilities or directly influenced by hearing, language, and speech remains unclear. Considerations of methodological shortcomings in existing research as well as theoretical and practical questions yet to be addressed provide direction for future research.

Transactional links between personality and adaptation from childhood through adulthood

Does childhood personality foreshadow later adaptation in the key developmental task domains of academic achievement, work, rule-abiding conduct, friendships, and romantic relationships? In this article we present a synopsis of recent findings from the Project Competence longitudinal study of 205 children who were assessed around ages 10, 20, and 30. Childhood personality differences predicted adaptation at all three time periods and also changes in adaptation over time. On the other hand, features of adult personality were presaged by childhood adaptation, and in some cases childhood adaptation predicted the course of personality development. To understand better the transactional processes that shape and link personality and adaptive success over the life course, longitudinal designs and more dynamic models of personality development will be needed.