First-year Grade Point Average Research Articles

Correlation of Admissions Criteria with Academic Performance in Dental Students

Our purpose was to compare admissions criteria as predictors of dental school performance in underachieving and normally tracking dental students. Underachieving dental students were identified by selecting ten students with the lowest class grade point average following the first year of dental school from five classes, resulting in a pool of fifty students. Normally tracking students served as a control and were randomly selected from students who had completed their first year of dental school not in the underachieving group. Admission measures of college grade point average (GPA), science grade point average (SGPA), academic average (AA), Perceptual Ability Test (PAT), college rigor, and academic load in college were evaluated with descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis with first-year and graduating GPA as the dependent variables. Admissions criteria were generally weak predictors of first-year and graduating GPA. However, first-year dental school GPA was a strong predictor (R(2)=0.77) of graduating GPA for normally tracking students and a moderate predictor (R(2)=0.58) for underachieving students. Students who completed the first year of dental school having a low GPA tended to graduate with a low GPA. Therefore, remediation and monitoring would be important during the dental school experience for these students.

Relationship of Self-Beliefs, Social Support, and University Comfort with the Academic Success of Freshman College Women

The relationships of self-beliefs, social support, and university comfort with the academic persistence decisions and first-year grade point averages of 527 first semester female undergraduates were examined. Data were gathered in 56 classes or group meetings. These three constructs predicted academic persistence decisions, with social support as the strongest predictor, followed by self-beliefs, and then university comfort. Although there were no differences between Euro-American women and women of color on initial academic persistence decisions, Euro-American women had higher first-year GPAs than did the women of color. Research-informed practice and policy implications for increasing the persistence decisions and academic success of first-year female college students are discussed.

Evaluating the Predictive Validity of Graduate Management Admission Test Scores

Admissions data and first-year grade point average (GPA) data from 11 graduate management schools were analyzed to evaluate the predictive validity of Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®) scores and the extent to which predictive validity held across sex and race/ethnicity. The results indicated GMAT verbal and quantitative scores had substantial predictive validity, accounting for about 16% of the variance in graduate GPA beyond that predicted by undergraduate GPA. When these scores and undergraduate GPA were used together, they accounted for approximately 25% of the variation in first-year graduate GPA. Correcting correlations for restriction of range improved the predictive power. No statistical differences were found across examinee groups defined by race/ethnicity and sex, which suggests a lack of bias in these scores. The predictive utility of GMAT analytical writing scores was relatively low, accounting for only about 1% of the variation in graduate GPA, after accounting for undergraduate GPA and GMAT verbal and quantitative scores.

The Graduate Record Examination and Success in an Engineering Management Program: A Case Study

:The authors consider the empirical validity of the graduate record examination (GRE) as a predictor of various measures of performance in a graduate engineering management program. The performance criteria include first-quarter graduate school grades, first-year graduate school grades, cumulative graduate school grades, and faculty committees' ratings of students' theses. Tests indicated that the GRE verbal and quantitative test scores were useful in predicting first-year and cumulative grade point averages (GPAs). The implications of these findings are discussed to include the idea of a theory-based test and measures of graduate student performance.

A Meta-Analysis of the Validity of the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) and Grade Predictors of Pharmacy Student Performance

Objectives. Compare the validity of the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) and prepharmacy grade point average (GPA) in predicting performance in pharmacy school and professional licensing examinations. Methods. To quantitatively aggregate results across previous studies of the validity of the PCAT, the Hunter and Schmidt psychometric meta-analytic method was used. Relevant research articles were gathered from multiple databases. Correlations between the PCAT and GPAs or individual course grades were the most commonly presented data. Results. The PCAT and prepharmacy GPA were positively correlated with first, second, and third year GPA and National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Licensure Examination (NABPLEX) scores, with validities ranging from 0.25 (N=244; k=3) to 0.51 (N=1,454, k=18) for first-year GPA. Conclusions. Both PCAT scores and prepharmacy GPA were moderate to strong predictors of grades earned in pharmacy programs and scores on licensing examinations. Development of additional predict...

Do First-Year College Students' Expectations Align with their First-Year Experiences?

First-year college students’ expectations about "what college is like" do not always align with their actual experiences. This study examined 31 first-year students’ social and academic expectations and compared those expectations with students' experiences at the middle and end of their first year of college. Paired t tests revealed that students' academic and social expectations did not align with their first-year experiences. Academic and social expectations/experiences were not statistically significant predictors of first-year academic achievement. However, students with unrealistic high social or academic expectations had lower first-year grade point averages (GPAs) than students with average or below-average expectations. Recommendations for increasing high school and college collaboration to assist students with the transition to college are included.

Do First-Year College Students' Expectations Align with their First-Year Experiences?

First-year college students’ expectations about "what college is like" do not always align with their actual experiences. This study examined 31 first-year students’ social and academic expectations and compared those expectations with students' experiences at the middle and end of their first year of college. Paired t tests revealed that students' academic and social expectations did not align with their first-year experiences. Academic and social expectations/experiences were not statistically significant predictors of first-year academic achievement. However, students with unrealistic high social or academic expectations had lower first-year grade point averages (GPAs) than students with average or below-average expectations. Recommendations for increasing high school and college collaboration to assist students with the transition to college are included.

Predicting College Grades and Degree Completion Using High School Grades and SAT Scores: The Role of Student Ethnicity and First Language

The degree to which SAT scores and high school grade-point average (GPA) predicted first-year college GPA (FGPA) and college graduation was examined for four groups: Hispanic students whose first language was Spanish and Hispanic, Black, and White students whose first language was English. The percentage of variance in FGPA jointly explained by high school GPA and SAT score varied from 7% to 20% across groups. Survival analyses showed that high school GPA had a statistically significant influence on graduation in the White/English group; SAT had a significant effect in the Hispanic/English and White/English groups. The regression and survival analyses revealed interesting differences in achievement patterns between the Hispanic/Spanish and Hispanic/English groups, demonstrating the value of taking language background into consideration in educational research.

Learned Resourcefulness Moderates the Relationship Between Academic Stress and Academic Performance

People high in learned resourcefulness are purported to be better than others at controlling their negative emotions and managing stressful tasks. We hypothesised that highly resourceful students would be more effective than others at protecting themselves from the adverse effects of academic stress, and not allowing that stress to impact their grades. A sample of 141 first-year undergraduate students completed measures of academic stress and learned resourcefulness. Their first-year grade point averages were obtained from university records. Analyses revealed that academic stress was negatively associated with academic performance. As expected, this negative association was moderated by learned resourcefulness. High academic stress adversely impacted the grades of low resourceful students but had no effect on high resourceful students. We discuss the implications of these findings for improving academic performance.

Objectifying content validity: Conducting a content validity study in social work research

Social scientists frequently study complex constructs. Despite plethora of measures for these constructs, researchers may need to create their own measure for a particular study. When a measure is created, psychometric testing is required, and first step is to study content validity of measure. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how to conduct a content validity study, including how to elicit most from a panel of experts by collecting specific data. Instructions how to calculate a content validity index, factorial validity index, and an interrater reliability index and guide for interpreting these indices are included. Implications regarding value of conducting a content validity study for practitioners and researchers are discussed. Key words: constructs; content validity; measure; psychometric testing ********** Researchers in social sciences study complex constructs for which valid and reliable measures are needed. The measures should be brief, clear, and easy to administer. Measures that are too long or difficult to read may result in a lowered response rate or inaccurate responses. In addition, measure must be appropriate for use in targeted population. For example, measures designed for use with heterogeneous populations may not be appropriate for a specific population with certain characteristics. A plethora of measures exist with known psychometric properties, but researchers may need to develop a new measure for a particular construct because no measure exists that operationalizes construct as researcher conceptualized it. In these circumstances, a content validity study should be conducted. VALIDITY Traditionally, three types of validity may be demonstrated: content, criterion, and construct validity. Content Validity Content validity refers to extent to which items a measure assess same content or how well content material was sampled in measure. Content validity can be characterized as face validity or logical validity. Face validity indicates that measure appears to be valid, on its face. Logical validity indicates a more rigorous process, such as using a panel of experts to evaluate content validity of a measure. Nunnally and Bernstein (1994) did not distinguish among different types of content validity; but presented alternative ways of assessing content validity. They suggested evaluating content validity by demonstrating internal consistency through correlating scores from measure with another measure of same construct and by showing change in posttest scores over pretest scores. Criterion Validity Criterion validity is demonstrated by finding a statistically significant relationship between a measure and a criterion (Nunnally & Bernstein, 1994). Criterion validity is considered gold standard, and usually a correlation is used to assess statistical relationship. For example, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) has been found to predict graduate school success (as measured by first-year grade-point average) for certain disciplines (Rubio, Rubin, & Brennan, 2003). Three types of criterion validity are postdictive, concurrent, and predictive. If criterion has occurred, validity is postdictive. The validity is concurrent if criterion exists at same time as construct measured. The GRE example demonstrates predictive validity, because graduate school success (criterion) occurs after taking GRE (measure). According to Nunnally and Bernstein, a correlation of .30 indicates adequate criterion validity. Construct Validity Anastasi and Urbina (1997) described construct validity as the extent to which test may be said to measure a theoretical construct or trait (p. 126). Three kinds of construct validity are factorial, known groups; and convergent and discriminant (or divergent) validity. …

Substituting SAT II: Subject Tests for SAT I: Reasoning Tests: Impact on Admitted Class Composition and Quality.

Using data from a sample of 10 colleges at which most students had taken both SAT I: Reasoning tests and SAT II: Subject tests, we simulated the effects of making selection decisions using SAT II scores in place of SAT I scores. Specifically, we treated the students in each college as forming the applicant pool for a more select college, and then selected the top two thirds (and top one third) of the students using high school grade point average combined with either SAT I scores or the average of SAT II scores. Success rates, in terms of first-year grade point averages, were virtually identical for students selected by the different models. The percentage of African American, Asian American, and White students selected varied only slightly across models. Appreciably more Mexican American and Other Latino students were selected with the model that used SAT II scores in place of SAT I scores because these students submitted subject test scores for the Spanish test on which they had high scores.

PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF SAT® I: REASONING TEST FOR TEST‐TAKERS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES AND EXTENDED TIME ACCOMMODATIONS

ABSTRACTThe predictive validity of the SAT® I: Reasoning Test was examined for students who took the test with an extended time accommodation for a learning disability. The sample included college students with learning disabilities who took the SAT I between 1995 and 1998 with extended time accommodations. First year grade point average (FGPA) was used as a measure of student performance. Although positive, the adjusted correlation between FGPA and SAT scores was lower for test‐takers with a learning disability than has been shown in prior research on test‐takers without disabilities. In addition, the SAT scores obtained with an extended time accommodation appear to overpredict FGPA for male test‐takers with a learning disability and accurately predict FGPA for female test‐takers with a learning disability. When the same students were examined using both SAT I test scores and self‐reported high school grade point average (HSGPA) to predict FGPA, the scores and grades of male test‐takers did not under‐ or overpredict while the scores of female test‐takers underpredicted FGPA. Due to the relatively small sample size, additional research is required to examine group differences (e.g., type of learning disability, severity of disability) and the impact of differential support received from college disability service offices during the first year of college.

SUBSTITUTING SAT® II: SUBJECT TESTS FOR SAT I: REASONING TEST: IMPACT ON ADMITTED CLASS COMPOSITION AND QUALITY

ABSTRACTUsing data from a sample of 10 colleges at which most students had taken both SAT® I: Reasoning Test and SAT II: Subject Tests, we simulated the effects of making selection decisions using SAT II scores in place of SAT I scores. Specifically, we treated the students in each college as forming the applicant pool for a more select college, and then selected the top two‐thirds (and top one‐third) of the students using high school grade point average (HSGPA) combined with either SAT I scores or the average of SAT II scores. Success rates, in terms of freshman grade point averages, were virtually identical for students selected by the different models. The percent of African American, Asian American, and White students selected varied only slightly across models. Appreciably more Mexican American and Other Latino students were selected with the model that used SAT II scores in place of SAT I scores because these students submitted Subject Test scores for the Spanish Test on which they had high scores.

Characteristics of medical students completing an honors program in pathology

The Honors Program in pathology at Jefferson Medical College provides a voluntary enrichment opportunity for students who have demonstrated a superior ability to cope with the pathology curriculum and who rank in the upper fifth of their class. This study was performed to determine whether honor students possess cognitive and psychosocial attributes that distinguish them from their classmates. Students from five academic years (entering classes 1991 to 1995) were divided into 3 groups: (1) those who completed the Honors Program ( n = 85), (2) those in the top 20% of the class who were offered the option but chose not to participate in the Honors Program ( n = 128), and (3) students who did not qualify for the program ( n = 953). Comparisons between these three groups were made on the basis of selected measures of academic achievement retrieved from the Jefferson Longitudinal Study database and psychosocial data obtained from a questionnaire completed during the first-year orientation. Students who completed the Honors Program in pathology had scored higher on the physical science section of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and had obtained higher first-year grade point averages than students in both of the other groups. Subsequently, they attained higher second-year grade point averages and scored higher on Step 1 and Step 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), compared with their peers in the other groups. There were no significant differences in psychosocial measures between honor students and the rest of the cohort (group 3). However, students in the top 20% of the class who declined the invitation to participate in the Honors Program (group 2) showed higher scores on the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and the Eysenck Emotional Instability (Neuroticism) Scale than did their classmates. Despite these differences, students who completed the Honors program (group 1) and eligible students who declined participation (group 2) selected similar pathways of postgraduate residency training: both groups preferred internal medicine to family practice, and both were more likely than the rest of the cohort to begin residency training at a top-ranked academic/research medical center. Voluntary participation in an Honors Program is a self-selection system that identifies students who are most likely to succeed academically at the highest levels. Residency selection committees may wish to pay close attention to student involvement in similar programs, because this information may provide insights into student personality and general aptitude.

Academic Achievement of First-Generation Students in a Canadian University

Previous research has shown that first-generation students confront greater problems than traditional students. In order to determine if this disadvantage extends to first-year grade-point averages (GPAs) in a commuter university in which the majority are first-generation students, 1,849 students at York University in Toronto were surveyed at the end of the first year and survey results were merged with information on grades from administrative records. The results of stepwise regression and classification and regression tree analyses show that traditional students enjoy a slight advantage in terms of GPA, and that while traditional students have higher levels of involvement than first-generation students, for both student groups involvement in various university activities contributes to GPA.

The Use of the Revised PSB-Health Occupations Aptitude Examination as a Predictor of Success in Physical Therapy Students

Predicting academic success of applicants in physical therapy training programs continues to be a source of interest and concern for educators. Physical therapy programs continue to face an increasing number of qualified applicants competing for a limited number of student positions. Programs are continuously searching for valid and reliable tools to aid in their student selection process. In response to this need, the Psychological Services Bureau Inc (PSB) published the Revised Health Occupations Aptitude Examination (R-HOAE) to aid in the student selection process of a multitude of allied health curriculums. In 1993, the University of Texas Medical Branch, School of Allied Health Sciences at Galveston adopted the R-HOAE on a trial basis to aid in student selection in the Department of Physical Therapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive validity of the R-HOAE, along with other variables such as preadmission grade point averages (GPAs) and age of applicant, in determining academic success. Academic success was defined as first-year GPA. Retrospective data was collected for 189 first-year students from the previously mentioned programs. A stepwise multiple regression technique was utilized for data analysis. In the entry-level master's physical therapy program, the R-HOAE academic aptitude score was the only significant predictor of academic success (p<.01), accounting for 20% of the variance. When all of the independent variables were entered, 39.5% of the variance was explained (p=.0002). Therefore, the R-HOAE was a significant predictor of academic success in two of three allied health programs analyzed.

The fate of medical students with different levels of knowledge: Are the basic medical sciences relevant to physician competence?

Purpose - This study was designed to test the hypothesis that an early gap in knowledge of sciences basic to medicine could have a sustained negative effect throughout medical school and beyond.Method - A longitudinal prospective study of 4,437 students who entered Jefferson Medical College between 1972 and 1991 was conducted in which the students were divided into three groups. Group I consisted of 392 who failed at least one of the basic sciences courses in the first year of medical school, Group II was comprised of 398 who did not fail but had low first-year grade-point averages; and 3,647 of the remaining sample were included in Group III. The groups were compared on retention and dismissal rates, medical school assessment measures, scores on medical licensing examinations, ratings of clinical competency in residency, board certification rates, and faculty appointments.Results - Significant differences were observed among the three groups confirming the hypothesis that students' level of knowledge in sciences basic to medicine early in medical school could predict later performance during medical school and beyond. Implications for early diagnosis of academic deficiencies, in better preparation of medical students, and in the assessment of clinical competency are discussed.

Pre‐admission credentials and dental school performance of dental hygienists

This study examined the effect of dental hygiene preparation prior to entering dental school on dental school performance. Study participants included 203 female students who entered a public dental school from 1980-1989. Groups 1 and 2 had completed dental school prerequisites and a dental hygiene curriculum in a community college setting (n = 19) or university setting (n = 22) respectively, and Group 3 (n = 162) were traditional students with no dental hygiene education. Preadmission variables were predental science and non-science grade point averages (GPA) and Dental Admission Test (DAT) scores. Performance variables were GPA of years one and two of dental school and National Board scores (Part 1). Results showed that Group 2 hygienists had significantly lower predental science GPAs than Group 1 or 3 and significantly lower non-science GPAs than Group 3 (p < 0). Both groups of hygienists had significantly lower DAT scores than Group 3 (p < 0). No difference was seen in first and second year GPAs or the National Board average. Adjusting performance scores to compensate for deficiencies in preadmission variables showed that Group 2 hygienists had significantly higher adjusted first-year GPAs and National Board averages than Group 3 (p < 0). Thus, hygienists performed as well as non-hygienists in spite of weaker admission credentials.

Critical thinking in preclinical course examinations

To examine the relationship between preclinical medical school course examinations and critical-thinking skills by correlating examination results with the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA), an 80-item critical-thinking inventory. The 196 students in the class of 1993 at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Southwestern Medical School were given the WGCTA during the second half of their freshman year. A composite WGCTA score and five subtest scores were calculated for each student. The course examinations were 25 tests, each with a majority of multiple-choice items, from courses given during the first two years of the school curriculum. The students' undergraduate grade-point average (GPAs), medical school GPAs, and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores were also included in the analysis. Pearson product-moment correlations were calculated between the students' WGCTA scores and their examination scores, MCAT scores, and GPAs. Sixteen of the examinations--in the behavioral sciences, psychiatry, ethics, pathology, introduction to clinical medicine, genetics, endocrinology, and cell biology--had significant positive correlations with the WGCTA, as did MCAT scores and first-year GPAs. Correlations were more robust with the WGCTA subscales for interpretation (18 examinations), evaluation of arguments (15), and deduction (13), and less robust with the subscales for inference (7) and recognition of assumptions (3). The results suggest that objective multiple-choice examinations can at least partially reflect critical-thinking skills.

The relationship of academic performance and social support to graduation among African-American and White university students: A path-analytic model

The influence of perceived social support on differential graduation rates of African-American and White students at a predominantly White university was assessed through path analysis. In the path model, precollege academic performance, first-year college grade-point average (CGPA), and general adjustment variables were hypothesized to affect graduation. Although this initial model provided an adequate fit to the data, the direct path from social support to CGPA was not significant. In a revised model, only the influence of CGPA directly influenced graduation. Further research must be conducted to clarify the interaction of academic and social-behavioral variables in influencing graduation patterns.