Individual Differences In Academic Achievement Research Articles

Stimulus shapes strategy: Effects of stimulus characteristics and individual differences in academic achievement on the neural mechanisms engaged during the N-back task

This fMRI study of 126 youth explored whether the neural mechanisms underlying the N-back task, commonly used to examine executive control over the contents of working memory, are associated with individual differences in academic achievement in reading and math. Moreover, the study explored whether these relationships occur regardless of the nature of the stimulus being manipulated in working memory (letters, numbers, nonsense shapes) or whether these relationships are specific to achievement domain and stimulus type (i.e., letters for reading and numbers for math). The results indicated that higher academic achievement in each of reading and math was associated with greater activation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the N-back task regardless of stimulus type (i.e., did not differ for letters and numbers), suggesting that at least some aspects of the neural mechanisms underlying these academic domains are executive in nature. In addition, regardless of level of academic achievement, prefrontal regions were engaged to a greater degree for letters than numbers than nonsense shapes. In contrast, nonsense shapes yielded greater hippocampal activation than letters and numbers. Potential reasons for this pattern of findings are discussed.

Aerobic fitness and academic achievement: Disentangling the indirect role of executive functions and intelligence

Research in children points to aerobic fitness as a source of individual differences in academic achievement. By examining the indirect effects of executive functions (EF) and intelligence on the relationship between aerobic fitness and academic achievement, the present study provides novel insight about the cognitive mechanisms underlying this relationship. 218 children (8–10 years) completed the following assessments: (i) a VO2max test to assess aerobic fitness; (ii) four tasks tapping components of EF (i.e., inhibition and cognitive flexibility); (iii) sub-tests of the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test to assess fluid and crystallized intelligence; and (iv) sub-tests of arithmetic, spelling, and reading achievement (WRAT 3rd edition). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to examine the indirect role of EF and intelligence on the relationship between aerobic fitness and sub-domains of academic achievement. Covariate analyses included age, pubertal timing, and socio-economic status. Preliminary analysis via linear regression showed a direct effect of aerobic fitness on arithmetic achievement, whereas no effect was observed on spelling and reading achievement. Importantly, multiple mediation SEM revealed the direct effect of aerobic fitness on arithmetic achievement disappeared after accounting for the indirect effects of EF, whereas intelligence did not contribute significantly on this complex mediation process. Moreover, among EF components, cognitive flexibility, was the main driver of the relationship between aerobic fitness and arithmetic achievement. Unpacking which components of EF and intelligence affect the link between aerobic fitness and academic achievement, holds the promise of better understanding the heterogeneity still present in the literature.

Teacher and Parent Perspectives on the Use of Genetic Information in Schools

AbstractWhile the predictive power of genetic information is not yet strong enough to apply to individuals in the classroom, this study aimed to explore how genetic information may be received in educational settings as a potentially important source of individual differences in academic achievement and learning difficulties. Focus group discussions with teachers and parents were analyzed using qualitative and linguistic methods. Results showed that teachers and parents had similar knowledge of and questions about genetic information and how it could be used in education; both expressed concerns regarding the ethics of its use and suggested other professionals that should be involved in decisions regarding genetic input in education. Parents' personal struggles to obtain appropriate diagnoses and support for their children with learning difficulties, however, added an emotional edge to their views. Families' direct experiences with educational systems, often adversarial, afford them an authority that should be acknowledged by policymakers.

Cross-cultural Analysis of Models of the Relationship between the Cognitive Abilities and Academic Achievement in Primary School Education.

The cognitive predictors of academic achievement are associated both with basic cognitive abilities such as the information processing speed, number sense and visuospatial working memory, as well as with general ability including nonverbal intelligence. However, the ratio between cognitive development and school achievement can depend on sociocultural conditions. The results of a cross-cultural analysis of the relationship between cognitive development and academic achievement during primary education are presented. The analysis was conducted sampling schoolchildren from Russia and Kyrgyzstan, two countries that have a similar organization of the national education system but differ in the level of socioeconomic development. The study involved 732 schoolchildren aged 7.7 to 11.8 years studying in Russia and Kyrgyzstan. Information processing speed, visuospatial working memory, and number sense were assessed using each of "Choice Reaction Time," "Corsi Block-Tapping Test," and "Number Sense" computerized tests. According to the results, empirical data in both samples show that a model where in information processing speed signifies basic cognitive ability is a key predictor of nonverbal intelligence, working memory, and number sense, and each of these may contribute to individual differences in academic achievement. Notwithstanding the universality of this model, cross-cultural differences were seen to engender a reduction of schoolchildren's academic achievements, given possible impacts of less favorable educational conditions. In the relationship between cognitive abilities and academic success at the primary school education, there are both similarities and differences between schoolchildren studying in Russia and Kyrgyzstan.

The Mechanism Underlying the Association of School Climate and Reading Achievement: The Mediating Role of Intrinsic Motivation and Reading Self-Concept in the Greek Context

The association between school climate and students’ achievement is currently well-documented in international literature. However, the relevant studies, that contemplate the underlying mechanisms of this association, are sparse. Therefore, the present study’s purpose is to confirm the mediating effects of intrinsic motivation and reading self-concept in the association of school climate and reading achievement. Further, due to the amassing evidence of gender-related individual differences in academic achievement, this study also examines whether the underlying mechanisms toward academic achievement are varying as a function of gender. The data of N=6,403 Greek adolescent students were extracted from the Program of International Student Assessment (PISA) for further analyses. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to examine both mediating and moderating effects. The results indicate that there is a positive indirect effect of school climate on reading achievement via intrinsic motivation and self-concept. Additionally, structural equivalence via multigroup SEM (MGSEM) showed that gender does not moderate the structural regressive relations; that is, the regression coefficients did not vary as a function of gender. These findings are discussed within the framework of improving educational practices.

The Relationship of Cognitive Processes With Reading and Mathematics Achievement in Intellectually Gifted Children

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to examine whether components of the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive (PASS) processing theory of intelligence predict reading and mathematics proficiency in a group of intellectually gifted children. One hundred forty-two intellectually gifted children (70 females, 72 males; Mage = 127.41 months, SD = 10.76) were assessed on PASS processes as well as on reading and mathematics. Results of regression analyses showed that planning was a significant predictor of both reading and mathematics. In addition, simultaneous processing predicted mathematics and successive processing predicted reading. These findings suggest that when intelligence is operationalized on the basis of neurocognitive processes it can explain individual differences in academic achievement even among a restricted range of high ability students.

Acculturation and academic achievement of rural to urban migrant youth: The role of school satisfaction and family closeness

China's 'tidal wave' of rural to urban migration has had a tremendous impact on the educational outcomes of its children. It remains unexplored how and when do migrant children’s experience of acculturation following arrival in the place of settlement influence their academic achievement. This study used a stratified cross-sectional sample of 2412 Chinese migrant children and adolescents aged 10–18 (Mean = 14, 45 % female) to investigate the role of school satisfaction and family closeness in the relationship between acculturation patterns and academic achievement. Acculturation patterns are derived from the bidimensional model proposed by Berry (2005). The results indicated that integration had a positive association with concurrent academic achievement. School satisfaction was a mediator between integration and academic achievement. Furthermore, the full mediation of school satisfaction was only supported when there was a high level of family closeness. Findings from this study underline the usefulness of the bi-dimensional model in understanding the individual differences in academic achievement and suggest greater attention to the cultural variations in interpersonal functioning at the family and school context.

An Attempt to Eradicate Alcohol Dependency from Adult Men in Service Privately Managed Pharmaceutical Institutions in India

An Attempt to Eradicate Alcohol Dependency from Adult Men in Service Privately Managed Pharmaceutical Institutions in India

An Attempt to Eradicate Alcohol Dependency from Adult Men in Service Privately Managed Pharmaceutical Institutions in India

An Attempt to Eradicate Alcohol Dependency from Adult Men in Service Privately Managed Pharmaceutical Institutions in India

The role of Personality Traits and Intelligence in Academic Achievement of Russian High School Students

Abstract The current study analyzed the role of ‘Big Five’ personality traits and non-verbal intelligence in the individual differences in academic achievement of high school students. The study involved 300 Russian high school students, including 148 girls and 152 boys (aged from 14.50 to 17.75 years). We analyzed the structure of the relationships between intelligence, personality traits and academic success using structural equation modeling. It was shown that Extraversion was negatively related to non-verbal intelligence whereas Openness to experience was positively related to it. In turn, non-verbal intelligence was associated with academic achievement. Conscientiousness was the only ‘Big Five’ trait which contributed to individual differences in academic achievement independent of the level of non-verbal intelligence.

Gender differences in academic achievement of twins in mathematics

This study is a part of the project “The origins of individual differences in academic achievement: the impact of the shared environment, non-shared environment and prenatal hormones” (No. 12-06-00790, supported by Russian Humanitarian Scientific fond). Data of Unified state examination (2010–2012) were analyzed in the study. We have got test scores (mathematics exam) of 9592 boys and 12,702 girls – members of twin pairs. Boys show a slightly higher academic achievement in mathematics, than girls. However, they have higher variability of test scores. In deviation extremes number of boys is more than number of girls – both in high achievement (218 vs 82) and low achievement (350 vs 119) groups. Opposite-sex twins (boys and girls) are more successful in Math than same-sex twins. This results may be connected with environmental conditions (for example social attitudes) and with hormonal influences.

Anterior cingulate activation during cognitive control relates to academic performance in medical students

It is believed that academic performance is in part determined by cognitive control, the skill of flexibly guiding behavior. Although previous neuroimaging research has demonstrated that lateral and medial prefrontal cortex, including ACC, are involved during tasks of cognitive control, little is known about the relation between brain mechanisms underlying cognitive control and academic performance in a real-world educational environment. In the current fMRI study, Freshman students from Medical College performed a Go/NoGo task and Stroop task. A positive correlation was observed between average course grades and activation of dorsal ACC during cognitive inhibition on the Stroop task. No significant correlation was found between grades and activation in rostral ACC during emotional inhibition. Grades were not associated with prefrontal activation during motor inhibition or performance monitoring on the Go/NoGo task. These findings suggest that engagement of dorsal ACC for cognitive control can be linked to individual differences in academic achievement.

Student Engagement at a Large Suburban Community College: Gender and Race Differences

Previous research shows that there are individual differences in academic achievement associated with gender and race. Research also suggests that student engagement is an important determinant of student outcomes/achievement. The present study explored student engagement at an extra-large community college. It specifically investigated possible individual differences in student engagement and explored how it maps on to student achievement. As predicted, the results indicate that there are gender and race differences in student engagement—females show greater engagement than males, and African-American students show greater engagement than students of other races. The results are discussed in the context of student achievement as indicated by students’ self-reported GPAs.

Validade incremental da Escala de Abordagens de Aprendizagem (EABAP)

Este trabalho investiga a validade incremental da abordagem à aprendizagem (AbA) sobre o desempenho escolar, além da inteligência. São analisados dados de 684 estudantes da sexta série ao terceiro ano do ensino médio de uma escola particular de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. A inteligência é mensurada por itens marcadores da inteligência fluida da Bateria de Fatores Cognitivos de Alta-Ordem. AbA é medida através da Escala de Abordagens de Aprendizagem. O desempenho acadêmico é medido através das notas escolares em Matemática, Português, Geografia e História. Três hipóteses sobre a relação entre inteligência, abordagem à aprendizagem e proficiência acadêmica são testadas através da modelagem por equação estrutural. O modelo da relação direta foi o mais adequado aos dados e apresentou bom grau de ajuste. Inteligência e AbA apresentam efeito direto sobre o desempenho escolar. AbA possui validade incremental independente da inteligência sobre as diferenças individuais do rendimento acadêmico.

The Hungry Mind

Over the past century, academic performance has become the gatekeeper to institutions of higher education, shaping career paths and individual life trajectories. Accordingly, much psychological research has focused on identifying predictors of academic performance, with intelligence and effort emerging as core determinants. In this article, we propose expanding on the traditional set of predictors by adding a third agency: intellectual curiosity. A series of path models based on a meta-analytically derived correlation matrix showed that (a) intelligence is the single most powerful predictor of academic performance; (b) the effects of intelligence on academic performance are not mediated by personality traits; (c) intelligence, Conscientiousness (as marker of effort), and Typical Intellectual Engagement (as marker of intellectual curiosity) are direct, correlated predictors of academic performance; and (d) the additive predictive effect of the personality traits of intellectual curiosity and effort rival that the influence of intelligence. Our results highlight that a “hungry mind” is a core determinant of individual differences in academic achievement.

From Noncompetence to Exceptional Talent: Exploring the Range of Academic Achievement Within and Between Grade Levels

This article analyzes the magnitude of individual differences in academic achievement and their growth over the first 9 years of schooling. The author anchors the widening-gap phenomenon on the theoretical recognition of large individual differences in learning pace, which logically leads over time to an increasing gap in knowledge and skills between the fastest and slowest learners. The achievement data used as evidence were borrowed from the developmental standard score (SS) norms of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS; Hoover, Dunbar, & Frisbie, 2001). These norms reveal, among other things, that within most grade levels the range between the lowest and highest achievers exceeds the 8-year gap in knowledge between average 1st- and 9th-grade students. Moreover, the achievement gap widens by about 145% between grades 1 and 9. Parallel evidence suggests that standardized achievement test data probably underestimate the true differences. Because it ensues from stable individual differences in learning aptitude, educators should not perceive that widening achievement gap as a failure of the educational system, but should recognize it instead as a proof that all learners are given the opportunity to progress at their own learning pace.

Beyond Individual Differences: Exploring School Effects on SAT Scores

This article explores the complex, hierarchical relation among school characteristics, individual differences in academic achievement, extracurricular activities, and socioeconomic background on performance on the verbal and mathematics Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Using multilevel structural equation models (SEMs) with latent means, we analyzed data from a national sample of college-bound high school students. A nested series of SEMs were fit simultaneously to eight subgroups (disaggregated by both gender and ethnicity) of high school students. Our analyses suggest that (a) multilevel SEMs provide a reasonably good fit to the data, (b) family background influences SAT scores directly and indirectly, learning opportunities in and outside the school curriculum are related to SAT performance, and (c) the characteristics of the schools matter when it comes to performance on the SAT. We argue that context matters and that researchers ought to move beyond analyses of individual differences when attempting to understand performance on large-scale standardized tests.

Numerical and Arithmetical Cognition: Patterns of Functions and Deficits in Children at Risk for a Mathematical Disability

Based on performance on standard achievement tests, first-grade children (mean age = 82 months) with IQ scores in the low-average to high-average range were classified as at risk for a learning disability (LD) in mathematics, reading, or both. These at-risk children (n = 55) and a control group of academically normal peers (n = 35) were administered experimental tasks that assessed number comprehension and production skills, counting knowledge, arithmetic skills, working memory, and ease of retrieving information from long-term memory. Different patterns of intact cognitive functions and deficits were found for children in the different at-risk groups. As a set, performance on the experimental tasks accounted for roughly 50% and 10% of the group differences in mathematics and reading achievement, respectively, above and beyond the influence of IQ. Performance on the experimental tasks thus provides insights into the cognitive deficits underlying different forms of LD, as well as into the sources of individual differences in academic achievement.

The effect of gender upon heritability and common environmental estimates in measures of scholastic achievement

Although previous studies have examined mean gender differences in scholastic achievement, interesting results may also be gained by studying the genetic and environmental influences underlying individual variation in academic achievement. Few studies have examined this research question in a school-age population. The current study examines the effects of gender upon measures of scholastic achievement in a sample of 138 mono- and 125 dizygotic twin pairs, ranging in age from 6 to 12 years, who participated in the Western Reserve Twin Project. Results indicate individual differences in academic achievement may be more heavily influenced by genetic variance in females and environmental variance in males. It is hypothesized that this effect may be caused by an additional source of environmental variance supplied by teachers to males and not to females.