Predicting School Grades Research Articles

Predicting School Grades: Can Conscientiousness Compensate for Intelligence?

Intelligence and noncognitive factors such as conscientiousness are strongly related to academic performance. As theory and research differ with respect to their interplay in predicting performance, the present study examines whether conscientiousness compensates for intelligence or enhances the effect of intelligence on performance in 3775 13th grade students from Germany. Latent moderation analyses show positive main effects of intelligence and conscientiousness on grades. Further, analyses reveal synergistic interactions in predicting grades in biology, mathematics, and German, but no interaction in predicting grades in English. Intelligence and grades are more strongly linked if students are conscientious. Multigroup models detected gender differences in biology, but no differences with respect to SES. In biology, conscientiousness has especially strong effects in intelligent men. Conscientiousness thus enhances the effect of intelligence on performance in several subjects.

Does Rude or Kind Behavior Predict Later Academic Achievement? Evidence From Two Samples of Adolescents

This study examined whether adolescent students’ externalizing behavior and prosocial behavior affects their academic achievement (i.e., school grades and standardized test scores) in two major academic domains (i.e., mathematics and German) over and above well-established determinants of school achievement (i.e., prior achievement, intelligence, and domain-specific self-concepts). The study draws on longitudinal data from two independent samples of students (A/B) who were each followed from Grade 7 to Grade 9 ( N A/B = 1143/1345). In each academic domain, structural equation models showed that externalizing behavior negatively predicted and prosocial behavior positively predicted academic achievement. When both behaviors were included simultaneously, prosocial behavior particularly predicted school grades in both domains, whereas externalizing behavior particularly predicted test scores in mathematics. Further analyses did not suggest differences between boys and girls in the effects of social behavior on academic achievement. Implications for future research and educational practice are discussed.

What I Do and What I Can Do: Testing the convergence and incremental validity of social, emotional, and behavioral skills vs. traits for predicting academic success

The present research examined relations between social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills, personality traits, and academic success in a sample of adolescents (N = 975). Results indicated that both skills and traits robustly predicted school grades, educational aspirations, and performance on a standardized achievement test, even after accounting for demographic characteristics. Moreover, skills and traits were often interchangeable: when assessed using the same cognitive, affective, and behavioral referents, they converged strongly and did not provide incremental validity over each other for predicting most outcomes. However, skills provided some incremental validity beyond traits for predicting standardized test performance. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of SEB skills and personality traits for predicting and understanding academic success.

The interplay of intelligence and need for cognition in predicting school grades: A retrospective study

Intelligence and Need for Cognition (NFC) have repeatedly been shown to be directly related to better academic performance, but no study so far has investigated their combined predictive validity or possible interactive effects in their relation to academic success. We examined their predictive value and a possible moderating role of NFC in the relationship between intelligence and school performance. 290 students completed the NFC scale, worked on the Intelligence Structure Test 2000 R (reasoning module), and reported their Grade Point Average (GPA) of the university entrance diploma (Abitur). To control for broader personality traits, the Big Five Factors were assessed as well. Analyses revealed that intelligence and NFC each significantly predicted higher GPA. Furthermore, NFC moderated the relation between intelligence and GPA: at higher NFC scores, the relation of reasoning ability on GPA was diminished, pointing to a compensating effect of NFC. Bayesian analyses comparing the likelihood of a moderation versus an additive model in the complete sample supported the moderation hypotheses, while in a sample without outliers, both models were equivocally likely. The results highlight the relevance of considering NFC in the prediction of school success and point to the necessity of further clarifying its moderating role.

Complex problem solving in educational contexts – Still something beyond a “good g”?

Complex problem solving (CPS) has become increasingly important in research on educational achievement. Recent studies showed its incremental validity beyond reasoning in predicting school grades as measurements of scholastic achievement. However, those studies used mostly a narrow operationalization of intelligence such as (figural) reasoning. This study therefore operationalized intelligence in the framework of a “good g” (Jensen & Weng, 1994). A sample of N=496 German high school students completed an intelligence test battery, the CPS test MicroDYN, and scholastic competence tests in mathematics or reading comprehension; additionally, the students reported their grades in mathematics and German. Results of structural equation models showed (1) higher correlations between CPS and the good g (r≈.70) compared to many former studies, (2) mostly moderate to high correlations between CPS and educational achievements in both school subjects that were comparable to the g-achievement-correlations (except for the insignificant CPS-German grade-correlation), and (3) when controlled for the common variance with intelligence, the regression coefficients of CPS dropped considerably and intelligence prevailed as the significantly better predictor of the competence tests and grades. Residual models revealed that the intelligence-residual incrementally predicted these criteria beyond CPS, whereas the CPS-residual only predicted the mathematics competence test beyond intelligence. Implications of these findings for CPS and its importance for different domains and achievement indicators in educational contexts are discussed.

The Protective Effects of Social Factors on the Academic Functioning of Adolescents With ADHD

There is considerable evidence that externalizing disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) put youth at risk for a range of adverse academic outcomes. It is importantly to note that some youth avoid these negative outcomes, yet there is a gap in our understanding of these resilient youth. The purpose of this study was to longitudinally evaluate social acceptance and social skills as potential protective factors of the associations between inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, and oppositional defiant behaviors with academic outcomes. Participants included a sample of 93 middle school students comprehensively diagnosed with ADHD. Parents and adolescents completed ratings of social skills and perceived social acceptance. School grades and teacher-rated academic impairment were assessed 18 months later as longitudinal academic functioning outcomes. Inattention and social acceptance were associated with academic outcomes 18 months later. Regression analyses revealed that parent- and adolescent-rated social acceptance demonstrated promotive effects for grades and against teacher-rated academic impairment. Further, social acceptance significantly interacted with inattention in predicting school grades, such that high parent- and adolescent-rated social acceptance significantly attenuated the relationship between inattention and poor grades, even after controlling for baseline grades and intelligence. The presence of social acceptance was especially critical for adolescents with high levels of inattention. Specifically, adolescents with high inattention and high social acceptance had a mean grade point average of 2.5, and adolescents with high inattention and low social acceptance had a mean grade point average of 1.5. These findings demonstrate that social acceptance may be an important intervention target for improving academic outcomes among adolescents with ADHD.

Sometimes less is more: Comparing the validity of complex problem solving measures

The world we live in is becoming increasingly connected and dynamic. With this increase in complexity in people's everyday lives, there is a rising demand for instruments assessing the skills necessary to deal with complex situations. Therefore, both researchers and practitioners have frequently used measures of complex problem solving skills (CPS) since their development in the 1970s. These classical measures of CPS have been questioned because of their insufficient psychometric qualities. In response, newer measures of CPS with a stronger focus on psychometric qualities were developed. However, research comparing the validity of classical measures of CPS to the new measures is limited. The aim of this study is to compare classical measures of CPS to measures following the multiple complex systems approach (MCS), a new approach towards CPS assessment, with regard to their validity. Based on a university student sample (N=339), we compared the Tailorshop, an established classical measure of CPS to three different MCS tests (MicroDYN, Genetics Lab, MicroFIN). Examining construct validity, MCS tests correlated significantly higher with each other than with the Tailorshop and this difference was not attributable exclusively to a higher share of reasoning within the MCS tests. Further, in predicting school grades, MCS tests were found to have incremental validity over the Tailorshop but not over reasoning and the Tailorshop combined. These findings provide further empirical support for the proposition of MCS tests as valid alternatives to classical measures for the assessment of CPS and add to the literature on the relation between CPS and intelligence.

What specific facets of executive function are associated with academic functioning in youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder?

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the relation between ratings of Executive Function (EF) and academic functioning in a sample of 94 middle-school-aged youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; Mage = 11.9; 78 % male; 21 % minority). This study builds on prior work by evaluating associations between multiple specific aspects of EF (e.g., working memory, inhibition, and planning and organization) as rated by both parents and teachers on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), with multiple academic outcomes, including school grades and homework problems. Further, this study examined the relationship between EF and academic outcomes above and beyond ADHD symptoms and controlled for a number of potentially important covariates, including intelligence and achievement scores. The EF Planning and Organization subscale as rated by both parents and teachers predicted school grades above and beyond symptoms of ADHD and relevant covariates. Parent ratings of youth's ability to transition effectively between tasks/situations (Shift subscale) also predicted school grades. Parent-rated symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and planning and organization abilities were significant in the final model predicting homework problems. In contrast, only symptoms of inattention and the Organization of Materials subscale from the BRIEF were significant in the teacher model predicting homework problems. Organization and planning abilities are highly important aspects academic functioning for middle-school-aged youth with ADHD. Implications of these findings for the measurement of EF, and organization and planning abilities in particular, are discussed along with potential implications for intervention.

Validity of the MicroDYN approach: Complex problem solving predicts school grades beyond working memory capacity

This study examines the validity of the complex problem solving (CPS) test MicroDYN by investigating a) the relation between its dimensions – rule identification (exploration strategy), rule knowledge (acquired knowledge), rule application (control performance) – and working memory capacity (WMC), and b) whether CPS predicts school grades in different domains beyond WMC. A sample of n=393 German high school students (age M=17.07, SD=1.12) completed the computer-based tests Memory Updating Numerical and the CPS scenario MicroDYN. Using structural equation modeling, WMC predicted rule knowledge and rule application, which remained substantially correlated after controlling for WMC. Rule knowledge predicted school grades in science and social studies beyond WMC, but not in language subjects. Explanations for the differential concurrent validity of CPS as well as prerequisites for valid CPS assessment are discussed.

Achievement goals and school achievement: The transition to different school tracks in secondary school

During the transition from elementary school to secondary school, in Germany, students are assigned to different school tracks, academic or non-academic, that differ markedly in compositional and institutional characteristics, e.g., the level of cognitive activation and performance standards are higher in academic tracks than in non-academic tracks. Currently, there is a lack of research examining the changes in achievement goals (mastery-approach, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance goals) and in the association between achievement goals and school achievement during the transition to these different school tracks. There were 1646 students who participated in a large-scale, three-wave longitudinal study from Grade 4 to Grade 6. While results revealed only slight differences between the two school tracks, the three types of achievement goals declined over time. In elementary school mastery-approach goals were positively and performance-approach goals negatively associated with school grades. After the transition to secondary school mastery-approach goals predicted school grades positively, whereas performance-approach goals negatively influenced achievement (academic track). Overall, the results indicate that between-school-tracking plays a minor role for the development of achievement goals and the relation between goals and achievement.

The psychometrics and validity of the junior temperament and character inventory in Portuguese adolescents

Personality traits related to persistence and self-regulation of long-term goals can predict academic performance as well or better than measures of intelligence. The 5-factor model has been suggested to outperform some other personality tests in predicting academic performance, but it has not been compared to Cloninger's psychobiological model for this purpose. The aims of this study were, first, to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI) in adolescents in Portugal, and second, to evaluate the comparative validity of age-appropriate versions of Cloninger's 7-factor psychobiological model, Costa and McCrae's five-factor NEO-Personality Inventory–Revised, and Cattell's 16-personality-factor inventory in predicting academic achievement. All dimensions of the Portuguese JTCI had moderate to strong internal consistency. The Cattell's sixteen-personality-factor and NEO inventories provided strong construct validity for the JTCI in students younger than 17 years and for the revised adult version (TCI-Revised) in those 17 years and older. High TCI Persistence predicted school grades regardless of age as much or more than intelligence. High TCI Harm Avoidance, high Self-Transcendence, and low TCI Novelty Seeking were additional predictors in students older than 17. The psychobiological model, as measured by the JTCI and TCI-Revised, performed as well or better than other measures of personality or intelligence in predicting academic achievement.

Self‐control as predictor of school grades, life balance, and flow in adolescents

Recently, several studies have shown that strength of self-control is a crucial factor in determining positive outcomes in individuals' lives. Most attention has been directed to the relationships that self-control has with learning and academic achievement. This article analyses the effects of self-control not only on school grades but also on the experience of life balance and flow. It is theorized that students with a higher level of self-control are better able to distribute their time in a satisfying way over academic and leisure matters, and are better able to shield their studying against distractions. A total of 697 eighth graders with a mean age of 13.4 years participated in the longitudinal study. Students completed a questionnaire containing measures of self-control, school grades, subjective life balance, and flow while studying at the beginning and at the end of the school year. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the relationships between the constructs. Results of cross-lagged analyses show that self-control predicted school grades, life balance, and flow. The findings suggest that self-control may assist adolescents to be better prepared, not only for school, but also for coordinating their investments in different areas of their lives.

Personality traits as a predictor of academic achievement in adolescents

The study examined the predictive value of adolescents’ personality trait ratings by different groups of informants in explaining academic achievement [grade point average (GPA)] while controlling for students’ sex and their mothers’ education. The Inventory of Child/Adolescent Individual Differences was employed as a measure of students’ personality traits at the end of elementary schooling (mean age = 14.7 years) and two years later when the participants attended secondary schools. The trait ratings were obtained through self‐, maternal and peer reports at both measurement occasions. They explained substantial portions of unique variance in the students’ GPA concurrently, and over time. Ratings by each of the three groups of informants had an incremental validity over one another in predicting school grades. Among personality variables, conscientiousness and low extraversion were consistently predictive of GPA.

DEVELOPMENT OF A STUDENT HEALTH ASSESSMENT SYSTEM: HEALTH KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND BEHAVIORS IN MIDDLE‐SCHOOL STUDENTS

ABSTRACTNewly developed assessments of nutrition and exercise knowledge, attitudes, and behavior were administered to 383 eighth‐graders. Evidence for the validity of assessment scores was evaluated with five findings. First, parent‐ and self‐reported behaviors were similar and congruent for healthy eating and exercising but not for sedentary behaviors or unhealthy eating. Second, the theory of planned behavior structural model was confirmed for exercise and nutrition attitudes: Attitudes predicted exercising (R2=.34), healthy eating (R2=.21), sedentary behaviors (R2=.11), and unhealthy eating (R2=.09). Third, gender differences replicated previous research: Girls have better diets and nutrition attitudes whereas boys exercise more frequently. The assessments distinguished normal‐weight from obese individuals, and showed incremental validity in predicting school grades. The paper concludes with a discussion of the assessments' potential for informing interventions.

A Longitudinal Investigation of Personality and Social Adjustment Among Chinese American and European American Adolescents

A 2-wave longitudinal study of personality in adolescence was conducted with data obtained at ages 12 and 17 years from approximately 60 European American and 60 second-generation Chinese American youth. At Time 1 they completed the Children's Personality Questionnaire and at Time 2 they completed the High School Personality Questionnaire and self-report measures of high school grades, depression, and self-esteem. Chinese American and European American adolescents became more similar to each other over time through developmental and acculturative processes. Adolescents of both ethnicities increased in Extraversion and Independence. Despite this general trend, the Chinese American youth continued to report lower levels of Extraversion than European American youth. Extraversion and Anxiety predicted school grades for European Americans and psychological adjustment for Chinese Americans.

Personality and school performance: Incremental validity of self- and peer-ratings over intelligence

This paper examines the relationship of self and other-assessed personality with school grades in 255 (88 male) Croatian pupils. Conscientiousness was the strongest personality correlate of school grades for both self and peer-ratings. Grades were also negatively correlated with self-assessed Extraversion and Emotional Stability, and positively correlated with peer-ratings of Autonomy. When cognitive ability was partialled out correlations between personality and school grades showed little change, indicating that the effects of personality on academic performance were independent of intelligence. Hierarchical regressions indicated that personality accounted for unique variance in school grades: 18% by self- and 25% by peer-ratings. Self-ratings had only marginal incremental validity over peer-ratings in predicting school grades (3%), while incremental validity of peer- over self-ratings was larger (9%).

Incremental Validity of ECAT Battery Factors

The Enhanced Computer-Administered Test (ECAT) project was a Joint-Services effort to estimate the potential increase in validity that could be obtained by adding new computerized tests to the current Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). More than 10,000 recruits were tested with 9 experimental computerized tests of working memory, spatial ability, and psychomotor ability. Data on the examinees’ subsequent performance at 3 Army, 2 Air Force, and 13 Navy technical schools were collected. The data measured laboratory, shop, training simulator, and other tests of hands-on performance as well as school grades. The corrected multiple correlation of 4 ASVAB factors with each criterion was compared with the multiple correlation from 3 ECAT factors added to the predictor set. Results showed very large increases in validity (exceeding .10) for prediction of Air Force and Navy Air Traffic Control performance using working memory and spatial tests and even larger increases for the Army’s 11H Heavy Antiarmor Weapons Crewman time-on-target averages using psychomotor and spatial tests. Some other schools, where ASVAB’s validity was already high, did not show higher validity when ECAT battery factors were added. Averaged over all schools, validity for predicting school grades increased 1.9%, and validity for predicting hands-on performance increased 6.6%.

A Study of the Validity of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire in Predicting High School Academic Achievement

THE part that personality plays in predicting academic achievement is a major concern in the study of adolescents. Overall high school achievement and achievement in science and mathematics are of particular interest. Cattell and Eber (1964) reported an equation for predicting school grades based on certain personality factors and Butcher and Gorsuch (IPAT, 1962) reported an equation to predict school achievement, based on the High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ). These equations do not contain cognitive variables. Crawford and Moyel (1963) studied the incremental validity of a personality battery added to cognitive variables. They found significant increments in predicting quantitative thinking and interpreting literary materials, but not in predicting three other achievement variables. They concluded that even when significant, the additional contributions of the personality variables were negligible. The major purpose of the present study was to examine the incremental validity of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16-PF) when added to certain cognitive variables in predicting high school achievement. Another purpose was to construct a set 1 The researchers are grateful for the cooperation and assistance of the principal, faculty and students of Gainesville High School and Mr. Otis M. Ellen