Predictor Of School Achievement Research Articles

Do temperament trajectories from late childhood through adolescence predict success in school? Findings from a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin youth.

School achievement has long-term consequences for occupational success, mental health, and overall psychological adjustment. The present study examined the association between temperament trajectories from late childhood through adolescence and academic outcomes during late adolescence and young adulthood. Data come from the California Families Project, a longitudinal study of 674 Mexican-origin youth assessed 12 times from Age 10 to 23, and from school records. Results from latent growth curve models indicate that higher levels of Effortful Control (EC) at Age 10 were associated with better academic achievement (i.e., higher high school grade point average and test scores, greater likelihood of high school graduation and college attendance) in late adolescence and young adulthood. Higher levels of Negative Emotionality (NEM) at Age 10 were associated with worse academic achievement, but this effect did not hold for all facets of NEM. Neither the levels nor slopes of Positive Emotionality (Surgency, Affiliation) consistently predicted school achievement. There were no main effects of the EC or NEM slopes; however, statistically significant interactions between these slopes and parental monitoring emerged. When parental monitoring was low, youth who experienced greater increases in EC (vs. flat or decreasing slopes) had better academic achievement, and youth who experienced greater increases in NEM had worse academic achievement; in contrast, when parents closely monitored their children, changes in EC and NEM were only weakly associated with achievement. Overall, these findings demonstrate that temperament in late childhood, and changes in temperament across adolescence, have important prospective effects on academic achievement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

O.6.1-9 Motor coordination as a strategy to increase school achievement in schoolchildren

Abstract Purpose Our purpose was to identify the role of demographic, attention level, motor coordination, and physical activity to predict school achievement in Brazilian schoolchildren. Methods This is a cross-sectional study, composed of 106 Brazilian schoolchildren of both sexes (56 boys), aged between 7-12 years. Sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, socioeconomic status - SES), motor coordination (KTK test), physical activity (WEB CAAF questionnaire), attention level, and school performance (measured by school performance test and categorized based on the median in “insufficient” or “good”) were obtained. A hierarchical logistic regression analysis was estimated to verify factors associated with academic achievement (“insufficient achievement” and “good achievement”), through three models increased in complexity (model 1: age, sex, SES; Model 2: Model 1 + attention variables; Model 3: Model 2 + motor coordination and physical activity). Effect size estimates were computed using R2. The SPSS software was used, with a confidence interval fixed at 95%. The research was approved by the research ethics committee of the Federal University of Sergipe – Brazil (n° 5.155.350). Results About 51% of the children presented insufficient school achievement. Based on the three logistic regression models, the variables associated with school achievement included age (OR = 2.32; 95%IC = 1.23 – 4.37), and attention level (OR = 1.07; 95%IC = 1.01 – 1.14). Results from the logistic regression showed that the model which better explained school achievement variance was the model 3, where all the variables were included (R2=66%). Higher motor coordination increased the odds to present good school achievement (OR = 10.42, 95%IC = 1.04 – 104.46), but no significant association was shown for physical activity. Conclusions Interventions to improve school achievement among Brazilian schoolchildren should consider the use of motor coordination, including activities that require focus, especially in young children.

A sequential model of the contribution of preschool fluid and crystallized cognitive abilities to later school achievement.

The present study documented in two distinct population-based samples the contribution of preschool fluid and crystallized cognitive abilities to school achievement in primary school and examined the mediating role of crystallized abilities in this sequence of predictive associations. In both samples, participants were assessed on the same cognitive abilities at 63 months (sample 1, n = 1072), and at 41 and 73 months (sample 2, n = 1583), and then with respect to their school achievement from grade 1 (7 years) to grade 6 (12 years). Preschool crystallized abilities were found to play a key role in predicting school achievement. They contributed substantially to school achievement in the early school years, but more modestly in the later years, due to the strong auto-regression of school achievement. They also mediated the association between fluid abilities and later school achievement in the early grades of school, with the former having modest direct contribution to the latter in the later grades. These findings are discussed regarding their implication for preventive interventions.

Wiek rodziców a szkolne funkcjonowanie uczniów klasy szóstej

The article presents the results of empirical analyses of the relationship between the age of parents and the school functioning of their children from 6th grade of primary school. Previous research does not provide a clear picture of this relationship. In the case of older parents, the results more often indicate a positive prediction of school achievement, while the young age of parents rather increases the risk of problems. The analyses used the data from a large nationwide sample of sixth-grade students. Measures of cognitive functioning included Raven’s Progressive Matrices Test, standardised school achievement tests, and school grades. Social functioning was described by sociometric measures from the Student Integration Questionnaire. To minimise the risk of inaccurate causal interpretation, a rich set of control variables was included in the analyses, including measures of family SES. A MANOVA model with covariates was applied. Standard errors were calculated using the bootstrap method with data grouping (schools) included. The results did not support the hypothesis that older parental age promotes higher school achievement. It can also be stated with high confidence that young parental age is not a significant risk factor for a child’s intellectual functioning in school. The second hypothesis, that young parental age is a risk factor for a child’s social functioning at school, was not confirmed. In contrast, a slightly higher risk of peer rejection was found for students of older parents. Careful statistical control of the variables and a representative large sample allows us to have high confidence in the results obtained. The results support strong recommendation for teachers and educators: either young or advanced age of a student’s parents cannot be treated as a significant educational risk factor.

The Effect of Media Literacy and Cognitive Ability on Recognition Laptop-Based Media for Children

Education has long been the target of utopian interventions, and with technological interventions, offering to change drastically or even eliminates classroom-based learning, traditional education research needs to focus on introducing technology tools at an early age through media literacy. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of media literacy and cognitive abilities on the introduction of laptop-based media. This study used a quasi-experimental design involving 46 children. Data collection techniques through tests and data collection tools using statement sheets, which were processed using t-test. The results showed that the experimental class using the original laptop media had a high average value of 86.66 compared to the control class using the imitation laptop media which had a value of 81.66. There is a significant effect of media literacy and cognitive ability on the introduction of laptop-based media in children. On the introduction of laptop-based media in children, media literacy and cognitive capacities can have a big impact. The comparison of the average value of the control and experimental classes demonstrates this. When children are introduced to media via a genuine laptop, they become more excited and engaged in the experimental lesson.
 Keywords: media literacy, cognitive ability, laptop-based learning media

Relationship between Socio-Economic Status, Interpersonal Communication, and School Climate with Parental Involvement in Early Childhood Education

Relationship between Socio-Economic Status, Interpersonal Communication, and School Climate with Parental Involvement in Early Childhood Education

Cognition and cognizance in preschool predict school achievement in primary school

This study explored how attention control, working memory, reasoning, and awareness of cognitive processes from 4 to 6 years of age predict school performance four years later, in primary school. Both general cognitive ability and developmental momentum to change from first to second testing predicted school performance highly (42% of variance). Of the various processes in preschool, attention control, working memory, and change in the awareness of the origins of knowledge (perceptual/inferential awareness and ToM), but not reasoning, were strong predictors of academic performance in primary school. The results, in combination with other similar studies focusing on older age periods, support a developmental priority model postulating that cognitive predictors of school achievement vary with development, according to the dominant cognitive processes attained in each developmental phase.

Using electronic technology in the dynamic testing of young primary school children: predicting school achievement

This study aimed to combine the use of electronic technology and dynamic testing to overcome the limitations of conventional static testing, and adapt more closely to children’s individual needs. We investigated the effects of a newly developed computerized series completion test using a dynamic testing approach and its relation to school achievement. The study utilized a pre-test-training post-test control-group design in which 164 children from grade 2 participated. To evaluate the additional effects of dynamic testing beyond the effects of (repeated) static testing of inductive reasoning on a tablet, half of the children were trained using a graduated prompts method, while the other half of the children only practiced solving the series completion task-items. The results showed that training with graduated prompts is effective in increasing the likelihood that children can solve series completion problems accurately. Furthermore, the number of prompts children needed during training, significantly predicted the performances of children on mathematics and technical reading tests. Teacher’s judgments regarding their pupils’ overall school performance and potential for learning, however, did not correlate significantly with the dynamic post-test score of the series completion test, which seemed to indicate that dynamic testing provides teachers with new information about the learning progress of individuals.

The role of self-control, self-efficacy, metacognition, and motivation in predicting school achievement

Self-control and self-regulated learning refer to those processes and strategies whereby individuals exert agency in facing educational demands. This study tested a structural model which predicts that self-control has direct effect on school achievement, as well as mediated by metacognitive self-regulation, academic self-efficacy, and regulatory motivational styles as the variables related to self-regulated learning. The research was carried out on a stratified random sample of 575 eighth grade students. It was shown that the effect of self-control on achievement is mediated by self-efficacy. In other words, students who have heightened selfcontrol and believe in their own ability to meet school demands will be successful in school regardless of the complexity of their learning or whether they are autonomously motivated. The implications of such a finding were considered, as well as the limitations of the research and the indications for future research.

The relative importance of intelligence and motivation as predictors of school achievement: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis summarizes 74 studies (N = 80,145) that simultaneously examined the predictive power of intelligence and motivation for school achievement. First, we found average correlations between intelligence (r = 0.44) and motivation (r = 0.27) with school achievement and between intelligence and motivation (r = 0.17). Moderator analyses showed that the correlation between motivation and school achievement was higher for expectancies than for values. No moderator effects were found for grade level, school form or gender. Second, in a path model, 24% of variance in school achievement was explained overall. From this overall explained variance in school achievement, 66.6% was uniquely explained by intelligence and 16.6% uniquely by motivation, whereas the two predictors commonly explained 16.6%. Thus, the results show that both intelligence and motivation contribute substantial, unique shares to the prediction of school achievement as well as an additional share of commonly explained variance.

Predicting school achievement: Differential effects of dynamic testing measures and cognitive flexibility for math performance

Dynamic testing aims to assess potential for learning by measuring performance improvement as a response to training while testing. Dynamic test outcomes have been argued to be related to children's present and future achievements at school. The current study aimed to investigate whether dynamic measures of inductive reasoning would provide additional predictive value of math achievement while taking into account static inductive reasoning performance. In addition, as cognitive flexibility, one of the core executive functions, has been argued to be significantly involved in children's math performance, it was explored whether dynamic test outcomes would hold unique predictive value for math achievement while taking into account cognitive flexibility. Participants were 152 six- and seven-year-old children who were administered either a dynamic test of series completion comprising a pre-test–training–post-test format or a static series completion test consisting of a pre-and post-test, in combination with a test of cognitive flexibility. Children in the experimental, dynamic test condition were trained in series completion, while the children in the control condition only practiced series completion. The dynamic measures of inductive reasoning and cognitive flexibility were each found to provide additional predictive value to static pre-test performance and to hold unique predictive value for math achievement. The results underline the importance of both dynamic testing and cognitive flexibility in educational assessment and suggest that the assessment of cognitive flexibility should be an integral part of dynamic testing.

Mastery motivation, parenting, and school achievement among Hungarian adolescents

Children’s motivation to master challenging tasks is an important predictor of school success, and yet, such motivation declines during adolescence. It is therefore important to identify ways to intervene to reduce this decline. One malleable factor that is associated with motivation is parenting. The present study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to predict Hungarian seventh graders’ (n = 296) school grades from both youths’ and mothers’ perceptions of parenting (care/warmth, support of youths’ volitional functioning, and support of youths’ independence) and mothers’ and youths’ perceptions of the youths’ mastery motivation. Youth-rated parental care/warmth predicted youth ratings of their motivation, and mother-rated parental care/warmth predicted maternal ratings of their youth’s motivation (both of which predicted youth achievement). In addition, youth-rated parental independence encouragement predicted mother-rated motivation and both directly and indirectly predicted school achievement. In contrast, maternally rated volitional support predicted both youth-rated and maternally rated motivation, which, in turn, both predicted higher achievement. Results suggested that it is important to go beyond youth report in assessing parenting and motivation, in that results differed depending on rater. Nevertheless, despite some rater differences, findings highlighted the importance of parental care/warmth and volitional support in mastery motivation, and of mastery motivation in achievement.

Book Review Article: Latest Research in Behavioral Genetics, and What It Means for Us All

Robert Plomin’s Blueprint is a concise monograph whose purpose is to inform the lay reader about the latest discoveries of behavioral genetics. It contains two parts. The first gives an up-to-date picture of the findings obtained through the traditional methods of behavioral genetics, such as adoption studies and twin studies. These include the finding that heritability increases with age for many traits, and the discovery that even measures that were previously thought to be purely environmental (e.g. divorce or television watching) are actually under the influence of genetic factors. The second part of Blueprint relates to the “DNA revolution” of the latest years, which made it possible to predict school achievement or psychological disorders on the sole basis of DNA, even for newborns. Blueprint is a very accessible, enjoyable, and sometimes mind-blowing book, which I hope will encourage many readers to debate these crucial issues.

Predicting school achievement from early theory of mind: Differential effects on achievement tests and teacher ratings

This study investigates long term consequences of early theory-of-mind abilities on different measures of school achievement. A group of 86 children (50% girls) completed theory-of-mind tasks and standardized tests on working memory, language, and nonverbal abilities at the age of 4years. In Grade 1 and Grade 2, they were presented with a test on reading and two tests on mathematical competencies (arithmetic skills and numeracy). Moreover, teachers rated children's competencies with regard to literacy, mathematics, attention, and social-emotional aspects. The results showed that with the exception of numeracy there were no or only weak predictive relations between theory-of-mind understanding in preschool and performance on achievement tests in school after controlling for socioeconomic status, gender, nonverbal abilities, working memory, and language abilities. However, in first grade, theory of mind turned out to be a significant predictor of teachers' ratings of children's reading and mathematical competencies even if the other child variables were controlled for.

Predicting Complex Problem Solving and school grades with working memory and ability self-concept

In addition to established criteria such as school grades, recent educational research has emphasized the role of students' Complex Problem Solving (CPS) ability as a criterion for success in the school context and future success. The present study examined cognitive and motivational predictors of both CPS and school grades. We investigated a sample of 393 German students (235 female) in Grades 10 to 13 from the highest academic track. CPS and grade point average were applied as achievement criteria. Working memory capacity (WMC) and domain-specific ability self-concept served as predictors. In a structural equation model, CPS was equally well-explained by WMC and ability self-concept, whereas school grades were best predicted by ability self-concept. Results illustrate that the prediction of CPS with cognitive and motivational predictors differs from that of school grades as another indicator of academic achievement. We discuss the role of different achievement indicators in predicting school achievement.

The development of PISA reading competence in secondary education

The aim of the paper is to provide a contribution to answering the question about the most important predictors of progress in reading competence achieved by students after two years of secondary education, as well as whether the set of predictors of progress is different from the set of predictors of achievement in reading literacy test and school achievement measured via school grades. The students from the sample for the PISA 2009 study conducted in Serbia were tested again after two years by the PISA reading literacy test, quasi longitudinally, measuring achievement correlates at another time point. The realised sample included 20 secondary schools and 446 students. We selected fourteen predictors that, according to the studies so far, proved to have highest correlations with school achievement. The results have shown that the predictors explain only 13% of variance of the progress in reading literacy test (R=.36; R2=.13; F =12.97; p<.05) although they explain 49% of variance of achievement at it (R=.70; R2 197,18 =.49; F257,18 =12.97; p<.001). This opens up the issue of the importance of early learning for progress in reading competence. In both the first and the second analysis, the strongest predictor was the autonomous form of extrinsic motivation which, according to the self-determination theory, speaks about the importance of learning for future life and career. A somewhat different set of used predictors predicted school achievement measured via school grades. Using metacognitive strategies is not an important predictor of school achievement while it is the predictor of achievement in the reading literacy test. Together with the findings pointing towards the lower than expected correlation between achievement in reading literacy and school achievement (r=.39; p<0.001) and generally low progress of Serbia at this test compared to the estimated progress of the OECD countries, these results give grounds for the conclusion that our educational system does not promote sufficiently the development of reading competence.

Friendship Quality and School Achievement: A Longitudinal Analysis During Primary School

This study examined the longitudinal relationship between friendship quality (positive and negative) and school achievement among 228 school-age children (51% girls, M = 8.09, SD = 0.41). A three-wave cross-lagged analysis was used to determine the direction of influence between these domains across school years. Findings revealed that: (a) school achievement in second grade decreased negative friendship quality in third grade; (b) school achievement in second grade predicted positive friendship quality in third grade; (c) positive friendship quality in third grade predicted school achievement in fourth grade. The protective role of school achievement against peer relationship impairment and the reciprocal relationship between positive friendship quality and school achievement were underlined. Implications for educational practices for Italian primary schools are discussed.

The Relation between Nutritional Habits and Social Factors on School Performance of Students of Elementary Schools in Fayoum

Background: Malnutrition among children in developing countries continues to impair health and development. School feeding is supposed to eliminate hunger of school age children improving their health, education and future productivity as adults. Objective: to assess the effect of breakfast and school feeding program (SFP) on the academic performance of primary school children in Fayoum governorate. Methods: The intervention group consisted of 576 pupils in the 5th grade chosen randomly from schools have taken school meal for five years. The control group was 233 age and sex-matched pupils chosen randomly from schools have never taken school meal. The snack consists of a pie fortified with minerals and vitamins. Assessment of nutritional status, socio-demographic variables and dietary behaviour was performed. Grades of pupils were taken. Results: Children, who have got school meal for five years, 81.8% and 88.7% of them passed in school and math respectively, for girls the effect was higher. Other nutritional factors have less positive effect. Social factors have less effect on both school achievement and math. Multiple regression analysis presents school meal as the main predictor of school achievement and math grades, while sex and family income are the only socioeconomic variables predictors of school achievement and math grades. Conclusion: School snack has the opportunity to alleviate short-term hunger during the school day. Providing students with important micronutrients especially iron, regularly through daily intake of school snacks, results in improvement in school grades. School meal should be one of multiple interventions designed to improve the environment in which poor children live and learn.

Emotions in the classroom: the role of teachers' emotional intelligence ability in predicting students' achievement.

School days can be a difficult time, especially when students are faced with subjects that require motivational investment along with cognitive effort, such as mathematics and sciences. In the present study, we investigated the effects of teachers' emotional intelligence (El) ability, self-efficacy, and emotional states and students' self-esteem, perceptions of ability, and metacognitive beliefs in predicting school achievement. We hypothesized that the level of teacher EI ability would moderate the impact of students' self-perceptions and beliefs about their achievements in mathematics and sciences. Students from Italian junior high schools (N = 338) and their math teachers (N = 12) were involved in the study, and a multilevel approach was used. Findings showed that teachers' EI has a positive role in promoting students' achievement, by enhancing the effects of students' self-perceptions of ability and self-esteem.These results have implications for the implementation of intervention programs on the emotional, motivational, and metacognitive correlates of studying and learning behavior.

The role of parental control in predicting school achievement independent of intelligence

Intelligence explains some variance in children's school achievement, but not all. Parental intrusive control behavior on children generally negatively correlates with children's school achievement, yet nothing has been done to examine the validity of this relation independent of intelligence and parental education. Child report has mainly been used as the parental control indicator, and parental report has rarely been explored. This study assessed the validity of the associations between two parental control indicators and children's school achievement independent of intelligence and parental education. In a sample of 310 German elementary school children, we found a correlation of .67 between parents' and children's perceptions of parents' control behavior. Independent of measured intelligence and parental education, parent-perceived control behavior was significantly associated adversely with school achievement. Child-perceived control did not predict school achievement when parent-perceived control was included in the model. Reasons for this pattern were discussed.