Semester Grade Point Average Research Articles

Problem-solving appraisal, self-reported study habits, and performance of academically at-risk college students.

We examined the relations among problem-solving appraisal, self-reported study habits, and academic performance for 63 college students enrolled in a developmental course for academically unprepared students. The participants completed measures of self-appraise d problem-solving ability and study habits. Indexes of academic ability and performance were also collected. Regression analyses revealed that problem-solving appraisal was significantly predictive of study habits and semester grade-point average. The results indicate that problem-solving appraisal is related to study habits and academic performance among academically at-risk students, and they suggest that problem-solving appraisal encompasses more than social skill. The study of personal problem-solving ability and adjustment has accelerated considerably since Heppner's (1978) seminal review. Before that article the study of problemsolving skills was largely removed from real-life applications in general and counseling in particular. With the development of a valid and reliable measure of self-appraise d problemsolving ability, the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI; Heppner & Peterson, 1982; Heppner, 1988), an impressive literature has examined the relation between personal problem solving and adaptive behavior. This work has been guided by a theoretical conception of problem solving as a metacognitive variable (Butler & Meichenbaum, 1981) that serves a crucial function in the way a person perceives and experiences different aspects of the problem-solving process. Self-appraised problem solving, then, does not connote actual problemsolving skills but rather the individual perception of personal problem-solving ability, approach-avoidance style when one anticipates a problematic situation, and perceived control over personal abilities and subjective experience (Heppner, 1978, 1988). Research with the PSI has been predominately descriptive. Studies have found that research participants who appraise their problem-solving ability to be effective are less depressed and distressed than ineffective problem-solvers under general conditions (Heppner & Anderson, 1985; Heppner, Baumgardner, & Jackson, 1985; Heppner, Hibel, Neal, Weinstein, & Rabinowitz, 1982; Heppner, Kampa, & Brunning, 1987; Nezu, 1985, 1986a) or under stressful ones (Nezu, 1986b; Nezu, Nezu, Saraydarian, Kalmar, & Ronan, 1986). Other Appreciation is extended to Al Farrell for his consultation with regard to the statistical procedures used in this study. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to

The New Non-Traditional Student in Nursing

Because different types of new, non-registered nurse students seek baccalaureate nursing education, this study was conducted comparing traditional undergraduate generic students with a group of non-traditional students to dispel myths and to develop policies and educational strategies. Traditional and non-traditional students were differentiated by age, sex, marital status, and experience in higher education. Traditional and non-traditional undergraduate students were compared on demographic variables, educational goals, sources of psychological and financial support, study habits, learning style, and clinical judgment skills. Non-traditional students were found to be an excellent risk for admission, having higher semester grade point averages and being more skilled in making professional judgments. Learning style differentiated traditional and non-traditional students, however, teaching methods were similar. Suggestions for educational planning and policies are made. Let the curriculum of the institution recognize that both educational content and process must be relevant to individual differences and that the curriculum is basically what different individuals do to learn what they need to learn, to fulfill the purposes that brought them to the college (Chickering, 1974).

A comparison of white and black student academic success using noncognitive variables: A LISREL analysis

The structural relation of the seven noncognitive dimensions proposed by Sedlacek and Brooks in 1976 and traditional definitions of academic ability, as indicated by Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, to first semester grade-point average (GPA) and persistence after three and five semesters was examined in this study. Random samples of entrants at one predominantly white state university were administered the Non-cognitive Questionnaire (NCQ) during summer orientation in 1979 and 1980. The NCQ results and the SAT scores were used to derive structural models (using LISREL) or early academic success for both black and white students. The structural models for the black and white students were found to be very different. For black students, traditional academic ability was related to first semester GPA, but neither GPA nor academic ability was related to persistence. Only the noncognitive dimensions were predictive of black student persistence. For white students, academic ability was the best predictor of first semester grades, and these grades were the major predictor of subsequent persistence. The noncognitive dimensions were not important in white student academic success, whereas they were crucial in black student academic success.

Anxiety Level as an Indicator of Academic Performance During First Semester of Graduate Work

This article presents the results of an empirically based research study that examines the use of the trait and state anxiety level of first semester graduate students as a potential indicator of academic performance (N = 63 males and females. The findings reveal that the higher the student's Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score, the greater his chances of achieving a higher grade point average (GPA) at the end of his first semester of graduate work. Moreover, the lower his A-Trait anxiety score at the time of admission, the greater his likelihood of earning a higher first semester GPA.

The Comparative Validity of the California State University and Colleges English Placement Test (CSUC-EPT) in the Prediction of Fall Semester Grade Point Average and English Course Grades of First-Semester Entering Freshmen

The California State University and Colleges English Placement Test (CSUC-EPT) was designed to provide information about the performance levels in both reading and writing skills of newly admitted students (mostly freshmen) to any one of the campuses of the California State University and Colleges system (beginning with the Fall 1977 semester or quarter) (Educational Testing Service, 1977a, b). For a total sample of several hundred entering freshmen at one campus who had completed the CSUC-EPT and who had elected to take the general English Composition course (English 155) during the first semester as well as for nearly equal size subsamples of males and females, the major purpose of the investigation was to determine the comparative validity of the CSUC-EPT and of other measures in the prediction of each of two specific criterion variables—1977 Fall Semester Grade Point Average (GPA) and English 155 Grades. For the total sample as well as for subsamples of females and males, intercorrelations among 11 predictor variables and the two identified criterion measures were found, and several multiple regression analyses were carried out to ascertain which particular combinations of predictor variables were the most valid indicators of success on each criterion measure. The evidence provided by the findings led to these conclusions: (1) high school GPA is the most valid predictor of college GPA for males and females; (2) the CSUC-EPT offers slightly greater promise than does high school GPA in predicting grades in a basic English composition course; (3) future success of females in this course can be forecast with a higher degree of validity than can that of males; and (4) among several possible composites of predictor variables an optimally weighted combination of high school GPA and performance level on the CSUC-EPT typically provides the most accurate prediction of success on either criterion measure.

Internal-External Control and Black College Students' Attributions of Causality for Own and Others' Performance

Forty-three black college students, classified as internal of external on Rotter's I-E Scale, were presented hypothetical situations in which their and a black male's semester grade point average was an A. Thereafter subjects made attributions of causality for their own and others' performance. Internal attributions (ability or effort) for own and others' school performance were more frequently made by subjects who were external on the ideological dimension of control (belief in the general role that society plays in controlling outcomes) and internal on the personal dimension of control (belief in own competence in controlling outcomes). Conversely a greater proportion of external attributions (luck or difficulty of task) for own and others' school performance were made by subjects who were internal on the ideological dimension but external on the personal level of control. Internality on both levels of control yielded more internal attributions. Externality on both dimensions of control resulted in more external attributions.

Effectiveness of Exposure to Study Techniques on College Students’ Perceptions

AbstractEighty students who were given study technique guides, took quizzes, and participated in class discussions were matched with 80 students who were not exposed to these aids and activities. Subjects were matched on sex, college status, race, and mental ability and reading test scores. Each group responded to the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes three times during the semester. Trend analytical results showed significant (a) difference on Teacher Approval scale, with the experimental group scoring higher, (b) differences on five scales over trials reflecting upward shifts, and (c) differences on five scales on interactions displaying reverse patterns of perceptions on study habits by the two groups. Analysis of the semester grade-point averages showed no significant differences between the groups.

The Test of Standard Written English: Another Look

English 1 grades, Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, and fall semester grade point averages for 149 students were analyzed to determine relationships among these variables, with particular attention to the experimental Test of Standard Written English now being reported by the College Entrance Examination Board. SAT verbal and verbal subscores of reading and vocabulary were found to have a stronger relationship to English 1 course grades than was true for the TSWE. The meaning and utility of the TSWE remains unclear for this sample.

Accuracy and Differences among Students in Their Predictions of Semester Achievement

AbstractThis study investigated (a) the relationships between college students' semester grade-point averages (SGPA) and their mental ability, reading skills, and three self-predictions of grades, (b) the best predictor of SGPA, (c) the differences between sexes, college status, and mental ability, reading and achievement groups in prediction of grades and changes in predictions, and (d) the relationship of the third prediction with SGPA. For the 151 subjects, most variables studied were significantly related to SGPA. The third prediction was the best predictor of SGPA. Significant differences were found (a) among mental ability, reading and achievement subgroups, (b) over the three predictions and (c) in interaction effects for sexes, college status and achievement subgroups. The third prediction and SGPA were significantly related for all subgroups except for low achievers.

Further Cross-Validation Analysis of the Bayesian m-Group Regression Method

Novick, Jackson, Thayer, and Cole (1972) conducted a cross-validation study of the Bayesian m-group regression method developed by Jackson, Novick, and Thayer (1971) based on a theory described in Lindley and Smith (1972). The context of this cross validation was the use of ACT Assessment Scores to predict first semester grade point averages in traditional junior colleges. Within-group least squares regression lines were calculated in each of 22 carefully selected, academically oriented junior colleges using 1968 data and these lines were used for prediction on 1969 data. The principal focus of accuracy of prediction was on the average over colleges of the mean-squared errors when the predictions for persons were compared with their actual attained grade point averages. The primary conclusions of the study were based on a 25% within-college sample. The sample sizes ranged from 26 to 184. The average, over the 22 colleges, of the mean-squared errors for the within-college regression was .62. This represents the average result to be expected if each college did its own work using only information from that college. There has always been the thought that some improvement on withincollege least squares could be attained by some central prediction system. However, we are unaware of a single example in the literature where a large scale cross-validation study has substantially supported this contention. In the instances we know of, cross validation has either not been done, has not been done successfully, or has not been done on a sufficient scale to clearly establish the general validity of the system used. We assume that there have

Prediction of Grade Point Averages Using Cognitive and Noncognitive Predictor Variables

This study investigated the usefulness of a number of noncognitive variables in improving the prediction of students' first semester, second semester, and first-year grade point averages. Freshman nursing students entering five associate degree nursing schools between 1964 and 1967 ( N = 495) were used as the validation sample. The cross-validation sample included the 1968 ( N = 170) entrants. When added to a battery of established cognitive predictors, several noncognitive variables added a unique and significant increment to the prediction of grade point averages in associate degree nursing programs. These variables were: age in months of the student, year of entry into nursing school, level of previous education of the student, and the particular school attended. These results encourage future studies in search of new noncognitive variables to improve prediction. Measures of a student's past health and practical experience might be worthy of future study.

Socioeconomic Status as Related to Aptitude, Attrition, and Achievement of College Students

Black college students from three socioeconomic levels were compared on the following variables: SAT scores (verbal and math); attrition two years after matriculation; grade point average (GPA) at the end of the first college semester and after two years; correlation (r) between SA T-V and first semester GPA within each socioeconomic group. The expectation of a positive relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and SA T scores was only partially confirmed. SAT-V predicted GPA for lower SES -students as well as for higher SES students. Attrition and SES were inversely related. Surprisingly, it was the middle SES group which consistently performed most poorly on GPA.

The Effect of Selected Demographic Factors on Prediction of GPA by Male Freshman Students

AbstractStudent ability to predict first semester grade-point averages (GPA’s) was examined in a study of 1,025 male college freshmen in the fall of 1968 at The University of Texas, El Paso. A questionnaire was designed to yield socioeconomic data, ethnic information, information on educational background, and choice of college major. Data were subjected to a factorial analysis of variance and all hypotheses were tested for significance at the .05 level. The results of this analysis indicate that three main effects and two interaction effects were significant. More specifically, it can be seen that choice of college major, socioeconomic level, and the factor of average high school grade were found to have a significant effect upon prediction of GPA by male freshman students. The interaction effect of the factors of ethnic background and average high school grade were significant in the prediction of GPA by the Ss. A final interaction which had a significant effect on predicted GPA was that of the four mai...

Predicting College Academic Achievement from TAV Selection System on Fifty Male Elementary Teacher Trainees

The problem was to determine the multiple relationship of theoretical scores obtained from a new non-ability selection system to Spring semester grade-point average. Empirical item analytical procedures were not used but theoretical scoring keys were developed as a modification of Horney's theory of personal make-up reflecting movement Toward, Away, and Versus people.Fifty male elementary teacher trainees comprised the sample.A multiple R of .41 (5% level) was obtained with three theoretical test-scoring dimensions contributing to the total variance.The study demonstrated the feasibility of developing a new test battery of relatively high reliability (.79-.94), using a priori keys based on a modified theory of personal make-up and effecting a significant multiple prediction of an academic achievement criterion.

What is the Progress of College Freshmen after Acquiring Probationary Status

WHEN THE COLLEGE records of the University of Portland were studied for four freshman classes of 1952, 1953, 1954, and 1955, and repres e n t i n g the graduating classes of 1956, 1957, 1958, and 1959, it was discovered that 28. 7 percent of the tot a 1 freshmen enrolled in these four years, or 3 2 3 out of 1125 students, were on probation after their first semester of college work for failure to obtain a semester grade-point average of at least a 2. 00.1 This percentage is comparable to percentage fig ures found by Boughter, Warner and Holtz^who dis covered that the percentage of students on probation in different colleges ranged from less than 1 per cent to 37 percent of freshman classes. A review of students entering the University shows aptitude ranging from extremely bright to rel atively slow. Since the introduction of the place ment testing program in 1957, the aptitude is ap proximately that of the national average as indica ted by College Entrance Examination Board test scores with a mean of 465. All students are now re quired to take these tests as a condition for admis sion. The aim of this investigation was to make a fol low-up study of the probationers of four fres h m a n classes to determine and analyze what happened to this group after graduation. The probationary po 1 icy of the University of Portland was evaluated in terms of the findings. In general, the investigation sought to throw some light on probationary status at the college level. The study was developed through the use of the normative survey. An analysis was made of the re cords of 323 probationary students representing the four above mentioned classes at the University. All 323 students had left the University, either by grad uation, or by withdrawal without graduating. Thus, a complete study of the educational career in higher education at the University was made of the sample. Nineteen percent of the 323 sample remained and graduated in eight, nine, ten and eleven semesters. Eighty-one percent left without graduation. ROBERT SCHMELZLEE

Counselor and Student Estimates of Grades as Predictors of Academic Achievement

Traditionally, academic achievement in college has beenpredicted by correlating test scores and/or high school grades with first semester grade point averages. With the rise in popularity of research on the self-concept variable, consideration has been given to the possibility of using student self estimates and/or counselor estimates as predictors of grades. The rationale for this approach seems to be that in addition to information about test scores, counselors and students can take advantage of relevant but essentially unmeasurable variables in their prediction of grades. The few studies utilizing student and counselor estimates of grades have yielded interesting but con flicting results. For example, Young (7) obtained a correlation of . 71 between student estimates of grades and actual grades. In the same study, the correlation for counselor estimates with grades was .68. On the other hand, Budd (1) found a very high (. 76) correlation between counselor estimates and actual grades but a low (. 29) correlation between student estimates and grades. Freehill (2) also re ported a low (. 23) correlation of student estimates with grades earned at the end of the first semester in college. In a study of student aspirations at the beginning of college, Matteson(3) obtained a signif icant association between predicted and o b t ained grade point averages. Finally, Robertson (4) com pared student estimates with counselor estimates of freshman grades and found a statistically significant agreement between the two sets of predictions. In view of the promising but inconsistent find ings, the present study was under taken with the hope of providing some definitive conclusions. Students attending a precollege testing and c o uns eling pro gram were asked to predict their first semester grades both before and after the precollege program. Counselors were asked to predict the grades for each student they counseled. The two sets of pre dictions were then compared with grades received at the end of the fall semester. Procedure

Socioeconomic Status, Urbanism and Academic Performance in College

DEANS, ADMISSION officers and counselors, in I their attempts to evaluate prospective students, have become greatly concerned with the factors that make for scholastic success in college. Attempts to construct valid predictive indexes have us ually concentrated on high school performance, various test scores, and personality factor s such as those which come to light during brief inte r v i e w s and in letters of recommendation from teachers, principals and alumnae. Social factors are rarely openly used in evaluating applicants for admission to college, not only because some of them are hard to measure, but also because most colleges wish to avoid any accusation that such things as social class, race, nativity or religion, are factors in their se lection procedures. Consequently, little is known about the relation ship of sociological variables to academic success even though sociological theory leads one to expect that such relationships exist. For instance, dif ferential socioeconomic status implies differential cultural opportunities and variation in the focus of interests of college students, and it seems reason able to believe that both cultural opportunity and in terests are factors in performance in the class room. Urbanism is another factor which is theo retically related to academic performance, because such educationally important factors as attitudes, and levels of aspiration, as well as cultural oppor tunities are different among urbanit?s than they are among rural people. l This paper is a report of an attempt to investi gate the relationships of socioeconomic status and urbanism to academic performance. Specifically, the hypothesis was that academic performance would be positively and significantly correlated with the socioeconomic status of families of college stu dents and with the degree of urbanism of the com munities in which they had grown up. Samples were drawn from two widely different college populations. One college is a state-sup ported institution located in a small city (population approximately 7, 000) in a r e latively sparsely set tied part of the Southwest. The other college is a privately endowed institution loe ated in a major Northeastern metropolis. The use of these two colleges was indicated by the des ire to avoid find ings which might be unique to a particular college or region, and also by the desire to have as wide a range as possible both in socioeconomic status and in urbanism. Each of the samples consisted of 100 randomly selected entering freshmen. All of the students were males. The research design called for the development of measures which would be applicable to each stu dent and which would quantify his academic per formance, the socioeconomic status of his family, and the degree of urbanism of each of the places he had lived in while growing up. If the me asures of socioeconomic status and urbanism were found to be positively correlated with the measure of academic success in each of the two samples, then the hypo thesis would be confirmed. The measure of academic performance in this study was the mean of the grade point averages earned by the student during his first two semesters in college. The grade point average is computed in such a manner that 4. 00 would indicate a straight A record, while 0. 00 would indicate a straight F record. The distributions of mean semester grade point averages for the two samples are sum marized in Table I. It is somewhat more difficult to arrive at a val id and accurate measure of the socioeconomic sta tuses of the students'families. This is the case because most studies of the factors comprising such status have been restricted to s ingle communities, and there is every reason to believe that what is true in one community may well not be true in an other. It seems particularly likely that the speci fics of the status structure of the Southwest are dif ferent from those in the Northeast. On the other hand, there is evidence that in both regions educa tion and occupation have a great deal to do with a family's social standing, and it seemed that a so cioeconomic status scale based on these two factors