Predictors of Students' Academic Performance
Predictors of Students' Academic Performance

Author: Kathryn Makar

Publisher:

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 112

ISBN-13:

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Research conclusions concerning predictors of academic success have been, at best, less than convincing. In fact, these conclusions are more conflicting or mixed when emotional constructs are used. As a result, modern curriculum developers as well as classroom instructors seem to deemphasize, if not ignore, the role of the affective domain in student learning. This is rather surprising considering that psychology continues to play such an important role in education. For decades, researchers have disagreed about the role played by three primary emotional concepts: self-esteem, parental involvement and student perception as predictors of students' academic success. This study attempts to determine which of these constructs, singly or in combination, can predict students' academic success and if the inclusion of any from among a selected group of demographic variables - socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity and student grade level- can alleviate or at least mitigate the discrepancies of prior research conclusions. A survey using a five point Likert scale was developed to collect data from 164 students in grades 3-7 in a select Philadelphia Charter School. The data were analyzed using Varimax Factor Rotation, Pearson Product-Moment Correlations and Multiple Regression to find answers to four research questions. The results of the analyses using only the emotional constructs were not significant; however, when the demographic constructs were included, specifically the students' grade levels, significant results were found. This study does not settle the controversy over whether or not the emotional constructs are authentic predictors of students' academic success. Nevertheless, the study does give insight into the significance of including the demographic factor of student grade level as a predictor of student academic success. Consequently, the results of this study suggest that any research using emotional constructs to predict the academic success of primary school students should include the various grade levels of the students.

Student-Related Variables as Predictors of Academic Achievement Among Some Undergraduate Psychology Students in Barbados
Student-Related Variables as Predictors of Academic Achievement Among Some Undergraduate Psychology Students in Barbados

Author: Grace Adebisi Fayombo

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 10

ISBN-13:

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This study examined some student-related variables (interest in higher education, psychological resilience and study habit) as predictors of academic achievement among 131 (M (mean) = 28.17, SD (standard deviation) = 1.61) first year psychology students in the Introduction to Developmental Psychology class in UWI (The University of the West Indies), Cave Hill Campus, Barbados. They responded to four instruments: PAT (Psychology Achievement Test), IHES (Interest in Higher Education Scale), PRS (Psychological Resilience Scale) and SHS (Study Habit Scale). Descriptive Statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Stepwise Multiple Regressions were conducted. Findings revealed significant positive correlations between the student-related variables and academic achievement. The student-related variables also jointly contributed 46% of the variance being accounted for in academic achievement (R-square = 0.464, which is the square of the measure of correlation and an indication that the model is fit for future prediction of academic achievement among university students) and this was found to be significant. Additionally, it was found that interest in higher education was the best predictor of academic achievement and that psychological resilience and study habit were other significant predictors. These results were discussed in the light of improving these student-related variables for effective teaching of psychology and good academic performance. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.) [Funding for this research was provided by the University of the West Indies.].