Explaining individual differences in scholastic behaviour and achievement

Background. This paper presents results from the first wave of a longitudinal study examining the effects of various psychosocial variables on scholastic achievement and behaviour at school. Aims. The main aim is to investigate the nature and strength of the effects of major individual difference dimensions on important outcome variables at school level, including academic performance, truancy, and antisocial behaviour. Samples. Data were collected from a sample of 901 pupils on verbal ability (as a proxy for cognitive ability), personality traits, and a number of behavioural indices, including academic performance at 14 and 16 years, number of authorized and unauthorized absences, and exclusions from school due to antisocial conduct. Methods. During the first stage of the study, seven schools participated in all three phases. Teachers administered a questionnaire battery in class according to a detailed protocol. Additional data were collected from school archives. Results. Analysis of the data through multi‐group (male and female puplis) structural equation modelling indicated a very strong effect of verbal ability on academic performance. Extraversion and psychoticism were negatively related to academic performance, although their effects were weak and moderated by gender. Verbal ability, extraversion, and psychoticism predicted absenteeism, truancy, and exclusions from school due to disruptive conduct. The latter three were negatively associated with academic performance. Conclusions. The findings indicate that major individual difference dimensions like verbal ability and personality traits, have a strong influence on important outcome variables at school level, including academic performance, truancy, and antisocial behaviour. Without fully acknowledging the crucial role of individual differences in shaping behaviour and achievement at school, the timely identification of pupils at risk, and the development of effective intervention schemes will be difficult.     

Predicting vocational performance of engineers from selected vocational interest,personality, and scholastic aptitude variables

The study examines the validity of the ACE and selected subscales of the EPPS and SVIB in predicting the vocational performance of engineers. Multidimensional criteria of vocational performance assessed from both external and internal frames of reference were employed. Six predictors were related to 17 vocational performance criteria; of the 102 tests that were made, 7 were found to be statistically significant. The results indicate that, in general, vocational performance cannot be accurately predicted by vocational interest, personality, and scholastic aptitude variables. The only consistent finding was that subjective ratings of vocational performance were predicted by SVIB Group V scores; a “self-esteem” interpretation was posited. Implications of the results for counselors and employers were discussed.     

Group performance as a function of group type,task condition and scholastic level

Studied performance on a multiple-solution anagrams task by two-member nominal, pseudo, quasi, and real groups in relation to task conditions (set versus nonset) and school grades (10th, 11th, and 12th). Nominal groups were made up of individuals working alone. Pseudo groups were made up of members sitting together but working independently for individual scores. Quasi groups were made up of members who were working together for a common or shared goal but were not allowed to communicate with each other. Real groups were the usual teams of freely interacting and mutually consulting members. Five words were presented to the subjects in the set condition (unlike in the nonset co ndition) in order to channelize their problem-solving activity in particular directions. The subjects were 192 male American high school students. The most important finding was that both nominal and pseudo groups produced more errors than real groups. Also the set condition generated more errors than the nonset condition. These and other findings were discussed and interpreted in the context of previous research.     

Father-absence and scholastic performance in primary school children

The relationship between father-absence and academic achievement in children was studied in a sample of 80 urban children of predominantly lower social status. Differences between the father-absent and father-present groups in IQ and family background were controlled by matching. Boys and girls from father-present homes were found to score higher on standardized reading tests than children from father-absent homes, regardless of the child’s age when the father became absent. Mediating variables by which father-absence may exert its influence (achievement motivation, absenteeism, parental attitudes, sex-role identity, life stress) were also examined. Contrary to predictions, children from father-absent homes scored higher on achievement motivation measures than children from intact homes. Girls from father-absent homes missed more school and scored lower on tests of “masculinity” than girls raised in father-present homes. No other mediating variables exerted a significant influence on the results. These data are discussed in the light of the “confluence” theory of cognitive development. This study is part of a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the M.A. degree by the senior author. Preparation of this article was assisted by a grant from the Australian Research Grants Scheme to the second author.     

Sex differences in scholastic aptitude: The Israeli scene

The major goal of the present study is two-fold: (a) To assess the direction, magnitude and profile of sex differences in scholastic aptitude test performance among Israeli college student candidates and (b) to test for possible sex bias in the construct validity of aptitude test scores. The analyses are based on the college admissions aptitude test scores of 1088 female and 690 male college candidates, applying for admissions to a major Israeli campus. On the whole, the data are consistent with much previous research, generated mainly from the American scene, showing small but consistent sex differences in favor of male examinees for the test as a whole and for the quantitative subscale, in particular. Also, the sex difference profiles for varying ethnic groups in the sample are surprisingly similar. Furthermore, our data show little evidence for differential construct validity of ability test scores by gender. On the whole, our data lend a greater degree of generality and cross-cultural validity to the bulk of previous research negating the sex bias contention and pointing to negligible gender differences in scholastic aptitude.     

Role of parental emotional support in illusion of scholastic incompetence

IntroductionSelf-perceptions of competence are involved in motivational processes explaining that although pupils’ capacities are comparable, their academic achievement differs greatly. In general, pupils with an illusion of scholastic incompetence exhibit a set of negative characteristics concerning their academic functioning.ObjectiveThis article seeks to better understand the links between emotional support from parents and children's under-evaluation of their own scholastic competence.MethodSelf-reports from 626 pupils in Grades 4 and 5 (mean age: 10 years, 8 months) and one of their parents were analysed.ResultsPupils with an illusion of incompetence perceive the emotional support provided by their parents as less available and less unconditional. This difference is not echoed in their parents’ own report of the emotional support they think they give their child. However, parents of children with an illusion of incompetence do report reacting to their children's actions with criticism and disapproval more often than other parents.ConclusionThe quality of parental emotional support as perceived by the children predicts the bias they have when evaluating their own scholastic competence. Their parents’ perception also predicts this bias, albeit more modestly.     

Age as a factor in scholastic aptitude: Some Israeli findings

The primary aim of this study was to test the cross-cultural validity of previous cross-sectional research conducted among adult college student populations in America, reporting a differential relationship between age and verbal versus nonverbal measures of scholastic aptitude. The analyses were based on the scholastic aptitude test scores of 1,711 student candidates in Israel applying for admission to a major Israeli university. On the whole, the data are consistent with previous research conducted in the American academic community, reporting a modest positive correlation between age and tests designed to assess verbal ability, on the one hand, and a modest negative correlation between age and tests designed to assess reasoning ability, on the other. Age is shown to have a distinctive effect on the array of subset scores, which is markedly different from the effects of either sex or cultural background, respectively. Furthermore, highly similar relationships between age and ability are observed within varying ethnic and sex subgroups, although age accounts for only a modicum of score variance within and across ethnic groups. On the whole, this study lends some support to the generality of previous research among adult populations in general and student populations specifically, pointing to the differential relationship between age and varying forms of intellectual ability.     

The coherence of equivocal penal substitution: modern and scholastic voices

International Journal for Philosophy of Religion - In this contribution we investigate the conceptual coherence of penal substitution and its moral validity. After assessing two opposing modern...