The role of psychological control,socioeconomic status and academic achievement in parents' educational aspirations for their adolescent children

The present study examined the associations between mothers' and fathers' psychological control, socioeconomic status (SES) and their role in parents' educational aspirations for their adolescent children. Moreover, we examined to what extent SES and psychological control predicted their child's grade point average (GPA) and educational aspirations. A total of 1,034 Finnish adolescents aged 15 to 16 and their parents (720 mothers, 542 fathers) were surveyed at the beginning of the last grade of compulsory school. The results showed that the use of psychological control was more common among parents with lower SES. Moreover, the lower parents' SES was and the more psychological control they imposed, the lower were their educational aspirations for their adolescent children and lower was their child's GPA. The impact of SES was partially mediated by psychological control. The effects were similar for mothers and fathers.     

Relationships of race and socioeconomic status to classroom behavior,academic achievement,and referral for special education

A study was conducted to identify the relationships of race and socioeconomic status (SES) to observed classroom behavior, academic achievement, and special education referral. A sample of 109 fourth-grade boys from varying racial (Anglo, black, and Hispanic) and SES backgrounds was selected and observed systematically on four occasions for 12 behaviors. Data also were collected on academic achievement and special education referral. Multivariate analyses indicated no race-related differences in observed behavior and only one SES-related difference. Black and Hispanic children did not differ reliably, but both were lower than Anglo children in achievement. A non-stepwise discriminant function analysis utilizing race, SES, and observational data as predictors of referral for special education failed to make statistically reliable predictions. The relative unimportance of race and SES as predictors challenges the validity of alleged “institutional racism” in referrals for special education.     

Measuring socioeconomic status: reliability and preliminary validity for different approaches

This study investigated issues related to commonly used socioeconomic status (SES) measures in 140 participants from three cities (Atlanta, Boston, and Toronto) in two countries (United States and Canada). Measures of SES were two from the United States (four-factor Hollingshead scale, Nakao and Treas scale) and one from Canada (Blishen, Carroll, and Moore scale). Reliability was examined both within (interrater agreement) and across (intermeasure agreement) measures. Interrater reliability and classification agreement was high for the total sample (ranger = .86 to .91), as were intermeasure correlations and classification agreement (range r = .81 to .88). The weakest agreement across measures was found when families had one wage earner who was female. Validity data for these SES measures with academic and intellectual measures also were obtained. Some support for a simplified approach to measuring SES was found. Implications of these findings for the use of SES in social and behavioral science research are discussed.     

Predicting innovative performance through proactive personality: Examining its criterion validity and incremental validity over the five‐factor model

Innovation has emerged as a key work outcome for modern organizations. The present paper answers recent calls from several researchers for further empirical research on the validity of personality variables for predicting individual innovative performance. More specifically, it is focused on the validity of proactive personality. Using a sample of 170 software engineers and their direct supervisors from a multinational information technology firm, we found that this individual disposition represents a valid and meaningful predictor of individual innovative performance, when assessed through supervisor ratings. Further analyses have also shown that proactive personality remains a significant predictor of this criterion, when the big five factors of personality are taken into account. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are presented and discussed.     

Metamemory and academic achievement: testing the validity of a group-administered metamemory battery

This study was designed to assess the validity of a recently introduced group-administered battery of metamemory tasks for children and to concurrently assess the relationship between performance on these tasks and academic achievement for second- and fourth-grade normal and learning-disabled (LD) children. Consistent with theoretical predictions and with results from individually administered metamemory tasks, significant age-related performance differences were found for four of the battery's five subtests. However, three of these four performance differences appeared to be due to a floor effect--that is, the second graders performed at chance levels for all but one of the subtests. Nevertheless, modest zero-order correlations between academic achievement measures and scores on metamemory subtests, which did show interpretable age-related performance differences, were found, as were significant group (normal versus LD) differences for fourth graders. In all, these results provided some support for the validity and the utility of the group-administered metamemory battery, although the performance of young children must be interpreted with caution.     

Hope as a resource for career exploration: Examining incremental and cross-lagged effects

Hope is believed to be beneficial for vocational pursuits, but the question of how and why hope is related to pivotal career development variables remains largely unaddressed. In a series of three studies, we investigated the relationship between hope and career exploration. Study 1 examined at-risk adolescents (N = 228) in Switzerland and showed that hope explains variance in career exploration beyond the significant effects of generalized self-efficacy beliefs and perceived social support. Study 2 found the same result among a group (N = 223) of first-year students at a Swiss university with a measure of state hope. Study 3 applied a one-year cross-lagged design with a diverse group of students (N = 266) at a German university to investigate the mutual effects of dispositional hope and career exploration over time. Although both variables were found to be related within and over time, we could not confirm lagged effects in either direction. The results suggest that hope is significantly correlated with career exploration because both are related to personality and social–contextual variables.     

Family and ability correlates of academic achievement: social status group differences

In a set of interrelated investigations in 2001-03, García Bacete and Rosel Remirez, Marjoribanks, and García Bacete and Villanueva Badenes examined relationships among intellectual ability, family environment, and academic achievement. Analysis in this follow-up study showed that relationships among ability, environment, and achievement varied for children from different social status groups.     

Mental toughness among high school students: a test of its multidimensionality and nomological validity with academic achievement and preference for difficult tasks

Recent studies posit that mental toughness is a relevant construct for predicting achievement outcomes in academic settings. It is a multidimensional construct that encapsulates psychological resources that facilitate consistent performance despite stressors and challenges. However, recent evidence has called into question its multidimensional aspect. The first purpose of this study was to verify, using a bi-factor model, if mental toughness can be operationalized by (a) multiple dimensions, (b) a general factor, or (c) both a general factor and multiple dimensions. The second goal was to test the nomological validity of the construct. Specifically, we verified whether the specific factors predict, beyond the general factor, academic achievement and preference for difficult tasks. Using a correlational cross-sectional design in which 515 high school students (58.8% girls; M age = 15.68; SD = 1.05) were asked to complete a questionnaire, we found that mental toughness is best conceptualized by a general factor. More specifically, most loadings are higher on the mental toughness general factor than on the specific dimensions. Furthermore, the mental toughness general factor predicts better school achievement and preference for difficult tasks than the specific factors. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for theory and practice.     

Black adolescents: a descriptive study of their self-concepts and academic achievement

This study was designed to determine the relationships among global self-concept, self-concept of academic ability, and academic achievement of black American adolescents. The subjects were 211 tenth-grade students in five public high schools in the Pacific Northwest school district who volunteered to participate in the study. Global self-concept was measured by the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI), self-concept of academic ability by the Brookover Self-Concept of Ability (General) Scale, and academic achievement by the California Achievement Test (CAT). The major statistical tools were the Pearson product-moment correlations and Fisher Z statistic. In all of the tests the decision was made to reject the null hypothesis at the .05 level of significance. No significant relationship was found between global self-concept and academic achievement, although the relationship between self-concept of academic ability and academic achievement reached significance. The relationship between self-concept of academic ability and academic achievement correlated more strongly than the relationship between global self-concept and academic achievement. These results suggest that the enhancement of global self-concept might not be a potent intervention for academic improvement for black adolescents.     

Examining the relation between ratings of executive functioning and academic achievement: Findings from a cross-cultural study

The present study investigated the relation between academic performance and ratings of executive functioning in children aged 6–11 from four countries: Sweden, Spain, Iran, and China. Ratings of executive functioning were made by both parents and teachers using the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI). The results showed that the Chinese sample was generally rated as having more executive deficits compared to the other samples. The finding that executive functioning deficits are exacerbated in China is most likely the result of cultural biases. Boys were generally rated as having poorer executive functioning compared to girls, except in Iran where parents, but not teachers, rated girls as having poorer executive functioning compared to boys. However, this opposite pattern of results found for Iran is not likely to reflect true gender differences in executive functioning. Despite some differences in the levels of executive functioning across countries, both the inhibition and working memory subscales of the CHEXI were related to academic achievement in all four countries, except for CHEXI parent ratings in China. Altogether, the results indicate that the CHEXI may be used as a screening measure for early academic difficulties, although cultural biases clearly have to be taken into consideration.     

Curriculum-Based Measurement Oral Reading as an indicator of reading achievement: A meta-analysis of the correlational evidence

This meta-analysis summarized the correlational evidence of the association between the CBM Oral Reading measure (R-CBM) and other standardized measures of reading achievement for students in grades 1–6. Potential moderating variables were also examined (source of criterion test, administration format, grade level, length of time, and type of reading subtest score). Results indicated a significant, strong overall correlation among R-CBM and other standardized tests of reading achievement and differences in correlations as a function of source of test, administration format, and reading subtest type. No differences in the magnitude of correlations were found across grade levels. In addition, there was minimal evidence of publication bias. Results are discussed in terms of existing literature and directions for future research.     

Teachers' self-efficacy beliefs as determinants of job satisfaction and students' academic achievement: A study at the school level

Teachers' self-efficacy beliefs were examined as determinants of their job satisfaction and students' academic achievement. Over 2000 teachers in 75 Italian junior high schools were administered self-report questionnaires to assess self-efficacy beliefs and their job satisfaction Students' average final grades at the end of junior high school were collected in two subsequent scholastic years. Structural equation modeling analyses corroborated a conceptual model in which teachers' personal efficacy beliefs affected their job satisfaction and students' academic achievement, controlling for previous levels of achievement.     

The social status of aggressive students across contexts: the role of classroom status hierarchy, academic achievement, and grade

This study tested the effects of 5 classroom contextual features on the social status (perceived popularity and social preference) that peers accord to aggressive students in late elementary school, including classroom peer status hierarchy (whether within-classroom differences in popularity are large or small), classroom academic level, and grade level as the main predictors of interest as well as classroom aggression and ethnic composition as controls. Multilevel analyses were conducted on an ethnically diverse sample of 968 fourth- and fifth-graders from 46 classrooms in 9 schools. Associations between aggression and status varied greatly from one classroom to another. Aggressive students were more popular and better liked in classrooms with higher levels of peer status hierarchy. Aggressive students had higher social status in Grade 5 than in Grade 4 and lower social preference in classrooms of higher academic level. Classroom aggression and ethnic composition did not moderate aggression-status associations. Limitations and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Extending hierarchical achievement motivation models: The role of motivational needs for achievement goals and academic performance

In the current study, we investigated the role of three basic motivational needs (need for power, affiliation, achievement) as antecedents of goals within the 2 × 2 achievement goal framework, and examined their combined predictive validity with regard to academic performance in a sample of 120 university students. Structural equation modeling analysis largely supported our postulated model, linking motivational needs indirectly to course grades through goals. Achievement goals were formed by a combination of different motives: need for achievement was a positive predictor of all four achievement goals, and need for affiliation was negatively related to performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals. Additionally, need for power was a positive predictor of performance-avoidance goals. Performance-approach goals had a direct (positive) effect on performance outcomes. In sum, our results integrate basic motivational needs with the achievement goals literature and extend therefore hierarchical achievement motivation models, by showing how basic human motives of achievement, affiliation, and power are related to goal striving motivation and performance outcomes in an academic setting.     

Ego development, authoritarianism, and social status: an investigation of the incremental validity of Loevinger's sentence completion test (short form)

This study presents two sets of analyses designed to evaluate the relation between a 12-item form of the Washington University Sentence Completion Test of ego development (Short Form; SCT-S) and socioeconomic status (SES). The subjects were a large national random sample of adolescent and young adult men and women who were stratified into three artificial age cohorts. The first set of hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that SES accounted for 8% to 13% of the variance in SCT-S scores. Incremental validity of the SCT-S in predicting social attitudes, beyond that predicted by SES, was generally supported for authoritarian aggression and partially supported in predicting masculine sex role expectations. Findings suggest that research on ego development with subjects over age 18 might use level of education as a rough index of SES. For younger subjects, parental factors and education are both important. This study also provides revised age-specific national norms for the SCT-S.     

父母卷入在家庭社会经济地位与学业成就间的中介作用:元分析结构方程模型

以22项实证研究(25个独立样本,79665个被试)为对象,综合使用元分析和结构方程模型,以家庭投资模型和家庭压力模型为理论基础,探讨了家庭社会经济地位对学业成就的影响及内在机制。结果发现:(1)家庭社会经济地位能显著地正向预测学业成就(r=0.32);(2)家庭社会经济地位测量方式的调节效应显著;(3)父母卷入在家庭社会经济地位与学业成就间起着部分中介作用;(4)父母卷入的中介效应只存在于小学及以下群体,在中学群体中介效应不显著。结论,家庭社会经济地位与学业成就之间存在显著正相关,在小学和幼儿园阶段时父母卷入在家庭社会经济地位和学业成就间起着部分中介作用。     

Need for affiliation and sex as moderators of the relationship between need for achievement and academic performance

Sex and need for affiliation (n Aff) were investigated as potential moderators of the association between need for achievement (n Ach) and academic performance. Measures of n Ach and n Aff, based on the Personality Research form, were obtained or 78 male and 114 female grade 11 students. On the assumption of a conflict between n Ach and n Aff, it was hypothesized that high n Ach, low n Aff students earn higher grades than high n Afh, high n Aff students. The results for both males and females supported the hypothesis. Evidence was available which suggested that the poorer academic performance of the high n Ach, high n Aff students was due to an inability to maintain effectively their attention while studying. The results also indicated that, relative to other students, high n Ach females displayed a markedly superior academic orientation. Attention was drawn to the fact that the formance of the high n Ach girls appears incconsistent with some current theorizing regarding the achievement orientation of females.     

Concurrent validity of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Third Edition as an intelligence and achievement screener for low SES African American children

Authors tested the validity of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Third Edition (PPVT-III) as a screening measure for intelligence and achievement. The PPVT-III and Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (KABC) were administered to 416 African American children of low socioeconomic status in a counterbalanced design. Results indicated that the PPVT-III correlated .58 with the KABC Mental Processing Composite (MPC) score; however, participants scored significantly lower (M = 8.3 points) on the PPVT-III than on the MPC. Although receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses supported the use of the PPVT-III as a valid intellectual and achievement screener, the selection of a single cutoff score for the PPVT-III was problematic. The purpose of the screening program should guide selection of a cutoff score for the PPVT-III.