Predicting College Achievement of Students from Farm Backgrounds

Academic achievement in various types of colleges was studied for a statewide population of college freshmen from farm backgrounds. As a group, farm freshmen obtained lower scholastic aptitude test scores, had achieved higher grades in high school, and continued to achieve higher grades in college than did freshmen from other backgrounds. They did not appear to be handicapped by their lower verbal test scores. Patterns of academic achievement among farm students did not differ in most of the different types of colleges studied. Differing patterns were found among those farm students who attended certain colleges at the state university.     

Personal Values and Academic Performance Among Engineering Students

Independently drawn random samples of 20 dean's list and 20 academic probation engineering sophomores were the subjects in this investigation of student academic status in relation to personal values and aptitude variables. Dean's list students differed significantly (.05 level) from academic probation students on variables such as need for achievement, direction of aspirations, peer group values, independence in planning, persistence, self-control, and high school record. No statistically significant differences were found on variables such as socio-economic status, influence of the home, self-insight or scholastic aptitude. It was concluded that the successful engineering student differs from the relatively less successful engineering student in certain measurable characteristics. These results elucidate the efficacy of the utilization of nonintellective variables in such differentiation.     

The Problems of Heredity and Environment

The study investigated the relationship of five selected traits of authoritarianism, possessed by both college freshmen and their instructors, to student achievement in freshman English when student verbal aptitude was not a factor. The results indicated that student achievement level was affected more by instructor traits than by traits of the students themselves, although student traits did serve to qualify the effect of instructor traits.     

Interest differentiation in high school and vocational indecision in college

Vocational indecision was defined as being both a college upperclassman and having no major. In a sample of 1622 students in college for three years, 24% indecisive students were found and compared with vocationally decisive students (having majors) using precollege measures of achievement, aptitude, and interest. Measures of interest differentiation were of particular concern. Indecisiveness was best predicted from present and past achievement measures, e.g., cumulative college GPA or high school mathematics GPA. Interest predictors slightly augmented the multiple correlation including Outdoor interest, Business Contact interest, and interest differentiation. Most important to vocational indecision in these juniors and seniors, however, was lower academic achievement.     

A Randomized Trial of Two Promising Computer-Based Interventions for Students with Attention Difficulties

Few studies have examined whether attention can be improved with training, even though attention difficulties adversely affect academic achievement. The present study was a randomized-controlled trial evaluating the impact of Computerized Attention Training (CAT) and Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) on attention and academic performance in 77 inattentive first graders. Students receiving either intervention were more likely than controls to show a moderate decline in teacher rated attention problems in first grade. Students receiving CAI also showed gains in reading fluency and in teacher ratings of academic performance. Intervention effects for attention were absent by second grade largely because attention problems declined in all groups. However, post hoc analyses indicated potential longer-term benefits for children with 6 or more inattentive symptoms at baseline. Persistent attention problems were associated with poorer academic performance in multiple domains. Results provide initial evidence that CAT and CAI can improve children’s attention in the classroom - and support additional studies to determine whether more clinically significant benefits are attainable.     

The effects of computer-assisted instruction on the mathematics performance and classroom behavior of children with ADHD

The present study examines the effects of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on the mathematics performance and classroom behavior of three second-through fourth-grade students with ADHD. A controlled case study is used to evaluate the effects of the computer software on participants' mathematics performance and on-task behavior. Participants' mathematics achievement improve and their on-task behavior increase during the CAI sessions relative to independent seatwork conditions. In addition, students and teachers consider CAI to be an acceptable intervention for some students with ADHD who are having difficulty with mathematics. Implications of these results for practice and research are discussed.     

The College Pushout

In a study designed to discover whether suspended students are characterized by common factors in their backgrounds and college records that tend to distinguish them from other students, a comparison of SAT scores, grade-point averages, and selected demographic data indicated that the suspended student: (a) had, in terms of family background and intellectual aptitude, the same opportunity for success in college as did other students; (b) was far below other college-bound students in high school academic achievement; (c) was likely to be in scholastic difficulty for the duration of his pre-suspension days; and (d) tended to be a rather passive, apathetic individual.     

Are training and transfer effects of working memory updating training modulated by achievement motivation?

Previous studies examining effects of working memory (WM) updating training revealed mixed results. One factor that might modulate training gains, and possibly also transfer of those gains to non-trained cognitive tasks, is achievement motivation. In the present Studies 1 and 2, students with either a high (HAM) or low (LAM) achievement motivation completed a 14-day visuospatial WM updating training program. In Study 2, the students also performed a set of tasks measuring other executive functions and fluid intelligence prior to and after training. In both studies, the HAM students displayed a larger training gain than the LAM students. Study 2 revealed that after training, both groups showed better performance on the near-transfer but not far-transfer tasks. Importantly, the differential training gain was not associated with better post-training performance for the HAM compared to the LAM students on any of the transfer tasks. These results are taken to support a modulatory role of achievement motivation on WM training benefits, but not on transfer of those benefits to other tasks. Possible reasons for the general improvement on the near-transfer tasks and the absence of a modulatory role of achievement motivation on transfer-task performance are discussed.     

Cardiovascular responses to occupational stress in male medical students: a paradigm for ambulatory monitoring studies.

Hemodynamic responses to systematic variations in occupational stress were examined using ambulatory blood pressure monitors (ABPMs). The goals of this study were (a) to illustrate the effectiveness of employing naturally occurring, controlled variations in psychological stress levels in studies incorporating ABPMs and (b) to document the patterns of cardiovascular responses to acute examination stress in medical students. Heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, rate-pressure product, and mood states were measured before, during, and after low-stress (lecture) and high-stress (examination) work in 44 healthy male medical students. The lecture day was characterized by stable patterns of cardiovascular activity across all three periods. Hemodynamic activity and reports of activation and distress were greater on the examination day than on the lecture day. Cardiovascular activity during the preexamination period was as high as that seen during the examination period itself, indicating an anticipatory stress effect. Pressor activity decreased after the examination, although some residual chronotropic activity was seen. Systematic changes in physiological responses to controlled variations in the level of this naturalistic stressor support the use of this paradigm for other ABPM studies. The elevations in preexamination responses seen here suggest the need to consider prestressor experiences in such studies.     

Acquiring Explicit Grammatical Knowledge Using the Spanish Verbs <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ser</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Estar</Emphasis> as Examples

The role of explicit and implicit acquisition of grammatical rules in second language learning was examined by assessing high school students performance after several years of study on the correct use of the Spanish verbs ser and estar. These two verbs are essentially equivalent in use to the English verb “to be,” but there is a complex set of statements that specifies when each is to be used. A 100-item two-choice test in which students from several different high schools receiving instruction in the explicit principles of these two Spanish verbs or receiving immersion training in which no instruction in their grammatical principles was given were examined for the following five factors: (a) general achievement level, (b) comparison of grade level achievement, (c) time allotted to complete the 100-item test, (d) grammatical instruction prior to taking the 100-item test, and (e) comparison of instructional methodology. The results indicated that students receiving explicit instruction in the rules of ser and estar beyond the first year of study achieved slightly higher scores, but that the level of achievement was considered to be poor. Differences between groups for the remaining factors were not significant. It was concluded that successful application of explicitly learned grammatical rules, such as the rules for ser and estar, may not be achievable in the time frame of a two-year high school foreign language course. Considerations regarding implicit and explicit acquisition of grammatical rules in second language learning were presented.     

Medical Ethics Education: A Survey of Opinion of Medical Students in a Nigerian University

In Nigeria, medical education remains focused on the traditional clinical and basic medical science components, leaving students to develop moral attitudes passively through observation and intuition. In order to ascertain the adequacy of this method of moral formations, we studied the opinions of medical students in a Nigerian university towards medical ethics training. Self administered semi-structured questionnaires were completed by final year medical students of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. There were 82 (64.1%) male and 44 (34.4%) female respondents. The median age was 26 years. Most students (80.5%) responded that they did not receive enough training in medical ethics. The ethics instructions they received did not sufficiently prepare them for the ethical challenges they came across as medical students. Though inadequate, the few hours of lecture and discussion on human values and professional etiquette which they received positively influenced their moral reasoning. They identified end-of-life issues, dealing with financial issues and handling socio-cultural beliefs of patients and relations as some challenges that medical doctors are ill-prepared for by their current training. Most, 85.9% believed that formal medical ethics education would be worthwhile as it would enhance the making of complete and better doctors. They recommended incorporating bioethics as a course in the medical school curriculum. Nigerian medical students encounter ethical challenges for which they have not been adequately trained to resolve. They recommended formal medical ethics training in their curriculum and a uniform bioethics programme in the country.     

Correlates of sex differences in attitudes toward and involvement with computers

This study investigated sex differences in computer attitude and aptitude and the relationship of these variables, math aptitude, math anxiety, and scholastic achievement to computer involvement. The sample consisted of 599 female and 342 male students from a freshman introductory psychology class at a midwestern state university. Females held more negative attitudes toward computers, scored lower in computer aptitude, and had less prerequisite math ability and math course work. More males than females had completed computer-related courses and had knowledge of a computer language. Computer aptitude was strongly related to math ability and math experience. Computer attitude was related to math anxiety and computer experience. Sex and computer attitude consistently discriminated between groups differing in computer involvement. The results are discussed in terms of the need for further research to identify the components of computer aptitude, attitude, and behaviors and of the broader issue of equity for women in the computer age.     

The effects of different learning environments on students’ motivation for learning and their achievement

Background. Research in higher education on the effects of student‐centred versus lecture‐based learning environments generally does not take into account the psychological need support provided in these learning environments. From a self‐determination theory perspective, need support is important to study because it has been associated with benefits such as autonomous motivation and achievement. Aim. The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of different learning environments on students’ motivation for learning and achievement, while taking into account the perceived need support. Sample. First‐year student teachers (N= 1,098) studying a child development course completed questionnaires assessing motivation and perceived need support. In addition, a prior knowledge test and case‐based assessment were administered. Method. A quasi‐experimental pre‐test/post‐test design was set up consisting of four learning environments: (1) lectures, (2) case‐based learning (CBL), (3) alternation of lectures and CBL, and (4) gradual implementation with lectures making way for CBL. Results. Autonomous motivation and achievement were higher in the gradually implemented CBL environment, compared to the CBL environment. Concerning achievement, two additional effects were found; students in the lecture‐based learning environment scored higher than students in the CBL environment, and students in the gradually implemented CBL environment scored higher than students in the alternated learning environment. Additionally, perceived need support was positively related to autonomous motivation, and negatively to controlled motivation. Conclusions. The study shows the importance of gradually introducing students to CBL, in terms of their autonomous motivation and achievement. Moreover, the study emphasizes the importance of perceived need support for students’ motivation.     

Development of a Comparison Level Scale for the College Test-Taking Situation

A comparison level scale (CLS) for the college test-taking situation was developed. Results showed that the CLS (1) correlated positively and significantly with students' choice of comparison level in the classroom-related experimental situation, (2) correlated positively and significantly with a more general achievement motivation scale, (3) related significantly more strongly to performance on a classroom-type verbal learning task than a general achievement scale, (4) predicted experimental classroom-related performance beyond that which would be expected because of aptitude, and (5) related most strongly to self-reported attention during the experimental classroom-related situation.     

Vocational Certainty and Indecision in College Freshmen

Three groups of entering college freshmen, possessing varying degrees of identification of educational-vocational goals, were compared on a variety of personality, achievement, aptitude, school, and family factors. The major differences indicated that the most undecided group was more dependent than the other two groups, but equal to the most decided group in academic achievement, while a middle, or tentatively decided group, was not as successful academically as the most and least decided groups. These findings suggest that educational-vocational indecision has at least two dimensions. A need for different counseling approaches in dealing with uncertain students depending upon the antecedents of their uncertainty is likely.     

A Comparative Study of Creative Thinking of American And Japanese College Students

Cross-cultural differences in creative thinking were assessed for 51 American and 54 Japanese college students. The American college students showed statistically significantly higher scores on the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) figural test than the Japanese college students. No gender differences were found in either culture. Performance on the TTCT did not correlate with the performance on broad academic aptitude/achievement measures for either culture.     

Big fish in big ponds: a multilevel analysis of test anxiety and achievement in special gifted classes

This study analyzes the effects of individual achievement and achievement level of student reference group on test anxiety in a national sample of 769 gifted Israeli students (grade levels 4-9), which was previously investigated by Zeidner and Schleyer (1999a). We hypothesized that when controlling for individual achievement, students' experiences of test anxiety should increase with the increasing ability level of their peer reference group. It was assumed that this effect was largely mediated by reference group effects on academic self-concept (big-fish-little-pond effect). Zeidner and Schleyer found that gifted students within a gifted peer reference group showed higher levels of test anxiety than gifted students within a non-gifted peer reference group. Of note, the present study focused exclusively on gifted students attending special gifted classes. The main research question was whether or not the assumed effects of individual and class achievement can be found for gifted students in special gifted classes when taking the variance of achievement level (grades) of the special gifted classes into account. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) methodology, the assumed effects were vindicated for this special group of high ability students. Thus, in line with previous results, the Worry component of test anxiety was more highly reactive to the effects of individual achievement than the Emotionality component. Also, in line with our theoretical assumptions, achievement/anxiety relations were largely mediated by the effects of academic self-concept.     

THE RIGORS OF TRAINING EVALUATION: A DISCUSSION AND FIELD DEMONSTRATION1

Training evaluation is one of the most under-researched and neglected areas of industrial/organizational psychology. This article discusses the need for, and feasibility of, utilizing extended-control-group pretest designs in evaluation research; and reports a field application of such a design (the Solomon 4-Group) in an organizational training context. The effectiveness of a basic electricity training program for telephone installer-repairmen was measured, and the potential contaminating effects of pretesting were monitored. The results indicated that the training was potentially effective, but that pretest contaminations were present. To identify the pretest effects it was necessary to go beyond the Solomon model and consider complex interactions involving numerical aptitude level, pretesting and training. Pretest exposure depressed the posttest performance of trained subjects of medium and low numerical aptitude, while facilitating that of medium level untrained subjects. Pretest exposure had no effect on subjects scoring high in numerical aptitude in either the trained or untrained condition. Possible explanations for the moderating role of numerical aptitude are offered, and implications of the findings are discussed relative to applied organizational evaluation efforts and future research.     

高中生成就动机、物理学习成绩对其自我监控的影响

随机选取高中生314名,采用量表和问卷法探讨了成就动机、物理学习成绩对中学生物理问题解决自我监控能力发展的影响。结果表明：1、不同层次的动机,其自我监控能力不同,即高学习目标低成绩目标者监控水平最高,其次是高学习目标高成绩目标者,再是低学习目标低成绩目标者,最后是高成绩目标低学习目标者;2、物理学习成绩越好,中学生物理学习自我监控能力的水平越高。