Students' Self-Concept and Academic Achievement in Zimbabwe: A Preliminary Study

Students' personal beliefs about their capabilities to learn influence their motivation and learning. This study determined the relationship between self-concept and academic achievement of Zimbabwean primary school students. A qualitative approach was used to collect data from 75 pupils (36 girls, 39 boys: age range 9–12 years). Data were also collected from five of the students' teachers. Pupils' perceptions of comments or feedback from classmates and teachers comprised the self-concept measures. Academic achievement was measured using teachers' ratings of pupils' academic performance. Pupils who reported receiving positive comments from classmates and teachers were more likely to be rated by their teachers as having higher academic achievement compared to those who perceived themselves to be less favourably regarded by teachers.     

Predicting Academic Achievement with the High School Placement Test

The study reported here investigated the use of the High School Placement Test as a predictor of 9th grade academic achievement as measured by school grades. The sample was composed of 3,194 boys who were enrolled in an academic curriculum at 1 of the 10 randomly selected Diocesan high schools in Philadelphia. A multiple regression analysis and a canonical correlation analysis were performed using the subtest scores of the High School Placement Test as independent variables, and final 9th grade average, grades in English, social studies, Latin, general science, and algebra as the dependent variables. It was found that the Composite score of the High School Placement Test individually would have been as useful a predictor of final grades as either of the empirically determined predictor composites computed in performing the multiple regression analysis and the canonical correlation analysis.     

Predicting the Academic Achievement of Secondary School Negro Students

The efficiency of aptitude and mental ability measures to predict high school grade-point average for Negro students in secondary school was studied. The total sample of 222 students was randomly divided into two samples in order to determine the consistency with which the variables predicted the criteria. The predictor variables were: The Differential Aptitude Tests, the California Test of Mental Maturity, The Cooperative Ability Tests, The Sequential Tests of Educational Progress, Junior High School Grade-Point Average, and Social Status Ratings. The data were analyzed by multiple linear regression. The instruments consistently yielded substantial correlations with High School Grade-Point Average. Negro students appeared to be as predictable as other groups.     

A Comparison of Single and Multi-Test Working Memory Assessments in Predicting Academic Achievement in Children

Children assessed as having low working memory capacity have also been shown to perform more poorly than their same-aged peers in measures of academic achievement. Early detection of working memory problems is, therefore, an important first step in reducing the impact of a working memory deficit on the development of academic skills. In this study, we compared a single-test assessment, the Working Memory Power Test for Children (WMPT) and a multi-test assessment, the Automated Working Memory Assessment (AWMA), in their ability to predict academic achievement in reading, numeracy, and spelling. A total of 132 Australian school children (mean age 9 years, 9 months) participated in the research. Strong positive correlations between the WMPT and AWMA total scores were found, indicating good convergent validity of the single and multi-test measures. WMPT scores correlated with each of the four AWMA subtests designed to assess verbal and visuospatial short-term and working memory. WMPT and AWMA scores separately predicted performance on Word Reading, Numerical Operations, and Spelling. Compared with either measure alone, the WMPT and the AWMA in combination predicted more of the variance in Word Reading and Numerical Operations, but not in Spelling. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

The Role of Positive Psychology Constructs in Predicting Mental Health and Academic Achievement in Children and Adolescents: A Two-Year Longitudinal Study

This longitudinal study presents the first examination of the relation between positive psychology constructs, mental health and academic achievement of students in Portugal. Using a sample of 367 middle-school students, the study revealed that crosssectional and longitudinal patterns of correlations between positive variables were consistent with expectations for the most part and suggested that hope, life satisfaction and self-worth have meaningful relations with mental health and academic achievement. In addition, no significant changes were found between the variables in study across the administrations and throughout the two cohorts, and all the variables in study demonstrate moderate to high stability across a 1- and 2-year time frame. Hope predicts students?? academic achievement, and life satisfaction was the strongest predictor of mental health, over 2-years. The implications of the findings are discussed with reference to prior studies and for future research.     

Effects of Academic Achievement and Gender on Academic and Social Self-Concept: A Replication Study

Female and male eighth-grade students representing very high, moderately high, and average levels of achievement were compared on measures of academic and social self-concept. Most of the differences were in academic self-concept, which was positively related to level of academic achievement. There also was an interaction of gender and academic achievement on academic self-concept. Average achieving girls had lower academic self-concept scores than all other groups of students. In addition, boys scored higher than girls on measures of academic self-concept and job competence. There were no significant differences on any of the social self-concept measures. The counseling implications of these findings for gifted students and girls of average achievement are discussed.     

Academic Achievement Probes

Academic instruction continues to be an important componenet of curriculum for students with mild mental retardation, although relatively little recent research has been reported on basic skills assessment and programming. In the current study, students in elementary EMR programs were administered a series of two academic probes in spelling and in two computational skill areas in arithmetic to determine their stability of performance and thus the reliability of the measures, indicating that these academic probes were reliable assessment tools. Implications for the use of such curriculum-based measures with handicapped students are discussed.     

竞争合作与学业成绩的关系：学业自我概念的中介作用

该研究旨在探讨学业自我概念对竞争合作与学业成就关系的影响。研究采用合作竞争态度量表、学业自我描述问卷对397名初中生进行调查。结果发现：1）竞争与学业成就间存在显著的正相关,竞争意识强者学业成绩越好;2）合作与学业成绩间不存在显著相关关系;3）学业自我概念在竞争与学业成绩之间起着完全中介作用。     

大学生自主学习、成就目标定向与学业成就关系的研究

采用大学生自主学习量表、学业成就自评量表和自编的大学生成就目标定向问卷,以安徽省、江苏省、山东省667名大学生为被试,调查分析了大学生自主学习、成就目标定向与学业成就的关系。结果显示:(1)大学生自主学习对学业成就具有预测作用;(2)掌握目标、成绩接近目标对大学生自主学习具有预测作用;(3)掌握目标对大学生学业成就具有预测作用;(4)成就目标定向对学业成就既有直接作用,又有间接作用;自主学习在成就目标对学业成就的影响中发挥着重要的中介作用。     

学业自我概念及其与学业成绩关系的研究述评

自1976年Shavelson将自我概念区分为学业自我概念和非学业自我概念以来,教育心理学家对学业自我概念的结构及学业自我概念与学业成绩的关系进行了广泛研究。本文在阐述学业自我概念的多侧面结构和等级结构模型的基础上,着重探讨了学业自我概念与学业成绩的关系,并对学业自我概念的研究进行了展望。     

成就目标、社会目标、自我效能及学习成绩与学业求助的关系

本研究以152名初中二年级学生为被试,采用问卷法研究了成就目标、社会目标、自我效能及学习成绩与学业求助的关系。结果表明：(1)自我取向的成就目标的确可以区分出自我一趋向型目标和自我一逃避目标,它们对学业求助的影响模式是不同的,自我一逃避型目标对学业求助有更大的负面作用。(2)社会目标与学业求助有显著关系,支持本研究的假设。(3)自我效能低及学习成绩差的学生更不愿求助,支持脆弱假说。     

Activities and Academic Achievement

A quantitative scale of preferences for activities (APAS) which differentiates between high and low achievers as measured by GPA, was developed and validated. Mean APAS scale scores for high and low achievers were significantly different (p < .001). Intercorrelation between APAS scores, high school rank, CEEB-Verbal scores, CEEB-Mathematics scores, and GPA of college freshmen showed that the APAS scale predicts GPA (r = .35) almost as well as the CEEB-Verbal test (r = .36) and better than the CEEB-Mathematics test (r = .13). Computation of a multiple-regression equation pointed to the usefulness of the APAS scale in prediction.     

粗暴养育与青少年学业成绩:有调节的中介分析

以往研究表明消极的养育行为损害青少年学业成绩,但对两者之间的关系机制缺乏探究。本研究通过检验一个有调节的中介模型,考察了父母消极归因情境下努力控制在粗暴养育和青少年学业成绩之间的中介作用。880名初中生作为被试,填写粗暴养育问卷、努力控制分量表、儿童责任归因分量表,并以语文、数学和英语的成绩均值作为学业成绩的指标。结果显示：（1）控制性别、年龄、社会经济地位后,粗暴养育与学业成绩呈显著负相关;（2）努力控制是粗暴养育与学业成绩之间的中介变量;（3）粗暴养育通过努力控制对学业成绩的间接效应受父母消极归因的调节。因此,矫正父母消极的养育行为和归因模式,改善孩子的自控能力,有利于改善其学业成绩。     

Play Therapy in Elementary Schools: A Best Practice for Improving Academic Achievement

This pilot study of 1st graders who are academically at risk examined the effectiveness of child‐centered play therapy (CCPT). The experimental group received biweekly, 30‐minute play therapy sessions for 8 weeks. Findings indicated that these 1st graders participating in CCPT (n = 21) demonstrated a statistically significant increase on the Early Achievement Composite of the Young Children's Achievement Test (Hresko, Peak, Herron, & Bridges, 2000) when compared with children in the control group (n = 20). Results support using CCPT as an intervention for academic achievement.     

童年中期儿童社会能力与学业成就的交叉滞后研究

本研究采用同伴提名法、问卷法,对武汉市一所小学3、4、5、6年级儿童进行6个月的追踪调查。采用交叉时序滞后设计,考察了同伴关系4个特征水平(群体水平、双向关系水平、人际互动水平和个体特征水平)的变量与学业成就的相互预测关系。结果表明,在控制了前测学业成就后,前测的社会喜好、积极友谊质量、社交领导行为可以分别正向预测后测的学业成就,而前测的攻击行为可以负向预测后期的学业成就;在控制了前测的社交自我知觉后,学业成就可以正向预测后期的社交自我知觉。     

Middle School Friendships and Academic Achievement in Early Adolescence: A Longitudinal Analysis

Early adolescence is a critical transition period for the maintenance of academic achievement. One factor that school systems often fail to take into account is the influence of friends on academic achievement during middle school. This study investigated the influence of friends' characteristics on change in academic achievement from Grade 6 through 8, and the role of students' own characteristics as moderators of this relationship. The sample included 1,278 participants (698 girls). Linear regressions suggest that students with academically engaged friends may achieve to levels higher than expected in Grade 8. However, when considering the significant, negative influence of friends' problem behavior, the role of friend's school engagement became nonsignificant. Low-achieving girls who had high-achieving friends in Grade 6 had lower academic achievement than expected by Grade 8. In contrast, high-achieving girls seemed to benefit from having high-achieving friends. Implications for theory and prevention efforts targeting young adolescents are discussed.     

Peer Relationships and Male Academic Achievement: A Review and Suggested Clarification

Earlier reviews of the research have reached conflicting conclusions about the relationship between social behavior and academic achievement. A brief but comprehensive review is presented. It is suggested that there is greater consistency in this research area than has previously been noted. When the research is categorized according to sample age level, it is found among younger subjects that high achievers tend to be more socially active than low achievers, while among college-age students, low achievers tend to be the more socially active. Questions are raised which future research might investigate.     

家校合作对青少年学业成绩的影响：一个有调节的中介模型

本研究基于广州市基础教育质量监测项目,以2380名初中生及其家长为被试,构建一个有调节的中介模型,考察了家校合作对青少年学业成绩的影响机制。研究发现：（1）家校合作对青少年学业成绩具有显著的正向预测作用;（2）在家校合作对青少年学业成绩的影响中,亲子沟通发挥了部分中介作用;（3）独生状况调节了家校合作→亲子沟通→学业成绩的后半段,即相对于非独生子女而言,独生子女亲子沟通对学业成绩的促进作用更为显著。     

The Effects of Career Education Interventions on Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analysis

A meta-analysis was conducted on 67 studies of the impact of career education on academic achievement. It offered evidence of a small positive effect. Across the 67 studies analyzed, the average experimental effect size was .16. Career education interventions improved student academic achievement levels an average of .16 standard deviations over alternative or control conditions. Results support the value of career education as a contributor to academic achievement. Elementary students of average ability seem to profit the most in their academic achievement. This was particularly true if (a) they were randomly assigned to groups, (b) the career education intervention was coupled with math and language arts subject matter, (c) the intervention averaged 151 to 200 hours per 9-month school year, and (d) the program was concluding its second year with the same students.