This research was undertaken to identify variables
that accounted for major changes in academic performance
between high school and college. Differences between
predicted and actual college GPA were used to classify
students as gainers or decliners among a group of
sophomores and a group of seniors at a medium-sized
research university.
A model composed of nine variables was developed to
explain the change in performance. Each variable was
classified as an Environmental Triggering Mechanism
(environmental stimulus), an Internal Psychological state
(a cognitive response to the stimulus), or an Academic
Behavior. Seven of the variables were derived from the
literature of academic achievement in college. Two of the
variables were identified in the course of exploratory
interviews with senior performance changers.
Two-way discriminant function analysis was performed
to determine which of the variables contributed most to
classifying students as gainers or decliners. Correlation
analysis was performed to examine the relationships
between variables.
Academic expectancies, the number of terms required
to adjust to college academically, and the students'
approach to study (consistency and priority of study)
emerged as making the strongest contribution to the
discriminant function for both sophomores and seniors.
Significant correlations were found between some, but
not all, of the variables in each category, supporting the
basic structure of the model. Variables categorized as
Environmental Triggering Mechanisms played a secondary
role with respect to those Internal Psychological States
and Academic Behaviors that contributed most to academic
performance change. / Graduation date: 1991
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/37324 |
| Date | 04 June 1990 |
| Creators | Brown, Wayne E. (Wayne Edward), 1943- |
| Contributors | Penn, J. Roger |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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