Middle school is a critical transition point for the development
of later high school and postsecondary success behaviors. In fact,
academic achievement at the eighth-grade level has larger effects
on college and career readiness than anything assessed in high
school (ACT, 2008). Although the importance of psychosocial and
behavioral variables for middle-school students’ achievement and
persistence has been addressed in some studies (e.g., Dymnicki,
2004; Rumberger & Lim, 2008), our knowledge is limited by the
absence of a more comprehensive approach that combines a
broader range of measures, including academic achievement, as
well as student motivational, social, self-regulatory, and behavioral
factors. Furthermore, the use of a large sample and longitudinal
design are essential to more clearly examine the effects of each
component and to provide a more comprehensive examination of
risk assessment and classification.
Thus, the focus of this study was on a comprehensive assessment
system with measures of PSFs, behavior, academic achievement,
as well as school and demographic factors using a sample of
students transitioning from middle to high school. We examine the
interplay of the different factors and their effects on academic risk
and performance (i.e., GPA) outcomes so as to better understand
which students are at greatest risk for academic failure in high
school.
and behavioral factors (e.g., motivation, self-regulation, and social control) add incremental
validity to the prediction of GPA. When comparing the relative importance of each set of predictors (the
dominance analysis technique), the variance accounted for by psychosocial and behavioral factors is
comparable to that accounted for by prior grades. These findings highlight the importance of effective
risk assessment based on multiple measures (i.e., academic, psychosocial, and behavioral) for the purpose
of identifying risk, referring students to intervention, and improving academic success.
Keywords: academic performance, psychosocial and behavioral factors
Middle school is a critical transition point for the developmentof later high school and postsecondary success behaviors. In fact,academic achievement at the eighth-grade level has larger effectson college and career readiness than anything assessed in highschool (ACT, 2008). Although the importance of psychosocial andbehavioral variables for middle-school students’ achievement andpersistence has been addressed in some studies (e.g., Dymnicki,2004; Rumberger & Lim, 2008), our knowledge is limited by theabsence of a more comprehensive approach that combines abroader range of measures, including academic achievement, aswell as student motivational, social, self-regulatory, and behavioralfactors. Furthermore, the use of a large sample and longitudinaldesign are essential to more clearly examine the effects of eachcomponent and to provide a more comprehensive examination ofrisk assessment and classification.Thus, the focus of this study was on a comprehensive assessmentsystem with measures of PSFs, behavior, academic achievement,as well as school and demographic factors using a sample ofstudents transitioning from middle to high school. We examine theinterplay of the different factors and their effects on academic riskand performance (i.e., GPA) outcomes so as to better understandwhich students are at greatest risk for academic failure in highschool.and behavioral factors (e.g., motivation, self-regulation, and social control) add incrementalvalidity to the prediction of GPA. When comparing the relative importance of each set of predictors (thedominance analysis technique), the variance accounted for by psychosocial and behavioral factors iscomparable to that accounted for by prior grades. These findings highlight the importance of effectiverisk assessment based on multiple measures (i.e., academic, psychosocial, and behavioral) for the purposeof identifying risk, referring students to intervention, and improving academic success.Keywords: academic performance, psychosocial and behavioral factors
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