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