Contemporary research findings indicate that learning behaviors (e.g., competence motivation, general attitude towards learning, attention=persistence; see Fantuzzo, Perry, & McDermott,
2004) or what some have referred to as ‘‘academic enablers’’ (e.g., social skills, motivation; see DiPerna & Elliott, 2002) have a distinctive and unique relationship with academic achievement beyond cognitive ability and academic competence (e.g., Yen, Konold, & McDermott, 2004).