Using a cross-lagged analytic framework, the present study examined (1) the relative salience of prior academic personal bests (PBs) in predicting subsequent engagement and achievement compared with (2) the relative salience of prior engagement and achievement in predicting subsequent PBs. Academic PBs, engagement, and achievement measures were…

This paper presents the finding of an investigation for determining course achievement utilizing the statistical technique of path analysis. (Author)

Addresses two related problems: what are the appropriate measures for comparing effects of blocks or compounds of variables (each block conceived as having a single effect) when the causal ordering is assumed to be known, and how can single measures be created for each such block or compound, so that the comparisons can be made. (Author/JM)

High School and Beyond data set and path analytic techniques were used to compare Black and Hispanic high school seniors' achievement in public and in Catholic schools. When better ability measures were added to the causal models the apparent effect of Catholic schooling on minority achievement was greatly reduced. (Author/BS)

The objective of this study was to review and integrate the various methodologies used in the study of individual growth (especially academic growth). This was accomplished by means of Joreskog's general model for the analysis of covariance structures, i.e., each of the disparate methodologies available from the literature was shown to be a…

Individual differences in academic success were investigated in a geographically defined whole-population sample of very preterm children with a gestational age of less than 32 weeks or a birth weight of less than 1500 gm. The sample consisted of 264 very preterm children (75.6% of German-speaking survivors) and 264 controls matched for gender,…

Causal modeling was applied to data collected in a naturalistic setting in an attempt to validate a conceptual model of teaching. These data included supervisory ratings of the variables: specifying performance objectives, diagnosing learners, selecting instructional strategies, and interacting with learners collected on 82 student teachers.…

In this paper, personality characteristics of the students and their performance at school are linked together. The performance cycle model of 12 months duration used here contains causal relationships between initial achievement, the mediating variables of academic motivation and attentiveness, and final achievement. A random sample of 215…

Discusses the major findings of the 1988-89 study that investigated the impact of school library media centers on academic achievement in Colorado public schools. Highlights include research methodology; the effects of staff size, collection variety, funding, and library media specialists' instructional role; and suggestions for further research.…

Focusing on the family as a context for the development of life plans by youth, this report summarizes findings of a 14-year longitudinal study on the educational and occupational life plans and achievement of youth in rural low-income areas in six southeastern states. Specific attention is given to (1) how parental educational and occupational…

This study considered the relationships among five variables of school-community relations (access, communication, involvement, participation, and conflict resolution); measured the general relationship between parents' perceptions of school-community relations and their children's academic achievement; measured the contribution of each of the…