The Promoting Achievement in School through Sport (PASS) program is a year-long high school course that uses sports to enhance academic achievement. PASS features an integrated curriculum that addresses the student physically, mentally, and behaviorally, and an interdisciplinary approach combining language arts, philosophy, social studies,…

Although both the University of California and the California State University systems have the option to use plus or minus grades in student evaluations, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges (CCC) does not allow the use of such a grading system. Since 1985, the CCC's Academic Senate has lobbied the Board to allow local…

This study was designed to investigate the extent to which grade inflation has existed at Brigham Young University (BYU) after accounting for increased preparation levels of entering students over time. Analyses were conducted for the university at large and individual colleges. The study first developed a model to forecast student grade point…

This study examined factors contributing to under- and over-achievement in first-year college students at York University in Ontario (Canada). The difference between predicted and actual first-year grades of a sample of 1,229 students entering York University in 1994 was examined on the basis of information obtained from administrative records, a…

The effect of gender and grade point average (GPA) on emotional intelligence (EQ) was studied using the Emotional Intelligence Inventory. The inventory was completed by 138 college students, and data were analyzed using a multivariate factorial model with three factors of EQ as dependent variables (compassion, self-awareness, and attunement) and…

The purpose of this project was to develop a structural model using several important variables related to academic achievement among top college students. Measures of college grade point average (GPA), high school GPA, score on the ACT Assessment, age, and the number of credit hours taken during the college years were collected from graduating…

A study was done to investigate the relative success in higher education of students who had a high school diploma as compared to those who had not graduated from high school but rather completed a General Educational Development (GED) certification. A review of the literature on research of this question indicated that either there was no…

A study was done of college students' current perceptions of the most and least important characteristics of an ideal professor. These perceptions were compared with findings from earlier studies, and differences among student groups (based on gender, college status, grade point average (GPA), and majors) were compared. The study surveyed 356…

This paper examines the phenomenon of undergraduate cheating and reports on a survey returned by 232 students at Rutgers University (New Jersey) concerning their cheating experiences. Findings indicated 22 percent of students said they had never cheated in college, 45 percent indicated they had cheated occasionally (in "one or two"…

The traditional system of letter grades discourages college-bound students from taking difficult courses. Many colleges look closely at an applicant's grade point average (GPA). When a student's GPA is computed, a grade from an easy course carries as much weight as a grade from a difficult course. Since a student can achieve a higher grade with…

Initiated in 1979, this study obtained empirical evidence regarding the predictive validity of the restructured Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Aptitude Test. Of special concern were the questions regarding the contribution of the analytical section, as well as obtaining evidence of the correlational validity of scores on the restructured verbal…

A review of research shows that college students' anticipated or actual grades in class are positively related to their evaluation of courses and teachers but that overall grade point average seems unrelated. Teacher- or course-induced interest in the subject and perception of amount learned also show positive correlations. (JT)

Using items gathered directly from learners and checked against a theoretical model of learning, an instrument to assess learning strategies was developed. The approach involved collection of descriptions of learning strategies from undergraduate and graduate students, implementation of a principal components analysis to determine the factor…

The effectiveness of noncognitive variables in predicting college grades and persistence for international students over 8 semesters was studied at the University of Maryland, College Park. The Noncognitive Questionnaire (NCQ), an instrument designed to assess eight noncognitive variables found to be related to academic success for U.S. minority…

This study of the validity of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test used data from predictive validity studies that were conducted by the GRE Validity Study Service (VSS) in 79 graduate departments. The performance criterion was first-year grades in graduate school. Observed validities were computed, and for each graduate department…