Discusses a recent study that examined the impact of teaching style and of learning style on the academic achievement of health professionals returning to continuing education courses. The effects of teaching and learning style were measured by examining each student's grade at the end of the course and adjusting it for the student's overall grade…

In an Ohio State study, medical students pursuing an independent study program and students in the traditional program performed similarly on part 1 of the National Board of Medical Examiners examinations and in their required clerkships. Differences identified resulted in curricular changes.(Author/MLW)

Examined the relationship between empathy and grade point average in 201 secondary school students, who completed the National Consortium for Humanizing Education Communication Index. Results showed that communication of empathic understanding was related to academic performance, but the selection of an interchangeable response was not related.…

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of high school students to calculate the actual improvement in freshman grade point average, college completion, and total years of schooling from colleges' use of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Crouse compares predictions based on high school rank to argue that the SAT's costs do not justify…

Data from a 1975 survey using a large sample were analyzed to study the interactions among sex, race, social class, undergraduate grade point average, and the rank of the graduate or professional school attended. Results indicated strong associations between students' academic merit and attendance at prestigious colleges. (GDC)

In support of Ginsberg's theory (TM 508 964), a third corollary to the Conservation of Discretion Law is proposed: Where possible, the worker will use a statistic not as a statistic but, rather, as an instrument to reduce the workload. Three illustrations are presented: grade point averages, crime rates, and recidivism rates. (BW)

Given the increased data-based capabilities of educational institutions, educational researchers should have more opportunities to use sequential designs. This paper illustrates how to analyze educational data from a cohort-sequential design. University data pertaining to grade inflation were analyzed using a variant of multiple regression.…

Academic and general admissions data are correlated with the final grade point average and professional leadership potential of 95 graduate students. Results indicated autobiographical statements and recommendations predicted academic performance while academic skills were related to leadership success. (Author/BL)

Validity coefficients of the Descriptive Tests of Language Skills, the Academic Tests of the ACT Assessment Program (ACT), and high school percentile rank were calculated with cumulative grade point average (CGPA) at end of each of four years of college for 496 students entering through a special admissions program. The most valid predictor of…

This research investigates the psychometric properties of a Foreign Language Attitude Scale (FLAS). Stepwise regression indicated that the FLAS made a significant contribution to the prediction of FL grades. In a second study, correlations between the FLAS and standardized measures of FL reading and listening proficiency were in the middle .40s.…

The contemporary problem of culture-fair selection exists largely because currently used predictors provide only weak prediction of college success. The Scholastic Aptitude Test may add little to the validity of High School Grade Point Average as a predictor of Grade Point Average. When this occurs for ethnic minorities who score low on the SAT,…

This longitudinal study identified twenty-five K-6 teachers as high (H) or low (L) graders and tracked their students' deportment and absence rates for two successive years. Three behavior patterns were identified. (Editor)

This report provides information from a major technical study about the influence of non-academic factors, alone and combined with academic factors, on student retention and performance at four-year colleges and universities. A meta-analysis technique was used to identify the non-academic factors that had the most salient relationship to…

This study examined the usefulness of applying the Rasch rating scale model (D. Andrich, 1978) to high school grade data. ACT assessment test scores (English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science) were used as "common items" to adjust for different grading standards in individual high school courses both within and across schools. This…

In 1997, all high schools in the largest school district in Colorado were invited to participate in a study of whether students who participated in school-sponsored activities were different from nonparticipants with respect to grade point averages (GPAs) and school attendance. The project also studied differences in these areas for gender,…