A Central Missouri State University study of the effects of part-time employment on first-year grade point averages, credits earned, and second-semester retention found no significant differences between students employed in work-study or regular employment, or not employed. Implications for counseling and evaluating financial aid packages are…

This study examined the effect of dental hygiene preparation prior to entering dental school on dental school performance by 203 female students. Performance analysis based on grade point averages and admission test scores revealed that the hygienists generally did as well as nonhygienists in spite of weaker admission credentials. (GLR)

Comparison of data on 8,748 students with learning disabilities (LD) and 78,757 nondisabled peers who took the American College Testing (ACT) examinations found ACT performance less predictable for the LD group. For both groups, math credits best predicted ACT Math scores, and high school grade point average best predicted ACT English and Science…

Item response theory (IRT) is used to develop a form of adjusted cumulative grade point average (GPA) for use in predicting college academic performance appropriately for males and females. For 1,564 students at Stanford University (California), the IRT-based GPA was more predictable from preadmission measures than the cumulative GPA. (SLD)

Examines grading systems in undergraduate education at a large university, using data from a 12-month ethnographic study. Identifies how grades determine student movement from college to other organizations. Questions relationships of grading systems to students' perceptions of their own knowledge and grading's role in educational outcomes. Finds…

Examines attitudinal variables (e.g., math anxiety, attitude toward success), locus of control, high school grade point average (HSGPA), and Scholastic Aptitude Test Quantitative (SATQ) scores as predictors of first-quarter grades in a developmental mathematics course. Reports that HSGPA, SATQ, and self-confidence were significant predictors of…

The conceptualization and measurement of student anger is discussed, and results from a study with 248 elementary school students are presented to demonstrate that specific ways of controlling and expressing anger can differentially affect school results. The predictive power of measures of anger and product terms are considered. (SLD)

Describes a journal-based orientation course at a small, public two-year technical college. Reports on a study of 160 students which found that the orientation-course grade was a better predictor of student success (as measured by timely graduation and grade point average) than high school rank and far superior to the American College Testing…

Describes a study that analyzes variables affecting students' decisions to withdraw from liberal arts and science courses. Findings indicated that students with higher GPAs were more likely to withdraw from class than students with low GPAs, perhaps to preserve their averages and repeat the course with higher grades. Contains five data tables and…

Used data from the 1980 High School and Beyond study to examine the educational fortunes of a cohort 6 years after high school graduation. Data show that schools serving more poor students were less likely to "send" students to college and that high school grade point average and parents' education were significant at every stage in the…

Describes a study comparing the performance of 61 adult (age 25+) and 95 traditionally aged (age 18-24) two-year college students in five remedial English and five remedial math courses. Indicates that age accounts for little variance in student expectations and that learner-centered classes had strong relationships with high grades. Contains 5…

Examined the organizational characteristics of 51 higher education institutions in relationship to student performance and growth. Findings included that the different 2-year and 4-year campus missions do exert significantly different influences on undergraduate GPA and self-reported intellectual growth, with students at 2-year institutions…

Examined the relationship of race, traditional academic measures (high school GPA and rank, ACT scores), and nonacademic variables (measured by the Bryson Instrument for Noncognitive Assessment, or BINA) to the first-year grades of specially-admitted college students. Found that predictors of college success functioned differently for blacks and…

Examined the impact of high school participation in Upward Bound on freshman-year grade point average (GPA), dropout rate, mathematics performance, and English performance among African American students. There were no differences between intervention and control group students' freshman GPA and dropout rates. Mathematics performance was…

This article reports on two studies conducted at the same university, one investigating the link between ESL scores on an advanced ESL test and the grade point average (GPA) obtained over two semesters and the other investigating the link between French second language (FSL) scores on an advanced L2 test and both the number of courses failed and…