ERIC Number: EJ1272356
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2517-6323
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Predicting GPAs with Executive Functioning Assessed by Teachers and by Adolescents Themselves
Samuels, William Ellery; Tournaki, Nelly; Sacks, Stanley; Sacks, JoAnn; Blackman, Sheldon; Byalin, Kenneth; Zilinski, Christopher
European Educational Researcher, v2 n3 p173-194 2019
Executive functions (EFs) show promise as important mediators of adolescent academic performance. However, the expense of measuring EFs accurately has restricted most field-based research on them to smaller, non-longitudinal studies of homogeneous populations with specific diagnoses. We therefore monitored the development of 259 diverse, at-risk students' EFs as they progressed from 6th through 12th grade. Teachers completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) for a random subset of their students. At that same time, those same students completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Self Report (BRIEF-SR) about themselves; teachers generally reported stronger EFs in students than students reported in themselves. Results further indicated that both BRIEF and BRIEF-SR Global Executive Composite (GEC) scores--measures of overall executive functioning--significantly predicted overall GPAs more than was already predicted by students' gender, IEP status, and eligibility for free/reduced school lunch. BRIEF (teacher) scores were better predictors and contributed more to predictive accuracy than the BRIEF-SR (student) scores; BRIEF scores even added additional predictiveness to a model already containing BRIEF-SR scores, while the reverse did not hold. This study provides evidence for valid use of BRIEF and BRIEF-SR GEC scores to predict middle and high school GPAs, thereby supporting practitioners use for this purpose within similar, diverse, at-risk populations. The study also illuminates some of the EF development for this population during adolescence.
Descriptors: Grade Point Average, Predictor Variables, Executive Function, Adolescents, Academic Achievement, Secondary School Students, At Risk Students, Teacher Attitudes, Student Attitudes, Self Concept, Gender Differences, Special Needs Students, Socioeconomic Status, Charter Schools, Urban Schools, Individualized Education Programs
The European Educational Researcher. University of Seville Faculty of Education, Department of Teaching and Educational Organization, C/ Pirotecnia s/n 41013 Seville, Spain. Tel: +34-955-420590; Fax: +34-954-554306; e-mail: editor@eu-er.com; Web site: http://www.eu-er.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education; Grade 6; Grade 7; Grade 8; Grade 9; Grade 10; Grade 11; Grade 12
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York (New York)
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Author Affiliations: N/A