| Prediction of Recurring Motivated Learning Strategies their Relation to Academic Success |
| Several motivated learning strategies have been shown to predict academic success, such as engaging in metacognition (i.e. taking the time to consider one’s understanding) and regulated effort (Crede & Phillips, 2010). In past work, these learning strategies have been treated as traits that describe how students tend to behave, rather than the behavioral states they are theoretically described as. The current work examines weekly engagement in these learning strategies and models both mean-level and variability in engagement. These state-level descriptions of behavior are then predicted by the Student Behavior and Experiences Inventory, as well as related to semester GPA. |
| Cultural Basis of Responding to Situational Judgement Items |
| Situational judgment inventories present participants with a dilemma and force the participant to choose from a variety of potential responses. The present research examines the extent to which differences in American and Chinese responding can be attributed to differences in cultural values. |
| Non-Cognitive Predictors of Student Success: A Predictive Validity Comparison Between Domestic and International Students |
| Given the increasing interest in utilizing non-cognitive predictors in the college admissions process and rising enrollment of international students, research is warranted to compare the predictive validity of these measures across domestic and international students. Results indicate some predictive validity differences do exist, and explanations are being explored. |
| Do Course Difficulty, Conscientiousness, and SES Explain Predicted Performance Differences? |
| The Cleary (1969) method is one of the most dominant approaches to identifying differential prediction across groups. Although generally considered a negative aspect of a test, differential prediction can occur for a number of reasons. One possibility is that differential prediction could result from an omitted variable problem (Sackett, Laczo, & Lippe, 2003), which occurs when a relevant variable that is related to both the dependent variable and other predictors in the model is excluded. Keiser et. al (2016) recently showed that the differential prediction of college GPA across sexes could be reduced after accounting for course-difficulty and conscientiousness. The present study examined similar differences across Races (White/Black/Asian/Multiracial) by examining the effects of adding conscientiousness, course-difficulty, and socioeconomic status (SES) to a model of college performance. The present study integrated previous research indicating that course difficulty, mean course aptitude, and conscientiousness are relevant omitted variables, which have previously been shown to significantly reduce differential prediction across sexes. In addition, the present study also added SES to the model and indicated that SES did a much better job of explaining differential prediction findings across races than the other variables. While the addition of these variables did considerably reduce the extent of differential prediction between Black, Hispanic, Multiracial and White students, the dichotomous race variable was still significant suggesting that more research is needed to understand differences across these groups. |
| The Use of Composites and Impact on Selected Individual Demographics |
| Research presented explores the impact on demographic makeup of selected applicants from using a composite of cognitive predictors for selection compared to a composite of cognitive and non-cognitive predictors. Selection rates for Black individuals generally increased and Asian selection rates generally decreased when the cognitive and non-cognitive composite was used. |
| Predictors of Academic Growth among Struggling Students. |
| Utilizing multiple semesters of student academic performance, the present research seeks to identify what separates students who overcome initial failures from those who seem unable to improve. Noncognitive attributes measured from the Student Behavior and Experiences Inventory are used to predict these outcomes among students who demonstrate poor initial performance in college. |
| Perseverance and Adaptability in Gendered Contexts |
| Research would suggest that success in contexts where one is in the minority may require characteristics to overcome stereotype threat, not just ability. Women in male dominated fields may need higher perseverance and adaptability to be successful. While this may be true to some extent for men in female dominated fields, research has suggested that effects of being in the minority are asymmetrical (i.e., not as strong for men in the minority or non- existent for men in the minority; indeed some research suggest men have greater gains in terms of outcomes when they are in the minority). In this study we examine whether the validities of the perseverance and adaptability scales of the SBEI in predicting GPA are influenced by the gender composition of a major (using both MSU data and national occupational data) and gender of the student. |
| The Influence of Cultural Distance on Non-Cognitive Predictors of Academic Performance |
| Given increasing interest in utilizing non-cognitive predictors in the college admissions process and rising enrollment of international students, research is warranted to compare the predictive validity of these measures across domestic and international students. Results indicate some predictive validity differences do exist. Specifically, Situational Judgement, Continuous Learning, Social Responsibility, and Perseverance display consistent differential validity. This differential validity does not seem to be the result of measures acting as a proxy for English ability, and the relationship between non-cognitive predictors and 1st semester GPA for international students does not seem to be moderated by cultural distance. |
