Prediction of 4-year college student performance using cognitive and noncognitive predictors and the impact on demographic status of admitted students.

This study was conducted to determine the validity of noncognitive and cognitive predictors of the performance of college students at the end of their 4th year in college. Results indicate that the primary predictors of cumulative college grade point average (GPA) were Scholastic Assessment Test/American College Testing Assessment (SAT/ACT) scores and high school GPA (HSGPA) though biographical data and situational judgment measures added incrementally to this prediction. SAT/ACT scores and HSGPA were collected and used in various ways by participating institutions in the admissions process while situational judgment measures and biodata were collected for research purposes only during the first few weeks of the participating students’ freshman year. Alternative outcomes such as a self-report of performance on a range of student performance dimensions and a measure of organizational citizenship behavior, as well as class absenteeism, were best predicted by noncognitive measures. The racial composition of a student body selected with only cognitive measures or both cognitive and noncognitive measures under various levels of selectivity as well as the performance of students admitted under these scenarios is also reported. The authors concluded that both the biodata and situational judgment measures could be useful supplements to cognitive indexes of student potential in college admissions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Operational Validity of a Video-Based Situational Judgment Test for Medical College Admissions: Illustrating the Importance of Matching Predictor and Criterion Construct Domains.

This study is part of a trend of examining noncognitive predictors, for example, a situational judgment test (SJT), as supplements to cognitive predictors for making college admission decisions. The authors examined criterion data over multiple academic years and universities. The criterion domain was broadly conceptualized, including both cognitive and interpersonal domains. The sample consisted of 7,197 candidates of the Medical and Dental Studies Admission Exam in Belgium. Results confirmed the importance of cognitive predictors. A video-based SJT was differentially valid for predicting overall grade point average for different curricula. The SJT showed incremental validity over cognitively oriented measures for curricula that included interpersonal courses, but not for other curricula. The SJT became more valid through the years. This demonstrates the importance of carefully specifying predictor- criterion linkages and of differentiating both predictor and criterion constructs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptions of Parental Involvement and Support as Predictors of College Students' Persistence in a Science Curriculum.

As technological and scientific skills are increasingly needed, finding that science students encounter significant problems in their academic program causes serious concern. The authors examined how perceived parental involvement and support predict college students' persistence in science based on J. P. Connell and J. G. Wellborn's (1991) theoretical model: Perceived parental involvement and support should foster student persistence by promoting students' competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Results suggest that perceived parental autonomy supports predicted scientific persistence partly through students' autonomy. Perceived parental involvement, although unrelated to persistence, was a significant predictor of autonomy and relatedness. Results suggest that perceived parental involvement and support have specific roles in predicting student self-processes and achievement, highlighting the importance of sustaining parents' contribution for college students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)