Although it is likely that plans to attend a 4-year college are made much earlier than the last 2 years of high school, few researchers have assessed the pre-high school factors that influence high school performance and course-enrollment decisions, which, in turn, affect college attendance. The data presented in this article were collected as…

A new policy requiring faculty members to take attendance in first-year courses was implemented in a large public, metropolitan university. In the first semester, the number of first-time, full-time, first-year students earning grade point averages of 2.0 or higher improved by more than 10% compared to the previous four years. A detailed analysis…

This study focuses on the relationship between the personality characteristics of entering law students and academic success in law school. The subjects (137) were entering law school students at Pepperdine University School of Law. Students were administered the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) as a measure of their temperament and…

For the past eight years the University of Michigan has offered two different styles of biochemistry courses each semester, one a standard lecture-based and discussion-section (SLB) course and one a self-paced, non-lecture Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) course. We tracked student responses to selected exam questions that were used in…

The current study compared the school and psychological functioning of 122 gifted and high-achieving students to that of 176 general education students educated in the same school. Relative to their peers in general education, gifted and high-achieving students served in the school's International Baccalaureate (IB) program reported more positive…

In the spring of 1986 the first of a series of studies was undertaken by the faculty members in counselor education at Western Carolina University to revise and validate the admissions standards for the master's degree programs in counseling. Impetus for these efforts was provided by a request from the Dean of the Graduate School for all graduate…

Student participation in athletics and other extracurricular activities has declined following the implementation of the C-Average Policy in Washington (District of Columbia) junior and senior high schools. However, few students and advisors attributed the lack of participation to the policy, particularly at the senior high school level. Intended…

A study was conducted at Phillips County Community College (PCCC) to analyze the impact of freshman orientation classes on students' persistence and academic performance. The participants in the study were all first-time, full-time freshmen who entered PCCC during the fall 1982, spring 1983, or fall 1983 semesters. During the registration process,…

The effectiveness of Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores in predicting success during the first phase of medical education is investigated. The process by which medical students are educated and evaluated, the nature and purpose of the MCAT, and the MCAT Interpretive Studies Program developed by the Association of American Medical…

A study of the usefulness of traditional admission criteria in predicting student achievement found that standardized secondary school examination scores and branch of study were highly predictive of college cumulative grade point average, and that the scores reflected intellective as well as non-intellective factors pertaining to students'…

This study investigated whether gender-based differences in psychological adjustment, coping, racial identity, and grade point average (GPA) existed among 100 at-risk, urban, African American high school students. Students completed the Affects Balance Scale, Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences, and Black Racial Identity Scale.…

A meta-analytic review was conducted on published studies examining the relationship between performance on the quantitative and verbal components of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and graduate grade point average. Results suggest that the quantitative and verbal components of the GRE possess minimal predictive validity. (SLD)

Factor analysis of a measure of emotional intelligence was performed on data from 295 undergraduates, reducing the scale to 51 items and 5 factors. Accounting majors and international students had lower scores. Participation in fraternities/sororities and sports organizations was associated with higher scores. (Contains 25 references.) (SK)

Investigated the validity of the Swedish model for selection to higher education, using S. Messick's (1989) four-faceted model of validity and grade-point-average and admissions test data for 314 college students. Results challenges the unidimensional use of the selection instruments. (SLD)

This study examined the relationship between environment-based education and high school students' critical thinking skills and disposition toward critical thinking. Four hundred four 9th and 12th grade students from 11 Florida high schools participated in the study. A Pretest-Posttest Nonequivalent Comparison Group Design (9th grade) and a…