A model was proposed to examine the effects of mathematical aptitude and academic orientation on performance. The calculated path coefficients did not strongly support the model. Mathematical aptitude has a direct effect on college performance, whereas the effect of academic orientation was mediated by high school performance and mathematical…

This study developed an approach to evaluating the appropriateness of student effort within a mastery instructional system and then investigated the interrelationship of achievement motivation, effort, and achievement in two college courses. Appropriate effort was strongly correlated with student achievement. (Author/RL)

An extension of the methods of path analysis to include studies of categorical data was described and exemplified in a causal study of college dropouts. The usual models and methods of causal (path) analysis were designed for the study of quantitative variables and are not appropriate when the variables under investigation are categorical.…

A conceptual model of the factors affecting dropout syndrome was develop emphasizing academic, social, and personal outcomes of the selection or socialization of students at a university. The model was estimated using path analysis, and the intervening variables were found to be important predictors of dropout syndrome. (Author/DWH)

Most existing research suggests that financial aid has a positive effect on minority student persistence although there are few multivariate studies that analyze the benefits of financial aid to Hispanic undergraduates at four-year colleges. This study used path analysis to evaluate the strength of various predictors of student persistence,…

A path analytic model is hypothesized and tested to explain the effect of a series of intellective and nonintellective student attributes on high school achievement and college achievement. Patterns of predictability for male and female students are compared. (Author/GK)

Finds that lower attention to news about AIDS was predicted by negative attitudes toward homosexuality, conservative AIDS policy attitudes, lower perceived risk of getting AIDS, in addition to being male, older, white, and better educated. Finds that the model predicted media attention better for men than for women. (SR)

Examines seven articles that employed path analysis to test causal models of the acquisition of literacy or the reading-writing relationship. Reveals that, although such analysis holds promise for a better understanding of the components of literacy, several potential difficulties remain for those attempting to synthesize this body of literature.…

The influence of financial aid on college student persistence was studied using causal modeling. The study population was 227 full-time freshmen, who enrolled in fall 1982 at a liberal arts college at a large commuter institution. All the students received financial aid. The model, which included background and academic variables, accounted for…

Traditional information processing (or high-involvement) models hold that cognitive change leads to attitude change which leads to behavior change. It has been suggested, however, that in many advertising situations, cognitive change can lead directly to behavior change, and that for many products advertising is a "low involvement"…

Tested a path model reflecting developmental and chronic types of career indecision on counseling students (N=164) and high school students (N=155). Data from both samples supported the model, confirming the role of trait anxiety in career indecision. (JAC)

This study extended the knowledge of the explanatory power of Tinto's theoretical model of college persistence/withdrawal through a multi-institutional validation. Path analysis was used to test the model overall and at three different groupings of postsecondary institutions: four-year, predominantly residential; and four-year, and two-year,…

The university's role in student drinking behavior includes understanding the practice. Nearly 98% of students have had at least one drink. Men drink more than women and those who become intoxicated do so intentionally. Suggests a rational approach to discourage intemperate drinking. (JAC)

Develops a causal model that explains over 40% of the variance in matriculation mathematics achievement of mature internal and external students at the University of Papua New Guinea. Background variables seem more important in the learning of mathematics compared to mediating variables for external students than for internal students. (MDH)

Using path analysis, studied the role of self-efficacy beliefs concerning academic attainment and regulation of writing, academic goals, and self-standards in writing-course attainment of 95 college freshmen. Different facets of perceived self-efficacy played a key role in writing-course attainment. (SLD)