Extended criteria and predictors in college admission: Exploring the structure of study success and investigating the validity of domain knowledge

The utility of aptitude tests and intelligence measures in the prediction of the success in college is one of the empirically best supported results in ability research. However, the structure of the criterion “study success” has not been appropriately investigated so far. Moreover, it remains unclear which aspect of intelligence – fluid intelligence or crystallized intelligence – has the major impact on the prediction. In three studies we have investigated the dimensionality of the criterion achievements as well as the relative contributions of competing ability predictors. In the first study, the dimensionality of college grades was explored in a sample of 629 alumni. A measurement model with two correlated latent factors distinguishing undergraduate college grades on the one hand from graduate college grades on the other hand had the best fit to the data. In the second study, a group of 179 graduate students completed a Psychology knowledge test and provided available college grades in undergraduate studies. A model separating a general latent factor for Psychology knowledge from a nested method factor for college grades, and a second nested factor for “experimental orientation” had the best fit to the data. In the third study the predictive power of domain specific knowledge tests in Mathematics, English, and Biology was investigated. A sample of 387 undergraduate students in this prospective study additionally completed a compilation of fluid intelligence tests. The results of this study indicate as expected that: a) ability measures are incrementally predictive over school grades in predicting exam grades; and b) that knowledge tests from relevant domains were incrementally predictive over fluid intelligence. The results of these studies suggest that criteria for college admission tests deserve and warrant more attention, and that domain specific ability indicators can contribute to the predictive validity of established admission tests

Antecedents and Outcomes of Parental Homework Involvement: How Do Family-School Partnerships Affect Parental Homework Involvement and Student Outcomes?

Recent studies have demonstrated that parental homework involvement may not always foster students’ desired school outcomes. Such studies have also concluded that the quality of parental homework involvement matters, rather than the quantity. Most importantly, previous studies have shown that strong family-school partnerships (FSPs) may help to improve parental involvement. However, there is little research on how FSP is related to homework involvement. The aim of the present study is to examine the link between an effective family-school communication (EFSC) – as one aspect of FSP – and the quality of parental homework involvement in the German context. For this purpose, we developed a new measure of EFSC. Taking a self-determination theory perspective on parental need support, the quality of parental homework involvement was differentiated into two dimensions of parental supportive behavior: autonomy support and competence support. We analyzed the data of 309 parents (82% mothers) of school students (52% girls) who participated in an online survey. The structural equation model revealed a positive relation between EFSC and the quality of parental homework involvement, which in turn was positively associated with school performance and well-being. Moreover, we found that the quality of parental homework involvement mediated the relations of EFSC with achievement and well-being. The results of our study highlight the role of EFSC as a key performance factor that helps to improve the quality of parental homework involvement, thereby promoting student achievement and well-being

Learning profiles of international students and their longitudinal relationships with study satisfaction and drop-out intention

Obwohl immer mehr Bildungsausländer*innen an deutschen Hochschulen studieren, ist über die Einflussfaktoren auf ihren Studienerfolg bisher wenig bekannt. Da sie besonders gefordert sind, den Lernstoff eigenständig vor- und nachzuarbeiten, untersuchte die vorliegende Studie ihr Nutzungsverhalten kognitiver und metakognitiver Lernstrategien als Schlüsselkomponenten selbstregulierten Lernens und deren längsschnittliche Effekte auf Studienzufriedenheit und Abbruchintention. Anhand latenter Profilanalysen wurden bei N = 3,837 Bildungsausländer*innen vier Lernerprofile (Maximal-, Tiefen-, Durchschnitts- und Minimallerner) im ersten Studiensemester ermittelt und ihre prospektive Vorhersagekraft für die Studienzufriedenheit und Abbruchintention am Ende des ersten Studienjahres bestätigt. Aus den Befunden lassen sich Implikationen für die Gestaltung von (profil-)spezifischen Trainings- und Unterstützungsangeboten für Bildungsausländer*innen in Deutschland ableiten. (DIPF/Orig.)Although international students are a growing student group at German universities, little is known about the predictors of their academic success. Since they are faced with high demands to prepare and follow up on classwork, the present study analyzed their user profiles of cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies as key components of self-regulated learning and their longitudinal effects on study satisfaction and drop-out intention. Using latent profile analyses on N = 3,837 international students, four learning profiles (maximum learners, in-depth learners, average learners, minimum learners) were identified and their prospective predictive effects on study satisfaction and drop-out intention at the end of the first study year were approved. These findings inform the development of (profile-)specific measures to support international students in Germany. (DIPF/Orig.

Growth all along the road?: Personality development and international contacts of (in)experienced sojourners

International student mobility (ISM) is an important educational means to promote the international (job market) potential of university students. Beyond that, it constitutes a context of personality development in young adulthood. With the present research, we tried to integrate the perspectives of applied and personality research in addressing the following questions. First, we scrutinized the robustness of ISM effects on personality development as we controlled for effects of sociodemographic characteristics and implemented a waiting group design ( N  = 3070). Second, we explored ISM anticipation effects as well as the moderation of ISM effects by previous international mobility experiences. Finally, in view of the public discourse on the benefits of “Erasmus crowds”, we assessed the roles of international and host relationships with regard to the personality development of sojourners. The results largely corroborated the robustness of ISM effects on personality development. No ISM anticipation effects occurred, and effects of current ISM engagement were largely unaffected by previous international mobility experiences. Finally, international contact experiences were associated with personality development above and beyond effects of host country contacts. Implications for the understanding of personality development and potential inferences for the organization and improvement of ISM programs are discussed

person- and context perspectives on dominance and affiliation in adolescence

Der institutionelle Kontext Schule bietet Kindern und Jugendlichen täglich ein Forum, in dem sie ihre zentralen sozialen Motive nach Affiliation und Dominanz befriedigen können. Zum Verständnis des Affiliations- und Dominanzverhaltens im Klassenzimmer wurden in den theoretischen und den drei empirischen Abschnitten der Dissertation entwicklungspsychologische Erkenntnisse zu Peererfahrungen und pädagogisch-psychologische Überlegungen zum Schulgeschehen sowie Methoden der Bildungsforschung integriert. Teilstudie 1 befasst sich mit der Frage, ob die Kombination prosozialen und aggressiven Verhaltens in einem positiven Zusammenhang zur akademischen und psychosozialen Anpassungsleistung steht (vgl. resource control theory; Hawley, 1999). Fünft-, Siebt- und Neuntklässler (N = 3.209) wurden fünf Konfigurationen pro- und antisozialen Verhaltens zugeordnet. Die Schülergruppe, die sowohl ausgeprägtes aggressives als auch prosoziales Verhalten zeigte, war bezüglich einiger Indikatoren vergleichbar gut angepasst wie die prosoziale Gruppe und deutlich besser als die überwiegend aggressive Schülergruppe. Es ergeben sich jedoch keine Belege für potenzielle Entwicklungsvorteile gegenüber rein prosozialem Verhalten. Teilstudie 2 untersucht, welche Schülermerkmale soziale Dominanz vorhersagen, ob Merkmale der Klasse diese Assoziationen moderieren (vgl. person-group- similarity; Stormshak et al., 1999) und ob sich Dominanz auf Personenebene in unterschiedlichen Formen manifestiert. Bei N = 5.468 Siebtklässlern war Dominanz sowohl mit positiver schulischer und psychosozialer Anpassung assoziiert, als auch mit Problemverhalten. Mehrebenenanalysen bestätigten, dass der Klassenkontext einen Teil dieser Zusammenhänge deutlich moderierte. Latente Profilanalysen ergaben schließlich vier Dominanztypen, wovon zwei durch ein positives Anpassungsprofil und zwei eher durch Problemverhalten gekennzeichnet waren. Teilstudie 3 beleuchtet das Zusammenspiel von Affiliation (Akzeptanz und Ablehnung) und sozialer Dominanz. Mit latenten Profilanalysen wurden fünf Konstellationen dieser drei Statusmerkmale bei Siebtklässlern (N = 5.357) identifiziert. Die Statustypen unterschieden sich querschnittlich und drei Jahre später deutlich in ihrer akademischen und psychosozialen Anpassung. Auch nach konservativer Kontrolle weiterer relevanter Variablen erwies sich Dominanz eher als Risikofaktor für zukünftiges Problemverhalten, wenn sie mit Ablehnung durch die Klassenkameraden assoziiert war, als wenn sie gemeinsam mit Akzeptanz auftrat. Die Studie weist darüber hinaus auf differenzielle Geschlechtseffekte hin. In der Gesamtdiskussion werden die Befunde aus entwicklungs- und pädagogisch- psychologischer Sicht bewertet, die theoretischen und praktischen Implikationen exemplarisch hinsichtlich der Klassenführung und des Einsatzes kooperativer Lernformen diskutiert und Forschungsperspektiven für die Analyse von Peerdynamiken im Klassenzimmer aufgezeigt.The social context of schools offers adolescents an institutional forum in which they have the opportunity to satisfy their social drives for affiliation and dominance. To further understand affiliative and dominant behavior at school the dissertation integrated insights and methods from developmental psychology and educational research. Substudy 1 investigated whether the combination of prosocial and aggressive behaviors is associated with positive academic and psychosocial adjustment, as suggested by resource control theory (Hawley, 1999). Grade 5, 7, and 9 students (N = 3,209) were classified to five configurations of pro- and antisocial behavior. The group characterized by high levels of both kinds of behavior proved to be as well adjusted as the prosocial group on a number of academic and social outcomes, and much better adjusted than the predominantly aggressive group. However, there was no evidence for any developmental advantages of this kind of behavioral strategy relative to exclusively prosocial behavior. Substudy 2 examined which student characteristics predict social dominance at school, whether class characteristics moderate these associations, and whether social dominance takes different forms at the individual level. Data from N = 5,468 grade 7 students showed that social dominance was associated with positive educational and psychosocial adjustment, as well as with deviant behaviors. Multilevel analyses confirmed that the class context moderates some of these associations. Finally, latent profile analyses identified four types of socially dominant students, two of which showed very positive adjustment profiles, and two of which were characterized rather by disruptive and deviant behaviors. Substudy 3 addressed the interplay of affect components of peer status (acceptance and rejection) with status based on social dominance. Latent profile analyses identified five configurations of acceptance, rejection, and dominance in grade 7 students (N = 5,357). These peer status types showed considerable differences in educational and psychosocial adjustment concurrently and 3 years later. Finally, a conservative approach was used to test whether the status types predicted incremental change in adjustment. Dominance was a stronger risk factor for problematic behavior when it coincided with peer rejection than with peer acceptance. The study also found evidence for differential gender effects. In the general discussion, the empirical findings are summarized from the perspectives of developmental and educational psychology. Their theoretical and practical implications for classroom management and the use of cooperative forms of learning are discussed. Finally, avenues for the analysis of peer dynamics in the classroom are proposed and a possible agenda for future research is outlined

Eliteschulen in Deutschland. Eine Analyse zur Existenz von Exzellenz und Elite in der gymnasialen Bildungslandschaft aus einer institutionellen Perspektive

Der vorliegende Beitrag widmet sich der Frage nach der Existenz und Identifikation von Elite- und Exzellenzgymnasien. Eliteschulen wurden über Merkmale des sozialen Hintergrunds, Exzellenzgymnasien über die Testleistungen der Schülerinnen und Schüler definiert. Die Analysestichprobe bildeten N=410 Gymnasien der nationalen Erweiterung der PISA 2000-Studie. Auswertungen mittels latenter Profilanalysen zeigten, dass sich sowohl bei der Verwendung aggregierter Indikatoren der sozialen Komposition als auch bei der Analyse von aggregierten Testleistungen vier Gymnasialgruppen identifizieren ließen, von denen jeweils eine als Elite- bzw. Exzellenzcluster bezeichnet werden konnte. Die auf Basis der sozialen und der Leistungskomposition identifizierten Gruppen wiesen einen klaren Überlappungsbereich auf, konnten aber nicht gleichgesetzt werden. Diese Befunde zeigen, dass die Identifikation von Elite- bzw. Exzellenzschulen wesentlich von der Auswahl der definierenden Merkmale abhängt. Des Weiteren legen die Analysen nahe, dass der Begriff des Elite- bzw. Exzellenzgymnasiums als graduelles Konstrukt zu begreifen ist, da in keinem Fall eine von der Gesamtverteilung klar separierte Gruppe vorlag. (DIPF/Orig.)The author examines whether elite schools or schools of excellence actually exist in the field of secondary education and how they may be identified. Elite schools were defined according to characteristics of social background, secondary schools of excellence according to the students´ test-related achievements. The random sample for the analysis was formed by N = 410 secondary schools that had taken part in the national expansion of the PISA 2000 study. Evaluations through latent profile analyses showed that both in the application of aggregated indicators of social composition as well as in the analysis of aggregated partial achievements four groups of secondary schools could be identified, one of which, respectively, could be described as an elite or excellence cluster. Those groups identified on the basis of social and achievement-related compositions revealed a clearly defined field in which findings overlapped; yet, they could not be treated as equivalents. These results show that the identification of elite schools or schools of excellence depends primarily on the choice of the defining criteria. Furthermore, the analyses suggest that the term elite secondary school or secondary school of excellence is to be conceived of as a gradual construct because none of the cases examined revealed a group clearly separated from the overall distribution. (DIPF/Orig.

The Importance of a Sense of University Belonging for the Psychological and Academic Adaptation of International Students in Germany

Data and scripts for the main analyse

Academic Self-Efficacy and Value Beliefs of International STEM and Non-STEM University Students in Germany from an Intersectional Perspective

The expectancy–value theory (EVT) positions expectations and value beliefs as important predictors of academic success. We, thus, investigated the prevalence of academic self-efficacy and intrinsic, attainment, utility, and cost values amongst international STEM students in Germany, as well as their associations with gender, parental academic background, cultural characteristics, and their interplay. We also compared STEM to non-STEM students. Analyses with hierarchical multi-group regression models using data from 1590 international bachelor students (nSTEM = 882, nnon-STEM = 708) revealed high levels of academic self-efficacy, attainment, intrinsic, and utility values but also high costs. International STEM students indicated lower levels of academic self-efficacy than non-STEM students; all other results were similar in both subject-groups. There were no direct associations between gender and the expectancy–value components but continuous-generation students showed higher academic self-efficacy than first-generation students. Significant associations between cultural background and all expectancy–value components were identified, most of them applied to costs. In some cases, the associations differed by gender. Study-related language skills were related to all expectancy–value components whereas host- and home-culture orientations were distinctly associated with attainment, intrinsic, and utility values. Implications of the results for interventions supporting the academic success of international STEM students and future research needs are discussed