Social Skills' and Learning Behaviors' Relationship with Academic Achievement in a Low-Income Urban Elementary School Population
Open Access
Author:
Pearson, Jeremy Lynn
Graduate Program:
School Psychology
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
December 10, 2004
Committee Members:
Frank C Worrell, Committee Chair/Co-Chair James Kenneth Mcafee, Committee Member Jeffrey G. Parker, Committee Member
Keywords:
social skills learning behaviors academic achievement
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the school ability, social skills, learning behaviors, and gender and the academic achievement of children who attend a low income urban elementary school in Baltimore, MD. In order to develop a clearer understanding of the variables that contribute to academic achievement in a low-income urban population, an examination of multiple variables previously shown to effect achievement is necessary. Participants included 72 students who attended 1st and 2nd grade and their teachers in this low-income elementary school. Each teacher completed the Social Skills section of the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) and the Learning Behavior Scale. Each student was assessed on the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test- 8 (OLSAT-8) and his or her achievement scores from the Stanford Achievement Test- 10 (Stanford 10) were accessed. The resulting model comparison indicated that school ability and learning behaviors both have significant direct effects on academic achievement. School ability and social skills were found to have significant direct affects on learning behaviors. Furthermore, the addition of social skills and gender to a model comprised of learning behaviors and school ability did not increase the model’s ability to predict academic achievement.
