The Role of Academic Buoyancy in College Student Achievement

• In Event: 16.058 - Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: 16.058-2 - Beyond Assessing Achievement: Understanding the Process of Shaping Student Outcomes

Abstract

Motivation is established as critical to college student success. Through recent research, academic buoyancy was proposed as an emerging construct to consider when predicting students’ success. This study (N=389) examined individual roles and relationships among motivation, academic buoyancy, college placement tests and SAT scores, in relation to student success. Reported item and scale level descriptive statistics are provided. Correlations among variables illustrated the relationship between buoyancy and other traditionally used predictors of academic achievement. Further, regression analyses indicated that academic buoyancy is a significant predictor of academic success, as measured by first-semester college GPA. The results of this study advance understanding of the buoyancy construct in a post-secondary setting. Additionally, these results expand research on student motivation and academic achievement.

Authors

• Carolyn R. Strickland, Pennsylvania College of Technology

• Rayne A. Sperling, The Pennsylvania State University