Noncognitive Predictors of Academic Achievement Among Nontraditional and Traditional College Students

• In Event: Persistence and Achievement

Abstract

We examined the degree to which non-cognitive variables including students’ conscientiousness levels, motivation, and time management predict college students’ academic achievement after controlling for their demographic and academic backgrounds. We also explored whether the degree to which students met the characteristics of non-traditional college students moderated the effects that non-cognitive factors had on academic achievement. Participants were 340 undergraduate students enrolled in an urban four-year Hispanic-serving institution in the southern U.S. Hierarchical linear regression analyses indicated that after controlling for high school GPA, conscientiousness and college self-efficacy remained significant predictors of college academic achievement. However, moderation analysis indicated that the positive effect conscientiousness has on achievement is observed for traditional college students, but it is absent for their non-traditional peers.

Authors

• Danya Marie Serrano, University of Houston - Downtown

• Kit Cho, University of Houston - Downtown