Effect of Gender and English Level on Grand Point Average - Essay Example

Effect of Gender and English Level on Grand point Average (GPA) Score Here and Heather Walen-Frederick Walden University Date: February 20, 2010 Abstract A 15-year longitudinal study of 369 children originally classified in second grade as exhibiting or not exhibiting behaviors commonly associated with attention deficit disorder was made and diagnostic data were collected on these children in second, fourth, and fifth grades and subsequent school performance was evaluated after ninth and twelfth grades. The study suggested that gender and English level of students have effect on grade point average (GPA). Female students reported higher GPA scores than male students and college preparatory English level students reported higher GPA scores than the other two general and remedial English level students. In addition, study suggested that students showing higher GPA score have less chance of showing attention deficit disorder that is there is inverse association between GPA score and ADD score. Effect of Gender and English Level on Grand point Average (GPA) Score of Students A number of studies have attempted to examine the long-term progenies of the attention deficit disorder (ADD). Substantial attention has been paid that grade point average (GPA) score of the students are related with the attention deficit disorder (ADD) score, and gender and English level of students have an effect on grade point average score of students. Attention deficit disorder is associated with an increased risk for drug involvement and confers a poorer level of psychosocial functioning (Realmuto et. al., 2009). Therefore, it has a negative effect on students grade point average (GPA) score. This study will examine the relationship between GPA score and attention deficit disorder (ADD)-like behavior score. In addition, the effect of gender and English level (remedial, general and college preparatory English level students) on GPA score of students will be also analyzed and discussed. According to Howell, Huessy & Hassuk (1985), this study differs from most follow-up studies in two ways. First, it begins with a total sample of all children of a given age in number of schools, therefore, capable of comparing children who do and do not exhibit attention deficit disorder (ADD)-like behavior. Second, it deals with a predominantly rural and small-town population, whereas previous studies have mainly focused on urban populations. Method Participants Participants were 216 students (54% boys, 46% girls) from one of 18 schools in northwestern Vermont. The schools were chosen in such a way to produce a reasonable cross section of rural schools within 40 miles of Burlington, VT. Age at first assessment, family background, racial/ethnic identity and other background variables were not assessed. Procedure All participants were part of a larger study conducted by Howell, Huessy, and Hassuk (1985). The original study began with 501 children in the second grade and consisted of six stages of data collection: 2nd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 9th grade, 12th grade, and 3 years post graduation. The first three assessments were collected via the child’s current teacher, the second two assessments were collected via school records and the final assessment was an extensive interview. Due to normal attrition, the sample size was reduced to 352 children by the end of the fifth grade. The present study utilizes data collected during all six collection periods and includes only those for whom complete data is available (N = 216). Measures Gender. The gender of the child was collected via a questionnaire completed by the child’s second grade teacher. Grade repetition. Whether or not the child repeated a grade during high school was assessed via school records at the end of the 12th grade. English level. The level of English class the child was enrolled in was assessed via the school record in the ninth grade. The three categories were: remedial, general and college preparatory. English grade. The grade the child received in English during the ninth grade was assessed via school records. Grades were: A, B, C, D, or F. Social adjustment problems. Whether or not the child exhibited any social adjustment problems in the ninth grade was assessed via school records. A child was considered to have a social adjustment problem if there were at least two notations in the record of infractions like disruptive classroom behavior, truancy, or setting fires in trash cans. High school dropout status. Whether or not the participant dropped out before completing high school was obtained from the interview conducted approximately three years post high school graduation. ADD-like behavior score. ADD-like behavior score is the average of three scores obtained during the second, fourth and fifth grades. Each child’s current teacher was asked to complete the form. The diagnostic instrument was a 21-item questionnaire that tapped behavioral components commonly associated with ADD. Teachers rated each child on a scale from 1 (low behavior) to 5 (high behavior), where 3 indicated an “average” level of behavior. For each of the three assessments, the 21 items were summed to obtain a total score. The score used in the present study reflect an average of these three assessments. Howell et al. (1985) reported high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha ranged from .93–.96 across the three assessments), and good validity for the measure. Intelligence quotient (IQ). IQ was assessed via a group administered Intelligence Test. Grade point average (GPA). Overall high school GPA was collected from school records at the end of the 12th grade. GPA was calculated using the following scale: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0. Results Descriptive Statistics Descriptive statistics for the variables used in this study are provided in Table 1. Table 1 Academic and Behavioral performances of Groups N Mean Median Mode Std. Deviation Variance Range ADD-like behavior score 216 52.85 53.00 51.67 10.45 109.25 52.00 IQ Score 216 102.35 103.00 95.00 12.56 157.69 82.00 GPA in 9th Grade 216 2.44 2.50 3.00 0.85 0.71 3.75 Gender 216 Male-53.7%, Female-46.3% Repeated Grade? 216 Yes-9.26%, No-90.74% 9th Grade English Level 216 College Prep-13.43%, General-71.3%, Remedial-15.28% 9th Grade English Grade 216 A-12.96%, B-37.96%, C-36.11%, D-11.57%, F-1.39% Social Adjustment Problems in 9th Grade? 216 Yes-88.43%, No-11.57% Dropped out of High School? 216 Yes-9.26%, No-90.74% Valid N (listwise) 216 Results for t Test The research question examined was: “Is there a difference in GPA in 9th Grade between male and female students?” The hypotheses tested were: The statistical assumptions for the independent-samples t-test include the following: (a) each data point in the sample is independent, (b) the data in each of the two populations are normally distributed, and (c) the two populations have equal variances. The results of the test were statistically significant, t(214) = -5.42, p < .001. Thus, the null hypothesis is rejected; there is a difference in GPA in 9th Grade for male and female students. Female students (M = 2.75, SD = .81) reported greater GPA in 9th Grade than male students (M = 2.17, SD = .78). The measure of effect size, as indexed by d, was .73, thus indicating a large effect between gender and GPA in 9th Grade. The 95% confidence interval for the difference in means was -.80 to -.37. Thus, the results of the test found that male and female students differed significantly on GPA in 9th Grade and that difference between the male and female student was large, with female student reporting higher GPA in 9th Grade than male student. Results for Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) The research question examined was: “Is there a difference in GPA in 9th Grade between remedial, general and college preparatory English level students?” The hypotheses tested were: The means are not all equal. The assumptions for an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) are: a) observations for the sample must be independent, b) homogeneity of variance (equal variances across the three groups). The results of the test were statistically significant, F(2, 213) = 14.21, p < .001. Thus, the null hypothesis is rejected; there are differences in GPA in 9th Grade among remedial, general and college preparatory English level students. The strength of the relationship between English level and GPA in 9th Grade of student, as indexed by η2 was moderate, with English level accounting for 12% of the variance in GPA in 9th Grade. A follow up Tukey test was performed to examine pair-wise differences because equal variances can be assumed. College preparatory English level students (M = 3.13, SD = .68) reported higher GPA in 9th Grade than both general (M = 2.38, SD = .81) and remedial (M = 2.10, SD = .84) English level students. General English level students (M = 2.38, SD = .81) reported higher GPA in 9th Grade than remedial English level students (M = 2.10, SD = .84). Thus, the results of the test found remedial, general and college preparatory English level students differed significantly on GPA in 9th Grade from each other GPA in 9th Grade. The difference between the remedial, general and college preparatory English level students was large, with college preparatory English level students reporting higher GPA in 9th Grades than the other two general and remedial English level students and general English level students reporting higher GPA in 9th Grades than the remedial English level students. Table 2 Analysis of Variance Table Source SS df MS F η2 p Between 18.08 2 9.04 14.212 .12 Read More