NONCOGNITIVE FACTORS, REMEDIAL ACTION, AND THEIR RELATIONS TO ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY AND AN INTERVENTION

Abstract

The goals of this research were to examine (a) whether noncognitive factors might share a common underlying dimension – or a “common core” – that predicts academic performance, (b) whether this common core might exert its influence on academic performance through remedial action, and (c) whether an experimental intervention that addressed remedial action could contribute to academic performance. In Study 1, seven noncognitive factors were found to load onto a single latent factor (the common core). This common core predicted end-of-year grades, after controlling for the unique aspects of each noncognitive factor, gender, socio-economic status, and prior grades. Remedial action mediated the effects of the common core on academic performance. In Study 2, a novel intervention that targeted remedial action increased Secondary 1 students’ intent to take remedial action, which was in turn associated with better academic performance five months later. These effects were stronger for students in the low-performing academic stream. Together, these findings suggest that noncognitive factors share a common core, and this common core may contribute to academic performance through remedial action. Interventions that address remedial action could provide a promising approach that help improve students’ academic performance.