| Purpose. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT), the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT), Mathematics Skills Test (MAST), algebra grade, and sex could be used successfully, either singly or in combination, to predict success of students in high school chemistry. Four components of success in high school chemistry were examined: final grade, test average, quiz average, and daily average. Teachers' contribution to student success in chemistry was also ascertained.;Methods and procedures. The subjects for the study were 195 students from randomly selected high school chemistry classes, for fall semester 1989, in Gwinnett County public schools. The GALT, GEFT, and MAST were administered to students during the first week of class, and algebra grades and sex recorded. At the end of the semester, test, quiz, and daily averages were obtained from the instructors. Final grades were calculated by computing 33% daily average, 33% quiz average, and 33% test average. Two computer programs, Biomedical Data Package (BMDP) and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) were used for the statistical treatment of the predictive variables.;Results. The following linear regression equations were selected for the four criterion variables: (1) Y$spprimesb{rm FINALG}$ = 29.000 +.446 (ALGGRD) +.165 (MAST) +.651 (GALT) + 2.686 (SEX). (2) Y$spprimesb{rm TESTG}$ = 6.197 +.484 (ALGGRD) +.364 (MAST) +.947 (GALT) + 3.121 (SEX). (3) Y$spprimesb{rm QUIZG}$ = 31.553 +.538 (ALGGRD) + 1.026 (GALT). (4) Y$spprimesb{rm DAILYG}$ = 49.190 +.394 (ALGGRD) +.420 (GEFT) + 3.437 (SEX).;The comparatively large coefficients of determination for the regression models predicting final average (R$sp2$ =.36) and test average (R$sp2$ =.45) provided more effective measures for predicting students' achievement in chemistry, than the regression models for quiz and daily averages (R$sp2$ =.20 and.26, respectively). Teachers contributed significantly to predicting students' final chemistry average, chemistry quiz average, and chemistry daily average.;Conclusions. The findings of this study seemed to warrant the following conclusions: (1) Algebra grade, MAST, GALT, and sex can be used to predict final chemistry average and chemistry test average. (2) Algebra grade and GALT can be used to predict chemistry quiz average. (3) Algebra grade, GEFT, and sex can be used to predict chemistry daily average. |
