Selected Variables and College Achievement

The purpose of the researcher was to investigate selected variables and college achievement. The independent variables investigated were: size of high school, father’s formal education, mother’s formal education, college extracurricular activities, race, family structure, and social status. The dependent variable was college grade point average. The sample consisted of 74 females and 57 males. Five composite null hypotheses were tested, employing a three-way analysis of variance (general linear model). A total of 21 comparisons were made. Of the 21 comparisons, 7 were for main effects and 14 were for interactions. Of the 7 main effects, 3 were statistically significant at the .05 level. The following main effects were statistically significant: 1. College extracurricular activities for the dependent variable GPA, 2. Mother’s formal education for the dependent variable GPA, and 3. Social status for the dependent variable GPA. Of the 14 interactions, 4 were statistically significant at the .05 level. The following interactions were statistically significant: 1. Father’s formal education and college extracurricular activities, 2. Father’s formal education, mother’s formal education, and college extracurricular activities, 3. Father’s formal education and race, and 4. Size of high school and family structure. The results of the present study appeared to support the following generalizations: 1. Social status is associated with college achievement, and 2. Interactions for father’s formal education and college extracurricular activities; father’s formal education, mother’s formal education, and college extracurricular activities; father’s formal education and race; and size of high school and family structure.