Academic merit, status variables, and students' grades
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Date
1985-09-01
Authors
Stockard, Jean
Dwight, Lang
Wood, J. Walter
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Georgia
Abstract
Students' grades are important mechanisms for
advancement and success in life. Grades are criteria
for college admission and academic awards,
and they undoubtedly influence the encouragement
and advice students receive regarding their future
plans. In using grades in these ways it is assumed
that they reflect students' actual achievement. This
paper examines this assumption by looking at the
extent to which ability, social class, and gender, as
well as achievement. influence students' grades in
school. Earlier work is extended by including both
gender and social class in the analysis and by examining
influences on students' grades in each year
from the 7th- to the 12th-grade and both the total
grade average and marks in the subject areas of
mathematics and English. The total grade averages
were examined because they have most often been
the focus of other studies. English and mathematics
grades were examined because of the centrality
of these disciplines to the school curriculum and
because of the association of achievement in these
areas with both gender and social class.
Description
9 pages
Keywords
academic achievment, social class, gender
Citation
Stockard, J., Dwight, L., & Wood, J. W. (1985). Academic merit, status variables, and student’s grades. Journal of Research & Development in Education, 18(2), 12—20.