The predictive validity of the Abstract Reasoning Test and the Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices Test for the academic results of first year engineering students
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Date
2015-08-19
Authors
Groves, Julia
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Abstract
This research project examined the predictive validity of the Abstract Reasoning Test
and the Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices on the academic results of first
year engineering students. Additionally, biographical variables were examined in
order to assess their contribution to the student’s scores on the psychometric tests.
This research is important as the engineering department were looking to combat the
high failure rate amongst first year engineering students. The department was
looking to use the ART and the Raven’s to foresee the subjects in which students
would struggle, enabling them to prepare extra assistance in this regard. The sample
was the 2013 and 2014 first year engineering students at the University of the
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (N=395). The analysis showed that the ART and
Raven’s do not predict the academic results of engineering students in their first year
of study. The academic results refer to the marks obtained in the first year subjects
of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Economics and
Mathematics. However, the biographical variables (especially those of home
language and race) play an important role in contributing to the scores achieved on
both psychometric tests.
Description
A research project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA by coursework and Research Report in the field of Industrial Psychology in the Faculty if Humanities, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 14 February 2015.