"Making the Grade"

Abstract of a paper by Alexis F. Steele

I was specifically researching what common factors may predict or influence success in middle school. Success was defined as a 3.5 to 4.0 grade point average (GPA). I thought that the breast-feeding, education level of parents, if they eat a good breakfast, and typing skill would be the group of factors which would allow the most significant difference between students with different GPA's. This research project deals with a specific sample of students - Muirlands Middle School - and was researched through questionnaires distributed in 8th Grade Advanced Science classes and 7th grade science classes. I then recorded all the gathered information according to grade level and GPA. In my results I found that breast-feeding and education level of parents indeed correlated with GPA, but the correlation was weaker with their typing skill and if they ate a good breakfast. The final group of factors that had the strongest correlation with a student's GPA is as follows: motivation, birth order, divorce, breast-feeding, parent education level.

Advisor: B. Stephens, Muirlands Middle School.

Alexis Steele