A PROSPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF PSYCHOSOCIAL PREDICTORS OF ACHIEVEMENT

The importance of psychosocial factors in understanding the processes and developmental trajectories affecting academic achievement from sch ool entry to 16 years of age was investigated in a high-risk sample. B ased on an organizational-developmental perspective, school achievemen t was conceptualized as a salient developmental issue. As part of a 17 -year prospective longitudinal study, data from early infant experienc e to assessments on high school achievement were used in this study Ps ychosocial and contextual predictor variables included: early psychoso cial-developmental history from 12 months to 3 years of age, quality o f the home environment upon school entry, cumulative maternal life str ess, and cumulative school socioemotional adjustment. Results indicate d that psychosocial variables obtained in the first three years of lif e predicted achievement in elementary school. These variables and late r psychosocial variables were also shown to he significant even after controlling for the effects of IQ or prior achievement. The results ar e discussed with regards to future research.