Learning behavior and intelligence as explanations for children's scholastic achievement

This study assesses the unique and complementary ability of childhood intel ligence and learning-related behavior to explain variation in achievement o utcomes. Teacher-observed classroom learning behaviors and individually adm inistered intelligence and achievement test performances were collected for a representative national sample (N = 1,100) of students ages 6-17 years. The sample was blocked for age, grade level, and gender, and stratified acc ording to the U.S. Census by race/ethnicity, parent education level, nation al region, community size, family structure, and educational placement. Tea cher-assigned grades were collected for a secondary national sample (N = 42 0). Hierarchical regression models revealed substantial proportions of assi gned grade variance explained primarily by learning behavior and achievemen t test score variance explained by intelligence. Explanatory patterns remai ned consistent after control for demographics and alternative intellectual or behavioral variation, and the variance explained jointly by learning beh avior, intelligence, and their interactions exceeded appreciably the contri butions of any one source. Implications are discussed for educational asses sment and intervention. (C) 1999 Society for the Study of School Psychology . Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.