A dissertation completed at
The Center for Education, Widener University,
One University Place, Chester, PA 19013 		 
A STUDY OF SELECTED VARIABLES WHICH MAY PREDICT THE ACADEMIC SUCCESS ON THE NEW JERSEY HIGH SCHOOL PROFICIENCY TEST OF THE INCARCERATED MALE DELIQUENT
WALTER WIGGINS BARRETT, Ed. D.
April 5, 2001

RETURN
edited 6/20/01

 


ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to assess whether the selected variables of academic achievement, class grades, and cognitive ability predict the academic success of incarcerated male delinquents in reading, writing, and math as measured by the state mandated New Jersey High School Proficiency Test.

The primary research question was: Can the results of the Test of Adult Basic Education with its emphasis on reading, writing, math, and spelling, students' grades from classroom teachers, and the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, served as accurate predictors for the incarcerated delinquents' academic success on the New Jersey High School Proficiency Test (HSPT)?

The testing instruments in this study included the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) and the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT). The TABE test was utilized as a diagnostic tool for educational placement and as an achievement test. The K-BIT was administered as a psychological screening instrument and as the second independent variable. The students' grades from their transcripts of c!asswork while incarcerated were used as a third independent variable. This study used the student data from the HSPT administered to eleventh graders as the dependent variable.

The sample was based on the juvenile sample of 147 incarcerated male delinquents each of the three years of 1996, 1997, and 1998. Thus, a total of 441 HSPT was administered to these 441 students. The sample was stratified and randomly selected from a total population of 441 students. The computer eliminated one (1) subject. Thus leaving the total of 440 students.

The predictor variables were tested for collinearity using the Pearson's r correlation coefficients. The correlation coefficients yielded a positive relationship between the predictor variables and the criterion variable. The Stepwise Multiple Regression demonstrated that the significance of the subjects test scores was powerful enough to use as a predictor of academic success on the HSPT of the incarcerated male delinquent.

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