Predicting Academic Performance: Nelson-Denny Reading Test and Measures of College Students' Study of Expository Prose

Abstract

Prediction of performance in an introductory psychology course was examined for a sample of 65 freshmen college students. Students completed the Comprehension subtest of the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, then studied a 956-word passage, reported their reading strategies, and responded to 18 test questions. Predictors included Nelson-Denny Comprehension score, reading strategy, study time, retention interval, time to complete the test, and test score. Percentage of total points earned in the course for the semester was the criterion. The best set of predictors included Comprehension score, test score, and retention interval; R = .61. The text-study procedure with exemplary test questions may have utility in improving prediction of course performance.