Relationships of Selected Presage and Context Variables to Achievement

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships of residualized student achievement with class size and selected teacher presage variables (years teaching and coaching, in-service training, perceived knowledge and skill, and skill) and to determine differences in residualized achievement for student subgroups based on grade, sex, or special needs status for two skills (serving and the forearm pass) in junior high/middle school volleyball units. Teachers completed a questionnaire and skills test for presage variables. Students (N = 202 for the forearm pass and N = 200 for the serve) in 10 classes were pretested, received instruction, and were posttested. Residualized achievement was based on regression analysis. Class size had a negative relationship with achievement for the serve skill. There were various relationships based on the presage variables. For both skills, males had a positive residual score and females a negative residual score, though this difference was significant only on the serve skill.

Key Words:

• achievement
• presage variables
• student characteristics
• class size