[Changes in predictors of school performance in secondary school]. / Cambios en las variables predictoras del rendimiento escolar en Enseñanza Secundaria.

The aim of this paper is to identify the functions that best predict school achievement among adolescents and whether they change or remain stable as pupils grow older. For this purpose, we used a sample of 1392 pupils of both sexes, belonging to second and fourth grades of Secondary School of Galicia (Spain). The students were assessed with a battery of instruments that provided data about a range of variables such as family system, personal characteristics, social relationships, goal orientation, attributional variables, attitudes towards evaluation and studies, as well as learning processes and strategies. Sixty-eight potentially predictive variables were obtained and they were subsequently related to "high", "intermediate" and "low" levels of school achievement by means of discriminant analysis. Results showed that school achievement can be discriminated by two functions, which include 12 variables in second grade, dropping to 8 in fourth grade. Of these, only five are common to both years. The results of this research project support the idea that the functions that best predict school achievement vary throughout Secondary Education.

Cambios en las variables predictoras del rendimiento escolar en Enseñanza Secundaria / Changes in predictors of school performance in secondary school

El objetivo del presente trabajo es identificar las funciones que mejor predicen el rendimiento escolar en adolescentes y si cambian o se mantienen estables con la edad. Para ello se contó con una muestra de 1.392 estudiantes de ambos sexos, pertenecientes a 2º y 4º curso de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria de Galicia. Los estudiantes fueron evaluados con una batería de instrumentos que proporcionaron datos sobre variables del sistema familiar, características personales, relaciones sociales, orientación a metas, variables atribucionales, actitudes antes la evaluación y el estudio, y procesos y estrategias de aprendizaje. Se obtuvieron 68 variables potencialmente predictoras que fueron relacionadas con niveles «alto», «medio» o «bajo» de rendimiento escolar mediante un análisis discriminante. Los resultados mostraron que el rendimiento escolar puede ser discriminado a través de dos funciones, que en 2º curso incluyen 12 variables y en 4º se reducen a 8. De ellas, solo cinco son comunes a ambos cursos. Los resultados de esta investigación parecen avalar la idea de que las funciones que mejor predicen los resultados escolares varían a lo largo de la Educación Secundaria(AU)

The aim of this paper is to identify the functions that best predict school achievement among adolescents and whether they change or remain stable as pupils grow older. For this purpose, we used a sample of 1392 pupils of both sexes, belonging to second and fourth grades of Secondary School of Galicia (Spain). The students were assessed with a battery of instruments that provided data about a range of variables such as family system, personal characteristics, social relationships, goal orientation, attributional variables, attitudes towards evaluation and studies, as well as learning processes and strategies. Sixty-eight potentially predictive variables were obtained and they were subsequently related to «high», «intermediate» and «low» levels of school achievement by means of discriminant analysis. Results showed that school achievement can be discriminated by two functions, which include 12 variables in second grade, dropping to 8 in fourth grade. Of these, only fi ve are common to both years. The results of this research project support the idea that the functions that best predict school achievement vary throughout Secondary Education(AU)