Author: Madhawa Warakagoda
Warakagoda, Madhawa, 2019 Predicting Performance in the Sri Lankan General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Examination by Cognitive Abilities of the Test Takers, Flinders University, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
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The relationship between cognitive abilities and academic achievement is extensively discussed in the literature. The expectation of the level of cognitive abilities of students being reflected in the current assessment system in Sri Lanka is a significant concern, especially with the assessments carried out to determine further opportunities for candidates, such as university entrance. The purpose of this study was to determine the predictability of the achievement of test takers of the Sri Lankan General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE AL) Examination based on test takers’ cognitive abilities. The study was carried out as a non-experimental correlational study with a cross-sectional design. A random sample of 2,623 candidates who took three core subjects along with the Common General Test (CGT) in the 2017 examination formed the sample of participants in this study. Their achievements at the examination and their general cognitive abilities were represented with average standardised scores for the core subjects and the scores for the CGT respectively.
The usability of the CGT in measuring its constructs was assessed in terms of construct validity and reliability. A four-factor model proposed to explain the factor structure of the CGT fitted well with the data and possessed a good level of construct reliability. A significant relationship between reasoning (RS) and problem solving (PS) was observed. The four-factor model with RS and PS as two separate constructs was not reported with satisfactory fit indices, while a three-factor model, which contained a latent factor of RS and PS together, was a satisfactory fit with the data. Despite this finding, the proportion of the total variance of achievement in GCE AL explained by general cognitive abilities was rather small. Thus, it was concluded that the high correlation between the constructs RS and PS was due to the ineffectiveness of the test items in highlighting constructs separately. Moreover, the use of cognitive ability to solely predict academic achievement was affirmed as insufficient.
Keywords: Cognitive Abilities, General Intelligence, Gf, Gc, Scholastic Achievement, GCE AL Sri Lanka, Common General Test
Subject: Education thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2019
School: College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
Supervisor: Dr. Grace Skrzypiec