Graduation Date
Spring 2020
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in Psychology, option Academic Research
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Christopher Aberson
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. Amber Gaffney
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Ethan Gahtan
Subject Categories
Psychology
Abstract
Self-reported GPA is often used in academic achievement research when gathering GPA as a variable, though it is not always completely accurate. Previous studies have shown that actual GPA affects self-report as those with higher GPAs tend to be more accurate. Those with lower GPAs tend to inflate their self-reported GPA. Race has also been identified as a variable that affects self-reported GPA as White students tend to be more accurate than non-White students. Gender has had mixed outcomes with accuracy of self-reported GPA.
Previous research showing self-reported GPA to be a valid measure of GPA has used samples from higher achieving four-year colleges with predominantly White students. This study tested the accuracy of self-reported GPA in a more diverse, lower achieving sample from a community college.
This study has demonstrated that a community college sample of students can produce less accurate self-reported GPAs. While race and gender have shown to have differences in previous studies, these variables did not differ in accuracy of self-reported GPA in this study. The lower accuracy of self-reported GPA in this study is consistent with previous findings of the effects of having a lower GPA.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Burg, Devon, "Perceptions of academic achievement in a community college sample" (2020). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 395.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/395