A MULTIPLE MODERATOR APPROACH TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF OVER- AND UNDERACHIEVERS1

Reported is a study of over- and underachievement of college students, utilizing an iterative multiple moderator technique. The subjects were students at a large southwestern university, the predictors were high school rank and short forms of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, and the criterion was first year grade average. Selected background variables were the potential moderators. The overachievers were characterized as having average aptitude, yet coming from backgrounds where the father was highly educated; the underachievers were observed as having small town origins and high interest in extracurricular activities.