Predictive Analysis of Academic Performance in Peruvian Children: The Role of Effortful Control and School Liking

Abstract

Introduction.  In Peru, there are few studies that include individual differences between students to explain their academic performance at the beginning of formal schooling. For that reason, the aim of the present study was to predict the perceived academic performance of a group of students based on the following variables: effortful control (EC) and school liking (SL).   Method.  A sample of 423 students, between 5 and 8 years old (M = 6.29, SD = 0.89), was gathered from public schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas in Lima. A total of 45 teachers gave information about their perceptions regarding the study variables in their respective students.   Results.  The hierarchical linear regression analysis results show that both effortful control and school liking are positive and significant predictors of perceived academic performance, even after controlling for students’ cognitive skills and their mothers’ educational level.   Discussion and Conclusion.  Possible explanations for these findings and their relevance in the Peruvian context are discussed.