Cross-Cultural Study of the Predictors of Learning in Children Ages 11-15 Years Old

Academic achievement is deemed a significant indicator for a successful future. Cognitive ability, home environment, and metacognition are among the many factors research has posited to contribute to academic achievement and later success (Alloway & Alloway, 2010; Bradley & Caldwell, 1984, Veenman, Wilhelm, & Beishuizen, 2004). The present study examines the relation between cognitive ability (working memory (WM) and nonverbal ability), metacognitive awareness, implicit theories of IQ, home environment (socioeconomic status (SES), home life, and parental involvement in homework), and learning outcomes (grades) in two distinct sample populations. The study used a sample of 11-15-year-olds and their parents from two high schools in Carriacou, Grenada (n=50) and Lakeshore Middle School in Florida (n=38). A stepwise regression revealed that cognitive ability, implicit theories of IQ, and home environment predicted overall grades of the Grenada sample. Several differences between the two cultures emerged including what predicted their implicit theories of IQ. The present study will benefit the educational community, as the findings could provide new insight into how students’ cognitive ability, implicit theories of IQ, and home life influence learning outcomes in a developed and developing population. The practical implications suggest more effective culturally responsive educational programs for students based on their learning style and learning needs. The present study has significance with reference to Grenada, in that because of little to no research available investigating this topic it will provide a basis for subsequent research to occur