I en langtidssigtet undersøgelse af 140 ottendeklasseselever viste selvdisciplin, målt ved forskellige metoder, at den forudsagde karakterer, skolefravær og præstationer i standardiserede tests. I en gentagelse med 164 elever viste selvdisciplin sig at forklare mere end dobbelt så meget varians i karakterer som IQ. Dette indikerer, at manglende selvdisciplin kan være en væsentlig årsag til, at elever ikke udnytter deres intellektuelle potentiale.
Titel på undersøgelse:
Self-Discipline Outdoes IQ in Predicting Academic Performance of Adolescents.
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Hele abstrakt på originalsprog:
In a longitudinal study of 140 eighth-grade students, self-discipline measured by self-report, parent report, teacher report, and monetary choice questionnaires in the fall predicted final grades, school attendance, standardized achievement-test scores, and selection into a competitive high school program the following spring. In a replication with 164 eighth graders, a behavioral delay-of-gratification task, a questionnaire on study habits, and a group-administered IQ test were added. Self-discipline measured in the fall accounted for more than twice as much variance as IQ in final grades, high school selection, school attendance, hours spent doing homework, hours spent watching television (inversely), and the time of day students began their homework. The effect of self-discipline on final grades held even when controlling for first-marking-period grades, achievement-test scores, and measured IQ. These findings suggest a major reason for students falling short of their intellectual potential: their failure to exercise self-discipline.