How does academic achievement come about: cross-cultural and methodological notes

This chapter discusses the possible impact of cross-national diversity in academic institutions, in the selection of students, in the importance of national achievement tests, and cross-national differences in the variation of social background factors. It ends with the strengths and limitations of using path modeling in cross-sectional research. It is of particular interest to note whether study behaviors mediate the impact of students’ abilities on college success, or whether students’ abilities mediate the effect of study behaviors on achievement. A secondary concern is the extent to which the same causal model applies equally to different universities in different countries.