The relationship of life change, neuroticism, and academic performance among junior college adults

Abstract

Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between life change, neuroticism, and academic performance of junior college students, 25 years of age and older. Two hundred one students at Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas, were administered the Neuroticism Scale questionnaire (NSQ) and Social and Collegiate Readjustment Rating Questionnaire (SCRRQ) at the end of the spring semester of 1976. Their grade point average for the previous fall and spring semesters along with these questionnaires were subjected to multiple regression analysis. Life change, which the adult students in this study experienced, was significant at the .01 level in relationship to grade point average. The more life change experienced, the lower tended to be the academic performance. The more inclined the adult was to be neurotic, the lower the GPA. The second order Factor I of the NSQ was negatively related to academic performance. The more sensitive and tender-minded an adult tended to be, the less was his academic performance. This study indicated that the use of the SCRRQ and the NSQ can be beneficial in understanding the adult student, 25 years of age and older, and his academic performance at the junior college level.