Table 1 Overview of significant cognitive predictors for academic achievement in science courses at university or college
Subject | Biology or physics in high school | Subject-specific grade in high school | Number of lab courses | Subject-specific tests in biology or physics | Reference |
Biology | ✓ (Number of AP courses, enrolment in AP biology) | ✓ (Science) | ✓ | – | Loehr et al. (2012) |
– | ✓ (Science, AP exam score) | – | – | Sadler & Tai (2007) | |
– | – | – | ✓ (CINS, ACORNS) | Lee et al. (2015) | |
– | – | – | ✓ (GCA) | Smith, Wood, & Knight (2008) | |
Physics | ✓ ǂ (Physics enrolment) | – | – | ✓ (Mechanics test) | Halloun & Hestenes (1985) |
✓ (Physics enrolment) | – | – | – | Hart & Cottle (1993) | |
✓ (Physics enrolment) | – | – | – | Alters (1995) | |
✓ (At least 2 years of physics, enrolment of any physics course) | ✓ (Physics) | ✓ | – | Sadler & Tai (2001) | |
– | ✓ (Science, AP exam score) | – | – | Sadler & Tai (2007) | |
– | – | – | ✓ (FCI) | Docktor & Heller (2008) | |
– | ✗ (Physics) | – | ✓ (Physics test) | Sorge, Petersen, & Neumann (2016) | |
– | – | – | ✓ (Physics tests) | Buschhüter, Spoden, & Borowski (2017) | |
✓ (Time on mechanics and optics) | ✓ (Science) | ✓ (Microlabs) | – | Hazari, Tai, & Sadler (2007) |