A Priori Model of Students' Academic Achievement: The Effect of Gender as Moderator

Gender results differences in many aspects of human development. The purpose of this study is to test academic achievement among the students using gender as a moderator. This is an empirical research using structural equation modeling comprised of 493 students from eight secondary schools. Academic achievement is measured based on the students' performance in the Lower Secondary Assessment. Results demonstrated that model of male and model of female fit the data of this study adequately. Academic self-concept and socioeconomic status are predictors for academic achievement for both genders. Gender has been identified as a moderator of this study. The results also indicated that gender has moderated the effect of socioeconomic status on academic self-concept. The impact of socioeconomic status on academic self-concept is found to be greater for the female students than for male students. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd.