title: Quality of education predicts performance on the Wide Range Achievement Test-4th Edition Word Reading subtest.
abstract: The current study examined whether self-rated education quality predicts Wide Range Achievement Test-4th Edition (WRAT-4) Word Reading subtest and neurocognitive performance, and aimed to establish this subtest's construct validity as an educational quality measure. In a community-based adult sample (N = 106), we tested whether education quality both increased the prediction of Word Reading scores beyond demographic variables and predicted global neurocognitive functioning after adjusting for WRAT-4. As expected, race/ethnicity and education predicted WRAT-4 reading performance. Hierarchical regression revealed that when including education quality, the amount of WRAT-4's explained variance increased significantly, with race/ethnicity and both education quality and years as significant predictors. Finally, WRAT-4 scores, but not education quality, predicted neurocognitive performance. Results support WRAT-4 Word Reading as a valid proxy measure for education quality and a key predictor of neurocognitive performance. Future research should examine these findings in larger, more diverse samples to determine their robust nature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sayegh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Alyssa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arentoft
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Thaler
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Andy C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA athames@mednet.ucla.edu.
authors.forename: April D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Thames
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007807:Language Tests / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011932:Reading; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Academic achievement; High schools; Literacy; Multiple regression; Neurocognition; Test validity