Commitment and academic success

The predictors of academic success usually include aptitude and previous achievement measures. In the present study we used a modified version of Rusbult and Farrell’s (1983) commitment questionnaire to predict final grades in a university setting. As part of a larger study on the relationship between attitudes and study behaviors, 39 students completed the 5 parts of the Rusbult and Farrell questionnaire. Responses were then correlated with 3 dependent measures: a final course grade in calculus, grade point average (GPA), and the grade in a humanities course. Results showed that adjusted R² values of .38 and .40 were obtained with the first 2 criteria. The implications of using affective variables for predicting academic achievement are discussed.