Cognitive abilities show the strongest correlation with academic achievement among the student-characteristic domains examined¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r2 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 Mean effect sizes differ significantly by student-characteristic type (Q = 14.56; p < 0.01), with cognitive ability highest (r = 0.29) and positive personality lowest (r = 0.20). → Erdem Cahit 2026

Evidence¶

Erdem Cahit 2026¶

Erdem Cahit, Kaya Metin, Polat Mustafa, Eğmir Eray. (2026). Thinking and feeling matter: a second-order meta-analysis of student characteristics across developmental domains and their effect on academic outcomes. BMC Psychology, 14, 919. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05035-x

q3 · i2 · quant-synthesis · r2

Moderator analysis comparing four characteristic domains across 71 effect sizes: cognitive ability (k = 22, r = 0.29), positive emotions (k = 30, r = 0.25), positive personality (k = 13, r = 0.20), and psychomotor (k = 6, r = 0.37). The discussion reports cognitive abilities account for "approximately 8.4% of the variance in academic achievement".

"The mean effect sizes differed significantly in terms of student characteristics type (Q = 14.56; p < 0.01). The relationship between cognitive ability and academic achievement had higher effect size values (r = 0.29)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• General Cognitive Ability — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Student characteristics across cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains show a medium-level overall relationship with K-12 academic achievement (r = 0.26) — a broader claim this one bears on
• Mathematics achievement correlates more strongly with learners' knowledge, skills and cognitive abilities than with their personality traits, goals or emotions — related
• Of the Big Five personality traits, only conscientiousness (r = .22) and openness (r = .13) correlate appreciably with mathematics achievement — related
• Domain-identical pretests are the most powerful single-level covariate type for student achievement, outperforming cross-domain pretests, fluid intelligence, and sociodemographic characteristics — related
• The psychomotor-abilities association with academic achievement (r = 0.37) is preliminary, resting on a single first-order meta-analysis — related