The Impact of Student Behavior on Student Achievement

Abstract

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to determine whether a relationship exists between students’ behavior in school and their academic achievement. The measurement tools used determine students’ achievement were the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Language Arts Benchmark Assessments. Discipline data were collected at the school through the School Wide Information System (SWIS) data collection program. Results from the study suggest that while some students with a high number of discipline referrals have lower mean test scores than students with a low number of referrals, overall there was no significant correlation between the number of referrals a student received and the student’s achievement on the benchmark assessments. Further studies will need to be conducted using larger, more representative groups to gain more conclusive information about the relationship between students’ achievement and their behavior in the school setting.