Examining the Moderating Effects of Noncognitive Factors on College Students with and without Attentional Difficulties: A Pilot Study

Individuals diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are less likely to pursue higher education and more likely to face numerous challenges, such as increased rates of academic probation, withdrawal from classes, lower GPAs, and decreased graduation rates (Advokat et al., 2011; Heiligenstein et al., 1999; Wolf, 2001). Based on Farrington’s conceptual model of noncognitive factors that predict academic performance (2012), this study utilized a hierarchical multiple regression framework to evaluate whether the strength of the relation between inattention symptom severity and academic functioning is moderated by academic motivation. Additionally, moderated moderation analyses were conducted to assess whether the moderating effect of academic motivation (primary moderator) is moderated by two specific learning strategies (i.e., study skills and time management; secondary moderators). Undergraduates enrolled in a psychology department research pool completed online measures of inattention symptom severity, academic functioning, academic motivation, and learning strategies. Based on extant research, the current study hypothesizes that (a) inattention symptom severity will predict academic functioning (direct effects), and (b) both academic motivation (primary moderator) and two learning strategies (i.e., study skills and time management; secondary moderators) will moderate this relationship in two-way and three-way interactions. Results indicate that inattention was significantly related to current academic concerns, but not high school GPA or standardized test scores. Motivation and learning strategies did not moderate the relation between inattention and academic functioning. Clinical and research implications will be discussed.