Cognitive Abilities and School Achievement: Addressing Challenges Across Adolescence.

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Modern curricula integrate real-world contexts and transversal skills.
• Intelligence is increasingly viewed through contextual, motivational, and emotional lenses.
• Adolescence presents significant curricular and developmental shifts, questioning traditional intelligence tests' predictive power for academic achievement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relevance of classical intelligence tests in predicting academic achievement during adolescence.
• To examine how cognitive abilities correlate with academic performance in different educational stages.

Main Methods:

• Two large, independent samples of Portuguese students (grades 6-9 and 10-12) were analyzed.
• Cognitive abilities were assessed using the "Bateria de Aptidões Cognitivas" (BAC-AB) with spatial, verbal, and numerical subtests.
• Academic achievement was measured by grades in Portuguese and Mathematics.

Main Results:

• Cognitive subtest scores increased with grade level, especially in early adolescence.
• The alignment between test item content and curriculum subjects showed a stronger influence on academic achievement than cognitive processes.
• Cognitive subtests explained more variance in academic achievement in basic education compared to secondary education.

Conclusions:

• Curricular evolution may lessen the dependence on traditional cognitive abilities for academic success, although correlations persist.
• Integrated cognitive skills are gaining importance as curricula focus on complexity, societal adaptation, and practical knowledge application.
• Educational approaches are shifting towards preparing students for diverse challenges within and beyond school settings.