Investigating the Link Between Relationships and Academic Performance

Research Questions:

• In a group of high school students, is there a correlation between relationship status and GPA?
• Does the level of involvement in a relationship affect students’ performance in school?
• Are the GPAs of male or females more influenced by relationship status?

Does dating in high school have a negative impact on GPA? This experiment will address this question by evaluating the effects of dating on students’ academic performance.

Materials:

• Approximately 100 high school-aged male and female test subjects
• Computer
• Printer
• Relationship Involvement Scale
• Notebook for analyzing results

Experimental Procedure:

1. Create a short survey to give to your test subjects that analyzes their current relationship status and performance in school. Example questions could include:
   • Are you currently dating or in a relationship with someone?
   • Are you male or female?
   • What is your GPA?
2. Ask many test subjects to take your survey. Include males and females in high school.
3. If a test subject records that he or she is in a relationship, then ask them to also take the “Relationship Involvement Scale” questionnaire.
4. Analyze the surveys taken by each test subject. What is the average GPA of single high school students? What is the average GPA of students that are in relationships? Are the GPAs of male or females more influenced by relationship status? In the group of test subjects that are in relationships, does higher relationship involvement correlate with a higher or lower GPA?

Terms/Concepts: romantic relationships and GPA

Reference: Self Assessment: The Relationship Involvement Scale