scholarly journals Modeling of student academic achievement in engineering education using cognitive and non-cognitive factors

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bothaina A. Al-Sheeb ◽  
A.M. Hamouda ◽  
Galal M. Abdella
Keyword(s):  
Student Success ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Comprehensive Approach ◽  
First Year ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Second Year

Purpose The retention and success of engineering undergraduates are increasing concern for higher-education institutions. The study of success determinants are initial steps in any remedial initiative targeted to enhance student success and prevent any immature withdrawals. This study provides a comprehensive approach toward the prediction of student academic performance through the lens of the knowledge, attitudes and behavioral skills (KAB) model. The purpose of this paper is to aim to improve the modeling accuracy of students’ performance by introducing two methodologies based on variable selection and dimensionality reduction. Design/methodology/approach The performance of the proposed methodologies was evaluated using a real data set of ten critical-to-success factors on both attitude and skill-related behaviors of 320 first-year students. The study used two models. In the first model, exploratory factor analysis is used. The second model uses regression model selection. Ridge regression is used as a second step in each model. The efficiency of each model is discussed in the Results section of this paper. Findings The two methods were powerful in providing small mean-squared errors and hence, in improving the prediction of student performance. The results show that the quality of both methods is sensitive to the size of the reduced model and to the magnitude of the penalization parameter. Research limitations/implications First, the survey could have been conducted in two parts; students needed more time than expected to complete it. Second, if the study is to be carried out for second-year students, grades of general engineering courses can be included in the model for better estimation of students’ grade point averages. Third, the study only applies to first-year and second-year students because factors covered are those that are essential for students’ survival through the first few years of study. Practical implications The study proposes that vulnerable students could be identified as early as possible in the academic year. These students could be encouraged to engage more in their learning process. Carrying out such measurement at the beginning of the college year can provide professional and college administration with valuable insight on students perception of their own skills and attitudes toward engineering. Originality/value This study employs the KAB model as a comprehensive approach to the study of success predictors. The implementation of two new methodologies to improve the prediction accuracy of student success.

Rethinking dual careers: success factors for career transition of professional football players and the role of sport entrepreneurship

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Sofia Ramos ◽  
Jonas Hammerschmidt ◽  
Antonio Sérgio Ribeiro ◽  
Francisco Lima ◽  
Sascha Kraus
Keyword(s):  
Work Experience ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Career Transition ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Dual Career ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dual Careers ◽  
Athletic Career

PurposeThe purpose of this longitudinal study is to examine the dual career and entrepreneurial experiences of professional football players and their influence on the career transition process to entrepreneurship or employment.Design/methodology/approachThe study examined a Portuguese employer–employee data set from 1991 to 2017 using the logit model, a binary choice regression model that allows predicting the probabilities of two possible qualitative and binary outcomes.FindingsEntrepreneurial experience is the key driver for retired football players to pursue entrepreneurship. Having a dual career and working during the athletic career leads to higher chances of continuing in the labor market as an employee. Higher education levels did not significantly influence the decision to pursue a second career but having secondary education increases the chances of continuing as an entrepreneur.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the study aims to shed light on success factors in career transition of professional football players who engage in a dual career. Second, the authors introduce sport entrepreneurship as a possible activity alongside an athletic career.Practical implicationsAthletes can benefit from the experience they gain during a dual career in the process of career transition. Working in the final year of an athletic career represents a promising strategy to gain work experience alongside sport without jeopardizing sporting success.Originality/valueThis study adds evidence to the contemporary discourse on dual career theory and career transitions and reconciles the theory of sport entrepreneurship and dual careers.

Progression to intermediate level courses; is a “pass” enough?

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-287
Author(s):  
Nicola J. Beatson ◽  
David A.G. Berg ◽  
Jeffrey K. Smith ◽  
Christine Smith-Han
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Intermediate Level ◽  
First Year ◽  
Prior Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test the impact of a rule that affects tertiary students progressing from an introductory level finance course to intermediate level. The rule restricted students from progressing until they achieved a higher grade than just a “pass” mark. Design/methodology/approach Archival data were gathered from 11 semesters regarding student performance pre and post the rule being introduced. Findings Results show that the rule was associated with an increase in the chances of success at intermediate level for those students enrolled after the rule was introduced. Practical implications This paper’s main contribution regards the evidence that increasing prior learning at an introductory level has a positive follow-on effect for students learning at intermediate level. This has a practical implication for educators, as the rule has shown to increase the chance of success for knowledge development in the first year of studies. Originality/value The setting for this paper is unique and could potentially be replicated elsewhere. In 1980, Schaffer and Calkins called for an evaluation of the pre-requisites necessary for finance education at the tertiary level, and this paper answer this call stating that pre-requisites can contribute to the academic success of finance students.

scholarly journals Student Ability Best Predicts Final Grade in a College Algebra Course

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Anthony O'Connell ◽  
Elijah Wostl ◽  
Matt Crosslin ◽  
T. Lisa Berry ◽  
James P. Grover
Keyword(s):  
Student Success ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Research University ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
College Level ◽  
Past Performance ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Final Grade ◽  
Course Success ◽  
Targeted Interventions

Historical student data can help elucidate the factors that promote student success in mathematics courses. Herein we use both multiple regression and principal component analyses to explore ten years of historical data from over 20,000 students in an introductory college-level Algebra course in an urban American research university with a diverse student population in order to understand the relationship between course success and student performance in previous courses, student demographic background, and time spent on coursework. We find that indicators of students’ past performance and experience, including grade-point-average and the number of accumulated credit hours, best predict student success in this course. We also find that overall final grades are representative of the entire course and are not unduly weighted by any one topic. Furthermore, the amount of time spent working on assignments led to improved grade outcomes. With these baseline data, our team plans to design targeted interventions that can increase rates of student success in future courses.

Factors contributing toward student performance in a distance education accounting degree

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Papageorgiou ◽  
Abdel K. Halabi
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
First Year ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Aptitude ◽  
One Year ◽  
The University ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Measures Of Performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of five determinates of performance in students (N = 677) who completed three years of financial accounting to obtain a Bachelor of Accounting Science (BCompt) degree by distance education through the University of South Africa. Design/methodology/approach – Regression analysis is used on three yearly measures of performance with five independent variables (age, gender, prior accounting knowledge, mathematics background and academic aptitude). Findings – Results show that mathematics background and academic aptitude are both significantly associated with student performance, throughout the financial accounting subjects. Prior accounting knowledge is also important in the first year of study but not thereafter. Research limitations/implications – Prior research has found that other factors may influence student performance, and future studies which include these variables will add to these findings. Practical implications – The results of this study have important implications for instructors, students and career advisers, particularly as research linking various factors with performance in accounting subjects over the length of a degree is limited. Originality/value – The current study considers the determinants of student performance over three financial accounting years (rather than one year or one subject) and from a distance education perspective. As distance education becomes a more important delivery method of study in the future, these results have important implications.

On the ranking of critical success factors

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnt Ove Hopland ◽  
Sturla Kvamsdal
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Cost Efficiency ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Sampling Error ◽  
Facilities Management ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss rankings of critical success factors (CSFs) from survey data, both with respect to what information such rankings should be based on and how to evaluate and interpret uncertainty from sampling errors. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a survey on CSFs in public facilities management. The survey data set covers two-thirds of all Norwegian local governments and 80 per cent of the Norwegian population. The authors analyze the data using basic statistics and bootstrap sampling techniques. Findings Rankings of CSFs are sensitive to the information one chooses to collect in the survey. With the survey data, the authors show that the typical approach of inquiring about importance of various factors leads to a different ranking of factors than if one inquires about cost efficiency. The authors further consider a ranking that reflects all information in the data; the authors look in particular at a ranking with equal weights to importance and cost efficiency. The authors also find that many factors, when controlling for sampling error, should be ranked equally, and that further considerations need to be consulted when priorities are decided. Originality/value The authors demonstrate the effect of cost efficiency and uncertainty considerations on rankings of CSFs for facilities management. The study paves the way for a broader and more comprehensive perspective on CSFs and what these factors should and could reflect.

Empirical study on the effect of using synthetic attributes on classification algorithms

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Hasan Alsaffar
Keyword(s):  
Data Mining ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Software Tool ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Classification Algorithms ◽  
Past Performance ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present an empirical study on the effect of two synthetic attributes to popular classification algorithms on data originating from student transcripts. The attributes represent past performance achievements in a course, which are defined as global performance (GP) and local performance (LP). GP of a course is an aggregated performance achieved by all students who have taken this course, and LP of a course is an aggregated performance achieved in the prerequisite courses by the student taking the course. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses Educational Data Mining techniques to predict student performance in courses, where it identifies the relevant attributes that are the most key influencers for predicting the final grade (performance) and reports the effect of the two suggested attributes on the classification algorithms. As a research paradigm, the paper follows Cross-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining using RapidMiner Studio software tool. Six classification algorithms are experimented: C4.5 and CART Decision Trees, Naive Bayes, k-neighboring, rule-based induction and support vector machines. Findings The outcomes of the paper show that the synthetic attributes have positively improved the performance of the classification algorithms, and also they have been highly ranked according to their influence to the target variable. Originality/value This paper proposes two synthetic attributes that are integrated into real data set. The key motivation is to improve the quality of the data and make classification algorithms perform better. The paper also presents empirical results showing the effect of these attributes on selected classification algorithms.

Impact of Merit-based Financial Aidon Student achievement

2014 ◽  
pp. 112-126
Author(s):  
O. Poldin ◽  
M. Yudkevich
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Financial Aid ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
First Year ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Average Distribution ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Academic Year ◽  
Russian Universities

Some Russian universities provide tuition fee discount to their students conditioned on their academic achievement. The paper examines the impact of this type of financial aid on student performance. The amount of this discounts for the first academic year depends on the admission test results, and its extension for the second year depends on the student’s academic achievement in the first year. Using regression discontinuity design and quantile regression, we show that financial aid stimulates the performance of those fee-paying students, who are in the upper part of the grade-point-average distribution.

scholarly journals Student performance is linked to connecting effectively with teachers

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 311-324
Author(s):  
Michael Gilbert
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Communication Styles ◽  
Study Phase ◽  
Communication Preferences ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Intensive Training ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Personality Pattern ◽  
Performance Teachers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine student performance on both criterion- and norm-referenced measures, linked with teacher and student communication orientations. Design/methodology/approach The study used a pre-post design. During the pre-study phase, teachers underwent three days of intensive training in the Process Education Model®. In total, 21 middle and high school teachers at an independent school were the subject group. Each teacher identified ten students, five of whom they classified as “easy to communicate with” and five others whom they classified as “difficult to communicate with.” Approximately, 200 students participated in the study. Teachers and students provided communication preferences via the Kahler Personality Pattern Inventory® (1996). Performance data were gleaned from student grade point averages (GPAs) and grade-appropriate versions of ACT instruments. Findings The PPI reveals, in part, perceptual preferences in an assessing matrix. Intrinsic and extrinsic orientations were one set of distinctions. Most (more than 85 percent) of the teachers had intrinsic orientations, compared with 63 percent of the “easy” students and 47 percent of the “difficult” students. Both GPA and ACT comparisons were significantly different (p<0.001) on both pre- and post-measures, with the easy students outstripping their difficult counterparts. No significant differences were observed on the ACT Aspire, taken by students in grades 6–9. Research limitations/implications The study was conducted at one site. Practical implications Student performance appears to be linked with connecting with teachers’ preferred delivery and communication styles. The more like their teachers the students are, the better their performance. Reinforcing new knowledge and skills was recognized as an important component of training. Originality/value If connecting better with students is tied with performance, teachers who learn how to shift their delivery methods may foster better outcomes. Also, attention should be paid on how distress may impact teacher performance, especially as they interact with students whose communication preferences may differ from theirs.

scholarly journals Predicting success in an undergraduate exercise science program using science-based admission courses

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-144
Author(s):  
Tiffany A. Esmat ◽  
Joshua D. Pitts
Keyword(s):  
Student Success ◽  
General Education ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Graduation Rates ◽  
Information Management System ◽  
Human Anatomy ◽  
Admission Policy ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Science Program ◽  
Exercise Science

Student success is an important focus within higher education as it relates to retention, progression, and graduation rates. Limited research exists examining the predictors of success within an undergraduate Exercise Science program. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the viability of an admission policy implemented within an undergraduate Exercise Science program as a method of predicting student success. Data from 652 students from 2012 through 2018 were collected from the University’s Enterprise Information Management system. Regression analysis indicated ES 2100, an introductory Exercise Science course, was the best predictor of student performance in required major courses. Furthermore, the results indicated performance in general education courses, including English Composition II, Precalculus, General Chemistry II Laboratory, Human Anatomy and Physiology II, and General Psychology were also significantly related to performance in the required major courses, after controlling for performance in other courses. The results of the investigation provide insight regarding future success within required major courses in the program. This knowledge can be valuable when examining methods to improve retention of students, progression, minimizing repeat attempts at courses, and improving graduation rates. In conclusion, the identification of these courses, related to student success, may provide valuable insight for other Exercise Science-related programs that are considering implementing a program admission policy.

Founding conditions influence level of benefit offerings at US startups

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 12-14
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
First Year ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Talented People ◽  
Healthcare Insurance ◽  
Compensation Packages ◽  
Industry Experience

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to find out if four founding conditions of US startups – total assets, the founder’s level of education, and industry experience, and the founder’s startup experience – influenced the generosity of employee offerings, such as healthcare insurance and paid holidays. Design/methodology/approach To test their four hypotheses, they studied a sample of 4,148 firms from a longitudinal panel database. All the data came from the KFS data set provided by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC). The authors studied the KFS data for indicators of seven HR benefits. Findings The data revealed positive associations for each of the first five years between total assets and HR benefits, between education and HR benefits, as well as between industry experience and HR benefits. In the first year, a positive association was found between startup experience and HR benefits. Originality/value The two authors argued that the results should be studied by startup founders. In a highly competitive market, it would help them to understand the importance of human resources as a source of advantage and understand their own attitudes to benefits. Implementing attractive compensation packages and benefit packages makes it easier to recruit talented people and retain the best employees.

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