The role of executive functions in academic performance and behaviour of university students

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 444-455
Author(s):  
Carlos Ramos-Galarza ◽  
Pamela Acosta-Rodas ◽  
Mónica Bolaños-Pasquel ◽  
Nancy Lepe-Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
University Students ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Measurement Instruments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Proportional Relationship ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is fourfold: first, to analyse the relationship between executive functions and academic performance; second, to identify the level of prediction executive functions have on academic performance; third, to determine the correlation between executive functions and academic performance; and fourth, to compare executive functions based on the level of academic performance. Design/methodology/approach The sample composed of 175 university students aged between 18 and 36 years (M=21.49, SD=3.22). The EFECO scale, the average student grade and a scale based on the diagnostic criteria for ADHD were used as measurement instruments. Findings Difficulties in executive functions: Difficulties in working memory (r=−0.30, p=<0.01) and difficulties in conscious supervision of behaviour (r=−0.29, p⩽0.01) have an inversely proportional relationship to academic performance (the greater the deficit of executive functions, the lower the academic performance). The regression analysis showed that executive functions explain 31 per cent of the variance of academic performance (χ2(25)=43.81, p <0.001). The study found that there is a relationship between all the executive functions and students’ behaviour in a medium to large magnitude. Research limitations/implications A limitation of this study was the size of the sample as it is not representative of the country. Nevertheless, the correlation among the variables studied here has the necessary magnitude for the proposed correlations to be found. Nonetheless, it is necessary that we perform a study with a larger number of participants in order to achieve adequate extrapolation of the results. Practical implications Data found in this study suggest that low academic performance of university students is related to a lower functionality of their executive functions. Originality/value The originality of the research lies in relating specific concepts of neuropsychology to explain the academic performance of university students. The research findings allow us to project new studies to improve the executive functions for the benefit of the university student.

scholarly journals The Mediating Role of Engagement on the Achievement and Quality of Life of University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6586
Author(s):  
Inmaculada García-Martínez ◽  
José María Augusto Landa ◽  
Samuel P. León
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
University Students ◽  
Mediational Role ◽  
The Relationship

(1) Background: Academic engagement has been reported in the literature as an important factor in the academic achievement of university students. Other factors such as emotional intelligence (EI) and resilience have also been related to students’ performance and quality of life. The present study has two clearly delimited and interrelated objectives. First, to study the mediational role that engagement plays in the relationship between EI and resilience on quality of life. Secondly, and similarly, to study the mediational role of engagement in the relationship between EI and resilience, but in this case on academic achievement. (2) Methods: For this purpose, four scales frequently used in the literature to measure emotional intelligence, resilience, academic engagement and quality of life were administered to 427 students of the University of Jaén undertaking education degrees. In addition, students were asked to indicate their current average mark as a measure of academic performance. Two mediational models based on structural equations were proposed to analyse the relationships between the proposed variables. (3) Results: The results obtained showed that emotional intelligence and resilience directly predicted students’ life satisfaction, but this direct relationship did not result in academic performance. In addition, and assuming a finding not found so far, engagement was shown to exert an indirect mediational role for both life satisfaction and academic performance of students. (4) Conclusions: The findings of the study support the importance of engagement in the design and development of instructional processes, as well as in the implementation of any initiative.

scholarly journals The relationship between academic integrity of online university students and its effects on academic performance and learning quality

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Majda I. Ayoub/Al-Salim ◽  
Khaled Aladwan
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
University Students ◽  
Academic Integrity ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Ethical Values ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Online University Students ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the relationship between academic integrity of online university students and its effects on academic performance and learning quality. The first hypothesis aimed to see if there is statistically significant relationship between academic honesty of students taking online classes and their apparent academic performance. The second hypothesis aimed to see if there is a statistically significant difference in academic integrity among male and female students. The third hypothesis aimed to see if there was a statistically significant relationship between academic honesty of students and their quality of learning. Design/methodology/approach This is a quantitative study; data was collected via student emails from 155 active online university students. Findings There was a positive linear relationship for the first hypothesis, the relationship is relatively weak as the value of Pearson correlation was (0.172). For the second hypothesis, the results showed that there was no significant difference between males and females. The results for the third hypothesis showed that there is a statistically significant relationship between academic integrity of students taking online classes and academic learning quality. This relationship is relatively strong. Research limitations/implications The sample size may have been a limitation for generalizing the results. Practical implications As a practical implication, authors recommend that education administrators focus on training their faculty members to stress and instill strong ethical values, such as academic integrity and honesty, in their students all throughout their academic journey. Social implications As for social implication, the embracing of ethical values in students, graduates may continue to embrace such values in the workplace which may lead to more reputable and profitable work environment where the society at large benefits. Originality/value This research is among the pioneers that attempted to study the connection of academic integrity and learning quality from the students’ perspective.

scholarly journals Supportive study climate and academic performance among university students: the role of psychological capital, positive emotions and study engagement

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Terje Slåtten ◽  
Gudbrand Lien ◽  
Solveig Beyza Narli Evenstad ◽  
Terje Onshus
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
University Students ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Psychological Capital ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Study Engagement

Purpose The overall aim of this study is to explore factors associated with academic performance among university students. Specifically, it explores whether a supportive study climate is directly related to academic performance and whether students’ psychological capital (PsyCap), positive emotions and study engagement play a role in the relationship between supportive study climate and academic performance. Design/methodology/approach A total of 588 bachelor students from a range of academic programs participated in a survey. The partial least squares (PLS)-based structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the conceptual models and the hypothesized relationships, using the software SmartPLS. Findings No support was found for a direct relationship between supportive study climate and academic performance. However, the results show that PsyCap, positive emotions and study engagement have a mediating role between supportive study climate and academic performance. In addition, the findings reveal a multifaceted pattern among PsyCap, positive emotions and study engagement that promotes academic performance. Originality/value This is the first study that simultaneously explores the role of PsyCap, emotions and study engagement between supportive study climate and academic performance among university students. Consequently, it broadens and deepens previous research and offers both theoretical and practical implications.

scholarly journals The Impression of Emotional Intelligence on University Students’ Academic Performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 2171-2178
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
University Students ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Optimum Utilization ◽  
The University ◽  
Academic Scores

In the present contemporary society, the Emotional Intelligence is a nominal character that has become the part of the debate nowadays, and which acts as the source of most logistic litigation of the one’s character. Emotional Intelligence, though contemplates about one’s behaviouristic approach towards knowledge, skills, and attitude that epitomizes the worth efficiency of the students in the University and that can lead to the optimum utilization of the worth-full resources so that the aims and objectives can be fulfilled and that standard of thinking proceedings can be optimized to a great extent. The role of emotional intelligence in the process of elevating the academic performances of the students has been reviewed in many of the countries and through many of the authors. But, it has been found in this study that there is no to a very limited number of studies who all have investigated the role of emotions in the process of capturing better academic scores through education. The author thus, elucidated about the scenario which states the effect of Emotional Intelligence (EI) on the academic performance of the University Students. The study also assesses the prevailing scenario in-order to suggests some points that excavate the situation to the next level and is targeted at finding the correlation that exists between each of the factors of the Emotional Intelligence. The data that is collected through the well-structured and closed-ended questions that are found to be reliable enough as per statistics. The authors have done the analysis through various tests, i.e., Factor Analysis, Correlation, and MANOVA. After testing, positive and strong correlation is been found between each of the factors of Emotional Intelligence and it leads to the conclusion that the academic performance of the students is affected from Emotional Intelligence on. The resources used for data collection were limited as per the range of access of researcher’s leading to an analysis which can’t be to the complete world. Also, the cross-sectional data is been collected because of time constraint. The whole circumstances state that the different attributes of correlation are matched to the Emotional Intelligence of the University students and though it has been proved that Emotional appearance of the students is the key to understand the permutation and combination of the Intellectual complexities of the work over a period of the time.

scholarly journals Does transformational leadership matter for innovation in banks? The mediating role of knowledge sharing

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherine Al- Ahmad Chaar ◽  
Nasser Fathi Easa
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Innovative Products ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to examine the mediating role of knowledge sharing (KS) on the relationship between the transformational leadership (TL) and innovation in banks. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative analysis was conducted by using the structural equations modeling with AMOS 24 to examine the influence of the mediating role of KS on the TL–innovation relationship. Data were collected from 310 employees at 27 banks in Lebanon. Findings The research highlights that leaders exhibiting transformational behavior were able to promote knowledge-sharing culture that enhances the generation of new ideas, products and processes. The findings confirmed that KS mediates the association of TL and innovation. Practical implications The findings point to how TL mobilizes employees to engage in innovative products and processes by encouraging a knowledge-sharing culture. Originality/value The research findings advance the understanding of how TL stimulates innovation and highlights the benefits gained by cultivating KS to generate more innovative outcomes.

scholarly journals Facebook Use and Depression: Testing the Role of Social Comparison as a Moderator

2021 ◽  
Vol Volume 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 176-191
Author(s):  
Bushra Yasin ◽  
Muddassar Hussain Shah ◽  
Muhammad Ashfaq
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Survey Analysis ◽  
Sampling Frame ◽  
Comparison Theory ◽  
Facebook Use ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

This research aimed to investigate the relationship between Facebook use and depression, also to test the role of social comparison as a moderator. The research employed Social Comparison theory. For quantitative research, social survey analysis was used to access the relationship between time spent on Facebook and level of depression. The population selected for the current study was based on the university students. A sampling frame was obtained of all the enrolled students of Foundation University Islamabad. Sample of 384 students was drawn through systematic random sampling. Data was analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression in SPSS 21. All the results were found significant. Findings of the study suggested that there is a significant relationship between time spent on Facebook and level of depression. Moreover, the results also indicated that the social comparison effectively moderate the relationship between time spent on Facebook and level of depression among university students.

WeChat usage during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown: the mediating role of online self-disclosure on quality of friendship and well-being

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tunde Simeon Amosun ◽  
Chu Jianxun ◽  
Olayemi Hafeez Rufai ◽  
Sayibu Muhideen ◽  
Riffat Shahani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Mediation Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Disclosure Quality ◽  
Self Disclosure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate university students’ WeChat usage during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in relation to the mediating role of online self-disclosure on their quality of friendship and well-being. A model is proposed to explain how students’ interactions occur during the lockdown and the mediatory role which self-disclosure plays in influencing their socio-psychological markup. Design/methodology/approach The research model was tested empirically through a survey conducted online with 600 research participants, comprising of university students in China. Findings Results in structural equation modeling show that WeChat interaction significantly correlates with the quality of friendship, online self-disclosure but not significantly correlates with well-being, but an indirect relationship was found out in the mediation analysis. There is also a significant relationship between online self-disclosure, quality of friendship and well-being. Mediation analysis shows that online self-disclosure mediates the relationship between interactions on WeChat and quality of friendship; it also mediates the relationship between WeChat interaction and well-being. In all, the results achieved in this study will significantly help provide more insights in comprehending the nuances attached to some socio-psychological aspects of WeChat and how its usage affects people during the period of crisis. Originality/value Theoretically based investigation of WeChat usage among university students and its relationship with online self-disclosure, quality of friendship and well-being is still quite scarce, thereby underscoring the needs and significance of a theoretically based study in this regard. This study tested the credibility and validity of the proposed model in the context of the recent COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in China, which is one of the first in recent times.

scholarly journals Impact of Entrepreneurship Competencies on Entrepreneurship Motivation among Pakistani Students: Entrepreneurship Education as Moderation

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 491-504
Author(s):  
Gohar Mahmood ◽  
Sadia Munir ◽  
Sidra Ghulam Rasool ◽  
Rubab Anum
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Entrepreneurial Education ◽  
Education Effects ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between entrepreneurship competencies and entrepreneurship motivation through moderating role of entrepreneurial education in the university students of (Punjab) Pakistan. This study provides a comprehensive answer to the research question of how entrepreneurship competencies and entrepreneurial education effects the entrepreneurship motivation among university students. Design/Methodology/Approach: A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from faculty of management sciences students of different departments at various campuses in (Punjab) Pakistan. Factor analysis, reliability, and regression and correlation analysis was the techniques to analyze the links between the study variables. Findings: There is a positive significant impact of entrepreneurship competencies on entrepreneurship motivation while entrepreneurship education as a moderator. Implications/Originality/Value: At the last, this paper also presents some implications, limitations and suggestions for future research.

scholarly journals Correlación entre practicar deporte y el rendimiento académico en jóvenes de nivel medio superior

2019 ◽  
pp. 30-38
Author(s):  
Rodolfo Lucio ◽  
Leticia Sesento
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Young People ◽  
University Students ◽  
Professional Life ◽  
The Hours ◽  
Basketball Team ◽  
Young Students ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

The integral formation of the university students is of great transcendence for the society, what they can count on with the best necessary tools will allow them to confront with success his professional life. The objective of the present study is to know the relation of this one with the academic performance. The type of research is quantitative. The study was carried out on 95 people, of which 65 are young students at the baccalaureate level and the rest are part of a youth basketball team. The results show that 80% of young people practice some sport, depending on the hours per week that they practice sports, 41.17% practice from 1 to 2 hours, 11.76% from 2 to 3 hours and 47.05% train 3 or more per week. On the relationship between sport and academic performance, 78.46% affirm that there is. If they consider that sport has improved their academic performance, 54% believe that this is the case. Finally, we evaluated the average of those who do not practice sports (8.7) and those who do (8.8), although the difference is not obvious, this investigation must be complemented to corroborate the information and be able to approve or discard the hypothesis raised.

scholarly journals Stress, Sleep and Performance in International and Domestic University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinne Pei Yun Tan ◽  
Kenneth Mark Greenwood
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
University Students ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Acculturative Stress ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Domestic Students ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

Stress and poor sleep quality are serious and common problems among university students that could have detrimental effects on their academic performance. International students may experience greater difficulty than domestic students because they also need to deal with the challenges associated with moving to a new culture. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between stress (perceived and acculturative), sleep quality and academic performance by comparing them between international and domestic students. Perceived stress negatively correlated with sleep quality. However, no relationship was found between acculturative stress and sleep quality, between sleep quality and academic performance, and between stress (perceived and acculturative) and academic performance. Differences on perceived stress and sleep quality between international and domestic students were found. Perceived stress was found to be an important factor that requires the university to focus on effective stress management programs that could be useful for achieving better sleep quality.

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