scholarly journals The Impact of High School Program Reform on First-Year University Students’ Academic Performance. Case Study: Biology

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Mimoza Milo ◽  
Anila Paparisto ◽  
Flamur Bidaj ◽  
Fatmira Shehu
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
University Students ◽  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Academic Preparation ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Students Success

The student transition from high school to university is a complex process in which various factors operate. One of these factors is the degree of the students’ academic preparation in certain subjects. This article analyzes the impact of this factor on the students’ success in the first year of university studies, in the conditions when the subject program in high school has been reformed. This impact on the students’ success, which is expressed both in the degree of academic preparation and in the students’ attitude in the relevant subject, has been assessed employing statistical analysis. The analysis covers a period of 3 years (2017-2020), and is based on a sample of first year students of the Bachelor degree in Biology. The results of the questionnaire, conducted with first year university students, show the impact of their high school academic preparation on the success they have in the first year of university. This success is measured by assessing the change in average grade and their pass rates. Evidence of the impact of this factor in teaching has helped to know in detail these intermediate phases of this process. The built model makes it possible to analyze the impact of the high school curriculum reform on the students’ success, creating the opportunity for further improvements. Despite the fact that the object of the study is the Biology curriculum and the evaluation of the impact in academic success of students who graduated from high schools where a competence based curriculum was implemented, this methodology can be used for the study in other subjects, especially life sciences.

scholarly journals Questionnaire-Derived Sleep Habits and Academic Achievement in First Year University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Matthew Driller ◽  
Haresh Suppiah ◽  
Paul B. Gastin ◽  
Christopher M. Beaven
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
University Students ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
First Year ◽  
Sleep Habits ◽  
Study Results ◽  
First Year University ◽  
The Impact

This study aimed to determine the effect of sleep quantity and quality via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) on students’ academic achievement in their first year of university study. In this cross-sectional study, 193 students (102 female, 91 male, mean ± SD; age = 19.3 ± 2.9 y) from an undergraduate Health degree in New Zealand completed the PSQI four weeks prior to the end of the semester in their first year of university study. Results from three core subjects in the first semester were averaged and correlations between the PSQI and academic success were evaluated using Spearman’s rho (ρ). The group were also trichotomized using a PSQI global score of ≤5 as the threshold for “good” sleepers (n = 62, 32%), a score of 5–8 for “moderate” sleepers (n = 63, 33%) and a score ≥8 to characterize “poor” sleepers (n = 68, 35%). Overall, students averaged 7 h 37 min of self-reported sleep duration with an average bedtime of 22:55 p.m. and wake time of 8:01 a.m. There was a significant, small inverse relationship between academic performance and bedtime (p = 0.03, ρ = −0.14), with those going to bed earlier having superior academic success. The trichotomized data demonstrated no significant differences in academic performance between students with poor, moderate and good sleep quality (p = 0.92). Later bedtimes were associated with lower academic performance in a group of first year university students. However, there were no other relationships observed between academic success and self-reported sleep quality or quantity as determined by the PSQI. Enhancing awareness of the impact of sleep timing on academic success should be prioritized and strategies to improve sleep hygiene should be promoted to university students.

scholarly journals Accommodations and academic performance: First-year university students with disabilities

2021 ◽  
pp. 41-56
Author(s):  
Jeanette Parsons ◽  
Mary Ann McColl ◽  
Andrea K. Martin ◽  
David W. Rynard
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
University Students ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
First Year ◽  
Program Of Study ◽  
Transition From High School ◽  
First Year University ◽  
The Relationship

Despite growing enrollment of university students with disabilities, they have not achieved academic parity with their non-disabled peers. This study matched 71 first-year university students with disabilities and students without disabilities on three variables: high school average when admitted to university, gender, and program of study. Both groups of students were compared on three measures of academic performance: GPA, failed courses, and dropped courses after first year of university. The relationship between accommodations and academic performance was also analyzed for students with disabilities. Evenwhen matched on admission average, gender, and program of study, students with disabilities had a significantly lower GPA and were more likely to fail courses in their first year than their peers without disabilities. While note-taking in the classroom was associated with being less likely to drop a course, it was also associated with poorer academic performance, as was using a calculator or alternate format during exams. The more accommodations students lost in the transition from high school, the worse they performed academically at university. Students who lost human assistant support in the classroom and theuse of a computer or a memory aid during exams had a significantly lower GPA and were more likely to fail courses in their first year of university compared with students who did not lose these accommodations. These findings have implications for accessibility offices and universities in supporting the access needs and academic success of students with disabilities.

The impact of self-efficacy on first onset and prognosis of major depressive disorder: findings from a longitudinal study in a sample of Chinese first-year university students

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
JianLi Wang ◽  
Debiao Liu ◽  
Guoling Li ◽  
Jin Zhu ◽  
Song Yue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
University Students ◽  
Longitudinal Studies ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
First Year ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
First Onset ◽  
First Year University ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Self-efficacy is a pivotal factor in the etiology and prognosis of major depression. However, longitudinal studies on the relationship between self-efficacy and major depressive disorder (MDD) are scarce. The objectives were to investigate: (1) the associations between self-efficacy and the 1-year and 2-year risks of first onset of MDD and (2) the associations between self-efficacy and the 1-year and 2-year risks of the persistence/recurrence of MDD, in a sample of first-year university students. Methods We followed 8079 first-year university students for 2 years from April 2018 to October 2020. MDD was ascertained by the Chinese version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI-3.0) based on self-report. Self-efficacy was measured by the 10-item General Self-efficacy (GSE) scale. Random effect logistic regression modeling was used to estimate the associations. Results Among participants without a lifetime MDD, the data showed that participants with high baseline GSE scores were associated with a higher risk of first onset of MDD over 2 years [odds ratio (OR) 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.08]. Among those with a lifetime MDD, participants with high baseline GSE scores were less likely to have had a MDD over 2 years (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.88–0.99) compared to others. Conclusions A high level of GSE may be protective of the risk of persistent or recurrent MDD. More longitudinal studies in university students are needed to further investigate the impact of GSE on the first onset of MDD.

scholarly journals First-year university students’ academic success: the importance of academic adjustment

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 749-767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Els C. M. van Rooij ◽  
Ellen P. W. A. Jansen ◽  
Wim J. C. M. van de Grift
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
University Students ◽  
Academic Adjustment ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year University

scholarly journals The ‘Double Transition’ for First-Year Students: Understanding the Impact of Covid-19 on South Africa’s First-Year University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-92
Author(s):  
Annsilla Nyar
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Student Transition ◽  
Double Transition ◽  
First Year University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Academic Cycle ◽  
Special Category ◽  
First Year Student

While all students are affected by the advent of the Covid‑19 pandemic, the first‑year student population remains a special category of vulnerability for higher education. This is on account of the way the Covid‑19 pandemic has disrupted their transition into university and complicated the nature of their entry into and through the formal academic cycle. This article uses the notion of a ‘double transition’ as a framework for positioning and locating the first‑year student transition within the context of the prevailing Covid‑19 pandemic. ‘Double transition’ refers to an additional transition coupled with that of the first‑year transition, with regard to the extraordinary situation of students navigating their entry into the unfamiliar terrain of academia while simultaneously navigating the Covid‑19 pandemic. The article provides a circumscribed summary of the effects of Covid‑19 on university students and looks to describe and explain the nature and shape of first‑year transitions in relation to the transition necessitated by the Covid‑19 pandemic. It concludes with four key strategies for supporting first‑year students as the pandemic continues.

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