First semester academic performance: The importance of early indicators of non-engagement

Success, progression and retention of students are goals of many university strategic directions and policies. For many decades it has been recognised that the greatest focus in any retention strategy should be on first-year students. University of Otago too has goals around student success. The Strategic Plan of the institution also identified that in the context of a fiscally constrained environment, all of our activities and processes need to be assessed for efficiency and effectiveness. To this end, a pilot was undertaken in one area of the university to identify possible indicators of first-year students’ non-engagement in the first semester and their possible impact on the first semester academic performance. The findings suggest that there are indeed some indicators that predict Grade Point Average at the end of the first semester.

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Predicting Undergraduate Level Students’ Performance Using Regression

NIGERIAN ANNALS OF PURE AND APPLIED SCIENCES ◽

10.46912/napas.224 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 129-139

Author(s):

S Akuma ◽

H Abakpa

Keyword(s):

Academic Performance ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Educational Institutions ◽

First Year ◽

Grade Point ◽

University Environment ◽

First Semester ◽

Cumulative Grade Point Average ◽

Moderating Factors ◽

The University

Students’ academic performance in the university environment changes from one academic year to another as they climb up the ladder of their academic programme. Predicting students’ academic performance in higher educational institutions is challenging due to the lack of a central database of students’ performance records. The other challenge is the lack of standard methods for predicting students’ performance and other moderating factors like physical, economic and health that affect students’ progress. In this work, we predicted students’ performance based on previous academic results. A model to predict students’ performance based on their Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) was developed using Linear Regression Algorithm. A dataset of 70 undergraduate students studying Computer Science was analyzed and the results show that the model was able to predict the 4th year CGPA of the Students using the previous Cumulative Grade Point of the past three years with an accuracy of 87.84%, and a correlation of 0.9338. This study also identified students’ second semester CGPA in the first year and their first semester CGPA in the second year as the most important CGPAs that affect the accuracy

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Loneliness and the Development of Social Relationships in Malaysian University Students

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.2012.40.2.227 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 40 (2) ◽

pp. 227-238 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Intan H. M. Hashim ◽

Siamak Khodarahimi

Keyword(s):

Social Network ◽

University Students ◽

Social Relationships ◽

First Year ◽

First Year Students ◽

First Semester ◽

The Social ◽

The University

In this study we investigated loneliness and how social relationships develop in university students. Participants were 67 first-year students beginning their first semester in a university in northern Malaysia. We collected information regarding respondents' background, their descriptions of the social network at the university, and their level of loneliness. The study was conducted in 2 parts over a 10-week period; at 4 weeks after their registration and then at 14 weeks after their registration. Findings suggest development of friendship was still in progress and loneliness had increased at Time 2.

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Academic Skills, Community Engaged, Leadership, and Global Themed First-Year Seminars: Comparisons in Student Success

Journal of College Student Retention Research Theory & Practice ◽

10.1177/1521025120912696 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 152102512091269

Author(s):

Lynn M. Boettler ◽

Ruth A. Goldfine ◽

Don W. Leech ◽

Gerald R. (Jerry) Siegrist

Keyword(s):

Academic Performance ◽

Learning Community ◽

Grade Point Average ◽

Retention Rate ◽

Analysis Of Covariance ◽

First Year ◽

Full Time ◽

Grade Point ◽

Part Time ◽

First Year Seminars

In this study, retention and academic performance of students enrolled in four different versions of a first-year seminar at a large, public 4-year university were compared for a 2-year period. The first-year seminars examined were 3-credit courses with either traditional, global, community engagement, or leadership themes and were essentially required of all first-year, full-time students. Statistical analysis using logistic regression and analysis of covariance were employed to determine whether differences existed. In addition, the variables of gender, race, high school grade point average, American College Testing/Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, type of instructor (full time or part time), and enrollment in a learning community were considered covariates in data analysis. The study revealed no significant differences in first-year to second-year retention rate or in academic performance as measured by college grade point average for the four different versions of the seminar; however, enrollment in a learning community did have significant impact on retention, even after controlling for covariates known to strongly affect retention.

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Academic Performance of Enrolled Students in the University of Lahore, Pakistan

Quest Journal of Management and Social Sciences ◽

10.3126/qjmss.v2i2.33306 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 357-365

Author(s):

Sana Jawad ◽

Haleema Naveed ◽

Muhammad Bilal Akram

Keyword(s):

Academic Performance ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Poor Performance ◽

Target Population ◽

Technology Support ◽

Grade Point ◽

Academic Background ◽

First Semester ◽

Cumulative Grade Point Average ◽

The University

Background: This study investigates the academic performance of students, enrolled at the University of Lahore, Pakistanto different programs in Spring-2019. The study measuredthe academic performance of students using the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). The variables under consideration were academic performance(students’ percentage, CGPA, and GPA). A total number of nine hundred and fifty eight (958) students were enrolled in Spring-19 with CGPA’s in Undergraduate BS (Hons) Programs, (246) Graduate (MS/MPhil.) Programs, and (11) Postgraduate (Ph.D.) Programs. Objective: The report aims to identify the relationship between percentage of marks with undergraduates and graduates, enrolled at the University of Lahore, Pakistan to different programs in Spring-2019. Methods: Undergraduate BS (Hons), Graduate (MS/M.Phil.) and Postgraduate (PhD) students were taken as the target population for the research sample. Data were collected with the help of an array of technology support, and management. For analysis, the frequency analysis, descriptive analysis and correlation are used through the aid of Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 23. Results: Results show that the performance of students, enrolled with a weak academic background, had poor performance in enrolled programs. On the other hand, students, enrolled with high academic background, maintained their excellent performance in the first semester of their enrolled programs. Also, we observe that the students who were enrolled with a high percentage of marks show poor and average performance in the first semester. Conclusions: We can infer from this analysis that only the students who were enrolled with a high percentage can achieve a high GPA in the semester. And likewise, students who weren’t enrolled with a good percentage of marks cannot achieve a high GPA in the first semester. Originality: This is the original work of author and not submitted for publishing in other publications.

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The Importance of First Semester Seminars for At-Risk First-Year Students: Analysis of Student Skills and Time Spent on Class Preparation

Education Sciences ◽

10.3390/educsci11090510 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 510

Author(s):

David E. Reed ◽

Guinevere Z. Jones

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

At Risk ◽

First Year ◽

Social Changes ◽

Student Survey ◽

First Year Students ◽

First Semester ◽

High School To College ◽

Transition From High School ◽

The University

The high-school-to-college transition can be difficult as students are adapting to a multitude of academic and social changes simultaneously. The University of Wyoming has created a first-semester program targeted at development of student skills for at-risk students using paired first-year seminar classes. Using student survey data from both pre- and post-course series, students were asked how important they thought academic and non-academic skills were as well as how much preparation time they were spending outside of class. Results from this work show large changes in the importance of skills and time spent studying during the transition from high school to college. This highlights the need to focus specifically on teaching skills to help students through the transition and suggests that not all skills are equal and data shows that students take longer than one semester to match their expected and actual amounts of time they spend outside of class studying.

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Personality traits, teamwork competencies and academic performance among first-year engineering students

Higher Education Skills and Work-based Learning ◽

10.1108/heswbl-11-2019-0153 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Kuok Ho Daniel Tang

Keyword(s):

Academic Performance ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Engineering Students ◽

First Year ◽

Academic Excellence ◽

Content Type ◽

First Semester ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Individual ◽

The University

PurposeIt is commonly believed that personality traits determine a person's ability to work in a team and academic performance. However, studies have shown inconsistent results with some personality traits better than the other in predicting students' performance in different academic majors. The purpose of this study is to examine the interrelation between personality traits, teamwork competencies and academic performance among first-year first semester engineering students in an Australian university located in the Sarawak state of Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachThe Individual and Team Performance (ITP) metrics were administered among 189 students to gauge their personality traits as well as self-rated and peer-rated teamwork competencies. The correlations between personality traits and teamwork competencies as well as correlations of both the variables to academic performance were subsequently analyzed.FindingsThis study shows no significant difference between the self-rated and peer-rated teamwork competencies. Adventurous trait appears to negatively correlate with teamwork competencies. This study also reveals teamwork competencies as better predictors of academic performance than personality traits. Commitment and focus show relatively larger effect on academic performance. It can be concluded that commitment is the most significant factor to excel in first-year engineering in the university. Therefore, interventions that promote commitment is crucial to academic performance of the first-year first semester engineering students.Practical implicationsThis study promulgates the development of team competencies which are more crucial to academic excellence than personalities. It is useful for the design of team learning activities which lead to the development of teamwork competencies while improving academic performance. It shows that team activities which reinforce commitment especially and focus secondarily, will have significant positive effect on academic performance of the first-year engineering students generally.Originality/valueWhile most studies in this area examine the correlation between personality traits and academic performance, this study is among the very few that looks into the aspect of teamwork competencies. This study also finds its value in its regional significance as such correlational studies are not prevalent in Malaysia.

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ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND MENTAL HEALTH, IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. A TWO YEAR FOLLOW-UP STUDY OF A SAMPLE OF FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF UPPSALA 1968

Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica ◽

10.1111/j.1600-0447.1973.tb10492.x ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 49 (s243) ◽

pp. 64-64 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

ULLA BRITT SUNDQVIST

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Academic Performance ◽

University Students ◽

First Year ◽

First Year Students ◽

Follow Up Study ◽

The University

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Effects of a Fall Reading Break on First Year Students' Course Performance in Programming

Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA) ◽

10.24908/pceea.v0i0.13006 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Carol Hulls ◽

Chris Rennick ◽

Mary Robinson ◽

Samar Mohamed

Keyword(s):

Focus Groups ◽

Regression Model ◽

Student Perceptions ◽

First Year ◽

Health Issues ◽

Course Performance ◽

First Year Students ◽

First Semester ◽

The University ◽

The Impact

This paper presents a mixed methods study into the effects of a fall break on course performance in a first semester programming course in Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo.In 2016, the University of Waterloo instituted a two-day fall break immediately following Thanksgiving Monday, on a three-year pilot. The stated rationale for this break was to address student wellness and mental health issues, especially as this pertains to students transitioning from high school and their “looming midterms”. As of October 2017, there are now 20 institutions in Ontario with a fall break of between one five days in length after the Thanksgiving holiday.A linear regression model was calculated to examine the impact of the fall break on students. This model predicts students who regretted how they spent the fall break will earn 6% less in their first programming course. A logistic regression model was calculated which predicted inexperienced, struggling students have the highest odds of regretting how they spent the break.Three focus groups were conducted with students who experienced the fall break in fall of 2016 or 2017. These focus groups examined student perceptions of the fall break, how they recalled using their time during the break, and their reflections on the br

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A FIELD STUDY ON THE REASON TO CHOOSE THE PROGRAMME, MOTIVES, PREPAREDNESS TO UNIVERSITY EDUCATION AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF ACCOUNTING PROGRAMME STUDENTS

International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH ◽

10.29121/granthaalayah.v6.i11.2018.1119 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (11) ◽

pp. 209-221

Author(s):

Zeynep Hatunoğlu ◽

Ahmet Kaya ◽

Filiz Angaykutluk

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Academic Performance ◽

First Grade ◽

Female Students ◽

University Education ◽

Accounting Students ◽

First Year ◽

First Year Students ◽

First Semester ◽

Professional Career

This paper examines the perceptions of first-year students (freshmen) of accounting at Akdeniz University (AU) and Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University (KSU) to explore a range of factors which impact on students’ learning: their motives for entering higher education, their rationale for selecting an accounting programme, their preparedness for further study and their expectations. The study also explores the influence of these antecedent variables on academic performance in the first accounting module. Data was collected from 420 accounting students in first year classes at the AU and KSU. The data required for this study was collected via a questionnaire which was developed by Byrne and Flood in 2005 known as the Motives, Expectations and Preparedness for University (MEPU) questionnaire. Results show that there is a relation between interest in accounting as professional career and accounting first grade. First semester average mark shows positively that the willingness of accounting as a career influence the grades positively. KSU students rated higher than AU students in some statements of motives for attending university, preparedness for university, reason for choosing accounting programme. It can also be said that female students and KSU students have stronger motives and higher expectations for entering higher education.

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The effect of academic breaks on undergraduate academic performance

International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education ◽

10.1177/0020720920922518 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 002072092092251

Author(s):

Artem Lenskiy ◽

Raad Shariat ◽

Soonuk Seol

Keyword(s):

Academic Performance ◽

Academic Success ◽

Grade Point Average ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Grade Point ◽

Before And After ◽

Academic Records ◽

Final Grades ◽

The University

Leaving school for a period of time can have significant effects on students’ academic success. In this article, we analyze how taking an academic break for a different number of semesters affects students’ academic performance in terms of their Grade Point Average. This study is conducted at a university in Korea by analysing academic records of 653 undergraduate students who entered the university from 1998 to 2013. In addition, 101 currently enrolled students were surveyed to collect students’ opinions on the effects of academic breaks. We investigate changes in grades before and after a school leave and compare the final grades of students who had academic breaks to students who continued their studies without having any breaks during their undergraduate education.Our results indicate that students’ grades improve after coming back to the university from a four or more consecutive semesters break, however their final GPAs did not statistically differ from their peers who studied continuously, this suggests that students should not be afraid of taking longer academic breaks.

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