Gender as predictor of academic performance of undergraduate students across Ethiopian public universities

Abstract

This article intends to assess gender as a predictor of academic performance as measured by the post-graduate diploma in teaching (PGDT) placement examination of public universities. Based on its common assumptions with the legal and policy provisions of Ethiopia on gender issues and for pragmatic reasons, the article employs liberal feminism theory as analytical lens. Multistage sampling technique was employed. Three universities were selected through random sampling. Sample of 119 (M=83, F=36) PGDT candidates participated. Regression analysis technique was employed. The regression model predicted 11.6% of the variance and was a significant predictor of the outcome variable, F2, 116=7.599, P=.001, r2= .116. Gender was a significant predictor favouring male performance, β= -.300, P=.001; whereas university was not, β= -.099, P=.276. Implications were discussed.