Interviews with Students under Academic Probation and Students’ Academic Achievement

Abstract

This study first discusses what makes students placed under academic probation and aims to offer basic data for colleges to refer to when they try to cope with students who want to find their motivators. The study had interviews with these students who have been put under academic probation. In addition, in order to analyze effects of classes on learning methods and learning motivation programs, the study used academic records from the second semester of year 2014 and the first semester of year 2015. Findings of the research have revealed that first, as for causes for the college students’ academic probation, in most cases, students highly tend to choose colleges based on their academic scores and they are not basically satisfied with academic advices from their teachers at high school and parents. Second, the students who do not have difficulties to ask their families for financial support appeared to have more chances with the academic probation compared to the other students from economically unfortunate backgrounds. Third, after they receive academic probation, the students try to figure out how they study and become highly willing to find ways to prepare their futures. It did not seem that the students have relatively much hope to make changes with the help or support of colleges. Fourth, the study confirmed that when it comes to participation in learning methods improvement, the students get most motivated by ideas of graduation and increase in their grades. Fifth, the study confirmed that support from a college such as opening classes on learning strategies and methods and encouraging the students to join Jatnamu program helped 63.3% of the attendees to successfully improve the grades and of the 63.3%, 96% of the students under academic probation increased the grades. The study is considered academically significant in that it has provided both of causes for academic probation and objective data of academic achievement based on findings from the personal interviews with students under academic probation.