Abstract
This study examined variables that are within and beyond the control of students in explaining variations in performance in an introductory finance course. Regression models were utilized to consider whether the variables within the student’s control have a greater impact on course performance relative to the variables beyond the student’s control. Among the particular variables within the student’s control were the student’s inclination to procrastinate as evidenced by the relative delay the students exhibited in commencing online homework assignments. Also, separate measures were constructed to examine the effect of the accuracy of the homework submitted and the student’s actual completion of those assignments. Class attendance was also considered. The variables largely beyond the control of the student examined in this study were a measure of how far along in the undergraduate program the student had progressed when he/she enrolled in the introductory finance course, a measure of the credit load of the student in the semester when the student took the course, the student’s gender, the student’s overall academic ability and the relative strength of the student in comprehending quantitative versus verbal concepts. For the three measures of student performance studied, average homework grade, the mid-term exam grade and the final exam grade, all of the relevant variables within the student’s control demonstrated some impact on the various measures of performance. There was persuasive evidence that the variables within the student’s control were more influential in explaining differences in student performance than the variables beyond the student’s control.
Highlights
This paper considers the impact of variables within and beyond a student’s control that influence the student’s performance in an introductory college finance course
For the regression model explaining homework grades, the variables that are within the control of the student are (a) student attendance, (b) an observed measure of procrastination in the average time a student is delaying the initial accessing of the online homework assignments, and (c) the number of homework assignments completed
The first measure of student performance to be examined with the use of a regression model is the average grade that students earned on the eight homework tasks assigned over the semester
Summary
This paper considers the impact of variables within and beyond a student’s control that influence the student’s performance in an introductory college finance course. Several measures of student performance are analyzed—student grades on online homework assignments, the mid-term grade and the grade on a comprehensive final exam. It is of interest to examine which of the variables within the control of the student appear to have a statistically significant impact on the various measures of performance. Such findings may guide the instructor in formulating his/her appeals to the students to modify their mix related activities (including the use of grade incentives to encourage more productive activities) in order to achieve a greater mastery of the course material. For the regression model explaining the final exam, the explanatory variables reflecting student behavior would be similar to the list of variables in the mid-term exam model, except the independent variables are measured over the entire course
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