Validity of Utme and Post-Utme in Predicting Students’ Academic Achievement in Undergraduate Mathematics

Abstract

Some Mathematics undergraduate students who reckoned high grades in SSCE Mathematics, high scores in UTME and Post-UTME Mathematics end up spending extra years in the university, some graduating with low class of degrees and some others dropping out of school. Hence, the need for this study which was specifically aimed at determining students’ UTME scores in Mathematics, and Post-UTME scores in Mathematics as correlates of the first year mean achievement scores of the students in undergraduate Mathematics. The design of the study was correlational survey research design. The study was guided by three research questions, and three hypotheses. The study was carried out in Ebonyi State. The study used a sample of 120 students out of the total population of 146 students drawn from the 2018/2019, 2019/2020, and 2020/2021 academic sessions in both the Pure and Applied Mathematics and Mathematics Education courses using both purposive sampling and proportionate random sampling techniques. The data were collected using a researchers-made instrument which was face validated by three experts, one in Measurement and Evaluation; and two experts in Mathematics Education all in Department of Science Education. The data were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment correlation, Regression Analysis and Analysis of Variance. The research questions were answered using the Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficients, while all the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance, using exact probability approach. The findings of the study showed that students’ UTME and Post-UTME scores in Mathematics significantly positively correlated with the first year mean achievement scores of the students in undergraduate Mathematics. Hence, the researchers concluded that both UTME and Post-UTME scores in Mathematics are reliable predictors of the students’ academic achievement in undergraduate Mathematics.