Academic Achievement In Higher Education Research Articles

Learning Styles and Motivation: Their Role in Academic Performance

This study examines the correlations between academic motivation, learning styles, and academic achievement in higher education. The goal of this study is to prove that there is a correlation between academic motivation, learning styles, and academic success of students. Utilizing Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses, it explores these variables' impact on academic performance. It highlights the importance of educators recognizing the diversity in learning styles and motivational drivers among students. The results reveal a slight negative correlation between learning styles and academic achievement, but no significant correlation between academic motivation and other variables. The study also suggests that while learning styles have a modest impact on academic performance, the role of motivation is more complex and warrants further investigation. These findings suggest a modest influence of learning preferences on educational outcomes and underscore the complex nature of motivation in academic settings. The study advocates for an integrated pedagogical approach that addresses learning diversity and motivational dynamics. The research contributes to the ongoing debate about the effectiveness of tailoring educational strategies to individual learning styles. It emphasizes the need for a holistic approach in addressing student needs in academic environments. Received: 7 February 2024 / Accepted: 20 April 2024 / Published: 5 May 2024

On the correlation among the students’ epistemic cognition, academic emotions, and academic achievement in higher education

Students' academic achievement relies on a variety of pedagogical, affective, and individual factors. The investigation of academic emotions and epistemic cognition has been a focal point in existing research. Previous studies have predominantly delved into the essence of students' epistemic cognition and academic emotions. Nonetheless, the correlation between the epistemic cognition, academic emotions, and academic success of Chinese undergraduate students remains inadequately explored. This research delves into the interconnectedness of these variables and examines which facets of epistemic cognition and academic emotions can forecast students' academic performance. A total of three hundred and eighty (380) Chinese undergraduate students were chosen via random sampling for this study. Their self-reported academic achievements were taken into account. Additionally, they completed questionnaires tailored to evaluate their epistemic cognition and academic emotions. The participants' scores underwent Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses. The findings indicate that positive emotions correlate positively, while negative emotions correlate negatively with students' academic success. Furthermore, positive emotions and three categories of epistemic cognition were found to be predictors of students' academic accomplishments. In conclusion, it is deduced that both epistemic cognition and positive emotions play a role in enhancing students' academic success. The implications of these findings extend to educational psychologists, educators, and students, both theoretically and practically.

Harmonious passion and academic achievement in higher education: The mediating influence of exploratory and exploitative learning strategies

Harmonious passion refers to engaging in an activity out of personal volition and sense of meaning, which motivates individuals to devote substantial time and energy while internalizing the activity as part of their identity, and it underpins the promotion of sustainable behaviors and mindsets. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between harmonious passion and academic achievement among university students in higher education, as well as the mediating role of exploratory and exploitative learning behaviors in this association. Exploratory learning involves seeking new knowledge and skills, whereas exploitative learning involves refining and applying existing knowledge and skills. Data were collected from 528 university students across multiple institutions in China. Using structural equation modeling and multiple regression analysis, results revealed that harmonious passion had a significant positive effect on academic achievement. Furthermore, exploratory and exploitative learning played a chain-mediated role in the relationship. These findings provide insights into how harmonious passion could promote students' academic success in the context of innovation-driven and socially sustainable development, via the facilitation of sustainable learning strategies. Therefore, this study has broader implications for personal and societal sustainability, by emphasizing the role of harmonious passion and sustainable learning strategies in enhancing academic achievement and, ultimately, contributing to a more sustainable society.

Development and evaluation of a new instrument that measures motivation towards academic achievement (IMLA) in higher education

Academic motivation in teaching and learning processes, both in general and in particular in higher education, has been of great interest in educational research, since it is the basis of academic success. In this work, the model "Expectations-Value of achievement motivation" has been considered, which uses a socio-cognitive perspective to design an inventory that allows measuring the motivation for academic achievement in higher education. With this objective, the Motivational Inventory of Academic Achievement (IMLA) is created, supported by a rigorous methodological process in order to make this instrument reliable and valid. The psychometric properties of the IMLA were determined from the analysis of content validity, reliability and construct in a sample of 464 higher education students from a Chilean and a Spanish university. The results indicate that the IMLA has 9 factors that explain 64.11% of the total variance and a Cronbach's alpha of .913, a rating considered high according to the requirements of a measurement instrument. In this way, this study contributes with the creation of a tool that integrates important motivational aspects focused on internal cognitive beliefs, based on expectations and the value of the task, as well as incorporating the assessment of the environment, for which reason it is estimated. that the IMLA is an instrument with a high potential for the educational and scientific field.

Does Studying Latin in Secondary Education Predict Study Achievement in Academic Higher Education?

AbstractStudying Latin in secondary education is still widespread in Europe and believed to result in cognitive benefits, even beyond the linguistic domain. In this study we explored the relation between such study and later academic achievement in higher education (N = 1,898). First, we demonstrated that Latin students exhibit increased levels of study achievement in higher education, particularly in study programs other than those covering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Second, we explored where the instruction of Latin was a significant predictor in models of academic achievement, explaining incremental variance over 21 other cognitive, attitudinal, and demographic variables. Latin instruction was included as a variable in the prediction models in 42% of the programs (mainly in the non‐STEM ones), but the incremental predictive validity was substantial only in the linguistic programs. Our results highlight how the study of Latin can be a valuable predictor of academic achievement in other study fields.

The Effect of Classroom Debate on Students' Academic Achievement in Higher Education: an Overview

The use of classroom debate as an instructional technique is prevalent, particularly in secondary and higher education. There have been several studies examining the effects of classroom discussion in areas such as second language acquisition, philosophical thinking, psychology, and pure science, there is a lack of particular research in the subject of administrative science. Multidisciplinary fields that focus on critical and analytical examination of administrative ideas, management principles, and methods. The review papers covered organisational and leadership theories. Therefore, the study aims is to provide a thorough examination of how classroom debate affects students' academic performance in higher education, in various academic settings, and across all departments and disciplines of study. The research findings indicate classroom debates are beneficial and relevant to many academic subjects because they allow students to think more critically and express creative ideas, which improve their academic performance. A theoretical framework shows a clear connection between student academic success and the advantages of conversation in the classroom.

Application of The Learning Strategies and Motivation Questionnaire (LEMO) at the University: Reliability and Relation to First-year GPA

As part of efforts to enhance academic achievement in higher education, incoming first-year students are becoming more and more subjected to surveys and assessments, e.g., regarding motivation and learning strategies. The Learning Strategies and Motivation Questionnaire (LEMO; Donche, Van Petegem, Van de Mosselaer, & Vermunt, 2010) is one of these surveys, applied mostly in professional bachelor programmes. The current study examines the reliability and predictive validity of the LEMO questionnaire in a sample of 416 first-year university students. All 13 scales were included in the study, i.e. Concrete Processing, Analysing, Memorising, Critical Processing, Relating-Structuring, External Regulation, Self-Regulation, Lack of Regulation, Amotivation, Controlled Motivation, Autonomous Motivation, Self-Efficacy, and Learning Together. In line with its reliability in previous studies, Cronbach’s alfa of most LEMO scales was below .70, which is the minimum threshold for scientific research, as was the Composite Reliability of eight of the 13 LEMO-scales. A confirmatory factor analysis showed that several factor loadings were below .70, resulting in an average variance extracted (AVE) below .50 for 11 of the 13 scales. Most scales had no or only a limited correlation to first-year GPA (FYGPA). Only Self-Efficacy and Analysing correlated ≥ .20 with FYGPA. These two scales explained 10.4% of the variance in study success. Hereby, Self-Efficacy is the most important predictor. The other 11 scales had no significant contribution to the prediction of academic performance in addition to Self-Efficacy and Analysing (ΔR2 = 3.4%, n.s.). Additional analyses showed that the correlation between the LEMO scales and FYGPA varied according to Bachelor programme.

Structured learning diary and epistemic beliefs predict academic achievement in higher education

IntroductionEpistemic cognition, which explores how knowledge is acquired, applied, and critically evaluated, is closely linked to learning. However, despite numerous studies from various perspectives, much remains to be learned about this essential and predominantly positive connection. Despite the positive connection between epistemic cognition and learning, epistemic measures have not been widely used in predicting students’ academic achievement. One possible reason for this is the difficulties in measuring personal epistemology. However, in the last decade, learning analytics has emerged as a field of study and practice with new means to collect data on different psychological constructs. This study focused on a learning analytics tool, a structured learning diary, that can support student learning while being used to record student thinking. This study explores the connection of student diaries with academic achievement, students’ epistemic beliefs’ connection with academic achievement, and the viability of implementing an epistemic belief questionnaire and a structured learning diary in a naturalistic degree program setting (N = 105).MethodsConnections between these and academic achievement were investigated at four temporal measurement points. The first aim was to test which measures of the diary tool correlated with academic achievement. The second aim was to test epistemic beliefs’ correlation (Pearson correlation coefficient) with academic achievement. Models of linear regression were then designed and tested at different times. The overarching general aim of the study was to fill the gap in the use of reflective learning diaries in engineering education and epistemic beliefs in predicting academic achievement.Results and discussionThe results show that we should collect student-originated learning process data for the best predictive power and connect that with independent psychological measures. Despite the significant effort required to use the learning diaries, the results indicate that with further design, digital journaling tools are viable learning and measurement tools to be used at scale and for long periods. Future studies should investigate the possibility implement epistemic measures with structured learning diaries more closely and study the connections between diary use and personal epistemology.

The role of visual resources in academic achievement in higher education: Chinese international students’ perspectives

There is limited research concerning the use of visual materials for academic learning in Chinese undergraduate international students’ experiences of studying in the United States. To help address this gap, drawing upon theoretical perspectives on multimodality and a literature review on using visual resources, this article discusses the ways in which five Chinese undergraduate international students described their experiences of using visual materials for academic learning as part of a qualitative study. Primary data sources include two semistructured interviews with each participant. Informal conversations and multiple researchers’ perspectives were also consulted to ensure trustworthiness. The findings show that the participants used visual resources for specific learning purposes, particularly understanding academic content and designing projects. This study calls attention to international students’ perspectives on using visuals to support their academic learning during their study abroad.

Effective Interventions for Enhancing Academic Achievement in Higher Education: Views of Entrepreneurship Students

Entrepreneurship is considered a vehicle for fighting unemployment in developing countries such as South Africa. As a result, research focusing on entrepreneurship education continues to gain traction. Graduates of tertiary institutions are expected to contribute meaningfully either through employment or job creation. This expectation puts the role of tertiary institutions in converting students into graduates in the spotlight. Tertiary institutions deal with many challenges, such as the heterogeneity of the student population, which calls for evidence-based interventions that are tailor-made to the needs of specific cohorts. Thus, various stakeholders should support tertiary institutions by helping them achieve the desired graduate attributes. This paper sought to suggest effective interventions that would enhance the academic success of entrepreneurship students and prepare them to become future job creators. Interventions should capitalize on students’ strengths and improve on their weaknesses. The researchers argue that interventions to promote academic success should consider students’ abilities and drive to complete qualifications, lecturers’ teaching methods, and graduate attributes required by society. The study used a quantitative approach to address the research question and collected data from 204 undergraduate entrepreneurship students at a technology university in South Africa. The study suggests effective interventions from descriptive statistics. This study reveals the importance of understanding students’ backgrounds, entrepreneurial attributes and teaching methods when designing academic interventions. Implications to the academic administrators and lecturers as well as recommendations for future studies are flagged.

The Mediation Role of Student Engagement Between the Influence of English Language Anxiety and Academic Achievement in Higher Education

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect that students' anxiety has on their academic performance, taking into account the function that student involvement plays as a mediator, at private institutes in the city of Erbil. To measure the effectiveness of the present research, the researcher employed a quantitative research approach in the form of a survey. The questionnaire was given out of total of four private institutes in the city of Erbil. Despite this, the researcher was successful in collecting 110 fully filled-out questionnaires. After the data collection phase was finished, all of the collected information was analyzed using SPSS to determine the impact that students' anxiety had on their academic achievement, taking into account the role that student engagement played as a mediator, at private institutes located in Erbil city. The findings proved a significant and positive mediation role of student engagement between student anxiety and academic achievement at the selected four private institutes in Erbil city. The study recommended that involvement and participation in class, group projects, and other classroom activities have been shown to improve students' engagement and decrease their anxiety. Furthermore, providing workshops, training sessions, and other resources to help students cope with their anxiety about learning a new language.

The Mediation Role of Student Engagement Between the Influence of English Language Anxiety and Academic Achievement in Higher Education


 
 
 The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect that students' anxiety has on their academic performance, taking into account the function that student involvement plays as a mediator, at private institutes in the city of Erbil. To measure the effectiveness of the present research, the researcher employed a quantitative research approach in the form of a survey. The questionnaire was given out of total of four private institutes in the city of Erbil. Despite this, the researcher was successful in collecting 110 fully filled-out questionnaires. After the data collection phase was finished, all of the collected information was analyzed using SPSS to determine the impact that students' anxiety had on their academic achievement, taking into account the role that student engagement played as a mediator, at private institutes located in Erbil city. The findings proved a significant and positive mediation role of student engagement between student anxiety and academic achievement at the selected four private institutes in Erbil city. The study recommended that involvement and participation in class, group projects, and other classroom activities have been shown to improve students' engagement and decrease their anxiety. Furthermore, providing workshops, training sessions, and other resources to help students cope with their anxiety about learning a new language.
 
 

A path analysis of university EFL students' perceptions of the classroom environment and academic achievement

The current study aimed to explore the relationships between students' perceptions of the classroom environment and their academic achievement in higher education. The participants were 846 first-year undergraduate students who were learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in China. Data on students’ perceptions of the classroom environment were collected by the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory. Students’ academic achievement was measured by a national standardized test for English competence (the College English Test). The results of path analysis showed that students’ perceptions of innovative instruction and task orientation were positive predictors of their academic achievement; students’ perceptions of equity predicted their academic achievement via perceptions of teacher-student relationships; students’ perceptions of peer relationships had an indirect effect on student achievement mediated by cooperative learning. However, students’ perceptions of learning autonomy were not related to their perceptions of other environmental factors and learning outcomes. Keywords: Academic achievement; Classroom environment; English as a foreign language (EFL); perceptions.

Analysis of Courses Affecting Academic Achievement in Higher Education with Association Rules Technique

Improving the quality of education is to develop humanity at its best. Therefore, this research aims at 3 goals. The 1st goal is to study the course structure that affects students' academic achievement, the 2nd goal is to study the relationships of each course that affect students' academic achievement, and the 3rd goal is to assess the patterns of each course's relationship on student achievement. Data collected for research were student data from the B.B.A. (Business Computer) at the University of Phayao from 2001 to 2020, totaling 2,017 students. The research tools are mining association rules with the Apriori algorithm, Support value, Confidence value, LaPlace value, Gain value, PS value, Lift value, and Conviction value. The research results found that it is imperative to accelerate problem-solving of learners' knowledge, skills, and abilities related to Mathematics and English knowledge in improving future curricula with the primary goal of further improving learner quality. The key findings of this research reveal that Thai students still need support and solutions in Mathematics and English for sustainable learning.

Findings and methodologies about student networks, learning, performance and academic achievement in higher education: A literature review on quantitative studies

AbstractUniversity student networks are recognised to be linked with student performance. Yet, no literature review seems to address student networks together with student learning or achievement. This paper focuses on the quantitative studies conducted since 2000 that relate to this issue. This literature review highlights five research domains: (1) the links between student and peer performance within face‐to‐face networks; (2) the effects of networks’ components (e.g., centrality) on student learning and achievement within face‐to‐face networks; (3) the impacts of online social network use on student performance; (4) the effects of social presence and of interactions within e‐learning; and (5) the effects of e‐learning networks components. This literature review underlines inconsistent findings within each of these research domains. This paper leads to a discussion on the methodological issues that might explain these inconsistencies and to research questions still to be covered when studying student networks in relation with education outcomes. Context and implication Rationale for this study Academic success is not to be taken for granted. There is a need for understanding why some students succeed and others fail at university. Many studies focused on the relationships between achievement at university and student networks. To this day, no literature review exists regarding those links. Furthermore, in social networks analysis (SNA), scientists developed quantitative methodologies to describe networks. SNA techniques include, for instance, computing nodes’ centrality. There is a need to discuss how such quantitative methodologies are and could be implemented in education research. Why the new findings matter This knowledge about relationships between college students’ networks and learning, performance or academic achievement should help develop and implement policies that promote student success at university. Implications for educational researchers and policy makers Education researchers have to be cautious about some methodological challenges encountered when studying networks. Also, alternative centrality measures—that is, those less investigated or not investigated—might be valid candidates for representing the importance of students within networks.With respect to educational policy development: Mixing student abilities within classes appears to be a better option than grouping those abilities, but student prior performance has to be taken into account, as linked to the student type that would most benefit from heterogeneity of performance; Educational practitioners should ensure the sharing and dissemination of relevant and accurate resources and information in student (online) networks; We encourage education professionals to analyse how one might effectively integrate online social platforms into instruction, and to educate students about the adverse effects of misusing these platforms; We recommend education practitioners pay attention to students’ isolation feelings in e‐learning settings; In e‐learning settings, education professionals should ensure that less active students access learning materials and should encourage active participation of students in collaborative tasks.

Personality predicts academic achievement in higher education: Differences by academic field of study?

In the present study it is investigated whether students enrolled in different academic fields of study have differing personality traits (i.e., conscientiousness and openness) and whether the relationship between these traits and academic achievement differs by academic field. Using Structural Equation Modeling on data from a large sample of university students, this study examined to what extent students' levels of conscientiousness and openness differ by academic field and whether these personality traits have differential predictive value for academic achievement for students in different academic fields. We found that students who are more open to experience and less conscientious are more likely to enroll in a program in the academic field of arts/humanities than in another field. There were no differences in the predictive value of these personality traits for academic achievement by academic field when controlling for prior performance in high school. These findings emphasize the general effectiveness of conscientiousness in explaining academic achievement and also call for the consideration of academic fields or college majors in personality research. Besides having theoretical implications, these findings have practical implications for higher education.

PENGARUH SARANA TERHADAP MOTIVASI BELAJAR MAHASISWA PRODI ARSITEKTUR UPN “VETERAN” JAWA TIMUR

The realization of academic achievement in higher education is very dependent on the motivation to learn on the students themselves. However, there are many factors that can affect the presence of learning motivation, both external and internal factors. Several external factors exist, including the quality of infrastructure that supports the teaching and learning process of students. Several infrastructure facilities (sarpras) in the Architecture Study Program building, East Java "Veteran" National Development University (UPNVJT) have been used for decades, since the establishment of the Architecture Study Program. It is feared that the old Sarpras can affect students' learning motivation, especially if the existing Sarpras are not relevant to current learning needs. However, there have been several new sarpras that have been presented in the Architecture Study Program to support the student learning process. Therefore, this study aims to determine how much influence the available facilities and infrastructure have on learning motivation and academic achievement of UPNVJT Architecture Study Program students. This research was carried out by examining several available infrastructures in the Architecture Study Program of UPNVJT. Student learning motivation variable data obtained through a questionnaire that will be associated with the conditions of the available facilities. The results of the study found that the means had an indirect relationship and was not the main factor that determined students' learning motivation.

Tell me a story, professor! The effect of historical science stories on academic achievement and motivation in a physics class

ABSTRACT Background: Achieving the targeted of university physics courses and improving student motivation requires varying types of instructional design. One alternative approach to the traditional lecture format involves the use of historical science stories, which are narratives that present episodes from the life of a scientist, as well as characterizing the nature of science, providing students with a historical perspective of the subject being taught and helping them to comprehend and retain the concept. Purpose: The purpose of our study was to investigate the effect of using historical science stories (HSS) on the academic achievement and motivation of future teachers. Design and methods: A pretest-posttest research design compared two classrooms: one that included the story-based history of science in the teaching the topic of free fall movement and one that did not. Sample: A total of 35 preservice science teachers (17 in the experimental group and 18 in the control group) participated in the study. The results showed that the preservice teachers in the experimental group performed better than those in the control group. Results: The use of the historical science story-based approach also promoted the motivation of the participants. Analysis of the data revealed that the intervention had a statistically significant effect on the academic achievement of the student teachers. On the other hand, although the motivation scores in the experimental group increased, this increase was not found to be statistically significant. Conclusions: The findings of this study support the use of historical science stories to improve academic achievement in higher education. The conclusions reached here may enable teacher educators to introduce historical events in a similar environment to support better comprehension of physics.

Using Blended Project-Based Learning for Students’ Behavioral Intention to Use and Academic Achievement in Higher Education

This research focused on the potential of project-based learning and blended learning, which offer a distinctive cross-point in regard to building 21st-century skills in the classroom. Specifically, this research hypothesized that using the BPBL approach has an effect on perceived self-efficacy, perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, behavioral intention of using BPBL, and students’ academic achievement. To achieve the research goal, we employed a questionnaire as the main data collection method and dispensed it to 80 students, all of whom use the BPBL approach. The findings were obtained via a quantitative research method, structural equation modeling (SEM). We found a significant relationship between the BPBL approach and perceived self-efficacy, perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, behavioral intention of using BPBL, and students’ academic achievement. Therefore, we believe that the BPBL approach enhances students’ behavioral intention to use and academic achievement in a blended project-based learning approach and allows sharing knowledge, information, and discussions. Thus, it is recommended that students use the BPBL approach for educational purposes, and they should also be encouraged to do so through their learning at university level.

RELATIONS BETWEEN INSTRUCTOR FEEDBACK, SELF-REGULATION, ASSIGNMENT COMPLETION AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN THAI HIGHER LEARNING INSTITUTIONS

Purpose – Assignments have been linked with various benefits, including a higher quality of learning and academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between assignment completion and academic achievement in higher education. Specifically, it investigated the impact of instructor feedback and three constructs of self-regulation (self-efficacy, time management, and help-seeking) on assignment completion (time spent on assignments and number of assignments completed) and academic achievement. Methodology – The study employed a correlational research design and a self-report survey. Data was collected from 1,106 undergraduate students in six universities in Thailand through a convenience sampling approach. Structural equation modelling was used to establish the strength of the relationships among the constructs of the model. Findings – The number of assignments completed was found to have a strong association with academic achievement. Time management was the strongest predictor of the number of assignments completed as well as time spent on assignments. Time management was also the mediator between self-efficacy and the number of assignments completed. However, help-seeking was negatively associated with both the number of assignments completed and academic achievement. Significance – These results have educational implications, and should be helpful for instructors, instructional designers and educators who may use the information to offer undergraduate students appropriate learning tools, strategies and environments for supporting assignment completion and academic achievement.