Lower GPA Research Articles

Predictors of Perceived Curricular Difficulty in the First Semester of Veterinary Education

Transitioning from undergraduate education to the professional curriculum of veterinary medicine poses serious challenges for many students in their first year. Several academic and personal factors contribute to the challenges students face in this critical period. This study investigated factors affecting academic performance in the first semester of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program. The research focused on the interplay of variables including undergraduate preparedness, science GPA, undergraduate major, anxiety, perceived curricular difficulty, expectancy of future success, and academic performance. Structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze relationships among variables. The findings indicated that students with low science GPAs and non-animal science undergraduate majors experienced less preparedness, leading to perceived curriculum difficulty and decreased expectations of success. This chain reaction elevated academic anxiety, negatively impacting academic performance. The study provided recommendations for intervention strategies that might enhance student success by addressing stressors impacting students’ feelings of preparedness and coursework related anxiety to promote academic achievement and well-being.

The description on the effects of alcoholism in relation to the university students’ academic progression

This study was done so as to determine how the effects of alcoholism among university students can affect their academic progression. Survey Research Design was employed during data collection, within a sample of 300 respondents, who were obtained through purposive sampling technique. Questionnaires were distributed to 290 students because they live with/among the addicted students; while interviews were also done to 10 students and lecturers because they have clear details concerning the addicted student, who have encountered hindrances on academic matters due to alcoholism. The obtained data are presented in tables, showing frequencies and percentages of each item, while others are explained as theories, concepts and views. For those cases, alcoholism among university students has been proven to be accompanied with unsafe sexual practices, which results into unwanted pregnancies and STDs like gonorrhea, syphilis, UTI, HIV/AIDS, etc. Due to alcoholism, most of students have been involved in accidents and injuries, which make them ill and not attend lectures. Some have developed kinds of aggressive behaviors that makes them indiscipline and violent. Such factors hinder their academic prosperity due to failing in exams, attaining low GPAs, prosponding the semester(s) due to financial crisis after squandering school fees, and being incompetent within their profession. Then if so, universities should set strategies and techniques in order to educate the fresh year students who have not been addicted. Rehabilitation counselling should take part to eliminate alcohol dependency on their students. And lecturers should use professional skills to ensure all students attend lectures.

Soft Skill Analysis: Rasch Model on Generation Z in Greater Jakarta

Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been identified as a good predictor of academic success. A multigenerational study says that Gen Z is inclusive because they place a high value on human interactions, which indicates EI. Rasch Model Analysis was used to explore Gen Zers' emotional intelligence based on their academic success. Gen Z students with high GPAs may have more emotional intelligence (EI) than those with low GPAs. A personal survey questionnaire and convenience sampling collected data from Gen Z students in Greater Jakarta higher education institutions. A Rasch Model analysis shows disparities in EI levels across students with high and low GPAs, yet the students with high GPAs do not have direct EI since the difference in EI level based on GPA is statistically insignificant. According to the Rasch Model Analysis, gen Z's EI is primarily high. EI. In terms of EI dimensions, Self Awareness dimensions show Gen Z is open to feedback. In contrast, Self-Management believes that Generation Z students will see their flaws. According to the Social Awareness findings, Gen Z students would become friends with anyone. Meanwhile, the Relationship Management component demonstrates that Generation Z students seek mutually beneficial solutions.

Physics Graduate Record Exam does not help applicants “stand out”

One argument for keeping the physics GRE is that it can help applicants who might otherwise be missed in the admissions process stand out. In this work, we evaluate whether this claim is supported by physics graduate school admissions decisions. We used admissions data from five PhD-granting physics departments over a 2-year period (N=2537) to see how the fraction of applicants admitted varied based on their physics GRE scores. We compared applicants with low GPAs to applicants with higher GPAs, applicants from large undergraduate universities to applicants from smaller undergraduate universities, and applicants from selective undergraduate institutions to applicants from less selective undergraduate institutions. We also performed a mediation and moderation analysis to provide statistical rigor and to better understand the previous relationships. We find that for applicants who might otherwise have been missed (e.g. have a low GPA or attended a small or less selective school) having a high physics GRE score did not seem to increase the applicant's chances of being admitted to the schools. However, having a low physics GRE score seemed to penalize otherwise competitive applicants. Thus, our work suggests that the physics GRE does not, in fact, help applicants who might otherwise be missed stand out.

Impact of Undergraduate Research and Student Characteristics on Student Success Metrics at an Urban, Minority Serving, Commuter, Public Institution

Challenges to establishing and maintaining undergraduate research programs include how to demonstrate impact as evidence for future funding, establish eligibility criteria when resources are limited, and assess new components. To address, undergraduate researcher GPA, credit accumulation and time to graduation were evaluated longitudinally, at an urban, public, minority and Hispanic serving, commuter college. Students who participated in undergraduate research and matched peers were also compared. Evaluation revealed that all groups benefited from participation in undergraduate research, whether they had full or part-time status, were STEM or non-STEM majors, or participated in single or multiple semesters of research. Addition of mandatory workshops after the fourth year of the seven years of students evaluated, correlated with longer participation in voluntary undergraduate research. Longer participation correlated with higher GPAs. Students who began research with no GPA, indicating that they were first-time freshmen or transfer students, were more likely to have low GPAs during the semester of participation, suggesting that a successful semester at the college before eligibility may be an evidence-based criteria to implement.

The riddle of the existential dropout: lessons from an institutional study of student attrition

ABSTRACT Studies found that students from low socioeconomic backgrounds have higher odds of dropping out from higher education. Academic hardships were also identified as predictors. The current study utilizes data on 45,752 students who started their studies at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2003–2015). Descriptive statistics reveal that 18% of all students dropped out, but that this group is heterogeneous. Specifically, 42% of the dropouts left following academic failures. However, 58% of the dropouts took an existential leave – never failing a course though taking a limited number of course credits. To identify possible predictors of those dropouts we employ three advanced models: logistic regressions, neural network models and decision tree models. The three methods converge in predicting dropouts when they fail their courses, take a partial programme, or have extremely low GPAs. However, the models fail in predicting the ‘existential dropouts’ – the students who never failed, had ostensibly ‘ok’ grades, and yet decided to leave. The findings set clear criteria for predicting dropout trajectories of academically failing students. We conclude by discussing policy implications that emanate from those new findings and point to the lingering riddle – and the challenge – that existential dropouts constitute.

COLLABORATIVE TESTING IN STATISTICS: GROUP INTERACTION, ANXIETY, AND CLASS PERFORMANCE

Seventy-one students in two community college Statistics for the Social Sciences classes took six exams either individually or collaboratively. Assignment to test condition was randomly determined for each exam. Scores on collaboratively-taken exams were significantly higher than those for individually-taken exams, particularly for students with low GPAs and high test anxiety. Women’s, but not men’s, performances on the mid-term and final exams was related to the quality and quantity of their collaborative interactions. Thus, examining both quantity and quality of collaboration adds to our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of collaborative testing. First published November 2018 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives

Investigating the Impact of Team Formation by Introversion/Extraversion in Software Projects

Human factors have an important effect on performance of software teams and resulting software products. One of the seldom-studied aspects of human factors is the effect of personality-based team formation on team cohesion and quality of the software product. In this study, we investigate the above effect by conducting an exploratory case study during a term-long undergraduate software engineering course containing a project component with 50 undergraduate students. We grouped the students based on the social-interaction dimension (introversion/ extraversion) of the well-known Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality assessment model. We then collected the relevant metrics to explore/analyze the two parameters of interest in our study: team cohesion, and project grade as an indicator of project output (i.e. resulting product quality). Our results show that there is some (although weak) relationship between the team formation scheme (based on either introversion or extraversion) with group performance and project grade. The results also show that mixed grouping of personality types has no significant effect on team cohesion but is advantageous in achieving higher project grades especially for people with low GPAs.

Does more general education reduce the risk of future unemployment? Evidence from an expansion of vocational upper secondary education

This paper investigates whether acquiring more general education reduces the risk of future unemployment. I study an educational reform in Sweden which prolonged the vocational programs in upper secondary school and gave them a considerably larger general content. The research design exploits variation across regions and over time in the implementation of a large-scale pilot which preceded the reform. I examine the students’ labor market experiences during the 2008−2010 recession, at which time they had reached their late 30s. I find no evidence that having attended a longer and more general program reduced the risk of experiencing unemployment. Among students with low GPAs from compulsory school, attending a pilot program seems instead to have led to an increased risk of unemployment. This pattern is strongest among male students and the effect is likely to be explained by the increased dropout rate which resulted from the change of the programs.

A Model for Understanding Educational Facebook Use

There are numerous types and variations of social networking web sites, such as MySpace, FB, Hi5, and Cyworld. Of these networks, the most commonly used is FB. Because of the widespread use of FB by youth, its effects on student achievement has recently become one of the most important issues that are curious for families. Therefore, it has become necessary to study the use of social networking sites for educational purposes and their related variables. In the present study, the variables that affect the educational use of FB and the relationships among these variables are examined and presented through a model. In the current study, data are collected from undergraduate students in the College of Education at an Anatolian university in Turkey. The participants consist of 1,066 undergraduates—65% are female (n = 691) and 35% male (n = 375). The result shows that knowledge of these variables enables us to largely understand the educational use of FB by individuals. In conclusion, it was seen that students who use FB for educational purposes more have higher GPAs. These students use FB more frequently but they spend less time on it. Also, they have fewer FB friends than students who have low GPAs.

Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Analyzing the Characteristics of Academically Disengaged Students: Results From UCUES 2010

We theorize 5 dimensions of academic disengagement based on students’ values, motivations, study behaviors, academic interactions, and competing involvements. Using 2010 survey data from the University of California, we find support for this conceptualization. The size of disengaged populations varied between 5% and 25%, depending on the measure used. On most measures, male students, upper-division students, students with low college GPAs, and students in the humanities and social sciences were significantly more likely, net of covariates, to be among academically disengaged populations. Students with high SAT scores were also more likely to be among academically disengaged populations.

What the ACT and SAT Mean for Black Students’ Higher Education Prospects <em>(Editor’s Commentary)</em>

Major changes are coming to the SAT. Both the SAT and the ACT are used to influence admissions and placement at colleges and universities in the U.S. In 2016, the SAT will return to a 1600-point scale from 2400, eliminate antiquated vocabulary words and assess students' understanding of context rather than rote memorization. The essay section will also be optional. In addition, the test will no longer penalize students for wrong answers, and the readingcomprehension section will incorporate subjects that students typically learn in high school and middle school (College Board, 2014).Throughout the history of the SAT and ACT, Black students' average scores have been the lowest among all racial groups. Currently, the national average for Black students on the ACT is 17 (ACT, 2012), compared with 22 for White students, and the national average for Black students on the SAT is 860 (Jaschik, 2013), compared with 1061 for White students. Black students' scores on the SAT and ACT have been relatively flat for the last 20 years, although significant gains have been made in Black students' graduation rates and college-degree attainment.The disparity in those numbers raises questions about the significance of the SAT in predicting long-term college success for African Americans-or any student, for that matter. Reasons for lower standardized test scores among Black students have been debated in the academic literature as well as in public discourse. Some question the validity and reliability of the tests, while others assert that the systemic impact of racial oppression and poverty diminishes Black students' performance on the tests.Other more extreme explanations purport that Black students' performance is diminished because of natural cognitive deficits or corrupted cultural values. However, as Black families and the Black community have sought to reconcile low test scores, test manufacturers have been grappling with research suggesting that the ACT and SAT do predict college success.The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) recently released research (Hiss & Franks, 2014) that revealed no significant differences in cumulative GPA or graduation rates between students who submit test scores for college admission and those who opt out of using scores for admission. In addition, the study found that high school GPAs correlated highly with college GPAs, regardless of SAT or ACT scores. In other words, students with low high school GPAs and high SAT or ACT scores generally performed poorly in college, and students with strong high school GPAs and low SAT or ACT scores generally performed well in college. The total sample of the study was almost 123,000 students across 33 diverse institutions.Some of the proposed changes to the SAT are aimed at addressing a known achievement gap that could be a proxy for race or socioeconomic status-the gap between students who participate in test prep and those who don't. Currently, test-preparation materials began at $25, and test-preparation courses and tutoring cost up to $6,600. More-affluent families spend more money to train their children to take the test, which often involves skills that have little to do with crystallizing the knowledge they should have gained in high school. The significant gains in SAT and ACT scores achieved by the students, who participate in the more expensive test programs as reported by the test-prep companies, call into question the integrity of the tests.Whether changes to the SAT will make scores more predictive of college performance and reduce affluent families' ability to game the test will be known until years after changes are implemented. However, the proposed changes will do little to mitigate the widespread use and misuse of the SAT or ACT as an admissions criterion. NACAC's Statement of Principles of Good Practice (NACAC, 2013) explicitly states that universities should not use minimum test scores as the sole criterion for admission, advising or for the awarding of financial aid. …

The Impact of Pre- and Post-Lecture Quizzes on Performance in Intermediate Accounting II

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this paper is to report the results of an investigation of the impact of online quizzing on accounting majors' examination performance in the second intermediate accounting course. Specifically, course sections with no quizzes, post-lecture quizzes, and a combination of pre- and post-lecture quizzes are compared. The data are based on 666 students completing Intermediate Accounting II at a large public university in the United States. Results suggest that using both pre- and post-lecture quizzes can lead to improved student preparation, increased student participation during class discussions, more effective use of lecture time, and significant improvement in students' performance on subsequent examinations. Significant interactions between GPA and the presence of pre- and post-lecture quizzes indicate that the effectiveness of specific quiz formats is contingent upon student aptitude level. Students with low GPAs benefit more from the addition of post-lecture quizzes, while students with higher GPAs benefit more from the addition of pre-lecture quizzes.

Some Scholarship Students Need Help, Too: Implementation and Assessment of a Scholarship Retention Program

Students with merit-based scholarships and strong high school GPAs typically have high retention rates. Yet, many high ability students did not need to study in high school, and never developed effective academic skills. Such students may expect to excel in college with the same limited effort. Unfortunately, institutions may unintentionally ignore high ability students when developing retention initiatives. At a mid-sized research university, less than 50% of freshmen who lost their scholarships enrolled for their sophomore year. This study assessed the effectiveness of a Scholarship Retention Program designed to help students maintain scholarship eligibility. Results demonstrated that mandatory interventions for students with low first-semester GPAs were associated with increased final GPAs and scholarship renewal rates. However, voluntary interventions for students with low midterm grades were ineffective. A supplemental survey indicated that students believed the interventions demonstrated the University's care for their success and helped their efforts to keep their scholarships.

The relation between GPA and exam performance during interteaching and lecture.

A growing number of studies have shown that interteaching produces better student-learning outcomes than more traditional teaching methods such as lecture. But to date, no studies have directly examined whether interteaching is differentially effective for students who typically earn either good or bad grades in their courses. In this study, we alternated between interteaching and lecture several times during the semester and measured the exam performance of students with low, moderate, and high grade point averages. We found that interteaching improved the exam scores for students in each of these groups but that the improvement was most noticeable for students with low and moderate GPAs. Thus, interteaching may be especially useful for students who typically earn lower grades in their courses.

The Impact of Pre- and Post-Lecture Quizzes on Performance in Intermediate Accounting II

The purpose of this paper is to report the results of an investigation of the impact of online quizzing on accounting majors’ examination performance in the second intermediate accounting course. Specifically, course sections with no quizzes, post-lecture quizzes, and a combination of pre- and post-lecture quizzes are compared. The data is based on 666 students completing Intermediate Accounting II at a large public university in the United States. Results suggest that using both pre- and post-lecture quizzes can lead to improved student preparation, increased student participation during class discussions, more effective use of lecture time, and significant improvement on students’ performance on subsequent examinations. Significant interactions between GPA and the presence of pre- and post-lecture quizzes indicate that the effectiveness of specific quiz formats is contingent upon student aptitude level. Students with low GPAs benefit more from the addition of post-lecture quizzes while students with higher GPAs benefit more from the addition of pre-lecture quizzes.

Study Skills Profiles of Normal-Achieving and Academically-Struggling College Students

Profile analysis was used to compare the study skills of academically struggling college students to their normal-achieving counterparts using the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI; Weinstein & Palmer, 2002). Comparisons were made between: (a) students with high versus low GPAs; (b) students with a documented learning disability (LD) versus a non-LD control group; (c) students referred for a psycho-educational evaluation due to academic difficulties versus a control group; and (d) clinic-referred students with LDs versus clinic-referred students without LDs. Overall, the academically struggling groups displayed weaknesses in study skills relative to their comparison groups in five areas. When compared to the normative population of the LASSI, the groups also displayed weaknesses in seven of ten areas assessed.

Getting There is Only Half the Battle: Stigma Consciousness and Maintaining Diversity in Higher Education

Increases in stigma consciousness since arriving at a primarily White college could predict the college performance and self‐esteem of the academically stigmatized. After reviewing relevant research, the authors report on a study in which 44 stigmatized (African Americans and Latinos/Latinas) and 79 nonstigmatized (Whites and Asian Americans) students completed measures of stigma consciousness, GPA, disengagement from academics, and self‐esteem. Among stigmatized males, increases in stigma consciousness predicted lower GPAs and greater disengagement. Although stigmatized females had low GPAs regardless of their increases in stigma consciousness, with increases in stigma consciousness came less disengagement from school and lower self‐esteem. The discussion offers suggestions for how to minimize these negative effects of heightened stigma consciousness levels.

The Impact of Student Characteristics on Cooperative Testing in the Marketing Classroom

This study examines the impact of cooperative testing on learning in marketing classes and explores student characteristics that affect performance. Two sections of principles of marketing were included in the study. Tests indicate that cooperative testing resulted in a significant improvement of students’ grades. Analysis indicates, however, that GPA is the only characteristic affecting CT. GPA has a significant impact on degree of grade improvement, as students with lower GPAs benefit more from CT than do those with higher GPAs. Further testing confirms that both students with low and high GPAs score significantly higher on exams when CT is used. However, students with high GPAs do not benefit as much from CT as those with lower GPAs. Student responses to CT are also described.

The Environmental Deprivation Scale as a Predictor of Academic Performance

Scores of 72 college students on the Environmental Deprivation Scale were correlated with grade point averages and accumulated credit hours. Significant negative values indicated that high scale scores may be predictive of poor academic performance (low GPAs). Further analysis identified specific areas for intervention with students at risk for dropping out.