Perception Of Academic Performance Research Articles

Beyond the Classroom: The Influence of Food Insecurity, Mental Health, and Sleep Quality on University Students' Academic Performance.

We aimed to analyze the association between food insecurity (FI) and academic performance in university students, including mental health and sleep quality (SQ), in an association model. A cross-sectional design included university students (n = 466, 72.5% women) from Mexico. We applied the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale, the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Students self-reported their academic grading (AG) and perceptions about their academic performance. Spearman's rho and multiple logistic regression models were used. Almost half (47%) experienced some level of FI. The median AG was 95. AG was not significantly (p > 0.05) correlated with FI, nor with depression, anxiety, stress, and SQ. Considering mental health and SQ, moderate/severe FI remained significantly associated with perceived overall progress in college (OR: 2.96; 95%CI: 1.49, 5.88) and attendance to classes (OR:3.14; 95%CI: 1.19, 8.28) as poor or regular, and it was positively related to perceiving difficulties in completing their studies (OR:2.75; 95%CI: 1.43, 5.29). Stress, anxiety, depression symptoms, and poor SQ were also significantly associated with poor/regular perception of academic performance. These findings highlight the need to address psychological and nutritional factors in university students to promote their well-being and academic success.

Risks of AI-Assisted Learning on Student Critical Thinking

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has increasingly become a transformative force in the education sector, offering unprecedented opportunities to enhance learning experiences and outcomes. This study examines the potential adverse effects of AI-assisted learning on critical cognitive skills, particularly critical thinking and problem-solving, within the context of Albania's educational landscape. Employing a quantitative methodology, a survey of 53 students was conducted across various educational institutions in Albania to gather data on their experiences and perceptions regarding AI-assisted learning. The findings indicate no significant difference in critical thinking skills between students with prior exposure to AI tools and those without. However, there is a statistically significant negative correlation between reliance on AI tools for assignments and students' problem-solving skills, suggesting that excessive dependence on AI can hinder the development of independent problem-solving abilities. Conversely, a strong positive correlation was found between the frequency of AI tool usage and students' perceptions of academic performance and assignment efficiency, highlighting the potential benefits of AI in enhancing these aspects of the educational experience. These results emphasize the need for a balanced integration of AI tools in education to ensure they complement rather than replace traditional learning methods. The study's findings have significant implications for educators and policymakers, suggesting that while AI can enhance certain educational outcomes, it is essential to address its potential risks to promote the development of essential cognitive skills. Future research should focus on larger, more diverse samples, incorporate objective measures of cognitive skills, and explore the long-term impacts of AI-assisted learning.

Developing a Model to Predict Self-Reported Student Performance during Online Education Based on the Acoustic Environment

In recent years, great developments in online university education have been observed, favored by advances in ICT. There are numerous studies on the perception of academic performance in online classes, influenced by aspects of a very diverse nature; however, the acoustic environment of students at home, which can certainly affect the performance of academic activities, has barely been evaluated. This study assesses the influence of the home acoustic environment on students’ self-reported academic performance. This assessment is performed by calculating prediction models using the Recursive Feature Elimination method with 40 initial features and the following classifiers: Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and Support Vector Machine. The optimal number of predictors and their relative importance were also evaluated. The performance of the models was assessed by metrics such as the accuracy and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC_AUC-score). The model with the smallest optimal number of features (with 14 predictors, 9 of them about the perceived acoustic environment) and the best performance achieves an accuracy of 0.7794; furthermore, the maximum difference for the same algorithm between using 33 and 14 predictors is 0.03. Consequently, for simplicity and the ease of interpretation, models with a reduced number of variables are preferred.

Validation of the GAEU-1 Acale to Assess the Learning Management of University Students

Introduction: The self-management of university learning encompasses a series of aspects that allow students to be conscious and autonomous in their professional training. Objective: In this article, we present the process of creation and validation of a scale to assess essential factors of this phenomenon: self-management of learning, conscious motivation strategies for learning, perception of academic performance, and techniques for deep learning. Method: The design is a cross-sectional quantitative process with the purpose of carrying out validity and reliability analysis of a psychological measurement instrument. The research was conducted with 1373 university students from Chile and Ecuador. Results: The scale consists of 19 items that conform the four factors mentioned and whose results indicate adequate psychometric properties, allowing it to be applied in the Latin American context. Novelty:This research proposes a new instrument to assess the self-management of the university learning process, which contributes to carrying out new research in the university educational context. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-SIED2-019 Full Text: PDF

Adolescents’ positive attitudes towards school: a reflection on the spatial configuration of school buildings

Evidence connecting the socio-spatial properties of a school building with adolescents’ positive attitudes towards school is rare. This study examines whether the socio-spatial context of school along with individual parameters of adolescents (such as gender and perception of attainment) influence their positive attitudes towards school. It harnesses spatial data by implementing analytical approaches to the understanding of the school layout, observational data, qualitative insights, and adolescents’ perception surveys in two finger-plan secondary schools in Cyprus. Two statistical models have been developed explaining 32% and 41% of the variation of students’ positive attitudes. The most important factors contributing to the models include the visibility potential of students’ classrooms and their perceptions of academic performance. Thus, the findings of this study are expected to help designers to understand the impacts of their design interventions and leaders in education to appreciate the role of the school building in adolescents’ positive attitudes towards school.

Predictive model of the dropout intention of Chilean university students.

Dropping out of university studies is one of the current problems of Higher Education; the increased rates during the first year of the study programme is considerable around the world. Dropping out has negative social implications that are reflected at the personal, family, institutional, and educational levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate a predictive model considering the mediation of university social satisfaction and perceived academic performance within the relations between perceived social support, social self-efficacy and academic purposes with career satisfaction and dropout intention in Chilean university students. A non-experimental explanatory design of latent and observed variables was used. Structural equation analyses with Mplus software were performed. The sample consisted of 956 first year university students. The study complied with the ethical requirements for research with human subjects. As a result, a predictive model with adequate adjustment indexes was obtained. When evaluating the explanatory capacity through the coefficient of determination (R2 ), it was observed that it explains 38.9 and 27.4% of the variance of the dropout intention and career satisfaction, respectively. This percentage of explanation indicates a large effect size in Social Sciences; therefore, they are considered adequate predictive models. The mediation of university social satisfaction on the relationships between social support, social self-efficacy, and academic purposes with academic adjustment and dropout intention was, respectively, confirmed. The perception of academic performance has less influence on dropout intention and on career satisfaction among first-year students. The model obtained allows explaining the dropout intention and career satisfaction in first year students. In addition, it is composed of variables that can potentially be modified in the interaction of students and professors.

Exploring the Relation Between Metacognition, Gender, and Personality in Colombian University Students

In the present study, the relationship between objective and subjective measures of metacognition, personality traits of the Big Five (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness) and gender were examined. A convenience sample of 352 university students completed the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, the Adjectives to Evaluate Personality instrument, and completed 3 domain-specific tests (vocabulary, probabilities, paper folding) along with confidence in performance judgments for each item on these tests. Through a combination of descriptive statistics, zero-order bivariate correlations, simultaneous multiple regression, and a multivariate analysis of covariance, findings indicate that objective and subjective measures of metacognition are weakly related and that subjective measures of metacognition were more strongly related to personality traits. Conscientiousness and openness were the only personality traits that positively predicted metacognition. Gender affected both subjective and objective measures of metacognition, even after controlling for university type (private, public) and perceptions of academic performance (high, low) such that males were more accurate and less biased in their monitoring than females only in mathematical reasoning and they reported higher awareness of their knowledge and regulation of cognition than their female counterparts. Findings support the need to better understand how personality traits and gender affect self-regulated learning skills like metacognition to improve educational practices.

Student worksheet: Persepsi dan performa akademik mahasiswa keperawatan

Background: Students' perceptions of learning methods may be influenced by the diversity of students, educational facilities and equipment, their expectations, and other university circumstances. This study aims to identify or examine student perceptions about the use of learning media in the form of student worksheets, especially in the Emergency Nursing course, which is expected to see the optimization of learning. Methods: The design of this study was a descriptive observational study with a cross-sectional approach. The population in this study were 82 nursing students at a university in Malang, where respondents were asked to fill out a questionnaire. The data collected will be analyzed descriptively and analytically. Results: In this study, the results showed that the majority of students had a good perception (85.4%) about the use of student worksheets in Emergency Nursing courses, more than half of them had above-average academic performance (59.8%), and there was a significant relationship between students' perception of academic performance (p-value < 0.000). Conclusion: Improvements in the learning environment can improve student academic performance.

Multitasking Behavior and Perceptions of Academic Performance in University Business Students in Mexico during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The current study measures the influence of multitasking behavior and self-efficacy for self-regulated learning (SESRL) on perceptions of academic performance and views in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. 264 university students fulfilled an online questionnaire. It was observed that multitasking behavior negatively influences SESRL (−0.203), while SESRL showed a positive influence of 0.537 on perceptions of academic performance, and multitasking behavior had an influence of −0.097 on the perception of academic performance. Cronbach’s alpha and Average Variance Extracted values were 0.809 and 0.577 (multitasking behavior), 0.819 and 0.626 (SESRL), 0.873 and 0.725 (perceptions of academic performance), respectively. The results of the bootstrapping test showed that the path coefficients were significant. The study outcomes can support new plans in universities to ensure the best academic outcomes. Our study showed evidence of the COVID-19 impact on education behavior. This study’s novelty is based on using the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to evaluate these variables.

National Survey on the importance of sleep in the quality of academic life and mental health of college students in Portugal.

The academic years are a period of vulnerability when considering sleep problems and mental health. Growing evidence suggests poor sleep patterns are related to impaired academic life and lower psychological well-being. The aim of this study was to explore the importance of sleep habits and report the associations of sleep problems with quality of academic life and different dimensions of mental health (e.g. worries, anxiety, self-regulation and resilience) in a large sample of college students. The HBSC/JUnP data base comprises a representative sample of 2991 college students (n=2203; 73.7% women), aged from 18 to 35 years old (22.43±3.83). Participants socio-demographic characteristics included sex and age. Besides, participants were inquired about sleep duration, characteristics of their sleep habits, questions about quality academic life, namely feeling bored in university, pressure from academic work and academic performance perception and mental health, namely worries, anxiety, self-regulation and resilience. Results showed most young people report an average value for sleep habits (M=4.41; SD=1.46) and that they sleep an average of 7 hours a night. More than half of the young people report either being affected by difficulty falling asleep, showing signs of sleep onset insomnia (67.7%). The conducted analyses indicated that the difficulty falling asleep (having insomnia) was associated with poor/reasonable academic performance perception, higher levels of concerns and anxiety, and lower levels of self-regulation and resilience, thus jeopardizing the mental health of college students. In turn, that characteristics of sleep was also associated with poor sleep habits. In conclusion, this study showed that poor sleep habits were associated with a worse level of academic performance perception and low levels of mental health among college students in Portugal. Universities offer enormous potential as settings to promote sleep-health programs since they can reach many young people who are future-oriented and willing to learn. There is then the need for academic researchers, teaching staff and health professionals working for college students health, to develop and test a wide array of sleep-promoting interventions (e.g., education classes, online programs, adjustment of class time), thus preventing negative secondary outcomes.

Students’ Perceptions of Factors Contributing to Performance in Accounting Principle Courses

Undergraduate students’ performance has been extensively studied to identify the critical components in effective teaching and learning pedagogies. This study aims to determine whether the teachers’ practices and implementation of Classroom Assessment Techniques (CAT) enhanced students’ performance in Accounting Principles’ courses and assess students’ perceptions concerning the impact of English language proficiency (EP) and the availability of Saudi-centric textbook materials on students’ performance. Additionally, this study employed the questionnaire survey approach to gain insights into accounting undergraduates’ perceptions of academic performance in Accounting Principles courses. As most students were found to be underachievers, the study outcomes led researchers to propose active learning approaches using CAT as an initiative towards improving students’ performance in benefitting the university and positively transforming the teaching and learning environment.

Examining Gender Differences in Student Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Model from the Switching Costs and Quality-Related Perspectives

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this study is to address the research questions on: (1) what factors can significantly influence student learning in remote classes during the COVID-19 pandemic? and (2) what are the gender differences, if any, in this context? To do this, the authors developed a research model from the switching costs (defined as the time and effort students have been put to change from one learning platform to another) and quality-related perspectives. In addition, gender differences are examined and identified by testing the proposed research model on male and female students, respectively. Background: The recent worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 has changed many aspects of people’s lives, including higher education. To better protect students and faculty, many universities have moved most of their classes online. Such a sudden change could make significant impacts on student learning. Thus, this study aims to empirically examine factors that can influence student learning in remote classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to investigate potential gender differences in such a context. Methodology: The survey method is used in this study. The survey invitation was sent to students in multiple classes that had switched from in-person learning to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was distributed in the online format. In total, 428 students completed the survey, with 202 being males and 226 being females. Contribution: This study contributes to the current literature on student learning during emergency situations such as COVID-19 by developing a research model to systematically investigate potential factors that could influence their perceptions of academic performance and learning enjoyment. A second contribution is the integration of theoretical perspectives of switching costs and three types of quality-related constructs in the proposed research model. In addition, the authors also investigate gender differences based on the proposed research model, and some interesting differences have been found and reported in this study. Findings: Data analysis indicates that perceived value has a significant impact on perceived academic performance for female but not male students. In addition, male students find information quality to be a significant factor in perceived academic performance, but not perceived learning enjoyment; on the contrary, their female counterparts find it to be significant in influencing perceived learning enjoyment, but not perceived academic performance. Also, female students perceive system quality to be influential on their learning enjoyment and support service quality to be influential on their academic performance, but no such significant perceptions are found among male students. Recommendations for Practitioners: The results of this study could help bring some insights to educators on teaching remote classes during the COVID-19 pandemic (or potentially in other similar emergency situations). For example, when moving classes to the remote platform because of an emergency situation, in order to make sure a smooth transition and achieve a higher rate of student learning success, educators, as well as the institution, need to focus on reducing the costs and, in the meanwhile, increasing the benefits associated with such a change from the students’ perspective. In addition, educators may need to keep in mind the gender differences identified in this study, which may help them better understand the learning needs of different gender groups. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers could validate and apply the proposed research model on students from different types of institutions (such as public universities vs. private universities) and students at different levels (such as undergraduate vs. graduate students). It could also be valuable to apply and extend the current model on students from other nations who have different cultural backgrounds. Impact on Society: Understanding influential factors on student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as gender differences in this context, could help educators better adjust their teaching of remote classes in such an emergency situation, thus meeting the learning needs of students in both gender groups. Future Research: Future research could further validate the research model proposed in this study by applying it to students in other institutions and other nations. Also, in addition to perceived academic performance and learning enjoyment, future research may expand the current model or create new models on other student learning-related dependent variables.

Investigating the Impact of Social Media Use on Student’s Perception of Academic Performance in Higher Education: Evidence from Jordan

Aim/Purpose: The main objective of this study is to explore students’ beliefs with regard to social media use (SMU) in higher education and the consequences of such use on the perception of their academic performance. Additionally, the study aims to determine the major influential factors with regard to SMU in student learning settings as a means of enhancing their performance. To achieve these objectives, drawing on the literature related to SMU in higher education settings, a research model has been developed. Background: Social media platforms have led to a significant transformation with regard to the communication landscape in higher education in terms of offering enhanced learning and improved teaching experience. Nevertheless, little is known, particularly in developing countries such as Jordan, as to whether or not the use of such platforms by students in higher education increases the perceptions of their academic performance. Therefore, this study has developed a model to examine the perceptions of higher education students with regard to social media use and its effect on their performance. Methodology: The Structural Equation Modelling approach is used to analyze data collected via an online survey in the form of a questionnaire to examine the use of such a model. The study sample is drawn from undergraduate and postgraduate students from three universities (one public and two private) in Jordan. Convenience sampling is used to collect data. Out of 730 sent questionnaire, 513 responses were received, of which 403 were deemed qualified to be part of the data analysis process. Contribution: This study contributes to the literature on social media in higher education by enhancing our understanding of the perceptions of higher education students on the use of social media in their learning. The tested model can be used as a benchmark for other studies that target the impact of social media on student performance in higher education. Findings: The results reveal that perceptions of (1) usefulness, collaborative learning, enhanced communication, enjoyment, and ease of use of social media have a positive effect on the use of such media in student learning; (2) resource sharing has an insignificant effect on social media use in student learning, and (3) social media use has a positive influence on students’ perceptions of their academic performance. Recommendations for Practitioners: Senior management and policy makers in higher education institutions will have to train faculty members on effective strategies and methods in order to effectively integrate social media into education. This would equip faculty members with the necessary digital skills needed to help them to be fully informed regarding the benefits of social media and its tools in learning and teaching activities and would also allow them to avoid any possible drawbacks. Furthermore, faculty members should reconsider their current techniques and strategies, and adopt new methods in their teaching that encourage students to use social media platforms as part of their learning. For example, they can regularly post discussions and assignments on social media platforms to inculcate the habit of using such platforms among students for educational purposes. Students, on the other hand, should be aware of the implications and potential advantageous aspects of SMU in their learning. This could be done by conducting regular workshops and seminars in the various faculties and schools at universities. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers are encouraged to investigate additional factors that might influence the use of social media by students as well as faculty members. Specially, an emphasis should be given to identify any potential obstacles that might hinder the use of social media in higher education. Impact on Society: Social media is not only useful for socializing, but also it can be an effective educational tool that enhance students’ performance in higher education. Future Research: Although the collected data support the research model, this study is subjected to various limitations that need to be tackled by further studies. This study is based on the principles of quantitative research design. Data for this study was collected via survey questionnaires. Accordingly, future studies may consider a qualitative research design in order to uncover additional factors that may impact the use of social media on the part of higher education students. This would allow researchers to generate in-depth insights and a holistic understanding of SMU by higher education students. A convenience sampling method was employed to select respondents for this study. The respondents who participated in this study were from three universities (one public and two private) in Jordan. Accordingly, future research is deemed to be necessary to achieve a degree of generalizability regarding the findings of this study.

Rasgos de personalidad vinculados a la percepción del rendimiento académico de estudiantes universitarios de música

This research addresses personality from the work developed by The German psychologist Hans Jurgen Eysenck and his personality questionnaire and academic performance is generated from ideas developed by Vargas where they approach individual, family and institutional are taken into account. The goal is to know the underlying relationship between personality and perception of academic performance in music students at the bachelor's level. Quantitative, non-experimental, transverse design characterizes the population and correlates the information collected. The methodology is a correlation Moment Product of Pearson, among the topics already described. The contribution is to provide an objective study on what this particular group considers with regard to its academic performance and how it affects the personality of the students. This opens up a different spectrum in terms of the emotion and sensitivity of subject behaviors and educational context.

Affective and cognitive variables involved in structural prediction of university dropout.

The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of potentially important individual variables (motivation, satisfaction with the course, self-regulation, expectations of self-efficacy and perception of academic performance) on the intention to remain on university courses. An ex-post-facto design was used, applying the University Life Questionnaire to a sample of 2,741 first-year students from six Chilean universities. Data were analyzed by path analysis. The intention to remain is higher when intrinsic motivation is higher, self-efficacy expectations are higher, the perception of performance is higher and satisfaction with the course is higher. All the variables included in the model explained 26% of the intention to remain. The study confirms the suitability of studying this phenomenon through complex models (e.g., structural equation models, multilevel models), since it makes little sense to try to explain dropout only through direct effects (as in most previous research). Secondly, the percentage of variance explained by dropout intention means it is important to continue this kind of research (with better controls, other types of measures, etc.).

Transition from nonuse to use of alcohol or binge drinking among adolescents: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the predictors of the transition from nonuse of alcohol to the first use of alcohol and the first episode of binge drinking. MethodsData were drawn from a randomized controlled trial conducted with seventh- and eighth-grade students from 72 public schools over a 21-month period in six cities in Brazil. A total of 3298 students who reported that they had never consumed alcoholic beverages and had never engaged in binge drinking at baseline were included in this study. The two binary outcomes were tested concomitantly via structural equation modeling. Maximum likelihood estimates for logistic regression models were performed to evaluate how baseline data regarding risk factors, such as sociodemographic characteristics (socioeconomic status, gender, and age), school experiences (violence and perception of academic performance), and social variables (family and friends), affected the initiation of alcohol use and binge drinking at 9- and 21-month follow-up assessments. ResultsOlder age, the perpetration of violent behaviors at baseline and the absence of the father living with the adolescent were predictors of both alcohol use initiation and binge drinking initiation. The #Tamojunto program showed iatrogenic effect for first alcohol use. ConclusionsThe results indicate the need to develop and implement effective alcohol prevention programs that consider the main characteristics in the prediction model for alcohol consumption and binge drinking, including early intervention for aggressive behaviors at school and parental alcohol use.

Factores de Resiliencia y Afrontamiento como Predictores del Rendimiento Académico de los Estudiantes en Universidades Privadas

Predicting academic performance in Peruvian university students is a guarantee to meet licensing and accreditation requirements. A transversal, comparative and explanatory (predictive) design was used to establish the resilience and coping factors that predict academic performance, in two stratified probabilistic samples from private universities in Lima. The resi-, cae, Smilkstein, cp-ls and dwls estimators, gls, showed that the predictive model of resilience and weighted average have an effect on the perception of academic performance and a minimal effect on the weighted average. Both factors predict academic performance directly, indirectly and relationally. The self-confidence factor, social capacity, open emotional self-targeting strategies, open emotional exposure and social family support are highlighted as relevant predictors in expectation of achievement, perceived learning and overall satisfaction. Family functioning is an indirect predictor through the resilience of academic performance. Factors of active coping better predict the perception of performance than protection and risk factors. Large homogeneous samples with psychometric value can improve predictive models, identify profiles, design causal studies, develop talent learning programs and active strategies that would improve the quality of university learning.

Perfectionism as a Predictor of Anxiety in Foreign Language Classrooms among Russian College Students

This study examined perfectionism as a multidimensional personality factor which influences foreign language learning and classroom anxiety. Hierarchical regression analyses confirmed that the two dimensions of perfectionism, adaptive and maladaptive, relate to Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) differently. After controlling for the effects of general anxiety, perceptions of academic performance, and self-reported English fluency, perfectionistic discrepancy (maladaptive aspect) was a significant predictor of FLCA; perfectionistic standards (adaptive aspect) was not. Measures indicated that this multidimensional nature of perfectionism affects Russian students in the context of foreign language classroom anxiety. Implications regarding the prevention and intervention of maladaptive perfectionism among students are discussed, as well as directions for future studies. These findings are important for teachers, students, and experts who may interact with FLCA and perfectionism as well as those who may personally experience it. The possible strategies to reduce anxiety could include discussing unrealistic beliefs and expectations with reference to foreign language learning, accepting mistakes as an integral part of foreign language learning as well as coaching.

Perceptions of Academic Achievement and Educational Opportunities Among Black and African American Youth

Research focusing on disparities in academic achievement among Black, African American, and other youth has largely examined differences in quantitative risk and protective factors associated with levels of achievement. Few interpretive studies of academic achievement by race or ethnicity have considered how the context of young people’s lives impact their perceptions of academic performance. Furthermore, the lived experiences of Black and African American youth have rarely been considered. This study examined perceptions of academic achievement among a sample of Black and African American elementary and middle school students living in four public housing neighborhoods in a Western US city. Twenty-five Black and African American youth participated in the study. Fourteen youth were in grades 4 and 5, and 11 youth were in grades 6, 7, or 8. Sixty-four percent of participants (n = 16) were male and 36% (n = 9) were female. Four themes emerged regarding participants’ perceptions of academic achievement: (1) (in)equity and the internalization of messages; (2) teachers as gatekeepers; (3) family and community factors promoting and inhibiting academic success; and (4) cultural considerations—language, stereotypes, and difference. Implications for improving academic outcomes and reducing the achievement gap among Black, African American, and other students are noted.

Development of the Academic Performance Perception Scale

Development of the Academic Performance Perception Scale