An analysis of some factors affecti

An analysis of some factors affecting student academic performance in
an introductory biochemistry course at the University of the West Indies
Victor Mlambo
Department of Food Production, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, The University
of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
High failure rates at tertiary institutions result in unacceptable levels of attrition,
reduced graduate throughput and increased cost of training a nation’s labour
force. It is imperative that diagnostic studies are carried out to identify the major
factors that are associated with suboptimal academic performance with a view of
instituting corrective measures. This study was, therefore, designed to identify and
analyse some determinants of academic performance (as measured by coursework
exam grades) in an introductory biochemistry (AGRI 1013) course plagued
by chronic high failure rates. The course is offered to first year undergraduate
students in the Faculty of Science and Agriculture at the University of the West
Indies, St. Augustine campus. A survey instrument was administered to a random
sample of 66 registered students of AGRI 1013 (representing a 40% sampling
fraction) to generate data on demographics (gender and age), learning preference,
and entry qualifications. The effect of learning preference, age, gender, and entry
qualifications on academic performance (measured as the final coursework mark
obtained) was determined. Relationships/associations between gender and
learning styles, gender and entry qualifications, age and learning preferences, and
age and entry qualifications were analyzed using Pearson’s chi-square test. There
were significant (P < 0.05) associations between entry qualifications and both
gender and age. However, since entry qualifications did not significantly (P >
0.05) affect academic performance, this association should be of limited concern.
None of the investigated factors significantly affected academic performance.
This observation could be a consequence of an impressive performance in the
coursework exams by a large proportion of students resulting in less variation
in the recorded grades. Learning preferences were found to be independent of
both the age and gender of students. It was concluded that more determinants
of academic performance need to be investigated and that students who are
admitted based on a diploma in agriculture may need a remedial course given
that their coursework grades, though statistically insignificant were consistently
lower than that of the other students.
Keywords: high failure rates, introductory biochemistry, learning preferences,
mature students, gender, entry qualifications.
Introduction
The academic performance of students at the University of the West Indies
(UWI) has recently come under the spotlight for a number of reasons. According
to a report from UWI’s Office of Planning and Development (2011), 10% of all
undergraduate courses offered at UWI, St. Augustine have high failure rates. The
Caribbean Teaching Scholar
Vol. 1, No. 2, November 2011, 79–92
ERA
EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
ASSOCIATION
80 Victor Mlambo
purpose of this report was to initiate a discussion on the possible causal factors and
ways of addressing them so that academic performance can be improved. High
failure rates are costly to all stakeholders since the throughput of the University is
reduced. This increases the cost of training graduates as well as reducing admission
opportunities for high school students seeking a University education. Low pass
rates impose a huge cost to the Caribbean community in terms of the low number
of students graduating and the reduced intake of potential students due to shortage
of spaces caused by low throughput. In order to ensure that a larger proportion of
the Caribbean’s labour force is highly trained, UWI must put in place measures that
ensure high completion rates. Much of the attrition that reduces completion rates
can be attributed to low academic performance in early pre-requisite undergraduate
courses (Scott & Graal, 2007) such as Introduction to Biochemistry (AGRI 1013),
the subject of this investigation. Over a period of 3 years (2006 – 2008), the failure
rate of this course has averaged 40% which is considered to be very high. As a result
of this high failure rate, the 2010/2011 academic year class size is now approaching
200 due to failing students retaking the course. Class size is one of the factors
that impact upon academic performance and the general relationship is a negative
one (Heinesen, 2010), as such a vicious cycle seems to have been created. It is
important, therefore, that an investigation be carried out to identify some of the
factors that are closely associated with poor academic performance in this course
so that corrective measures, where possible, can be taken. A number of studies
have been carried out to identify causal factors of poor academic performance in a
number of institutions worldwide. Most of these studies focus on the three elements
that intervene, that is, parents (family causal factors), teachers (academic causal
factors), and students (personal causal factors) (Diaz, 2003). The combination of
factors influencing academic performance, however, varies from one academic
environment to another, from one set of students to the next, and indeed from one
cultural setting to another.
The purpose of this exploratory study was, therefore, to identify and
analyse the factors that influence academic performance in AGRI 1013. The study
sought to define relationships between selected student factors (demographic
information, learning style, admission criteria, and high school achievements) and
academic performance (measured in terms of the total of two coursework grades)
in the AGRI 1013 course in the 2010/2011 academic year. A formal study of this
nature contributes towards unravelling those significant determinants of students’
performance that need to be addressed. The findings of this study may also be
applicable to related courses (those that require the application of Chemistry and
Biology knowledge) with high failure rates.
Literature review
A number of studies have been carried out to identify and analyse the numerous
factors that affect academic performance in various centres of learning. Their findings
identify students’ effort, previous schooling (Siegfried & Fels, 1979; Anderson &
An analysis of some factors affecting student academic performance in 81
an introductory biochemistry course at the University of the West Indies
Benjamin, 1994), parents’ education, family income (Devadoss & Foltz, 1996), self
motivation, age of student, learning preferences (Aripin, Mahmood, Rohaizad,
Yeop, & Anuar, 2008), class attendance (Romer, 1993), and entry qualifications
as factors that have a significant effect on the students’ academic performance in
various settings. The utility of these studies lies in the need to undertake corrective
measures that improve the academic performance of students, especially in publicfunded institutions. The throughput of public-funded institutions is under scrutiny
especially because of the current global economic downturn which demands that
governments improve efficiency in financial resource allocation and utilization.
Although there has been considerable debate about the determinants of academic
performance among educators, policymakers, academics, and other stakeholders,
it is generally agreed that the impact of these determinants vary (in terms of extent
and direction) with context, for example, culture, institution, course of study etc.
Since not all factors are relevant for a particular context, it is imperative that formal
studies be carried out to identify the context-specific determinants for sound
decision making. This literature review provides a brief examination of some of
the factors that influence academic performance. The choice of factors reviewed
here was based on their importance to the current study.
Students’ learning preferences
A good match between students’ learning preferences and instructor’s teaching
style has been demonstrated to have positive effect on student's performance (Harb
& El-Shaarawi, 2006). According to Reid (1995), learning preference refers to a
person’s “natural, habitual and preferred way” of assimilating new information.
This implies that individuals differ in regard to what mode of instruction or
study is most effective for them. Scholars, who promote the learning preferences
approach to learning, agree that effective instruction can only be undertaken if
the learner’s learning preferences are diagnosed and the instruction is tailored
accordingly (Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer, & Bjork, 2008). “I hear and I forget. I
see and I remember. I do and I understand.” (Confucius 551-479 BC) – a quote
that provides evidence that, even in early times, there was a recognition of the
existence of different learning preferences among people. Indeed, Omrod (2008)
reports that some students seem to learn better when information is presented
through words (verbal learners), whereas others seem to learn better when it is
presented in the form of pictures (visual learners). Clearly in a class where only
one instructional method is employed, there is a strong possibility that a number of
students will find the learning environment less optimal and this could affect their
academic performance. Felder (1993) established that alignment between students’
learning preferences and an instructor’s teaching style leads to better recall and
understanding. The learning preferences approach has gained significant mileage
despite the lack of experimental evidence to support the utility of this approach.
There are a number of methods used to assess the learning preferences/styles of
students but they all typically ask students to evaluate the kind of information
82 Victor Mlambo
presentation they are most at ease with. One of these approaches being used
wid