According to Ali, Jusoff, Ali, Mokhtar, and Salamat (2009), the academic performance of students “plays an important role in producing the best quality graduates who will become great leader and manpower for the country thus responsible for the country’s economic and social development” (p. 81). Similarly, Garcia and Al-Safadi (2014) opines that there is a direct relationship between student academic performance and the development of any country especially in terms of social and economic ones. Implied in these observations is the fact that student academic performance is at the fore of a nation’s progress as students themselves are of prime importance in every learning institution.
Realizing this development in the academic field, Tahir and Naqvi (2006) argue that measuring, evaluating and assessing student academic performance are among the most challenging tasks involved in the teaching-learning process. Mushtaq (2012) supports this view as he observes that in recent years, measurement of student academic performance has been given a relatively significant attention in the academic literature because it has transformed into a delicate and challenging task that educators need to accomplish. What makes measurement of student academic performance challenging, Mushtaq (2012) adds, is the fact that student academic performance is influenced not only by a single but a myriad of factors each of which predicts its level. Economic, social, environmental, psychological and personal are among the factors that significantly affect student academic performance (Mlambo, 2012). However, Ganyaupfu (2013) claims that while these factors are among the strong predictors of student academic performance, their effects differ from student to student and from school to school.
Personal factors were found to affect student academic performance in the general education setting (Silverman, 2010). Barton (2009) reported that the personal characteristics of students are significantly related with their academic performance. Both Silverman and Barton found a positive relationship between the two. This means that the more positive the personal characteristics are, the more likely that academic performance will increase. Beach, Thein, and Webb (2012), however, argue that while the positive relationship between personal traits and student academic achievement seemed to be constantly positive, a problem is posed in terms of generalization. This problem, Beach et al. (2012) claimed, enters the scene as soon as one realizes the subjectivity in defining what traits are positive.
Environmental factors were also found to significantly influence student academic performance. As Sprinthall (1987) noted, the learning environment that is free of barriers, or obstacles or distractions such as noise, gas/smoke pollutions and so on can constitute health hazards, which in return affect or reduce student’s concentration or perceptive or conceptive focus to learning. This position is supported by Brown and Conley (2007) who mentioned that a healthy environment where an interaction between teachers and students take place is highly contributory to the learning process. A study by Locke and Latham (2002) also affirmed this stance as they reported that a place where students feel safe, secured and valued increases the likelihood of learning effectively. The vast majority of studies relevant to this topic have reported that the relationship between environmental factors and student academic performance is positive. In other words, the healthier the learning environment is, the higher the level of academic performance will be.
Coates (2010), however, indicated the fact that the widespread belief regarding the positive contribution of identifying the factors that improve student achievement is yet to be paralleled by a relatively significant growth in literature about the extent to which it affects the teaching and learning process. Based on this observation, he therefore concluded that the belief that determining the factors that affect student academic performance will somehow contribute to improved student achievement poses less reality than hope. Coates (2010) further noted that “this shortage of empirical investigations means that the hopes of policy-makers and the public that more tests will somehow lead to better teaching or more learning rest on largely unvalidated assumptions”.
References
Ali, N., Jusoff, K., Ali, S., Mokhtar, N., & Salamat, A. S. A. (2009). The factors influencing students’ performance at Universiti Teknologi MARA Kedah, Malaysia.Management Science and Engineering,3(4), 81.
Barton, P. E. (2009). National Education Standards: Getting beneath the Surface. Policy Information Perspective.Educational Testing Service.
Beach, R., Thein, A. H., & Webb, A. (2012).Teaching to exceed the English language arts Common Core State Standards: A literacy practices approach for 6-12 classrooms. Routledge.
Brown, R. S., & Conley, D. T. (2007). Comparing state high school assessments to standards for success in entry-level university courses.Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 12(2), 137-160.
Coates, H. (2010). Defining and monitoring academic standards in Australian higher education.Higher Education Management and Policy,22(1), 1-17.
Ganyaupfu, E. M. (2013). Factors Influencing Academic Achievement in Quantitative Courses among Business Students of Private Higher Education Institutions.Journal of Education and Practice,4(15), 57-65.
Garcia, R. A., & Al-Safadi, L. A. (2014). Intervention Strategies for the Improvement of Students’ Academic Performance in Data Structure Course.International Journal of Information and Education Technology,4(5), 383.
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey.American Psychologist,57(9), 705.
Mlambo, V. (2012). An analysis of some factors affecting student academic performance in an introductory biochemistry course at the University of the West Indies.The Caribbean Teaching Scholar,1(2).
Mushtaq, S. N. K. (2012). Factors affecting students’ academic performance.Global Journal of Management and Business Research,12(9).
Silverman, S. (2010).Relationship of engagement and practice trials to student achievement.JTPE,5(1).
Tahir, S., & Naqvi, S. R. (2006). FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE.Bangladesh e-journal of sociology,3(1), 2.
By: Xylee Mendoza
