Factors that possibly affect first year performance in college - Essay Example

?Executive Summary The following report looks into the factors that possibly affect first year performance. These factors include region, gender, andage. T test was used to investigate possible effect of gender and age on first year performance while Analysis of Variance (Anova) was utilized for investigating regional effects. In addition, relationships between these segments were investigated, using cross tabulation techniques. Findings suggest that age, gender, and region did not have significant effects on the overall first year performance of students. However, these factors did have certain effects on selected course units, reported in more detail in the body of this report. Moreover, regular students tended to come from OS more than from UK or EU. Introduction First year performance in college is a crucial measure because it says a lot regarding the initial progress of a student. For this reason, it is important to find out which factors affect first year performance in the efforts to provide management with scientific evidence for future decisions. In this study, region of origin, gender, and age were investigated to find out whether or not they had any significant effects on first year performance. For this study, the dependent variable was “First Year Performance” which was measured by taking the average of the grades received by the student from the courses he was taking. Independent variables were region, age, and gender. Region referred to the student’s place of study, and took the values of EU, OS, and UK. Age was divided into two values: regular (below 21 years old as of 1st September at the year of intake) and mature (below 21 years old as of 1st September at the year of intake). Gender took the values of Male and Female. In order to find if there were any regional effects on first year performance, Analysis of Variance was used. Analysis of variance tests for mean differences among a sample of three or more groups (Bluman, 2004). To find if either age or gender had effects on first year performance, differences of the means of two groups were investigated using t test (Anderson, Sweeney, & Williams, 2009). Relationships between the variables which, incidentally, contained categorical variables, were investigated using cross tabulation techniques and the chi square test (Bluman, 2004). Presentation and Discussion of Results Descriptive Statistics Table 1 shows a summary of the frequency and percentage distribution of a total of 238 respondents for this study. The figures show that 53. 8% were from OS (n = 128), 36.1% were from UK (n = 86), and 10.1% were from EU (n = 24). When grouped according to age, 87.4% were regular students (n = 208), while 12.6% were mature students (n = 30). When grouped according gender, 46.2% were male (n = 110) and 53.8% were female (n = 128). Figures from Table 2 indicate that the students had a mean average grade of 56.6 (SD = 12.2). Students had the highest mean grades in BMAN10001 (10) – Economic Principles: Microeconomics (Mean = 69.7, SD = 15.4) while lowest mean grades were in BMAN10621 (M) (10) – Fundamentals of Financial Reporting (Mean = 45.9, SD = 20). Effects of Age T test results showing effects of age on first year performance are summarized in Table 3. No significant effect of age was found in the average scores of students, t(38) = .43, n. s. However, age was a significant factor in unit courses such as BMAN10801 (10) – Introduction to Work Psychology and BMAN10812 (10) – The Modern Corporation, t(36) = 2.06, p = .05, and t(191) = 3.27, p < .01, respectively. In both cases, Regular students scored higher (Mean = 56.4, SD = 11.9 and Mean = 57.4, SD = 12.1) than Mature students (Mean = 51.1, SD = 13.37 and Mean = 47.8, SD = 21.1). No other significant differences were found. Effects of Gender T test results showing effects of gender on first year performance are summarized in Table 4. No significant effect of gender was found in the average scores of students, t(231) = .70, n. s. However, gender was a significant factor in differences in scores in BMAN10621 (M) (10) – Fundamentals of Financial Reporting and BMAN10780 (10) – Business and Management Skills, t(236) = 2.29, p = .02 and t(200) = - 2.78, p = .01, respectively. For BMAN106221, Male students scored higher (Mean = 49.0, SD = 18.2) than female students (Mean = 43.1, SD = 21.1) while for BMAN10780, it was the female students who scored higher (Mean = 68.7, SD = 10.7) than the male students (Mean = 64.1, SD = 14.3). No other significant differences were found. Effects of Region T test results showing effects of region on first year performance are summarized in Table 5. No significant effects of region was found on the average scores of students, F(2, 235) = 1.93, n. s. However, region had a significant effect on the scores of students in certain units. In BMAN10001 (10) – Economic Principles: Microeconomics, UK students scored significantly lower (Mean = 63.64, SD = 15.6) than EU (Mean = 70.96, SD = 19.7) and OS (Mean = 73.58, SD = 13.0) students, F(2, 235) = 11.80, p < 01. Region also had a significant effect on the scores of students in BMAN10621 (M) (10) – Fundamentals of Financial Reporting, where UK students (Mean = 38.49, SD = 18.2) scored significantly lower than EU (Mean = 49.00, SD = 21.3) and OS (Mean = 50.21, SD = 19.7) students, F(2, 235) = 9.83, p < .01. In BMAN10821 (10) – Quantitative Methods for Business and Management 1, OS students (Mean = 63.65, SD = 16.9) scored significantly higher than UK (Mean = 52.76, SD = 19.7) and EU (Mean = 59.38, SD = 22.5) students, F(2, 235) = 8.84, p < .01. No other significant differences were found. Relationship of Variables Chi square tests were performed on age, gender and region to find if there were significant relationships between them. Significant relationship was found only between age and region, where regular students tended to come from OS than the other two regions, . No other significant relationships were found. Conclusion In summary, age, gender, and region did not have significant effects on the overall first year performance of students. However, these factors did have certain effects on selected course units. In particular, regular students scored better than mature students in BMAN10801 (10) – Introduction to Work Psychology and BMAN10812 (10) – The Modern Corporation. Male students scored higher than females in BMAN10621 (M) (10) – Fundamentals of Financial Reporting, while females scored higher than males in BMAN10780 (10) – Business and Management Skills. Also, students from OS generally scored better than students from UK and EU in BMAN10001 (10) – Economic Principles: Microeconomics, BMAN10621 (M) (10) – Fundamentals of Financial Reporting, and BMAN10821 (10) – Quantitative Methods for Business and Management 1. Moreover, regular students tended to come from OS more than from UK or EU. References Anderson, D. R., Sweeney, D., & Williams, T. (2009). Statistics for Business and Economics. Mason, OH: Thomas Higher Education. Bluman, A. (2004). Elementary statistics: a step by step approach, 5th ed. McGraw-Hill. Tabak, J. (2004). Probability and statistics: The science of uncertainty. Infobase Publishing. Appendix. Table 1. Frequency and percentage distribution of respondents. Descriptive Statistics Frequency Percent Region OS 128 53.8 UK 86 36.1 EU 24 10.1 Age Regular 208 87.4 Mature 30 12.6 Gender Male 110 46.2 Female 128 53.8 Total   238 100.0 Table 2. Summary of descriptive statistics of average and unit grades. Unit N Mean Std. Deviation Average 238 56.6 12.2 BMAN10001 (10) - Economic Principles : Microeconomics 238 69.7 15.4 BMAN10621(M) (10) - Fundamentals of Financial Reporting 238 45.9 20.0 BMAN10632(M) (10) - Fundamentals of Management Accounting 237 49.8 17.5 BMAN10732 (10) - Quantitative Methods for Bus & Mgmt 2 237 58.9 20.3 BMAN10780 (10) - Business & Management Skills 237 66.5 12.7 BMAN10791 (10) - People and Organisations 238 56.2 12.8 BMAN10801 (10) - Introduction to Work Psychology 238 55.7 12.2 BMAN10821 (10) - Quantitative Methods for B & M 1 238 59.3 19.2 BMAN10842 (10) - Law in a Management Context 237 48.2 14.3 BMAN10002 (10) - Economic Principles : Macroeconomics 221 63.3 12.6 BMAN10522(M) (10) - Financial Decision Making (M) 182 54.2 18.4 BMAN10812 (10) - The Modern Corporation 193 56.2 13.9 BMAN10852 (10) - Management in Society 109 53.4 16.8 Table 3. T test results showing effect of age on first year performance (N = 238). Unit Age n Mean SD t df Sig. Average Regular 208 56.8 12.2 0.48 38 0.63 Mature 30 55.6 12.3 BMAN10001 (10) - Economic Principles : Microeconomics Regular 208 69.1 15.9 -1.78 236 0.08 Mature 30 74.4 10.4 BMAN10621(M) (10) - Fundamentals of Financial Reporting Regular 208 46.4 20.1 1.04 38 0.31 Mature 30 42.4 19.6 BMAN10632(M) (10) - Fundamentals of Management Accounting Regular 207 50.4 17.4 1.13 37 0.26 Mature 30 46.3 18.3 BMAN10732 (10) - Quantitative Methods for Bus & Mgmt 2 Regular 207 58.7 20.0 -0.40 36 0.69 Mature 30 60.5 22.5 BMAN10780 (10) - Business & Management Skills Regular 207 66.5 13.0 -0.03 44 0.98 Mature 30 66.6 10.3 BMAN10791 (10) - People and Organisations Regular 208 56.5 12.8 0.85 37 0.40 Mature 30 54.3 13.1 BMAN10801 (10) - Introduction to Work Psychology Regular 208 56.4 11.9 2.06 36 0.05 Mature 30 51.1 13.3 BMAN10821 (10) - Quantitative Methods for B&M 1 Regular 208 58.8 19.5 -1.20 42 0.24 Mature 30 62.7 16.4 BMAN10842 (10) - Law in a Management Context Regular 207 48.6 13.8 0.77 34 0.45 Mature 30 45.9 18.0 BMAN10002 (10) - Economic Principles : Macroeconomics Regular 193 63.2 12.2 -0.36 32 0.72 Mature 28 64.3 15.4 BMAN10522(M) (10) - Financial Decision Making (M) Regular 156 54.3 18.6 0.13 35 0.90 Mature 26 53.8 17.7 BMAN10812 (10) - The Modern Corporation Regular 169 57.4 12.1 3.27 191 < .01** Mature 24 47.8 21.1 BMAN10852 (10) - Management in Society Regular 97 54.3 15.4 1.60 107 0.11 Mature 12 46.2 25.1       * - significant at p = .05 ** - significant at p = .01 Table 4. T test results showing effects of gender on first year performance (N = 238). Unit Gender n Mean SD t df Sig. Average Male 110 57.2 12.2 0.70 231 0.48 Female 128 56.1 12.3 BMAN10001 (10) - Economic Principles : Microeconomics Male 110 70.3 15.9 0.57 226 0.57 Female 128 69.2 15.0 BMAN10621(M) (10) - Fundamentals of Financial Reporting Male 110 49.0 18.2 2.29 236 0.02* Female 128 43.1 21.1 BMAN10632(M) (10) - Fundamentals of Management Accounting Male 110 51.9 16.6 1.70 234 0.09 Female 127 48.1 18.1 BMAN10732 (10) - Quantitative Methods for Bus & Mgmt 2 Male 110 58.6 21.9 -0.21 218 0.83 Female 127 59.2 19.0 BMAN10780 (10) - Business & Management Skills Male 110 64.1 14.3 -2.78 200 0.01* Female 127 68.7 10.7 BMAN10791 (10) - People and Organisations Male 110 55.6 12.7 -0.63 232 0.53 Female 128 56.7 12.9 BMAN10801 (10) - Introduction to Work Psychology Male 110 56.1 12.3 0.45 230 0.66 Female 128 55.4 12.1 BMAN10821 (10) - Quantitative Methods for B & M 1 Male 110 60.3 18.9 0.75 232 0.45 Female 128 58.4 19.4 BMAN10842 (10) - Law in a Management Context Male 110 48.5 13.4 0.32 235 0.75 Female 127 47.9 15.1 BMAN10002 (10) - Economic Principles : Macroeconomics Male 102 63.5 12.8 0.26 212 0.79 Female 119 63.1 12.4 BMAN10522(M) (10) - Financial Decision Making (M) Male 87 55.7 19.1 1.02 176 0.31 Female 95 52.9 17.8 BMAN10812 (10) - The Modern Corporation Male 90 55.6 13.0 -0.65 191 0.51 Female 103 56.9 14.6 BMAN10852 (10) - Management in Society Male 48 54.9 16.0 0.80 105 0.43 Female 61 52.3 17.5       * - significant at p = .05 ** - significant at p = .01 Table 5. Anova results showing effects of region on first year performance (N = 238). Unit SS df MS F Sig. Average Between Groups 570.8 2 285.4 1.93 0.15 Within Groups 34825.2 235 148.2 Total 35396.0 237       BMAN10001 (10) - Economic Principles : Microeconomics Between Groups 5121.7 2 2560.8 11.80 < .01** Within Groups 51012.0 235 217.1 Total 56133.7 237 BMAN10621(M) (10) - Fundamentals of Financial Reporting Between Groups 7333.1 2 3666.5 9.83 < .01** Within Groups 87674.8 235 373.1 Total 95007.9 237       BMAN10632(M) (10) - Fundamentals of Management Accounting Between Groups 707.9 2 353.9 1.15 0.32 Within Groups 71748.7 234 306.6 Total 72456.5 236 BMAN10732 (10) - Quantitative Methods for Bus & Mgmt 2 Between Groups 3827.3 2 1913.7 4.78 0.01* Within Groups 93716.9 234 400.5 Total 97544.3 236       BMAN10780 (10) - Business & Management Skills Between Groups 120.1 2 60.1 0.37 0.69 Within Groups 37766.6 234 161.4 Total 37886.8 236 BMAN10791 (10) - People and Organisations Between Groups 5.1 2 2.5 0.02 0.98 Within Groups 38849.8 235 165.3 Total 38854.9 237       BMAN10801 (10) - Introduction to Work Psychology Between Groups 568.1 2 284.1 1.93 0.15 Within Groups 34657.1 235 147.5 Total 35225.2 237 BMAN10821 (10) - Quantitative Methods for B & M 1 Between Groups 6103.5 2 3051.7 8.84 < .01** Within Groups 81132.7 235 345.2 Total 87236.1 237       BMAN10842 (10) - Law in a Management Context Between Groups 727.7 2 363.9 1.78 0.17 Within Groups 47794.8 234 204.3 Total 48522.6 236 BMAN10002 (10) - Economic Principles : Macroeconomics Between Groups 193.8 2 96.9 0.61 0.54 Within Groups 34632.5 218 158.9 Total 34826.3 220       BMAN10522(M) (10) - Financial Decision Making (M) Between Groups 2930.8 2 1465.4 4.48 0.01* Within Groups 58541.8 179 327.0 Total 61472.6 181 * - significant at p = .05 ** - significant at p = .01 Cont.. Unit SS df MS F Sig. BMAN10812 (10) - The Modern Corporation Between Groups 243.8 2 121.9 0.63 0.53 Within Groups 36692.3 190 193.1 Total 36936.1 192       BMAN10852 (10) - Management in Society Between Groups 2048.5 2 1024.3 3.82 0.02* Within Groups 28414.0 106 268.1 Total 30462.6 108       * - significant at p = .05 ** - significant at p = .01 Read More