Factors Affecting the Academic Performance of Fourth Year Students

Many people are heavily influenced by the professions that their parents favor. Others follow the career paths that their educational choices have opened up for them. Some choose to follow their passions, regardless of how much or how little money it will make them. Others look to the career that pays them the highest salary. As said in the article: “Although education is not the only road to success in the working world, much effort is made to identify, evaluate, track and encourage the progress of students in schools. Parents care about their child’s academic performance because they believe good academic results will provide more career choices and job security. Schools, though invested in fostering good academic habits for the same reason, are also often influenced by concerns about the school’s reputation and the possibility of monetary aid from government institutions, which can hinge on the overall academic performance of the school. State and federal departments of education are charged with improving schools, and so devise methods of measuring success in order to create plans for improvement.” (Melissa, 2012)

This study investigated the academic performance according to the Cambridge University Reporter (2003) is frequently defined in terms of examination performance. In this study academic performance was characterized by performance in tests, in course work and performance in examinations of undergraduate students. (Kyoshaba, 2005) College or university selection and the factors of significant influence have been a frequent research topic during the past fifteen years. The anticipated decrease in enrollment in the late1970s and early 1980s forced universities and colleges to examine future markets. Numerous variables that affected the choice process were examined in an attempt to understand and ultimately to affect that process.

Researchers surveyed students and others involved to determine factors of influence. Most of the studies have focused on the United States where the population of students, variety of institutions, and financial environments differ greatly from the Canadian situation. (Lethbridge, 1989) Based on the observation of the researchers, based at Indiana University at Bloomington, also assessed hot the economy was affecting students at a subset of the 546 American colleges that participated. The survey examined students’ employment, finding that among freshmen, nearly 20 percent worked on campuses, and about 30 percent worked elsewhere. For seniors, those proportions were about a quarter on campuses and more than half elsewhere. Students working off campuses logged more hours: More than half of seniors working on campuses worked less than 15 hours a week, but 40 percent of full-time seniors in off-campus jobs worked more than 16 hours a week; 20 percent logged 30 or more hours. (Libby, 2012)