An exploration of factors affecting students’ academic performance in Business programmes in University Colleges of Botswana
Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore factors that influence the academic performance of students
in general and in private university colleges of Botswana. The objectives of this study were to:
determine factors that are associated with poor and good academic performance of business
students in private university colleges of Botswana; and to identify strategies that can be
employed to improve academic performance of students in private university colleges of
Botswana and of business students in particular. Quantitative data was collected by means of a
questionnaire from two hundred and forty-four (244) respondents namely students, while
qualitative data was collected through interviews with participants being HoDs, student
counsellors and other students who were purposively sampled for this study. A factor analysis
yielded seventeen (17) factors which strongly influence academic performance.
These are: use of alcohol or other substances; poor class attendance; difficulty managing time and poor submission
of assignments and physical illness; health problems and injury; inadequate and poor quality
learning materials; irrelevant teaching methods; being unhappy with teaching skills of lecturers
and inability to understand course materials; too heavy course load; adequate learning facilities
and financial difficulties; spoken home language; age and gender of students; and lack of study
skills. The study also revealed that the provision of counselling services to students, provision of
quality learning materials, provision of quality teaching methods, provision of lecturers with
relevant competencies, motivating students to perform better, participation in co-curricular
activities, participation in academic activities of an institution, regular class attendance, provision
of quality infrastructure and teaching facilities, provision of institutional accommodation, family
support as well as provision of health services are strategies that can be used to improve students’
academic performance.
Collections
- Education [1687]