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.