Pedagogical strategies and academic performance in theses seminars: a study in an undergraduate management program in Peru
Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education
ISSN: 2050-7003
Article publication date: 21 March 2023
Issue publication date: 2 January 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Writing a thesis is a difficult endeavor for undergraduate students, especially in management careers, due to the highly practical approach of the discipline. Students often find difficult to understand and apply research methods in concrete research projects, so a proper set of teaching-learning strategies is critical. This study aimed to examine the effect of these strategies on the academic performance of students in two research seminars in an undergraduate management program in Peru.
Design/methodology/approach
The research adopted a mixed approach. The quantitative component included a survey of 249 students in both seminars, while the qualitative one involved only some of the students using three focus groups. The corresponding data analysis included stepwise linear regression models and content analysis.
Findings
The study found that a clear course structure, adequate research methods literature, good advisor–student communication and goal planning and achievement were the key determinants of the students' final grades.
Originality/value
This research fills a gap in previous studies on the subject by including a broader set of strategies and by statistically estimating the strategies' effects on academic performance.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
A first exploration of the effects of teaching-learning strategies on the formulation of the students research project in RS1 was presented in the 15th Annual International Technology, Education and Development Conference INTED 2021 (Pasco-Dalla-Porta et al., 2021). A preliminary and partial version of this paper was also also presented in the 16th Annual International Technology, Education and Development Conference INTED 2022 (Pasco-Dalla-Porta et al., 2022).
The authors are thankful to the management program at the private university where this study was conducted for helping them to contact the students. The authors also thank all the professors of RS1 and RS2 for their support in resending the questionnaire to their former students. Lastly, the authors are indebted to all the students that participated in this research.
Citation
Pasco-Dalla-Porta, M.M., Lau, M., Ponce-Regalado, F. and Pacheco Mariselli, M.M. (2024), "Pedagogical strategies and academic performance in theses seminars: a study in an undergraduate management program in Peru", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 104-119. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-06-2022-0199
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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