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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 29 January 2024

Odiri E. Onoshakpokaiye

The study’s objective was to ascertain the connection between secondary school students' test anxiety, academic self-concept, motivation and academic performance in mathematics…

Abstract

Purpose

The study’s objective was to ascertain the connection between secondary school students' test anxiety, academic self-concept, motivation and academic performance in mathematics. The difference between the academic performances of male and female secondary school students who exhibit high and low test anxiety, academic self-concept and motivation levels in mathematics.

Design/methodology/approach

Four hypotheses and four research questions were adopted. The design is a correlation. 42,299 mathematics students in senior school year two (SS2) made up the research population. A sample of 1,650 students was selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure. The main instruments used were the Mathematics Test Anxiety Questionnaire (MTAQ), Academic Self-Concept Questionnaire (ASQ) and Academic Motivation Questionnaire (AMQ) and students’ math scores. These instruments were validated by three experts and the reliability coefficients of 0.69, 0.68 and 0.68 were obtained for MTAQ, ASQ and AMQ, respectively, using Cronbach alpha. Pearson product moment correlation was used to analyze the data.

Findings

The study’s results showed a correlation between secondary school students' academic performance in mathematics and test anxiety, academic self-concept and motivation. There was a significant difference between secondary school male and female students' test anxiety; there was a significant difference between secondary school male and female students' self-concept and academic performance in mathematics, and there was a significant difference between secondary school male and female students' motivation and academic performance in mathematics.

Originality/value

The major contribution of this study is to investigate the connection between test anxiety, academic self-concept motivation and students’ mathematics performance. There is a difference between psychological variables, gender and mathematics performance.

Details

Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1985-9899

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 August 2022

Tongyang Zhang, Fang Tan, Chao Yu, Jiexun Wu and Jian Xu

Proper topic selection is an essential prerequisite for the success of research. To study this, this article proposes an important concerned factor of topic selection-topic…

Abstract

Purpose

Proper topic selection is an essential prerequisite for the success of research. To study this, this article proposes an important concerned factor of topic selection-topic popularity, to examine the relationship between topic selection and team performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors adopt extracted entities on the type of gene/protein, which are used as proxies as topics, to keep track of the development of topic popularity. The decision tree model is used to classify the ascending phase and descending phase of entity popularity based on the temporal trend of entity occurrence frequency. Through comparing various dimensions of team performanceacademic performance, research funding, relationship between performance and funding and corresponding author's influence at different phases of topic popularity – the relationship between the selected phase of topic popularity and academic performance of research teams can be explored.

Findings

First, topic popularity can impact team performance in the academic productivity and their research work's academic influence. Second, topic popularity can affect the quantity and amount of research funding received by teams. Third, topic popularity can impact the promotion effect of funding on team performance. Fourth, topic popularity can impact the influence of the corresponding author on team performance.

Originality/value

This is a new attempt to conduct team-oriented analysis on the relationship between topic selection and academic performance. Through understanding relationships amongst topic popularity, team performance and research funding, the study would be valuable for researchers and policy makers to conduct reasonable decision making on topic selection.

Details

Aslib Journal of Information Management, vol. 75 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-3806

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 November 2022

Michael McCann and Michael Hewitt

There is strong evidence that year-long work placements make students more employable and produces better academic performance. Despite this, UK participation rates remain…

Abstract

Purpose

There is strong evidence that year-long work placements make students more employable and produces better academic performance. Despite this, UK participation rates remain stubbornly low. The authors examine the influence of academic performance on students' willingness and ability to complete work placements.

Design/methodology/approach

This study’s novel conceptual framework distinguishes students by their intentions regarding work placements indicated at enrolment as well as whether they completed a work placement. The authors use a sample of 226 business and economics students, employing propensity score weighted multiple regression to analyse the influence of academic performance.

Findings

The results indicate that academic performance has a significant influence on the decision to include a work placement option at enrolment. For those students who do pursue work placements, first-year academic performance had a significantly positive impact on their ability to secure a placement job. Finally, completion of a work placement was beneficial to final year academic performance.

Practical implications

Work placements are beneficial. Since low academic performance deters students from pursuing such opportunities, universities may need to communicate the benefits better to encourage greater interest. Further, universities need to realistically manage the expectations of students with low academic performance who want to do work placements and provide targeted support during the application process. Furthermore, alternatives to work placements should be provided.

Originality/value

This research adds to the literature investigating the influence of academic performance through academic self-concept on students' investment decisions to include a work placement in their degree study and in students' ability to secure a work placement.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 November 2017

Panagiotis Gkorezis, Petros Kostagiolas and Dimitris Niakas

Substantial empirical research has addressed the antecedents of students’ academic performance. Building on these insights, the purpose of this paper is to extend the related…

1201

Abstract

Purpose

Substantial empirical research has addressed the antecedents of students’ academic performance. Building on these insights, the purpose of this paper is to extend the related literature by investigating the impact of students’ exploration on their academic performance. Furthermore, to provide a better understanding of this relationship the authors incorporate two sequential mediators, namely, information seeking and academic self-efficacy.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative approach using self-report questionnaires. This study was conducted in the Hellenic Open University through a specially designed questionnaire. The authors collected data from 248 students attending a postgraduate course in Healthcare Management.

Findings

The results showed that information seeking and in turn academic self-efficacy mediate the positive association between exploration and academic performance. Both theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Originality/value

Students’ exploration plays an important role in enhancing both their information seeking and self-efficacy which in turn affects their academic performance.

Details

Library Management, vol. 38 no. 8/9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 August 2011

Arthur E. Poropat

Employability is a major educational goal, but employability programmes emphasise skill development, while employers value performance. Education acts as a model for employment…

2948

Abstract

Purpose

Employability is a major educational goal, but employability programmes emphasise skill development, while employers value performance. Education acts as a model for employment, so educational performance assessment should be aligned with employment models. Consequently, the aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between educational and workplace performance, especially the role of Citizenship Performance within educational settings.

Design/methodology/approach

Students in an introductory university course rated their own personality, and weeks later assessed one another's Citizenship Performance. The relationship of these ratings to academic Task Performance was analysed with structural equation modelling.

Findings

Citizenship Performance was correlated with academic Task Performance, at a similar level to that found in workplace studies. Further, Citizenship Performance mediated the prediction of Task Performance by the personality dimension Conscientiousness, a major predictor of academic performance.

Research limitations/implications

Use of separate raters for the various ratings and the study's longitudinal design provides assurance that results are not inflated due to measurement arteficiality, instead probably underestimating correlation strength.

Practical implications

Rather than treating employability skills as an additional educational component, university teachers should actively foster student Citizenship Performance within their courses. This will better prepare students for employment and in the short term will aid their studies. Attending to Citizenship Performance also provides benefits to students who are higher on Conscientiousness without restricting access to education based on personality.

Originality/value

This is the first study to demonstrate the relevance of Citizenship Performance within educational settings, or to explain how Conscientiousness affects academic performance.

Article
Publication date: 24 March 2021

Neha Garg, Asim Talukdar, Anirban Ganguly and Chitresh Kumar

This study aims to investigate the role of knowledge hiding (KH) on academic performance, using three antecedents – relatedness with peers, territoriality of knowledge and…

1162

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the role of knowledge hiding (KH) on academic performance, using three antecedents – relatedness with peers, territoriality of knowledge and performance motivation. It also looked into the moderating role of academic self-efficacy upon student’s KH behavior and academic performance. The research was grounded on the theory of reasoned action.

Design/methodology/approachx

Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the five hypotheses. The data was collected through a primary survey based on a structured questionnaire with a sample size of 324 students from the Indian higher education institutions.

Findings

The study found that performance motivation and territoriality are positively associated with KH, which is further positively related to students’ academic performance. Sense of relatedness had no influence upon KH behavior, implying that proximity of social relationships does not predict KH behavior among students. Additionally, it was also observed that while evasive (a situation where the knowledge hider deliberately provides incorrect, partial or misleading information) and rationalized KH (a situation where the knowledge hider tries to provide a rational justification for not sharing the knowledge) had a significant influence on the academic performance of the students, the effect of “playing dumb” was not significant. The study did not reveal any moderating effect of academic self-efficacy on all three forms of KH and academic performance.

Practical implications

The findings of the study are expected to be valuable for instructors, administrative authorities and policymakers at the higher education level, to create a more conducive teaching and learning environment. Out of the three hiding strategies, students indulge more often in rationalized KH. Based on the outcomes of this research, management may focus toward the creation of an institutional environment conducive toward knowledge sharing interdependency among students.

Originality/value

One of the novel contributions of this study is that it analyzes Indian higher education, providing a developing country perspective, thereby contributing to the body of knowledge in knowledge management and hiding. The study also intends to understand the interplay of constructs such as KH, territoriality, sense of relatedness and academic performance, which have not been discussed previously within the higher education context, thus making the research work original. The study was done among the students and hence, brings in the academic perspective in the KH literature, which has seen limited research impetus.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 25 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 September 2014

Brendan Eze Asogwa

The purpose of this paper is to measure the competencies of libraries in Nigerian universities, identify constraints to their performance and recommend infrastructures and…

1768

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to measure the competencies of libraries in Nigerian universities, identify constraints to their performance and recommend infrastructures and competencies required. Institutional accreditation has compelled academic libraries in Nigerian to improve their quality, competencies and performances for accountability.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was the main instrument for data collection. The population of the study was all the university librarians in the 89 universities in Nigeria that the author selected from federal, state and private universities. Of the 81 sets of questionnaires emailed, 49 were returned, which represents a 60.5 per cent response rate and provides the working population of the study. Data were analysed using frequency tables, simple percentages and bar charts.

Findings

The results indicate that academic libraries and librarians in Nigeria are competent in three key areas – educational roles, professional development and research. However, they are not very effective in the provision and use of library resources in cyberspace, adequate funding, collection development and information technology skills. The main constraints are: poor Internet penetration, low bandwidth, unreliable power supply and weak Internet proficiency. This paper suggests that adequate funding, benchmark performance and multi-skilling can serve as strategies against these constraints in developing regions.

Practical implications

This study contributes to library staff assessment because it links strategic objectives to performance measures and associated long-term targets. It broadens issues which affect sustainable performance in academic libraries in Nigeria, as well as in Africa and other developing countries.

Originality/value

While performance measurement is well established in developed countries, it is less or not so well established in Nigeria and other developing countries. The current research seeks to develop a performance measurement framework for academic libraries that is testable and expandable to Nigeria and the whole African context.

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 32 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 February 2022

Irfan Hameed, Mirza A. Haq, Najmonnisa Khan and Bibi Zainab

Social media has shown a substantial influence on the daily lives of students, mainly due to the overuse of smartphones. Students use social media both for academic and non…

2552

Abstract

Purpose

Social media has shown a substantial influence on the daily lives of students, mainly due to the overuse of smartphones. Students use social media both for academic and non-academic purposes. Due to an increase in the usage of social media, academicians are now confronting pedagogical issues, and the question arises as to whether the use of social media affects students’ performance or not. Considering this, this study aims to examine the role of social media usage on students’ academic performance in the light of cognitive load theory.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a quantitative research approach, 220 valid responses were received through an e-survey administered to university students. The proposed claims were tested through structural equation modeling using AMOS version 24.

Findings

Findings revealed that social media usage for non-academic purposes harmed students’ academic performance. Additionally, social media usage for academic purposes and social media multitasking did not affect students’ academic performance. Most importantly, social media self-control failure moderates the relationship between “social media usage for non-academic purposes” and students’ academic performance.

Practical implications

The findings of the study can be used by the academic policymakers of institutions and regulatory bodies.

Originality/value

The study suggests that teachers not only rely on using social media as a learning tool but also concentrate on improving student self-control over the use of social media through various traditional and non-traditional activities, such as online readings, group discussions, roleplays and classroom presentations.

Article
Publication date: 16 May 2022

Roziah Mohd Rasdi, Siti Zainab Tauhed, Zeinab Zaremohzzabieh and Seyedali Ahrari

This paper aims to identify the role of organizational and individual factors in predicting the research performance of academics when job crafting is a mediator variable and…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to identify the role of organizational and individual factors in predicting the research performance of academics when job crafting is a mediator variable and organizational culture is a moderating variable.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was conducted by collecting responses from academics at five Malaysian research-based universities. The sample size was 273. Standard questionnaires were used to collect the data. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

Findings

The most significant predictors of research performance were organizational culture, individual effort and professional development, whereby job crafting was most optimally predicted by work engagement and transformational leadership. While organizational culture moderated the relationship between transformational leadership and research performance, the mediating role of job crafting was insignificant between work engagement and research performance.

Research limitations/implications

The findings have important implications for human resource development practitioners (HRD) in terms of improving overall academic research performance. Practical interventions are suggested to assist academics in enhancing their performance. This study highlights how academic performance can be managed more effectively.

Originality/value

The findings extend the HRD literature in higher education and offer a framework that enhances the understanding of the organizational and individual factors that influence academics' research performance within a specific context of research universities in a non-Western context.

Details

European Journal of Training and Development, vol. 47 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-9012

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 September 2020

Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi, Gbolahan Bolarin, Naomi Temitope Oladosu and Richard Ajayi Jimoh

This study examined the causes of academic stress amongst undergraduate students in the Department of Quantity Surveying to ascertain whether stress has an influence on their…

1388

Abstract

Purpose

This study examined the causes of academic stress amongst undergraduate students in the Department of Quantity Surveying to ascertain whether stress has an influence on their academic performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This research explores the relationships between these constructs: academic stress, non-academic stress, coping strategies and academic performance, using a survey questionnaire to collect data from 190 undergraduate students in the Quantity Survey department. Descriptive statistics have been used to analyse the data and a path analytical approach has been adopted to evaluate the relationship between the constructs discussed in the paper.

Findings

Significant linear associations have been established between all the proposed paths and the outcome factor (p < 0.00). Coping strategies were an important mediator (p = 0.000), as they explained 32.9% of the association between academic stress and non-academic stress. However, the findings have shown that the stress faced by students is an optimal degree of stress that improves learning capabilities.

Practical implications

Explanation and clarification of the effects of academic and non-academic stress and coping mechanisms on the academic performance of university undergraduate students could help to reduce the risk of suicide amongst the teeming youths. It will also afford the university administration the opportunity to engender stress-free environment that is conducive for learning through the formulation of appropriate policies that promote “balanced learning” for the students. The outcome of this study may provide a launch pad for researchers who are interested in knowing how the possible causes of stress may impact on the health of university students.

Originality/value

The findings will be of great importance to the academic advisers and university administration in developing a flexible academic calendar and adopt policies that will eliminate academic stress and promote strategies to cope with non-academic stress. The study is the first attempt to examine academic stress, non-academic stress, coping strategies and academic performance in a single research in the Nigerian context due to limited literature found. This study has pedagogical implications to education practice by offering tertiary institutions the opportunity to appraise and device a means of managing students' stress by identifying their needs and increase students' coping skills based on prevailing modalities that give students' opportunities to strengthen the strategies of coping.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

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