Academic Performance in the University of East London - Research Paper Example

Research paper Introduction Effective learning among the undergraduate has not been easy due to ineffective planning and improper management of the college time. Researches conducted into the matter have revealed that college students tend to waste a great deal of their good time at the beginning of each semester resulting in poor performances at the end of the semester with some students opting for malicious alternatives in order to catch up with them which they realize flies speedily past. Many students have resolved at one point or another to literally copying the assignments or feigning sicknesses at the dawn of the exams upon realizing that they have not studied adequately for these exams. Besides, missing lectures among some college students at the beginning of the year has as well presented tremendous challenges to the lecturers and the universities at large with regard to poor performances registered at the end of every semester by a section of the students (Beal, Ausiello, & Perrin, 2001; Todd & Wolpin, 2003). Many researchers have proposed the sole solution to be based on proper management of the students’ times regarding the attendance of their classes and taking their assignments promptly and accurately. It is not easy however to control the students’ behavior in a university context (Cierno, Kilpatrick, Resnick, Saunders, & Best, 1996) given the large number of students and the uncaring nature of most of the university lecturers. The entire process therefore lies in the students themselves to ensure that they uplift their performances by properly managing their time and events while at school. This research paper will examine and address the factors that are important to the University of East London undergraduates to help them to learn effectively on their courses. This research will be conducted by using two primary qualitative data searching methods namely; the use of questionnaires and interviews. An accurate sample size will be computed from the entire university population to act as a representation for the generalization of findings for accuracy purposes. Data analysis will be conducted both qualitatively and quantitatively to allow for generalization of the generated findings to the entire student population. Research methodology Sampling criteria The entire student population is too big to be studied in totality calling for the use of just a section of the population. However, accurate sample size has to be designed in order to clean the data of biases of time and personal preferences. In line with this, accurate sampling techniques will be employed in this research in order to come up with a more representative result from the findings. Yamane formula will be employed in coming up with the most convenient and representative sample size. The formula provides a confidence level of 95%, (Bell, 1995). The method of proportional allocation will be used to allocate samples to strata. This method ensures that the sizes of samples from different strata are proportional to the size of the strata. From the Yamane formula, Where, n= sample size N= population size e=level of precision Using the formula above, a total of 40 students will be extracted from the total population to be included in the sample frame for this research. The 40 students will be acquired by stratifying the students according to their grades based on their current years of study. The samples will be selected from each stratum by using simple random sampling method. This will ensure that a proper criterion is followed in selecting the sample string for the entire population. According to Carter & Thomas, (1997), random sampling techniques help in eliminating personal and time biases hence the main idea behind its choice. The entire population which is to be studied in this research, all students from the University of East London is very big and cannot be reached adequately using the primary data collection methods that would be employed in this research (King, 1994) such as interviews, questionnaires. There is therefore a concrete reason to sample the population for the effectiveness of the study. Random sampling tends to eliminate the biases resulting from personal preferences which have been a common occurrence especially in qualitative researches which this research adopts. This has ostensibly led to wrong data being generated and wrong analysis for wrong results hence calling for the use of a combination of random and stratified sampling techniques instead of the other sampling procedures for this study (Miles & Huberman, 1994). In summary, sampling the study population for survey helps in alleviating the work load while using other methods of data collection such as the administration of the questionnaires and interviews to the respondents (Sapsford & Jupp, 1996). Data collection methods The sampled population will be subjected to interviews administered through questionnaires in order to deduce their views on the various procedures that the students are likely to carry out in order to improve their performance in school. Elaborately designed and probing questionnaires will be administered to each person selected in the sample size. The use of questionnaires was chosen based on the many advantages associated with it compared to other methods of primary data collection such as observations, secondary materials such as books, journals and periodicals. To begin with, questionnaires are generally cheaper to use as compared to interviews especially where the respondents are allowed to answer the questions at their own free will and collection done afterwards (Oppenheim, 1992). To save on traveling time and money, some questionnaires will be taken to the respondents and collected at a later date before the end of the study period. This will help in ensuring that all the respondents are reached (Moser & Kalton, 1990) at the correct time and the necessary data collected without omission due to time limitations. Moreover, those respondents who will not be reached by physical means will be reached through telephone or mailing of the questionnaires to them. Even though this practice will be relatively expensive, it will help in reaching all respondents intended by the research as well as minimize on the average time required to administer all the questionnaires (Crombie & Davies, 1996). Besides using questionnaires as the primary tools in data collection for this research, interviews will also be conducted to help in supplementing the limitations of the questionnaires. Face to face interviews were chosen for this research based on the numerous advantages associated with it. The presence of the researcher during the administration of the interviews is a key necessity in ensuring that the data collected is accurate, relevant and up to date (Sapsford & Jupp, 1996), hence the appropriateness of the tool for this study. It is believed according to Beal, Ausiello, & Perrin, (2001) that the respondent is compelled by the researcher’s presence to speak the truth and express true feelings and opinions based on the issue of concern, the need to improve performance among the UEL undergraduate students. Complex questions in the questionnaire and those that cannot be fully understood or confused by the respondents will be explained to them by the researcher conducting the interview (Bell, 1995) and this will help in attaining relevant and accurate results. Moreover, the researcher is able to make comparisons between the responses given by the respondents and the reality on the ground since they will be visiting the respondents at their places of convenience. A combination of both free observations made by the researcher (Cierno, Kilpatrick, Resnick, Saunders, & Best, 1996), and the responses given by the respondent on various issues of concern to this research, is a surety for the attainment of more encompassing results, suitable for richer findings and output (Moser & Kalton, 1990). Data analysis will be done by using qualitative applications. The responses will be analyzed verbally based on the reviews of ideas from other scholars and experience as a scholar. Research findings Based on the outcome of the research carried out, several findings were reached which were analyzed based on the criteria of qualitative researchers. From a total sample size of 40 students selected in the sample frame, 32 of them, a total of 80% blamed the reason for low performance in examinations on late reporting to school reducing their class attendance hence low performance. 57% of them admitted to have reported to school one month after the usually reporting date citing several issues hence catching up with the lectures proved difficult culminating into poor performance at the end of the semester. Proper time management is therefore a matter of concern considering late reporting the school and classes. 48% of the students interviewed live off campus and makes it to school every day in order to attend the classes. A good proportion of class time is spent along the road significantly reducing the length of time spent in class. Most of the students interviewed reported spending between 30- 60 minutes traveling from their aboard to school much of which is class hours. The most common reason given by these students is slow traffic movements along the highways especially during the morning hours. The Drug use and abuse among undergraduate students also emerged as one of the key factors which have contributed immensely to low performance among many students with 71% of the respondents interviewed citing the same as the major problem inhibiting good performance. The most commonly abused drugs in the school were alcohol, cocaine and bhang. The later, bhang is said to have far reaching consequences on the users which can affect their concentration in class and hence inhibit good performance. Among those interviewed, 63% admitted using alcohol on a regular basis especially in the evenings after classes- more than four times a week. 91% confirmed they have used the drug at least once in their lifetime while only 9% had never attempted doing alcohol or other drugs. Among those who accepted to have taken alcohol, 43% said they have taken other drugs as well besides alcohol. The most common drug taken among students besides, alcohol was marijuana, taken by 62% of those taking alcohol, with cocaine having been taken by only 17% of those taking alcohol. Alcohol dependent students reported cases of hallucinations, blackouts, and lack of proper concentration in class after or before taking the drugs. From the questionnaire, 90% responded they are currently in relationships with partners of the opposite sex. Among those in relationships, only 45% of them said they are comfortable in their present relationships while hey rest confirmed they are not comfortable. 97% of the respondents asserted infidelity and lack of accountability in their partners being their main reason for discontent with them, while 2% stated incompatibility with their partners resulting into rampant quarrels and mental unrest most of the times. Moreover, 49% cited drug use by their partners as the common issue of contention affecting them in their academics. Besides all these, the results generated from the questionnaires indicated that 78% of the students currently in relationships maintained that they are not willing to walk out of their relationships despite the recurrent problems they undergo. They however expressed hope in their partners that they would change soon. Another intriguing problem especially among the female students was pregnancy cited by 52% of the female students included in the sample. 17% of the female interviewees said they are currently student mothers and that family issues are the major challenge to them. 41% said they have secured abortion fearing the repercussions and responsibility of bearing a child. Among the foreign students, most of those interviewed cited language used in classes and the mode of teaching as the major hindrance to their performance. Much of the lesson content, and in fact all classes are run in English, which is the common or mother language for classroom instructions in the school. A number of the foreign students interviewed, 67%, come from non- English speaking countries and therefore found adopting the English language use for classroom purposes a big challenge. Even though a larger percentage of the respondents 95% said there is adequate learning resources availed by the institution, most of it are published in English which some of the students are not conversant with hence not able to discern meaning from a large percentage of the resources. Analysis of findings Among the key factors which have been related closely with higher performance among students, class attendance remains the most important. In most of the UK institutions of higher learning, the emphasis has not been much of class attendance for students (Coates, 2003). This has however had serious implications on the students’ performances in exams. As Kirby & McElroy, (2003) notes, class attendance and performance are related based on the following arguments; he asserts that the value added in classes by the tutors is far much greater than when a student ceases to attend. This is because the student is able to grasp the in- depth explanations that tutors give in class as compared to the silent book explanations which most students opt for (Schiller, 2003). Besides this, Marburger, (2001) argues that class attendance by students has certain positive externalities for the students as they can each make suitable and helpful contributions in class or during class discussions. This helps in broadening the views and perspectives of the students beyond class work (Stanca, 2006; Lazear, 2001). It is very important therefore for students to have close contact with their lecturers and fellow students for effective learning. Strydom, (2002) proposes personal planning and reflective learning to be the key guiding principle in academic achievement among various students and not merely attending lectures. He asserts that reflective learning approaches are the best for college learning and students should not be compelled to attend lectures for the sake of doing so. Objectivity in learning process according to Strydom, therefore, is the principal determinant of good or poor results at the end of the learning period (Strydom, 2002; McNabb, Pal, & Sloane, 2002). Proper time management and planning is closely linked to increased class participation through attendance and utilization of the school learning resources for adequate acquisition of knowledge. Plans should be put in place to help students manage their time properly (Babbie, 2004). With regard to drugs and drug abuse, researches have indicated a close linkage between drug use and poor performance in many academic institutions. Holtzman, Griner, Bolen, & Rhodes, ( 2000) classify drug dependency based on its effects on people. In his classification, he notes that the effects of drugs can be categorized as either physical or psychological in nature. The former requires that the concerned persons use drugs for purposes of attaining normality in them. This occurs when the persons have become accustomed to the drug such that its absence from their bodies signifies withdrawal and so the person needs to take the drug in order to feel normal (Hashim, 2000; Sweetman, 2000). Psychological dependency on the other hand is portrayed when the use of such drugs becomes habitual on the persons and so the person’s mind and body cannot function properly without the drug (Karam, Melhem, Mansour, Maalouf, Saliba, & Chami, 2000). Psychological or physical, drug abuse is related to hallucinations which hinder the student’s attentiveness in class hence understanding certain concepts becomes rather difficult. Based on the arguments for negative effects of drugs on people, Kandela, (2000) states; Alcohol abuse is associated with various short term adverse effects such as accidents, violence and poisoning, as well as with developmental and social problems. Drugs are tearing apart our societies, spawning crime, spreading diseases such as AIDS, and killing our youth and our future. Often, people involved with drugs are responsible for crimes such as drug trafficking and drug-related homicides.… because of abusing drugs, many people become victims of violence, are injured, or engage in risky, unplanned sex. "Drugs are not a problem solely of the poor, minorities, or inner-city residents. Drug users come from all walks of life and from all parts of the country. The drug problem affects everyone (P.1177). Given the multifaceted nature of the effects of drugs on consumers and the society, it is true that the use of alcohol and other drugs such as cocaine presents a major problem in the performances of the students taking them as well as the entire relationship with other students. This has deteriorated the performances of the students especially the addicts. Drug addiction (Bawazeer, Hattab, & Morales, 1999) is a major problem among college students and is reported as the main concern for poor academic performance in most universities. Addiction on the other hand is related to negative attitudes and beliefs which hinder academic achievements to a large extent, making it quite difficult fro the addicts to learn and achieve better results. To add to these, unplanned pregnancies among many students has also been related to poor performance in class. This reduces tremendously the time for class attendance which is of prime importance to academic development of the female students. It is often very hard (Emmons, 1998) for the pregnant students to concentrate in class due to many psychological and physical effects that are associated with the state. Physical effects such as fatigue and emotional swings plays very important roles in inhibiting concentration in class, hence the difficulty in achieving higher grades among female students. Proper counseling mechanisms should be put in place to help the students cope with the hard situations presented during such times. Given most of the students here are in their teenage levels, it becomes hard for them to manage emotional swings and challenges adequately (Corblin, 2006). This will significantly improve the performance of the students involved in such hardships. Proper emotional management is therefore the key determining factor in improving performance among the emotionally disturbed students in EUL. Moreover, lack of proper command of the English language used in class work among various students, especially foreign students inhibits their participation in class and during presentations. Class participation according to Corblin, (2006) is very important in enhancing the students’ ability to grasp and contain various academic issues discussed in class. As Kandela, (2000) mentions, students learn best when they discuss amongst themselves as compared to when they are taught together in class. This is because the students are able to compare their experiences and understanding of various concepts discussed in class. Class participation, which is greatly reduced due to language difficulties especially among the foreign students, has a great impact on the students’ performance. Kandela, (2000) suggests that in cases where language variation is a hindrance to learning, multilingualism should be adopted in class presentations in order to incorporate every student into the learning environment. This should be adopted in the UEL, having students from diverse linguistic groups who find it difficult to express their ideas using the English language. A range of languages should therefore be used by instructors and the students be allowed to use different language media for communicative purposes such as in class presentations to enhance their class participation as well as in writing their exams. Moreover, the availability of learning resources in any institution should be corresponding to the variety of language groups represented within the institution. Moser & Kalton, (1990) notes that the world is increasingly becoming interconnected and people from various linguistic groups move into other regions in order to attain various degrees of academic qualifications. This calls for the diversification of the learning resources in order to accommodate all language groups represented therein especially those whose first language is not English. The UEL has a large percentage of her students coming from foreign regions where English is not a first language. This makes it very difficult for some students to access the various learning materials available in the school’s resource center making learning and the extraction of knowledge from these sources a hard tussle. In order to solve the impending problem of low academic performance among various students in the institution, diversifying the learning resources in order to fully accommodate all language groups represented therein (Moser & Kalton, 1990). Conclusion In conclusion, I would like to note here that academic performance in UEL has been going down over time. The poor performance of the institution has however been related to such practices such as poor class attendance influenced by factors such as drugs use and abuse, pregnancy and such related issues. Using drugs also presents hallucinations on the persons further barring learning processes. Besides, affections among various students also cause confusion and consequently bar learning hence poor performance. The use of such drugs and avoidance of psychotic conditions among college students should therefore be perceived as the key concepts for boosting academic performance in the institution besides the other array of factors not raised in this research paper. References Babbie, E.,. (2004). The Practice of Social Research (10th ed.). USA: Chapman University. Bawazeer, A. A., Hattab, A. S., & Morales, E. (1999). First cigarette smoking experience among secondary-school students in Aden, Republic of Yemen. East Mediterranean Health Journal , 5, 440–449. Beal, A. 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Appendix Study questionnaire The following structured questionnaire was used to extract information from the students during the interview and the results found above analyzed as shown. 1) In which year of study are you? (please tick one) i) Year one ii) Year two iii) Year three iv) Year four v) Other (please specify) ………………………………………………. 2) Do you live on- campus? If yes, skip to question 5 Yes No 3) How long do you take to reach school from your place of residence? Specify in the table below 10- 30 mins 30 mins – 1 hr Over 1 hr 4) Indicate your level of convenience in getting to school with regard to your place of residence Very convenient Convenient Less convenient Not convenient 5) Are you a student from Britain? Yes No 6) Is English your first language? Yes No 7) Indicate your level of conversance with the use of learning materials written in English. (Give your reply by ticking where appropriate in the table below) Very conversant Conversant Less conversant Not conversant 8) Do you do drugs? (If no, skip to question 11) Yes No 9) Which of the following drugs do you do? Alcohol Cocaine Marijuana Other (please specify) ………………………………… 10) How many times a week do you do which drug? Drug/ frequency 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Alcohol Cocaine Marijuana Others (specify) 11) Are you in a relationship with an opposite sex? If yes, proceed to question 12 12) Indicate your level of contentment with your partner with regard to the ease in your academic performance at school. (Please reply with the numbers as indicated below.) 1. Very contented 2. Contented 3. Less contented 4. Not contented 5. Wants to pull out 6. Wants to continue though not contented Read More