Predicting college student achievement in science courses

Abstract

Given the worldwide interest in improving student academic attainment, it is important to the examine the variables impacting college students' achievement. This research aimed to predict student achievement in an undergraduate level Scientific Research Method Course (SRMC) offered by Celal Bayar University, Turkey. This quantitative research adopted a descriptive correlation survey design. 198 sophomore college students were the participants of the study. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine how independent variables such as attitudes, competence in teaching methods, length of studying time, gender predict student achievement in SRMC. The findings showed that selected predictors accounted for 33.4 % of students' academic achievement in SRMC. Specifically, 23% of this variance were explained by the total study hours; 9.4 % of it originated from students' attitudes toward the lesson; and 2% of it originated from the students' perceptions of the necessity and importance of the course. Further, these findings are positioned with respect to the previous research on predicting college student achievement.