Academic performance determinants of high school students in the Department of Nariño, Colombia

Abstract

This article seeks to illustrate the determining factors of the academic performance of secondary school students in the Department of Nariño, Colombia. Two ordinal regression models were gauged (logit and probit) and arranged based on the results of standardized testing for secondary education (ICFES-SABER 11) conducted in 2018. The dependent variable used is polytomous, corresponding to the ranking from lowest to highest of the scores obtained while taking the following factors into consideration: parents' education levels, socioeconomic status, sex, access to learning technologies, the legal conditions of educational institutions, geographical location, and the number of weekly hours students dedicate to completing complementary activities. The results show that access to technological learning tools such as computers and internet connection, the highest educational level of parents, gender (male), and studying in an official urban educational institution increases the probability of obtaining better academic performance.