The prediction of the students' academic underachievement in mathematics using the DEA model: A developing country case study

Abstract

In this study, an attempt was made to predict the students' mathematical academic underachievement at the Islamic Azad University-Yadegare-Imam branch and the appropriate strategies in mathematical academic achievement to be applied using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. Survey research methods were used to select 91 students from the Faculties of Engineering, Science, and Humanities for the analysis using the DEA model, along with the SBM method. This study had shown that the mean and the sum of the pre-university math score rankings were higher than the university's math scores. Therefore, it was concluded that the Islamic Azad University (Rey branch, Tehran province) students had displayed academic underachievement in the math exam. Moreover, "the economic, social, and educational factor" did not have any significant relationship with the students' "math scores." Also, forming the regression equation proved meaningless indicating economic, social, and educational factors did not impact on their mathematical academic underachievement. It was shown that the low level of performance was indicative of the students' negligence and reluctance concerning the math lessons, and it revealed that the economic, social and educational factors had no involvement or impact on their math scores. The results of this research will be for the benefit of the professors, administrators, and presiding officers of colleges in the field of mathematics.