IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/jfr/ijhe11/v12y2023i1p45.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Attitudes and Academic Performance of Engineering Students in both Prerequisite Courses to Final Year Project and Final Year Project

Author

Listed:
  • Joseph Dobela
  • Lone Seboni

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes of engineering students and their academic performance towards both prerequisite courses for and the final year project (FYP), given the need to increase our understanding of attitudes and performance in the context of engineering students, currently underexplored. Questionnaire surveys of 714 eligible students enrolled in the FYP across six engineering programs were conducted. The results show that students enrolled in Industrial, Mechanical and Civil engineering programs, have a negative attitude towards the FYP and its prerequisites, while students enrolled in Electrical, Electronic and Industrial Design and Technology programs have a positive attitude. A statistically strong positive correlation between project prerequisites and engineering FYP was found, confirmed by factor analysis. Majority of students struggle with project progress as compared to other stages of the FYP, due to inadequacy in fundamentals such as design. This study contributes to an understanding of existing knowledge by providing empirical evidence of not only challenges faced by engineering students (as opposed to other disciplines that have been widely covered) but also remedies to improve students’ academic performance. The findings also have implications on engineering education, in relation to informing policy decisions on engineering program structure.

Suggested Citation

  • Joseph Dobela & Lone Seboni, 2023. "Attitudes and Academic Performance of Engineering Students in both Prerequisite Courses to Final Year Project and Final Year Project," International Journal of Higher Education, Sciedu Press, vol. 12(1), pages 1-45, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:jfr:ijhe11:v:12:y:2023:i:1:p:45
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.sciedupress.com/journal/index.php/ijhe/article/download/23073/14474
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.sciedupress.com/journal/index.php/ijhe/article/view/23073
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Carvalho, S. & White, H., 1997. "Combining the Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Poverty Measurement and Analysis. The Practice and the Potential," Papers 366, World Bank - Technical Papers.
    2. Khalid A. Alanzi, 2015. "The Influence of Prerequisite Grades on Students’ Performance," Journal of Developing Areas, Tennessee State University, College of Business, vol. 49(5), pages 1-9, Special I.
    3. Hamed Taherdoost, 2016. "Sampling Methods in Research Methodology; How to Choose a Sampling Technique for Research," Post-Print hal-02546796, HAL.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Markose Chekol Zewdie & Michele Moretti & Daregot Berihun Tenessa & Zemen Ayalew Ayele & Jan Nyssen & Enyew Adgo Tsegaye & Amare Sewnet Minale & Steven Van Passel, 2021. "Agricultural Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Farmers in Ethiopia: A Stochastic Frontier Approach," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-17, March.
    2. Yoshihiro Zenno & Kentaka Aruga, 2022. "Institutional Investors’ Willingness to Pay for Green Bonds: A Case for Shanghai," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-16, November.
    3. Ostovan, Nima & Khalili Nasr, Arash, 2022. "The manifestation of luxury value dimensions in brand engagement in self-concept," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    4. Peter Davis & Bob Baulch, 2010. "Casting the net wide and deep: lessons learned in a mixed-methods study of poverty dynamics in rural Bangladesh," Working Papers id:2674, eSocialSciences.
    5. repec:arp:tjssrr:2019:p:1016-1024 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Hentschel, Jesko, 1998. "Distinguishing between types of data and methods of collecting them," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1914, The World Bank.
    7. Maia Green, 2006. "Representing poverty and attacking representations: Perspectives on poverty from social anthropology," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(7), pages 1108-1129.
    8. Vecchio, Yari & De Rosa, Marcello & Adinolfi, Felice & Bartoli, Luca & Masi, Margherita, 2020. "Adoption of precision farming tools: A context-related analysis," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    9. Hamed Taherdoost, 2021. "Data Collection Methods and Tools for Research; A Step-by-Step Guide to Choose Data Collection Technique for Academic and Business Research Projects," Post-Print hal-03741847, HAL.
    10. Cornwall, Andrea & Aghajanian, Alia, 2017. "How to Find out What’s Really Going On: Understanding Impact through Participatory Process Evaluation," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 173-185.
    11. Yan Chen & Feilian Zhang & Yan Wang & Junwei Zheng, 2020. "Work–Family Conflict, Emotional Responses, Workplace Deviance, and Well-Being among Construction Professionals: A Sequential Mediation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-19, September.
    12. Jean-Pierre Lachaud, 1998. "Modélisation des déterminants de la pauvreté et marché du travail en Afrique : le cas du Burkina Faso," Documents de travail 32, Groupe d'Economie du Développement de l'Université Montesquieu Bordeaux IV.
    13. Hamed Taherdoost, 2021. "Data Collection Methods and Tools for Research; A Step-by-Step Guide to Choose Data Collection Technique for Academic and Business Research Projects Authors," Post-Print hal-03741834, HAL.
    14. Howard White, 2011. "Achieving high-quality impact evaluation design through mixed methods: the case of infrastructure," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 131-144.
    15. M.W. Mutiga & M.M. Mutuku & L.N. Kinuthia & A. A. Olubandwa, 2022. "Influence of Non-Governmental Organizations’ Financial Interventions on Community Empowerment," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 6(12), pages 170-179, December.
    16. Youtang Zhang & Hagos Mesfin Berhe, 2022. "The Impact of Green Investment and Green Marketing on Business Performance: The Mediation Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Ethiopia’s Chinese Textile Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-24, March.
    17. Abdoudramane Sanou & Kiessoun Konate & Roger Dakuyo & Kaboré Kabore & Hemayoro Sama & Mamoudou Hama Dicko, 2022. "Hibiscus sabdariffa: Genetic variability, seasonality and their impact on nutritional and antioxidant properties," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(3), pages 1-15, March.
    18. Batanai Sammie & Elvis Mupfiga & Liboster Mwadzingeni & Tavengwa Chitata & Raymond Mugandani, 2021. "A gendered lens to self-evaluated and actual climate change knowledge," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 11(1), pages 65-75, March.
    19. Hamed Taherdoost, 2017. "Determining Sample Size; How to Calculate Survey Sample Size," Post-Print hal-02557333, HAL.
    20. Liliana Mâță & Otilia Clipa & Venera-Mihaela Cojocariu & Viorel Robu & Tatiana Dobrescu & Carlos Hervás-Gómez & Ionuț Viorel Stoica, 2021. "Students’ Attitude towards the Sustainable Use of Mobile Technologies in Higher Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-13, May.
    21. Ali Bakdur & Fumito Masui & Michal Ptaszynski, 2021. "Predicting Increase in Demand for Public Buses in University Students Daily Life Needs: Case Study Based on a City in Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-28, May.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R00 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General - - - General
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:jfr:ijhe11:v:12:y:2023:i:1:p:45. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sciedu Press (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cepflch.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.