Correlation of Relationship between Course of Study and Academic Performance of Undergraduate Engineering Students in Universities

Abstract

A hypothesis of whether the nature of course of study (COS) or interest in it affects the performance of engineering students (POES) was determined in this study. The data used were obtained through questionnaires administered to undergraduate engineering students selected from two Nigerian Federal Universities. Eighty-five (85) percent of engineering students personally chose their course of study and about eighty-eight (88) percent have likeness for their engineering discipline. Statistical correlation analysis shows that there is no significant relationship between COS and POES (p>0.05). However, it was found out that the subject or course content is a strong factor for academic motivation and that POES is significantly affected by the degree of likeness for COS (p<0.05). This study has confirmed that COS has nothing to do with good or poor performance of engineering undergraduate students. However, loss of affection or interest for COS plays a significant role on how performing an engineering student can be during his university education. It is therefore essential that choice of engineering discipline be informed by personal decision of students based on interest and career ambition so that the parents may have values for their labour and the society benefits from the quality of the graduates in engineering profession. One of the major implications of this study is that the culture of offering provisional admissions to candidates into a course of study different from their choice in Nigerian universities is not abysmal as long as their interest for the given course is sustained. Otherwise, it may be better asking candidates to reapply during admission and screening exercises so as not jeopardize their success in the future academic career.

Keywords: academic performance, engineering education, undergraduate students, and course of study, universities