PROFILE ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS' ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN BOLGATANGA POLYTECHNIC

Abstract

The main purpose of the study was to examine the changes in the average academic performance of students over time and how these changes are related to student segments, choice of program and the entry qualification of the student. Data on grade point averages (GPA), demographic and socio-economic features from 131 Female and 271 Male students was obtained from the Examinations and the Student Affairs Units of the Bolgatanga Polytechnic. Profile analysis of the data indicated that the average GPA scores of Male and Female students were parallel, level and deviated significantly from flatness, whereas the various Departments had their own subject-specific mean response. The Generalized Linear Model (GLM) and Logistic Regression Models were employed to study the effect of the covariates on the mean GPA scores and graduation status of students. The results, with few exceptions, revealed significant contribution of the predictors to the explanatory power of the mean GPA scores. The likelihood of a Female student completing successfully is about 2 times more than a Male student whereas students admitted based on direct qualification (QD) were 4 times more likely to complete successfully than students who were admitted on the basis of a Decisive Factor (NQ) and roughly 2 times more likely than those admitted through the Matured Entrance Examination (QM). Results from the Likelihood Ratio Chi-Square test indicated that the class obtained by a student was largely dependent on the qualification on the basis of which the student was given admission.