Abstract

ON THE STRENGTH OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN INITIAL AND FINAL ACADEMIC PERFORMANCES OF STUDENTS IN A NIGERIA UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

A. W. Banjoko1, W. B. Yahya2, H. S. Abiodun3, R. B. Afolayan4,M. K. Garba5, K. O. Olorede6,K. A. Dauda7 and M. O. Adeleke8

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Abstract This paper examines the strength of agreement between academic performances of students after their first and final years in the University. Academic performances of a total of 886 students that were admitted into various academic programs in the Faculty of Science, University of Ilorin, during the 2008/2009 academic session were followed-up to their year of graduation in 2012. Information on the grade point average (GPA) of students at the end of their first year in 2008, their final cumulative grade point average (CGPA) at the end of their studies in 2012 among others were collected. Results from this study generally showed a fair agreement between students’ initial and final academic performances in Nigeria University system (p < 0.001). It was also found that about 50% of students maintained the classes of degrees they had in their first year till graduation,about 40% of them improved on their performances while the performances of about 7% of them dropped from what they had at their firstyear.Further results showed that students’ performance is gender sensitive.Specifically, about 45% and 60% of female and male students maintained the classes of degrees they had during their first year in the University, about 50% and 30% of them improved on theirs while about 5% and 10% of them dropped from their initial academic performances at the end of their studies respectively. Finally, students in the Biological Sciences improved on their initial academic performances more than their counterparts in the Physical Sciences. Also, female students improved on their initial academic performances more than their male counterparts. This work will serve as useful counseling guide to prospective admission seekers into the Universities and all the stakeholders at enhancing students’ academic performances in the University system. Key words: Cohen Kappa agreement index, Cumulative grade point average, Chi-square test.

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