The Determinants of First-Year Academic Performance in the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University, 1990–1999

Abstract

This research identifies and quantifies the determinants of first-year academic performance in the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University, 1990–1999. Forty-eight percent of the variation in first-semester college grades was explained by high school grades, standardized test scores, socioeconomic variables, high school characteristics, credit hours completed, and major field of study. Approximately 62% of the variation in second-semester grades was explained. First-semester college grades explained 43% of second-semester grades. Several statistically significant relationships are detected, and the implications for students, advisors, and administrators are discussed.

Academic Prolfes of Students in a College of Agriculture

“…Some scholars have found that first term (FTGPA) and freshman year GPA (FYGPA) are also valuable indicators of success (Barkley and Forst, 2004;Gayles, 2012;Gershenfeld et al, 2016). Barkley and Forst (2004) found that standardized test results were useful in predicting FTGPA, but FTGPA was more useful in predicting grades for the second academic term. As the authors put it "the college record, once it…”

“…Rather, our intention is to give a basis for comparison between groups to show where targeted intervention might be considered based on more in depth and specific future analysis of the factors impacting performance for each of the respective groups. We followed the example of past researchers in selecting academic indicators which included mean unweighted high school GPA on a 4.0 scale (HSGPA) (Allensworth and Clark, 2020;Geiser and Santelices, 2007;Zwick and Himelfarb, 2011), highest SAT score (High_SAT) (Garton et al, 2002), and first academic term North Carolina GPA (FTGPA) (Barkley and Forst, 2004). We used four, five, and six-year graduation rates (as a percent) to demonstrate the outcomes that student groups experience (Turner and Thompson, 2014;Tinto, 1993).…”

Uneven Paths: Agricultural Pathways that Lead Students to Enroll

“…Several scholars have found that variables which reflect the early academic record of undergraduates, such as first term (FTGPA) and freshman year GPA (FYGPA), are valuable indicators of subsequent success (Barkley & Forst, 2004;Gayles, 2012;Gershenfeld et al, 2016). Barkley and Forst (2004) put it as follows "the college record, once it becomes available at the end of the first semester, becomes paramount in explaining grades in subsequent semesters" (p. 440). Tracking FTGPA has the added benefit of giving an early indication of student performance at the collegiate level, meaning that faculty and staff can intervene early for students who show signs of distress.…”

The Influence of Test Anxiety on Academic Performance of Agricultural Student

“…Hence, test anxiety has become a universal experience in the society (Stankov, 2010). Since academic performance of students is one of the most important pieces of information used by employers in decision making as a signal of individuals' ability (Barkley & Forst, 2004), the main purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of test anxiety on academic performance of agricultural students. The special objectives of the study were:…”