Undergraduate Medical Radiologic Technology Students’ Perceptions of the Factors Influencing their Academic Performance
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Date
2020-07
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Background: Higher education institutions, including medical schools, still grapple with the challenge of poor academic performance of students. However, limited detailed insights and understanding of the factors contributing to academic performance of medical students who
experience challenges that are more complex are available.
Objective: The study aims to identify the factors that students perceive to affect their academic performance in undergraduate studies.Identification of the factors associated with poor academic performance and their root causes can help in improvement of students learning by suggesting remediation, appraisal and support mechanism to the concerning stakeholders within the educational institution.
Methods: This study was conducted at college of health sciences, Addis Ababa University,Ethiopia to determine Undergraduate Medical Radiologic Technology students’ perceptions of the factors influencing their academic performance. Semi-structured interview was conducted with undergraduate final year MRT students. The Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim.
Results were categorized and analyzed by thematic content analysis methods. Results: Different factors affecting academic performance of the students were identified: factors related to unsuitable college environment, factors related to inadequate campus facilities, factors related to poor school management systems, factors related to teachers and individual students. The root causes contributing to the students’ academic performance were lack of interest on the department,fear of future career development and lack of strict follow up of the students. Inadequate facilities such as lack of transportations, library, demonstration and skill lab., and classrooms were directly
related to academic performance of the students. Lack of student’s supervision is the most common factor affecting performance at clinical learning areas. Conclusion: collection of factors related to the college environment and facilities, factors related to poor management of the students by the school, factors related to teacher and the students themselves were the determinant factors influencing academic performance of the students. Identification of these factors is crucial in devising a proper approach for better teaching- learning activities and creating a suitable learning environment to the students.
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Keywords
Undergraduate students, academic performance, factors, perceptions, health sciences, Ethiopia