Background characteristics and individual institutional experiences: predicting academic achievement among undergraduate students in a higher education institution in Uganda

Abstract

This study examined the interplay between background characteristics, individual institutional experiences, and academic achievement among undergraduate students at a Ugandan higher education institution. Adopting a post-positivist paradigm, the research employed a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, integrating quantitative analysis with qualitative insights to examine these relationships. Data were collected from a stratified sample of 754 final-year students across four schools at Makerere University. Quantitative data obtained through modified scales were analyzed using SPSS (version 26) with correlation, regression, and mediation techniques. In contrast, qualitative data from one-on-one interviews were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis framework. The findings highlighted conscientiousness as a significant predictor of academic engagement (ρ = .32, p < .01) and social integration (ρ = .25, p < .01). Gender was notably associated with social integration (ρ = -.08, p < .014) and academic commitment (ρ = .13, p < .01). Family income and A-level grades showed negative influences on academic engagement (ρ = -.07, p < .01) and social integration (ρ = -.08, p < .01), respectively. Both A-level grades and conscientiousness significantly predicted university academic performance, measured by cumulative GPA (ρ = .26, p < .01) and academic persistence (ρ = .26, p < .01). Academic engagement demonstrated a positive relationship with academic persistence (ρ = .38**, p < .01) and CGPA (ρ = .14**, p < .01), while academic commitment was positively linked to academic persistence (ρ = .35**, p < .01). Social integration positively influenced both academic persistence (ρ = .39**, p < .01) and CGPA (ρ = .14**, p < .01). Mediation analyses revealed that social integration (b = .15, p = .22) and academic engagement (b = .23, p = .30) partially mediated the relationship between conscientiousness and academic persistence. However, social integration (b = -0.02, p < .01) negatively mediated the relationship between A-level grades and university CGPA. Qualitative findings contextualized and illuminated these quantitative results, providing deeper insights. In conclusion, the study underscores the pivotal roles of background characteristics and individual institutional experiences in influencing academic persistence and performance. Recommendations include fostering academically oriented interactions, encouraging conscientious behaviors, providing financial and psychological support, implementing gender-sensitive interventions, and enhancing academic advising and peer mentorship programs. These strategies are essential for improving academic persistence and promoting academic excellence at Makerere University.