School of Statistics and Planning (SSP)

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Browsing School of Statistics and Planning (SSP) by Subject "Academic achievement"
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    Competence in Mathematics and academic achievement: an analysis of enrollees in the Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science Program
    (American Journal of Business Education, 2013) Wamala, Robert ; Maswere, Dyson W. ; Mwanga, Yeko
    This study investigates the role of prior grounding attained in mathematics in predicting the academic achievement of enrollees in Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science (BSAS). The investigation is based on administrative records of 240 BSAS enrolees at Makerere University, School of Statistics and Planning in the 2007–2009 cohorts. Students’ graduating Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) was adopted as a measure of their academic achievement. Mathematics grade scores obtained by the students in their Advanced level (A-level) of secondary education were adopted as a measure of competence in the discipline. Academic achievement was modeled in the analysis by enrollees’ characteristics and their competence in mathematics using a robust regression. The results revealed that students’ CGPA increases with their A-level mathematics scores. A similar pattern is observed when the assessment is made using a combined weighted score of enrollees adopted on admission to the program. The findings confirm that 1) prior academic qualifications predict enrollees’ academic achievement and 2) competence in A-level mathematics predicts success in the program.
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    Factors Affecting Academic Achievement of Children with Special Needs in Uganda Primary Education
    (Makerere University, 2018-11-19) Nakawoya, Elina
    The purpose of this study was to examine the factors affecting academic achievement of children with special needs in Ugandan primary education. This study utilized 24,241 pupils‟ data of literacy and numeracy test scores at grade six of the year 2012 obtained from NAPE. The pupil and school level data was obtained from EMIS for the year 2012. Based on Glewwe & Kremer (2005) production function, the OLS regression models were estimated using STATA software. The mean score for the pupils in literacy was 17.5 and for numeracy was 34.4. Age was found to be significant and academic achievement dropped with increase in age. Sex was also significant and female pupils were found to be highly likely to obtain 1.6 marks more in literacy and 4.7 marks less in numeracy than male pupils. Academic achievement improved positively by placing a pupil in a private rather than government school. Pupils in full boarding schools were more likely to obtain 11.4 marks in literacy and 8.9 marks higher in numeracy rather than pupils in day schools. The effect becomes negative and significant for a pupil in a full boarding school compared to one in a partly boarding or day school. Pupils located in rural areas performed worse than those in urban areas. More qualified teachers were found to be better than teachers with other qualifications other than Diploma in Primary Education. In terms of school distance from home, the study established that the farther the pupil‟s home from school, the better their academic achievement which is surprising. Interaction of age and sex revealed that female pupils in 14-16 year age group are likely to obtain 1.5 more marks in numeracy than males in a younger age group (< = 13 years). After interacting sex and location, it was found that scores for female pupils in rural areas dropped significantly by 2.2 marks than males in literacy but location was not significant for numeracy. Female pupils other than male ones in partly boarding schools performed worse in both literacy and numeracy than their counterparts in day schools and full boarding schools. The study recommends that pupils with special needs should enrol at an early age for school. Secondly, strategies to close the gender gap in academic achievement can be devised. It is important that better qualified teachers are recruited for better academic achievement of pupils with special needs.
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    Factors associated with academic achievement of primary six pupils in Uganda
    (Makerere University, 2014) Ochen, Samson
    The objective of the study was to investigate factors associated with academic achievement of primary six pupils in Uganda. The investigation was based on data sourced from the 2010 National Assessment in Progress of Education (NAPE) study comprising 21907 records of primary six pupils in the selected primary schools in Uganda. The pupils’ percentage scores in numeracy and literacy were adopted as a measure of their academic achievement. The analysis of data was made using summary statistics and multiple linear regressions clustered by the geographical regions in Uganda namely Northern, Eastern, Central and Western. In the results, a sub optimal performance in various disciplines points to a low academic achievement of pupils across regions. In a multivariate assessment, higher scores were noted among younger primary six pupils (12 years and below), males, pupils in boarding schools, those in urban schools, pupils in private schools and those in a smaller class size. In the effort to enhance academic achievement of pupils, the findings of the study suggests a need to: (i) establish measures to ensure early age enrolment of pupils; (ii) strengthen measures that address gender learning disparities among pupils in various disciplines in schools; and (iii) improve on learning environment of learners particularly in rural and government schools.
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    Graduate Management Admission Test Outcomes and the academic achievement: A study on Masters of Business Administration students
    (American Journal of Business Education, 2012) Wamala, Robert ; Kizito, Saint Omala ; Kakumba, Umar
    This study investigates whether the outcomes of the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) can predict the academic achievement of enrollees in masters programs. The study is based on administrative data of 516 Masters of Business Administration (MBA) enrollees at the College of Business and Management Science, Makerere University in the 2011 and 2012 enrollment cohorts. The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) in the bachelor’s degree and that of the first year of master’s studies were adopted as measures of the academic achievement of enrollees. In the analysis, academic achievement of MBA enrollees was modeled using a robust regression by GMAT scores obtained during admission to the program and student characteristics—gender, other qualification, year of completion and outcome of the bachelor’s degree, and whether the candidate obtained his/her bachelor’s degree from Makerere University. In the results, a high GMAT score was significantly associated with high academic achievement among graduate students. This evidence suggests that the theory of an aptitude or admission test being a predictor of academic achievement of learners holds across disciplines. However, a significant association established in the results between the academic achievement of learners at the undergraduate and graduate stages indicates that the undergraduate achievement can be recommended as a cost free alternative for assessing the competence of candidates suitable for admission to the graduate program.
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    Relevance of prior academic qualifications to predicting the academic achievement of undergraduate students: An analysis of Law enrollees at Makerere University
    (Journal of College Teaching & Learning, 2013) Wamala, Robert
    Students who have excelled academically in the past are regarded as having a greater chance of performing successfully in subsequent examinations. However, this argument is being questioned with regard to enrollees onto the Bachelor of Laws at the School of Law of Makerere University in Uganda. This study sought to obtain an understanding of this issue using administrative data of 568 Bachelor’s of Law graduates of Makerere University during the period 2010-2012. A combined weighted score for the enrollees granted on admission to the program and their Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) on graduation were adopted as measures of their prior academic qualifications and academic achievement, respectively. An assessment of the enrollees’ academic achievement is made using summary statistics. The bearing of prior academic qualifications on the academic achievement was investigated using a robust regression, controlling for student’s characteristics, gender, nationality, and year of enrollment. A median CGPA of 3.16 in the results points to a “lower second” class degree obtained by a considerable number of graduates in the program. In the multivariate assessment, high scores on entry to the program were significantly associated with high academic achievement (p < 0.01). These findings confirm enrollees’ prior academic qualifications as: 1) a predictor of academic achievement on the program and 2) thus, an indisputable measure for assessing the competence of candidates suitable for admission to the program.