Manajemen | Fakultas Ekonomi Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji joeb.82.5.282-290
Journal of Education for Business
ISSN: 0883-2323 (Print) 1940-3356 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vjeb20
Factors Affecting Business Students' Performance:
The Case of Students in United Arab Emirates
Nasri Harb & Ahmed El-shaarawi
To cite this article: Nasri Harb & Ahmed El-shaarawi (2007) Factors Affecting Business
Students' Performance: The Case of Students in United Arab Emirates, Journal of Education for
Business, 82:5, 282-290, DOI: 10.3200/JOEB.82.5.282-290
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FactorsAffectingBusinessStudents’
Performance:TheCaseofStudentsin
UnitedArabEmirates
NASRIHARB
AHMEDEL-SHAARAWI
UNITEDARABEMIRATESUNIVERSITY
AL-AIN,UNITEDARABEMIRATES
ABSTRACT.Inthisstudy,theauthors
foundthatthemostimportantfactorthat
ABSTRACT.
affectedstudentperformancewastheir
competenceinspeakingEnglish.The
samplewasagroupof864businessand
economicsstudentsinUnitedArabEmirates.Theauthorsusedregressionanalysis
forthestudy.Theresultsofthestudy
showedthatstudentswhoparticipatedin
classdiscussionsandwhowereonleave
fromtheirjobsoutperformedotherstudents.Missingmanylecturesandlivingin
acrowdedhouseholdnegativelyaffected
studentperformance.Theresultsofthe
studyalsoshowedthatnonnationalstudents
outperformednationalstudents,andfemale
studentsoutperformedtheirmalecounterparts.
Keywords:classdiscussion,competencein
English,studentperformance
Copyright©2007HeldrefPublications
282
JournalofEducationforBusiness
I
n this study, we sought to identify
factorsaffectingstudentperformance
in the College of Business and Economics(CBE)atUnitedArabEmirates
University(UAEU)intheUnitedArab
Emirates(UAE).Weexaminedwhether
student performance was more a result
of factors endemic to the culture and
societyoftheUAEthanfactorsuniversallyacceptedintheWest.
The UAE is composed of seven
Emirates: Abu-Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah,
Ajman,UmmAlQuwain,Fujairah,and
RasAl Khaimah. The UAEU is located inAl-Ain city inAbu Dhabi Emirate, and the CBE offers seven majors:
accounting, economics, finance, management,managementinformationsystems, marketing, and statistics. In February 2004, student population at the
CBE was 2,207.The majority (63.2%)
ofthestudentswerewomen.
WithintheUAEU,thehigherfemale
presence in the student population is
mainly because many UAE male high
schoolgraduatesprefertojointhepublicservice,especiallythearmyandthe
police, instead of attending college.
In addition, some of those male high
school graduates who do go to collegeprefertoattendEuropeanorNorth
Americancollegesanduniversities.
Because of the tradition and culture,
there are two separate UAEU campuses—one for female students and
one for male students. About 80% of
the students are nationals whereas the
remaining20%arenonnationals.Many
of these nonnational students areArab
studentswholivewiththeirfamiliesas
residentsintheUAE.Inaddition,there
are also non-Arab students who come
fromAfrica,therepublicsoftheformer
SovietUnion,andotherplaces.
Besidetheconventionalfactors(e.g.,
mathematical aptitude, parents’ education,familyincome)thataffectstudent
performance,weinvestigatedtheeffect
ofgendertodetermineanyperformance
differences that may result from the
UAEU maintaining separate campuses
for male and female students. We also
investigated whether living on campus
affectsstudentperformance.Thisfactor
interactswithgenderbecausethereare
morerestrictiverulesinthefemalecampusthaninthemalecampusespecially
with regard to movement of female
students outside of the campus (e.g.,
although male students have the freedomtogoinandoutoftheirdormitory
and bring in their friends, female studentsarenotallowedtoleavethecampusunlessaccompaniedbyacloserelativeandtheyarenotallowedtoreceive
visitsfromoutsidethecampus).
Weexploredotherfactorsthatreflect
theculturaldifferences(e.g.,thefamily
size,language)insocietiesbetweenthe
West and the Middle East. Family size
intheUAE,forexample,differssignificantly among different ethnic and economicsubgroups.Likewise,languages
differwithinUAEcommunities.Arabic
istheofficiallanguageoftheUAE,but
the language of instruction at the CBE
Downloaded by [Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji] at 23:27 11 January 2016
is English. We have included students’
competence in English in our list of
variables to test its effect on student
performance.
Educators, academics, and policy
makers have debated the factors that
determine student performance. Many
researchers in the United States and
Europehaveexaminedthisissue.Their
findings have shown that hard work,
discipline, education, parents’ education, family income, and self-motivationarefactorsthatexplaindifferences
in students’ grades. Kennedy and Tay
(1994) identified students’ aptitude as
the most important determinant of studentperformanceineconomicscourses.
They also identified study efforts, age,
andagoodmatchbetweenthestudents’
learningstyleandtheinstructor’steaching style as factors that had positive
effectsonstudents’performance.
Zimmer and Fuller (1996) indicated that anxiety, attitude, and computer
experience were linked to student performance in statistics courses. Some
researchers have found students’ aptitudetohavepositiveeffectsonstudent
performance(cf.Anderson&Benjamin,
1994; Devadoss & Foltz, 1996; Ellis,
Durden, & Gaynor, 1998; Karemera,
2003; Siegfried & Fels, 1979). Others
have found that students’ attitudes or
perceptions have a positive effect on
their performance (e.g., Beron, 1990;
Lane&Porch,2002).
As for gender, Williams, Waldauer,
Duggal, and Vijaya (1992) found no
evidencetosupportthehypothesisthat
significantandconsistentgenderdifferences exist in college students’ performancewhereasAndersonandBenjamin
(1994) showed that male students outperformtheirfemalecounterparts.Some
researchers found the number of credit
hours students enroll in each semester
to have negative effect on student performance(e.g.,Ellisetal.,1998).
Some studies show evidence that
class attendance has a positive effect
on student performance (e.g., Devadoss & Foltz, 1996; Ellis et al., 1998;
Romer,1993).Memoryandnotetaking
also appear to positively affect student
performance (Cohn, Cohn, & Bradley,
1995).Withregardtostudents’financial
status, Devadoss and Foltz found that
studentswhosupportthemselvesfinan
cially are likely to have better performance. Ellis et al. found that membership in fraternity or sorority negatively
affectedstudents’performance.
The literature review presented here
centers on studies conducted in the
West. The fact that there are cultural
differences between Western societies
and traditional Middle Eastern ones,
and that the organization of the learning environment is different within the
UAE may play a role in determining
student performance.We examined the
significance of the variables and their
implicationsonpolicymatters.
This study is important for two reasons: (a) We focused on factors that
affectstudentperformanceintheUAEU,
and(b)itshouldhelppolicymakersin
theUAEingeneralandintheUAEUin
particulartodesignandimplementpoliciestoimprovestudentperformanceon
theonehandandimprovetheefficiency
of education and the effectiveness of
educationdeliveryontheotherhand.
Wewillalsopresentthe(a)methodologyusedinconductingthisresearch,(b)
regressionresults,and(c)ourdiscussion.
METHOD
Wecollecteddatausedintheanalysis
fromarepresentativesampleofstudents
usingaquestionnairethatincludedthree
setsofquestions(seeAppendixA).The
first set addressed the individual student’s background information such as
highschoolmajor(i.e.,scienceandmath
orliterature),workexperience,andstudy
hours. The second set covered the students’perceptionsoftheuniversityenvironment such as the attitude toward the
university and the professors. The third
set of questions addressed the socioeconomiccharacteristicsofthestudents,
suchasparents’education,andhowliberalorconservativethefamilyis.
To conduct our econometric evaluation of those factors (seeAppendix B)
thatmayaffectstudentperformance,we
estimatedthefollowingmodel:
GPAi = β0 + β1grade_ugi (1 − Challengei)
+ β2challengei + β3sciencei + β4privatei
+β5creditsi+β6weekendi+β7participationi
+ β8missi + β9attitudei + β10crowdedi
+β11maidsi+β12responsibilityi+β13(moviesi
×genderi)+β14jobi*(1−leavei)+β15leavei
+β16femalei+β17nni+εi.
For the factors that represent students’ aptitude, we included the student’s grade in English on the university general requirement unit (UGRU)
(grade_ug). Some students pass the
English challenge exam and skip the
EnglishcourseatUGRU;therefore,we
included a dummy variable to indicate
whetherthestudentpassedtheEnglish
challengeexam(challenge).
The education system in the UAE
requires high school students to concentrate on either math and science or
literature. Therefore, for the students’
educational background, which may
affect their performance, we included
a dummy variable for student major in
high school (science). From our personal observation in the classroom, we
noticedthatstudentswhoattendedprivate schools were better prepared for
college education compared to those
whoattendedpublicschools;therefore,
weincludedadummyvariableforthis
type of education (private). We also
included the number of credit hours
achievedatthetimeofthequestionnaire
(credits).
Datafordailystudyhourswereunreliable. Therefore, for students’ studyinghabitsandattitudes,weincludedin
our list of explanatory variables study
hours during the weekend (weekend).
We also included dummy variables for
classparticipation(participation),class
attendance(miss),andstudent’sattitude
towardtheuniversity(attitude).
For the students’ socioeconomic
background, most students could not
providefiguresoftheirfamilyincome.
Therefore, we used family size compared to the house size (crowded), and
thenumberofdomestichelpers(maids)
inthehouseholdrelativetofamilysize
as a proxy for the student economic
background.Forsocialbackground,we
includedthetimespenttoperformsome
familyrelatedresponsibility,whichmay
betimeconsumingespeciallyforsome
male students (responsibility). We also
included a dummy variable for moviegoing,whichindicateswhetherthestudentcamefromaliberalorconservative
familybackground(movies).
Thevastmajorityofcollegestudents
in the region do not work while in
school. A small group of them hold a
full-timejob.Fromourownexperience
May/June2007
283
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andpersonaldiscussionswithothercolleagues,wenoticedthatthosewhohold
a job are more mature, more responsible, and take their studies more seriously;therefore,weincludedadummy
variabletoindicatewhetherthestudent
has a job (job). Some of the working
studentsaresponsoredbytheiremployers and took full-time leave from their
jobs to attend school (leave). In additiontotheabovevariables,weincluded
a dummy variable for female students
(female) and another dummy variable
for nonnational students (nn) as determinantsofstudentperformance.
andweremorelikelytopasstheEnglish
challengeexamatUGRU(nat=7%,nn
= 26%).Also, nonnational students had
a higher proportion of high school sciencebackground(nat=56%,nn=76%);
attendedprivateschoolsmorefrequently
(nat = 6%, nn = 30%); had more educatedfathers(nat=1.15,nn=3.2)and
moreeducatedmothers(nat=0.74,nn=
2.45);participatedmoreinclassdiscussion (nat = 53%, nn = 62%), and were
more likely to have a positive attitude
toward the university (nat = 40%, nn
=53%).However,comparedwithnonnationals,nationalstudentsmissedfewer
classes(nat=1.74,nn=2.05).
Gender wise, female students had
higher GPAs (women = 2.61, men =
2.53);higherscoresinhighschoolEnglish (grade_hs; women = 82.8, men =
78)andinUGRU(grade_ug;women=
79.3,men=78.4),butwerelesslikelyto
passthechallengeEnglishtestatUGRU
(women = 8%, men = 18%). Female
students also were less likely to have
high school degrees with science background (women = 59%, men = 64%)
or to attend private schools (women =
7%, men = 17%). They studied more
RESULTS
Sample
Descriptive statistics of our sample
showedthatcomparedwithnationalstudents (nat), nonnational students (nn)
hadhighergradepointaverage(GPA;nat
=2.47,nn=2.95);weremorecompetent
inEnglish,whichwasreflectedinhigher
averageforhighschoolEnglish(grade_
hs;nat=79,nn=88),andforEnglishat
UGRU(grade_ug;nat=77.7,nn=83.8);
during the weekend (women = 2.57 hr,
men = 1.86 hr), missed fewer classes
percourse(women=1.78,men=1.83),
and were less likely to have a positive
attitudetowardtheuniversity(women=
38%,men=50%).Theyspentlesstime
on their social responsibilities (women
= 6.5 hr, men = 9 hr), were less likely
to go to movies with friends (women =
13%,men=62%)ortoshoppingmalls
(women=17%,men=56%),andwere
lesslikelytohaveajob(women=3%,
men=21%)ortoholdadrivinglicense
(women=10.5%,men=79.3%).Also,
women were more likely than men to
liveinthedorm(women=47%,men=
38%)andtobemarried(women=10%,
men=7%).
RegressionResults
Werantheregressionforallthestudentsinthesampleandforthedifferent
subgroups:(a)nationals,(b)nonnationals, (c) men, and (d) women. Because
noneoftheclassicalassumptionswere
expected to be violated, ordinary least
squares(OLS)wereused.
Table1representstheregressionresults
TABLE1.RegressionResultsofStudentPerformancebyNationalityandGender(DependentVariableIsStudent
GPA)
Student
All
Variableregression
Grade_ug
Challenge
Science
Private
Credits
Weekends
Participation
Miss
Attitude
Crowded
Leave
Female
nn
AdjustedR2
Numberofobservations
(includedinregression)
J-Bnormalitytest(pvalue)
National
Nonnational
Male
M
SD
M
SD
M
SD
M
0.03*
2.64*
0.06
0.03
−0.003*
0.00004
0.11**
−0.06*
0.12*
−0.05**
0.25*
0.14*
0.22*
0.003
0.27
0.06
0.08
0.001
0.02
0.05
0.02
0.05
0.03
0.11
0.07
0.07
0.02*
2.52*
0.006
0.19**
−0.003*
−0.01
0.08
−0.04**
0.06
−0.06**
0.19**
0.04
—
0.004
0.29
0.06
0.11
0.001
0.02
0.06
0.02
0.06
0.03
0.10
0.07
—
0.04*
3.88*
0.41*
−0.08
−0.002
0.06*
−0.01
−0.06
0.14
−0.05
—
0.24*
—
0.01
0.49
0.10
0.10
0.002
0.02
0.09
0.03
0.09
0.06
—
0.08
—
0.02*
2.32*
0.02
0.14
−0.003*
0.01
0.04
−0.10*
0.09
−0.05
0.20*
—
0.14**
SD
M
SD
0.003
0.03*
0.005
0.28
3.30*
0.47
0.06
0.08
0.09
0.09
−0.01
0.13
0.001−0.003* 0.001
0.02 −0.01
0.02
0.06
0.16** 0.08
0.02
0.01
0.03
0.06
0.09
0.08
0.03
−0.001 0.08
0.10
—
—
—
—
—
0.07
0.39*
0.12
0.40
0.28
0.56
0.38
0.43
296
0.12
215
0.02
119
0.17
223
0.10
137
0.67
Note.GPA=gradepointaverage.nn=nonnational.DefinitionofeachvariableisprovidedinAppendixB.
*
Significantat5%level.**Significantat10%level.
284
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JournalofEducationforBusiness
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ofourmodel.Weincludeonlythoseestimateswithsignificanteffectonstudent’s
performance in at least one subgroup. It
canbeseenfromthetablethatthemost
importantfactorthatpositivelyaffecteda
student’s performance regardless of genderornationalitywasthestudent’scompetence in English measured as passing
theUGRUchallengetestorthestudents’
grade in English at UGRU. The other
backgroundschoolingfactorssuchasscience background, private school education,andstudyhoursduringtheweekend
didnothaveapersistentandclearsignificanteffectonstudents’gradesinmostof
the subgroups. Class participation also
had a positive and significant effect on
students’ grades, especially female students’ grades. This is an indication that
femalestudentswhoparticipatedinclass
discussion and were, therefore, not passive were likely to have better performance. Having positive attitudes toward
theuniversityalsohadpositiveeffecton
thestudents’overallperformance.
However,thefactorwiththemostnegativeeffectonstudentperformancewas
student’saccumulatedcredits.Thiseffect
was significant for the overall sample
and subgroups except for the nonnationalstudents(i.e.,asthestudentsprogressedintheirstudiesattheCBE,their
GPA declined). Even if the estimated
effectofcredithourswassmall,itstotal
effect could be significantly large when
astudentaccumulatedalargenumberof
credithours.Thereweresomeothervariables that had a negative effect on students’ performance such as missing too
manyclasses,whichhadanoverallnegative and significant effect for the whole
sample,nationalstudents,andmalestudents. Living in a crowded household,
which was proxy for the student’s economic background, also had negative
andsignificanteffectontheperformance
ofthewholesampleandthatofnational
students. As for the social background,
the only significant variable that turned
outtohaveasignificanteffectwasbeing
onleave,whichhadapositiveeffecton
student’sperformanceasexpected.
The results also showed that female
students outperformed male students,
especially among the nonnational subgroup, and both male and female nonnational students outperformed their
nationalcounterparts(seeTable2).
TABLE2.DescriptiveStatisticsoftheStudySampleComparingNational,
Nonnational,Female,andMaleStudents
Factor
Studentswithprivateschool
education(%)
Studentswithsciencemajorin
HS(%)
Passedchallengeexam(%)
Employedstudents(%)
Studentslivingoncampus(%)
PositiveattitudetowardUAEU
(%)
Participationinclassdiscussion
(%)
Marriedstudents(%)
Studentswithdrivinglicense
(%)
Studentsgotomovieswith
friends(%)
Studentsgotomallswith
friends(%)
Gradepointaverage(GPA)
Hourspentonstudiesduring
weekend
Hourspentonfamily
responsibilities
GradeinEnglishinHS
GradeinEnglishinUGRU
Father’seducationa
Mother’seducationa
Numberofmissedlecturesor
course
National
(n=673)
Nonnational
(n=673)
Women
(n=673)
Men
(n=673)
6
30
7
17
56
7
11
41
76
26
7
53
59
8
3
47
64
18
21
38
40
53
38
50
53
11
62
3
51
10
61
7
33.7
42.6
10.5
79.3
23
59
13
62
23
2.47
62
2.95
17
2.61
56
2.53
2.26
2.35
2.57
1.86
7.91
79
77.7
1.15
0.74
5.75
88
83.8
3.21
2.45
6.54
82.8
79.3
1.3
0.94
8.99
78
78.4
2.12
1.42
1.74
2.05
1.78
1.83
Note.HS=highschool.UAEU=UnitedArabEmiratesUniversity.UGRU=universitygeneral
requirementunit.
a
Thenumbersthatcorrespondtomother’sandfather’seducationrangefrom0to5(0=noformal
education;1=lessthanhighschooldiploma;2=highschooldiploma;3=juniorcollege;4=
collegedegree;5=morethancollegedegree).
DISCUSSION
Inthisstudy,weexaminedfactorsthat
affect student performance at the CollegeofBusinessandEconomics-UAEU.
However,wealsofoundthatfactorsspecifictoUAEsociety,namelytheseparate
campuslivingandlearningenvironments
for female students, and large family
sizesplayaroleinstudentperformance.
We found that students’ performance is
positively related to positive attitudes
andclassparticipationalthoughitisnegativelyrelatedtoaccumulatedcredits.
Thefindingshaveconsiderablepolicy
implications for the CBE and UAEU
management. With the aim of improvingcollegeperformance,wesuggestthat
effortsmustbemadetoimprovecampus
lifeandmakeitmoreattractivetostudents
sothattheyspendmoretimeoncampus
anddedicatemoretimetotheirstudies.
There is also need to improve students’
advising and counseling. Most important,thefindingsofthisstudy,combined
with the unsatisfactory performance of
moststudents,callforsignificantchange
intheuniversityadmissionstandardsand
the implementation of new policies and
programstomakesurethatstudentsare
well prepared especially with regard to
theircompetenceinEnglish.
Thisstudyhasscopetobewidenedtoa
considerationoftheentireUAEUstudent
populacetodeterminetheuniversalprevalenceofitsfindings.Thereareimplications
for the university’s financial and human
resourcesasitsmanagementiscommitted
to ensure that the UAEU is the premier
tertiaryinstitutionintheGulfregion.
May/June2007
285
NOTE
Nasri Harb's main areas of research are
applied macroeconomics and international economics, especially heterogeneous panel data. He
alsoworksinthebusinesscyclemodelsandeconomicsofeducation.
Ahmed El-Shaarawi's main areas of interestareeconometricsandinternationaleconomics
with an emphasis on trade restrictions, Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI), andWorldTrade Organization(WTO)issues.Healsohasresearchinterests in economics of education and economics
education.
Correspondence concerning this article should
be addressed to Dr. Nasri Harb, UAE UniversityEconomics, PO Box 17555, Al-Ain, United Arab
Emirates.
E–mail:[email protected]
Downloaded by [Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji] at 23:27 11 January 2016
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AL. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service
No.ED406424)
APPENDIXA
Questionnaire:FactorsAffectingUnitedArabEmiratesUniversity
Students’Performance
Dearstudent,pleasehelpusintheprojectbyreadingthisquestionnairethoroughlyand
answeringitsquestionscarefully.Theinformationyouwillprovideisconfidentialand
willbeusedforscientificresearchonly.Thankyouinadvanceforyourcooperation.
1. Age:__________
2. Gender:
❐male
❐female
3.
Maritalstatus:
❐single
❐married
❐divorced
❐widowed
4. Ifnotsingle,howmanychildrendoyouhave?_____
5. Nationality:
❐UAE
❐nonUAE➔➔country:__________
6. HowmanyyearshaveyoubeeninUAEuniversity?_____
7. Gradepointaverage(GPA):________
8. Onaverage,howmanyhoursdoyoustudyeverydayduringweekdays?
_________hours
9. Onaverage,howmanyhoursdoyoustudyeverydayduringtheweekend?
_________hours
10. Completedcredithours:__________
11. Major:
❐accounting
❐economics
❐management
(appendixcontinues)
286
JournalofEducationforBusiness
APPENDIXA—Continued
❐managementinformationsystems(MIS)
❐marketing
❐finance
❐statistics
❐notdecided
12. Elementaryschool(Grade1–6):
Country:__________❐public❐private
13. Middleschool(Grade7–9):
Country:__________❐public❐private
14. Highschool(Grade10–12):
Country:__________❐public❐private
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15. Highschooldiploma:
❐science❐literature❐vocational
Note:Ifyouarenotsureandyoutookmorescienceandmathcourses,choosescience;
otherwise,chooseliterature.
16. Whatwasyourgrade(orinpercentage)inEnglishinyourhighschooldiploma?
_________
17. DidyoustudyEnglishatUniversityGeneralRequirementUnit(UGRU)?
❐yes
❐no
18. IfyoustudiedEnglishatUGRU,whatwasyourgrade(orinpercentage)inyour
lastEnglishcourse?_________
19. HaveyousuccessfullypassedtheEnglishchallengeexamatUGRU?
❐yes
❐no
20. Doyouhaveajobnow?
❐no
❐yes
21.Ifyouhaveajobnow,thendoyouworkin
❐governmentsector
❐privatesector
22.Ifyouhaveajobnow,thendoyouwork
❐fulltime(morethan30hrsperweek)
❐parttime
❐onleave
23. Yearsofexperienceifyouareworkingnoworhaveeverworkedbefore?
_____(years)&_____months
24. DoyouresideinAl-Ain?
❐yes➔➔withyourfamily:
❐yes
❐no➔➔ ❐oncampus
❐offcampus
❐no➔➔withyourfamily:
❐yes
❐no
25. IfyourfamilydoesnotresideinAl-Ain,thenwhere:
❐inUAE➔➔emirate_____________city______________
❐othercountry,specify_____________
(appendixcontinues)
May/June2007
287
APPENDIXA—Continued
26. Numberofdomesticworkersathome(housekeeper,cook,driver,etc.)
__________
27. Numberofroomsinyourhouse(excludingdomesticworkers’rooms,kitchens,
halls,etc.)__________
28. Numberofpersonswholiveinyourfamilyhouse(excludingdomesticworkers)
__________
29. Totalmonthlyfamilyincome_______________
30. Didanyofyourparentspassaway?
❐mother
❐father
❐none
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31. Ifbothofyourparentsarealive,dotheylivetogether?
❐no
❐yes
32. Doesyourfatherhavemorethanonewife?
❐no
❐yes
33. Ifyouansweredyestoquestion(32),doesyourmotherlivewithoneofthese
wivesinthesamehouse?
❐no
❐yes
34. Yourfather’seducation:
❐noformaleducation(0)
❐lessthanhighschooldiploma(1)
❐highschooldiploma(2)
❐juniorcollege(2yearsabovehighschool)(3)
❐collegedegree(4)
❐morethancollegedegree(5)
Yourfather’scurrentorformerjob:______________________
35. Yourmother’seducation:
❐noformaleducation(0)
❐lessthanhighschooldiploma(1)
❐highschooldiploma(2)
❐juniorcollege(2yearsabovehighschool)(3)
❐collegedegree(4)
❐morethancollegedegree(5)
Yourmother’scurrentorformerjob:_____________________
36. Ingeneral,doyouhavefavorablefeelingtowardstheUAEuniversity?
❐yes
❐no
❐undecided
37. FromyouroverallexperienceatUAEU,howdoyoudescribeitsprofessors?
❐verypoor(0)
❐poor(1)
❐good(2)
❐verygood(3)
❐excellent(4)
38. Doyoutendtoaskquestionsduringlectures?
❐yes
❐no
39. Onaverage,howmanylecturesdoyoumissineachcourseyouenrollin?_____
(appendixcontinues)
288
JournalofEducationforBusiness
APPENDIXA—Continued
40. Doesyourfamilyencourageyoutostudyhard?
❐yes
❐no
41. Approximately,howmanyhoursdoyouspendeveryweektofulfillyourfamily
responsibilities?____hours
42. Doyourfriendsencourageyoutostudyhard?
❐yes
❐no
43. Doyouplantoworkaftergraduation?
❐yes
❐no
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44. Approximately,howmanynonacademicbooksdoesyourfamilyhave?________
45. Onaverage,howlongdoyouspendwatchingtelevisoneveryday?
________hours&_______minutes
46. Onaverage,howlongdoyouspendtalkingwithyourfriendsonthephone(or
cellphone)everyday?
_______hours&_______minutes
47. Onaverage,howlongdoyouspendchattingonlineeveryday?
___________hours&_______minutes
48. Onaverage,howmanyhoursdoyouspenddoingphysicalexercisesorsport
acitivitieseveryweek?
___________hours&_______minutes
49. Doyougotomovietheatres?
❐no
❐yes
❐withfriends
❐withfamilymembers
50. Doyougotothemall(s)regularly?
❐no
❐yes
❐withfriends
❐withfamilymembers
51. Doyouhaveadrivinglicence?
❐yes
❐no
Thankyouforyourcooperation
May/June2007
289
APPENDIXB
ListofVariablesUsedintheStudySurveyonFactorsAffectingBusinessStudents’Performance
Downloaded by [Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji] at 23:27 11 January 2016
Variable
UGRU
attitude
campus
challenge
credits
crowded
driving
educ_f
educ_m
families
female
GPA
grade_hs
grade_ug
job
leave
maids
married
miss
movies
nn
participate
private
responsibility
science
shopping
weekday
weekend
290
Definition
TheUniversityGeneralRequirementUnitwherethestudentspreparetheirfreshmancourses.
1,ifthestudenthaspositivefeelingstowardUnitedArabEmiratesUniversity;0,otherwise.
1,ifthestudentlivesoncampus;0,otherwise.
1,ifthestudenthassuccessfullypassedtheEnglishchallengeexamatUGRU;0,otherwise.
Totalnumberofcredithoursthatthestudentshadaccumulatedwhentheyfilledthequestionnaire.
Theratioofthenumberofpeoplewholiveinthestudents’householddividedbynumberofroomsinthehouse.Inour
sample,itsvaluesvaryintherange0.14–12.57.
1,ifthestudentholdsadrivinglicense;0,otherwise.
Theeducationlevelofthefather,EDUF=0,ifhehasnoformaleducation,=1ifhehaslessthanhighschooldiploma,
=2ifhehashighschooldiploma,=3ifhehasjuniorcollege,=4ifhehascollegedegree,and=5ifhehasmorethan
collegedegree.
Theeducationlevelofthemother,EDUM=0ifshehasnoformaleducation,=1ifshehaslessthanhighschooldiplo
ma,=2ifshehashighschooldiploma,=3ifshehasjuniorcollege,=4ifshehascollegedegree,and=5ifshehas
more
thancollegedegree.
1,ifthestudentliveswithhisfamily;0,otherwise.
1,forafemalestudent;0,otherwise.
Thegradepointaverage.Inoursampleitsvalueisintheinterval1.21–4.0.
Thestudent’sgradeinEnglishlanguageathighschool.Inoursample,itsvaluevariesintherange50–99.
Thestudent’sgradeinEnglishatUGRU.Inoursample,itsvaluevariesintherange62–95.
1,ifthestudentholdsajob;0,otherwise.
1,ifastudenthasapermanentjob,butisonpaidleavetopursuehisdegree;0,ifheworkswithnoleave.
Thenumberofmaidsinthestudent’shousedividendbythesizeofthehousehold.
1,ifthestudentismarried;0,otherwise.
Numberofmissedlecturespercourse.Inoursample,itsvaluevariesintherange0–6.5
1,ifastudentgoestomovieswithfriends;0,otherwise.
1,ifastudentisnonnational;0,otherwise.
1,ifthestudentparticipatesinclassdiscussions;0,otherwise.
1,ifthestudenthadeverattendedaprivateschool;0,otherwise.
Thenumberofhoursastudentspendseveryweekonfamilyresponsibilities.Inoursample,itsvaluevariesintherange
0–50.
1,ifthestudentholdsascientificdiplomainhighschool;0,otherwise.
1,ifastudentgoestoshoppingmallswithfriends;0,otherwise.
Theaveragenumberofhoursthatthestudentsputonhomeworkeveryweekday.Inoursample,itsvaluevariesinthe
range0–15.
Theaveragenumberofhoursthatthestudentsputonhomeworkinaweekendday.Inoursample,itsvaluevariesinthe
range0–12.
JournalofEducationforBusiness
ISSN: 0883-2323 (Print) 1940-3356 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vjeb20
Factors Affecting Business Students' Performance:
The Case of Students in United Arab Emirates
Nasri Harb & Ahmed El-shaarawi
To cite this article: Nasri Harb & Ahmed El-shaarawi (2007) Factors Affecting Business
Students' Performance: The Case of Students in United Arab Emirates, Journal of Education for
Business, 82:5, 282-290, DOI: 10.3200/JOEB.82.5.282-290
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/JOEB.82.5.282-290
Published online: 07 Aug 2010.
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Download by: [Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji]
Date: 11 January 2016, At: 23:27
Downloaded by [Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji] at 23:27 11 January 2016
FactorsAffectingBusinessStudents’
Performance:TheCaseofStudentsin
UnitedArabEmirates
NASRIHARB
AHMEDEL-SHAARAWI
UNITEDARABEMIRATESUNIVERSITY
AL-AIN,UNITEDARABEMIRATES
ABSTRACT.Inthisstudy,theauthors
foundthatthemostimportantfactorthat
ABSTRACT.
affectedstudentperformancewastheir
competenceinspeakingEnglish.The
samplewasagroupof864businessand
economicsstudentsinUnitedArabEmirates.Theauthorsusedregressionanalysis
forthestudy.Theresultsofthestudy
showedthatstudentswhoparticipatedin
classdiscussionsandwhowereonleave
fromtheirjobsoutperformedotherstudents.Missingmanylecturesandlivingin
acrowdedhouseholdnegativelyaffected
studentperformance.Theresultsofthe
studyalsoshowedthatnonnationalstudents
outperformednationalstudents,andfemale
studentsoutperformedtheirmalecounterparts.
Keywords:classdiscussion,competencein
English,studentperformance
Copyright©2007HeldrefPublications
282
JournalofEducationforBusiness
I
n this study, we sought to identify
factorsaffectingstudentperformance
in the College of Business and Economics(CBE)atUnitedArabEmirates
University(UAEU)intheUnitedArab
Emirates(UAE).Weexaminedwhether
student performance was more a result
of factors endemic to the culture and
societyoftheUAEthanfactorsuniversallyacceptedintheWest.
The UAE is composed of seven
Emirates: Abu-Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah,
Ajman,UmmAlQuwain,Fujairah,and
RasAl Khaimah. The UAEU is located inAl-Ain city inAbu Dhabi Emirate, and the CBE offers seven majors:
accounting, economics, finance, management,managementinformationsystems, marketing, and statistics. In February 2004, student population at the
CBE was 2,207.The majority (63.2%)
ofthestudentswerewomen.
WithintheUAEU,thehigherfemale
presence in the student population is
mainly because many UAE male high
schoolgraduatesprefertojointhepublicservice,especiallythearmyandthe
police, instead of attending college.
In addition, some of those male high
school graduates who do go to collegeprefertoattendEuropeanorNorth
Americancollegesanduniversities.
Because of the tradition and culture,
there are two separate UAEU campuses—one for female students and
one for male students. About 80% of
the students are nationals whereas the
remaining20%arenonnationals.Many
of these nonnational students areArab
studentswholivewiththeirfamiliesas
residentsintheUAE.Inaddition,there
are also non-Arab students who come
fromAfrica,therepublicsoftheformer
SovietUnion,andotherplaces.
Besidetheconventionalfactors(e.g.,
mathematical aptitude, parents’ education,familyincome)thataffectstudent
performance,weinvestigatedtheeffect
ofgendertodetermineanyperformance
differences that may result from the
UAEU maintaining separate campuses
for male and female students. We also
investigated whether living on campus
affectsstudentperformance.Thisfactor
interactswithgenderbecausethereare
morerestrictiverulesinthefemalecampusthaninthemalecampusespecially
with regard to movement of female
students outside of the campus (e.g.,
although male students have the freedomtogoinandoutoftheirdormitory
and bring in their friends, female studentsarenotallowedtoleavethecampusunlessaccompaniedbyacloserelativeandtheyarenotallowedtoreceive
visitsfromoutsidethecampus).
Weexploredotherfactorsthatreflect
theculturaldifferences(e.g.,thefamily
size,language)insocietiesbetweenthe
West and the Middle East. Family size
intheUAE,forexample,differssignificantly among different ethnic and economicsubgroups.Likewise,languages
differwithinUAEcommunities.Arabic
istheofficiallanguageoftheUAE,but
the language of instruction at the CBE
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is English. We have included students’
competence in English in our list of
variables to test its effect on student
performance.
Educators, academics, and policy
makers have debated the factors that
determine student performance. Many
researchers in the United States and
Europehaveexaminedthisissue.Their
findings have shown that hard work,
discipline, education, parents’ education, family income, and self-motivationarefactorsthatexplaindifferences
in students’ grades. Kennedy and Tay
(1994) identified students’ aptitude as
the most important determinant of studentperformanceineconomicscourses.
They also identified study efforts, age,
andagoodmatchbetweenthestudents’
learningstyleandtheinstructor’steaching style as factors that had positive
effectsonstudents’performance.
Zimmer and Fuller (1996) indicated that anxiety, attitude, and computer
experience were linked to student performance in statistics courses. Some
researchers have found students’ aptitudetohavepositiveeffectsonstudent
performance(cf.Anderson&Benjamin,
1994; Devadoss & Foltz, 1996; Ellis,
Durden, & Gaynor, 1998; Karemera,
2003; Siegfried & Fels, 1979). Others
have found that students’ attitudes or
perceptions have a positive effect on
their performance (e.g., Beron, 1990;
Lane&Porch,2002).
As for gender, Williams, Waldauer,
Duggal, and Vijaya (1992) found no
evidencetosupportthehypothesisthat
significantandconsistentgenderdifferences exist in college students’ performancewhereasAndersonandBenjamin
(1994) showed that male students outperformtheirfemalecounterparts.Some
researchers found the number of credit
hours students enroll in each semester
to have negative effect on student performance(e.g.,Ellisetal.,1998).
Some studies show evidence that
class attendance has a positive effect
on student performance (e.g., Devadoss & Foltz, 1996; Ellis et al., 1998;
Romer,1993).Memoryandnotetaking
also appear to positively affect student
performance (Cohn, Cohn, & Bradley,
1995).Withregardtostudents’financial
status, Devadoss and Foltz found that
studentswhosupportthemselvesfinan
cially are likely to have better performance. Ellis et al. found that membership in fraternity or sorority negatively
affectedstudents’performance.
The literature review presented here
centers on studies conducted in the
West. The fact that there are cultural
differences between Western societies
and traditional Middle Eastern ones,
and that the organization of the learning environment is different within the
UAE may play a role in determining
student performance.We examined the
significance of the variables and their
implicationsonpolicymatters.
This study is important for two reasons: (a) We focused on factors that
affectstudentperformanceintheUAEU,
and(b)itshouldhelppolicymakersin
theUAEingeneralandintheUAEUin
particulartodesignandimplementpoliciestoimprovestudentperformanceon
theonehandandimprovetheefficiency
of education and the effectiveness of
educationdeliveryontheotherhand.
Wewillalsopresentthe(a)methodologyusedinconductingthisresearch,(b)
regressionresults,and(c)ourdiscussion.
METHOD
Wecollecteddatausedintheanalysis
fromarepresentativesampleofstudents
usingaquestionnairethatincludedthree
setsofquestions(seeAppendixA).The
first set addressed the individual student’s background information such as
highschoolmajor(i.e.,scienceandmath
orliterature),workexperience,andstudy
hours. The second set covered the students’perceptionsoftheuniversityenvironment such as the attitude toward the
university and the professors. The third
set of questions addressed the socioeconomiccharacteristicsofthestudents,
suchasparents’education,andhowliberalorconservativethefamilyis.
To conduct our econometric evaluation of those factors (seeAppendix B)
thatmayaffectstudentperformance,we
estimatedthefollowingmodel:
GPAi = β0 + β1grade_ugi (1 − Challengei)
+ β2challengei + β3sciencei + β4privatei
+β5creditsi+β6weekendi+β7participationi
+ β8missi + β9attitudei + β10crowdedi
+β11maidsi+β12responsibilityi+β13(moviesi
×genderi)+β14jobi*(1−leavei)+β15leavei
+β16femalei+β17nni+εi.
For the factors that represent students’ aptitude, we included the student’s grade in English on the university general requirement unit (UGRU)
(grade_ug). Some students pass the
English challenge exam and skip the
EnglishcourseatUGRU;therefore,we
included a dummy variable to indicate
whetherthestudentpassedtheEnglish
challengeexam(challenge).
The education system in the UAE
requires high school students to concentrate on either math and science or
literature. Therefore, for the students’
educational background, which may
affect their performance, we included
a dummy variable for student major in
high school (science). From our personal observation in the classroom, we
noticedthatstudentswhoattendedprivate schools were better prepared for
college education compared to those
whoattendedpublicschools;therefore,
weincludedadummyvariableforthis
type of education (private). We also
included the number of credit hours
achievedatthetimeofthequestionnaire
(credits).
Datafordailystudyhourswereunreliable. Therefore, for students’ studyinghabitsandattitudes,weincludedin
our list of explanatory variables study
hours during the weekend (weekend).
We also included dummy variables for
classparticipation(participation),class
attendance(miss),andstudent’sattitude
towardtheuniversity(attitude).
For the students’ socioeconomic
background, most students could not
providefiguresoftheirfamilyincome.
Therefore, we used family size compared to the house size (crowded), and
thenumberofdomestichelpers(maids)
inthehouseholdrelativetofamilysize
as a proxy for the student economic
background.Forsocialbackground,we
includedthetimespenttoperformsome
familyrelatedresponsibility,whichmay
betimeconsumingespeciallyforsome
male students (responsibility). We also
included a dummy variable for moviegoing,whichindicateswhetherthestudentcamefromaliberalorconservative
familybackground(movies).
Thevastmajorityofcollegestudents
in the region do not work while in
school. A small group of them hold a
full-timejob.Fromourownexperience
May/June2007
283
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andpersonaldiscussionswithothercolleagues,wenoticedthatthosewhohold
a job are more mature, more responsible, and take their studies more seriously;therefore,weincludedadummy
variabletoindicatewhetherthestudent
has a job (job). Some of the working
studentsaresponsoredbytheiremployers and took full-time leave from their
jobs to attend school (leave). In additiontotheabovevariables,weincluded
a dummy variable for female students
(female) and another dummy variable
for nonnational students (nn) as determinantsofstudentperformance.
andweremorelikelytopasstheEnglish
challengeexamatUGRU(nat=7%,nn
= 26%).Also, nonnational students had
a higher proportion of high school sciencebackground(nat=56%,nn=76%);
attendedprivateschoolsmorefrequently
(nat = 6%, nn = 30%); had more educatedfathers(nat=1.15,nn=3.2)and
moreeducatedmothers(nat=0.74,nn=
2.45);participatedmoreinclassdiscussion (nat = 53%, nn = 62%), and were
more likely to have a positive attitude
toward the university (nat = 40%, nn
=53%).However,comparedwithnonnationals,nationalstudentsmissedfewer
classes(nat=1.74,nn=2.05).
Gender wise, female students had
higher GPAs (women = 2.61, men =
2.53);higherscoresinhighschoolEnglish (grade_hs; women = 82.8, men =
78)andinUGRU(grade_ug;women=
79.3,men=78.4),butwerelesslikelyto
passthechallengeEnglishtestatUGRU
(women = 8%, men = 18%). Female
students also were less likely to have
high school degrees with science background (women = 59%, men = 64%)
or to attend private schools (women =
7%, men = 17%). They studied more
RESULTS
Sample
Descriptive statistics of our sample
showedthatcomparedwithnationalstudents (nat), nonnational students (nn)
hadhighergradepointaverage(GPA;nat
=2.47,nn=2.95);weremorecompetent
inEnglish,whichwasreflectedinhigher
averageforhighschoolEnglish(grade_
hs;nat=79,nn=88),andforEnglishat
UGRU(grade_ug;nat=77.7,nn=83.8);
during the weekend (women = 2.57 hr,
men = 1.86 hr), missed fewer classes
percourse(women=1.78,men=1.83),
and were less likely to have a positive
attitudetowardtheuniversity(women=
38%,men=50%).Theyspentlesstime
on their social responsibilities (women
= 6.5 hr, men = 9 hr), were less likely
to go to movies with friends (women =
13%,men=62%)ortoshoppingmalls
(women=17%,men=56%),andwere
lesslikelytohaveajob(women=3%,
men=21%)ortoholdadrivinglicense
(women=10.5%,men=79.3%).Also,
women were more likely than men to
liveinthedorm(women=47%,men=
38%)andtobemarried(women=10%,
men=7%).
RegressionResults
Werantheregressionforallthestudentsinthesampleandforthedifferent
subgroups:(a)nationals,(b)nonnationals, (c) men, and (d) women. Because
noneoftheclassicalassumptionswere
expected to be violated, ordinary least
squares(OLS)wereused.
Table1representstheregressionresults
TABLE1.RegressionResultsofStudentPerformancebyNationalityandGender(DependentVariableIsStudent
GPA)
Student
All
Variableregression
Grade_ug
Challenge
Science
Private
Credits
Weekends
Participation
Miss
Attitude
Crowded
Leave
Female
nn
AdjustedR2
Numberofobservations
(includedinregression)
J-Bnormalitytest(pvalue)
National
Nonnational
Male
M
SD
M
SD
M
SD
M
0.03*
2.64*
0.06
0.03
−0.003*
0.00004
0.11**
−0.06*
0.12*
−0.05**
0.25*
0.14*
0.22*
0.003
0.27
0.06
0.08
0.001
0.02
0.05
0.02
0.05
0.03
0.11
0.07
0.07
0.02*
2.52*
0.006
0.19**
−0.003*
−0.01
0.08
−0.04**
0.06
−0.06**
0.19**
0.04
—
0.004
0.29
0.06
0.11
0.001
0.02
0.06
0.02
0.06
0.03
0.10
0.07
—
0.04*
3.88*
0.41*
−0.08
−0.002
0.06*
−0.01
−0.06
0.14
−0.05
—
0.24*
—
0.01
0.49
0.10
0.10
0.002
0.02
0.09
0.03
0.09
0.06
—
0.08
—
0.02*
2.32*
0.02
0.14
−0.003*
0.01
0.04
−0.10*
0.09
−0.05
0.20*
—
0.14**
SD
M
SD
0.003
0.03*
0.005
0.28
3.30*
0.47
0.06
0.08
0.09
0.09
−0.01
0.13
0.001−0.003* 0.001
0.02 −0.01
0.02
0.06
0.16** 0.08
0.02
0.01
0.03
0.06
0.09
0.08
0.03
−0.001 0.08
0.10
—
—
—
—
—
0.07
0.39*
0.12
0.40
0.28
0.56
0.38
0.43
296
0.12
215
0.02
119
0.17
223
0.10
137
0.67
Note.GPA=gradepointaverage.nn=nonnational.DefinitionofeachvariableisprovidedinAppendixB.
*
Significantat5%level.**Significantat10%level.
284
Female
JournalofEducationforBusiness
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ofourmodel.Weincludeonlythoseestimateswithsignificanteffectonstudent’s
performance in at least one subgroup. It
canbeseenfromthetablethatthemost
importantfactorthatpositivelyaffecteda
student’s performance regardless of genderornationalitywasthestudent’scompetence in English measured as passing
theUGRUchallengetestorthestudents’
grade in English at UGRU. The other
backgroundschoolingfactorssuchasscience background, private school education,andstudyhoursduringtheweekend
didnothaveapersistentandclearsignificanteffectonstudents’gradesinmostof
the subgroups. Class participation also
had a positive and significant effect on
students’ grades, especially female students’ grades. This is an indication that
femalestudentswhoparticipatedinclass
discussion and were, therefore, not passive were likely to have better performance. Having positive attitudes toward
theuniversityalsohadpositiveeffecton
thestudents’overallperformance.
However,thefactorwiththemostnegativeeffectonstudentperformancewas
student’saccumulatedcredits.Thiseffect
was significant for the overall sample
and subgroups except for the nonnationalstudents(i.e.,asthestudentsprogressedintheirstudiesattheCBE,their
GPA declined). Even if the estimated
effectofcredithourswassmall,itstotal
effect could be significantly large when
astudentaccumulatedalargenumberof
credithours.Thereweresomeothervariables that had a negative effect on students’ performance such as missing too
manyclasses,whichhadanoverallnegative and significant effect for the whole
sample,nationalstudents,andmalestudents. Living in a crowded household,
which was proxy for the student’s economic background, also had negative
andsignificanteffectontheperformance
ofthewholesampleandthatofnational
students. As for the social background,
the only significant variable that turned
outtohaveasignificanteffectwasbeing
onleave,whichhadapositiveeffecton
student’sperformanceasexpected.
The results also showed that female
students outperformed male students,
especially among the nonnational subgroup, and both male and female nonnational students outperformed their
nationalcounterparts(seeTable2).
TABLE2.DescriptiveStatisticsoftheStudySampleComparingNational,
Nonnational,Female,andMaleStudents
Factor
Studentswithprivateschool
education(%)
Studentswithsciencemajorin
HS(%)
Passedchallengeexam(%)
Employedstudents(%)
Studentslivingoncampus(%)
PositiveattitudetowardUAEU
(%)
Participationinclassdiscussion
(%)
Marriedstudents(%)
Studentswithdrivinglicense
(%)
Studentsgotomovieswith
friends(%)
Studentsgotomallswith
friends(%)
Gradepointaverage(GPA)
Hourspentonstudiesduring
weekend
Hourspentonfamily
responsibilities
GradeinEnglishinHS
GradeinEnglishinUGRU
Father’seducationa
Mother’seducationa
Numberofmissedlecturesor
course
National
(n=673)
Nonnational
(n=673)
Women
(n=673)
Men
(n=673)
6
30
7
17
56
7
11
41
76
26
7
53
59
8
3
47
64
18
21
38
40
53
38
50
53
11
62
3
51
10
61
7
33.7
42.6
10.5
79.3
23
59
13
62
23
2.47
62
2.95
17
2.61
56
2.53
2.26
2.35
2.57
1.86
7.91
79
77.7
1.15
0.74
5.75
88
83.8
3.21
2.45
6.54
82.8
79.3
1.3
0.94
8.99
78
78.4
2.12
1.42
1.74
2.05
1.78
1.83
Note.HS=highschool.UAEU=UnitedArabEmiratesUniversity.UGRU=universitygeneral
requirementunit.
a
Thenumbersthatcorrespondtomother’sandfather’seducationrangefrom0to5(0=noformal
education;1=lessthanhighschooldiploma;2=highschooldiploma;3=juniorcollege;4=
collegedegree;5=morethancollegedegree).
DISCUSSION
Inthisstudy,weexaminedfactorsthat
affect student performance at the CollegeofBusinessandEconomics-UAEU.
However,wealsofoundthatfactorsspecifictoUAEsociety,namelytheseparate
campuslivingandlearningenvironments
for female students, and large family
sizesplayaroleinstudentperformance.
We found that students’ performance is
positively related to positive attitudes
andclassparticipationalthoughitisnegativelyrelatedtoaccumulatedcredits.
Thefindingshaveconsiderablepolicy
implications for the CBE and UAEU
management. With the aim of improvingcollegeperformance,wesuggestthat
effortsmustbemadetoimprovecampus
lifeandmakeitmoreattractivetostudents
sothattheyspendmoretimeoncampus
anddedicatemoretimetotheirstudies.
There is also need to improve students’
advising and counseling. Most important,thefindingsofthisstudy,combined
with the unsatisfactory performance of
moststudents,callforsignificantchange
intheuniversityadmissionstandardsand
the implementation of new policies and
programstomakesurethatstudentsare
well prepared especially with regard to
theircompetenceinEnglish.
Thisstudyhasscopetobewidenedtoa
considerationoftheentireUAEUstudent
populacetodeterminetheuniversalprevalenceofitsfindings.Thereareimplications
for the university’s financial and human
resourcesasitsmanagementiscommitted
to ensure that the UAEU is the premier
tertiaryinstitutionintheGulfregion.
May/June2007
285
NOTE
Nasri Harb's main areas of research are
applied macroeconomics and international economics, especially heterogeneous panel data. He
alsoworksinthebusinesscyclemodelsandeconomicsofeducation.
Ahmed El-Shaarawi's main areas of interestareeconometricsandinternationaleconomics
with an emphasis on trade restrictions, Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI), andWorldTrade Organization(WTO)issues.Healsohasresearchinterests in economics of education and economics
education.
Correspondence concerning this article should
be addressed to Dr. Nasri Harb, UAE UniversityEconomics, PO Box 17555, Al-Ain, United Arab
Emirates.
E–mail:[email protected]
Downloaded by [Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji] at 23:27 11 January 2016
REFERENCES
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Devadoss, S., & Foltz, J. (1996). Evaluation of
factorsinfluencingstudentsattendanceandperformance. American Journal of Agricultural
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Ellis, L., Durden, G., & Gaynor, P. (1998). Evidence on the factors that influence the probabilityofagoodperformanceintheprinciples
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fromhttp://www.westga.edu/~bquest/1998/perform.html
Karemera, D. (2003). The effects of academic
environment and background characteristics
on students’ satisfaction and performance:
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Siegfried, J., & Fels, R. (1979). Research on
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Williams, M. L., Waldauer, L., Duggal, C., &
Vijaya, G. (1992). Gender differences in
economic knowledge: An extension of the
analysis.JournalofEconomicEducation,23,
219–231.
Zimmer,J.,&Fuller,D.(1996,November).Factors affecting undergraduate performance in
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AL. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service
No.ED406424)
APPENDIXA
Questionnaire:FactorsAffectingUnitedArabEmiratesUniversity
Students’Performance
Dearstudent,pleasehelpusintheprojectbyreadingthisquestionnairethoroughlyand
answeringitsquestionscarefully.Theinformationyouwillprovideisconfidentialand
willbeusedforscientificresearchonly.Thankyouinadvanceforyourcooperation.
1. Age:__________
2. Gender:
❐male
❐female
3.
Maritalstatus:
❐single
❐married
❐divorced
❐widowed
4. Ifnotsingle,howmanychildrendoyouhave?_____
5. Nationality:
❐UAE
❐nonUAE➔➔country:__________
6. HowmanyyearshaveyoubeeninUAEuniversity?_____
7. Gradepointaverage(GPA):________
8. Onaverage,howmanyhoursdoyoustudyeverydayduringweekdays?
_________hours
9. Onaverage,howmanyhoursdoyoustudyeverydayduringtheweekend?
_________hours
10. Completedcredithours:__________
11. Major:
❐accounting
❐economics
❐management
(appendixcontinues)
286
JournalofEducationforBusiness
APPENDIXA—Continued
❐managementinformationsystems(MIS)
❐marketing
❐finance
❐statistics
❐notdecided
12. Elementaryschool(Grade1–6):
Country:__________❐public❐private
13. Middleschool(Grade7–9):
Country:__________❐public❐private
14. Highschool(Grade10–12):
Country:__________❐public❐private
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15. Highschooldiploma:
❐science❐literature❐vocational
Note:Ifyouarenotsureandyoutookmorescienceandmathcourses,choosescience;
otherwise,chooseliterature.
16. Whatwasyourgrade(orinpercentage)inEnglishinyourhighschooldiploma?
_________
17. DidyoustudyEnglishatUniversityGeneralRequirementUnit(UGRU)?
❐yes
❐no
18. IfyoustudiedEnglishatUGRU,whatwasyourgrade(orinpercentage)inyour
lastEnglishcourse?_________
19. HaveyousuccessfullypassedtheEnglishchallengeexamatUGRU?
❐yes
❐no
20. Doyouhaveajobnow?
❐no
❐yes
21.Ifyouhaveajobnow,thendoyouworkin
❐governmentsector
❐privatesector
22.Ifyouhaveajobnow,thendoyouwork
❐fulltime(morethan30hrsperweek)
❐parttime
❐onleave
23. Yearsofexperienceifyouareworkingnoworhaveeverworkedbefore?
_____(years)&_____months
24. DoyouresideinAl-Ain?
❐yes➔➔withyourfamily:
❐yes
❐no➔➔ ❐oncampus
❐offcampus
❐no➔➔withyourfamily:
❐yes
❐no
25. IfyourfamilydoesnotresideinAl-Ain,thenwhere:
❐inUAE➔➔emirate_____________city______________
❐othercountry,specify_____________
(appendixcontinues)
May/June2007
287
APPENDIXA—Continued
26. Numberofdomesticworkersathome(housekeeper,cook,driver,etc.)
__________
27. Numberofroomsinyourhouse(excludingdomesticworkers’rooms,kitchens,
halls,etc.)__________
28. Numberofpersonswholiveinyourfamilyhouse(excludingdomesticworkers)
__________
29. Totalmonthlyfamilyincome_______________
30. Didanyofyourparentspassaway?
❐mother
❐father
❐none
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31. Ifbothofyourparentsarealive,dotheylivetogether?
❐no
❐yes
32. Doesyourfatherhavemorethanonewife?
❐no
❐yes
33. Ifyouansweredyestoquestion(32),doesyourmotherlivewithoneofthese
wivesinthesamehouse?
❐no
❐yes
34. Yourfather’seducation:
❐noformaleducation(0)
❐lessthanhighschooldiploma(1)
❐highschooldiploma(2)
❐juniorcollege(2yearsabovehighschool)(3)
❐collegedegree(4)
❐morethancollegedegree(5)
Yourfather’scurrentorformerjob:______________________
35. Yourmother’seducation:
❐noformaleducation(0)
❐lessthanhighschooldiploma(1)
❐highschooldiploma(2)
❐juniorcollege(2yearsabovehighschool)(3)
❐collegedegree(4)
❐morethancollegedegree(5)
Yourmother’scurrentorformerjob:_____________________
36. Ingeneral,doyouhavefavorablefeelingtowardstheUAEuniversity?
❐yes
❐no
❐undecided
37. FromyouroverallexperienceatUAEU,howdoyoudescribeitsprofessors?
❐verypoor(0)
❐poor(1)
❐good(2)
❐verygood(3)
❐excellent(4)
38. Doyoutendtoaskquestionsduringlectures?
❐yes
❐no
39. Onaverage,howmanylecturesdoyoumissineachcourseyouenrollin?_____
(appendixcontinues)
288
JournalofEducationforBusiness
APPENDIXA—Continued
40. Doesyourfamilyencourageyoutostudyhard?
❐yes
❐no
41. Approximately,howmanyhoursdoyouspendeveryweektofulfillyourfamily
responsibilities?____hours
42. Doyourfriendsencourageyoutostudyhard?
❐yes
❐no
43. Doyouplantoworkaftergraduation?
❐yes
❐no
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44. Approximately,howmanynonacademicbooksdoesyourfamilyhave?________
45. Onaverage,howlongdoyouspendwatchingtelevisoneveryday?
________hours&_______minutes
46. Onaverage,howlongdoyouspendtalkingwithyourfriendsonthephone(or
cellphone)everyday?
_______hours&_______minutes
47. Onaverage,howlongdoyouspendchattingonlineeveryday?
___________hours&_______minutes
48. Onaverage,howmanyhoursdoyouspenddoingphysicalexercisesorsport
acitivitieseveryweek?
___________hours&_______minutes
49. Doyougotomovietheatres?
❐no
❐yes
❐withfriends
❐withfamilymembers
50. Doyougotothemall(s)regularly?
❐no
❐yes
❐withfriends
❐withfamilymembers
51. Doyouhaveadrivinglicence?
❐yes
❐no
Thankyouforyourcooperation
May/June2007
289
APPENDIXB
ListofVariablesUsedintheStudySurveyonFactorsAffectingBusinessStudents’Performance
Downloaded by [Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji] at 23:27 11 January 2016
Variable
UGRU
attitude
campus
challenge
credits
crowded
driving
educ_f
educ_m
families
female
GPA
grade_hs
grade_ug
job
leave
maids
married
miss
movies
nn
participate
private
responsibility
science
shopping
weekday
weekend
290
Definition
TheUniversityGeneralRequirementUnitwherethestudentspreparetheirfreshmancourses.
1,ifthestudenthaspositivefeelingstowardUnitedArabEmiratesUniversity;0,otherwise.
1,ifthestudentlivesoncampus;0,otherwise.
1,ifthestudenthassuccessfullypassedtheEnglishchallengeexamatUGRU;0,otherwise.
Totalnumberofcredithoursthatthestudentshadaccumulatedwhentheyfilledthequestionnaire.
Theratioofthenumberofpeoplewholiveinthestudents’householddividedbynumberofroomsinthehouse.Inour
sample,itsvaluesvaryintherange0.14–12.57.
1,ifthestudentholdsadrivinglicense;0,otherwise.
Theeducationlevelofthefather,EDUF=0,ifhehasnoformaleducation,=1ifhehaslessthanhighschooldiploma,
=2ifhehashighschooldiploma,=3ifhehasjuniorcollege,=4ifhehascollegedegree,and=5ifhehasmorethan
collegedegree.
Theeducationlevelofthemother,EDUM=0ifshehasnoformaleducation,=1ifshehaslessthanhighschooldiplo
ma,=2ifshehashighschooldiploma,=3ifshehasjuniorcollege,=4ifshehascollegedegree,and=5ifshehas
more
thancollegedegree.
1,ifthestudentliveswithhisfamily;0,otherwise.
1,forafemalestudent;0,otherwise.
Thegradepointaverage.Inoursampleitsvalueisintheinterval1.21–4.0.
Thestudent’sgradeinEnglishlanguageathighschool.Inoursample,itsvaluevariesintherange50–99.
Thestudent’sgradeinEnglishatUGRU.Inoursample,itsvaluevariesintherange62–95.
1,ifthestudentholdsajob;0,otherwise.
1,ifastudenthasapermanentjob,butisonpaidleavetopursuehisdegree;0,ifheworkswithnoleave.
Thenumberofmaidsinthestudent’shousedividendbythesizeofthehousehold.
1,ifthestudentismarried;0,otherwise.
Numberofmissedlecturespercourse.Inoursample,itsvaluevariesintherange0–6.5
1,ifastudentgoestomovieswithfriends;0,otherwise.
1,ifastudentisnonnational;0,otherwise.
1,ifthestudentparticipatesinclassdiscussions;0,otherwise.
1,ifthestudenthadeverattendedaprivateschool;0,otherwise.
Thenumberofhoursastudentspendseveryweekonfamilyresponsibilities.Inoursample,itsvaluevariesintherange
0–50.
1,ifthestudentholdsascientificdiplomainhighschool;0,otherwise.
1,ifastudentgoestoshoppingmallswithfriends;0,otherwise.
Theaveragenumberofhoursthatthestudentsputonhomeworkeveryweekday.Inoursample,itsvaluevariesinthe
range0–15.
Theaveragenumberofhoursthatthestudentsputonhomeworkinaweekendday.Inoursample,itsvaluevariesinthe
range0–12.
JournalofEducationforBusiness