FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: A CASE STUDY

ABSTRACT

This is a report on the factors that affect the academic performance of students at main campus. There has been a number of excludes of students at the main campus with a large number sent on part time. Others have not been performing up to the standard and expectations. However, efforts have been made such as emphasis on tutorial attendance and participation, clinics, installation of the internet facilities among others but the problem of poor performance still exist hence this study was initiated. It is premised on three objectives; firstly, to find out the main factors that affects the academic performance of students at UE main campus. Secondly, to find out which sex is highly vulnerable to the factors that affect academic performance of student at UE main campus and thirdly to find out what UE management has done to address the factors that affect the academic performance of students at UE main campus.
This study employed self-administered questionnaires students, in-depth interviews with three (3) UE management personnel and participant observation. It used a sample of 40 respondents composed of 20 males and 20 female students randomly selected.
The results of this study indicates the following as the main factors affecting students’ academic performance; over enrolment which affects 70% of students, inadequate campus accommodation affecting 82.5% of students, poor sanitation facilities affecting 70% of students, congestion in lecture theatres affecting 87.5% of students, lack of up-to-date books in the library affecting 77.5% of students, seductive dress code of female students affecting 72% of males students and self-catering which affects 92.6% of students.
In terms of sex highly affected by these factors, this study shows that, over enrolment affects more males (80%) than females (60%), inadequate campus accommodation

affects more female students (85%) than male students (80%), poor sanitation facilities affects both sexes (70%), congestion in lecture theatres affects more females (90%) than males (85%), lack of up-to-date books in the library affects more males (95%) than females , seductive dress code of female students affects males only (72%) and self-catering affects both sexes by 92.6%.
In terms of efforts made by UE management to address these, this study reveals the following; constructing more hostels by engaging private sectors to address the problem of accommodation, recent rehabilitation of the University to improve on sanitation, dividing larger classes into two or more streams to reduce on congestion in lecture theatres, provision of internet facilities and repository of books on the University website to address the problem of lack of up-to-date books in the library.
In view of that, the report recommends the following:

Policy: the University management must re-consider that, implementing the statutory University policy by enrolling more students than the available infrastructure can handle will not only result in producing graduates that are half-baked but also substandard in relation to the international standards. The researcher further recommends the formulation of administrative policies on the dress code of female students who wear sexually seducing garments that academically disturbs 79.1% of male students.

Practice: the theory of mental self-Government that this study adopted has been practically tested and approved. the learning and thinking styles of students at campus can either be reinforced leading to excellent academic performance or hindered leading to poor academic performance depending on the provision of a number of essential facilities such as good study materials, accommodation, conducive learning environment (lecture theatres) and good water and sanitation facilities.

Further research: future research on factors affecting students’ academic performance at UE main campus should employ longitudinal studies in order to find out if there are variations in the factors that affect students’ academic performance at UE main campus with passage of time.
It can therefore be concluded that, factors that affect the academic performance of students at UE main campus are mainly institutional-causal factors as opposed to personal (student) causal factors.