Monday 8 July 2013

Determinants of timely completion: the impact of Bachelor's degree programme characteristics and student motivation on study progress

an article by Cor J.M. Suhre, Ellen P.W.A. Jansen and M. Torenbeek (Centre for Learning and Teaching, University of Groningen, The Netherlands) published in Higher Education Research & Development Volume 32 Issue 3 (June 2013)

Abstract

Timely completion of university degree programmes is a topic of growing concern to higher education institutions and their students.

This paper reports on a study about the impact of degree programme characteristics and student motivation on study progress. The setting for the study is a Dutch law school. Data on degree programme characteristics, student ability, motivation, academic performance and academic pressure were collected from 168 first-year students six months after the start of their studies.

Analysis of the effects of degree programme characteristics and studentsrsquo; initial motivation on study progress shows that study progress mainly depends on ability, timely completion goals and transparency of assessments. The study also shows that transparency of assessment procedures considerably lowers fear of failure and academic pressure.


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