Factors Affecting Study Habits

Fig 1 Conceptual framework of the factors affecting academic performance

Source: Adopted from Koontz and Weihrich (1988:12).

Fig. 1 Conceptual framework model

Fig 1 shows the linkage between different factors and academic performance. It

shows that academic performance as a dependent variable is related to the dependent

variables, which are admissions points, parents’ social economic status and student’s

former school. According to Fig.1, admission points which include direct entry points,

diploma points and mature age points are linked to academic performance. If the

- University

Facilities

- Management of

University

- Quality of

lecturers

Admission Points

- Direct entry

- Diploma entry

- Mature entry

- Parental education

- Family income

- Parental

occupation

- School location

- School ownership

- academic status

- financial standing

Social economic

status

Former School

Background

- Performance in

Tests

- Performance in

course work

- Performance in

examinations

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Extraneous Variable

Academic

Performance24

admission points are high, then the academic performance is likely to be high and if

admission points are low, then academic performance may be low. This argument is

supported by Geiser and Santelics (2007), Staffolani and Bratti (2002), and McDonald

et al (2001) whose studies showed that previous performance affects future

performance.

Parents’ social economic status, which was conceptualized as parents’ education,

parents’ income and parents’ occupation, is linked to academic performance. The

figure shows that academic performance is dependent on parents’ social economic

status. That is students from high social economic backgrounds will perform better

than their counter parts from low social economic backgrounds as discussed. This is

supported by Dills (2006) and Owens (1999). It is also in line with Hansen and

Mastekaasa...