| Abstract: | Ethiopia is among the world’s poorest nations in terms of Human Development Index (HDI), which is
0.244 compared to 0.380 for Sub-Saharan Africa (UNDP, 1998). Education, being one of the most
important components of HDI, is considered to be an important means of bringing about development of a
country. Quality of education is one of the most important indicators for the success of any educational
institution. Although students’ academic performance is not the only indicator, it is one parameter for the
quality of education. This study is, therefore, designed to identify the factors that affect the academic
performance of College students and thereby suggest possible solutions.
The study was conducted at St. Mary's and Addis Ababa Commercial Colleges by considering the 2004
prospective graduating classes of Accounting Department students as samples. Since there was a possibility
of getting students' CGPA from St. Mary's College, sample size was determined statistically and at 10%
error term, 108 students were found to be representatives. But, no-response was recieved from five
students. Only 103 of them were considered in the study. The size of sample taken from each stratum was
decided on the basis of proportional sampling technique. Simple random sampling technique was employed
and a structured interview prepared for the purpose was used to collect the data. From Addis Ababa
Commercial College, 100 students were randomly selected so as to conduct the questionnaire survey. But
due to low response rate, it was possible to get only 40 respondents. The data were analyzed through paired
T-test and levels regression model. The preliminary findings revealed that there is no statistically
significant difference in male and female students' academic performances at St. Mary's College. In
addition, factors like studying program, starting time of study, study style, financial problems, use of
reference materials, and the number of days of being absent from class are found to affect students'
academic performances. |
