Predictive factors associated with academic performance in college students

Studies on institutional, psychological, pedagogical, social, and demographic factors associated with academic performance, in particular those that emphasize variables that may be subject to interventions for institutional improvement, have become increasingly more important for universities (Tournon, 1984; Davis & Thomas, 1999, cited in Hernandez Marquez & Palomar, 2006). The purpose of this study is to identify and compare variables that might explain the academic performance of two generational cohort groups of freshmen students, enrolled in a business and social science department of a Mexican public university. The sample was composed of 364 students, representing 90% of the combined generational cohort groups, who presented the same standardized math and accounting tests. Descriptive and multiple linear regression analysis were performed. Based on the statistically significant results of the math test, the study found that the semester of entry (fall or winter) and class schedule (day or evening classes) (F = 46.3, p = .000), explain 23.4% of the variance in academic achievement. In regards to the accounting test, the semester of entry and class schedule (F = 31.4, p = .000) explain 26% of the variance. The study presents empirical evidence that can be useful for decision-making to improve educational processes in university settings. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.