Engineering Students' Perceptions of Academic Activities and Support Services: Factors that Influence Their Academic Performance.

The present study, through the use of focus groups, identified the academic activities and support services perceived by engineering students as having a positive impact on their academic performance. The results suggest three primary factors: (a) individual effort and involvement, (b) peer interaction, and (c) faculty contact. Differences in usage and perceptions of these activities and support services based on gender, ethnicity and GPA were assessed. Recommendations for university policies are suggested. Introduction Student attrition rates in institutions of higher education demand the attention of both academia and the public. Approximately 50% of students entering two-year colleges and 29% entering four-year institutions depart by the end of their first year (Berger & Braxton, 1998). While student attrition is a national and institutional phenomenon, research has found that engineering programs are particularly vulnerable, with attrition rates exceeding 60% (Besterfield-Sacre, Atman & Shuman, 1997). The gravity of this problem has led to the exploration of factors that correlate with student retention in engineering programs including persistence level, academic and social integration, attitude, and motivation (Felder, Forest, BakerWard, Dietz & Mohr, 1993; Moller-Wong & Eide, 1997). Poor academic performance has been shown to negatively impact student persistence level (Astin, 1993; Erickson & Strommer, 1991; Hrabowski & Pearson, 1993; Tinto, 1988). This appears most problematic for students who perform well in high school with minimal effort. Many engineering students experience few academic challenges in high school and are therefore often unprepared for the level of work expected in college engineering courses. As a result, some students experience frustration and dissatisfaction with their academic performance (Astin, 1993). Because receiving passing grades help predict student persistence level, initiatives which enhance academic performance are also likely to increase retention (Astin, 1975; Felder, Forest, Baker-Ward, Dietz & Mohr, 1994). In addition to programs initiated by institutions, individual student effort and involvement have also been shown to play critical roles in student performance and retention (Larose & Roy, 1995; Mouw & Khanna, 1995). Student involvement pertains to one's personal initiative and commitment to his/her academics. It involves going beyond the requirements of a course and engaging in non-required activities such as reading self-assigned material, attending tutorials, and seeking academically-related contact with peers and faculty (Adams, 1979; Astin, 1999; Pace, 1984; Willis, 1989, 1993). As Astin (1999) succinctly stated, student involvement is the amount of physical and psychological energy that a student devotes to his/her college experience. The participation of students in their own learning processes has been linked to higher learning outcomes, increased student motivation, and positive personal development (Adams, 1979; Astin 1999; Pace, 1984; Tinto, 1993; Willis, 1989, 1993). Considerable effort, therefore, has been made to identify the types of college activities in which students voluntarily participate, the extent to which these students participate, and the impact of this participation on their development and academic performance. As a result, universities have responded by providing students with a variety of academic support services (Moore, 2000; Prager, 1991). Accumulated research suggests that all types of students, regardless of their entry credentials, benefit from the use of academic support services (Abrams & Jernigan, 1984; Moore, 2000; Hrabowski & Maton, 1995; Hrabowski & Pearson, 1993). In fact, Keenan & Gabovitch (1995) found that students who enter college with weaker credentials and participate in support-orientated programs do as well as non-participants with strong credentials. …