Predicting the academic achievement of students bridging to engineering: the role of academic background variables and diagnostic testing

Abstract

Although the number of engineering students is increasing, dropout rates remain high. This problem is also present in the Faculty of Engineering Technology (FET) at KU Leuven, Belgium, which resulted in the need for an in-depth analysis of the academic achievement of the bridging students there. This study examines the contribution of a range of predictors, both cognitive and non-cognitive. The examined predictors are: general characteristics, academic background variables and variables tested in a diagnostic test. A multiple linear regression model for the 2015–2016 chohort accounted for an explained variance of 36% of the students’ academic achievement. After combining three cohorts, we managed to explain 43% of the variance in students’ academic achievement. As expected, the academic background variables are the most important predictors. The diagnostic tests are less predictive but their role is important, since they encourage students to participate in associated interventions.

Keywords:

• Academic achievement
• engineering education
• bridging students
• academic background
• diagnostic tool

Notes

1. For a more elaborate description of the Flemish education system and the BR, see Van den Broeck et al. (2017).

2. Except for medicine, dentistry and some artistic study programmes.

3. For more information, see Section 3.2.1.

4. The asterisk will be explained below.

5. In Flanders, secondary education is divided into four possible tracks, namely, general secondary education (ASO), technical secondary education (TSO), art secondary education (KSO) and vocational secondary education (BSO). At FET, a large majority followed ASO and TSO. For more information, see Van den Broeck et al. (2017).

6. Under certain conditions, in a bachelor’s or bridging programme students can use tolerance credits (10% of the number of credits that students effectively have to take within a programme) for courses they failed. Students can only use tolerances if their study efficiency is 50% or higher and if the fail mark is 8/20 or 9/20. (Using a tolerance credit is a way of furthering study progression.).

7. When students fail one or more exams during the academic year, they get a second chance at the end of the academic year.

8. In the analyses every subtest or scale is treated as an individual variable.