Gender differences in the correlates of academic achievement among university students

Abstract

Purpose

Prior research has highlighted gender differences in academic motivational attributes, and how these predict academic achievement for each gender; however, a vast amount of inconsistency exists amongst such literature. The purpose of this paper is to examine the predictive value of academic motivation (achievement goal, leaning goal, performance goal (PG), self-efficacy (SE), and active learning strategies (ALS)) and study time in explaining academic achievement amongst male and female students.

Design/methodology/approach

Cross-sectional survey design was applied. Participants were sampled opportunistically, and consisted of final year undergraduate students, including both males (n=126) and females (n=189) attending various courses at a UK university.

Findings

A multiple regression analysis carried out for each gender revealed that study time, ALS, PG, and SE were significant predictors of achievement for males, whereas SE was the only significant predictor of achievement for females.

Originality/value

These findings offer practical implications in terms of methods employed by educators to enhance academic achievement. Such implications highlight the importance of the development of SE in both genders and propose methods in which universities can enhance motivation in male and female students. Recommendations for future research are also made.

Citation

Pirmohamed, S., Debowska, A. and Boduszek, D. (2017), "Gender differences in the correlates of academic achievement among university students", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, Vol. 9 No. 2, pp. 313-324. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-03-2016-0015