Factors That Affect the Academic

Results of Students in MBA

Program in Gujarat, India
Ritesh Patel* and Mitesh Patel**

The study was carried out to analyze how various factors (student-related,
faculty-related, exam-related and other factors) have an influence on the results
of the students. To check the normality of the data, a normality test was carried
out on demographic variables of the respondents. For determining the reliability
of the data, Cronbach’s Alpha was used. Further, mean score analysis and factor
analysis were done on various factors. After carrying out this study, it was
found that student-related factors, faculty-related factors and exam-related
factors are important for the results of students in MBA program. The results of
students can be improved by focusing on these factors.

Introduction
A man without education is almost like a ship without a rudder. Education is gaining
prime importance in today’s competitive scenario. Master of Business Administration
(MBA) is one of the career choices that the students make to pursue their
postgraduation studies. Today, MBA is one of the most common career choices
among youth in India. This is purely because of the benefits that it offers. More
and more MBA schools and management institutes are coming up in India. There
are more than thousand institutes across the country, offering full-time residential
MBAs. In addition, distance learning MBA, online MBA and part-time executive MBA
are also gaining momentum.

Research Methodology
The objective of the study is to analyze how various factors (student-related, faculty-
related, exam-related and other factors) influence the result of the student.
The study was done by using convenience sampling under the non-probability sampling
method of descriptive research design. The study was done with a sample size of
384, at 95% confidence level and 5% random error. Personal interviews were done

* Assistant Professor, S V I nstitute of Management, Kadi, Gujarat, I ndia.

E-mail: prof.ritesh2010@gmail.com
** Assistant Professor, S V I nstitute of Management, Kadi, Gujarat, I ndia.
E-mail: patel4mitesh@gmail.com

Factors
© 2012That
IUP. Affect the Academic
All Rights Reserved. Results of Students 7
in MBA Program in Gujarat, India
through a semi-structured questionnaire with open-ended and closed-ended
questions (Refer Appendix). The data source for the study is only the primary data.

Literature Review
Cheryl and Zhang (2011) conducted a study to determine the factors that are
critical for the academic success of students, an open-ended paper-based survey
was administered to 131 upper-level (third year or beyond) students majoring in
IT-related degree programs at Georgia Southern University. The study revealed
that students perceive commitment, dedication and hardwork as the most important
skills/traits for their own academic success. This is followed by focus, self-motivation,
persistence, patience, positive attitude and self-discipline. Wimshurst et al. (2006),
investigated the factors related to academic success and failure in the faculty of
Arts. The data covering all students who were enrolled in Arts courses (subjects)
offered by any of the five schools (or departments) in the faculty for three years
1998-2000 (inclusive) were entered into the files for statistical analysis. Multivariate
Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and multivariate tests of student variables were
used for statistical analysis. The study concludes that moderation of assessment
remains an unsophisticated aspect of teaching and learning in higher education
and the role of academics themselves in the enhancement of quality teaching and
learning remains problematic, despite the considerable investment made by
universities in creating opportunities for staff development. Houglum et al. (2005)
have undertaken a study to determine the admission criteria for selecting pharmacy
students, by identifying those criteria which are significant predictors of success or
failure—Mean (SD), Beta, Standard Error, t-test. Predictors of failure included
American College Testing (ACT) composite score, average grade in organic chemistry
courses, and gender. Predictors of success included ACT score, average grade in
organic chemistry courses, grades in math and science prepharmacy courses, and
prior attainment of a bachelor’s degree. Squire (2010) describes through a review
of relevant literature, the undergraduate B.Sc. degree program in agricultural
education and the level and students’ assessment procedures in the Botswana
College of Agriculture. The findings show that the Botswana College of Agriculture
offers core, optional and general education courses in agricultural education
undergraduate (B.Sc.) degree program which are relevant to the socioeconomic
development needs of Botswana.

Descriptive Statistics
The data on various demographic factors of respondents, such as age, gender,
work experience, background and income were not normally distributed, which
suggests that the test can be applied further (Table 1). The mean score, standard
deviation, skewness and kurtosis for all demographic factors show that the data
are not normally distributed.

8 The IUP Journal of Management Research, Vol. XI, No. 2, 2012

 Table 1: Descriptive Statistics of Demographic Factor

Standard
S. No. Demographic Factor Mean Skewness Kurtosis
Deviation
1. Age 22.39 2.020 1.532 2.064
2. Gender 1.31 0.462 0.839 –1.303
3. Work Experience 1.79 0.410 –1.404 –0.030
4. Background 2.95 1.582 1.708 2.883
5. Income 2.65 1.109 –0.039 –1.392

Reliability Analysis
The reliability statistics show a value of 0.791 for Cronbach’s Alpha which further
confirms that the data are reliable for further analysis (Table 2).

Table 2: Cronbach’s Alpha

Cronbach’s Alpha Number of Items

0.791 67

Mean Score Analysis

Mean scores of the study are shown in Table 3. Teaching of the subject by faculty,
knowledge of the faculty regarding the subject, and mistakes committed by the
paper checker are the most important factors that affect the result of student in
the exam. The factor, family background of student, is the least important factor
with mean score of 3.34.

Table 3: The Most Important Factor which Affects the Results of Students

S. Factor Mean Score

No.
1. Teaching of the subject by faculty 1.15
2. Knowledge of the faculty regarding the subject 1.38
3. Faculty’s interest in teaching the subject 1.53
4. Subject revision by the faculty 1.85
5. Attendance of student in lectures 1.91
6. Student’s interest for the subject 1.70
7. Student’s writing speed in exam 1.92
8. Student’s level of understanding of the subject 1.87
9. Student’s handwriting 1.88
10. Mistakes committed by students in the exam 1.93
11. Commitment and hardwork of the student 1.60

Factors That Affect the Academic Results of Students 9

in MBA Program in Gujarat, India
 Table 3 (Cont.)

S. Factor Mean Score

No.
12. Time and task management by the student 1.85
13. Help from study group (friends) during the exam 1.88
14. Student’s healthy attitude (confidence) for facing the exam 1.86
15. Easiness or toughness of question paper in the exam 1.69
16. Asking questions which are out of syllabus in the exam 1.96
17. Prescribed textbooks and reference books for the subject 1.90
18. Psychology of the paper checker 1.70
19. Mistakes committed by the paper checker 1.40

Factor Analysis
In order to determine if the factorial analysis was adequate, Bartlett’s test of
sphericalness (in order to sustain that in effect there did exist significant
intercorrelations between the items), and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin index (measure of
sample adequacy) were applied. The values of both, which should be as high as
possible for each level of analysis. are shown in Table 4.

Table 4: Values of Factorial Analysis by Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Index

and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericalness

Level KMO Barlett Significance

Level 1 (23 Factors) 0.701 6325.727 0.000

Level 2 (11 Factors) 0.694 1904.428 0.000

Level 3 (8 Factors) 0.656 936.41 0.000

Level 4 (8 Factors) 0.609 867.62 0.000

Rotated component matrix for exam-related factors is shown in Table 5. Leakage

of question paper in exam, supervisor in exam, who can be very strict or liberal,
easiness or toughness of question paper in exam, seating arrangement in exam
such as nearness of brilliant student in seating are important exam-related factors
that determine the result of students in the examination.

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis

The analysis of student-related factors is shown in Table 6. Factors such as student’s
writing speed in the exam, practical studies of subject done by the student, mistakes
committed by the student in the exam, illness during exam and student’s
participation in extracurricular activities are the factors which affecting the result
of the student most.

10 The IUP Journal of Management Research, Vol. XI, No. 2, 2012

 Table 5: Rotated Component Matrix of Exam-Related Factors
That Determine the Results of Students in the Examination
S.
Factor Factor Loading
No.
1. Leakage of question paper in the exam 0.715
2. Supervisor in the exam – very strict or liberal 0.741
3. Easiness or toughness of question paper in the exam 0.641
4. Seating arrangement in the exam 0.856
5. Asking questions which are out of syllabus 0.647
6. Exam center 0.549
7. Supervisors’ help in answering during the exam 0.564
8. Mistakes committed by the paper setter while 0.823
setting the question paper

Table 6: Rotated Component Matrix of Student-Related Factors

That Determine the Results of Students in the Examination

S. Factor Factor Loading

No.
1. Attendance of students for lectures 0.397
2. Student’s interest in the subject 0.555
3. Student’s interest for degree (program) 0.446
4. Student’s writing speed in the exam 0.798
5. Student’s level of understanding of the subject 0.606
6. Student’s handwriting affecting the result 0.453
7. Practical studies of subject done by the student 0.711
8. Mistakes committed by the student in the exam 0.757
9. Illness during exam 0.753
10. Personal problems during exam 0.694
11. Educational background of the student 0.622
12. Question papers of previous exam solved by the student 0.695
13. Student’s fear regarding the subject 0.566
14. Clarity about books and reading material of the student 0.494
15. Family background of the student 0.557
16. Negative effect of previous paper 0.685
17. Commitment and hardwork of the student in the subject 0.666
18. Time and task management by the student for subject 0.604
19. Help from study group (friends) during the exam 0.582
20. Student’s participation in extracurricular activities 0.761

Factors That Affect the Academic Results of Students 11

in MBA Program in Gujarat, India
 Table 7 shows the results of the analysis of faculty-related factors. Teaching of
subject by faculty, knowledge regarding the subject of the faculty, assignment
work given by faculty to student, subject-related reading material given by faculty,
faculty interest in teaching a subject, syllabus covered by faculty for the subject,
teaching experience of faculty for the subject, quiz of the subject taken by faculty
are some of the important faculty-related factors that determine the result of
students in the examination.

Table 7: Rotated Component Matrix of Faculty-Related Factors

That Determine the Result of Students in the Examination

S.
No. Factor Factor Loading

1. Teaching of subject by the faculty 0.631

2. Subject knowledge of the faculty 0.692

3. Assignment work given by the faculty 0.767

4. Subject-related reading material given by the faculty 0.656

5. Faculty’s interest in teaching the subject 0.749

6. Syllabus covered by the faculty for the subject 0.771

7. Teaching experience of the faculty in the subject 0.656

8. Quiz of the subject taken by the faculty 0.669

9. Subject revision by the faculty 0.750

10. Work done by the faculty like session plan of the subject 0.576

11. Motivation given by the faculty to the student in the subject 0.709

Conclusion
After carrying out this study it was found that student-related factors, faculty-
related factors and exam-related factors are important for the results of students
in MBA program. The results of the students can be improved by focusing on
these factors. The results of the students can be bettered by adopting measures
such as practical studies in subjects, faculty knowledge enhancement and
providing subject-related reading materials. Again as exam is an important factor,
framing of the question paper must be considered properly by giving equal
importance to all chapters, covering important topics and giving proper
weightage to the questions. @

12 The IUP Journal of Management Research, Vol. XI, No. 2, 2012

References
1. Cheryl L A and Zhang A (2011), “Academic Success Factors: An IT Student
Perspective”, Journal of Information Technology Education, Vol. 10, pp. 309-329.

2. Houglum J E, Aparasu R R and Delfinis T M (2005), “Predictors of Academic

Success and Failure in a Pharmacy Professional Program”, American Journal of
Pharmaceutical Education, Vol. 69, No. 3, pp. 283-289.

3. Squire P J (2010), “Students’ Assessment Procedures in the Agricultural Education

Undergraduate Program: The Botswana College of Agriculture Experience”,
Current Research Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 2, No. 6, pp. 296-300.

4. Wimshurst K, Wortley R, Bates M and Allarda T (2006), “The Impact of Institutional

Factors on Student Academic Results: Implications for ‘Quality’ in Universities”,
Higher Education Research & Development, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 131-145.

Appendix
Questionnaire

Dear Respondent,
We are faculty members of S V Institute of Management, Kadi. We are conducting a
research on the topic, “Factors that affect the academic results of students in MBA program
in Gujarat with specific focus on faculty-related, student-related, exam-related & other
factors” with reference to conduct faculty-related, student-related, exam-related & other
factors. The information provided by you will be used for study purpose only and will be
kept confidential.
1. Do you Study in MBA Program?

Yes No

2. Rank the following criteria from 1 to 5 according to your view as per

importance of students’ Results. (1 – Most important and 5 – Least important)

Most Moderately Less Neutral Least

Important Important Important Important
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

a. Student-Related Factors

b. Faculty-Related Factors

c. Exam-Related Factors

d. Other-Related Factors

Factors That Affect the Academic Results of Students 13

in MBA Program in Gujarat, India
 Appendix (Cont.)
Questionnaire

3. For each statement given below, please mark {} in the box to indicate
your opinion regarding statement.
Faculty-Related Factors That Determine the Results of Students
in the Examination
S. Strongly Strongly
No. Statements Agree Neutral Disagree
Agree Disagree

1. Teaching of subject by faculty

can affect the results of students.
2. Knowledge regarding the
subject of the faculty can have
impact on the results of students.
3. Assignment work given by
the faculty to the student can
affect the results of the students.
4. Subject-related reading
material given by faculty can
impact the results of the students.
5. Interest of the faculty in
teaching a subject can
affect the students’ results.
6. Syllabus covered by Faculty for
the subject can affect the results
of students in exam.
7. Teaching experience of faculty
for the subject can affect the
results of students in the exam.
8. Quiz of the subject taken by
faculty can have impact on the
results of students.
9. Subject revision by the faculty
can have impact on the results
of students in the exam.
10. Work done by faculty like session
plan of subject; question bank of
subject can have impact on the
results of students in the exam.
11. Motivation by faculty to the
student for subject can have
impact on results of students
in the exam.

4. For each statement given below, please mark {} in the box to indicate
your opinion regarding statement.

14 The IUP Journal of Management Research, Vol. XI, No. 2, 2012

 Appendix (Cont.)
Student-Related Factors That Determine the Results of Students in the
Examination

S. Strongly Agree Strongly

No. Statements Neutral Disagree
Agree Disagree

1. Attendance of students in
lectures can affect the results
of students.
2. Students’ interest for subject
can affect the results of students.
3. Students’ interest for degree
(program) can affect the
results of students.
4. Students’ writing speed in
exam can affect the results of
students in exam.
5. Students’ level of understanding
of the subject can affect results
of students.
6. Students’ handwriting can
affect results of students.
7. Practical studies of subject done
by students can affect the
results of students in the exam.
8. Mistakes committed by the
students in the exam, such
as writing wrong answer in
exam, missing any question
or sub question, can affect the
results of students.
9. Illness during exam can affect
the results of students.
10. Personal problems during exam
like death of any relative,
missing of hall ticket etc. can
affect the results of students.
11. Educational background of
students can affect the results
of students in the exam.
12. Question papers of previous
exam solved by students can
affect the results of students.
13. Students’ fear regarding the
subject can affect the results of
students in the exam.

Factors That Affect the Academic Results of Students 15

in MBA Program in Gujarat, India
 Appendix (Cont.)
S. Strongly Agree Strongly
Statements Neutral Disagree
No. Agree Disagree

14. Clarity about books and reading

material of the student can affect
results of students in the exam.
15. Family background of students
can affect the results of students.
16. Negative effect of previous paper
can affect the results of students.
17. Commitment and hard work of
students for the subject can
affect the results of students.
18. Time and task management by
students for subjects can affect
the results of students.
19. Help from study group (friends)
during exam in studying the
subject can affect the results
of students.
20. Students’ participation in
extra-curricular activities
(in institutes and outside) can
affect the results of students.
21. Good living environment
(roommates, etc.) for students
can affect the results of students.
22. Tuition classes taken by students
for the subject can affect
the results.
23. Students’ healthy attitude
(confidence) for exam can affect
the results of students in the exam.
5. For each statement given below, please Mark {} in the box to indicate
your opinion regarding statement.

Exam-Related Factors That Determine the Results of Students in the

Examination
S. Statements Strongly Strongly
Agree Neutral Disagree
No. Agree Disagree
1. Leakage of question paper in
exam can affect the results of
students.
2. Supervisor in exam who can be
very strict or liberal can affect
the results of students.

16 The IUP Journal of Management Research, Vol. XI, No. 2, 2012

 Appendix (Cont.)

S. Statements Strongly Strongly

Agree Neutral Disagree
No. Agree Disagree

3. Easiness or toughness of
question paper in exam can
affect the results of students.

4. Seating arrangement in exam

such as nearness of brilliant
student in seating can affect the
results of students.
5. Asking questions which are out
of syllabus can affect
the results of students.
6. Exam center can affect results
of students.
7. Supervisor’s help in writing
answers during the exam can
affect the results of students.
8. Paper setter’s mistakes
committed while setting the
question paper such as
inequality of syllabus questions
and repetition of questions
can affect the results of students.

6. For each statement given below, please mark {} in the box to indicate
your opinion regarding statement.

Other Factors That Determine the Results of Students in the Examination

S. Statements Strongly Strongly
Agree Neutral Disagree
No. Agree Disagree

1. Prescribed textbooks and

reference books of subject can
affect the results of students.
2. Paper checker’s psychology,
who is checking paper easily
or touches, can affect the
results of students.
3. Paper checker’s mistake such
as wrong calculation of marks
received by student, missing
any question to check can
affect the results of students.
4. Time gap (in day) between two
papers can affect the results of
students.

Factors That Affect the Academic Results of Students 17

in MBA Program in Gujarat, India
 Appendix (Cont.)
S. Strongly Strongly
Statements
No. Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Disagree
5. Effect of previously checked
paper on paper checker can
affect the results of students.
6. Reliable transportation to the
student can affect the results
of students.
7. Do you think that following activities can have impact on results of
students? (mark your opinion {} in box)
Activities Strongly Strongly
Agree Neutral Disagree
Agree Disagree
Industrial visit
Seminar
Movie club
Workshop
Event
Competition
Tour/Picnic
Sports

8. Here, Ranks from 1 to 10 is given. 1 are for most effective factor and 10
for least effective factor. Please write the factor for each rank according
to your view, for result of student.
Rank Factor
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

9. Please provide your suggestions for improving the results of students in

the exam.

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

18 The IUP Journal of Management Research, Vol. XI, No. 2, 2012

 Appendix (Cont.)

Demographic Questions:
Age: _______________
Work experience (if any): _______________

Gender: Male Female

Background: B. A B. B. A

B. Com. B. E

B. Tech. B. Sc.

B. C. A Other
(specify)

Your Family’s Monthly Income:

Below 10,000 ( ) 10,000-20,000 ( )
20,000-30,000 ( ) Above 30,000 ( )

Reference # 02J-2012-04-01-01

Factors That Affect the Academic Results of Students 19

in MBA Program in Gujarat, India
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.