In search of the key factors that influence student success at university

Abstract

This paper describes the results of the first stage of a longitudinal research project being undertaken at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) to identify the key predictors of academic success. By identifying the individual and sociocultural factors that influence how individual students perform, educators are in a better position to make changes to the teaching and learning environments so that future commencing students can achieve a smoother and more successful transition to university. The research team used a battery of tests to gather a wide variety of data about students in the on-campus offer of a first year engineering course. The data was analysed to gain an understanding of the diversity of the students in the cohort and to identify the significant factors that influenced their success in their first year of study at USQ. The results indicated that Queensland Tertiary admission centre rank significantly predicted academic success and, interestingly, the Extroversion personality trait also proved to be important. The implications of these findings are discussed.