2.2 Concept of Academic Achievement

Academic performance according to the Cambridge University Reporter (2003) is frequently defined in terms of examination performance. Academic achievement refers to what the student have learned or what skills the student has learned and is usually measured through assessments like standardized tests, performance assessments and portfolio assessments (Santrock, 2006). The descriptive assessment information will usually be translated through grading system such as Grade Point Average (GPA) and course grade. This study will make use of Cumulated Grade Point Average (CGPA) since it provides information of the students’ academic performance across time.

Academic performance, which is measured by the examination results, is one of the major goals of a school. Hoyle (1986) argued that schools are established with the aim of imparting knowledge and skills to those who go through them and behind all this is the idea of enhancing good academic performance. The academic deans and the quality assurance committee are concerned about those who do not perform well because if this poor performance goes unchecked, the university may lose its reputation, which may result in loss of confidence in UCU graduates (Kyoshaba, 2009).

Thelma (1998) in her research on variables that associated with academic achievement of African-American has identified non-cognitive as one of the main contributor. African-American with high scores on measures of educational aspirations, values (courage, exciting life, cleanliness, imagination, and helpfulness), emotional intelligence, acceptability of mixed dating, self-confidence, satisfaction with academic advising and tutoring, being in control of academic outcomes, preference for long-term goals, academic self-concept, self-esteem, self-concept of ability, specific personality traits (achievement aspirations, affiliation, dominance, endurance, exhibition, harm avoidance, nurturance, order, play, and understanding), favorable opinions of their study habits and relationships with others, and low scores on alienation and reliance on family and institutions to solve social and academic problems, had higher grade-point averages than those with contrasting scores on these variables.

Another research by Raymond and Chadi (2008) on the initiative to reduce the failure rate in an undergraduate Accounting Information Systems course without compromising academic standards, he found out that initiative relied on the development of generic skills in the major assessment tasks. Further evidence in his research suggests the generic skills intervention was responsible for the majority of the improvement in students’ academic achievement. It addressed the issue of student perception by heavily weighting the internal assessment to encourage students to focus on the generic skills assessment tasks. Students had a clear understanding that the skills to be mastered in the generic assessment tasks related to 80% of the overall course (internal assessment plus final exam).