Factors affecting academic performance of students at the University of Burao (UOB), Somaliland - Full Length Research Paper

Oct 15, 2026

The study investigates factors affecting the academic performance of University of Burao (UOB) students in Burao, Somaliland, focusing on employment status, learning style preference, test anxiety, and English communication problems. Stratified sampling selected 333 undergraduates across six faculties, and questionnaires were analyzed with SPSS 21. A 69% response rate yielded 230 valid responses. Binomial logistic regression shows employment status is not significant, while learning style preference, test anxiety, and English communication problems significantly influence GPA outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Students' employment status

Students’ learning style

Test anxiety

English communication skills

African Educational Research Journal Vol. 11(4), pp. 588-595, November 2023 DOI: 10. 30918/AERJ.114.23.062 ISSN: 2354-2160 Full Length Research Paper Factors affecting academic performance of students atthe University of Burao (UOB), Somaliland Mohamed Ahmed Kunle University of Burao, Somaliland. Accepted 23 October, 2023 | ABSTRACT
The academic performance of students has been a subject of interest for educational researchers for a while; however, most of the research in this area was done outside of Somaliland. Therefore, this study examined factors affecting the academic performance of students in Burao, Somaliland. The study aimed to investigate the influence of employment status, learning style preference, test anxiety, and English communication problems on the students’ GPAs. The undergraduate students of the University of Burao participated in this study. Using stratified sampling, 333 students were chosen from six different faculties, and data was gathered by a questionnaire. The response rate was 69%, so data from 230 students were analyzed using a Binomial logistic regression with the help of SPSS 21. The result indicated that employment status has no significant effect on students’ GPAs, while the other three variables had effects on it. Regarding the influence of learning style preference, the students with auditory learning styles had 3.0 times higher odds of achieving higher grades than students with visual learning styles. The study also discovered that for every one-unit increase in test anxiety, students were 0.56 times less likely to achieve higher grades. Moreover, for every one-unit increase in English communication problems, students were 0.63 times less likely to achieve higher grades. In short, of the four predictor variables, only learning style preference, test anxiety, and English communication problems affected students’ GPAs in different ways. Therefore, the study made several recommendations including the use of various lecture delivery techniques by lecturers and the development of an English communication policy by the university.
Keywords: GPA, employment status, learning style preference, test anxiety, English communication skills. | | --- | | Email: [cigaalone1000@gmail.com. Tel:](cigaalone1000@gmail.com. Tel:) +252634432649. | INTRODUCTION Students' academic performance has been a subject of interest for educational researchers for a while; however, most of the research in this area was done outside Somaliland. Academic performance has been defined indifferent ways by different researchers; for example, Ward [et al. in](et al. in) 1996 (as cited in Bhagat, 2013) defined academic performance as “The outcome of education—the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals”. Academic performance is generally evaluated through examinations or constant appraisals, but there are no common methods of assessment and performance aspects that are agreed to concentrate on (Ward et al. , cited in Bhagat, 2013) . Many researchers have examined the possible influence that different factors can have on students’ performance. For instance, Mlambo (2012) assessed the influence of entry qualifications, learning style, age, and gender on students’ academic performance. Students' employment status Various researchers studied the influences of employment status on students’GPAs; however, their findings are contradicting. For example, several researchers identified that there is no significant relationship between students’GPAs and their employment status (Ouattara, 2017 ; Nurhafizah et al. , 2021; Daniels, 2016; Tessema et al. , Kunle 589 2014; Rijavec et al. , 2017) . In contrast, some other researchers identified that employed students achieve higher grades (Muluk, 2017; Nuvianto Al Azis and Yusanti, 2021) . On the other hand, García-Vargas et al. (2016) discovered that having a paid job negatively affects students' grades. In conclusion,

FAQs

Which factors were examined for their impact on students' GPAs?

The study examined employment status, learning style preference, test anxiety, and English communication problems as predictors of students’ GPAs.

Did employment status significantly affect academic performance?

No. Employment status showed no significant effect on students’ GPAs, according to the regression results.

How do test anxiety and English communication problems relate to GPA outcomes?

For each one-unit increase in test anxiety, students were 0.56 times less likely to achieve higher grades. For each one-unit increase in English communication problems, students were 0.63 times less likely to achieve higher grades.

Oct 15, 2026

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