Entry behaviour, learner Motivation, self-Regulation and academic performance of first year information communication technology (ICT) students: Evidence from Kibi Technical Institute

Abstract

The study sought to examine the effect of entry behaviour on academic performance of first year ICT students of the Kibi Technical Institute. The study also examined learner motivation and self-regulation as predicting factors that affect elective ICT students’ academic performance. The study was grounded in two theoretical frameworks: theory of motivation and self-regulation. It adopted a positivist paradigm and utilized an explanatory design. Both primary and secondary data were collected. The primary data was collected using a close-ended structured questionnaire. In addition, the study used of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and end-of-term results of the students as the secondary data source. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select a sample of one hundred (100) first-year ICT students. The gathered data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics v26. The findings indicate that entry behaviour and learner motivation had an insignificant influence on the academic performance of first-year ICT students. However, self-regulation emerged as a significant predictor of academic performance in the first model. Additionally, there was a positive but insignificant influence of entry behaviour on learner motivation and entry behaviour had an insignificant effect on self-regulation. The study, therefore, recommends that educational institutions and policy makers incorporate self regulation training programmes into the curriculum for first-year ICT students. These programmes can provide students with the necessary knowledge, strategies, and techniques to effectively manage their learning process.