Regular Lecture Quizzes Scores as Predictors of Final Examination Performance: A Test of Hypothesis Using Logistic Regression Analysis

Authors

Oscar Wambuguh, California State University, East BayFollow
Theo Yonn-Brown, California State University, East BayFollow

Abstract

Student academic success in school demands acquisition of specific skill sets that emphasize self-assessment, monitoring, adjustment, self-control, and motivation; the courage and ability to adopt efficient learning strategies; and resiliency in case of academic difficulties. As hypothesized, data from the present study demonstrates that student performance in routine lecture quizzes can predict performance in the final examination and successfully completing a course. Course data accumulated from several courses taught by the same instructor in the last five years (n=1294) were used in this analysis. The results generally indicate that: 1) performance in the quizzes is positively correlated with performance in the final examination; 2) students who attain a score of 70% or more in the quizzes are nine times as likely to pass the final examination with the same or higher score compared to those who do not. However, achieving better grades of a high “B” and above requires lecture quiz scores 80% and above; and 3) students attaining passing grades of 90% and over in the quizzes are three times as likely to pass the final examination with a similar or higher score; while students who attain a failing grade of 59% or less in the quizzes are twenty five times as likely to fail the final examination compared to those who passed. These results emphasize the critical role played by educators in the adoption of frequent course assessments as an integral part of instruction; the importance of educator engagement in providing routine formative feedback to students; the importance of students’ self-evaluation and staying on track with course material as the course progresses; and the need for students to be proactive in seeking help early in the semester to understand course content and improve their test taking skills.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Wambuguh, Oscar and Yonn-Brown, Theo (2013) "Regular Lecture Quizzes Scores as Predictors of Final Examination Performance: A Test of Hypothesis Using Logistic Regression Analysis," International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Vol. 7: No. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2013.070107