Content area
Abstract
The purpose of this ex post facto correlational study was to identify and examine possible factors which (1) might be common to those Malaysian students succeeding in their university studies, (2) are available during the admission selection process, and (3) could be used for predicting the first year success of Malaysian students at UNL. This study provided a more homogeneous sample than had previously been possible, meeting the more ideal criterion for research in prediction of college success used in the typical U.S. model.
Ninety-nine different data items were captured where appropriate on 316 undergraduate Malaysian students enrolled during three academic years at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dependent variable college success was identified as first-year GPA at UNL, and independent variables were: (1) secondary school performance as evidenced by number of O Level credit passes and MCE/SPM aggregate; (2) post-secondary performance in six categories (A Levels/STPM, Ontario 13, US community college, US university, SIU Malaysian transfer program, foreign institutions); (3) English proficiency as measured by TOEFL, MCE/SPM English score, and UNL English placement examination; (4) age; (5) sex; (6) source of financial support; (7) home town size; (8) college/major; (9) freshman/transfer status; (10) MCE/SPM additional mathematics score; (11) orientation course to U.S. education. Several types of statistical analyses were completed through SPSSx, providing the following results: Independent variables correlated statistically to college success were post secondary, MCE aggregate, funding source, MCE additional maths, and sex. English proficiency was not significant as a predictor of success but served as confirmation of the threshold theory.
