Determinants of academic performance in the first year of university: A systematic review using PRISMA-ScR
Keywords:
Academic performance, First-year university students, Higher education, Determining factorsAbstract
In Mexico, professional education emphasizes active learning as the basis for knowledge construction and acquisition. However, first-year university students face diverse psychosocial and academic circumstances that affect their adaptation and academic performance. Since studies on this critical period are scarce in Latin America, this research conducted a systematic literature review following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Forty-seven empirical studies published between 2014 and 2023 were analyzed, identified in specialized databases such as Scopus, ERIC DataStar, APA-PsycNET and WoS. The findings identify determinants of academic performance and seek to inform strategies that promote active learning and student retention in higher education.
Downloads
References
Adams, R. V., & Blair, E. (2019). Impact of Time Management Behaviors on Undergraduate Engineering Students’ Performance. Sage Open, 9(1), 2158244018824506. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018824506
Alhadabi, A., & Karpinski, A. C. (2020). Grit, self-efficacy, achievement orientation goals, and academic performance in University students. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 519–535. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1679202
Al-Hazaa, K., Abdel-Salam, A.-S. G., Ismail, R., Johnson, C., Al-Tameemi, R. A. N., Romanowski, M. H., BenSaid, A., Rhouma, M. B. H., & Elatawneh, A. (2021). The effects of attendance and high school GPA on student performance in first-year undergraduate courses. Cogent Education, 8(1), 1956857. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2021.1956857
Almarabheh, A., Shehata, M. H., Ismaeel, A., Atwa, H., & Jaradat, A. (2022). Predictive validity of admission criteria in predicting academic performance of medical students: A retrospective cohort study. Frontiers in Medicine, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.971926
Al-Sheeb, B. A., Hamouda, A. M., & Abdella, G. M. (2019). Modeling of student academic achievement in engineering education using cognitive and non-cognitive factors. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 11(2), 178–198. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-10-2017-0120
Al-Sheeb, B., Abdella, G. M., Hamouda, A. M., & Abdulwahed, M. S. (2019a). Predictive modeling of first-year student performance in engineering education using sequential penalization-based regression. Journal of Statistics and Management Systems, 22(1), 31–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/09720510.2018.1509817
Aquines-Gutiérrez, O., Hernández Taylor, D. M., Santos-Guevara, A., Chavarría-Garza, W. X., Martínez-Huerta, H., & Galloway, R. K. (2022). How the Entry Profiles and Early Study Habits Are Related to First-Year Academic Performance in Engineering Programs. Sustainability, 14(22), Article 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142215400
Araya-Pizarro, S. C., & Avilés-Pizarro, N. B. (2022). Rendimiento académico en estudiantes de ciencias empresariales: ¿cómo influyen los factores actitudinales, pedagógicos y demográficos? Zona Próxima, 33, 70–97. https://doi.org/10.14482/zp.33.658
Atwood, S. A., & Pretz, J. E. (2016). Creativity as a Factor in Persistence and Academic Achievement of Engineering Undergraduates. Journal of Engineering Education, 105(4), 540–559. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20130
Carson, R. D., & Reed, P. A. (2015). Pre-College Career Guidance on Student Persistence and Performance at a Small Private University. Career and Technical Education Research, 40(2), 99–112. https://doi.org/10.5328/cter40.2.99
Casanova, J. R., Sinval, J., Almeida, L. S., Casanova, J. R., Sinval, J., & Almeida, L. S. (2024). Éxito académico, compromiso y autoeficacia de los estudiantes universitarios de primer año: Variables personales y desempeño del primer semestre. Anales de Psicología, 40(1), 44–53. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.479151
Clarivate. (2023). [EndNote (Versión 21.2) Software de gestor de referencias]. https://endnote.com.
Credé, M., & Niehorster, S. (2012). Adjustment to College as Measured by the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire: A Quantitative Review of its Structure and Relationships with Correlates and Consequences. Educational Psychology Review, 24(1), 133–165. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-011-9184-5
Daura, F. T. (2015). Aprendizaje autorregulado y rendimiento académico en estudiantes del ciclo clínico de la carrera de Medicina. Revista electrónica de investigación educativa, 17(3), 28–45. http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S1607-40412015000300003&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=es
*Dinyáné, M., Pusztai, G., & Szemerszki, M. (2020). A tanulás sikerességének vizsgálata egészségügyi tanulmányokat folytató elsőéves hallgatók körében. https://doi.org/10.1556/650.2020.31616
*Dorta-Guerra, R., Marrero, I., Abdul-Jalbar, B., Trujillo-González, R., & Torres, N. V. (2019). A new academic performance indicator for the first term of first-year science degrees students at La Laguna University: A predictive model. FEBS Open Bio, 9(9), 1493–1502. https://doi.org/10.1002/2211-5463.12707
Eichler, A., & Gradwohl, J. (2021). Investigating Motivational and Cognitive Factors which Impact the Success of Engineering Students. International Journal of Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education, 7(3), 417–437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40753-020-00127-4
Ferrer-Urbina, R., & Karmelic-Pavlov, V. (2019). Un modelo predictivo de fracaso/éxito académico a partir de indicadores de ingreso, en estudiantes de una universidad estatal del norte de Chile. 44.
*Gallego, M. G., Perez de los Cobos, A. P., & Gallego, J. C. G. (2021). Identifying Students at Risk to Academic Dropout in Higher Education. Education Sciences, 11(8), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11080427
*García, E. J., Resino, D. A., Hurtado-Martín, M., Ruiz-Lázaro, J., Sánchez-Munilla, M., Vicaria, J. J. I., & Barbera, C. G. (2021). La nota de acceso a la universidad como predictor del rendimiento en el primer año de carrera: Grados de Magisterio versus otras carreras asistenciales. Revista de Educación, 393, Article 393. https://recyt.fecyt.es/index.php/Redu/article/view/89847
García Soto, G. Y., García López, R. I., & Lozano Rodríguez, A. (2020). Calidad en la educación superior en línea: Un análisis teórico. Revista Educación, 29. https://doi.org/10.15517/revedu.v44i2.39714
*Grimaldo, M., & Manzanares-Medina, E. (2023). Variables intervinientes en el rendimiento académico en ingresantes de una universidad privada de Lima. Revista Electrónica Educare, 27(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.15359/ree.27-1.14283
*Gualán, G. G. M., Gualán, E. D. M., & Gualán, A. P. M. (2022). Factores que influyen en el rendimiento académico en los estudiantes de la carrera en ciencias militares. Revista Ciencias Pedagógicas e Innovación, 10(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.26423/rcpi.v10i2.599
Gutiérrez-de-Rozas, B., López-Martín, E., & Molina, E. (2022). Determinants of academic achievement: Systematic review of 25 years of meta-analyses1 Condicionantes del rendimiento académico: Revisión sistemática de 25 años de meta-análisis. QJ Star Year:1952, 398, 37–80.
*Holliman, A. J., Sheriston, L., Martin, A. J., Collie, R. J., & Sayer, D. (2019). Adaptability: Does students’ adjustment to university predict their mid-course academic achievement and satisfaction? Journal of Further and Higher Education, 43(10), 1444–1455. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2018.1491957
Hong, Q. N., Fàbregues, S., Bartlett, G., Boardman, F., Cargo, M., Dagenais, P., Gagnon, M.-P., Griffiths, F., Nicolau, B., O’Cathain, A., Rousseau, M.-C., Vedel, I., & Pluye, P. (2018). The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) version 2018 for information professionals and researchers. Education for Information, 34(4), 285–291. https://doi.org/10.3233/EFI-180221
*Hudson, N. P. H., Rhind, S. M., Mellanby, R. J., Giannopoulos, G. M., Dalziel, L., & Shaw, D. J. (2020). Success at Veterinary School: Evaluating the Influence of Intake Variables on Year-1 Examination Performance. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 47(2), 218–229. https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.0418-042r
*Ikonne, U., Brodie, A., Bay, C., & Campbell, A. (2022). Frequency of Student Resource Use and Academic Performance in Preclerkship Education: A Survey Study. Medical Science Educator, 32(6), 1465–1479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-022-01674-y
*Ilić, I. M., & Ilić, M. D. (2023). The relationship between the burnout syndrome and academic success of medical students: A cross-sectional study. Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, 74(2), 134–141. https://doi.org/10.2478/aiht-2023-74-3719
Johnston, B. (2013). El primer año de Universidad: Una experiencia positiva de transición. Narcea Ediciones.
*Kertechian, S. K. (2018). Conscientiousness as a key to success for academic achievement among French university students enrolled in management studies. The International Journal of Management Education, 16(2), 154–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2018.02.003
Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., & Buckley, J. A. (2006). What Matters to Student Success: A Review of the Literature (Vol. 8). DC: National Postsecondary Education Cooperative.
*Kunnari, Pursiainen, & Muukkonen. (2023). The relationship between secondary education outcomes and academic achievement: A study of Finnish educational sciences students. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 47(9), 1155–1168. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/0309877X.2023.2222263?needAccess=true
Laya. (2020). El primer año universitario: Una intervención institucional estratégica para la retención y el éxito estudiantil. 15–40. http://cdn02.pucp.education.s3.amazonaws.com/academico/2020/12/15024700/vi_encuentro_int_univ_insercion_permanencia_edu_sup.pdf#page=15
*Lisciandro, J. G. (2022). First-year university retention and academic performance of non-traditional students entering via an Australian pre-university enabling program. 62(2).
*Mabizela, S. E., Roos, R., Myezwa, H., & Potterton, J. (2020). Predictors for the academic success of first-year physiotherapy students at a South African university. South African Journal of Physiotherapy, 76(1), Article 1. https://sajp.co.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/1418
*Mardones, J. A. G., & Requena, N. A. C. (2019). Determinantes del rendimiento académico estudiantil: Caso Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción. Revista de Ciencias Sociales.
Microsoft Corporation. (2023). Microsoft Excel [Software de hoja de cálculo]. (Versión 365) [Software]. Microsoft. https://www.microsoft.com
*Milienos, F. S., Rentzios, C., Catrysse, L., Gijbels, D., Mastrokoukou, S., Longobardi, C., & Karagiannopoulou, E. (2021). The Contribution of Learning and Mental Health Variables in First-Year Students’ Profiles. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.627118
*Molnár, G., & Kocsis, Á. (2023). Cognitive and non-cognitive predictors of academic success in higher education: A large-scale longitudinal study. Studies in Higher Education, 0(0), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2271513
*Morlaix, S., & Suchaut, B. (2014). The social, educational and cognitive factors of success in the first year of university: A case study. International Review of Education, 60(6), 841–862. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-014-9459-4
Năstasă, L. E., Cocoradă, E., Vorovencii, I., & Curtu, A. L. (2022). Academic Success, Emotional Intelligence, Well-Being and Resilience of First-Year Forestry Students. Forests, 13(5), Article 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13050758
Navarro, M. M., Utreras, E. G., & Ugarte, C. G. B. (2019). Rasgos de personalidad, Percepción de apoyo social y Motivación de logro como predictores del rendimiento académico en estudiantes pertenecientes a programas de inclusión y permanencia en la educación universitaria (PACE). Revista Pedagogía Universitaria y Didáctica del Derecho, 6(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-5885.2019.54680
*Parsons, J., McColl, M. A., Martin, A. K., & Rynard, D. W. (2021). Accommodations and academic performance: First-year university students with disabilities. Canadian Journal of Higher Education / Revue Canadienne d’enseignement Supérieur, 51(1), 41–56. https://doi.org/10.47678/cjhe.vi0.188985
*Planck-Barahona, U. (2014). Determinant Factors of Academic Achievement of University of Atacama Students. Estudios pedagógicos (Valdivia), 40(1), 25–39. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-07052014000100002
Reyes-González, N., Meneses-Báez, A. L., Reyes-González, N., & Meneses-Báez, A. L. (2024). Factores psicosociales relacionados al abandono, desempeño y ajuste en el primer año de universidad: Una revisión sistemática de revisiones. Revista Electrónica Educare, 28(2), 137–159. https://doi.org/10.15359/ree.28-2.18435
*Sagredo, A. V. (2022). Autorregulación en el aprendizaje de estudiantes y su relación con rendimiento académico. Revista Conhecimento Online, 2, 49–68. https://doi.org/10.25112/rco.v2.2943
*Şahin, E., Çekin, R., & Yazıcılar Özçelik, İ. (2018). Predictors of Academic Achievement among Physical Education and Sports Undergraduate Students. Sports, 6(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports6010008
*Scherer, S., Talley, C. P., & Fife, J. E. (2017). How Personal Factors Influence Academic Behavior and GPA in African American STEM Students. Sage Open, 7(2), 2158244017704686. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017704686
Schneider, M., & Preckel, F. (2017). Variables associated with achievement in higher education: A systematic review of meta-analyses. Psychological Bulletin, 143(6), 565–600. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000098
*Séllei, B., Stumphauser, N., & Molontay, R. (2021). Traits versus Grades—The Incremental Predictive Power of Positive Psychological Factors over Pre-Enrollment Achievement Measures on Academic Performance. Applied Sciences, 11(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041744
Silva-Laya, M. (2011). El primer año universitario: Un tramo crítico para el éxito académico. Perfiles educativos, 33(SPE), 102–114. https://www.scielo.org.mx/pdf/peredu/v33nspe/v33nspea10.pdf
Sotardi, V. A. (2022). On institutional belongingness and academic performance: Mediating effects of social self-efficacy and metacognitive strategies. Studies in Higher Education, 47(12), 2444–2459. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2022.2081678
*Stadtfeld, C., Vörös, A., Elmer, T., Boda, Z., & Raabe, I. J. (2019). Integration in emerging social networks explains academic failure and success. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(3), 792–797. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1811388115
Suleiman, I. B., Okunade, O. A., Dada, E. G., & Ezeanya, U. C. (2024). Key factors influencing students’ academic performance. Journal of Electrical Systems and Information Technology, 11(1), 41. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43067-024-00166-w
Sweet, J., Swayze, S., & Busse, K. (2019). The Relationships between Psychological Capital and GPA: A Study of One Freshmen Cohort. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 19(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v19i2.1448
*Taveras-Pichardo, L. (2022). Variables cognitivas y afectivas predictivas del rendimiento académico del alumnado universitario. IJERI: International Journal of Educational Research and Innovation, 18, Article 18. https://doi.org/10.46661/ijeri.6189
*Toraman, Ç., Özdemir, H. F., Ankara University, hasan.f.ozdemir@ankara.edu.tr, Koşan, A. M. A., Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, aysenay1@yahoo.com, Orakcı, Ş., & Aksaray University, senolorak@gmail.com. (2020). Relationships between Cognitive Flexibility, Perceived Quality of Faculty Life, Learning Approaches, and Academic Achievement. International Journal of Instruction, 13(1), 85–100. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.1316a
Tricco, A. C., Lillie, E., Zarin, W., O’Brien, K. K., Colquhoun, H., Levac, D., Moher, D., Peters, M. D., Horsley, T., Weeks, L., & Hempel, S. (2018). PRISMA for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and explanation. PRISMA Statement. https://www.prisma-statement.org/scoping
UNESCO. (2022). La educación transforma vidas | UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/es/education
*Van Soom, C., & Donche, V. (2014). Profiling First-Year Students in STEM Programs Based on Autonomous Motivation and Academic Self-Concept and Relationship with Academic Achievement. PLoS ONE, 9(11), e112489. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0112489
*van Wyk, M., Mason, H. D., van Wyk, B. J., Phillips, T. K., & van der Walt, P. E. (2022). The relationship between resilience and student success among a sample of South African engineering students. Cogent Psychology, 9(1), 2057660. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2022.2057660
*VanWyk, B., & Mason, H. D. (2021). The influence of learning and study strategies inventory on the success of engineering students at a South African University of Technology. Cogent Education, 8(1), 1933682. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2021.1933682
Vargas, G. M. G. (2007). Factores asociados al rendimiento académico en estudiantes universitarios, una reflexión desde la calidad de la educación superior pública. Revista Educación, 31(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.15517/revedu.v31i1.1252
Veritas Health Innovation. (2023). [Covidence (Versión 2013) Systematic Review Software]. Veritas Health Innovation. www.covidence.org
*Wagner, F., Wagner, R., Kolanisi, U., Makuapane, L., Masango, M., & Gómez-Olivé, F. (2022). The relationship between depression symptoms and academic performance among first-year undergraduate students at a South African university: A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 2067. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14517-7
WEF (2023). Future of Jobs Report 2023 (4). Worl Economic Forum. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2023.pdf
*Willems, J., Coertjens, L., Tambuyzer, B., & Donche, V. (2019). Identifying science students at risk in the first year of higher education: The incremental value of non-cognitive variables in predicting early academic achievement. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 34(4), 847–872. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-018-0399-4
*Zhou, Y.-X., Zhao, Z.-T., Li, L., Wan, C.-S., Peng, C.-H., Yang, J., & Ou, C.-Q. (2014). Predictors of first-year GPA of medical students: A longitudinal study of 1285 matriculates in China. BMC Medical Education, 14(1), 87. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-14-87
