CORRELATION BETWEEN ADMISSION QUALIFICATIONS OF MUCG GRADUATES AND INTERMEDIATE AND FINAL RESULTS

Abstract

University education fundamentally focuses on the development of a broad minded and academically sound person through the acquisition of knowledge and skills for the good of humanity and a rewarding placement in society. It is for these reasons that thousands of people seek to have university education. However, a lot more people who apply each year for admission are refused entry for various reasons. Among these is the entry qualification of the student.

Selection of students into the universities in Ghana depends mainly on their grades achieved in school leaving examinations such as SSCE, A’ level, HND, and other diplomas. Few studies have validated such selection measures including that of McManus I. C. (1998), with quite unclear theoretical underpinning.

Nevertheless, success in university academic performance is the focal point of all educational activities which receive much attention from stakeholders. Prediction of academic performance remains unclear as there are so many intricately related factors associated with academic achievements. This achievement could best be described as situational as said by Momoh –Olle J. Y. (1992).

To attain quality university education, it is important that university institutions conduct periodic assessment of students to measure their performance and accomplishment in relation to how they have excelled in an academic subject, and taking into consideration the type of qualification and experience they had before being admitted to study a particular programme.

One single best way of assessing students is through examination. It is an academic exercise designed to obtain information about those who are examined. Tyler (1971) and Nunally (1972) defined examination as a standardized situation designed to elicit a sample of an individual’s behavior. Fagbamiye (1998) described examination as a tool for measuring and judging the standard of education in a country. For the university it serves as the basis of selecting qualified students and a means of measuring academic success. However, it is important to note that academic success is also predicted by the assessment of other variables.

Studies by Yoloye (1991), Okpala, Onocha and Oyedeji (1993), Afolabi (1998), Bandele (1998) and Ojerinde (2000) revealed that assessment involves such activities as gathering of valid information on attainment of educational objectives, analyzing and modeling information to aid judgment on effectiveness of an educational programme.