Page 53 - Secondary school students’ university readiness and their transition to university Els van Rooij

Chapter 3
Abstract
is systematic review presents an overview of factors that play a role in explaining rst-year GPA, number of obtained credits (EC), and persistence in Dutch and Flemish higher education. In total, 38 peer-reviewed articles were included, mostly Dutch studies with a sample of university students. With regard to individual explanatory factors, consistent relationships with GPA, EC, and persistence were found for secondary school GPA, secondary school science coursework, conscientiousness, intrinsic motivation, academic adjustment, lack of regulation, attendance, and observed learning activities. Self-e cacy, fear of failure, expectancies, and number of contact hours were consistently related to GPA and EC. Looking at the categories of factors, we found that ability factors, prior education characteristics, learning environment characteristics, and engagement were most successful in explaining success, i.e., factors within these categories revealed the most signi cant relationships with the three outcome variables. Within some categories, the results di ered depending on which outcome variable was used. Ability mattered most in explaining student success when the outcome variables were GPA and EC, as did personality. Motivational factors were mainly important in predicting GPA, as were, to a small degree, certain learning strategies. Demographic factors mattered most o en when the outcome was EC, and psychosocial factors when the outcomes were EC and persistence. Based on these results, recommendations for future research into student success in higher education are provided.
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