Understanding Business Student attendance in ULCatherine BlakeNiall ClearyDiarmuid NoonanCormac RyanDries De Schepper

Applied Marketing IMK4007Marketing Research ReportBéire

CONTENT

INTRODUCTION

OBJECTIVES

METHODOLOGY

FINDINGS & KEY THEMES

RECOMMENDATIONS

LIMITATIONS

CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

Purpose and Scope of the Research

“Paying attention to the rationales for lecture absence provided by students themselves could also help institutions to diagnose levels of student engagement and respond in appropriate ways” (Moore et al. 2008)

OVERALL OBJECTIVE

Understanding Business Student attendance in UL

SUB-OBJECTIVES

1.To identify the current attendance patterns in ULProvide a starting point for our research

2. To identify what could improve levels of attendanceUse data and results gatheredProvide recommendations

METHODOLOGY

Secondary Research Sources: Journal Articles

Previous study in UL found that therewas an attendance problem(Moore et al. 2008)

Students in large classes complained of losing interest because of long periods of inactivity, the distance from the lecturer and lack of variety in lectures. (Ward & Jenkins 1992)

“Attendance monitoring must be done in a sensitive and confidential manner, and seen as a means to support rather than police students” (Bowen et al. 2005)

METHODOLOGY

Primary Research Focus Group

To Identify Current Attendance Patterns Among Business Students in ULTo Identify Strategies That Could Improve Levels of Attendance

FINDINGS

Focus Group of International Business StudentsDate and

roomNo. of

ParticipantsProfile of

ParticipantsDuration Key Findings

27/10/2011KBG24

   

6   

International Business

Students on Erasmus in UL

10 mins   

Almost 100% attendance

3 Male Prefer smaller, interactive classes

3 Female 

Attend to keep up to date with work

3 French, 1 Belgian, 2

Germans (Turkish and Ukrainan

origin)

Prefer practical rather than theory based subjects

Aged 19-24

FINDINGS

Focus Group of Fourth Year Business StudentsDate and

roomNo. of

ParticipantsProfile of

ParticipantsDuration Key Findings

27/10/2011KBG24

     

5     

Fourth Year Business

Students in UL

20 mins     

Attend approx. 65 to 75% of their classes

2 Male Social life affects attendance

3 FemaleLocation of Classes affects

attendance

All Irish Weather affects attendance

Aged 20-22  

Lecture style is a factor affecting their decision to attend

Stricter discipline would result in higher attendance

FINDINGS

Focus Group of Third Year Business Students

Date and room

No. of Participants

Profile of Participants

Duration Key Findings

02/11/2011KBG24

     

4     

Third Year Business Students

15 mins     

All respondents attend 70% to 80% of Classes.

 2 Male

Social life affects attendance 

Preference of tutorials over lectures 

Not all classes seem important

2 Female Location of Classes affects attendance

All Irish Class Time affects attendance

Aged 20-21 

% given for attendance would increase interest

 Stricter discipline may increase

attendance

Lecture style is a factor affecting their decision to attend

FINDINGS

Focus Group of Second Year Business Students

Date and room

No. of Participants

Profile of Participants

Duration Key Findings

08/11/2011KBG24

     

5     

Second Year Business Students

20 mins     

Approx 100% attendance

 3 Male

Individual lectures very important

2 Female Using social media would improve

1 Lithuanian, 4 Irish

Prefer tutorialsAged 20-35

 

FINDINGS

Focus Group of First Year Business Students

Date and room

No. of Participants

Profile of Participants

Duration Key Findings

07/11/2011KBG24

     

4     

First Year Business Students

15 mins     

3/4 respondents attend 45% to 60% of Classes. 1/4 Respondents

attends 90% to 100%

All Male Social life affects attendance

2 IrishLocation of Classes affects

attendance

2 African, Living in Ireland for several

YearsClass Time affects attendance

Aged 18-19 

Weather affects attendance

Lecture style is a factor affecting their decision to attend

KEY THEMES

Scheduling

1

Social life / laziness – College low priority

1

Class type / teaching style

1

Obligation to attend

1

More interactive learning

1

RECOMMENDATIONS

Lecturing Department Advice on most effective teaching styles Reward students for high attendance

Academic Administration Better Room allocation Scheduling of classes

Student Union President Encourage the student body to attend their

classes

LIMITATIONS

Small size of the sample Time Constraints Diversity of the sample Inexperienced Researchers

CONCLUSION

There is an attendance problem Reasons for non-attendance

The findings from our research can benefit both the university and its students

Further research into this topicis necessary

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!