Predicting academic achievement

This paper reports the findings of a study that sought to examine the factors that influence academic achievement at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in the Sultanate of Oman. The study investigated the extent to which English language proficiency could predict academic achievement. It also looked into the relationship between gender and college and academic success.The sample consisted of 857 undergraduate students from three cohorts, 2010, 2011 and 2012. The data included students’ English language placement test scores and grade point averages. The results showed a strong relationship between English language proficiency and academic success. Language proficiency was found to predict 13.5% of academic performance. Gender and college were also found to affect achievement. The study showed that the three factors, language proficiency, college, and gender, collectively account for 24% of students’ university success. However, gender was found to have the strongest predictive effect among them. This implies that there are many other factors that come into play. The findings of this study demonstrate the complexity of academic success and pave the way for future studies that could probe into the various aspects of college study.