A survey on quality in education with respect to students' aptitude / Anis Abul Hasan Ashari

Previous studies have examined various factors affecting the overall academic
performance of accounting students in the education literature. In relation to this, a
study was carried out to determine the best predictor of students' high performance in
their accounting programmes. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to five
public universities in the Klang Valley area; Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia,
Universiti Teknologi MARA, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and
Universiti Putra Malaysia. A total of 235 responses were received but only 213 were
usable. Questions focused on six variables; motivation, the learning environment,
exposure, aptitude, effort in terms of studying approaches and other factors such as
family support and extracurricular activities. The results show that aptitude
significantly affects student performance as compared to the other five variables.
Thus, supporting previous research that aptitude is a significant predictor of student
performance. The findings will provide valuable information to both educators and
accounting students. Therefore, the study should give educators an empirical basis as
to how to improve student performance and a guide to students on how to achieve
success in their studies.