Academic performance of first semester sponsored students at International Education Centre (INTEC), UiTM

Each year the International Education Centre (INTEC) offers more than one thousand places for students with excellent SPM results for its various programmes. This study is carried out to: (1) to determine the confidence level of first semester students; (2) to assess the students' satisfaction towards INTEC; (3) to identify the learning styles of students; (4) to identify factors affecting the grades of first semester students; and (5) to develop a model for predicting the academic performance of first semester students at INTEC. The subjects were first semester students from Australia-New Zealand Matriculation Programme (AUSMAT), A-Level United Kingdom, A- Level Medicine and American Degree Foundation Programme (ADFP). A random cluster sample of 529 respondents completed the questionnaire which covers 4 main sections: demographic information, self-confidence, satisfaction and learning styles. The results show that the overall level of self-confidence with the INTEC programme is moderately high. However by comparison, the level of confidence of achieving the top ten placing in their respective courses is the highest, while that of learning English at INTEC could be a bit problematic. Students feel that they will do better at the university level rather than at INTEC perhaps due to stiff competition amongst peers at INTEC. The satisfaction level of students with INTEC is deemed moderate. By comparison, on the average, the students are least satisfied with the orientation programme and are most satisfied with the fields of studies offered by their sponsors. On the average, the students are highly collaborative and competitive. The Cluster Analysis results reveal that Malay students are more dependent than Chinese or other ethnic groups; AUSMAT students are relatively most independent, competitive and participative; while ADFP are least independent. Also, independent learners are more likely to achieve better grades than those who are not. Females perform better than males and Chinese students outperformed students of other ethnicities.