Predicting the Academic Performance of MBA Students: A South African Study

By Martina Kotzé and Loura Griessel.

Published by The International Journal of the Humanities

Format	Price
Article: Print	$US10.00
Article: Electronic	$US5.00

Graduation and retention rates in higher education, especially at the Masters level, is crucial to the maintenance of academic standards, as well as university funding. The graduation rates across all provider types of MBA qualifications in South Africa are not very high. Various studies have reported that, in order to address poor throughput rates, one of the important aspects that need to be addressed, is the criteria used to select students for the programme. Problems associated with admission and the validity of selection criteria of MBA students is not limited to South African Business Schools and has been researched and reported on extensively, both locally and internationally. The purpose of this study was to identify valid predictors and measures of the academic performance of MBA students. Multiple regression analysis was used in order to determine the significance of different criteria in predicting academic success. The sample consisted of 135 MBA students from a South African School of Management. The research showed that numerical and verbal abilities, as well as personality attributes, seem to play an imporant role in the prediction of MBA academic success. The important role of personality attributes, in addition to abilities, became apparent.

Keywords:	MBA Selection Criteria, Predictors and Measures of Academic Performance, Abilities and Personality Attributes for MBA Performance

International Journal of the Humanities, Volume 6, Issue 1, pp.147-156. Article: Print (Spiral Bound). Article: Electronic (PDF File; 570.045KB).

Prof. Martina Kotzé

Associate Professor, School of Management, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa

I am an Industrial Psychologist, teaching Organisation Behaviour at the School of Management, as well as in the Department of Industrial Psychology. I also have a part time practice, where my focus is mainly on organisation development interventions and psychometric assessment for selection and development purposes. I enjoy the outdoor life, reading and spending time with good friends and family.

Dr. Loura Griessel

Senior Lecturer, School of Management, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa

I am a Counceling Psychologist, responsible for several management- and personal development courses at the School of Management, as well as the professional training for psychometrists at the Department of Industrial Psychology. I also have a part time private practice where I focus on individual therapy from a Jungian perspective.

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