Performance and Attrition in Information Technology Studies; A Survey of Students' Viewpoints
Outi T. Virkki · 2023
Programming is a relatively difficult skill to acquire; the mean worldwide pass rate of CS1 courses is 68%. Programming performance is also difficult to predict. Despite plentiful studies on the topic, there is no consensus of factors predicting performance. The problem escalates from academic institutions to the whole society, as IT industry craves more IT professionals and IT faculties suffer from numerous dropouts. The aim of this study is to consider performance and attrition in higher education IT studies from the perspective of IT majors. Students are regarded as experts by experience in the study. In developing administrative and pedagogical practices, their voices should be heard. The online survey utilised a novel three-phase question methodology combining open and closed questions to elicit initial, informed and prioritised opinions of the students. The survey was replicated to consolidate the results. Students' informed and prioritised opinions on factors contributing to success in computing studies emphasised will to learn, interest in IT, problem-solving, logical reasoning, self-directed information seeking, diligence and perseverance. Main reasons to consider discontinuing IT studies were experiences of difficulty, lack of motivation and lack of time. The top factors contributing to success in computing studies can be categorised into motivational factors, cognitive skill factors and self-directional engagement factors. Scarcities in the very same factor categories were also identified as causes of attrition. Students are expected to take responsibility for their studies, but young brains may not be mature for sufficient self-direction and engagement. The developed three-phase question strategy proved to be informative.