Attitudes and Academic Performance of Engineering Students in both Prerequisite Courses to Final Year Project and Final Year Project

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes of engineering students and their academic performance towards both prerequisite courses for and the final year project (FYP), given the need to increase our understanding of attitudes and performance in the context of engineering students, currently underexplored. Questionnaire surveys of 714 eligible students enrolled in the FYP across six engineering programs were conducted. The results show that students enrolled in Industrial, Mechanical and Civil engineering programs, have a negative attitude towards the FYP and its prerequisites, while students enrolled in Electrical, Electronic and Industrial Design and Technology programs have a positive attitude. A statistically strong positive correlation between project prerequisites and engineering FYP was found, confirmed by factor analysis. Majority of students struggle with project progress as compared to other stages of the FYP, due to inadequacy in fundamentals such as design. This study contributes to an understanding of existing knowledge by providing empirical evidence of not only challenges faced by engineering students (as opposed to other disciplines that have been widely covered) but also remedies to improve students’ academic performance. The findings also have implications on engineering education, in relation to informing policy decisions on engineering program structure.