Students Placement into Different Departments by First Choice and Without: It’s Relationship with Students’ Academic Performances: The Case of Madda Walabu University

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to look at the relationship between the Practices of students’ placement into different Departments and Students ’academic performance at Madda Walabu University. A descriptive Case Study Research method was employed in this study. A total of 233 students of two batches in their first- and third-year studies in 2012/13 were included in this study using stratified random sampling. In addition, 17 officials (university managers) were included using the availability sampling while 16(two from each selected department) instructors were selected using quota sampling technique. Questionnaire, Interview and Documents analysis were employed to collect data. Both quantitative and quantitative methods of data analysis were used as data collection instruments. Both quantitative and quantitative methods of data analysis were used to complement the limitation of one over the other. The finding of this study shown that practice of student’s departmental placement was carried out against choices and interests of most students and it’s been one among many factors hindering students’ academic performance at this University. Therefore, the concerned bodies at this University, need to give due consideration to students’ interests, aptitudes and preferences during student placement into various departments at this university.