The effect of attending or missing lectures on soil mechanics examination performance

The effect of class attendance or absence on the performance of students is often debated. This investigation assessed the effect of the extent of lecture attendance or absence on the performance of 63 Soil Mechanics students of the Civil Engineering Technology Programme, at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. The results indicated that a correlation exists between the extent of absence and attainment. A total of 6 of the 10 students who did not qualify to sit the examination attended a maximum of 1 lecture. Of the 53 students who sat the examination, it was evident that the pass rate generally improved with increased lecture attendance. More specifically, no students who attended less than 30 % of the lecture sessions passed the examination. In addition, 87 % of students who attended up to approximately 55 % of the lectures failed. A significant correlation (P = 1.3 % and r = 0.779) was established between the number of students that failed and the number of lectures missed. Finally, a highly significant correlation (P = 0.006 % and r = 0.956) was established between the chances of passing an examination and the number of lecture sessions attended.