Factors Influencing the Academic Performance in Standardized Tests of Computer Science/Engineering Students in Colombia

摘要

There is worldwide concern about the presence of factors that affect the performance of students in the computer science/ engineering (CS) education process. Gender, socioeconomic and institutional factors may create gaps that affect not only the quality of education but also the entire society. This paper examines the influence of these factors on the performance of two tests used in Colombia for assessing the quality of education: The SABER-11, applied to senior high-school students, and SABER-PRO, applied to senior CS students (N = 2,964). We used effect size to compare mean difference by gender, and correlation and multiple regression analysis to examine the influence of socioeconomic and institutional factors, and the results of the SABER-11 on SABER-PRO. The results suggest the existence of moderate gender differences, favouring men, at the high-school level; however, when compared to the undergraduate level, we found evidence of significant gaps in all evaluated topics and of men performing better than women do. Results also suggest the existence of gaps associated with income, parental education, and the nature and quality of the university and the academic program where the student studies.