An Empirical Analysis of Success Factors in an Introductory Financial Management Class

Keywords

learning, learning assessment outcome assessment, undergraduate business education, financial education

Abstract

In this article we first provide a review of the literature on the determinants of academic grades centered around 16 proposed factors. We extend an analysis which reviewed this literature over the years of 1930-1937 (Harris, 1940). Harris studies 328 previous articles and determines factors such as intelligence, high school grades, study habits, teaching methods and conditions, incentives and direct motivation, amount of course work taken, and extra-curricular factors. Next, we conduct a survey of 755 undergraduate students at the end of a semester of an introductory financial management class at a large Western United States university. Students are asked over 100 questions that could be possible determinants of their course grade. The factors include traditional determinants such as those in Harris (1940), as well as program specific factors. The primary research objective is to determine which factors help students achieve the best learning (as measured by course grade) so instructors can focus efforts on variables that benefit student learning in management classes. Abstract In this article we first provide a review of the literature on the determinants of academic grades centered around 16 proposed factors. We extend an analysis which reviewed this literature over the years of 1930-1937 (Harris, 1940). Harris studies 328 previous articles and determines factors such as intelligence, high school grades, study habits, teaching methods and conditions, incentives and direct motivation, amount of course work taken, and extra-curricular factors. Next, we conduct a survey of 755 undergraduate students at the end of a semester of an introductory financial management class at a large Western United States university. Students are asked over 100 questions that could be possible determinants of their course grade. The factors include traditional determinants such as those in Harris (1940), as well as program specific factors. The primary research objective is to determine which factors help students achieve the best learning (as measured by course grade) so instructors can focus efforts on variables that benefit student learning in management classes.

Original Publication Citation

"Brau, J.C., Brau, R.I., Rowley, T., & Swenson, M.J. (2017) An Empirical Analysis of the Success Factors in an Introductory Financial Management Class, Journal of the Academy of Business Education 18, 1-52 (lead article, from undergraduate program)."

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2017

Publisher

Journal of the Academy of Business Education

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Assistant Professor

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