The Correlations Between Students' Academic Success and the Various Modes of Attendance

The increased demands on students’ time and effort imposed by their academic and personal environments have prompted many to explore alternative avenues for attending classes. This study sought to determine the existence of a correlation between the different modes of classroom attendance and students’ academic success. The research detailed within this report examined the attendance of four undergraduate statistics classes with 111 participants. Students were incentivized to complete an attendance survey, indicating whether they attended in person, virtual live streaming, or viewed the recorded lecture at a later time. Students who did not respond to the survey or were absent from the lecture were categorized as ‘No Response.’ The data revealed significant correlations between how students attend class and their success in the class with the group attending via virtual live streaming being marginally significant. The ‘No Response’ group exhibited a negative correlation with academic performance in the class, representing the strongest correlation observed. This suggests that the ability to attend classes asynchronously and via virtual attendance could potentially hinder students' academic performance. Addressing this challenge in education is pertinent for future learners. It may prompt necessary reforms within the educational system, creating new opportunities to enhance students' motivation and comprehension of essential material. Moreover, the increase in online meetings across various professional fields underscores the potential to improve efficiency, knowledge, and, consequently, motivation by appropriately leveraging this knowledge.