Frequency of Repeated Courses its Relation to Persistence and Performance in Lebanon's Higher Education

Abstract

This study assesses the relationship between the frequency of repeating courses and students' performance in college. The study uses cohort data from academic years 2000/2001, 2001/2002, 2002/2003 and 2003/2004. We compared those who had repeated one, two and three courses on GPA and whether a relation exists of those who graduated/did not graduate. The analysis was extended to address the difference of those who repeated once, twice and three times; one, two and three courses respectively. The most common type of repeaters were those students who repeated one course once. These students were more prone to graduate at higher rates and perform better than those who repeated one course twice. In addition, students who failed and repeated courses generally performed better than students who failed but did not repeat the courses. The results from this study indicate that the university should do away with excessive repetitions