Simple Weighted Average as an Alternative Method in Aggregating Students’ Academic Achievements

Purpose – It is a normal practice that students’ overall scores are computed by simple average (SA) method which considers all academic subjects as having the same weights or same degree of importance. This paper highlights the application of simple weighted average (SWA) as an alternative method in...

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Main Authors: Maznah Mat Kasim, Siti Rohana Goh Abdullah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: UUM Press 2013-11-01
Series:Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction
Online Access:https://www.scienceopen.com/document?vid=5f03c5db-db05-43a3-a754-4a5c4260daa7
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author Maznah Mat Kasim
Siti Rohana Goh Abdullah
author_facet Maznah Mat Kasim
Siti Rohana Goh Abdullah
author_sort Maznah Mat Kasim
collection DOAJ
description Purpose – It is a normal practice that students’ overall scores are computed by simple average (SA) method which considers all academic subjects as having the same weights or same degree of importance. This paper highlights the application of simple weighted average (SWA) as an alternative method in aggregating students’ academic achievements. The weights of the academic subjects must be determined prior to the use of SWA.   Methodology – In a case study, a group of five teachers from one primary school was asked to rate five main subjects taught in primary schools according to their importance. These five teachers have taught the five subjects for more than six years. The obtained weights values were used to re-compute 2011 mid-semester final examination scores of 33 year-six pupils at the selected primary school.   Findings – The teachers decided to give different weight to three subjects, but same weights to two subjects. Furthermore, the SWA scores give different ranking to the pupils as compared to the SA scores. Another sentence or two needed here to explain the findings.   Significance – It is argued that the use of the SWA method is more suitable than the simple average method in finding the overall scores of students’ achievements. The SWA method considers the subjects to have different degrees of importance, as they do in the actual educational context.
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spelling doaj.art-bf4aaa1cb74b4bcabefe105858b8dc1c2023-02-23T11:42:46ZengUUM PressMalaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction1675-81102180-24832013-11-0110.32890/mjli.10.2013.7654Simple Weighted Average as an Alternative Method in Aggregating Students’ Academic AchievementsMaznah Mat KasimSiti Rohana Goh AbdullahPurpose – It is a normal practice that students’ overall scores are computed by simple average (SA) method which considers all academic subjects as having the same weights or same degree of importance. This paper highlights the application of simple weighted average (SWA) as an alternative method in aggregating students’ academic achievements. The weights of the academic subjects must be determined prior to the use of SWA.   Methodology – In a case study, a group of five teachers from one primary school was asked to rate five main subjects taught in primary schools according to their importance. These five teachers have taught the five subjects for more than six years. The obtained weights values were used to re-compute 2011 mid-semester final examination scores of 33 year-six pupils at the selected primary school.   Findings – The teachers decided to give different weight to three subjects, but same weights to two subjects. Furthermore, the SWA scores give different ranking to the pupils as compared to the SA scores. Another sentence or two needed here to explain the findings.   Significance – It is argued that the use of the SWA method is more suitable than the simple average method in finding the overall scores of students’ achievements. The SWA method considers the subjects to have different degrees of importance, as they do in the actual educational context.https://www.scienceopen.com/document?vid=5f03c5db-db05-43a3-a754-4a5c4260daa7
spellingShingle Maznah Mat Kasim
Siti Rohana Goh Abdullah
Simple Weighted Average as an Alternative Method in Aggregating Students’ Academic Achievements
Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction
title Simple Weighted Average as an Alternative Method in Aggregating Students’ Academic Achievements
title_full Simple Weighted Average as an Alternative Method in Aggregating Students’ Academic Achievements
title_fullStr Simple Weighted Average as an Alternative Method in Aggregating Students’ Academic Achievements
title_full_unstemmed Simple Weighted Average as an Alternative Method in Aggregating Students’ Academic Achievements
title_short Simple Weighted Average as an Alternative Method in Aggregating Students’ Academic Achievements
title_sort simple weighted average as an alternative method in aggregating students academic achievements
url https://www.scienceopen.com/document?vid=5f03c5db-db05-43a3-a754-4a5c4260daa7
work_keys_str_mv AT maznahmatkasim simpleweightedaverageasanalternativemethodinaggregatingstudentsacademicachievements
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