Authors : Ahmad Zamri Khairani, Madina Abdul Rahman and Mohd Effendi Ewan Mohd Matore
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to calibrate the challenges faced by undergraduates in Malaysian universities. The challenges are divided into four aspects, namely, academics, personal, social and career as well as the infrastructural needs of universities. A total of 360 undergraduates from 2 local public universities participated in this study. Responses from the 30 items questionnaire were calibrated using the Rasch model analysis so as to determine the most important challenges and how different these challenges are from each other. The undergraduates agreed that internet connection is the most important challenge (measure = -1.99 logit), followed by the quest for academic excellence (mean = -1.24 logits) and missing their family back home (mean = -1.18 logits). Based on the equal interval scale of the Rasch model calibration, this study obtained the following information: internet connection (measure = -1.99 logit) is about 2 times more important than the challenge to secure job after graduation (measure = -1.02 logit). In contrast, securing job after graduation is 2 times more important than challenges related to transport system (mean = -01.51 logits).
Ahmad Zamri Khairani, Madina Abdul Rahman and Mohd Effendi Ewan Mohd Matore, 2017. Application of Rasch Model Analysis in Calibrating Undergraduate Challenges at Malaysian Universities. The Social Sciences, 12: 1151-1156.