The last few decades have seen the importance of education increasing in the subcontinent. A steep rise in the emphasis on girls’ education is also observed in India. The current education scenario in the country requires students to get very high scores at higher secondary level for admission into reputable colleges and universities. This study intends to understand the predictors of academic performance by gathering opinions from female students. The relative weights of the predictors, namely self-discipline, student interest, study habits, teacher expertise, and family support, were computed based on the responses and presented. This study employed a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique for the same. As the study involved vagueness, the fuzzy version was used. Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) is the MCDM technique utilized here. Student–participants were from cities, all belonging to the same stream and board of education. The study finds student interest to be a key predictor, followed by self-discipline, teacher expertise, study habits, and family support, respectively. The results imply that studying with interest can influence academic performance to a great extent. This study will be helpful to researchers, academicians, schools, and parents. It is suggested that investigations could be carried out with boys and students in other places and boards of education to throw more light on predictors.

Predictors of academic performance among girls in south Indian cities

Abstract Employment of a systematic approach for prioritization of improvement projects and addressing the voice of the stakeholders are imperative for organizations in the current business circumstances. This study suggests a novel approach that employs multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods for project prioritization. A combination of step-wise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) method and house of quality (HOQ) is used in the calculation of the importance of criteria, followed by utilization of criteria importance in COmplex PRoportional ASsessment of alternatives with grey relations (COPRAS-G) for selection of the final project. It considers environmental effects alongside traditional criteria. Innovation in this study is in the combination of the MCDMs with HOQ and prioritizing projects considering the impact on the environment. The advantages are efficiency and simplicity. The practical focus of the approach is illustrated using a case example. The approach is used for the prioritization of projects that apply the Define–Measure–Analyze–Improve–Control (DMAIC) framework in a Six Sigma organization. The evaluation of three DMAIC projects suggested taking up Project C. The illustration has shown applicability in real-life situations. Thus, the novel approach identifies an environment-friendly project that satisfies the stakeholders the most. The utilization of Grey MCDM method makes the approach suitable for use in an uncertain environment.

Ambika M. Raja

Papers

Predictors of academic performance among girls in south Indian cities

Improvement projects with an environmental focus: A novel approach for prioritization