Class attendance and academic achievement of pharmacy students in a European University

ObjectiveTo establish the relationship between class attendance and academic achievement in a History of Pharmacy course at Santiago de Compostela University (Spain).MethodsThe study was conducted with four consecutive cohorts of students on the History of Pharmacy course within Santiago University (n = 342). Correlations between attendance and academic performance of the students were established. Additionally, results from different degrees of lecture attendance were compared. In the last cohort, the academic qualities of the students were controlled.ResultsPositive relationships between attendance and academic performance were observed. Correlations were statistically significant in all cases. Students with high attendance got higher grades than those with low or no attendance. There was no relationship between quality of students and attendance.ConclusionsResults were conclusive for the four cohorts. Lecture attendance was associated with a better student academic performance. Our results from a European University agree with other studies from American Universities. Actions to reduce absenteeism have been suggested.