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Browsing Education by Subject "Academic achievement -- South Africa"
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Item Open Access Academic achievement in schools: perspectives of township school managers(University of the Free State, 2012-04) Majola, Ndoyisile Moses; Bagarette, N.; Van Staden, J.Apparently, most schools which are situated in townships in South Africa still show the legacy of apartheid and a struggle for freedom and equality and thus poor academic performance. However, it is profoundly imperative to indicate that some township secondary schools in the Bloemfontein area consistently performed remarkably well over the last five year period (2007-2011) despite these political challenges. School academic results are in the forefront of many South Africans and education officials' minds since every parent wants his or her child to attend a well performing school. Furthermore, the education officials have to ensure that all schools perform well and concomitantly with the money allocated to education by the government. This is why the whole issue of academic performance is such a critical issue. The effectiveness or performance of schools is defined in terms of academic performance of the learners in the Grade 12 examinations. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore the perspectives of township secondary school managers with regard to academic performance in their schools. This was done by considering the Grade 12 results in the Bloemfontein area in the five year period from 2007 to 2011. Moreover, this research investigated how management and leadership practices contribute towards excellent academic performance. In pursuance of this investigation, the researcher consequently formulated the objectives of this study. A literature study of education leadership and management, the management tasks and the role school managers have to play in ensuring that academic achievement is attained was conducted. The purpose of this study was to establish' how these factors contribute to academic success. School managers are entrusted with an important responsibility of ensuring that schools operate effectively and thus enhance academic achievement. Therefore, school managers should become leaders who inspire creativity and higher levels of achievement. School managers should regularly motivate and develop educators by creating opportunities in order for them to grow and to learn from each other. The research study was approached from an interpretivist perspective to establish how the participants perceive academic achievement in their schools. In the process of data gathering, the qualitative investigation was undertaken using focus group interviews. The sample comprised of township secondary school managers in the Bloemfontein area. Emergent themes and categories were discussed in the data report on the findings of the qualitative investigation. Participants indicated various factors which are important for school managers to display and perform in their effort to lead their schools to effectiveness. It was also evident from the participants that school managers efficiently utilised both management and leadership skills in their daily school management tasks. Nevertheless, participants highlighted that school managers were not adequately empowered in terms of management and leadership skills and the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS). On the basis of the qualitative results and the literature review, the main findings were interpreted and compared. Based on these findings, guidelines were proposed. In the light of the suggested guidelines, school managers need to be aware of the crucial role they play in ensuring that effective management and leadership are implemented in order to improve academic performance. Possible areas for further research were identified. It is hoped that the Free State Department of Education, as well as other provincial education departments in South Africa will be able to use the proposed guidelines in developing a training programme for school managers in the education fraternity.Item Open Access The effect of metacognitive intervention on learner metacognition and achievement in mathematics(University of the Free State, 2013-02) Du Toit, Daniël Stephanus; Du Toit, G. F.; Wilkinson, A. C.English: International and national measures point to the poor mathematics achievement of South African learners. The enhancement of the quality of mathematics education is a key priority of the Department of Basic Education in South Africa. Several studies have found a correlation between learner metacognition and mathematics achievement. Metacognition entails knowledge and regulation of one’s cognitive processes. Previous studies point to the positive effect of metacognitive interventions on learner metacognition and mathematics achievement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a metacognitive intervention (MI) on learner metacognition and the mathematics achievement of Grade 11 learners in the Free State from a predominantly pragmatic perspective. The MI was developed by combining aspects of a mathematical perspective on De Corte’s (1996) educational learning theory with aspects of previous metacognitive intervention studies in mathematics. A mixed methods research design was employed where qualitative data were embedded within a quasi-experiment. Data were collected from an experimental group (N=25) and a control group (N=24). Quantitative data on learner metacognition were obtained from the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI), while quantitative data on mathematics achievement were obtained from the learners’ Terms 1 and 4 report marks. Qualitative data were acquired by means of teacher interviews, problem-solving sessions, and learner and teacher perspectives on the MI process. The mixed methods research question investigated the extent to which the findings from the qualitative phase of the study support the findings from the quantitative phase regarding the effect of MI on learner metacognition and mathematics achievement. The quantitative findings indicated that MI had a statistically significant impact on learner metacognition in respect of the MAI total score, the Knowledge of cognition (KC) factor, the Regulation of cognition (RC) factor, and the subscales Declarative knowledge, Planning, and Monitoring. The impact of MI on mathematics achievement was less pronounced, as inferences had to be drawn from the correlation between learner metacognition and mathematics achievement. The quantitative findings showed a statistically significant correlation between KC and mathematics achievement, as well as between Declarative knowledge and mathematics achievement. Since MI had a statistically significant impact on KC and Declarative knowledge, it is concluded that MI also had a positive impact on mathematics achievement. The qualitative findings strongly support the quantitative findings regarding the positive impact of MI on learner metacognition. The quantitative findings in respect of the correlation between learner metacognition and mathematics achievement were only partially supported by the qualitative data. Main recommendations emerging from this study relate to the improvement of learners’ mathematics achievement by enhancing their Declarative knowledge, the enhancement of learners’ problem-solving skills, and the need to implement metacognitive interventions in mathematics particularly in schools where the teachers are inexperienced or underqualified.Item Open Access Exploring higher education capabilities of black women graduates towards personal and professional development(University of the Free State, 2014-10) Mahlaha, Nteboheng Theresia; Walker, Melanie; Loots, SonjaEnglish: Student success does not cease to be important after students have graduated, but extends to how employable graduates are and what they can do with their lives. Even though more than half of students enrolled in South African higher education institutes are women, men still hold the majority of positions in the labour market. The number of black women enrolled in higher education institutions has more than doubled in the last 19 years, according to a 2014 report by Higher Education South Africa (HESA). However; this seems insufficient progress when compared with the national demographics. Of the total black population, only 3.2% have access to higher education. Local and international literature shows a significant number of policies that attempt to establish gender and racial equality. However, in most cases, black women in both higher education and the workplace are experiencing unfair treatment. Statistics are unable to bring insight into gender and racial inequalities in order to ensure the same quality of higher education for both men and women. This study investigated the life trajectories of black woman graduates in South Africa, and how and if, in anyway, higher education has equipped them with the capabilities to succeed both professionally and personally. The life experiences of women in higher education and the workplace were investigated by the capabilities approach, which is a normative framework developed by Sen (1992) and Nussbaum (2003). This framework aids the understanding of what people want to do and be, which freedoms or capabilities enable them to pursue these doings and beings, and which factors prevent them from achieving their being and doings. Thus, this approach allowed me to move from statistical findings to insight into what a group of black women graduates’ value to be and whether they have the freedom to achieve well-being. This study was framed by the following research questions: 1) What contribution has higher education made to the capabilities and valued functionings of selected black women graduates regarding the professional and personal lives they have reason to value?2) How do gender and race enable or constrain black women graduates’ capability for work, including their career development, over time? 3) Do black women graduates have the agency and freedom to achieve what they value both professionally and personally? Although studies in feminist research have investigated the life histories of black women, not much work has been done on the capabilities of black women graduates. A feminist methodology was employed in this study, supported by life-history and narrative methods. These two methods focus mainly on how individuals choose to shape their own lives, whereas the life-history method enables an understanding of people’s stories against the wider background of society, in this case, gender equality and social justice. All lives are different; thus, the life-history method draws on both the differences and the similarities of participants’ experience. In this study, narratives of nine black women were drawn from to explore the experiences of black women in higher education and the labour market. The selected women had graduated from South African higher education institutions from various fields of study and socio-economic backgrounds. The capabilities approach allowed the analysis of each woman’s narrative and the mapping of the similarities. The capabilities of these women, as generated through higher education, included cross-cultural exposure; communication and interpersonal skills; knowledge, imagination and critical thinking; empowerment; respect, dignity and social consciousness; practical reasoning; lifelong learning; resilience and bodily integrity. The findings shed light, firstly, on how these women are acting as active agents in converting the capabilities into valued beings and doings beyond graduation and, secondly, on how race and gender proved to be both positive and negative social factors that influenced the women. Owing to the fact that the study is embedded in gender issues and the capabilities approach, which are both concerned with the well-being and agency of women in higher education and the labour market, the research contributes to higher-education research concerned with empowering black women. Furthermore, the study can provide a knowledge base for gender empowerment and fill a significant research gap in South Africa.Item Open Access A framework for the placement of university students in science programmes(University of the Free State, 2010-12) Jacobs, Melanie; De Bruin, G. P.; Van Tonder, S. P.; Viljoen, M. C.In view of the government policy directives to broaden access, of especially students in Natural Science (hereafter referred to as Science) and to increase student throughput, a quantitative study was undertaken to identify indicators of academic success, in order to develop a framework for placement. The first-year curriculum of programmes in Natural Science, Engineering and Health Sciences all include Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics as core fundamental Science modules. Academic student achievement pertaining to these three modules, were considered to design a framework for placing students in appropriate programmes. The national shortage of Science skills and higher subsidy from government prompt universities to change current curricula. When exploring success indicators of university Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics, the schooling system comes to the fore. The shortage of qualified teachers, constantly changing school curriculum and poorly resourced schools becomes evident in the quality of knowledge and skills of first-year students entering universities. This quantitative study focuses on the academic achievement of first-year students in the three fundamental modules, based on curricula that are developed and embedded in content and skills acquired at school level. The university curriculum continues from the perceived school exit level. Very few changes were made to first-year curricula, yet the school curriculum and student profiles changed considerably. The high failure and drop-out rate strengthens the rationale for this research. The study investigated placement of first-year students in appropriate programmes, in order to enhance academic success. In a study of policy documents, literature and empirical research on academic achievement, no other reference to a framework for placement could be found. In order to design the framework the research focused on two types of sources, namely, a literature study on South African Higher Education, and general mental ability and non-cognitive influences on academic success. This highlighted the importance of specific abilities and interests that are key to Mathematics and Science. Students in the fields of Natural Science, Engineering, Health Sciences as well as teachers and lecturers in these fields, come from a very limited pool, and special care, planning and management of such students, teachers/lecturers and academic programmes are required. Universities have no choice but to adjust current curricula, practise innovative enrolment management and render time and support to ensure an increased graduation rate in these fields. An empirical study was conducted on the academic achievement of four cohorts of first-year Science students at the University of Johannesburg, in Gauteng, South Africa. The link between the background variables (gender, age, home language and ethnicity) and the influence of Grade 12 results were shown to be associated with academic achievement in Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics at first-year level. Home language, ethnicity and Grade 12 Admission Point Score (APS) contributed significantly towards predicting academic achievement. The Stellenbosch University Access Test had good predictive value, and in conjunction with the Grade 12 profile, it could be applied meaningfully to place students in appropriate programmes. The inclusion of non-cognitive instruments provided significant insight to place students, based on informed decisions. The findings of both the literature and empirical study were structured in six categories which formed the foundational principles of the conceptual framework for placement: i) Neither the influence of the South African schooling system, nor the curriculum or quality of students will change in the foreseeable future; ii) Universities should collect as much as possible knowledge of students to promote quality learning and provide them with support; iii) Structured support and institutional First- Year Experience programmes will assist students with the adjustment from school to university; iv) Higher Education should urgently consider alignment with the entry-level of students and establish generic programmes to introduce them into universities; v) Opportunities to articulate from generic programmes to specialised qualifications with additional support for acquiring English language proficiency, computer and academic literacies as well as career guidance will be of utmost importance to provide Science graduates to assist with national needs; and vi) Students will be successful if specialised lecturers and methodology are employed for first-year teaching of complex disciplines. The proposed framework was designed, based on the above foundational principles and supported by four guidelines for implementation, namely: i) the establishment of a first-year enrolment centre with one-stop service and support; ii) a well designed extended qualification with a generic entering phase; iii) time allocated (during the generic phase) to assess individual students with a compound test battery; and iv) specialised methodology, a dedicated teaching and learning strategy with dedicated first-year lecturers to promote academic achievement in Science. The study culminated in the framework for placement for Science students, after admission. The theoretical implication of the proposed framework is represented by the holistic lens through which the field of Science was researched, culminating in common Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics attributes. Its practical implication focuses on changed perceptions and practices embedded in firstyear lecturers and university managers. The conceptual framework promises to change minds, attitudes and practices on placement and includes the responsibility to inform knowledgeable university colleagues. Those embarking on future research relating to this theme can build upon this study, while placement in Science education should stimulate the development of theory and practice and can be tested in Higher Education.Item Open Access Strategies for the implementation of further education and training learner attainment improvement plan(University of the Free State (Qwaqwa Campus), 2013-06) Shangase, Blossom B.; Mahlomaholo, M. G.; Kgothule, R. J.English: The study is about the formulation of innovative strategies to assist teachers towards the effective implementation of the Learner Attainment Improvement Plan (LAIP). In terms of (DoE, 2009:42-43), teachers have to be competent, dedicated and caring in order to sustain learner attainment, and they have to understand the kind of learner that is envisaged by the requirements of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS). A challenge currently facing teachers together with the school management teams (SMTs) is how the goals and the values of social justice, equity and democracy can be interwoven across the curriculum. Policy on norms and standards for educators further, describes the roles and their associated competencies for the development of a teacher in South Africa; however, teachers still face challenges in fulfilling them. The results of the findings for the study revealed that the inadequate implementation of the LAIP results from public schools still being owned by the state. Hence, such schools are still having less power to enact their decisions. They are still voiceless and ostracised. The study therefore argues for a greater use of social capital, whereby the voices of all stakeholders, from the grassroots level to the top, would be heard and recognised, thus creating opportunities to strengthen communication and collaboration among them. The study is therefore informed by critical theory, employing the principles of participatory action research. Through this methodology and theoretical framework, participants engage as equal partners in identifying innovative strategies to assist teachers towards sustaining learner attainment. In contrast with the positivists’ approach where the researcher distances himself or herself from the human subjects being studied. The human subjects are being treated as molecules in the laboratory or as respondents who provide the researcher with data. As researchers we have to be mindful of the saying that it takes the whole village to educate a child. Opportunities for communities who better know the challenges that the schools are faced up with in terms of the implementation of effective implementation of policies such as LAIP need to be taken into cognisance. Hence, solutions to these challenges will come from them to effect change in the education system as a way of improving academic learner performance. Based on the literature review and the discussions with the participants, strategies towards the implementation of LAIP in order to improve the academic learner performance were formulated. Also, the words of Abraham Lincoln who wrote in his 1862 message to the congress: “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion piled high with difficulty, and we must rise to the occasion. As our case is new, so must we think anew”, drove the participant, (Lincoln, 1953: 537).