School of Higher Education Studies

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Browsing School of Higher Education Studies by Subject "Academic performance"

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    Designing an academic support and development programme to combat attrition among non-traditional medical undergraduates
    (University of the Free State, 2009-05) Moagi-Jama, Mpho Priscilla; Monnapula-Mapesela, M. L. E.; Beylefeld, A. A.
    English: The overall aim of this study was to design an integrated and holistic programme for the academic support and development of non-traditional undergraduate medical students. The study was motivated by the need to increase the retention rate of these students. The conceptual framework of this study is based on the theories of Spady, Bean and Tinto. These theories were used to design a retention theory called “Circles of Progression” for non-traditional students in the South African context. As a framework, this theory has guided the empirical investigation and the outcome of this study. The study adopted a case study design to gain an in-depth understanding of the non-traditional undergraduate medical students in the medical school at the University of the Free State. A mixed methods approach was used to conduct the study. Data was collected by means of are a questionnaire and extensive engagement. These methods allowed triangulation and improved the reliability and validity of data and findings. From this study, it became clear that student retention is not due to an isolated factor, but it is a result of a whole range of interrelated factors and therefore there is no one single explanation and solution to student attrition. Based on the literature, generalisations about student retention can be misleading because each country, each institution and each student is unique. South Africa, for instance, cannot be compared to other countries because of its previous political history, its uneven schooling system and the different social backgrounds of the various population xixgroups. Moreover, issues related to retention in the different higher education institutions will not be precisely the same because of different educational systems that existed before political transformation started in 1994. Unfortunately, there is a tendency among both academics and non-academics to provide a single bold answer when asked why students do not perform well. One example of a common answer is that “students do not study”. This answer is often provided without even considering other interrelated factors. The question is “do institutions understand the nature of the problem?” If institutions and the key stakeholders in these institutions could understand the nature of problems faced by non-traditional students, especially undergraduate medical students, they could collaborate, communicate and work together as a team to provide an integrated and holistic programme of action to support and develop these students and therefore, increase their retention rate. The programme of action as proposed in this study could start even before the students enter the university and continue up to their clinical years where they begin to specialise and become professionalised in the medical field.
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    Self-regulated learning and time perspective as predictors of academic performance in undergraduate economics studies
    (University of the Free State, 2013-11) Keyser, J. N.; Viljoen, M. C.
    English: The goal of this study was to research the hypotheses that self-regulated learning and a future time perspective separately and simultaneously predict academic performance in second year Economics studies. The study also investigated whether self-regulated learning and future time perspective are related. In the theoretical underpinning self-regulated learning as related to learning theories, future time perspective and the learning of Economics were explored. The effect of the confounding variables(age, gender, ethnicity and the psycho-social wellbeing of students), on the dependent variable (academic performance in second year Economics studies), were built into the design and analysed. Data was analysed using descriptive, correlation and regression analysis. The multiple regression analysis indicated that self-regulated learning and a future time perspective predict academic performance in second year Economics studies. A correlation matrix revealed that a relationship exists between self-regulated learning and a future time perspective. Regarding the confounding variables, the one with the most significant influence on the dependant variable was ethnicity. In conclusion the study recommended that teaching and assessment methods should be used to empower students to apply self-regulated learning strategies. This could greatly enhance their academic performance.
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    A support programme for first-year chemistry students: a campus case study
    (University of the Free State, 2012-12) Moji, Rantooa Goodchild; Holtzhausen, S. M.; Meintjes, R.
    Chemistry is often regarded as a difficult subject, which is reflected in the high failure rates of university first-year students. These students are faced by diverse challenges such as the difficult and abstract nature of the subject, lack of interest in and motivation for this subject, irrelevant prior knowledge or misconceptions, large classes, and the application in the world of work. The success rate of first-year Chemistry students at the UFS (Qwaqwa campus) has also been unsatisfactory for some years and that adversely affected the through-put rates of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. This made it necessary to embark on a study to establish what could be the root causes of this problem and propose a possible way to remedy the situation. In order to address this problem, this study was designed to address the following main research question: What are first-year students’ and lecturers’ experiences of the teaching, learning and assessment employed in the Chemistry subject (i.e. CEM104) and how can possible shortcomings be addressed? This study used an adapted explanatory mixed methods design to address the main research question, using qualitative findings (from focus groups and semi-structured interviews) to explain the quantitative findings from the self-constructed questionnaire. Hundred and thirteen first-year Chemistry students (UFS, QwaQwa campus) participated in the questionnaire survey, while two focus groups were conducted and two lecturers were interviewed. In essence, the data revealed that both first-year Chemistry students and lecturers at the UFS (QwaQwa campus) perceived learning, teaching and assessment deficiencies, but the determinant factors/reasons for these were diverse. The participants, however, recognised the need for a support programme as well as various additional facilities (e.g. computers, e-mail, internet, library services and textbooks, academic support and a departmental manual) to improve the academic performance of first-year Chemistry students.