Die langtermyndoeltreffendheid van 'n universiteitsoorbruggingsprogram

English: Presently South Africa is involved in a process of radical transformation aimed at the upliftment of the black population in all domains, especially education. The development of a country in respect of economic prosperity, technological progressiveness and educational excellence depends on its youth. Since the demise of apartheid, the focus therefore centered specifically on the educational deficiencies of black or high-risk students. In order to ensure equal opportunities for tertiary education to all disadvantaged students, ways were investigated to close the gap between the deprived backgrounds of students on the one hand and academic expectations in the tertiary environment on the other. As limited assistance by means of day courses or summer programmes failed to eliminate the cognitive and affective components which hampered the academic self-actualisation of disadvantaged students overseas, more structured interventions were systematically introduced in the form of academic support programmes and bridging courses. Pre-tertiary bridging courses that provide students, who have the necessary potential but have an academic history barring them from attending traditionally white universities, with the opportunity for further study, are a relatively recent development in South Africa. As a way of preparing black students for tertiary admission and facilitating their transition from the secondary to tertiary institution, the Career Preparation Programme (CPP) has been in operation at the University of the Orange Free State since 1993. Because of costs associated with these programmes, as well as the demand for a trained work force in the technological professions, it is important that programmes (including the CPP) be effective in benefitting students academically. As the success of these programmes is measured in terms of students' increased academic performance, lower drop-out rates, and an increase in the proportion of highly qualified graduates, these programmes should be effective in the long term. Few programmes have been studied locally, especially as far as their long-term effectiveness is concerned. Furthermore, studies on the long-term effectiveness of these programmes (e.g. the PBS at the University of the Witwatersrand), have been based on a single degree course only. In view of the absence of past research on the long-term effectiveness of the CPP, the present study particularly focuses on this aspect. This was done by comparing various indices of performance of the 1993 intake of CPP students with the corresponding indices of a control group of black students who were directly admitted to the UOFS in 1994, after differences in previous academic performance, as reflected in their Swedish Scale Points, were controlled for statistically. The performance indices used, were inter alia the average curriculum percentage marks of the students and the number of credits acquired (in the respective years of study as well as cumulatively), as well as their drop-out and graduation rates. Although the CPP students were put in an advantage in that the cumulative of their transitional year and first tertiary year was compared to the first-year performance of the control group, the results suggested that in respect of all operalisations of academic success, the CPP students were less successful than the control group. Although a positive relationship (r :::;0,40) has been found between the CPP students' Swedish Scale Points and their first-year performance, the corresponding effect size was rather low (f ² =0,07) and no other significant relationship was found between these variables. In spite of limitations in this study, it would appear that the particular intake of CPP students were unable to cope with academic demands, either as a result of an inability to adapt or because of defective skills, resulting in the CPP being ineffective in ensuring the long-term academic success of high-risk students. Several students, however, who otherwise would not have been admitted to the UOFS, have already graduated. As the CPP is also revised annually, and the programme has possibly been improved in the meantime, these results cannot necessarily be generalised to the CPP intakes of other years. These results imply that continued academic support in the form of inter alia retention programmes should be considered in order to ensure permanent academic success for high-risk students.