Factors and experiences related to the academic success of students in the Faculty of the Humanities

English: This research study builds on the current body of research regarding the predictors of academic success among students enrolled in higher education (HE), as well as students’ perceptions of these factors. The aim of the study is to contribute to the understanding of the factors and experiences related to academic success in HE and to expand on the model of academic success within the South African (SA) context. The study focussed specifically on first- to fifth-year students enrolled in the Faculty of the Humanities at the University of the Free State. The roles of several pre-enrolment and post-enrolment factors on students’ academic success were explored by means of this mixed-methods study. Pre-enrolment factors that were examined during the study included students’ age, gender, race, language proficiency, Grade 12 performance, high school attended, and parental levels of education, while the post-enrolment factors that were scrutinised included students’ initial educational goals, initial commitment to the HE institution, physical energy devoted to HE activities, psychological energy devoted to HE activities, academic self-concept, participation in academic activities, academic contact with staff, academic contact with peers, participation in extracurricular activities, non-academic contact with staff, non-academic contact with peers, financial responsibilities, family responsibilities, and employment responsibilities. The quantitative analysis was based on the data collected from 229 students, while the qualitative data were collected from 26 students, all of whom were in their first to fifth years in the Faculty of the Humanities. Results of the quantitative section of the study showed that several differences existed in terms of students’ age, race, gender, language proficiency, high school attended, as well as parental levels of education and the various post-enrolment factors that were explored. Moreover, the total set of pre- and post-enrolment factors, as well as the separate sets of preenrolment factors and post-enrolment factors explained a significant amount of the variance in academic success for the entire sample, as well as for the different race groups (designated group and the white group). Next, different individual variables explained a significant amount of the variance in academic success in the designated group and white group. In terms of the qualitative section of the study, students’ perceptions of academic success included how they viewed academic success, how they would define an academically successful student and the behaviours that successful students would exhibit. Lastly, the individuals who played an important role in success and other aspects that they viewed as important in Factors and experiences related to academic success vi academic success were highlighted in the qualitative section. When results of the two sections of the study were integrated, it was clear that the prediction of academic success remains very complex and that several pre- and post-enrolment factors in combination, rather than factors in isolation, are more successful in the prediction of students’ academic success. This study contributed significantly to the body of research regarding academic success within the South African context, specifically with regards to the academic success of non-traditional students.