Nie-kognitiewe voorspellers van akademiese prestasie by eerstejaar-universiteitstudente - Janse van Rensburg, Hester Sophia (University of the Free State, 1999)
English: From several quarters appeals are made for greater tertiary-educational access for previously disadvantaged commumtres. This has an enormous impact on universities. South Africa possesses limited financial resources and cannot spend large sums of money on students with little or no chance of academic success. Selection is thus necessary for the sake of the university and the student. Traditionally, aptitude tests and high school performance have been used fairly successfully in the identification of students with a good chance of achieving success at a tertiary-educational level (Huysamen & Raubenheimer, 1999). The fairness of these selection processes is strongly questioned in view of black learners' inadequate schooling (Miller, 1992). It is specifically in this area that the use of non-cognitive variables may be of value. Tracey and Sedlacek (1984, 1985, 1987) found in various studies that non-cognitive variables as measured by their Non-Cognitive Questionnaire (NCQ) may play an important role in the prediction of academic achievement. Locally, however, there appears to be a shortage of research to evaluate the value of non-cognitive variables as part of an admissions test battery. This study aims to determine firstly whether the accuracy of predictions concerning black students' academic achievement may be increased by utilizing both cognitive and non-cognitive variables. Secondly it investigates whether noncognitive variables make a greater contribution to predicting the tertiary academic success of black students as compared to their white counterparts. The different selection methods used at South African universities, as well as the problems experienced with regard to applicants from diverse usefulness of non cognitive factors. Moreover, the seven non-cognitive dimensions upon which the NCO is based are discussed in greater detail. The value of study methods, attitude and motivation are also discussed. Two samples were used in this study. The first group consisted of 475 first-year students who completed the NCQ. The second sample consisted only of black first-year psychology students. The NCO as well as the Study Methods Questionnaire (Entwistie et al., 1971) were administered to the second sample. The first-year students' academic achievement during the first semester was used as the dependent variable. The following predictors were used in this study: matriculation marks, NCO and Studymethods. A hiarchical (multiple) regression analysis was performed in order to determine whether the above-mentioned noncognitive variables accounted for any criterion variance beyond that predicted by matriculation marks. The results of this study showed that the cognitive and non-cognitive variables for the white students collectively explained 28.69% of the criterion variance. The cognitive variable accounted for 27.24% for the variance whereas the noncognitive variables accounted for 8.4% additional criterion variance bringing the percentage of explained variance of the full model to 8.98. The latter is significant at the 1% level. The results suggest that the non-cognitive variables account for a greater portion of the variance in tertiary academic achievement among black students than does the cogntive variable of matriculation achievement. The former is also proportionally higher among black than among white students. In the second sample it was found that non-cognitive variables accounted for 12.95% of the criterion variance in addition to the 0.89% explained by matriculation marks. Individually none of the non-cognitive variables could account for any variance at a statistically significant level.

Afrikaans: Uit talle oorde word oproepe gemaak om groter toeganklikheid tot tersiêre onderwys vir voorheen benadeelde gemeenskappe. Die impak hiervan op universiteite is geweldig. Suid-Afrika beskik oor beperkte finansiële bronne en daar kan nie groot bedrae geld bestee word aan studente met min of geen kans op akademiese sukses nie. Keuring aan universiteite is dus noodsaaklik vir sowel die universiteit as die studente. Tradisioneel is aanlegtoetse en hoërskoolprestasie met redelike sukses gebruik om studente wat 'n goeie kans op tersiêre-akademiese sukses het te identifiseer (Huysamen & Raubenheimer, 1999). Die billikheid van hierdie seleksieprosedures word in die lig van swart leerlinge se minderwaardige skoolopleiding ernstig betwis (Miller, 1992). Dit is juis op hierdie terein waar die gebruik van niekognitiewe veranderlikes van waarde kan wees. Tracey en Sedlacek (1984, 1985, 1987) het deur talle ondersoeke gevind dat nie-kognitiewe faktore soos gemeet deur hul Non-Cognitive Questionnaire (NCQ) 'n belangrike rol kan speel in die voorspelling van akademiese prestasie. Plaaslik is daar egter' n tekort aan studies om die waarde van nie-kognitiewe veranderlikes as deel van 'n toelatingsbattery te kan evalueer. In hierdie ondersoek is eerstens gekyk of die voorspellingsukses van die akademiese prestasie van veral swart studente verhoog kan word deur niekognitiewe sowel as kognitiewe veranderlikes te gebruik. Tweedens is ondersoek of nie-kognitiewe veranderlikes 'n groter bydrae tot die voorspelling van tersiêrakademiese sukses by swart studente as by wit studente lewer. Die verskillende metodes van keuring wat aan Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite gebruik word, asook die probleme wat met aansoekers van diverse skoolagtergronde ervaar word, is bespreek. Daar word egter meer gefokus op die spesifieke onderwerp van hierdie ondersoek naamlik, op die voorspellingswaarde van nie-kognitiewe veranderlikes. Verder word die sewe nie-kognitiewe dimensies, waarop die NCO berus, in fyner besonderhede bespreek. Die waarde van studiemetodes, houding en motivering word ook uitgelig. Die ondersoek is uitgevoer op twee steekproewe. Die eerste groep was 475 eerstejaarstudente waarop die Nie-Kognitiewe Vraelys (NKV) afgeneem is. Die tweede steekproef het slegs uit swart eerstejaar-sielkundestudente bestaan. Op hierdie groep is die NCO sowel as die Studiemetodevraelys van Entwistle et al. (1971) afgeneem. Die eerstejaarstudente se prestasie tydens die eerste semester is as afhanklike veranderlike gebruik. Die voorspellers in hierdie ondersoek was die matriekprestasie, NKV en studiemetodes. 'n Hiërargiese (meervoudige) regressieontleding is uitgevoer om te ondersoek of die laasgenoemde nie-kognitiewe veranderlikes enige kriteriumvariansie bykomend verklaar tot dié wat reeds deur matriekprestasie voorspel is. Die resultate het getoon dat vir die wit studente die kognitiewe en nie-kognitiewe veranderlikes gesamentlik 28.69% van die kriteriumvariansie verklaar. Die kognitiewe veranderlike verklaar 27.24% van die variansie terwyl die niekognitiewe veranderlikes 1.45% bykomend bydra. Vir die swart studente het die nie-kognitiewe veranderlikes 8.4% kriteriumvariansie bykomend verklaar wat die persentasie verklaarde variansie van die volledige modelop 8.98 te staan gebring het. Laasgenoemde bydrae is beduidend op die 1% peil. Die resultate suggereer dat die nie-kognitiewe veranderlikes by swartes 'n groter bydrae lewer tot die verklaring van die variansie in tersiêr-akademiese prestasie as die kognitiewe veranderlike van matriekprestasie en dat eersgenoemde bydrae proporsioneel hoër is by swartes as by wittes. By die tweede steekproef was die nie-kognitiewe veranderlikes verantwoordelik vir die verklaring van 12.95% van die kriteriumvariansie bykomend tot die 0.89% wat deur matriekprestasie verklaar is. Geeneen van die nie-kognitiewe veranderlikes kon individueel 'n unieke bydrae lewer wat statisties beduidend was nie.
Keywords: Academic achievement.; Prediction of scholastic success; College freshman -- South Africa -- Free State; Dissertation (M.Soc.Sc. (Vocational Psychology))--University of the Free State, 1999