Viljoen, M. C.Eiselen, R. J.Oosthuizen, Annelie2016-01-062016-01-062014-072014-072014-07http://hdl.handle.net/11660/2011English: Since 1994, the South African national school curriculum, from the foundation phase through to the further education and training phase, has been and still is in the process of being redesigned for the post-apartheid era. One of the major events in the national process of curriculum reform was the replacement of the Senior Certificate (NATED 550) with the National Senior Certificate, awarded for the first time in 2008. The Grade 12s of 2008 were variously described as ‘guinea pigs’ or ‘pioneers’. Questions have arisen as to whether the National Senior Certificate curriculum adequately equips learners to achieve academic success at university, and whether the higher education institutions have adapted to the ‘products’ of the National Senior Certificate, who entered their academic programmes for the first time in 2009. Some of the challenges related to the changes in the national school curriculum, that the South African higher education sector is faced with include poor academic performance and high drop-out rates. These occurrences are of concern to South African higher education in general, and also particularly to the institution where this investigation was conducted. From an institutional perspective, it is important to be aware of the biographical factors and academic achievement characteristics included in the profiles of successful students. Moreover, skills form part of a holistic approach to curriculum construction. The main purpose of this research study was to determine the profiles of successful B.Com. (Finance) students entering a South African university before and after the introduction of the National Senior Certificate. In order to do so, factors associated with the students’ transition from secondary school to higher education and factors contributing to undergraduate student success at university were identified through a literature study. An empirical study was conducted on two cohorts of students entering the B.Com. (Finance) programme at a South African university. The first group entered the university in the year immediately before the introduction of the National Senior Certificate and the second group entered the same university in the year immediately after the introduction of the National Senior Certificate. This research study xxvii investigated the differences and similarities between successful and unsuccessful students in both of the cohorts. Biographic variables (age, gender, ethnicity) and academic variables (secondary school leaving results and subject choices as well as undergraduate academic performance at university) were investigated. For the purposes of this study, the operational definition of a successful student is a student who has succeeded in meeting all of the graduation requirements for the B.Com. (Finance) degree within the minimum time, namely three consecutive years. Descriptive statistics revealed that the success rates of students included in this investigation have decreased from 29.0% in the 2008 cohort to 15.8% in the 2009 cohort. The study also investigated the opinions and perceptions of the first cohort of students who entered higher education with the National Senior Certificate as a school-leaving qualification, regarding the skills that they required for the successful completion of the B.Com. (Finance) programme and the skills that they acquired during their secondary school education. To this effect, participants completed the B.Com. (Finance) first-year opinion survey and participated in focus-group discussions. The results of this investigation indicate that these students felt that they lacked some of the critical skills required for academic success at university. The skills most frequently considered being required for university success in commerce- and finance-related studies, which were reportedly not acquired by the target population at secondary school, are economic reasoning ability, the ability to practically implement learning content, critical thinking skills, analytical thinking skills, the ability to interpret financial information and time management skills. These findings have implications on the way in which secondary school learners and university students are taught. The target population’s biographic and academic achievement data were obtained from the Integrated Tertiary System (ITS). The primary objective of the statistical analysis was to identify profiles of successful students in two cohorts of students. A further objective of the statistical analysis was to assess the association between student success as a binary dependent variable, and the following independent variables: age, gender, ethnicity, Grade 12 Mathematics mark, exposure in secondary school to Accounting, Business Economics and Economics, the average of the first semester university mark of five compulsory modules, the matriculation xxviii score (M-score) of the 2008 cohort and the admission point score (APS) of the 2009 cohort. The data for each cohort was analysed using descriptive, univariate and multivariate analyses. The logistic regression model for student success initially contained eight independent variables. The likelihood ratio chi-square statistics and associated p-values were calculated for each variable in the model. Stepwise model selection was applied by removing, one at a time, the variable among the independent variables which is found to be least significantly associated with student success. Logistic regression revealed that when success in B.Com. (Finance) is analysed by means of a multiple logistic regression, the most significant predictors of student success in the 2009 cohort were the Mathematics mark obtained in the National Senior Certificate and Business Economics taken at secondary school. The most significant predictors of student success in the 2008 cohort were the matriculation score (M-score), age and Accounting taken at secondary school. The findings of this study create a platform for continued debate on admission requirements and the importance of specific skills required for success in commerce and finance-related degrees at university. The findings culminated in recommendations for higher education institutions, educators and those embarking on future research relating to the theme in question.Afrikaans: Die Suid-Afrikaanse nasionale skoolkurrikulum word sedert 1994 vanaf die grondslagfase tot by die verdere onderwys- en opleidingsfase herontwerp vir die postapartheidera. Die proses duur steeds voort. Een van die groot gebeurtenisse in die nasionale proses van kurrikulumhervorming, was die vervanging van die Senior Sertifikaat (NATED 550) met die Nasionale Senior Sertifikaat wat die eerste keer in 2008 toegeken is. Die Graad 12’s van 2008 is afwisselend beskryf as ‘proefkonyne’ of ‘pioniers’. Vrae het ontstaan oor of die kurrikulum van die Nasionale Senior Sertifikaat leerders voldoende toegerus het om akademiese sukses op universiteit te behaal en ook of die hoëronderwysinstellings aangepas het by die ‘produkte’ van die Nasionale Senior Sertifikaat wat in 2009 vir die eerste keer met die akademiese programme begin het. Van die uitdagings wat verband hou met die veranderinge in die nasionale skoolkurrikulum en wat die Suid-Afrikaanse hoëronderwyssektor in die gesig staar, sluit swak akademiese prestasie en ’n hoë uitvalsyfer in. Die verskynsels is van belang vir die Suid-Afrikaanse hoëronderwys oor die algemeen, en ook in die besonder vir die instelling waar hierdie ondersoek onderneem is. Vanuit ’n institusionele perspektief, is dit belangrik om bewus te wees van die biografiese faktore en die akademiese prestasie-eienskappe wat deel vorm van die profiele van suksesvolle studente. Voorts vorm vaardighede deel van ’n holistiese benadering tot kurrikulumkonstruksie. Die hoofdoel van hierdie studie was om die profiele van suksesvolle B.Com. (Finansies)-studente wat ’n Suid-Afrikaanse universiteit betree, voor en ná die bekendstelling van die Nasionale Senior Sertifikaat, te bepaal. Ten einde dit te doen, is faktore wat verband hou met die studente se oorgang van hoërskool tot hoëronderwys en die voorspellers van die voorgraadse sukses van studente op universiteit deur middel van ’n literatuurondersoek geïdentifiseer. ’n Empiriese studie is onderneem met twee kohorte studente wat met die B.Com. (Finansies)-program by ’n Suid-Afrikaanse universiteit begin het. Die eerste groep het die universiteit betree die jaar direk voor die bekendstelling van die Nasionale Senior Sertifikaat en die tweede groep het dieselfde universiteit betree in die jaar xxx direk ná die bekendstelling van die Nasionale Senior Sertifikaat. Hierdie studie ondersoek die verskille en ooreenkomste tussen suksesvolle en onsuksesvolle studente in altwee kohorte. Biografiese veranderlikes (ouderdom, geslag, etnisiteit) en akademiese veranderlikes (hoërskoolverlatingspunte en vakkeuses asook voorgraadse akademiese prestasie op universiteit) is ondersoek. Vir die doeleindes van die navorsing, is die werksdefinisie van ’n suksesvolle student, ’n student wat daarin geslaag het om al die gradueringsvereistes vir die B.Com. (Finansies)-graad in die minimumtydperk te bereik, naamlik drie opeenvolgende jare. Beskrywende statistiek het getoon dat die sukseskoers van studente wat in die ondersoek ingesluit is, van 29.0% in die 2008-kohort tot 15.8% in die 2009-kohort gedaal het. Die studie ondersoek ook die opinies en persepsies van die eerste kohort studente wat hoëronderwys ingegaan het met die Nasionale Senior Sertifikaat as skoolverlatingskwalifikasie, rakende die vaardighede wat hulle benodig het vir die suksesvolle afhandeling van die B.Com. (Finansies)-program en die vaardighede wat hulle verkry het tydens hulle hoërskoolopleiding. Met dit ten doel het deelnemers die B.Com. (Finansies)-eerstejaarsmeningsopname voltooi en deelgeneem aan fokusgroepbesprekings. Die resultate van die ondersoek dui daarop dat die studente gevoel het dat hulle sekere kritiese vaardighede kortgekom het wat vereis word vir akademiese sukses op universiteit. Die vaardighede wat mees algemeen as nodig vir universiteitsukses in handels- en finansiesverwante programme beskou word, maar wat gerapporteer is as nie op hoërskool verkry deur die teikenpopulasie nie, is ekonomiese redenasievermoë, die vermoë om leerinhoud prakties te implementeer, kritiese denkvaardighede, analitiese denkvaardighede, die vermoë om finansiële inligting te interpreteer en tydbestuursvaardighede. Hierdie bevindinge het implikasies vir die wyse waarop hoërskoolleerders en universiteitstudente onderrig word. Die teikenpopulasie se biografiese en akademiese prestasie is verkry deur die Geïntegreerde Tersiêre Stelsel (ITS). Die primêre doel van die statistiese analise was om die profiele van die suksesvolle studente in die twee kohorte te identifiseer. ’n Verdere oogmerk van die statistiese analise was om die verband tussen studentesukses as ’n binêre, afhanklike veranderlike en die volgende onafhanklike veranderlikes te assesseer: ouderdom, geslag, etnisiteit, Graad 12 Wiskundepunt, blootstelling op hoërskool aan Rekeningkunde, Bedryfsekonomie en Ekonomie, die xxxi gemiddeld van die eerstesemesteruniversiteitspunt oor vyf verpligte modules, matrikulasietelling (M-telling) van die 2008-kohort en toelatingspunttelling (TPT) van die 2009-kohort. Die data vir elke kohort is geanaliseer deur gebruik te maak van ’n beskrywende, een- en meervoudige variante-analise. Die logistiese regressiemodel vir studentesukses het aanvanklik agt onafhanklike veranderlikes bevat. Die waarskynlikheidsratio chi-kwadraatstatistiek en die verbandhoudende p-waardes is bereken vir elke veranderlike in die model. Stapsgewyse modelseleksie is toegepas deur een op ’n slag dié veranderlike tussen die onafhanklike veranderlikes te verwyder wat bevind is as die mins beduidende wat betref studentesukses. Logistiese regressie het getoon dat wanneer sukses in B.Com. (Finansies) deur middel van veelvoudige logistiese regressie geanaliseer word, die mees beduidende voorspellers van sukses vir die 2009-kohort die wiskundepunt is wat in die Nasionale Senior Sertifikaat behaal is en Bedryfsekomomie as hoërskoolvak geneem. Die mees beduidende voorspellers van sukses vir die 2008-kohort was die matrikulasietelling (M-telling), ouderdom en Rekeningkunde as hoërskoolvak geneem. Die bevindings van die studie skep ’n platform vir volgehoue debat oor toelatingsvereistes en die belangrikheid van spesifieke vaardighede wat nodig is vir sukses in handels- en finansieel-verwante grade op universiteit. Die bevindings kulmineer in aanbevelings vir hoëronderwysinstellings, opvoeders en diegene wat verdere navorsing oor die bepaalde vraagstuk wil onderneem.enThesis (Ph. D. (Higher Education Studies)) - University of Free State, 2014UndergraduatesAcademic achievementPredictors of student successTransition from secondary school to higher educationUndergraduate (student) successStudent profilesStudent admissionNational Senior CertificateIndividual differencesHigher educationFirst-year performanceFinance degree studiesCritical skillsCommerce degree studiesAcademic successThesisUniversity of the Free State