Akademiese onderprestasie van universiteitstudente bly 'n aktuele vraagstuk en dit wil voorkom asof 'n oplossing in die verband navorsers steeds ontwyk. In die onderhawige studie is daar by wyse van 'n omvattende literatuurstudie, asook 'n empiriese ondersoek, aangetoon wat die aard en omvang van die onderprestasieproblematiek op tersiere vlak is. Hierdie proefskrif illustreer teenswoordige afstandsonderrigpraktyke, die aard en struktuur van VUDEC as afstandsonderriginstansie en 'n verskeidenheid faktore wat akademiese prestasie be'invloed. Die diversiteit en kulturele relatiwiteit van kennis, asook die wye interpretasiemoontlikhede van teks, veroorsaak 'n radikale probleem wat onderrig in Suid-Afrika, 'n land met 'n verskeidenheid kulture en gevolglike leerinhoudmoontlikhede, betref Die invloed van postmodemisme word toenemend in verskillende vakke waargeneem, maar onderrig in hierdie land is steeds hoofsaaklik in die sfeer van die modemistiese paradigma gelee. Die kritiese teorie van Habermas, wat modemisme be!nvloed het, bevraagteken realiteit, sowel as die geldigheidskriteria wat legitimiteit aan inhoud moet gee. Die hipotese wat gestel word, veronderstel dat die hoe onderprestasiesyfers in afstandsonderrig moontlik toegeskryf kan word aan die veronderstelling dat die meerderheid afstandsonderrigstudente 'n sosio-konstruktivistiese denkraamwerk het, terwyl afstandsonderrig steeds hoofsaaklik positivisties is. Die navorser stel die postmodemistiese paradigma as moontlike oplossing voor. Modemistiese onderrig moet nie totaal afgeskaf word nie, maar moet verbeter word deur noodsaaklike veranderings en aanpassings te maak ten opsigte van onderliggende persepsies van kurrikuluminhoud, onderrig- en evalueringsisteme en die implementering hiervan. Tradisioneel dosentgesentreerde en statisties gedefinieerde onderrig en evaluering moet met onderrigstrategiee vervang word wat gedeelde verantwoordelikheid vir prestasie nastreef en waar minder klem op die onderwerping van individue aan inhoudsgebonde onderrigpraktyke geplaas word. 'n Paradigmaverskuiwing na 'n postmodernistiese paradigma sal die weg vir afstandsonderriginstansies baan om betertoegeruste leerders die wereld en toekoms in te stuur, deur 'n basis vir die bereiking van voortreflikheid in en deur onderrig te bewerkstellig. / Academic underachievement at university level remains a topic of current interest and concern. Despite unceasing efforts to combat student wastage, a solution in this regard appears to evade researchers. In the present study an extensive literature study as well as an empirical investigation was undertaken to shed light on the nature and extent of the problem. This thesis illustrates present teaching practices, the structure and nature of VUDEC as a distance teaching institution, and a variety of factors that influence academic achievement. The diversity and cultural relativity of knowledge and the wide range of interpretative possibilities of texts, cause a radical problem with regard to teaching in South Africa, which embraces a wide range of cultures and learning contents. The influence of postmodernism has increasingly been observed in different subjects, but teaching in this country is still largely located in the sphere of the modernist paradigm. The critical theory ofHabermas which influenced modernism, questions reality as well as the criteria of validity which legitimize content. The hypothesis stated is based on the assumption that the high dropout rate in distance education may be attributed to the fact that many distance learners work within a socio-constuctivist paradigm of thinking, while teaching by distance educators is positivist in nature. The author holds up the postmodern paradigm as a possible corrective. The project of modernist teaching should not be totally suspended, but should be improved by introducing essential adjustments and changes in terms of underlying perceptions with regard to curriculum content, teaching and evaluation systems, and the implementation of these. Traditional teacher-centred and statistically defined teaching and assessment must be replaced by teaching strategies which accomodate the shared responsibility of achievement, placing less emphasis on the subjection of individuals to content-bound teaching practices. The shift towards a postmodern paradigm will pave the way for distance teaching institutions to send better-equipped learners into the world and into the future by creating a basis for the achievement of excellence in and through education. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didaktiek)

Akademiese onderprestasie van universiteitstudente bly 'n aktuele vraagstuk en dit wil voorkom asof 'n oplossing in die verband navorsers steeds ontwyk. In die onderhawige studie is daar by wyse van 'n omvattende literatuurstudie, asook 'n empiriese ondersoek, aangetoon wat die aard en omvang van die onderprestasieproblematiek op tersiere vlak is. Hierdie proefskrif illustreer teenswoordige afstandsonderrigpraktyke, die aard en struktuur van VUDEC as afstandsonderriginstansie en 'n verskeidenheid faktore wat akademiese prestasie be'invloed. Die diversiteit en kulturele relatiwiteit van kennis, asook die wye interpretasiemoontlikhede van teks, veroorsaak 'n radikale probleem wat onderrig in Suid-Afrika, 'n land met 'n verskeidenheid kulture en gevolglike leerinhoudmoontlikhede, betref Die invloed van postmodemisme word toenemend in verskillende vakke waargeneem, maar onderrig in hierdie land is steeds hoofsaaklik in die sfeer van die modemistiese paradigma gelee. Die kritiese teorie van Habermas, wat modemisme be!nvloed het, bevraagteken realiteit, sowel as die geldigheidskriteria wat legitimiteit aan inhoud moet gee. Die hipotese wat gestel word, veronderstel dat die hoe onderprestasiesyfers in afstandsonderrig moontlik toegeskryf kan word aan die veronderstelling dat die meerderheid afstandsonderrigstudente 'n sosio-konstruktivistiese denkraamwerk het, terwyl afstandsonderrig steeds hoofsaaklik positivisties is. Die navorser stel die postmodemistiese paradigma as moontlike oplossing voor. Modemistiese onderrig moet nie totaal afgeskaf word nie, maar moet verbeter word deur noodsaaklike veranderings en aanpassings te maak ten opsigte van onderliggende persepsies van kurrikuluminhoud, onderrig- en evalueringsisteme en die implementering hiervan. Tradisioneel dosentgesentreerde en statisties gedefinieerde onderrig en evaluering moet met onderrigstrategiee vervang word wat gedeelde verantwoordelikheid vir prestasie nastreef en waar minder klem op die onderwerping van individue aan inhoudsgebonde onderrigpraktyke geplaas word. 'n Paradigmaverskuiwing na 'n postmodernistiese paradigma sal die weg vir afstandsonderriginstansies baan om betertoegeruste leerders die wereld en toekoms in te stuur, deur 'n basis vir die bereiking van voortreflikheid in en deur onderrig te bewerkstellig. / Academic underachievement at university level remains a topic of current interest and concern. Despite unceasing efforts to combat student wastage, a solution in this regard appears to evade researchers. In the present study an extensive literature study as well as an empirical investigation was undertaken to shed light on the nature and extent of the problem. This thesis illustrates present teaching practices, the structure and nature of VUDEC as a distance teaching institution, and a variety of factors that influence academic achievement. The diversity and cultural relativity of knowledge and the wide range of interpretative possibilities of texts, cause a radical problem with regard to teaching in South Africa, which embraces a wide range of cultures and learning contents. The influence of postmodernism has increasingly been observed in different subjects, but teaching in this country is still largely located in the sphere of the modernist paradigm. The critical theory ofHabermas which influenced modernism, questions reality as well as the criteria of validity which legitimize content. The hypothesis stated is based on the assumption that the high dropout rate in distance education may be attributed to the fact that many distance learners work within a socio-constuctivist paradigm of thinking, while teaching by distance educators is positivist in nature. The author holds up the postmodern paradigm as a possible corrective. The project of modernist teaching should not be totally suspended, but should be improved by introducing essential adjustments and changes in terms of underlying perceptions with regard to curriculum content, teaching and evaluation systems, and the implementation of these. Traditional teacher-centred and statistically defined teaching and assessment must be replaced by teaching strategies which accomodate the shared responsibility of achievement, placing less emphasis on the subjection of individuals to content-bound teaching practices. The shift towards a postmodern paradigm will pave the way for distance teaching institutions to send better-equipped learners into the world and into the future by creating a basis for the achievement of excellence in and through education. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didaktiek)