Since 2006 Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges have been recapitalised through massive government investment in order to improve infrastructure, implement a more relevant curriculum and assist college learners financially to gain access to the different learning programmes. A new curriculum with 11 programmes was introduced and implemented under the National Certificate Vocational (NCV). The results of the 2007 examinations, were disappointing and in general, the national performance of the learners was dismal. Policy requirements for certification and promotion to the next level stipulated that learners need to pass all 7 subjects in a programme. The main aim of the study was to identify variables that are the best predictors of academic success of first year FET students. Thus, if these predictors are considered during the admission process of first year FET students, it could lead to overall improved first year pass rate at FET Colleges and contribute towards the enhancement of human resources and economical development of our country. In order to achieve the research aim and objectives, a literature study and an empirical investigation were conducted. The literature study focussed on cognitive and non-cognitive factors that contribute to academic success of students at colleges. The empirical investigation departed from a positivist paradigm to determine which variables contributed the best towards the prediction of academic success of first year NCV Level 2 students at FET Colleges and a quantitative non-experimental, ex post facto approach was followed .The results of the General Scholastic Aptitude Test (GSAT), the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory – High School version (LASSI-HS), grade mark average and biographical details of the registered first year NCV Level 2 students of the Vuselela FET College (Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp campuses) in 2008 (n=309), were used to determine whether any of these variables significantly predicted the academic success of these students. The investigation revealed that: • None of the LASSI-HS scales were predictors of academic success of the first year NCV Level 2 students; • The GSAT (Total) was a predictor of academic success of these students; • None of the biographical variables, i.e. age or gender, were predictors of academic success; and • Grade mark average on students’ last school reports, was a predictor of academic success. These findings revealed that Grade mark average, and GSAT-(Total) (which is also an indication of intelligence quotient (IQ)) were the best predictors of academic success of first year NCV Level 2 students at the Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp campuses of the Vuselela FET College. / Thesis (MEd (Educational Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Since 2006 Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges have been recapitalised through massive government investment in order to improve infrastructure, implement a more relevant curriculum and assist college learners financially to gain access to the different learning programmes. A new curriculum with 11 programmes was introduced and implemented under the National Certificate Vocational (NCV). The results of the 2007 examinations, were disappointing and in general, the national performance of the learners was dismal. Policy requirements for certification and promotion to the next level stipulated that learners need to pass all 7 subjects in a programme. The main aim of the study was to identify variables that are the best predictors of academic success of first year FET students. Thus, if these predictors are considered during the admission process of first year FET students, it could lead to overall improved first year pass rate at FET Colleges and contribute towards the enhancement of human resources and economical development of our country. In order to achieve the research aim and objectives, a literature study and an empirical investigation were conducted. The literature study focussed on cognitive and non-cognitive factors that contribute to academic success of students at colleges. The empirical investigation departed from a positivist paradigm to determine which variables contributed the best towards the prediction of academic success of first year NCV Level 2 students at FET Colleges and a quantitative non-experimental, ex post facto approach was followed .The results of the General Scholastic Aptitude Test (GSAT), the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory – High School version (LASSI-HS), grade mark average and biographical details of the registered first year NCV Level 2 students of the Vuselela FET College (Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp campuses) in 2008 (n=309), were used to determine whether any of these variables significantly predicted the academic success of these students. The investigation revealed that: • None of the LASSI-HS scales were predictors of academic success of the first year NCV Level 2 students; • The GSAT (Total) was a predictor of academic success of these students; • None of the biographical variables, i.e. age or gender, were predictors of academic success; and • Grade mark average on students’ last school reports, was a predictor of academic success. These findings revealed that Grade mark average, and GSAT-(Total) (which is also an indication of intelligence quotient (IQ)) were the best predictors of academic success of first year NCV Level 2 students at the Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp campuses of the Vuselela FET College. / Thesis (MEd (Educational Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

隨著高等教育的大眾化發展，臺灣與法國的大學招生制度經過幾次變革，以期滿足招生需求。大學學位不僅是學歷的一紙證明，更是臺灣與法國高等教育標準化歷程的體現。從高中過渡到大學，是每個學生學術生涯中關鍵且費神的階段，並與未來的成功息息相關。因此，無論在臺灣或法國，學生高中階段的學術能力測驗至關重要，可謂從青春期過渡到成年期的重要指標。學術能力測驗成績影響著絕大多數畢業生的大學申請和錄取機會。雖然臺灣和法國有不少關於兩國大學教育的研究，但對於高中學生進入大學前的學術能力測驗甚少探討。本研究旨在探討臺、法國大學申請的入學先決條件和要求，以期進一步瞭解大學入學機制。本研究透過對臺灣和法國大學系統中錄取要求，如臺灣的先修課程測驗和法國的一般入學要求等規定進行對比分析，找出各自的優缺點。研究方法包括文獻綜述，以及對兩國高中生進行問卷調查和深度訪談。研究發現，目前兩國的大學入學系統的主要難題之一是缺乏相應的學術指導機制。臺灣方面在於過分強調大學入學考試測驗，法國則與之相反，學生因為過高的升學率而缺乏學習動機。本研究建議，今後臺法兩國如何面對高教入學機會中重新出現的不公與文憑貶值等新挑戰，是雙方大學入學體系需要解決的共同問題。 / With the massification of their higher education systems, Taiwan and France have experienced several changes in their college admission processes in order to meet the increasing demand of enrollment into higher education. A university degree has become more than just a certificate of academic achievement but a normalized process in Taiwan and France. The transition from high school to university has become a pivotal yet nerve-racking period in a student’s academic career and is considered as one of the most crucial factor of the student’s future success. In Taiwan and France, the academic abilities of students tested during the senior high school are the most important and significant indicators of students’ transition from adolescence to adulthood. It leads a vast majority of graduates to apply to university and to undertake college admission process. Although several studies have been done in Taiwan and France, only few have previously analyzed a student’s journey through the college admission process in the two countries. The current study intends to investigate the prerequisites and requirements that college applicants in Taiwan and France are required to meet in order to access the college and university systems. By comparing and analyzing the massification of the two systems, as well as Taiwan and France college admission’s requirements such as the Scholastic Ability Test and the Advanced Subjects Test in Taiwan, and the French General Baccalaureate; the study seeks to identify the crucial pro and cons that arise in each system in order to give recommendations on improvements that can be made. Data has been collected through literature reviews, in-depth interviews as well as surveys among former senior high school students in both countries. The results of the present study show that one of the main dilemmas of today’s education systems is the lack of academic guidance. While one of the main problems of Taiwanese education is its emphasis on testing, France education, on the contrary, is facing issues due to its excessive accessibility of universities which leads students to enroll in degrees without real motivations behind their choice. The shift of inequalities in educational opportunities is also one of the new concerns that Taiwanese and French education systems are facing as well as the depreciation of diplomas.