Thesis (M.A (Psychology))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, 2016 / Transformation initiatives in South African higher education institutions are informed by literature which has thus far explicated the high failure and attrition rates amongst Black university students with discourses asserting that the major contributing factors are disadvantage and language of origin. The current study endeavoured to investigate the learning histories of a group of high achieving Black female university students from socio- economically or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds in order to inform current transformation initiatives at South African higher education institutions. Seven female students who had previously participated in an academic development programme in the faculty of humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand, the Reaching for Excellent Achievement Programme (REAP), volunteered to participate in this study. Despite being second language students and coming from less advantaged backgrounds, these students achieved excellent academic marks and acceptance into various post- graduate programmes. Semi- structured interviews with an episodic narrative style were conducted. The method of data analysis found to be most appropriate for this study was thematic content analysis. The results revealed the importance of the influence of high school teachers on students’ perceptions of school and school subjects; the pace of adjusting to university; the significance of effective lecturing styles; the formation of an academic identity; acquiring academic literacy; and the importance of having social support (especially from university lecturers) for the successful academic performance of the participants in this study. This study suggests that perhaps there is more than individual effort that is required for academic success at university level. Further, it suggests that higher education institutions need to improve the lecturing styles of their lecturers, should ensure that all students are able to successfully adjust to the university environment early in their first year of study, should offer compulsory academic literacy courses to all first year students, and should consider providing all students with mentors who are university personnel. / MT2017

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2001. / The aim of this study was to examine the impact of socio-economic factors on scholastic performance (achievement) ofleamers in the secondary school. The study was conducted in the Southern Region of the Northern Province, in the Nebo District. The Southern Regio which is made up of basically Nebo and Sekhukhune, forms part of the former Lebowa and is basically rural. A literature study was-conducted, which unravelled and brought into surface factors of social and economic nature, which are contrary to effective learning and contributes towards poor performance, especially in public secondary schools. Literature study revealed that learners from disadvantaged backgrounds especially in the rural communities have their learning process heavily affected and disturbed by social and economic factors. An empirical survey was also conducted to establish the views and opinions of parents, educators and the learners themselves. A qualitative research method was used. Letebele Marishane Secondary School in Ngwaritsi circuit was used as a case study. Educators completed questionnaire whilst learners and parents were engaged in focus group interviews (discussion groups). Information gathered through observations was also taken into account. Both the literature review and the empirical survey agreed that the learner's background that is his/her family, home environment; his/her neighbourhood and other factors of economic and social nature can impact positively or negatively on performance in the classroom. That is, according to information gathered, learners from advantaged backgrounds stand a better chance in the classroom than learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is evident therefore that poverty that prevails amongst the rural communities impacts on learning and performance in the examination and other classroom activities.

D. Tech. Education / Language is considered to be a crucial means of gaining access to knowledge and skills. It is the key to cognitive development which promotes or impedes scholastic success. Communicative or language competence refers to the capacity of persons to select, recognise and organise the language variety appropriate to the occasion, situation and subject matter at hand. Language competency assists learners to construct and integrate acquired information to one's own understanding. It is therefore pivotal to encourage education reforms through core knowledge that building a strong oral language and early development could result in future academic success. This study examined the influence of language competence on the academic achievement of Grade 12 learners in selected schools of the Capricorn District (Limpopo Province in South Africa). The purpose of this study was to establish the challenges that learners and educators experience in communicating for teaching and learning purposes. The study also investigated the language factors that influence their academic achievement.

M. Tech. Business Administration / According to Strydom et al.'s (2010) South African Survey of Student Engagement (SASSE) project, the report describes the "revolving door syndrome" in which the increase in access to Higher Education is not matched by a concomitant increase in student success, an occurrence which continues to characterise the Higher Education system in South Africa. The Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at Tshwane University of Technology believes that the low success rate of postgraduate students may be attributed to the lack of provisioning of adequate resources needed by such students. This study seeks to identify the most important organizational support factors which should be focused on when developing future strategies for the improvement of success rates of these students.

M. Tech. Education / Literature shows that transition from primary to high school is a challenge to learners. The aim of this study was to obtain, from qualitative data derived from structured interviews, and document review from a case study carried out in District D3 Tshwane North (Soshanguve) schools, an adequate understanding of factors that influence transition.

The purpose of this study was to describe the performance of the South African Grade 8 learners in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 science test, to explore the translatability of TIMSS 2003 science items into isiZulu without significant loss of meaning, and to explore the strategies used by isiZulu-speaking learners when answering questions in the TIMSS 2003 test. Thirty six isiZulu-speaking learners were tested using written test questions taken from the science test in the TIMSS 2003. The degree to which a sample of 36 learners represented their understanding of the questions in a written test compared to the level of understanding that could be elicited by an interview is presented in this study. The findings of this study are presented, interpreted and discussed using Pollitt & Ahmed's (2001) model of question answering process as well as other relevant literature. The key findings of this study are as follows : • the South African Grade 8 learners performed very poorly on TIMSS 2003 science test, • close translation of TIMSS 2003 science items into isiZulu is possible if conducted with care by expert teachers, • the language of the test had some effect on isiZulu-speaking learners' performance on TIMSS 2003 science test, • the strategies used by isiZulu-speaking learners when answering science questions included: • translating the question into isiZulu before trying to answer it, • choosing an answer containing a word/term common in the question stem and in the options, • choosing the answer containing a familiar/unfamiliar word in the options, •guessing , •looking at patterns of previous choices, •'picture memory', and •'general knowledge'. When Pollitt & Ahmed's (2001) model of question answering is applied to isiZuluspeaking learners, two 'new' phases are introduced. The findings of this study suggest that language factors are embedded within other factors, importantly, the appropriate level of cognitive proficiency to enable correct answering of science questions. The findings of this study further suggest the need for development of cognitive/academic language proficiency (CALP) in both English and isiZulu languages, or in one of them. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

This research report examines poverty as a socio-economic factor that may hamper the academic performance of learners in rural areas of Mafikeng (Magogoe). The research was conducted in Magogoe village of Mafikeng. The researcher is a professional Middle school educator, who in her experience as an educator realised that there are learners who do not achieve academically because of their social background. A descriptive 'study was undertaken to research on poverty and academic performance of learners in rural areas of Mafikeng. Middle school learners are in a transition stage, which according to Erikson (Louw, 1991) is adolescent stage. They seek positive identity and according to Freud (Louw, 1991) they are in genital stage in which they form relationships with opposite sex persons. During this time of their lives, they need more energy that is provided· by healthy nutrition, as their physical being also grows at a faster rate. Those that experience hardships are, because of poverty, greatly affected and eventually become prone to health and social pathologies. Factors such as accommodation, income, mode of transport to school, source of energy and parental involvement in children's schoolwork were explored to verify the effects of poverty on academic performance. The sample of the research consisted of 60 participants whom are all learners from three different middle schools in Magogoe village. Data was obtained through questionnaires, which were self administered by the researcher to the participants. From the literature and empirical findings, it became evident that poverty does affect scholastic performance of learners. The researcher's recommendations are that, permaculture and feeding schemes be introduced in rural schools. The Department of Transport assist learners who walk long distances to schools by providing the learners with bicycles and or school buses. Government improve infrastructures in schools and the Department of Education implement structured study periods after school where the educators can supervise the learners. Learners be provided with Life Skills education which will help them understand their situation and learn to cope in their family circumstances. / Thesis (M.A. (Life Skills)) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-concept and academic achievement. The subjects were 10th grade male and female pupils in the Taung Central Education circuit in the Northwest Province of South Africa. All the eight secondary schools in the circuit participated in this study. The researcher administered a self-designed 5-point Likert type self-concept scale to a sample of 296 respondents, to measure of both general and academic self-concept. The subjects' academic scores were extracted from the schools' examination records. The Pearson product-moment coefficient of correlation was used to measure the size of the relationship between the research variables. Research findings revealed that: There is a positive relationship between academic achievement and self-concept. There is a positive relationship between academic achievement and academic self-concept. The relationship between academic achievement and general self-concept is stronger than the relationship between academic achievement and general self concept. / Theses (M. Ed.) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005

The extended role of today’s pharmacist with the emphasis on patient-focused care has highlighted the need for increased exposure of undergraduate pharmacy students to experiential learning in patient-centred environments, and additional skills development in therapeutics, problem solving and clinical decision making. At the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), final year pharmacy students complete a university-coordinated, hospital-based, structured experiential learning programme (ELP) for the exit-level module, Pharmacology4. However, the students consistently experience difficulties in the application of pharmacological knowledge during the transition from lecture-based learning to the patient-focused clinical setting. The student population at the NMMU is diverse, with varied cultural, ethnic, language and secondary level education backgrounds, as well as different learning preferences and approaches. The extent to which these factors affect academic achievement in the experiential learning environment is unknown. Central research question The central research question for this study was therefore, “What would be the effect of an intervention aimed at supporting undergraduate pharmacy students during clinical placements, on academic achievement in, and student attitudes towards, experiential learning programmes (ELP)?” In order to explore the research question, several factors which may influence academic achievement in ELPs were investigated, namely: academic achievement (pre-university, in the BPharm programme and, in pharmacology); the admission route into the BPharm programme and the subsequent rate of academic progression; English reading comprehension ability; learning styles; problem solving ability; the extent to which students are prepared for application of knowledge in the ELP, in terms of assessment methods used prior to the final year and previous pharmacy work-based experience. In addition, the students’ lived experience of the ELP was explored, and the need for, and nature of, an intervention was determined. The research was based in a pragmatic paradigm, using an advanced mixed methods approach. An intervention-based, two-phase, quasi-experimental design was employed with an initial exploratory Preliminary Phase (in 2013) preceding the larger experimental framework (Phases One and Two, in 2014 and 2015 respectively). The research design was primarily quantitative, with pre- and post- testing conducted before and after the ELP. The ELP was completed by the comparator cohort in Phase One and the experimental cohort in Phase Two. Supplementary qualitative data was collected before, during and after the ELP. The intervention, in the form of supplementary academic support sessions, was developed from the qualitative data using an iterative approach, and implemented during the ELP in Phase Two. Attitudes and expectations of the students towards the hospital-based ELP were generally positive and realistic. Areas of concern included the difficulties experienced in the application and integration of pharmacological knowledge, both in the clinical setting and the clinical case study-based assessments; students feeling overwhelmed, inadequate and inferior in the clinical environment, compounded by an absence of clinical pharmacists as role models; and feeling unprepared for patient-focused care. The qualitative data strongly supported the need for supplementary academic support sessions. The intervention was developed and implemented in Phase Two, using patient case-based, active learning strategies. The majority of students (91.0%; n = 104) reported improved case analysis skills. A statistically significant (p = .030, Cohen’s d = 0.34) improvement was noted in the summative Pharmacology4 assessment marks obtained by the experimental cohort post-intervention, although of small practical significance. Predictors of academic achievement in the ELP were found to be language, specifically English reading comprehension skills, academic achievement in the BPharm programme and pharmacology, the university admission score, the rate of academic progression, and problem solving ability. Previous pharmacy-based work experience and assessment questions requiring application of knowledge were also found to influence achievement in the ELP. The need for an intervention in the form of supplementary academic support sessions was confirmed. The intervention was subsequently developed and successfully implemented, with student-reported self-perceived improvements in patient case analysis skills. These positive findings were supported by quantitative data which showed a statistically significant improvement in academic achievement in the ELP. Several predictors of academic achievement in the ELP were identified, and invaluable insight was gained into the nature of the difficulties experienced by pharmacy students in the transition from lecture-based learning to experiential learning in patient-focused environments.

M.A. / The principal aim of the study was to determine whether or not certain aspects of emotional intelligence account for the difference between students' academic success or failure. Although an in-depth study of existing literature on the topic of academic prowess soon disclosed that all aspects of an individual's functioning play a part in his or her academic performance, a flaw was uncovered in this argument in terms of the link between the individual's ability to deal with emotional processes and his or her academic functioning. The present study could, therefore, be considered to be the springboard for theory-building regarding the link between aspects of emotional intelligence and academic performance. Various studies in the domain of emotions have been undertaken with a view to study the manner in which individuals evaluate, communicate and apply emotions in their bid to solve problems and to adapt to circumstances of life. Emotional intelligence can be viewed as a meta ability that co-determines the extent to which an individual develops his or her potential, acquires and hones skills (including his or her intellect) and achieves his or her objectives. The manner in which the individual processes emotional contents could, therefore, have a profound effect on all intra and interpersonal aspects of his or her functioning, including his or her academic performance. In addition, existing literature soon discloses the multidimensional nature of the concept academic success to be a complex interchange between cognitive and non-cognitive factors. The interdependency between a number of these factors often serves to complicate any attempt to study them, however, and oft-times results in inconsistent and even contradictory findings. In the present study, the part that the individual's way of coping with emotional contents plays in his or her academic performance is subjected to close scrutiny. The experimental group selected for the purposes of the present study comprised 133 students in the age group 18 to 23 enrolled for a course in Psychology 1 at the Rand Afrikaans University. The said experimental group was deemed to represent the population of Human Sciences students at this institution. Based on their final-marks for Psychology 1, these students were divided into two categories, namely students who achieved academic success and students who failed to achieve academic success. Following, both groups of students were subjected to the Emotional Intelligence Battery of tests. Hotelling's T2-test was then used to determine whether or not the mean vectors of the two groups differed from each other. The F-test was applied to determine whether or not the variances between the two independent groups were homogeneous. Student's t-test was used to determine whether or not there be a statistically significant difference between the two means in terms of the five sub-scales of the Emotional Intelligence Battery. A stepwise discriminant analysis was conducted to determine which of the five variables (viz. the Social Translations (CBT) sub-scale of the Four Factor Tests of Social Intelligence, the Hogan Empathy Scale (HIES), the Self—Control Schedule (SCS), the Neuroticism sub-scale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), the total score of the Adolescent Self-Concept Scale (ASCS)) to the greatest extent contributed towards the differences between the two criterion groups (viz. academically successful students; academically unsuccessful students). The results of Hotelling's T 2-test indicated that the Emotional Intelligence Battery did indeed differentiate between students who achieved academic success and those who failed to achieve academic success in the specified population. Statistically significant differences were found in the vectors of means of Group 1 (viz. students who achieved academic success) and Group 2 (viz. students who failed to achieve academic success) with respect to the five sub-scales of the Emotional Intelligence Battery taken together. Statistically significant differences were found between the means of the two groups in respect of both the Social Translations sub-scale of the Four Factor Tests of Social Intelligence and the Hogan Empathy Scale. No statistically significant differences were, however, uncovered between the means of the two groups in respect of the rest of the sub-scales of the Emotional Intelligence Battery. The results of the stepwise discriminant analysis indicated that the variables Test 1 (the Social Translations sub-scale of the Four Factor Tests of Social Intelligence) and Test 5 (the Adolescent Self-Concept Scale (ASCS)) contributed towards the discrimination between Group 1 (academically successful students) and Group 2 (academically unsuccessful students). All in all, 64.8% of the experimental subjects was correctly classified by the two variables. In the present study, research was only undertaken in respect of the link between certain aspects of emotional intelligence and academic success. The present study could, therefore, be deemed to constitude an exploratory study, as no other study has ever been undertaken in the domain of the processing of emotional content in academic success. It is recommended that future research subject academic performance to a multidimensional scrutiny, with emotional intelligence being one of the factors. Further, it is recommended that future research be undertaken to determine the skills and abilities of experimental subjects from different cultural backgrounds and of both sexes, and that a comparison be drawn between these subjects' abilities and skills and their emotional intelligence.