In today’s fast paced technological world learners are under a great deal of pressure to obtain their grade 12 certificates. These learners are also faced with a number of life events that add to the stress they experience during the preliminary and final grade 12 examinations. This stress or anxiety increases when they fail their preliminary grade 12 examinations. This study focuses on these learners and the stress and anxiety that they experience after failing their grade 12 preliminary examinations. Guidelines are suggested to support and prevent learners from failing their grade 12 preliminary examinations. The research design adopted for this study was qualitative, exploratory and descriptive in nature. Phenomenological interviews were used for data collection and field notes were made to support the interviews. The data were analysed and coded with verification from an independent coder. In phase one, three themes were identified, discussed and supported by a literature control. In phase two the findings were used to suggest guidelines for the grade 12 learners. The findings of this study showed that grade 12 learners, writing their examinations, experience stress and anxiety physically, psychologically and emotionally. They describe rather alarming symptoms of this stress and anxiety. The learners also appear to have ambivalent feelings towards their future orientation during this stressful time. The guidelines suggested are aimed at managing the stress and anxiety as well as learning to develop support through effective communication skills and relationship building. It is hoped that application of these guidelines will support learners and prevent failure during the preliminary examinations thereby alleviating much of the stress and anxiety that learners experience during their examinations. / Prof. C.P.H. Myburgh

The primary purpose of the study was to explore the potential impact of voluntary remediation on success in ENC1101 and MAT1033 (gateway courses) and on minority or low-income students in Florida. The study was prompted in 2013 when the Florida Senate exempted most students entering the Florida College System from placement testing or developmental education regardless of their skill level. A quantitative design compared the gateway course success of 10,703 exempt students in 2014 and 2015 to the success of 8,644 students who would have been exempt had the law been in effect when they completed their gateway courses in 2012 and 2013. Data were collected from three FCS institutions. Using Astin and Astin's 1992 Input-Environment-Outcome model (Astin & Astin, 1992), independent variables included demographics, such as race and Pell grant eligibility, and prior academic performance, as well as enrollment status and remedial course decisions and perf ormance. The study found the policy to have a statistically significant (α = .05) negative effect on student success in the gateway courses. The voluntary remediation policy that was in part enacted to improve college completion rates threatens to have the opposite effect. The results show that fewer proportions of students were successful (grade of C or higher) in both courses once remediation became voluntary (12.8% decrease for English; 19.3% decrease in math). The study revealed a need for further research to investigate the degree of this impact on minority and low-income students. The results also suggested a need for more research to learn which students are likely to benefit, or not, by taking a remedial course. Of the students in the study who voluntarily took a placement test and scored below credit level, 11.3% chose remediation before taking ENC1101 and 24.5% chose remediation before taking MAT1033. Of those students, most who earned an A or B in the remedial course were successful in the credit courses; most who did not earn at least a B in the remedial course were unsuccessful at the credit level. Results were significant (α = .05), and effect sizes were moderate (.344 for English; .430 for math). / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection