Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The final school examination is the gateway to higher education (HE) in most countries.
Many students are however ill-prepared for HE because of a lack of quality education.
Internationally, alternative access programmes are offered to address this problem.
SciMathUS is the Science and Mathematics bridging programme at Stellenbosch University
with the aim to allow educationally disadvantaged students whose Grade 12 results are below
the standard entrance scores for admittance to HE, a second chance to improve their scores in
Mathematics and Physical Sciences and then reapply for HE. SciMathUS follows a hybrid
Problem-based Learning (PBL) philosophy, encouraging students to take responsibility for
their own learning.
While it is expected that performance in the final school examination correlates with
performance in HE, this is questioned in the case of students who do not have access to good
education and, as a result thereof, leave school with poor to low results. With the high
demand for HE internationally, identifying students with the potential to succeed is however a
huge challenge. Alternative measurements have been and are being considered and
researched. The focus of this quantitative research is to determine whether Grade 12 results
(Mathematics and Physical Sciences) and Stellenbosch University Access Test (AT) results
could predict success in HE for students who first attended a bridging programme. Success
was defined quantitatively and measured by the results obtained at the end of their first year in
HE. Quantitative techniques were used to analyse the possible relationships between the
different variables.
The findings were that SciMathUS students managed to improve their Grade 12 Mathematics
and Physical Sciences and AT significantly after attending the bridging programme. These
results allowed them to participate in HE. No correlation could, however, be found between
their NSC results or the AT results and their performance in HE. In spite of this, more than
40% of the students in this group passed their first year in HE with an average of more than
50%. Another almost 40% obtained between 30% and 50% and were therefore allowed to
continue with their studies. In three faculties at Stellenbosch University, the former bridging
programme students performed on par with their peers from the same schools who enrolled in
HE directly after school. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die finale skooleksamen bied internasionaal toegang tot hoër onderwys. As gevolg van ʼn
gebrek aan goeie skoolopleiding, is baie studente egter nie voldoende voorbereid vir hoër
onderwysstudies nie. Om hierdie probleem aan te spreek, het alternatiewe
toegangsprogramme ontstaan. SciMathUS is die Wiskunde- en Wetenskapoorbruggingsprogram
by Stellenbosch Universiteit. Die program bied aan opvoedkundigbenadeelde
studente, wie se Graad 12-punte nie voldoende is om toegang tot hoër onderwys
te kry nie, ʼn tweede kans om hul punte in Wiskunde en Fisiese Wetenskappe te verbeter. Met
hierdie nuwe uitslae kan hulle dan weer aansoek doen vir toelating. SciMathUS volg ʼn
hibriede probleem-gebaseerde leerbenadering wat onder meer daarop gemik is om die
studente aan te moedig om self verantwoordelikheid vir hul eie leer te aanvaar.
Die verwagting is dat daar ʼn korrelasie sal bestaan tussen skooluitslae en prestasie in hoër
onderwys. Dit word egter bevraagteken vir studente wat nie toegang tot goeie skoolopleiding
gehad het nie en as gevolg daarvan swak presteer in die finale skooleksamen. Omdat meer
studente tot hoër onderwys wil toetree, raak dit toenemend belangrik om die studente met
potensiaal te kan identifiseer. Alternatiewe meetinstrumente word dus geruime tyd al oorweeg
en nagevors. Dit is ook die fokus van hierdie kwantitatiewe studie: om te bepaal of Graad 12
uitslae (in Wiskunde en Fisiese Wetenskappe) en die uitslae van die toegangstoetse van die
Universiteit van Stellenbosch gebruik kan word om sukses van studente wat eers die
SciMathUS oorbruggingskursus bygewoon het, in hoër onderwys te kan voorspel. Vir hierdie
studie word sukses kwantitatief gedefinieer en gemeet aan die student se gemiddelde
persentasie wat aan die einde van hul eerstejaar in hoër onderwys behaal het. Statistiese
analises is gebruik om die moontlike korrelasies tussen die verskillende veranderlikes te
bepaal.
Die bevindinge van hierdie studie is dat die SciMathUS-studente se Graad 12 Wiskunde en
Fisiese Wetenskappe uitslae en toegangstoetsuitslae noemenswaardig verbeter het nadat hulle
die program gevolg het. Hierdie uitslae het hulle toegelaat om toegang te kry tot hoër
onderwys. Geen korrelasie is egter tussen die Nasionale Senior Sertifikaatuitslae of die
toegangstoetsuitslae en prestasie in hoër onderwys gevind nie. Ten spyte daarvan het meer as
40% van die studente in die groep hul eerstejaar met ʼn gemiddelde persentasie van meer as
50% geslaag. Ongeveer nog 40% van die studente het tussen 30% en 50% behaal en is dus
toegelaat om met hul studies te kon voortgaan. In drie fakulteite by Stellenbosch Universiteit
het die voormalige brugprogramstudente net so goed gevaar soos die studente wat dieselfde
skole as hulle bygewoon het maar direk na skool by Stellenbosch Universiteit ingeskryf het.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/80235 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Muller, Anneke |
| Contributors | Louw, Charmaine, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Educational Psychology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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