1. THE AIM AND MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY:
The aim of the study was to determine with what measure of success
pupils in the junior secondary school phase achieve to their full
potential.
Secondly a study was made of academic achievement prediction. Steps
were taken to determine with which variables and with what measure
of success the academic achievement of pupils in the junior secondary
school phase can be predicted in different subjects.
To achieve this aim the contribution of the cognitive, non-cognitive
and biographical variables in the prediction of academic achievement
in standard 5, 6 and 7 was investigated. The separate contributions
of these variables in the prediction of scholastic achievement were
also taken into consideration. The cognitive variables in the analyses
were the IQ (non-verbal, verbal and total and the Junior Aptitude
Tests. The non-cognitive variables include the KODUS Interest
Questionnaire while the biographical variables include the residential
area and socio-economic circumstances.
According to available literature it is clear that cognitive, non-cognitive
and biographical variables play a very important part in
academic achievement. The pupil in the junior secondary school phase
is in the period of puberty and adolescence. The early adolescence
as developmental phase was viewed as described in appropriate
literature. The concept early adolescence, the developmental tasks
during adolescence, identification, the peer group and the cognitive
development of the adolescent were discussed.
The factors that affect academic achievement during adolescence were
discussed. Under cognitive factors attention was given to intelligence,
aptitude, ability and scholastic achievement. Personality,
psychological and physical factors were discussed under non-cognitive
factors while attention was also given to milieu factors.
2. THE RESULTS AND DISCUSSION OF THE EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION:
According to the correlation coefficients of Pearson there is a
significant correlation between the independent variables and the
dependent variables (scholastic achievement) in the junior secondary
school phase.
A high level of significance was identified between the IQ (non-verbal,
verbal and total) and all the dependent variables. A high correlation
was a I so found between the Junior Aptitude Tests and most of the
dependent variables. A remarkable correlation was found between
the KODUS Interest Questionnaire and Figures, Writing, Reading, Art,
Handwork, Machinery and Science, while the SED Questionnaire proved
high in correlation with Afrikaans, English, Mathematics, Science,
Biology, History, Geography, Accountancy, Business Economics and
Domestic Science in standard 6 and 7, and History, Geography, Science
and Basic Techniques in standard 5.
Tables were compiled to indicate the number of under-achievers and
over-achievers as well as the number of pupils who achieve according
to their potential.
An important aim was to identify those variables that predict the
academic achievements of pupils in the junior secondary school phase
best. To do this the technique of multiple regression analysis was
applied. The subsets which include the cognitive, non-cognitive
and biographical variables were the best predictors.
3. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: According to the study the cognitive variables played the most
important part. In all cases these variables contributed best to
R2. It is clear that the best contribution to all subjects was the
verbal intelligence, except in Mathematics where the tot a IQ
contributed most.
The most important conclusion made on the basis of the empirical
research is that the academic achievement of pupils in the junior
secondary school phase can be predicted with a fair amount of success
when using the inclusive variables.
The realisation of intellectual potential is a very important
phenomenon in any period of school life. Practical recommendations
have been made with regard to the use of the research results for
guidance purposes, and with a view to the manipulation of variables
for the improvement of academic achievement. / Proefskrif (DEd)--PU vir CHO, 1989
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/9334 |
| Date | January 1989 |
| Creators | Schutte, Cornelius Petrus |
| Publisher | Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | other |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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