Abstract
Initially, research regarding student admission to fields of study at tertiary training institutions focused primarily on a search for mechanisms to decrease the number of at-risk students significantly – an extremely complex matter. Recent changes in South African society compel tertiary institutions to reflect on their own character and aims in an innovative way. At the moment the focus is mainly on possible ways of giving the traditionally disadvantaged part of South African society a fairer chance of gaining access to, and achieving success at tertiary institutions. The pressure on tertiary institutions to ensure that the demography of the student population becomes more representative of the population in general is increasing dramatically. Since the ratio black : white students who are admitted to these courses is still totally unsatisfactorily (to the disadvantage of black students) and not at all in line with the aims of the government, student selection in fields of study such as Medicine, Dentistry, Engineering and Psychology will probably remain in the firing line in the foreseeable future. In this article, the researchers investigate the achievement of senate-discretionary students at the Education Faculty of the University of Pretoria and arrive at the conclusion that neither a minimum M score of 11, nor an admission test score accurately predicts success at a tertiary institution. Outcomes-based Education and changing ways of assessing and ‘scoring’ in Grade 12 create an even more complex situation. In order to facilitate the escalating challenge of fair selection and admission to tertiary institutions, a national two-year strategy is advocated.
Highlights
Research regarding student admission to fields of study at tertiary training institutions focused primarily on a search for mechanisms to decrease the number of at-risk students significantly – an extremely complex matter
Uit onlangse veranderings in die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing in soverre dit die hantering van leerders in skole en aan tersiêre instansies aangaan – insluitend die klem wat sedert 1994 op begrippe soos “insluiting”, “toegang”, “regstelling” en “deursigtigheid” geplaas word, is dit duidelik dat tersiêre inrigtings genoodsaak word om innoverend oor hul eie aard en doelstellings te dink
Die fokus het veral sedert 1994 ingrypend verander vanaf ’n eng soeke na meganismes om die attrisie- of uitvalsyfer te verlaag, na ’n soeke na wyses om die tradisioneel agtergeblewe of milieubenadeelde deel van die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing ’n billiker kans op toelating tot studierigtings aan tersiêre instansies te gee
Summary
Miskien maak dit sin om die siening van Haladyna, Haas en Allison[4] (p. 262) hier te herhaal: Test scores alone are not the complete picture, because they ignore environmental factors. Miller[5] spreek in hierdie verband die mening uit dat die relatief lae gehalte van onderwys wat (die meerderheid) swart leerders ontvang, ’n negatiewe invloed uitoefen op sowel hierdie leerders se matriekprestasie as hul prestasie in aanlegtoetse. Studente uit armoedige gemeenskappe en diegene wat nie oor die minimum lewens- en taalvaardighede beskik wat nodig is om sukses aan ’n skool of universiteit te behaal nie, ontvang waarskynlik steeds nie die nodige aandag van betrokke owerhede nie. ’n Logiese vraag wat na aanleiding van die voorgaande aanhaling gevra kan word, is die volgende: Hoe behoort te werk gegaan te word ten einde hierdie studente se lewens- en taalvaardighede dermate op te skerp dat hulle ’n billiker kans staan om sukses te behaal, met ander woorde, hul persoonsmoontlikhede op ’n meer bevredigende vlak te verwesenlik? Die foto hieronder (uit die Limpopoprovinsie, waar een van die navorsers tot onlangs betrokke was by navorsing oor wyses om wiskundeprestasies van leerders te optimaliseer) illustreer moontlik wat bedoel word met die potensieel negatiewe impak van hierdie leerders se omgewing op hul vlak van selfverwerkliking
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