Abstract
Background: Selection criteria used to admit students to a radiography programme at the Central University of Technology (CUT) included academic criteria, as well as the General Scholastic Aptitude Test (GSAT) and Self-directed Search (SDS) Questionnaire.Aims and objectives: The aim of the study was to identify which selection criteria were predictors of academic success in the first year of study. As a four year Bachelor's degree in Radiography (480 credits) was to replace the three year National Diploma (NDip) in Radiography (360 credits), selection criteria would come under review.Design and method: Data from 130 students were gathered in a retrospective quantitative study. Data were edited, categorised and summarised. A statistical analysis was undertaken to identify which selection criteria predicted academic success in the first year of study.Results: Statistics showed that the matriculation Admission Points Score (National Senior Certificate/NCS APS) and core matriculation subject results in Mathematics, Physical Sciences and English were adequate predictors for first-year academic success, and the subjects Life Sciences for the NSC and Biology for the Senior Certificate (SC), showed strong predictive values for first-year academic success. According to the statistical analysis, the GSAT and SDS Questionnaire did not contribute any significant information which could predict academic success.Conclusion: Matriculation marks and NSC APS were adequate predictors for academic success, with a focus on Life Sciences or Biology marks as the strongest predictor. The usefulness of the GSAT and SDS Questionnaire could be questioned, and a recommendation was made to replace these tests with alternative student selection methods.
Highlights
At the time of this study, the selection criteria used to admit students to a three year radiography programme, the National Diploma in Radiography (360 credits) at the Central University of Technology (CUT), in Bloemfontein, South Africa included academic criteria, as well as the General Scholastic Aptitude Test (GSAT) and Self-directed Search (SDS) Questionnaire
Both National Senior Certificate (NSC) APS and CUT admission points score (CUT APS) with bonus points consistently showed the strongest correlation with the eventual module mark out of all the predictors
When considering the various selection tools used by the CUT in the selection of the students reported on in this study, several pertinent points can be made: The results of this study show that suitability of the SDS questionnaire as part of the selection process for a career in
Summary
At the time of this study, the selection criteria used to admit students to a three year radiography programme, the National Diploma in Radiography (360 credits) at the Central University of Technology (CUT), in Bloemfontein, South Africa included academic criteria, as well as the General Scholastic Aptitude Test (GSAT) and Self-directed Search (SDS) Questionnaire. An assessment of the selection criteria as predictors of academic success, for entry level students in the current radiography programme was considered relevant. Selection criteria used to admit students to a radiography programme at the Central University of Technology (CUT) included academic criteria, as well as the General Scholastic Aptitude Test (GSAT) and Self-directed Search (SDS) Questionnaire. A statistical analysis was undertaken to identify which selection criteria predicted academic success in the first year of study. This is in line with other tertiary institutions, where academic literacy tests serve as “diagnostic measures of students' learning and thinking capacities and shortcomings at this early stage of their studies” (Cliff & Hanslo, 2009:269)
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