The Contribution of Under-Preparedness to Low First Year Success Rates as Perceived by Lecturers and second Year Students and at a Comprehensive South African University

Abstract

Using a qualitative research design, the study sought to establish how second-year students and lecturers’ teaching first-year modules perceive the contribution of under-preparedness to low success rates at first-year level. Data were gathered by means of focus group interviews with second year students studying Education, Financial Accounting, Public Management and Governance, Entrepreneurial Studies and Management as well as with five lecturers teaching at first-year level at a campus of the university which is located in a township area. It was established that while both the students and lecturers, in the main, agree that under-preparedness contributes significantly to low first-year success rates, they also agree that it can also be attributed to psycho- social and institutional factors some of which have very little or no link at all to the first-years’ basic education background. The study recommends the need for measures to be taken to solve the problems in South African basic education as well enhancement of institutional efforts aimed at improving first-year success rates by universities. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p1748