Computer Ownership and Usage as Predictors of Computer Literacy of South African Students

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 638-664
Author(s):  
Pieter Blignaut ◽  
Engela Dednam ◽  
Tlholohelo Nkalai
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Computer Literacy ◽  
First Year ◽  
African Students ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Software Applications ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds ◽  
The University ◽  
Better Than

Most of our first-year students were born after 1995 and belong to the generation of “digital natives”. They are perceived as being comfortable with technology and active on social media for a large part of every day. However, students at the University of the Free State (ufs) come from diverse backgrounds and the typical characteristicsof their contemporaries do not necessarily apply to them.Students completed questionnaires about their experience with and exposure to various software applications before commencement of the first computer literacy module at the mentioned institution. Students’ performance in three formal assessments during the semester were used as dependent variable to determine whether prior ownership and exposure to computers gave them an advantage over their peers who did not have access to computers.Students owning a computer or who had access to someone else’s computer performed significantly better than those without access to a computer. The Internet andmsWord were found to be among the most used applications prior to entering a university, and they also proved to be predictive of the performance of students in a computer literacy module throughout the semester. The amount of usage did, however,not make any significant difference with regard to the students’ performance.

scholarly journals The Influence of Teaching Vocabulary by Using Picture

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 159
Author(s):  
Hanik Nuzulimah
Keyword(s):  
Control Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The Subject ◽  
And Control ◽  
Data Analysis Result ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Better Than

This paper attempts to explore whether there is significant difference of achievement in vocabulary between students taught by using pictures and those are not. The subject of this study is the first year students of SLTP Muhammadiyah Simo Susukan, Semarang where the sample contains 50 students that is divided into experimental group (with treatment) and control group (without treatment). The data is gathered from participants’ score obtained from pre test and post test. Using t test as technique of data analysis, result shows that students taught by using pictures perform better than those are not. It means that there is significant difference between the two groups. Keywords: Vocabulary Teaching; Picture

A Comparison of South African and International First-Year Students’ Counselling Needs and Preferred Counselling Sources

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lionel Nicholas ◽  
Maria Damianova ◽  
Mzamo Ntantiso
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
South African ◽  
First Year ◽  
African Students ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Learning Skill ◽  
Counselling Needs ◽  
First Year University ◽  
Personal Career ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

This study investigated the personal, career and learning skill needs of first-year university students, their preferred counselling sources, and compared South African and international students. Respondents completed a structured questionnaire (N = 567) with more than half reporting a moderate to high need for assistance with their concerns. Women had a significantly greater need for assistance with the bulk of listed concerns than men. International students had a significantly greater need for assistance than South African students and were particularly concerned about xenophobia. These results may assist administrators and counsellors to develop strategies to address identified student needs.

scholarly journals A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Presentation Formats for Instruction: Teaching First-Year Students

2000 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Anne Germain ◽  
Trudi E. Jacobson ◽  
Sue A. Kaczor
Keyword(s):  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Class Session ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
New Students ◽  
Presentation Formats ◽  
The University

First-year experience (FYE) programs offer librarians opportunities to teach new students in a comprehensive fashion. However, large FYE programs can place demands on user education programs that are difficult to meet. Instruction librarians at the University at Albany sought to address this dilemma by developing a Web-based instructional module for one class session. The module was used by a segment of students in the Project Renaissance FYE program, whereas another segment received instruction by a librarian. The effectiveness of the two instructional methods was compared using pre- and post-tests, and was found to be equal. Analysis of the test scores also showed that instruction, regardless of format, makes a significant difference (p < .05) in the number of correct test answers.

scholarly journals Decolonising an Academic Literacy curriculum at the University of the Free State with creative writing: challenges and opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-103
Author(s):  
Peet van Aardt
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
First Year ◽  
Literacy Curriculum ◽  
African Students ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Literacy Course ◽  
Graded Readers ◽  
The University ◽  
Local Narratives

As part of the first year Academic Literacy course at the UFS, students are required to study graded readers. The booklets are abridged versions of Western fiction, therefore these narratives reinforce the colonial presence in our curriculum. But South African students need to read local narratives in order to learn about each other – from each other. By taking part in the Initiative for Creative African Narratives (iCAN) students improve our curriculum by writing their own short stories so that they become contributors of material that will be graded and tested to form part of the UFS Academic Literacy curriculum. Thereby, students contribute to larger bodies of knowledge through their lived experiences. This paper reflects on the challenges and opportunities within the iCAN process.

Gender and Achievement in Mathematics by Indigenous African Students Majoring in Mathematics

1996 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Varghese I. Cherian ◽  
James Siweya
Keyword(s):  
Mathematics Achievement ◽  
Female Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Achievement Scores ◽  
Criterion Measure ◽  
African Students ◽  
The North ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The University

This study investigated gender differences in mathematics achievement of first-year B.Sc. Degree (mathematics major) students at the University of the North in South Africa. They were 214 male and female students. The ages of students ranged from 17 to 66 for 178 men ( M = 22.3) and 17 to 35 years for 36 women ( M = 21.5). With their marks in mathematics as the criterion measure, no significant difference in the mean achievement scores of the two groups was noted; however, a qualitative examination of the category-wise achievement scores of the two groups suggests further study of the bases for some women's achievement to be higher than the men's.

scholarly journals Enlivening pedagogical methods in the classroom through visual arts

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Berman ◽  
Shonisani Netshia
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Visual Arts ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
African Students ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Race And Class ◽  
Creative Commons ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Pedagogical Methods

The call for ‘decolonising’ the curricula by the #FeesMustFall student-led protest movement, in response to an increase of fees at South African universities from 2015, presents educators with the challenge of engaging more relevant methodologies for teaching and learning local content that are appropriate for revised approaches in higher education. Our question in response to this challenge is: how do we enliven curricula and develop pedagogical approaches that can engender a sense of belonging for incoming first-year students and prevent polarising tendencies in the classroom? The visual arts are well positioned to disrupt divisions and stereotypes and offer creative ways to explore patriarchal and colonial power relations. Arts provide safe and empathetic ways for incoming students to gain perspective on their situations from both insider and outsider positions, and to develop a compassionate and enlarged view of the world. In this paper, we introduce some definitions and theoretical positions of decolonising frameworks in the classroom and present a series of first-year classroom interventions as examples of praxis. It is our contention that the arts create the conditions for equalising a classroom space through directing visual processes to engage issues such as the polarisation of race and class. Students are able to engage with ways of responding to their own understandings of how they see themselves as African students. How to cite this article: BERMAN, Kim; NETSHIA, Shonisani. Enlivening pedagogical methods in the classroom through visual arts. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South, v. 2, n. 1, p. 4-20, Apr. 2018. Available at: http://sotl-south-journal.net/?journal=sotls&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=26   This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

scholarly journals Attitudes of Islamic Learning and Education Faculty Students towards English Language at Karachi University

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-96
Author(s):  
Nayab Iqbal ◽  
Kaukab Abid Azhar
Keyword(s):  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
English Language ◽  
First Year ◽  
Education Faculty ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Difference ◽  
A Minor ◽  
The University

The research paper aims at studying the attitudes of the students of Islamic Learning and Education Faculty towards English Language at the University of Karachi. It is based on testing the hypothesis that the students of Islamic Learning Faculty have less positive attitudes towards English language as compared to the students of Education faculty through a survey on first year students of both the faculties. A five point Likert scale was used to conduct a survey on 151 students of the Islamic Learning faculty and 135 students of the Education faculty. The results were calculated using an independent t-test and standard deviation which reveals that there is a minor difference in the attitudes of the student of both the faculties. The students of the Education faculty show more positive attitudes when asked about the importance of English language as compared to the attitudes of the students of Islamic Learning Faculty. However, the difference in their attitude is negligible. As the results reveal minor association between the attitudes of the learners and their faculty therefore, the study proves the null hypothesis which says that there is no significant difference between the attitudes of the students of both the faculties.

scholarly journals Exploring writing apprehension amongst Afrikaans-speaking first-year students

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Olivier ◽  
Jako Olivier
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
Writing Apprehension ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Writing Evaluation ◽  
Linear Relationships ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Additional Support

Writing apprehension relates to a reluctance to write or even fear of writing and little research has been done on this phenomenon in the South African context, especially in terms of compulsory academic literacy and academic linguistic modules. This article aimed at determining the nature of writing apprehension in these two modules in terms of the Daly and Miller’s Writing Apprehension Test (DM-WAT), essay marks and gender at a South African university. The DM-WAT was conducted with two groups of first-year students. An exploratory factor analysis was administered and this led to the identification of four distinct factors which are also associated with related aspects in the literature: positivity towards writing, negativity towards writing, evaluation apprehension and selfefficacy and writing. It is evident that in the context of this study, the chosen instrument could not be used to measure writing apprehension, rather the four identified factors. No linear relationships between essay marks and the identified constructs were clear. Also a practical significant difference between genders was found in terms of the identified constructs. Significantly, students in the compulsory academic literacy module showed a greater tendency towards apprehension in terms of the four identified factors than students from the linguistics module. The chosen instrument could be used to gauge the identified factors. Writing in compulsory academic literacy modules should be taught through individualised student-centred methods, affective support and reflective instruction, positive personal feedback, with additional support through counselling as well as effective modelled writing behaviour from lecturers.

scholarly journals Rolpersepsies van dosente van eerstejaars in die natuurwetenskappe: ’n Fokus op geslagsverskille

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Jacobs ◽  
Gerrie J. Jacobs
Keyword(s):  
Nontraditional Students ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
South African ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
School Performance ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Generation Status ◽  
The University

A marked increase in student enrolments in South African public universities over the last two decades, allowed substantially more ‘nontraditional’ students into the sector. These students typically have unsatisfactory levels of school performance, lack communication skills (especially in English) and mostly have first-generation status. The Faculty of Science at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) established its First Year Academy (FYA) in 2007. The FYA, a community of practice for lecturers of first-year students, promotes optimal student learning, and expects lecturers to optimise their facilitation of learning strategies. Not much is known (research-wise) about role adaptions that lecturers of first-year students (especially in science faculties) are expected (forced?) to make in such circumstances. A literature-validated Likerttype questionnaire, involving 53 first-year lecturers (almost 60% females), was subsequently administered. The survey gathered perceptions in respect of eight literature-based roles that lecturers (could or should) play when dealing with first-year students, as well as their selfappraised competence in fulfilling these roles. The Mann-Whitney U-test revealed significant differences between the perceived role importance and competence of male and female lecturers in respect of certain roles. The study revealed a significant relationship between the gender and opinions (and also behaviours) of science lecturers for first-year students at UJ. Capacity building geared at the more proficient execution of the roles of course designer, teacher, course manager and peer consultant is regarded as vital. A tailor-made professional development programme is offered by the Faculty of Science’s FYA as of 2014.

scholarly journals An investigation of the perceptions of South African students with regards to accelerated learning courses

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Van Rooyen ◽  
J. M. Ontong ◽  
Z. L. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Accelerated Learning ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
First Year ◽  
African Students ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
The Social ◽  
Winter School ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Academic Year

The cost of repeating a module has both financial and social implications. The social implications include increased workloads when repeating a module and students often not being able to graduate within the prescribed minimum course period. A possible solution for this is the use of accelerated learning courses, in the form of summer or winter schools. These schools provide students with another opportunity to pass a module, during the summer or winter recess, using an accelerated learning mode, and consequently complete modules with prerequisites of failed modules in the following year. Using an accelerated learning approach, a summer or winter school covers a large portion of the content in semester or year modules in a shortened timeframe outside the normal academic period. Using a questionnaire approach, the various perceptions of first year students at the end of the academic year regarding the use of these schools were obtained and analysed. The timing of the end of the academic year allows students to familiarise themselves with the various accelerated learning courses offered to them throughout the academic year. The findings suggest that students have a positive perception of these schools despite most of them not having had previous experience of completing an accelerated learning course. Although previous literature has indicated that students are hesitant to complete finance-related modules in an accelerated learning format versus traditional semester and year modules, the perceptions indicate that students are willing to engage in financial modules, with the students identifying that the benefits of these accelerated learning courses exceed the cost. The findings suggest that students who are presented with various non-academic obstacles throughout the traditional module are able to use summer or winter schools as a way to reduce exposure to these obstacles and complete an accelerated learning course. The use of these schools therefore presents an area for module developers to consider when implementing these schools as a way to improve throughput rates, thereby contributing in a positive way to students’ financial and social health.

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