Student factors affecting academic success among undergraduate students at two South African higher education institutions

2021 ◽  
pp. 008124632098628
Author(s):  
Tsholofelo Angela Thomas ◽  
David Maree
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
South African ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Parental Engagement ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Factors Affecting

This study explored student factors affecting academic success among undergraduate students at a historically Black and a historically White South African public higher education institution. Qualitative methodology was used. Data were collected through five focus group discussions from 31 undergraduate students. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The following student factors affected participants’ academic success: academic self-efficacy, peer relationships, parental engagement and support, motivation, time management, adjustment, emotional wellbeing, lack of information, socio-economic status, and language proficiency. This study showed that structural, racialised inequalities in South Africa underpin many apparent student factors that influence academic success in higher education.

scholarly journals Assessment of Psychological Counseling Service for Higher Education Institution Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abera Getachew
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Guidance And Counseling ◽  
Counseling Service ◽  
Psychological Counseling ◽  
Study Results

Guidance and counseling programs are effective in assisting young students in various aspects like academic achievement, study habits and choosing appropriate careers. A study was conducted in a public university in Ethiopia among 605 regular undergraduate students. Its objective was to investigate the students’ awareness and use of Psychological Counseling Service at Higher Education Institutions. The study results show that demographic variables were strongly accounted for the variances in awareness of psychological counseling and use of the service. Majority of the male students (67.8%) had not heard about the presence of psychological counseling service while 24.3% of female students did not know about such a service. More than 60% of the study participants gave top priority for psychological counseling service in higher education institutions. Students’ year of study and place of residence were significantly associated with the students rating of crisis intervention and emergency services, χ2 (9)=23.40, p<.01. The importance given to psychological counseling services also varied based on the place of origin and academic year of the students. Students believed psychological counseling service contributed to their academic success. Implications are discussed.

scholarly journals An investigation into the extent to which the National Senior Certificate equips university finance students with required skills

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-50
Author(s):  
Annelie Oosthuizen ◽  
Riëtte Eiselen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
South African ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
First Year ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
University Finance ◽  
University Studies ◽  
Critical Skills ◽  
South African Higher Education

Higher education institutions have an obligation to provide graduates with the necessary knowledge and skills to enter the workforce and contribute effectively to the financial and economic development of the country. After 1994, the South African educational system was redesigned. One of the major events in this process was the replacement of the Senior Certificate (NATED 550) by the National Senior Certificate, awarded for the first time in 2008. Questions have been raised as to whether the National Senior Certificate curriculum prepares learners adequately for success in university studies. The purpose of the exploratory research reported on in this article was to investigate the perceptions of students on the skills acquired in the National Senior Certificate, as well as the skills required to succeed in their university studies. The study was conducted amongst the first-year B.Com (Finance) students during the 2009 academic year at a South African higher education institution. The results of the study indicate that these students felt that they lacked some of the critical skills required for academic success at university.

scholarly journals Indonesian EFL Students’ Difficulties in Recognizing English Letters

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni Indrayadi ◽  
Daflizar Daflizar ◽  
Yoki Irawan ◽  
Helty Helty
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
First Language ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Study Program ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Efl Students

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the difficulties of Indonesian undergraduate students in recognizing English letters at one public Islamic higher education institution in Jambi Province, Indonesia as the basis for designing pronunciation teaching strategies for English lecturers. Using a qualitative methodology that attempts to investigate and understand human issues in a particular group (Harrison et al., 2017), 4 participants were interviewed. through semi-structured interview questions. The interviews were analyzed and compared along four dimensions of EFL English pronunciation mastery factors: motivation, attitude, first language pronunciation interference, and phonetic ability. The findings of this study provide evidence for lecturers on the importance of introducing pronunciation class in the English study program in the earlier years of study to improve students' English pronunciation ability. Implication and limitation of research are provided.

Exploring student satisfaction and future employment intentions

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa James ◽  
Dongkoo Yun
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Education Student ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Negative Effect

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that affect higher education student satisfaction and to understand students’ perceptions of their academic success and future employment expectations at a particular institution. Design/methodology/approach This study analyzes institutional performance related to students’ satisfaction and their preparedness for future employment endeavours. The questionnaire is designed specifically for students who are eligible to graduate, and the survey is implemented over the institutional website via the student portal and a total of 750°-seeking undergraduate students (target population) are invited to participate. Findings The descriptive results of this study suggest that while student satisfaction may be relatively similar for all academic programmes, there are differences in the perception of career expectations based on chosen academic programme. Most notably, the results also indicate students’ expectations for employment did not have a negative effect on their satisfaction with the higher education institution (HEI). In contrast, they were mostly satisfied with their academic and personal development. In essence, they felt prepared for the workplace and satisfied with the skills and knowledge developed at a university, regardless of job expectations. This paper suggests that institutions may wish to heighten their focus on academic factors in their efforts to retain students and improve their student academic experience. Originality/value This study is conducted at a small-sized (less than 5,000 students) higher institution in Canada that primarily provides undergraduate courses and focusses on students’ employment expectations and their rating of the academic experiences. This study can assist HEIs in developing policies related to student retention and success. HEIs may find this study useful in developing policies and programmes related to transitioning from undergraduate studies to the workplace.

scholarly journals Developing a web-based research administration and management system : case study of a South African higher education institution

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Misheck Nyirenda
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Management System ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Requirements Specification ◽  
Research Administration ◽  
Research Information ◽  
Web Based ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Higher Education

Research has become one of the major activities of higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide. Increasingly important is research information that emanates from the published research as it has now become one of the major sources of funding especially within the South African higher education landscape. However, many HEIs are facing numerous problems managing research information to sustain and attract more funding. The lack of resources to build or acquire appropriate systems for managing research information has been identified as one of the major challenges in HEIs. However, recent studies show that advancements have been made in some countries to address the challenge. For instance, in South Africa, a proprietary research information management system (RIMS) has been implemented in some HEIs. Nevertheless, some HEIs still face problems regarding the use of RIMS. Studies further show that most proprietary systems do not adequately satisfy requirements as desired by the HEIs. This is mostly because proprietary systems are developed without fully understanding the user requirements of individual HEIs. Moreover, most proprietary systems are developed following ad hoc approaches which neglect the requirements specification stage in the development life cycle. Requirements specification is important as it brings developers and users to a common understanding about the requirements of the system before development. The initial lack of consensus about system requirements results in systems that have technical barriers which make users shun from using them. For instance, such systems do not adapt very well to devices with small screens such as mobile phones, and do not have attractive interfaces to make users want to use them. Proprietary systems are also costly to acquire and maintain. Moreover, HEIs may not be able to immediately implement the new desired features in the system because proprietary systems usually do not allow them access to the source code. This study develops a web-based research administration and management system (RAMS) as a proposed solution to the problems of using a proprietary system to manage research information at a South African higher education institution. The study emphasises the use of formal methods for requirements specification to build an optimal system. Consequently, the Zermelo-Fraenkel Z specification language was used to specify the requirements of the proposed system which was developed in close collaboration with the intended users who also assessed its usability. The system evaluation responses were made on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. The overall results of the evaluation show that RAMS is usable and suitable for managing research information, nonetheless improvements are recommended.

Factors influencing the intention to use social media for work-related purposes at a South African higher education institution

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liezel Cilliers ◽  
Willie T. Chinyamurindi ◽  
Kim Viljoen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
South African ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Behavioural Intention ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Higher Education Institution ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Use Of Social Media

Orientation: The rapid development of information communication technology (ICT) has changed much of contemporary society. ICT’s influence extends to the working context with ramifications not only for employees but also for the entire organisation.Research purpose: The primary purpose of this research was to investigate the behavioural intention of a sample of employees at a traditional higher education institution to make use of social media within the workplace.Motivation for the study: Social media has become a common tool within society for communication and networking purposes. An understanding of the factors that influence behavioural intention to use social media within the workplace can assist the organisation to better manage social media usage within the workplace.Research design, approach and method: The research adopted the positivism paradigm with a quantitative research approach. The data were analysed making use of exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. A traditional higher education institution was chosen as the research site for the study, relying on a convenience sample (n = 134) and data gathered using the work-related social media scale and behavioural intention to use scale.Main findings: Although most employees make use of social media for problem-solving and communication purposes already in the workplace, organisations should allow their employees to help manage their reputation on social media.Practical and managerial implications: An understanding of the factors that influence behavioural intention to use social media within the workplace can serve as a useful precursor for both employee and organisational-specific interventions. This study has specific relevance to the use of ICT platforms, such as social media, in traditional higher education institutions in South Africa. The study’s results are therefore useful to both employees as end-users and managers as drivers of such interventions in the workplace.Contribution: This study is one of the first within a South African work context to investigate social media usage in a traditional higher education institution and proposes a workplace social media usage framework (WSMUF) that helps not only employees but also the entire organisation to predict intention to use social media in the workplace.

The educational research landscape on GIS integration and challenges – globally and in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 19-41
Author(s):  
Elfrieda Fleischmann ◽  
◽  
Christo van der Westhuizen ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Global Trend ◽  
Gis Integration ◽  
Depth Interviews

As Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have only been included in the curriculum in the last decade, many educators globally struggle to integrate GIS practice into their teaching strategies. Following the global trend, South African educators might feel ill equipped as they did not receive formal GIS training in a higher education institution. This paper highlights key global and South African challenges regarding GIS integration. To compare the challenges that South Africa faces with those experienced elsewhere, this mixed method study gleaned data from student educators (n=78) who completed a questionnaire regarding their GIS FET Phase education, followed by in-depth interviews with FET Phase educators (n=10) and two provincial heads of Geography for the Department of Basic Education (DBE). Results from this study indicate a clear global and national pattern of barrier categories.

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