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Education Studies

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Browsing Education Studies by Subject "Academic development."

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    Academic writing experiences and literacy development of engineering students at a South African university of technology.
    (2023) Makhanya, Nontsikelelo Lynette Buyisiwe.; Shawa, Lester Brian.
    This study drew on the Cultural Capital Theory and the Academic Literacy Model to explore the academic writing and literacy development experiences of Engineering students at a selected university of technology in South Africa. The study sought to explore the literacy experiences of Engineering student participants over time to determine the efficacy of the knowledge and skills they acquired in relation to academic writing and literacy development. Three critical questions were posed: ● What are Engineering students’ experiences of academic writing and literacy development at the selected university of technology under study in KwaZulu-Natal Province? ● How do Engineering students experience academic writing and academic literacy support offered by the Academic Literacy and Language Support unit at the university of technology under study? ● Why do Engineering students experience academic writing and literacy development the way they do at the selected university of technology under study? Qualitative research methodologies were employed. This study was also underpinned by the interpretive paradigm which is characterised by the concern for the individual and the desire to understand the subjective world of human experience. Data were produced using in-depth semi-structured interviews and reflective journal entries and were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that, although the participating students were underprepared to engage with academic writing at university level, there was improvement in their academic writing skills over time. The study contributes to knowledge of our understanding of how to improve the academic writing capabilities and literacy development of students, including those who come from rural and low socio-economic backgrounds and whose academic development is often retarded by limited cultural capital. The study further highlights the role of IsiZulu (the predominant language in Kwa-Zulu-Natal province) in the academic writing and literacy development of rural students whose first language is IsiZulu. The study also highlights the value of the selected theoretical framing and the methodological approaches that were employed as these contributed significantly to the outcomes as described in this thesis. The unique contribution of this study to the pool of knowledge and scholarly endeavour is the integrated approach that it proposes for embedding literacies within discipline-specific content at the institution of higher learning under study.
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    Comparing academic performance of students in mainstream and extended programmes at a Higher Education Institution in South Africa.
    (2020) Lekhehle, Remaketse Goodness.; Shawa, Lester Brian.
    In the recent decade students’ academic performance in higher education has become a great concern globally and in South Africa particularly. Failure or dropout rate affects most higher education institutions (HEI) in South Africa and has a negative impact on an institution’s funding as well as the economy of the country. The development of the country depends highly on the number of well trained and highly skilled graduates to impact the economic growth of the country. South African universities have responded to the trend towards massisfication of higher education by public policy imperatives to redress the legacy of apartheid. Extended Programmes are used in South African HEIs as a remedy to limitations of disadvantaged primary and secondary schooling to enable students to have access in higher education. Based on the above statements, the objectives of this study were as follows: to compare academic performance of Mainstream and Extended Programme students and to critically examine the reasons for similarities and/or differences in academic performance of students in Mainstream and Extended Programmes at higher education institutions. The research questions were as follows: How do Mainstream and Extended Programme students perform in their first year of university studies at a higher education institution? How do Mainstream and Extended Programme students perform the way they do in their first year of university studies at a higher education institution? The study was aimed at comparing the academic performance of Mainstream and Extended Programmes students from 2017 and 2018. A sample size of 20 for both Extended Programme and Mainstream students was purposively selected based on the test scores which were previously collected from the department so as to reach that sample size. A qualitative approach was used to collect data using focus groups interviews in which only 15 students participated. The test scores were analyse and presented in graphs. Data collected during focus group discussions were recorded, transcribed and analysed based on the themes and the two theories. The findings were discussed and interpreted based on the literature reviewed. The study recommended that Extended Programmes as support be extended to all first year students as the findings of the study revealed that they are all affected by the issue of under-preparedness and therefore need equal support. This would improve student retention and student success.