CHAPTER ONE: ORIENTATION AND OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
5.4 Exploring factors as reported by students that has led them to be identified as ‘at risk’
5.4.2 CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS WHICH COMPROMISE PERFORMANCE OF STUDENT’S ‘AT RISK’
5.4.2.5 Lack of resources for students
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In the above cases, it seems that three factors related to a non-conducive environment and thereby contributed to students’ poor performance. The first related to a noisy environment; in this case the participant was unable to study at the university residence because of the noisy environment. The lack of time available during the day to study on campus compromised her studies. The second factor related to limited study time at home because of family chores; in this case some participants claimed that staying at home distracted their focus and concentration because they were tasked with many chores which prevented them from studying. The third one related to lack of motivation at a university residence; in contrast to the above cases the participant has access to all resources within a university residence but attributed her failure to lack of parental involvement and support from her parent because she did not stay at home.
• Lack of access to university resources
Lack of access to university resources was seen as a contributing factor to students’ poor performance in higher education. Participants expressed the view that they experienced living away from campus as a challenge because it prevented them from using resources such as the internet, the library and books. This corresponds with findings by Nyamweya (2013) who found that the availability of reading material, writing desks, food and a clean environment were high priorities for constituting a good learning environment.
Some of the students who experienced lack of access to university resources indicated that:
“There is no internet at home; if I have to use internet for research then I go to my dad’s office.”
Luke
“I stay at university residence which is off campus; I travel by bus which is a problem because if I don’t catch a bus on time from university to our residence it means I have to take a taxi.
Sometimes it is not safe in the evenings and sometimes that become a challenge if you still want to use the library”. Nokuthula
“Certain things like prescribed books I don’t have but I use books from the library only when I am on campus but it is very difficult because I live at home.” Nevan
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In the above cases, it seems that living away from university resources is a factor that contributed to students’ poor performance. Some students who lived off-campus had to catch a bus back to residences early and that prevented them from using the campus library and accessing other resources like the internet for research.
• Lack of reliable transport
Participants who resided off-campus (home and private accommodation) felt disadvantaged as they had no option but to take unreliable transport to commute to the campus. The participants’
responses revealed that commuting to campus by bus prevented them from accessing university facilities and lecturers because of the unrealistic time schedule. Some students attributed their failure to attend classes on time to the unreliable transport service. Some of the students who experienced lack of reliable transport indicated the following:
“I take public transport which is a problem because sometimes I come on campus late and become late to my lectures.” Mbali
“Transport is reliable but it leaves campus at certain times. Sometimes by the time the bus leave sometimes I want to stay a bit longer to study but unfortunately not”. Khethiwe
“I travel by bus which is a problem because if I don’t catch a bus on time from university to our residence it means I have to take a taxi. Sometimes it is not safe in the evenings and sometimes that become a challenge if you still want to use the library.” Nokuthula
In the above cases, it seems that there were two related factors. The first related to the use of unreliable public transport. In this case students attributed their failure to public transport because they were unreliable and students ended up being late for lectures. Participants explained that lack of reliable transport compromised their safety as they had to stay on campus and use the library till late.
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The second factor related to campus buses which had limited scheduled times and did not accommodate students who want to use university resources during late hours. The students shifted the blame on the transport operations and accommodation department who were not meeting their needs.
Working while studying
Financial difficulties were seen by some participants as a contributing factor to their poor performance in higher education, resulting in part from juggling part-time jobs and studying.
Some attributed their underperformance to hunger at university. In support of this view, Stone and O'Shea (2013) say, it has become a custom that full-time students who are financially challenged combine paid employment and study; consequently, this negatively affects students’
performance.
Some of the students who experienced financial difficulties indicated the following:
“I don’t have funding; I depend on any job that comes my way to pay my university fees. It takes a lot of time, having to look for a job and attend classes can be very difficult. Sometimes I get home tired and also having to face my father with his attitude is another story.” Nevan
“Losing my mother made me look for some jobs to support my baby at home. It was difficult to concentrate in my studies because I also need to go to work” Nozizwe
In this case, it seems that two factors contribute to students becoming ‘at-risk’. One relates to students struggling to focus on their studies and the balance between studying and employment.
In most cases students develop coping mechanism and accomplish successful life outcomes in spite of their adversity (Knight, 2007). Despite the general coping mechanisms and resilience described in the literature, some students are struggling to keep up with the job and studying. The second one relates to students who experience hardships such as a lack of minimum financial
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support. Such hardship in most cases is beyond their control and it prevents them from performing well. In spite of it all, they show resilience by wanting to continue studying (see Zodwa’s statement above). This suggests the need for all university stakeholders to be alert to such cases and provide services that will focus on a student’s need beyond the classroom.