CHAPTER 5: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION OF QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
5.1. Findings from the focus groups
5.1.3. Summary of focus groups findings
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153 Foundation programmes and extended curricula funded by government grants are mainly adopted to improve access to higher education for previously disadvantaged population groups. At UKZN for example, specifically designed and fully-fledged extended curricula and foundational programmes (developmental or remedial) to develop cognitively advanced competencies in language, numeracy, writing and critical thought in order to smooth the entry into mainstream disciplines for under-prepared students who do not qualify for admission to its mainstream Colleges/Faculties on the grounds of their total matric points have been implemented.
Focus groups participants mentioned the paucity of coherent educational policies and appropriately targeted educational investments and institutional climate that can ensure that the maximum numbers of a cohort of first-year students at HEIs (generally under-prepared) are channeled and kept on the path towards graduation, and eventually cater for the desperate shortage of graduates and high-level skills needs. The education sector in South Africa requires a sound methodology, good strategic planning, and clarity of thought and application. Regrettably, the sector seems to have too many challenges and is not capable of meeting these requirements. This violates students’ constitutional rights.
Steyn and Villier (2005) are of the opinion that the NPHE graduation rate targets are unrealistically high in the present educational environment and that non-commensurate foundation programmes for under- prepared students do little to solve the problem of the worsening throughput rates at many HEIs in South Africa.
In summary, focus groups participants felt that the high dropout and failure rates and slow progression that are fueling student attrition, poor graduation and low throughput rates in South Africa are the outcome of mainly developmental and cognitive shortcomings exacerbated by the low levels of parental education, the needs of youth in a poverty-stricken environment, peer behaviour, and lack of community input into prevention programmes to keep students in schools/HEIs.
The profitability of investment in education calculated in metropolitan areas in KwaZulu-Natal revealed that the social rate of return for all levels of education is higher than the average for the world (Steyn and De Villier, 2005). In KwaZulu-Natal, investment in education is a profitable investment for the state and South Africa at large, establishing a valid reason for the DoHET to increase public expenditure in education
154 in the province, and particularly in UKZN, which is fulfilling a multidimensional role in training students for the labour market and the sustenance of economic development.
There is a vicious circle. High dropout and failure rates, slow progression, student attrition, and poor graduation and low throughput rates over the years are imposing financial and budgetary penalties on HEIs, which must generate more income themselves to decrease the deficits due to the relative decrease in public funds linked to student retention, graduation and throughput rates.
The perceived reasons for high student attrition, and poor graduation and low throughput rates provided by participants are categorized into academic/cognitive, financial/resources and other factors and presented in Table 5-1.
Table 5-1 suggests that academic and financial reasons are not wholly to blame for student attrition, poor graduation, or low throughput rates in South African universities at large and at UKZN in particular.
Indeed, this table has shed light on the considerable role of a number of factors involved, including personal, social, emotional, and job-related factors. In addition there are other sundry factors such as primary and secondary education, demographic and geographic characteristics such as age, ethnicity, gender, and race; and life events including criminal enterprises, death of parents or relatives, vulnerable groups, and loss of income, among others. However, financial reasons seem to be the most prevalent reasons. The labour market and the prospect of earning income early, either to improve the economic situation of the family or to enable the student to become financially independent, can attract students out of HEIs prematurely into unskilled jobs with poor prospects. Personal circumstances such as weaker support or exclusion of students with disabilities or health problems can increase the risk of educational failure.
Addressing the variable needs of mixed ability groups of students is a challenge for HEIs (European Commission, 2011). The educational facts and issues emanating from the Table 5-1 are discussed in more detail in the following Chapter 6.
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Table 5-1: Possible Reasons for student attrition of students, and poor graduation and low throughput rates Financial/Resources
• Delayed notification or obtained insufficient funding (bursary, financial aid, loan, or scholarship)
• Lack of infrastructure (inappropriate, under-resourced, or poor physical facilities)
• Meal programmes (free, cheaply priced, or expensive)
• Under-provision of Student learning technology (or support educational materials)
• Sundry costs (cost of books, commuting, fees, housing, supplies, or tuition)
• Loss of income (did not have enough money to continue or could not earn enough money while attending lectures, or sundry opportunity costs)
• Sponsorship (cancellation, reduction in support, or withdrawal)
Personal/Social/Emotional/Job-related/Others
• Exclusion of students or behavioural problems (failure, pushed out, DP refusal, not meeting the progression rules, tenure expired, perceived to be disruptive or detrimental to other students)
• Geographical location (large cities, high poverty areas, isolated, away from social support)
• Student experience (treated disrespectfully, lack of diversity in student life and residential life, few people to identify with, services, xenophobia, disaffection, psychological withdrawal)
• Achieved personal goals or dislike the university (lost of interest, able but given up, stop seeing a reason for staying, disengaged, less compliant students, just fade-out, dropped out)
• Cost of alternatives (child care, make ends meet), with a migrant origin, or vulnerable groups
• Desire and belief (lack of motivation, self-confidence, in comfort zone, out of lecturer’s sphere of attention, resentment, bitterness, negative interaction or interactive process)
• Onset of youth needs (acting out, over age, aptitude, immaturity, being disruptive during lectures, awkward or embarrassing others)
• Commuting distance (lost of transportation, far away or moved out of province)
• Death of parents/change in personal circumstances (circumstantial facts, disenchanted with student life, ill-health (or sick relative), or hunger (lack of meals, deficit subsistence budget))
• Accepted a job (entered the military, could not work and go to university at the same time)
• Settled down into marriage (children, family responsibility) or individual circumstances
• Criminal enterprises (environment, household, community, neighbourhood) or self-protection
• Lack of community endogenous effort input into prevention programmes to keep students at universities (students lack prospects within their chosen educational pathway or not feeling valued by the community so they leave the university)
Academic/Cognitive
• Academics/administrators lacked communication (caring attitude, consultation, or empathy)
• Courses/disciplines/modules/programmes (wanted not available or not what was wanted)
• Inadequate support system or bridge/remedial programmes (teaching less able/disadvantaged students, access for students with disabilities, lecturer-student difficult relationship)
• Institutional management/organization (HEI’s education policies, style of management, course content too hard or lengthy, lack of needed resources, cultural diversity
• Lectures lacked content knowledge (teaching quality, assessment of Student achievement)
• Poor learning environment (class size, lecture theatre, timetable clashes, lack of evening classes)
• Transient (emigration of) outstanding academics/administrators, executives, leaders
• Absenteeism (needed a break, access to residence, LAN or lab denied)
• Achieved short term academic goals (Non-Degree Purpose, gained job-related skills, personal interest, explored career options or improved job prospects)
• Communication problem (language proficiency, disenchanted with assessment feedback or communication with academics, more or less ignored within the lecture theatre, humiliation)
• Felt overwhelmed by demands of HEIs (heavy class loads, clashes in timetabling, could not connect HEIs to own expectations)
• Inadequate orientation (confused, unsure of goals, low ability, poor advice, lacked assistance in the community or neighbourhood)
• Poor academic preparation (disenchanted with own academic performance: poor grades, failure or repeat courses)
• Poor study habits (lack of awareness of the demands of HE (difficulty of the course, error or misperception about necessary effort levels at point of enrolment or given up), peer behaviour
• Transferred to another HEI (failed to cater for the student’s special need)
• Under-preparation from high school (enter the HEI below requirements or cut-off line; lacked prerequisites, knowledge, readiness and skills to succeed)
Source: Based on Focus Group Participants’ Perceptions.
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