Supplemental Instruction as a Tool for Students' Academic Performance in Higher Education (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 2020
Following the dwindled academic performance of first-year undergraduate students in the universities as observed by the researchers and confirmed by the literature, the study problematised Supplemental Instruction (SI) mechanism as a tool to enhance students' performance. Supplemental Instruction, according to this study, is the kind of supplementary academic supports rendered to students to enhance their performance. In order to achieve this, this study explored the challenges with the use of Supplemental Instruction along with the possible solutions to the problems. Social constructivism was used to theorise the study. Participatory Research (PR) was adopted as a methodology for the study because it involved the coming together of the concerned people to participate in problem definition, problem assessment, implementation, and evaluation. Unstructured interviews were used to generate data from the participants who were facilitators and students as co-researchers with the use of audiotape recorder. The participants for the study included first-year students at the selected university, the SI coordinator, two tutors for various modules and their lecturers. Thematic analysis was adopted to categorise, interpret, and analyse the generated data because it involved the reflection of categorised objectives. The study found out among others that; inadequate planning and lack of collaborative engagement were the major challenges while training and retraining of SI personnel and collaborative engagement were the suggestible solutions to ameliorate the problems. However, the study, in its conclusion, significantly enhances the university's reputation and increases the quality of its outputs in terms of students' academic performance through the use of SI.
Universal Journal of Educational Research, 2020
This study explores the use of supplemental instruction (SI), a type of academic support, to enhance the performance of first-year students in universities. This study, therefore, questions the challenges associated with the use of supplemental instruction in a university and the possible solutions. Social constructivism (SC) as a theoretical framework was adopted while Participatory Research (PR) was used because of its assumption that the coming together of the concerned people in the study would give them a sense of belonging, participation in problem definition, problem assessment, implementation and evaluation. Unstructured interviews were used to collect data. The participants of the study include two first-year students, two SI coordinators, two tutors and two lecturers from the selected university. Thematic Analysis (TA) was adopted to analyse, interpret and describe the generated data; as a result its involvement in the reflected categorised objectives. The study concluded that challenges, such as the gap in communication, that is, lack of effective communication and over enrolment were the major problems confronting the implementation of SI while up-to-date evaluation and feedback and provision of educational facilities were the solutions suggested to overcome these problems.
Supporting At-Risk Learners at a Comprehensive University in South Africa
2016
This paper reports on a study done within the Learning Development Unit (LDU) at a South African university. It addresses the issue that many students who arrive at university lack the requisite academic skills needed for success in higher education which increases the time taken to graduate. One of the multiple reasons for this is the ‘articulation gap’ between school and higher education in South Africa and in other countries. This articulation gap is exacerbated by the assumption about prior learning on which South Africa’s traditional higher education programmes are based. The purpose of this study is to explore whether learning development interventions can change student attitudes and confidence levels, and develop some of the skills necessary to succeed. The study allows the academic counsellors who provide support a sense of whether their interventions are working. The study was undertaken by analysing student responses to learning development interventions. The data is glea...
International journal of arts, recreation and sports, 2024
This study was a phenomenological study designed to make decisions using information from participants' experiences. The purpose of the study was to develop a model which can be used to improve teaching and learning in rural secondary schools. Success oriented policies developed by SMT was studied. The contribution of efficient Students Representative Councils towards academic improvement in rural secondary schools was also studied. Methodology: The study is underpinned by qualitative approach, interprevist paradigm, and exploratory design. Participants for the study were chosen by purposive sampling. Four rural secondary schools in King Cetshwayo district (KCD) were selected for study. Two out of the four schools were well performing schools while the other two were underperforming schools. Performance was based on pass rate in the NCS examination. Principals, deputy principals, some HODs and some learners were selected as participants for that study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using research interview schedule tool. Findings: Data collected from participants' response were analyzed per school and comparisons drawn between schools. Most participants appreciated academic interventions, although raised sentiments of some arriving very late. Study reveals that the performance did increase after those interventions. Unique Contribution to the theory, practice, and policy: Conclusions were drawn from the results. A model for academic improvement was developed using results obtained from the data analysis and underpinned by the theory of Concerned Base Adoption Model (CBAM). The model can be used by underperforming schools to improve learner success.
E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Over time, many students that enroll in programmes at the university end up dropping out without completing their studies. This trend is worrisome as it points to a defeat of the objectives of entering and graduating from the university. Therefore, this study explored the perspectives of contributory factors to student success in higher education at a South African University. The study addressed one objective namely, participants’ understanding of factors that contribute to student success in higher education. To address this objective, a qualitative case study design located in the interpretive paradigm was employed to generate data through a semi-structured interview from twelve participants purposively selected from undergraduate and postgraduate students. Of these twelve participants, four represented First Time Entering (FTEN) students, four (4) second year and third year respectively and four (4) postgraduate students across two faculties, namely the Faculty of Education and ...
In response to widening participation in vocational colleges, the South African Department of Higher Education and Training has prioritised the development of student support services in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. The present study investigates how students in a TVET college in South Africa reason and deliberate about academic support and what socio-cultural beliefs shape this. The study employs an interpretative methodology, using interviews with students and researcher immersion in the research site. The study finds that students consider in-classroom instruction to be the primary source of academic support provided by the college. Students consider support provided by the lecturer outside of class to be discretionary and auxiliary. The study subsequently identifies four themes of socio-cultural beliefs which shape students’ deliberations about academic support. These pertain to the nature of college, expectations of college, personal responsibility, and embarrassment. The study then reflects on the contemporary literature and the implications for the design and implementation of student support services, and suggests directions for further research.
South African Journal of Higher Education, 2019
The expansion of higher education in South Africa resulted in large numbers of tudents gaining access to universities. Research has shown that a major challenge facing higher education institutions is to enable students to succeed in their studies. The higher failure rate in higher education is an indicative of the need for various universities to investigate factors that influence student success. The present study explored participants' perceptions of factors influencing academic achievement. A qualitative design was adopted and open-ended questions were utilised for data collection purposes.The ten respondents (5 males and 5 females) for the study were conveniently sampled from a rural university in South Africa. Data were analyzed through content analysis. The results indicate that students'academic achievements are influenced by various factors, such as self-motivation, self-discipline, peer support, and lecturers' teaching approaches. The study concludes that there are variety of factors that impact on students' academic performance.
Reflections on a Study Skills Training Program at a University in Limpopo Province, South Africa
Journal of Social Sciences, 2015
The purpose of the present study was to explore students' views on study skills and other factors that might have influenced their learning at a university in Limpopo Province of South Africa. The study made use of a qualitative approach in which a case study design was employed. Purposive sampling was used to select two samples from a group of 45 students who completed the Foundation Program in the university. Each sample consisted of 6 participants and data were collected through individual and focus group interviews. Data were analyzed through content analysis. The study found that there were numerous factors that impacted negatively on students' learning efforts. The study concluded that the type of study skills offered in the Foundation Program were not appropriate for learning in higher education. The study makes recommendations to enhance student learning in the university.
2012
This study is an investigation into the scope, role, and function of student development and support (SDS) within higher education in South Africa. The underpinnings and frameworks of SDS were explored during the research, as well as its integration into the institution and into organisational structures, the relationship between SDS and the policies of the Department of Higher Education and Training, and the influences from the national and international context of SDS. Policies emerging from the Department of Higher Education and Training heralded dramatic changes after the first democratically elected government in South Africa. The changes were amplified by the shifts in the international context of global explosion of knowledge production and neo-liberal influences on higher education in general and SDS in particular. The higher education system in South Africa has changed from an elite system to broad “massification”, which addresses issues of equity, access, participation and...