Bydraende onderrig-leerfaktore tot studenteslytasie in VOO-kolleges

Abstract

In Suid-Afrika word Hoër Onderwys deur diverse aspekte beïnvloed en beheer. Die toename in studentegetalle as gevolg van sosiale, politieke, demografiese sowel as ekonomiese veranderinge plaas druk op Hoër Onderwys om ʼn beter deurvloeisyfer van studente vol te hou. Die druk is tans op VOO-kolleges om ʼn beter deurvloeisyfer te verkry om sodoende ʼn groter potensiële werkskorps aan die landsekonomie bloot te stel. Daar het ʼn uitbarsting in VOO-studente-inskrywings oor die afgelope twee dekades plaasgevind en beroepsonderwys het ʼn “landskap van keuse” vir laer sosio-ekonomiese groepe geword aangesien dit ook aan hulle ʼn geleentheid bied om verder te studeer. Met hierdie toename in studente, kan die vraag gestel word rakende hoeveel van hierdie studente hul studies met sukses voltooi, en wat as moontlike bydraende onderrig-leerfaktore tot studenteslytasie aangedui kan word. Studenteslytasie en die effek daarvan op akademiese sukses is van essensiële belang in Hoër Onderwys. Geen enkele faktor kan akademiese prestasie en/of deurvloei waarborg nie, aangesien akademiese prestasie afhanklik is van ʼn kombinasie van faktore. Daarom is die navorser van mening dat, vir die uitskakeling van studenteslytasie, dit essensieel is om bepaalde bydraende onderrig-leerfaktore tot studenteslytasie in VOO-kolleges te identifiseer. Op grond van die inligting in die bestaande literatuur en die gebrek aan inligting wat direk verband hou met die persepsie van studente rakende moontlike bydraende onderrig-leerfaktore tot studenteslytasie in VOO-kolleges kan die navorser die probleem en doelstelling van die studie soos volg saamvat: Die onderhawige studie het ten doel gehad om ondersoek in te stel na moontlike bydraende onderrig-leerfaktore wat tot studenteslytasie in Taletso VOO-Kollege kon bydra. Die doel met die onderhawige studie was dus om te poog om te verklaar watter onderrigleerfaktore as bydraend tot studenteslytasie van vlak 2 Primêre Landboustudente aan Taletso VOO-Kollege aangevoer kan word. In ʼn poging om bostaande intellektuele raaisel te verstaan, en met die oog op naturalistiese veralgemening (en nié statistiese veralgemening nié), het ek, in die lig van bostaande, besluit om ʼn kwalitatiewe gevallestudie te gebruik. Die deelnemers is nie in eksperimentele situasies waargeneem nie, maar semigestruktureerde onderhoude is binne die natuurlike omgewing van die deelnemers gevoer as deel van 'n gevallestudie. Die navorser het ook die ondersoek vanuit 'n interpretivistiese paradigma aangepak. Daar is van nie-waarskynlike steekproefneming asook doelgerigte steekproefneming gebruik gemaak omdat die deelnemers doelgerig tot die navorsingsprobleem bygedra het. Uit die ontleding van die semigestruktureerde individuele onderhoude is die verskillende bevindinge en kodes binne dertien (13) temas saamgevat, te wete akademiese motivering deur akademiese betrokkenheid; dosent-toeganklikheid; student-dosentinteraksie; student-inhoudinteraksie; positiewe klaskamerklimaat en omgewing; akademiese vaardighede van studente; skep van ʼn leerkultuur; akademiese doeltreffendheid van dosent; akademiese ondersteuning en advies deur die dosent; akademiese standaarde van die student; sosio-ekonomiese agtergrond van student; familie- en gemeenskapsondersteuning: karaktereienskappe van die student en laastens die karaktereienskappe van die dosent. Die navorser het ʼn geïntegreerde interpretasie van die sleutelbevindinge aangebied en kan tot die gevolgtrekking kom dat onderrig-leerfaktore wat ook moontlik aanleiding kan gee tot studenteslytasie nie deur ʼn enkele, geïsoleerde faktor beïnvloed word nie, maar wel deur ʼn groep samehangende en logiese verbandhoudende faktore. Wanneer daar na onderrig-leerfaktore gekyk word wat moontlik studenteslytasie by die Vlak 2 Primêre Landboustudente beïnvloed, behoort die Kollegebestuur, programontwikkelaars en dosente 'n verskeidenheid faktore in ag te neem, te wete: • die persoonsmatige identiteit van studente; • die persoonsmatige identiteit van dosente; • die soort akademiese bystand, binne die klaskamer, wat aan studente beskikbaar gestel sou kon word; • die soort akademiese bystand, buite die klaskamer, wat aan studente beskikbaar gestel sou kon word; • die kennis, kundighede en vaardighede van studente rakende selfgerigte leer; • die kennis, kundighede en vaardighede van dosente rakende die vakinhoudelike; • die voorsiening van motivering vanuit 'n bepaalde samelewing, gesinsverband, asook van die betrokke dosente, rakende die voltooiing van studies. Higher Education in South Africa is influenced by a variety of factors. The increase in student numbers as a result of social, political, demographical as well as economic tendencies puts pressure on Higher Education to maintain a better through-flow rate. Currently the demand is for FET Colleges to deliver a bigger potential workforce to the economy. Over the past two decades, enrolment at FET Colleges has exploded, as vocational education has become a “sector of choice” for lower socio-economic (“under-represented” student) groups, since this will afford them an opportunity of furthering their studies. Considering this increase in student numbers, the question may well be asked as to how many of these students complete their studies successfully, and what can be regarded as teaching-learning factors possibly contributing to student dropout. Student dropout and the effects thereof are crucial in Higher Education. No single factor can guarantee academic success and/or through-flow, since academic achievement depends on a combination of factors. Subsequently it is the opinion of the researcher that, in order to limit student dropout, it is essential to identify specific factors which may contribute to student dropout from FET Colleges. Based on information available in the body of literature, and the lack of information directly related to the perceptions of students pertaining to possible factors contributing to student dropout, the researcher may endeavour to summarise the problem statement and aims of this study as follows: this study aimed at investigating possible factors contributing to student dropout in Taletso FET College. In an attempt to solve this intellectual riddle, and bearing in mind naturalistic generalisation, the researcher decided to do a qualitative study. Participants were not observed in experimental situations, but semi-structured individual interviews were conducted within the natural environment of the participants as part of a case study. The researcher approached the research from an interpretivistic paradigm, applying non-probability as well as probability sampling, since the participants contributed to the research problem purposefully. From analysis of the semi-structured interviews, the various findings and codes were categorised into thirteen (13) themes, viz. academic motivation through academic involvement; lecturer accessibility; student-lecturer interaction; student-content interaction; positive classroom climate and environment; academic skills of students; creating a learning culture; academic efficiency of the lecturer; academic support and advice of the lecturer; academic standards of the student; socio-economic background of the student; family and community support; characteristics of the student, and finally characteristics of the lecturer. The researcher presented an integrated interpretation of key findings and concluded that factors possibly contributing to student dropout cannot be attributed to a single, isolated aspect, but to a group of connected and logical factors. Considering teaching-learning factors which may influence student dropout with Level 2 Primary Agriculture students, college management, programme developers and lecturers should bear the following in mind: • personality identity of students; • personality identity of lecturers; • the type of academic support which could be made available to students within the classroom; • the type of academic support which could be made available to students outside the classroom; • knowledge and skills of students pertaining to self-directed learning; • knowledge and skills of lecturers pertaining to subject content; • motivation from a specific community, from within the family, and also from lecturers involved, for students to complete their studies.