by Ali Parry - APPETD Research Committee member
Every year, we hear heart-wrenching stories of school leavers who, despite their best efforts, are denied access to university because their results were not good enough.
These youngsters then have to fall back on a less preferred option such as enrolling at a private college or joining the work force. Perhaps equally heart-wrenching are the stories (though not as well publicised, it seems) of university students who find themselves unable to cope with the demands of formal tertiary education and fail to obtain their degrees at the end of the day.
Many simply drop out in their first year, thereby sparing themselves any further discomfort. However, having to reveal in a job interview that things did not work out for them at university can be just as career-limiting as having to admit to poor Grade 12 results.
Interestingly, those fortunate enough to be accepted at university are often seen as having "arrived?, as if their ultimate success were guaranteed. After all, they met their institutions? entrance criteria and so were screened for a less-than-satisfactory grasp of key academic disciplines.
Sadly, though, thousands of university students, who supposedly had such promise, fail to obtain their degrees - sometimes even after repeated attempts - dealing a blow to universities? throughput rates and the number of graduates available to be snapped up by discerning employers. What is contributing to this phenomenon and is South Africa any worse off than other countries?
Informal studies conducted at selected universities in South Africa show that there is often a misalignment between an institution?s teaching style and students? learning styles. In fact, this could be the key factor contributing to universities? disappointing throughput rates, with intellectual shortcomings on the part of the students in question playing a secondary role.
At school, the parameters of the teaching and learning process are generally clear. There is at least one textbook per subject and it forms the core of the classroom experience. The majority of questions are derived from it and there is a certain way of formulating answers.
Unfortunately, rote learning still persists in many schools throughout the country which allows the most conscientious (but perhaps not the most gifted) students to excel. At the better schools, the class size makes way for individual attention by the teacher and there are clear consequences for disruptive behaviour or shoddy homework. School is very much about rules and conformity.
At university, students are responsible for their own study momentum and output. Free will (to attend lectures and tutorials, and to turn up for semester tests and exams) is an important component of the study experience.
In many first year courses, in particular, where lectures attract hundreds of students, it is impossible for lecturers to check that everyone is there, paying attention, grasping the subject matter, and submitting his or her work on time.
Even asking or responding to questions in class can be a logistical challenge. While there is invariably a textbook (or two) that must be studied, most lecturers embellish the prescribed reading material with their own thoughts and opinions, and these additional insights often find their way into tests and exam papers.
If a student was not at the class(es) in question or was distracted by the low buzz of conversation that pervades the typical lecture, his or her performance could be compromised.
Many new university students also report that there is a chasm between the style of questioning at school and that at university where issues often need to be analysed and debated, not taken at face value.
Extra reading and research often assume frightening proportions, with plenty of students being unsure about how much information to retrieve and how to package it in original and convincing answers. Even note-taking in class, a fundamental requirement for getting through a particular course, is a challenge for many students who are adept at using their tablets but have poor motor skills and short attention spans.
In addition, application (not just regurgitation) of theory is a required skill in most university courses but it is rarely taught at the secondary school level. Consequently, university lecturers find that even bright individuals have flawed thinking and weak arguments at times.
University is not about hand-holding. It is about stimulating young (and older!) minds and encouraging self-discipline. For those lacking in maturity, the discipline to study at the required pace and to the required depth is often difficult to maintain, especially when campus life offers so many liberties and distractions.
Whereas the problems highlighted above are in evidence in varying degrees in many countries, South Africa is particularly weak when it comes to maths and science teaching at secondary school level, and this has serious implications for those enrolled for commerce and science/engineering degrees at local universities.
For example, it is not uncommon for B.Com students who achieved relatively good marks for maths in Grade 12 to find themselves ill-prepared for the rigours of statistics and differential calculus in their first year at university. Interestingly, many first year students who hail from Zimbabwe find the maths-related subjects less challenging than their South African peers.
Of course, failing to complete one?s degree is not always about the environment or the work being too challenging; the university experience is simply not for everyone. A typical lament is that university programmes are too "academic? and do not make one sufficiently business-savvy to take on the corporate world or pursue promising entrepreneurial ventures.
Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg - all university drop-outs who went on to change the world - are cases in point. But for those who are anxious to follow the tried and tested route of obtaining a university degree to improve their chances of professional success, it would be wonderful if schools and universities could come up with a joint strategy to reduce the "settling in? distress experienced by so many young people before it mutates into full-blown and irreversible disillusionment.
What do you think?
Should schools do more to prepare students for university or does the responsibility to succeed rest solely on the individual?
