Salomé Schulze

Promoting self-regulated learning to improve achievement: A case study in higher education

Abstract The aim of this article is to report on a study conducted to assess the effect of an intervention programme to improve SRL and the achievement of a group of poorly performing undergraduate students at the Tshwane University of Technology. SRL was used as theoretical framework. The case study reports on 20 Engineering students who attended learning skills intervention sessions and wrote a college version of the learning and study strategies inventory (LASSI) pre-test and post-test. The intervention consisted of 12 workshop sessions presented over a period of three months. The LASSI pre-test showed that the group scored below the 50th percentile on four scales (anxiety, attitude, selecting main ideas and test-taking strategies). Observed improvements in the post-test scores of the LASSI scales for seven out of ten scales were statistically significant. The students’ academic achievements also improved. The findings are important for improving student success and throughput in South African higher education.

Teacher migration to Botswana: causes and implications for human resources management in education

Abstract Botswana has been a host country to migrant teachers from various countries and regions of the world for many years. This paper reports on the migration motives that prompted teachers from four countries to move to Botswana to work in junior and senior secondary schools, and their attitudes towards human resource management (HRM) policies and practices in these schools. The teachers completed an 87-item questionnaire which measured four dimensions of migration push-pull factors, and HRM policy and practice issues. Multiple factors were revealed, linked to economic issues, personal circumstances, community and school-related conditions in both the home and host countries. However, the influence of each factor is related to migrants’ gender and countries of origin. As a follow-up to the above, a small, qualitative investigation was conducted. The reactions of five Botswana school managers to the HRM issues raised in the first phase were investigated by means of interviews. The results reveal the unique challenges of a diversified workforce for HRM in these schools.

Exploring the Learning Styles of Students in Ethiopian Public and Private Schools and at University

Abstract Teaching in Ethiopia had to change from passive, teacher-centered instruction to active, student-centered methods while also considering the students’ current learning style preferences. This study therefore aimed to determine the learning style inclinations of students in grade 10 and at university in terms of being balanced, moderate or strong on each of the four dimensions of the Felder-Silverman’s Index of Learning Styles (ILS), namely active-reflective, sensing-intuitive, visual-verbal and sequential-global. A second aim was to investigate if the students had statistically significant preferences for certain learning styles over others if the four dimensions were compared simultaneously. To this end, the ILS questionnaire was implemented with 920 students in grade 10 public and private schools, and at second year university level. The results indicated preferences and significant differences between the groups. The study made recommendations for improved teaching, which are relevant to all developing countries.

The doctoral degree and the professional academic identity development of female academics

This longitudinal study explored the professional academic identity development of female academics before and after obtaining their doctoral degrees. The aim was to identify areas to target to support the development of robust professional identities of the academics. Using a narrative research approach, two female academics were interviewed repeatedly over a period of three and a half years. This was complemented by e-mail conversations. Symbolic interactionism and self-efficacy theory were utilised as lens to interpret the data. The research offered three key findings. It revealed that obtaining a doctoral degree does not automatically develop the desired professional identity. The study identified five areas to target when supporting female academics in their identity development. Self-efficacy permeated all five areas.

Support Practices to Provide Social Capital in Open Distance Learning: Master’s and Doctoral Students’ Views

The University of South Africa is challenged by the slow throughput and high dropout rates of its master’s and doctoral students. Thus, the aim of the investigation was to determine these students’ views of the support they received in all aspects of their studies within one particular college of the university. The researcher also investigated if different student groups had different views in this regard. Using a survey design, 77 master’s and doctoral students completed a questionnaire (constructed by the researcher), by means of a five-point Likert scale. There was also an open-ended question, which made provision for students to provide recommendations for how institutional support could be improved. The findings revealed problems with the appointment process of supervisors, the guidance given by some supervisors, as well as the timing of and support provided at seminars with regard to some facets of research. Statistically significant differences were determined between males and females and between master’s and doctoral students respectively in some aspects. Recommendations for improvement of student support were made.

Socialising postgraduate students to success in an open and distance learning environment

The aim of this study was to understand the socialisation of masters and doctoral students towards success in an open and distance learning (ODL) environment. The investigation focused on identifying the people, processes and artefacts that the students believed most contributed to their success. Six doctoral students who had completed their research within three years and five masters degree students who had obtained their degrees with distinction participated in the research. The data were collected by means of graphic elicitation interviews following on the completion of a relational map to give an indication of the strength of the influence. The sociocultural and the social capital theories were used as a lens to interpret the data. The findings indicated what the participants believed mediated their learning and development, increased their zone of proximal development (ZPD) and enabled them to be successful. The study contributes to the debate on the socialisation of postgraduate students towards success without compromising their autonomy.

Cultivating spiritual intelligence in adolescence in a divisive religion education classroom: a bridge over troubled waters

Abstract Religion Education (RE) forms part of the curriculum of public schools in South Africa. The teachers are, however, not always certain how to deal with divisive religious plurality in multicultural classrooms. Our aim was therefore, to illustrate how the implementation of a spiritual intelligence (SQ) programme can in a constructive way encourage meaningful interaction among students in RE classrooms in secondary schools. Over a period of three months a programme to stimulate SQ was implemented by means of a qualitative case study with ten Grade 11 students of diverse religious convictions. This article reports on the impact of the programme in respect of self-awareness, as well as universal awareness and connectedness as key characteristics of SQ. The collection of the data included reflective activities, informal conversation interviews, focus group discussions, field-notes of observations, and a self-reflective journal. The findings indicate how the programme stimulated meaningful interaction and opportunities to deal with religious plurality in RE.

The relationship between family experiences and motivation to learn science for different groups of grade 9 students in South Africa

Worldwide science education is a national priority due to the role played by science performance in economic growth and the supply and quality of the human capital pool in scientific fields. One factor that may impact on the motivation to learn science is family experiences. This study therefore explored the relationship between family experiences and the motivation for science learning among a group of secondary school students in South Africa. A convenience and purposeful sample (N = 380) were used. Criteria for inclusion stipulated that the students were Grade 9 boys and girls from different racial groups in public and private schools. Data on family experiences and motivation for science learning were collected using a structured questionnaire. Hypotheses were tested based on the correlations between the motivation for science learning and family experiences for gender, race, school and school type. Significant correlations were identified between family experiences (the distal and proximal dimensions) and the motivation for science learning for the sample. However, no significant differences were found between different student groups with regard to the above-mentioned correlations.

A psycho-educational programme using audio-visual media to prevent adolescent substance abuse

South Africa has been witnessing an escalation in drug use among adolescents. This, then, was the phenomenon that prompted the main question behind this research: How can a psycho-educational programme, using an audio-visual media resource, be implemented in schools to prevent adolescent substance abuse? Social cognitive theory (SCT) and self-efficacy theory (SET) were used as a conceptual framework. Relevant principles were implemented to select the “Above The Influence” (ATI) as a resource for use in the programme, which was implemented during seven sessions over two months. The participants were 26 Grade 10 and Grade 11 students. To determine their perceptions of the programme and how it was implemented, data were gathered by means of in-person and online focus groups, interviews, written open-ended questions, observation and follow-up interviews two months after the programme had ended. According to the participants, the programme improved their knowledge and awareness about drug-related issues; their...

Exploring Gender Differences in the Connectedness of South African Adolescents

Abstract The literature on adolescent development refers to the adolescent’s need to be connected to others in a meaningful way. However, research on adolescent connectedness in the South African context is limited, particularly with regard to gender influences. This exploratory, descriptive research project therefore aimed at investigating gender differences in the connectedness of Grade 8 and Grade 11 adolescents of the respective racial groups. Data was collected using the Hemmingway: Measure of Adolescent Connectedness questionnaire. Four hypotheses related to differences between the genders of the sample and the genders of the racial and age groups were tested. The results revealed that the girls in the sample were significantly more connected with regard to most of the variables tested than the boys. The Mixed descent boys and girls differed substantially with regard to connectedness to teachers; the Caucasian boys and girls differed in five domains, while the African boys and girls differed in eight domains. The younger adolescents were also more connected overall than the older ones, particularly the African girls and Caucasian boys. Follow-up research is needed to explain these differences.