Challenges of First-Year Extended Curriculum Programme Students at a University in South Africa

Funmilola Kemi Megbowon, Makhetha-Kosi Palesa, Kavi Bongi, Mayekiso Siphokazi

Abstract


The Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP) is an academic foundation programme established and supported by South Africa’s Department of Higher Education and Training as a route and an enabling environment for educationally disadvantaged, underprepared, unprepared, and at-risk students to access and succeed in higher education. However, beyond the academic concerns for students enrolled on this programme, there are social issues that could hinder the success of the enrolled students. This study examines the challenges of students enrolled in Extended Curriculum Programme in a selected university in South Africa. Using a qualitative research method, data was collected following a focus group discussion comprising twelve groups in the Faculty of Management and Commerce ECP first-year students. This study found that students face a number of challenges including information asymmetry, mismatch between high school subjects and university courses, transitioning from high school to university setting, inadequate and unequal academic support, and stigmatization. The findings imply a need for guidance and counselling in the choice of a future career at high school level, an awareness about ECP, and strengthened support beyond academic support by improving social integration and boosting ECP students’ self-confidence. Government and institutions need to introduce educational anti-stigma interventions to correct individuals’ and society’s misinformed perceptions about ECP programmes and to promote awareness about the potential and possibilities of the programme.

https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.22.4.11


Keywords


Extended Curriculum Programme; Foundation; Higher Education; Teaching and Learning; Challenges

Full Text:

PDF

References


Amani, J. (2016). Do Tanzanian undergraduate students choose or hunt for their degree programmes? International Journal of Higher Education, 5(2), 74–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v5n2p74

Ammigan, R., & Drexler, M. (2022). Exploring the relationship between academic performance and the international student experience: Implications for university support offices and academic unit. STAR Scholar Book Series: Routledge. https://www.ojed.org/index.php/gsm/article/view/2804

Aquilino W. (2006). Family relationships and support systems in emerging adulthood. In Arnett J. J., Tanner J. L., (Eds.), Emerging adults in America: Coming of age in the 21st century Washington, DC. American Psychological Association, 193–217. https://doi.org/10.1037/11381-008

Baik, C., Naylor, R., Arkoudis, S., & Dabrowski, A. (2019). Examining the experiences of first-year students with low tertiary admission scores in Australian universities. Studies in Higher Education, 44(3), 526–538. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2017.1383376

Balfanz, R., McPartland, J., & Shaw, A. (2002). Re-conceptualizing extra help for high school students in a high standards era. Journal of Vocational Special Needs Education, 25(1), 24-41. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/HS/balfanz.doc.

Blanche, M. T., Blanche, M. J. T., Durrheim, K., & Painter, D. (Eds.). (2006). Research in practice: Applied methods for the social sciences. Juta and Company Ltd: Cape Town South Africa.

Brophy, J. (1998). Motivating students to learn. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.

Cheung, K., Tam, K. Y., Tsang, M. H., Zhang, L. W., & Lit, S. W. (2020). Depression, anxiety and stress in different subgroups of first-year university students from 4-year cohort data. Journal of Affective Disorders, 274, 30–-314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.05.041

Coles, J. A. (2021). Black desire: Black-centric youthtopias as critical race educational praxis. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2021.1888163

Corazon A. Quintos, Dennis G. Caballes, Edheson M. Gapad and Marianne R. Valdez (2020). Exploring Between SHS Strand and College Course Mismatch: Bridging the Gap Through School Policy on Intensified Career Guidance Program. CiiT International Journal of Data Mining and Knowledge Engineering, 12 (10), 156–161. https://www.courses.com.ph/senior-high-school-in-the-philippines-curriculum-breakdown

Council on Higher Education. (2013). A proposal for undergraduate curriculum reform in South Africa: The case for a flexible curriculum structure. Report of the Task Team on Undergraduate Curriculum Structure. Pretoria, South Africa: Government Printer http://www.che.ac.za/sites/default/files/publications/Full_Report.pdf

De Klerk, E., Van Deventer, I., & Van Schalkwyk, S. (2006). Small victories over time: The impact of an academic development intervention at Stellenbosch University. Education as Change, 10(2), 149–169. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC31568

Department of Higher Education and Training, (2020). 2000 to 2017 First Time Entering Undergraduate Cohort Studies for Public Higher Education Institutions. Pretoria, South Africa: Government Printer. http://hdl.voced.edu.au/10707/303712

Dhunpath , R., & Vithal, R. (2012). Alternative access to higher education: Underprepared students or underprepared education? Cape Town, South Africa: Pearson.

Edjah, K., Domey, E., & Ankomah, F. (2019). Experiences of Level 100 Undergraduate Students in Developing Countries: A Case Study in University of Cape Coast, Ghana. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 5(4), 13–21. https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v5i4p13

Faloye, S. T., & Ajayi, N. (2021). Understanding the impact of the digital divide on South African students in higher educational institutions. African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/20421338.2021.1983118

Flood, J. P., & Parker, C. (2014). Student awareness of university adventure programs: Understanding motivations and constraints. Recreational Sports Journal, 38(2), 104-117. http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/rsj.2013-0021

Freire, P. (1993). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continuum.

Ganss, K. M. (2016). The college transition for first-year students from rural Oregon communities. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 53(3), 269–280. https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2016.1157487

Godsell, S. (2017). Word generation" and skills around learning and teaching History. Yesterday and Today, (17), 64–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2223-0386/2016/n16a4

Goffman, E. (1963), Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliff New Jersey.

Gyamera, G. O. (2018). I just want to be somebody: exploring students’ Motivations and experiences in universities. South African Journal of Higher Education, 32(3), 154–171. https://doi.org/10.20853/32-3-2544

Hassel, S., & Ridout, N. (2018). An investigation of first-year students' and lecturers' expectations of university education. Frontiers in psychology, 8(2218): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02218

Hsieh, H. F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative health research, 15(9), 1277–1288. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687

Jappie, N. (2020). Access, equity, and admissions in South African higher education. Higher education admissions practices: An international perspective, 190–202. Cambridge University Press.

Jemal, J. (2012). Assessing major adjustment problems of freshman students in Jimma University. Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences, 7(2), 1–14. Htpps://doi.org/196792-1-10-20121010

Krause, K. L., & Coates, H. (2008). Students’ engagement in first?year university. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 33(5), 493–505. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930701698892

Kuh, G. D. (2011). Understanding campus environments. The handbook of student affairs administration, 59–80. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.

Kukkonen, K. (2020). Probability designs: Literature and predictive processing. Oxford University Press: UK.

Laursen, B., Collins W. A. (2009). Parent-child relationships during adolescence. In Lerner R. M., Steinberg L. (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology: Contextual influences on adolescent development 3rd ed. 2,3–42. New York, NY: Wiley.

Lee, I. (2016). Theoretical Perspectives on Social Shopping. In I. Lee (Ed.), Encyclopedia of E-Commerce Development, Implementation, and Management. 2356–2364. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-9787-4.ch169

Lekena, L. L., & Bayaga, A. (2018). Trend analysis of first year student experience in university. South African Journal of Higher Education, 32(2), 157–175. https://doi.org/10.20853/32-2-1934open

Maringe, F., & Jenkins, J. (2015). Stigma, tensions, and apprehension: The academic writing experience of international students. International Journal of Educational Management. 29(5), 609–625. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-04-2014-0049

Mbodila, M., Bassey, I., Kikunga, M., & Masehele, L. (2016). On Overcoming Transitional Challenges of First Year Students in Technology-Based Educational Settings. International Journal of Modern Education & Computer Science, 8(11), 28–35. https://doi.org/10.5815/ijmecs.2016.11.04

McKeever, M. (2017). Educational inequality in apartheid South Africa. American Behavioral Scientist, 61(1), 114–131. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764216682988

Murtagh, L. (2012). Enhancing preparation for higher education. Practitioner Research in Higher Education, 6(1), 31–39. https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/1330

Nelson, K., Clarke, J., Stoodley, I., & Creagh, T. (2014). Establishing a framework for transforming student engagement, success and retention in higher education institutions: Final report. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Neuendorf, K. A. (2011). Content analysis—A methodological primer for gender research. Sex roles, 64(3), 276–289. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-010-9893-0

O’Shea, S. (2016). First-in-family learners and higher education: Negotiating the ‘silences’ of university transition and participation. HERDSA Review of Higher Education, 3, 5-23. https//www.herdsa.org.au/herdsa-review-higher-education-vol-3/5-23

Ogude, N. A., Meyer, I. J., Mwambakana, J., & Mthethwa, N. E. (2019). Can extended curriculum programmes be improved through engagement with students using appreciative inquiry? South African Journal of Higher Education, 33(4), 219–236. https://doi.org/10.20853/33-4-2835

Petersen, N. F., & Arends, D. (2018). The role of first-year experience excursion in promoting social integration at university: Student teachers’ views. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 8(1), 1–9. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC-15d5a1d5ff

Pillay, A. L., & Ngcobo, H. S. (2010). Sources of stress and support among rural-based first-year university students: An exploratory study. South African Journal of Psychology, 40(3), 234–240. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC98601

Prelow, H. M., Mosher, C. E., & Bowman, M. A. (2006). Perceived racial discrimination, social support, and psychological adjustment among African American college students. Journal of Black Psychology, 32(4), 442–454. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798406292677

Rosenthal, L., London, B., Levy, S. R., & Lobel, M. (2011). The roles of perceived identity compatibility and social support for women in a single-sex STEM program at a co-educational university. Sex roles, 65(9), 725–736. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-011-9945-0

Sanoff, A. P. (2006). A perception gap over students’ preparation. Chronicle of Higher Education, 52(27), 9–14. http://chronicle.com/free/v52/i27/27b00901.htm

Sartorius, N. (2007). Stigma and mental health. The Lancet, 370(9590), 810–811. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61245-8

Savickas M. L., Porfeli E. J. (2012). Career Adapt-Abilities Scale: Construction, reliability, and measurement equivalence across 13 countries. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 80, 661–673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.011

Schreiner, L. A., Louis, M. C., & Nelson, D. D. (2020). Thriving in transitions: A research-based approach to college student success. The National Resource Centre for the First-Year Experience.

Sharf, R. S. (1992). Applying career development theory to counselling. Brooks: Cole Publishing Company.

Silverman, D. (2001). Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods for Analysing Talk, Text and Interaction. London: Sage.

Slabbert, R., & Friedrich-Nel, H. (2015). Extended curriculum programme evolution: a road map to academic success? South African Journal of Higher Education, 29(1), 45–59. http://hdl.handle.net/11462/1568

Sterling, A. J. (2018). Student experiences in the second year: Advancing strategies for success beyond the first year of college. Strategic Enrolment Management Quarterly, 5(4), 136–149. https://doi.org/10.1002/sem3.20113

Thomas, G., & Whitten, J. (2012). Learning support for students with learning difficulties in India and Australia: Similarities and differences. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, 11(1), 3–21. https://www.iejcomparative.org

Turner, R. J., & Brown, R. L. (2010). Social support and mental health. A handbook for the study of mental health: Social contexts, theories, and systems. Social Support and Mental Health 2(10), 200–212.

Thompson, M., Pawson, C., & Evans, B. (2021). Navigating entry into higher education: the transition to independent learning and living. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 45(10), 1398–1410. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.1933400

Uleanya, C., & Rugbeer, Y. (2020). Investigation of First year Learning Experiences in a Rural University in South Africa. Journal of Student Affairs in Africa, 8(1), 29–46. https://doi.org/ 10.24085/jsaa.v8i1.4180

Upoalkpajor, J. L. N. (2020). Career guidance and its implications for students’ career choices: The case of public senior high schools in Ghana. Journal of Education Society and Behavioural Science, 33(8), 62–69. htpps://doi.org/10.9734/JESBS/2020/v33i830251

Vicsek, L. (2010). Issues in the Analysis of Focus Groups: Generalisability, Quantifiability, Treatment of Context and Quotations. Qualitative Report, 15(1), 122–141. http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR15-1/vicsek.pdf

Wangeri, T., Kimani, E., & Mutweleli, S. M. (2012). Transitional challenges facing university first year students in Kenyan public universities: A Case of Kenyatta University. Interdisciplinary Review of Economics and Management, 1(2), 43–50. https://www.ku.ac.ke/schools/humanities/images/stories/docs/Research/trannsitional-challenges-facing-first-year-students

Watson, M., McMahon, M., Foxcroft, C., & Els, C. (2010). Occupational aspirations of low socio-economic Black South African children. Journal of Career Development, 37(4), 717–734. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845309359351

Wood, A. M., Maltby, J., Gillett, R., Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (2008). The role of gratitude in the development of social support, stress, and depression: Two longitudinal studies. Journal of Research in Personality, 42(4), 854–871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2007.11.003

Young, E., Thompson, R., Sharp, J., & Bosmans, D. (2020). Emotional transitions? Exploring the student experience of entering higher education in a widening-participation HE-in-FE setting. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 44(10), 1349-1363. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2019.1688264

Zhang, R., Wang, M. S., Toubiana, M., & Greenwood, R. (2021). Stigma beyond levels: Advancing research on stigmatization. Academy of Management Annals, 15(1), 18–-222. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2019.003


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


e-ISSN: 1694-2116

p-ISSN: 1694-2493