pre-entry academic and non-academic factors influencing teacher education students' first-year ...

329 Pages·2015·3.67 MB·English

by  Sue Pather

PRE-ENTRY ACADEMIC AND NON-ACADEMIC FACTORS INFLUENCING
TEACHER EDUCATION STUDENTS’ FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE AND
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
by
SUBETHRA PATHER
Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
Doctor of Education
in the Faculty of Education
at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Supervisor: Prof Rajendra Chetty
Mowbray Campus
April 2015
CPUT copyright information
The thesis may not be published either in part (in scholarly, scientific or technical
journals), or as a whole (as a monograph), unless permission has been obtained
from the University.
DECLARATION
I, Subethra Pather, declare that the contents of this thesis represent my own unaided
work, and that the thesis has not previously been submitted for academic
examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions
and not necessarily those of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
_________________________________ ____________________________
Signed Date
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we
have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we
lead.
— Nelson Mandela
The successful accomplishment of this thesis would not have been possible
without the support and guidance from a number of people. I should like to
express my heartfelt gratitude to all who enriched this journey of intellectual
pursuit. In particular I wish to thank:
 My family: my husband Shaun, for his patience, love and devotion; and my
sons Hushav and Nishen for their understanding and endurance during these
last five years.
 My parents, my late dad Bobby and mum Radha Padayachee: thank you for
being my number one supporter. Your spiritual guidance and unconditional
love are forever appreciated.
 My father-in-law, Dr Juggie Pather: thank you for your assistance and
constant encouragement.
 To family and friends: thank you for your ongoing support and always keeping
my sprits high. My brothers Shalen and Samish, my sister-in-laws: Sagree,
Preba, Romy and Mayendree, and all my wonderful cousins and dear friends.
 Colleagues at CPUT and other institutions: thank you for sharing your
academic thoughts with me and keeping me focused. A special thank you to
my friend and colleague, Prof. Niri Dorasamy; I appreciate the late night calls
and the constant support.
 Participants in my research: I should like to acknowledge all the participants in
this research project. Your valuable input and time are greatly appreciated.
 Most importantly I am indebted to my supervisor, Prof Rajendra Chetty,
without whose expertise, guidance and mentorship I would not been able to
achieve such success. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me.

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I also wish to acknowledge the support from the following organisations:
 The National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. The completion of
this study would not have been achievable within the required time frame
without receiving the NRF Sabbatical Grant. Opinions expressed in this thesis
and the conclusions arrived at, are those of the author, and are not
necessarily to be attributed to the NRF.
 The Centre for Critical Research on Race and Identity (CCRRI) at UKZN: I am
grateful for being awarded the DHET Doctoral Scholarship from CCRRI and
participating in a collaborative project titled: Education and Emancipation: A
Critical, Intervention-Oriented Investigation of Obstacles and Opportunities
Within the Higher Education and Training Sector in South Africa.
The financial assistance of the NRF and CCRRI’s DHET Doctoral Scholarship award
towards this research is acknowledged.

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DEDICATION
For my parents: Amma and Papa
Matha, Pitha, Guru, Deivam (Mother, Father, Teacher & then God)
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ABSTRACT
The research question that guided this doctoral study is: How do pre-entry academic
and non-academic factors influence teacher education students’ first-year
experience and academic performance? The study was designed within the
qualitative research paradigm and employed a case study strategy to collect both
quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative approach included a questionnaire
that was completed by 195 respondents. The qualitative data was obtained from
one-on-one and focus-group interviews with eight participants that were purposively
selected. The conceptual framework developed for this enquiry took into
consideration the significance of student diversity in understanding first-year
experience and thus employed concepts from two sociological models, Tinto’s (1975;
1993) integration model (social and academic integration) and Bourdieu’s (1984;
1990) theoretical tools of capital, habitus and field. Six key themes emerged from the
data: determination, self-reliance, fitting-in, out-of-habitus experience, positioning
oneself to succeed and challenges.
The unequal distribution of economic, social and cultural capital created
disparities between students’ habitus and schooling experiences which influenced
the way they integrated into their first year at university. The study revealed that
more mature students than school-leavers and gap-students are entering higher
education. Further, the majority of first-year students are unable to fund their studies
and source external funding or engage in part-time employment. Students pursued
financial aid before focusing on academic activities. Engagement in the social
domain remained marginal. Students’ determination to change their economic
circumstances was the primary factor that influenced their attitudes and actions at
university.
Higher education needs to consider student diversity, financial constraints of
disadvantaged students, first-year curriculum planning and delivery, and the high
cost of university studies. It needs to move away from viewing entering students from
a deficit model, to capitalise on their qualities of determination, optimism, enthusiasm
and openness to learning, thereby creating an inclusive first-year experience that
could encourage retention and student success.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ......................................................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................... ii
DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................................... iv
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................... v
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................... vi
List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................ x
List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... xi
GLOSSARY: ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ............................................................................... xiii
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1
1.1 CHALLENGES FACING HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA ........................................................... 1
1.2 BACKGROUND TO RESEARCH PROBLEM ......................................................................................... 3
1.2.1 Changing HE landscape: from elite to mass-based system ............................................. 3
1.2.2 Student attrition and persistence ....................................................................................... 5
1.2.3 Dealing with the problem: focus on first-year students ..................................................... 5
1.3 BRIDGING THE GAP IN THE LITERATURE? ........................................................................................ 6
1.4 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM.............................................................................................................. 8
1.5 THE RESEARCH CONTEXT: TEACHER EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA ................................................. 9
1.5.1 Current teacher profile in South Africa .............................................................................. 9
1.5.2 High teacher attrition rate: a national concern ................................................................ 10
1.5.3 Teacher training in South Africa ...................................................................................... 13
1.5.4 Teacher education students ............................................................................................ 14
1.6 PURPOSE OF STUDY ................................................................................................................... 15
1.6.1 Research questions ......................................................................................................... 15
1.6.2 Research aims and objectives ........................................................................................ 16
1.7 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................... 16
1.8 CLARIFICATION OF BASIC CONCEPTS AND TERMS .......................................................................... 19
1.9 ORGANISATION OF THE STUDY ..................................................................................................... 21
1.10 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 22
CHAPTER 2 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ...................................................................................... 23
2.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 23
2.2 SIGNIFICANCE OF A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................ 26
2.3 TINTO’S INTEGRATION MODEL ...................................................................................................... 29
2.3.1 Empirical studies on Tinto’s student integration model ................................................... 32
2.3.2 Critique of Tinto’s model .................................................................................................. 36
2.4 BOURDIEU’S THEORETICAL TOOLS ............................................................................................... 37
2.4.2 Empirical studies using Bourdieu’s theoretical tools ....................................................... 43
2.4.3 Critique of Bourdieu’s conceptual tools ........................................................................... 45
2.5 A CONCEIVED CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR THIS STUDY ........................................................... 47
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2.6 CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................. 52
CHAPTER 3 LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................. 54
3.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 54
3.2 WHAT CONSTITUTES THE FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE?..................................................................... 54
3.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE ........................................................................... 55
3.4 EMPIRICAL STUDIES ON THE FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE .................................................................. 57
3.4.1 First-year retention .......................................................................................................... 59
3.4.2 First-year transition .......................................................................................................... 60
3.4.3 First-year student preparedness ..................................................................................... 63
3.5 WIDENING ACCESS AND DIVERSITY .............................................................................................. 66
3.6 FACTORS INFLUENCING THE FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE .................................................................. 70
3.6.1 Academic factors ............................................................................................................. 71
3.6.2 Non-academic factors ..................................................................................................... 73
3.6.3 Institutional factors .......................................................................................................... 76
3.7 CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................. 77
CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................... 79
4.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 79
4.2 OUTLINE OF THIS CHAPTER ......................................................................................................... 80
4.3 PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES................................................................................................... 81
4.3.1 Constructivist/interpretivist viewpoint .............................................................................. 82
4.3.2 Pragmatic viewpoint ........................................................................................................ 83
4.4 RESEARCH STRATEGY OF ENQUIRY: CASE STUDY ......................................................................... 85
4.5 RESEARCH DESIGN ..................................................................................................................... 89
4.5.1 Selection of research participants ................................................................................... 91
4.5.2 Ethical considerations ..................................................................................................... 95
4.5.3 Data collection methods .................................................................................................. 97
4.5.4 Mailed questionnaire ..................................................................................................... 101
4.5.5 One-on-one interviews .................................................................................................. 103
4.5.6 Focus-group interview ................................................................................................... 107
4.5.7 Analysis of evidence ...................................................................................................... 114
4.5.8 Quantitative data analysis ............................................................................................. 115
4.5.9 Qualitative data analysis ............................................................................................... 118
4.5.10 Trustworthiness of the study ..................................................................................... 123
4.6 CONCLUDING REMARKS ............................................................................................................ 124
CHAPTER 5 QUESTIONNAIRE FINDINGS ...................................................................................... 125
5.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 125
5.2 PRESENTATION OF DATA ........................................................................................................... 126
5.3 DIVERSITY OF FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS IN THE BED PROGRAMME .................................................. 127
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5.3.1 Demographic information .............................................................................................. 127
5.3.2 Socio-economic factors ................................................................................................. 133
5.3.3 Pre-entry academic factors ........................................................................................... 139
5.3.4 Students’ pathway to university ..................................................................................... 145
5.4 STUDENTS’ EXPECTATIONS OF THEIR FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE ................................................... 147
5.4.1 Expectations of academic integration ........................................................................... 147
5.4.2 Expectations of social integration .................................................................................. 152
5.4.3 Students’ perceptions .................................................................................................... 157
5.5 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ............................................................................................................. 160
5.5.1 Who are the first-year students entering teacher education programmes? .................. 160
5.5.2 What are first-year students’ expectations of university life? ........................................ 163
5.6 CONCLUDING REMARKS ............................................................................................................ 165
CHAPTER 6 QUALITATIVE FINDINGS ............................................................................................ 166
6.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 166
6.2 PRESENTATION OF QUALITATIVE DATA ....................................................................................... 167
6.3 DESCRIPTION OF PARTICIPANTS ................................................................................................ 167
6.3.1 Joyce ............................................................................................................................. 168
6.3.2 Thabo ............................................................................................................................ 170
6.3.3 Letti ................................................................................................................................ 173
6.3.4 Nadia ............................................................................................................................. 175
6.3.5 Alley ............................................................................................................................... 178
6.3.6 Katlyn ............................................................................................................................. 180
6.3.7 Lisa ................................................................................................................................ 183
6.3.8 Tasha ............................................................................................................................. 186
6.3.9 Synopsis of participants ................................................................................................ 187
6.4 SORT-CARD ACTIVITY: FACTORS THAT POSITIVELY CONTRIBUTED TO FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE ..... 188
6.4.1 Synopsis of sort-card activity ......................................................................................... 195
6.5 THEMES AND SUB-THEMES THAT EMERGED FROM THE INTERVIEWS ............................................. 196
6.5.1 Main theme 1: Determination ........................................................................................ 197
6.5.2 Main theme 2: Resilience .............................................................................................. 201
6.5.3 Main theme 3: Fitting in ................................................................................................. 205
6.5.4 Main theme 4: out-of-habitus experience ...................................................................... 209
6.5.5 Main theme 5: Positioning oneself to succeed .............................................................. 214
6.5.6 Main theme 6: Challenges ............................................................................................. 218
6.6 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................ 224
CHAPTER 7 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS ........................................................................................ 226
7.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 226
7.2 PRE-ENTRY ACADEMIC AND NON-ACADEMIC FACTORS INFLUENCING FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE AND
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE ................................................................................................................. 228
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7.2.1 Diversity in student population ...................................................................................... 228
7.2.2 Prior school experience ................................................................................................. 232
7.2.3 Economic status ............................................................................................................ 234
7.2.4 Family support ............................................................................................................... 236
7.2.5 Life circumstances ......................................................................................................... 238
7.3 ADJUSTING TO FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE ..................................... 240
7.3.1 Academic integration ..................................................................................................... 241
7.3.2 Social integration ........................................................................................................... 244
7.3.3 A sense of belonging ..................................................................................................... 246
7.4 CONCLUDING REMARKS ............................................................................................................ 248
7.4.1 Pre-entry academic and non-academic factors influencing first-year experience and
academic performance ............................................................................................................... 248
7.4.2 Adjusting to the first-year experience and academic performance ............................... 250
CHAPTER 8 CONCLUDING REMARKS ........................................................................................... 252
8.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 252
8.2 A SYNOPSIS OF THE RESEARCH JOURNEY .................................................................................. 253
8.3 RESEARCH OUTCOMES ............................................................................................................. 255
8.3.1 Theoretical contribution ................................................................................................. 255
8.3.2 Contribution to practice ................................................................................................. 257
8.4 CRITIQUE OF THE RESEARCH AND FUTURE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES ........................................ 259
8.4.1 Future research ............................................................................................................. 260
8.5 A PERSONAL REFLECTION OF WHAT THIS JOURNEY MEANT TO ME AS THE RESEARCHER ................ 260
8.6 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................ 261
References ........................................................................................................................................... 263
APPENDIX A: Pre-entry questionnaire ................................................................................................. 290
APPENDIX B: Interview Schedule ........................................................................................................ 301
APPENDIX C: Consent form ................................................................................................................. 303
APPENDIX D: Ethical clearance ........................................................................................................... 304
APPENDIX E: Sort Cards ..................................................................................................................... 307
APPENDIX F: Focus-group interview ................................................................................................... 309
APPENDIX G: Job category grouping................................................................................................... 313

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