SAIP2015

A Comparative Study of the Preparedness for Undergraduate Studies of Students entering the University with South African Matriculation Examination results and Zimbabwe ZIMSEC Examination results.

1 Jul 2015, 16:10

1h 50m

Board: E.455

Poster Presentation Track E - Physics Education Poster2

Speaker

Dr Sam Ramaila (University of Johannesburg)

Level for award<br>&nbsp;(Hons, MSc, <br> &nbsp; PhD, N/A)?

No

Apply to be<br> considered for a student <br> &nbsp; award (Yes / No)?

No

Please indicate whether<br>this abstract may be<br>published online<br>(Yes / No)

Yes

Main supervisor (name and email)<br>and his / her institution

No

Would you like to <br> submit a short paper <br> for the Conference <br> Proceedings (Yes / No)?

Yes

Abstract content <br> &nbsp; (Max 300 words)<br><a href="http://events.saip.org.za/getFile.py/access?resId=0&materialId=0&confId=34" target="_blank">Formatting &<br>Special chars</a>

The preparedness of South African matriculants for university studies in comparison to students entering university through Zimbabwe’s ZIMSEC system has been highly debated at different levels within society. Physical Science, Mathematics and English matriculation and ZIMSEC results are commonly used as a measure of science students’ preparedness for university study. This research compares the performance of first-year undergraduate students in physics modules in relation to their matriculation and ZIMSEC results for a number of science subjects and English. Results generally show a marked difference in the performance of students holding ZIMSEC results compared to students holding matriculation results. Factors that may contribute significantly to this disparity were also considered.