How to avoid becoming a dropout statistic
Education expert said first-year dropout rates are extremely high in South Africa.
Across the country, hundreds of thousands of young people recently enrolled in higher education institutions, hoping to graduate in a few years, when they are qualified to enter the workplace.
The reality, however, is that first-year dropout rates are extremely high in South Africa, which means many first years won’t complete their studies, said Peter Kriel, General Manager at the Independent Institute of Education.
“But the good news is that there are a number of early alarm bells which, if heeded, can help students manage their risk and prevent them from abandoning their studies. While statistics vary, it is estimated that more than 40 per cent of students quit their studies after their first year. Some would argue that this figure is as high as 60 per cent,” he said.
Peter added that parents and students should note that factors influencing study success can be broadly divided into three categories: Broader socio-economic or personal factors; not properly doing one’s homework before deciding what to study and where; and most importantly, one’s approach and actions as a first-year student.
“For students who are already at higher education institutions, the third category is the one they need to address now.“
He continued, saying that students should carefully consider the questions below.
“If the answer to any of these questions is ‘NO’, they need to take action as recommended in the solution to each problem, as they might be at risk.”
• Question 1: Did I meaningfully participate in my institution’s orientation programme?
“Any good institution of higher education should have a first-year orientation programme,” said Peter.
He said the information provided during orientation is intended to guide students logistically, so they can focus on academic work without being overwhelmed by administrative issues.
“If you missed out on orientation, particularly academic on-boarding programmes, you will have to acquire these skills on your own, on top of the day-to-day academic demands.”
• Solution: Speak to someone to find out what the orientation programme included. If your institution of choice is offering an extended first-year on-boarding programme, make sure you get involved immediately. Make time to specifically focus on trying to gather the information you missed out on – logistical information is especially easy to gather. Academic preparedness will be a little more challenging, but it is worth catching up on what you missed early on.
• Question 2: Am I attending most of my classes?
“Class attendance is probably the single most important contributing factor to success,” said Peter.
“Of course, reasons beyond your control may cause you to occasionally miss a lecture or tutorial, but if you miss class simply because you don’t feel like it or you had a late night and feel like sleeping in, you are at risk. If you miss class because you are working on an assignment or task in another module, you may need to plan better. Missing class to do assignments becomes a vicious circle as you miss more classes to do other assignments. This is a recipe for failure.”
• Solution: Undertake to miss no more classes going forward, and draw up a roster for future assignments so you can complete them without needing to skip class. Prioritise your classes and schedule all other activities so there is no conflict. If something comes up which prevents you from attending a specific lecture, catch up as soon as you can.
• Question 3: Have I passed all my assessments to date?
“It is still early in the academic year, but your performance in any assessment you may have had, be it a formal test or assignment or a task completed in class, is already a clear indicator of your outcomes profile,” said Peter.
• Solution: Determine why you failed an assessment. Did you work hard enough? If not, you know you need to work harder. Are there parts of the work you don’t understand because you missed class? If so, follow the advice in point 2 above. Did you do everything possible but just don’t understand certain concepts? If this is the case, speak to your lecturer sooner rather than later about how to approach the issue.
• Question 4: Have I got all the prescribed textbooks for my modules?
For many reasons, not the least being financial pressure, many students don’t buy the prescribed textbooks.
“Unfortunately, your chances of success are diminished if you don’t have textbooks. Textbooks guide students through the syllabus of a specific module like a road map and are often accompanied by additional resources, questions and activities that will enhance the mastering of the required material,” said Peter.
• Solution: If you can afford to buy the prescribed text, get it as soon as possible. If not, know that student-centred higher education institutions will be acutely aware of the challenges some students face and may have e-book alternatives. Often these are available at no cost to registered students. Speak to the librarian on your campus to find out if there is an e-book alternative for the textbooks you don’t have. There may also be copies of the textbooks in the campus library, and while these are often on the reserved shelf, spending time in the library will definitely be advantageous.
• Question 5: Do I feel part of a community of practice?
Moving from a comparatively protective school environment to a higher education institution may mean that you find it hard to adapt initially. This may unsettle you if you subconsciously feel that you are not at the same level of performance as your fellow students. The reality is that these feelings are quite normal, and that many of your classmates probably feel the same way.
• Solution: Talk to someone you trust about your experience and feelings. Good institutions will have academic support and counselling facilities. Having said that, some people simply just find fitting into the traditional university environment a challenge – larger classes, less rigid structure and monitoring and so forth. If you are 100 per cent sure that you fall into this category, and can’t see yourself continuing on your current path, don’t despair, because there are alternatives.
There are often colleges in the private higher education environment (note that private institutions are not allowed to call themselves universities, even if they are offering the same qualifications) that offer smaller classes or campuses that may be more suitable to you. Distance learning may also be an alternative for some.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at randfonteinherald@caxton.co.za (please remember to include your contact details in the email) or phone us on 011 693 3671.
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