Gauging student readiness for university education: a transitional journey

Abstract

Access to higher education in South Africa remains one of the principal components of the transformation agenda, driven by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). During apartheid, access to education was racialised. Despite the massive participation rates by previously marginalised groups in the post-apartheid dispensation, epistemological access remains worrisome. Transformation of the higher education system is a key dimension the democratic government has undertook to use to measure the progress of social transformation, as an enabler for student readiness and smooth transition to university education. In this study, we use distributive analysis in a random sample of 1,940 first time-entering students (FTENs) from diverse population groups and backgrounds to establish readiness and the existence of a coordinated transition from basic to higher education. To establish readiness the study assesses first-year students’ academic attitudes and needs, background, and motivational factors, as well as general well-being. To establish the existence of a planned and coordinated transition, a specific attention is paid to career guidance, qualification choice, as well as background and motivational factors. The findings show that despite the clear theoretical framework for a transformed higher education system, there is still no pronounced and planned coordination between basic and higher education. Secondly, the preuniversity socioeconomic conditions signal a long journey still needing to be travelled to achieve a transformed higher education. This is demonstrated by skills gap, lack of basic academic and motivational support, needed to build a global competitive and ready student.