GETTING THE RIGHT LEARNERS INTO THE RIGHT … WCED NCV Research Report.pdf · This research project...

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‘GETTING THE RIGHT LEARNERS INTO THE RIGHT

PROGRAMMES’:

AN INVESTIGATION INTO FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE

POOR PERFORMANCE OF FET COLLEGE LEARNERS IN NCV 2

AND NCV 3 PROGRAMMES IN 2007 AND 2008 - REASONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

JUNE 2009

Report prepared by Dr Joy Papier, FET Institute, UWC

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This research project was undertaken within an exceptionally tight time-frame, as the

Colleges‟ Conference sponsored by the Danida SESD programme was set to take place on

3-4 June, and was considered a most appropriate forum for a presentation of the emerging

findings of this study to the wider college community who would be in attendance there.

In light of the above, the production of this report is therefore largely due to the efficiency,

diligence and effort of a dedicated group of researchers who managed to gather an

enormous amount of data in a very short time, across the length and breadth of the Western

Cape. Thanks to Lesley Daniel, Annelise Kingston, Tim McBride, Nigel Prinsloo and

Zodwa Radasi for their sterling work. Seamus Needham spent many hours assisting with

the fine-grained analysis of the data and proof-reading. Lydia Boonzaaier deserves special

mention for her very competent administrative support, as well as Tim McBride for his

analytical skills and his graphic representations of the data.

Thank you to critical and insightful readers Dr Sharman Wickham and Prof. Aslam Fataar,

for their valuable inputs on the draft report.

Our sincere appreciation for the tolerance and cooperation of college managers, lecturers

and support staff who so willingly gave of their time in interviews and focus group

discussions, and assisted us by providing the necessary statistics and facilitating logistical

arrangements. Also to those staff members who shared with us the products of their own

research on their campuses.

Thank you to the NCV learners who gave us insight into their hopes, expectations, learning

experiences, frustrations and suggestions.

Grateful thanks must go to the Danida SESD Programme for its tremendous contribution to

skills development in South Africa, through sponsorship of projects of this nature, and to the

Western Cape Education Department for supporting such an initiative.

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ACRONYMS AND TERMINOLOGY

EIC Electrical Infrastructure Construction

FET Further Education and Training

HE Higher Education

ITCS (IT) Information Technology and Computer

Science

ISAT Integrated Summative Assessment Task

NSFAS National Student Financial Aid Scheme

OA Office Administration

NCV National Certificate Vocational

POE Portfolio of Evidence

REAP Rural Education Access Programme

Umalusi Quality assurance body for General and

Further Education (schools and colleges)

WCED Western Cape Education Department

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

FET colleges in South Africa have been the target of intensive policy reform in the last 10

years since 1998 when the first FET Act was passed. Since 2006 FET colleges have been

recapitalized through massive government investment in order to improve infrastructure,

introduce a more relevant curriculum, re-train staff and assist college learners financially to

access learning programmes. In particular a new curriculum was introduced with the rollout

of 11 programmes under the National Certificate: Vocational, first at Level 2 in 2007, at Level

3 in 2008, and in 2009 at Level 4. In terms of the South African National Qualifications

Framework, NCV levels 2-4 equate roughly to Grades 10, 11 and 12 in the schooling sector.

The new curriculum was accompanied by a shift to outcomes based teaching and learning

approaches as well as a rigorous assessment and moderation regime, with national

summative examinations set by the National Department of Examinations and programme

certification conducted by Umalusi. The results of examinations in 2007 and 2008 however

were disappointing, and learners nationally by and large performed dismally1. Official policy

requirements for promotion initially stipulated that learners needed to achieve set minima in

all 7 subjects in the programme in order to proceed to the next level, but given the high

failure rate by this criterion, concessions were made whereby learners were allowed to

proceed and „carry‟ up to 3 subjects to the next level. They would write the examinations in

these subjects while at the same time undertaking the subjects at the higher level. Learners

who passed 4 of the 7 subjects were therefore allowed to proceed, but certification could

only be awarded on successful completion of all 7 subjects at the particular certificate level.

Anecdotal evidence abounds as to the reasons for poor performance of NCV learners in the

first rollout of the new curricula, hence the Western Cape Education Department‟s (WCED)

concern with ascertaining empirically, from the many roleplayers in Western Cape NCV

programmes their understanding in this regard. Furthermore, it is an expressed purpose of

the study to solicit recommendations on how the situation might be improved and thus inform

future interventions. The emphasis of this research is therefore practical and applied, for the

1 The national certification rate in 2007 was around 10% (Parker, 2008). In the Western Cape the certification

rate was 20% in 2007 (NCV2), which increased marginally in 2008 to 23%, though of a smaller enrolment cohort in NCV2.

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purposes of elucidating the factors that contributed to poor achievement in the NCV

examinations, and for recommending interventions that may enhance future performance.

The WCED sought to undertake this research at the request of its provincial FET college

roleplayers who had expressed concerns about the low pass rates, poor retention and

throughput of learners in NCV programmes in Levels 2 and 3 since the inception of these

programmes in 2007. In view of the investment made by government in this regard, towards

infrastructure recapitalization, curriculum development and learner support, the WCED

considered an investigation with recommendations for intervention a responsible course of

action for assisting the college sector appropriately. Hence the idea of a research project

that would gather the reflections and inputs of college learners, lecturers, managers, support

staff and other community members was initiated. The research question primarily asked,

‘What were the reasons for poor performance of NCV learners in 2007 and 2008, and what

interventions are necessary to improve performance?’

It is common cause that throughout the preparation and implementation phase of the new

NCV curricula, systemic difficulties have come to light and have in the process been

conveyed to the relevant authorities, which is why the focus of the research was on those

additional, contributory factors that have been hampering learner success in the new

programmes. These contributory factors were articulated clearly by respondents, and there

was a high degree of convergence in the views of both learner and college staff responses

as the data illustrates. Learners and college respondents (lecturers, managers and learner

support staff) agreed on the following factors, broadly categorized, as contributing to poor

performance and attrition:

Programme related factors such as the cognitive demands of particular subjects

being inconsistent with the level to which they were assigned; excessive workload

due to long syllabus and assessment requirements; administration overload

associated with assessment; progression and certification criteria set too high;

imbalance between theory and practical input of the programmes.

Learner related factors such as learner expectations about the courses not being met

– for instance expectations about more practical work and less theory; inadequate

academic preparedness with regard to mathematical and language skills; school

learners with learning problems recruited into NCV programmes; socio-economic

conditions of learners viz. financial difficulties, transport, living conditions, nutrition;

self-management skills and self-discipline.

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College related factors such as the lack of recreational facilities, comfortable spaces

for after-hours study, computer internet access; appropriated selection and

recruitment practices; the learning of language and teaching; poor lecturer quality,

poor preparation for the new programmes, and staff turnover.

The report, however, does not ignore the external, systemic challenges that resounded

strongly from respondents across the board - on the contrary, it highlights these as

requiring urgent strategic intervention at the highest levels. The report then distinguishes

from the systemic factors, those factors internal to colleges (albeit influenced by external

constraints), which are largely within colleges‟ powers to address, and sets out the main

recommendations made in this regard. The following recommendations which are set out

more fully in the body of this report, call for urgent responses by colleges. They are listed

in no particular order of importance as:

Addressing the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, including the

adequate preparation of lecturers pedagogically and attitudinally;

Addressing the language barriers experienced by learners where the language of

learning and teaching is not their home language;

Creating a culture of learning, discipline and mutual respect to address issues of

learner self-esteem and motivation;

Learner support interventions particularly for fundamental subjects like

Mathematics/Math Lit and English, but also for academic reading and writing,

time-management and other self-management skills;

Creating learner-friendly campuses which are safe, warm, welcoming learning

spaces conducive to young people, with recreational/sporting facilities, internet

access, adequate refreshments;

Creative time-tabling of classes to avoid excessively long days for learners;

An affordable, safe means of transport;

Careful recruitment, selection and placement procedures which are fair and

transparent;

Making learning „fun‟, with more practical activities such as excursions;

Learning materials that are sufficient and timeous;

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Learner counseling and referral systems which also identify learner problems

early;

Sufficient learner orientation to college life and to prospective programmes, with

learner „taster‟ classes early on, to allow learners to understand programme

requirements programmes and informed decisions and changes;

Creating a pleasant working environment for staff and considering staff wellness

initiatives.

College respondents in particular agreed that the NCV programmes were high-quality

curricula aimed at a particular niche market, but that learners who had been recruited

especially in 2007 had not been the „right‟ learners for these programmes. Marketing had

targeted post-Grade 9 school leavers, thus attracting poorly performing school learners who

saw College as an „easier‟ option, and were woefully under-prepared for the demands of the

new curricula, especially with regard to academic reading and writing skills, mathematical

and language abilities. In 2008 some colleges set more stringent entrance criteria in place,

but found it difficult to recruit sufficient applicants who could satisfy these, as well as enable

them to meet their projected student numbers. 2009 saw the progression of the surviving

2007 cohort into Level 4, many of them carrying Level 2 and Level 3 subjects, and it remains

to be seen how many of these will be certificated.

As colleges prepare for the next fresh cohort of Level 2 learners to enter NCV programmes

in 2010, it is hoped that the information gathered by this research exercise will assist not

only in getting the „right learners into the right programmes‟, but also in retaining them

through the duration of their programmes and ensuring their success.

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INDEX

Introduction

Scope and limitations of this research

Literature on retention and success

Methodology

- Sampling and targeted respondents

- Data gathering

- Logistical challenges

Analysis of WCED statistics

Data coverage and organisation

Analysis of the qualitative data

Who were these NCV learners?

- Age profile of NCV learners

- Profile of learners who left high schools to attend colleges

- Recommendations from college marketing staff about target learners

Findings

- Learners‟ responses

- College staff responses

- Why did learners drop out?

Discussion

- Reasons for poor performance and dropping out

- Towards feasible recommendations

- External systemic factors

- Internal college factors

Conclusion

Bibliography

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Introduction

As stated earlier herein, the main research question guiding this investigation asked the

following: „What reasons/factors impacted on the poor performance and drop-out rate

of NCV learners in 2007 and 2008 in Western Cape FET colleges, and what

interventions are needed to improve retention and success?’

This question suggests the following two outcomes of the research process:

1. Ascertain the reasons for poor performance of NCV learners in 2007 and 2008.

2. Make recommendations for improving learner retention and success.

Scope and limitations of this research

The focus of this research is „poor/under-performance‟ and the factors that have contributed

to this as articulated by the role-players. For purposes of the study, the term ‘poor

performance/under performance’ was taken to mean those learners who did not meet the

minimum requirements for certification as set by the national Department of Education in

official policy. The NCV programme consists of 7 subjects with 3 Fundamentals (Language,

Maths/Maths Literacy, Life Orientation) and 4 Core subjects within the programme field (3

compulsory and 1 elective). Learners were required to pass all 7 subjects in order to be

promoted to the next level, but due to the extremely low pass rate in Level 2 in 2007,

national concessions were made for learners to „carry‟ Level 2 subjects into Level 3, and

subsequently to carry Level 2 and 3 subjects into Level 4, the latter at the discretion of the

colleges themselves. While these concessions were made, certification could not be

awarded unless all 7 subjects at a level had been passed, hence the low certification rate in

provincial statistics.

It was clear from the Terms of Reference that this research was expected to address a

range of needs and purposes of the WCED. However, it was stated at the outset that the

investigation had to be guided by its main research question, and the data that would/could

be generated in order to address that within the timeframe set forth. For instance,

recommendations made by respondents for improving performance could not be „tested‟ in

this study – they were limited to the experiences articulated by the respondents.

Furthermore, while it was the intention to use a 10% sampling frame across a wide range of

possible respondents who could comment on NCV performance, the selection of a sample

was dependent on contact information forthcoming from the colleges themselves, hence with

certain of the respondent groupings, for example parents of poorly performing learners, we

had to settle for the data that we were able to solicit in the circumstances.

While this study is set in the six Western Cape FET colleges it should not be seen to have

regional significance only. The provincial certification rate of 20% in 2007 (NCV2) was higher

than the national certification rate of around 10% in the same year, indicating that the

problem of poor performance was widespread across the nine provinces. Furthermore, the

Western Cape NCV enrolment in 2007 was approximately 12% of NCV enrolment nationally,

hence the sample of learners in this study could be said to be fairly representative of poorly

performing learners in this sector. However, it would be a fruitful endeavour to undertake a

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similar study in other provinces, especially where performance appeared to be markedly

better in the first two years of the curriculum roll-out, so that other contextually located

factors impacting on performance might be taken into account.

Literature on retention and success

There is very little, if any, research into learning and teaching in the FET college sector,

particularly in the area of learner performance. Much of the recent literature on success and

retention is set in the higher education sector, and more so in international contexts (Bitzer,

2005; Bitzer & Troskie-De Bruin, 2004; Bourn,2002; Brunsden, 2000; Hall, 2001; Lourens,

2006; NIACE, 1999; Thomas et al, 2003; Thomas, 2002; Tinto, 1993; Yorke & Thomas,

2003). The most recent South African study (REAP report, 2009) documents the „factors that

facilitate success for disadvantaged higher education students‟, and focuses on key

financial, academic and socio-cultural challenges that particularly poor, rural students face.

The abovementioned key categories in the REAP report served as useful markers for our

investigation into the factors that impact performance of FET college NCV learners, though

our exploratory study enabled other key issues to emerge more strongly. On the face of it,

for example, financial stresses were lessened for learners in college NCV programmes,

when compared with the financial difficulties of higher education students in the REAP

report. NCV programmes were heavily subsidized by the national Department of Education

(up to 80% of the total programme cost depending on learner numbers), with fees being

capped so that colleges were restricted in what they could charge as learner fees in

particular programmes. Learners also had access to a NCV bursary scheme allocated on the

basis of a means test similar to the NSFAS, which covered full class fees, accommodation

and travel, or part bursaries based on family income. In the Western Cape, the provincial

Ikapa Elihlumayo scheme could be utilized to supplement NCV bursaries. In spite of the

availability of such funds though, factors such as late application, late allocation, failure to

apply or other causes could still result in learners not having access to financial support,

which could affect their continued studies. An interesting conundrum offered in the REAP

Report (2009, p.22) though, which may hold true in the FET college context, is that while

disadvantaged students may be underprepared for higher education institutions, the latter

may similarly be underprepared to deal with disadvantaged students. From the comments

made by students regarding their academic and social needs on campus, there is much that

remains to be done to prepare colleges adequately for the kind of learners that may enter

their campuses for some time into the future.

Tinto‟s (1993) sociological model suggests a way of organizing data in a study of student

attrition. In his model he describes „pre-entry attributes, goals and commitments, institutional

experiences, integration and outcome‟ as issues arising in a linear fashion with every factor

consequently affecting the next, which may assume a homogeneous student population.

However, the model also raises factors such as student „integration‟ into their learning

communities, „involvement‟ and „engagement‟, particularly in extra-curricular activities which,

it is held, increase the possibility of students persisting in their programmes. This resonated

particularly with learner responses in our study, where the lack of campus facilities,

interactive student spaces for sport and recreation and so on, was a significant theme in the

data. Tinto‟s findings in this regard therefore contain important lessons for our college

communities.

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While most studies on student performance start from the negative experience of poor

performance which justifies the study, there are exceptions which bear noting as they allow

us to see things from a different perspective. In a study of student completion in a distance

learning career-oriented programme (Stewart, 2004), the researcher investigated why this

programme enjoyed the unprecedented (in that context) high completion rate of 90% in its

first two years, and explored student perceptions of the factors that had contributed to their

success.

From this positive perspective the research identified strong links between student success

and personal characteristics such as motivation, discipline and maturity. At the outset, too,

appropriate recruitment and selection was a strong factor in the programme, while the

relevance of the course to the workplace, constant feedback from lecturers, and constant

review and adaptation of the course to ensure it was meeting the needs of the marketplace,

were found to be strong success factors. Our data showed definite synergies with the

success factors identified by Stewart, given the recommendations for improving performance

made by our respondents. It is hoped that this study into the reasons for poor performance

and concomitant recommendations for improving performance, contributes to the growing

body of empirical literature in the FET colleges/vocational sector.

Methodology

The study attempted to achieve both „breadth‟ and „depth‟, but was undoubtedly hampered

by the extremely tight time-frame of 30 days afforded for the research process, which

included logistical arrangements, development and piloting of instruments and so on. As

stated earlier, a 10% sample of under-performing students across the 6 Western Cape FET

colleges was aimed at. However, as the NCV qualification spans 11 programmes of learning,

it was argued that a random 10% sampling across the 11 fields might result in particular

field-specific factors being missed, as the evidence might be too widespread to make firm

conclusions about factors that might be field-related.

For this reason it was agreed with the WCED that 4 sample learning programmes areas

would be targeted for in-depth investigation, the criteria for this selection being those

programmes which appeared to have the both high enrolment and high non-certification

rates, as well as the final selection representing a cross-section of programmes. The sample

respondents resulting from this methodology would then be spread across the 6 colleges as

far as possible, so that college-specific factors/responses could also be taken into account.

In summary then, 10% of the poorly-performing learners, their lecturers, programme

managers, support services and so on were targeted across the 6 colleges in four

programmes in which significant under-achievement had occurred.

Sampling and targeted respondents:

Stratified sampling was applied in order to specifically consider students in NCV

programmes with the lowest pass rates and with high enrolment, as the emphasis of the

research was on poor performance. Electrical Infrastructure Construction (EIC), Office

Administration (OA), Tourism and Information Technology and Computer Systems (IT) were

selected for investigation, as more than 50% of the total enrolled students across 2007 and

2008 in Levels 2 and 3 could be found in these four programmes. In addition, they were also

the programmes where the certification rates were very low. The intention was to arrive at a

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10% sample of the poorly performing learners in the four programme areas, including those

who had dropped out of college, and then to reach as wide a range of respondents who

could provide information on the performance of these learners. In addition, the scope was

extended slightly beyond the main research question to high schools neighbouring colleges,

and to workplaces that might interact with learners or the curricula of the four programmes. A

brief rationale for each of the targeted respondents is set out below:

Level 2 and Level 3 NCV results for 2007 and 2008 were analysed to determine

performance of learners in relation to programme areas – this formed a basis for the

programmes targeted for learner samples;

Numbers of drop-out learners in relation to selected programmes were analysed for

purposes of identifying this cohort;

Sample of poorly performing learners were interviewed in focus groups to probe

reasons/factors contributing to poor performance, and their recommendations for

what might assist them to improve;

Sample of lecturers in targeted programmes were interviewed in focus groups to elicit

their experiences of poorly performing learners, the reasons/factors they (lecturers)

attributed to this, their views on the programme curriculum or other contributory

factors to poor performance, as well as their recommendations for improved

performance;

Sample of dropped-out learners were interviewed to ascertain the factors that

contributed to their leaving the college without completing the full 3 year programme,

as well as their views on what might have assisted them better at the college;

High schools in the vicinity of FET colleges were asked to respond to questions on

their understanding of FET college programmes and why they would

encourage/discourage their students from taking the vocational FET route;

Programme managers and Academic heads were interviewed to elicit their views on

the NCV curricula and factors they attributed to poor performance, as well as

recommendations they would make for improvement;

Examiners and moderators were interviewed to ascertain their experience of NCV

assessment and moderation in the targeted programme areas, and their views on

how performance could be improved;

Marketing, support and administrative staff were interviewed to share their

experience of interacting with poorly performing learners, the reasons for poor

performance that they had gleaned from this interaction, and their recommendations

for improving the learners‟ performance.

Workplace representatives in each of the targeted programme areas were invited to

respond to questionnaires to ascertain their understanding of the NCV curriculum,

their views on how it might relate to their workplace/field, and how it might be

strengthened where appropriate. Unfortunately no responses were received within

the timeframe of this research.

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Data gathering

Intensive desktop analysis of the WCED NCV examination statistics was undertaken to

determine the number of poorly performing (i.e. non-certificated) learners in 2007 and 2008,

and the programme areas in which high non-certification rates were evident in order to

decide on the targeted programmes. This information was used to arrive at a learner sample.

An attempt was also made to procure additional college-specific statistics from each of the

six colleges through a detailed questionnaire, in order to corroborate the WCED statistics,

but this information was slow to arrive and the research team had to make do with what was

available. Colleges assigned a contact person with whom the research team could make

logistical arrangements, which facilitated matters greatly.

The targeted respondents described earlier herein were divided into focus groupings within

programme areas but the precise distribution of interviews and focus groups were subject to

the availability of respondents within the short timeframe. Figure 1 below shows the spread

of respondents across the four programmes and across the six colleges:

Fig.1: Table of Respondents from 6 WCape FET colleges across 4 NCV Programmes

A workshop process for conducting focus group sessions was adopted where focus group

interviews consisted of individual questionnaires completed in sessions, followed by

collaborative peer discussion and a plenary session recorded in writing and audiotaped. The

written responses were then collated and analysed, audio recordings transcribed and field

notes recorded. This process proved to be time-efficient while at the same time yielding rich

individual and group data.

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Logistical challenges of the research project

The success of the research project greatly depended on:

the co-operation of college management, staff and students in the setting up of

interviews. The various parties needed to be followed up vigorously via email and

telephone;

finding mutually suitable times for focus group sessions was a great challenge;

workloads of college respondents - they had little time available;

Logistical factors - transport arrangements for across campus interviews presented

transport difficulties for respondents. This meant that researchers had to make focus

groups site-specific, hence increasing the number of sessions.

College tracking records to locate dropped out students were not always available or

accurate. Extensive networking was required to find where students had gone since

leaving the college.

We had intended to conduct telephonic interviews with parents but they were

extremely difficult to contact and this data could therefore not be gathered in the

specified timeframe.

Analysis of WCED Statistics

NCV Level 2: 2007

Total learners who wrote exams in all programmes, at all colleges: 3102

Number of learners certificated: 615 (20%)

Total number of learners not certificated: 2487 (80%)

Total number of learners in combined Electrical, Office Admin,

IT and Tourism: 1759 (56% of total NCV)

Number of learners certificated in 4 programmes above: 287 (16%)

Number of learners not certificated in 4 programmes above: 1472 (84%)

Number certificated in Electrical: 46 of 684 (7%)

Number not certificated in Electrical: 638 (93%)

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Number certificated in Office Admin: 188 of 658 (29%)

Number not certificated in Office Admin: 470 (71%)

Number certificated in IT: 5 of 256 (2%)

Number not certificated in IT 251 (98%)

Number certificated in Tourism: 48 of 161 (30%)

Number not certificated in Tourism: 113 (70%)

NCV Level 2: 2008

Total enrolled learners in all programmes, at all colleges: 4896

Total who wrote exams: 3642

Absent/dropped out: 1254 (26%)



Total number of learners enrolled in combined Electrical, Office Admin,

IT and Tourism: 2672 (54%)

Number who wrote exams in the 4 programmes above: 1995

Number absent from exam/dropped out: 677 (25%)



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Absent/dropped out Electrical: 209



Absent/dropped out Office Admin: 310



Absent/dropped out of IT: 93



Absent/dropped out Tourism: 65

NCV Level 3: 2008

Total enrolled learners in all programmes, at all colleges: 1322

Total who wrote exams: 1157

Absent/dropped out: 165 (12%)



Total number of learners enrolled in combined Electrical, Office Admin,

IT and Tourism: 624

Number who wrote exams in the 4 programmes above: 507 (81%)

Number absent from exam/dropped out: 117 (19%)

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Absent/dropped out Electrical: 16



Absent/dropped out Office Admin: 50



Absent/dropped out of IT: 40



Absent/dropped out Tourism: 11

Dropped Out Learners

Total number of dropped out learners:

Dropped out NCV 2 2007: awaiting data

Total dropped out NCV 2 2008: 1254 (26% of enrolment)

Of which dropped out of 4 NCV2 programmes 2008: 677

Total dropped out NCV 3 2008: 165 (12% of enrolment)

Of which dropped out of 4 NCV3 programmes 2008: 117

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Figure 2: Poor performance of learners in the Western Cape in Electrical Infrastructure Construction, Information Technology, Tourism and Office Administration

Data coverage and organisation

It is important to note that for the purposes of this report, as a first cut, data was collated

across the 6 colleges in order first to obtain a provincial picture of the reasons for poor

performance and the broad recommendations for improvement by which a large number of

students might benefit in the immediate future. This is not to suggest that all the factors

mentioned hereunder emerged equally strongly in each of the colleges, indeed there were

variations in learner performance in specific programmes at specific colleges, and which are

possible to disaggregate depending on the questions asked of the data. The graphical

representations that accompany some of the findings narrated herein are intended to

illustrate where the highest concentrations of responses were found in relation to the

numbers of respondent groupings interviewed in both individual and focus group sessions.

Second, colleges did not all offer the same programmes in 2007 and 2008, for various

reasons including infrastructure unreadiness and equipment and staffing not being in place

in time for the first cohort. In 2008 some colleges had no successful Level 2 candidates who

could progress to Level 3, for example in IT where the failure rate was extremely high. The

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learners who passed Level 2 in 2007 were in some instances grouped into Level 3

programmes at other colleges in 2008, in order to make offering the programme viable.

The data was first collated within college-specific and programme-specific respondent

groupings, and within the question-specific domains in which the data had been gathered.

Emergent themes were then identified within the collated responses and compared across

colleges to ascertain the strongly emergent themes within programme areas for particular

respondent groupings across colleges, the idea being to report on programme specific

trends as far as possible, then to identify findings that were applicable more broadly to

college learning and teaching. Within this rationale, emergent themes are reported with

regard to poor performance of NCV learners, and also recommendations made by

respondent groups, for which four main data sets were critical: the learners, lecturers,

managers and support staff. Responses from these four respondent groupings were

grouped into biographical data on the one hand, and qualitative feedback on the other. The

latter comprised learners‟ motivation for attending college and enrolling in the programme;

what they expected from the programme; the subjects they found difficult; why they thought

such they experienced these difficulties; what might have alleviated the difficulties, and their

suggestions to the College in this regard. For lecturers, managers and support staff, the

questions covered the following: the main problems experienced with learners in 2007 and

2008; their perceptions about the reasons for such difficulties; the kind of help they thought

learners needed; what the college was already doing to assist learners and their further

recommendations for improving performance. Lecturers were also asked for their views on

the specific NCV programme they taught (its curriculum, assessment and so on).

Responses were then categorized into themes from both the learner and the college

perspectives, in order to ultimately report on the two main research questions regarding the

reasons for poor performance and recommendations for improvement. In addition, the

research asked potential feeder schools with neighbouring FET colleges to comment on their

understanding of FET/vocational education, and „who‟ should attend FET colleges.

Responses to the problem of both poor performance and dropping out, should be read in the

context of „who‟ the learners by and large are, who enrolled in NCV programmes in the

Western Cape. School principals and teachers‟ responses regarding learners who left school

to enroll at colleges, are illuminating given the academic and other problems reported on by

college staff and learners.

Analysis of qualitative data

Who were these NCV learners?

Age profile of NCV learners

It is important to note at the outset that the age profile of learners interviewed in this

research took place 1-2 years after they had enrolled as first-time entrants in the college in

2007. Depending on their progress, they would at the time of the research in 2009 be in

Level 3 or 4. The age profile of learners in the 4 programmes across colleges at enrolment in

2007 and 2008 is represented in Figure 4 below:

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Figure 3: Age profile of NCV learners at first enrolment in 2007 and 2008

While the youthfulness and immaturity of learners in the NCV programmes were cited

consistently by college staff, the biographical data of learners reveals that within the four

sample programmes the majority of learners at enrolment in 2007 and 2008 were between

17 and 19 years. However, as the graph shows, there were significant numbers of 15-16

year olds as well, an age group that had not been significantly present in the Nated

programmes. Lecturers commented on the wide variation in ages in the NCV cohorts, and

problems associated with dealing with such an age-diverse grouping of learners, frequently

citing the fact that they had learners ranging in age from 16-35 years, and that it was difficult

to accommodate the needs of younger and older needs in the same class. An older learner

in the programme expressed her frustration by saying she was, “sitting in a class with a lot of

undisciplined children and who does not know what they are here for” (sic).

Lecturers reported that younger students are emotionally immature and difficult to manage,

compared to the traditional cohort that older lecturers had been accustomed to. A manager

commented that, „traditional lecturers don‟t know how to deal with 15 year olds. They are

textbook-bound whereas the students are used to talking out because they come from OBE

schools‟. Another said that „this new generation are visual learners and there is therefore a

need to sometimes change one‟s teaching methodology‟. He added that the majority of

working adults could no longer come and do Nated programmes after hours and were

unlikely to do NCV programmes as they „cannot take 3 years of full time training‟.

21

Snapshot of last grade passed by sub-group NCV learners

The diagram below illustrates the highest school grade achieved by learners prior to

enrolling on the NCV programmes in 2007 and 2008. This shows a significant proportion of

Grade 12 learners, who according to Colleges and learners, had expectations of completing

their „matric‟ at colleges. These learners were also frustrated at having to „repeat‟

fundamentals that they felt they had done previously at school, and felt that they were „going

back‟ to Grade 9 level. Grades 9 and 10, the next largest group in this snapshot, were the

„younger‟ learners that college respondents reportedly experienced as „immature‟ and

„undisciplined‟. The comments from high school staff in the section below, indicate the kind

of school leaving learners who entered the NCV programmes in 2007 and to some extent in

2008. The statistical data relating previous school grades passed to college achievement

was not available at the time of this report, but this would be a fruitful research question

arising out of this data.

Fig. 4: Last school grade passed before coming to College

Profile of learners who left high schools to attend colleges

A sample of high schools in areas surrounding three of the FET colleges in this study were

surveyed regarding their awareness of FET college programmes and learners who had left

their schools to do NCV programmes. The sample included principals and teachers of Grade

9 and 10 learners. Most high school respondents who were asked why learners had

transferred to colleges had the following answers:

„they struggle with the content load in mainstream‟

„practical training cheaper than varsities‟

„(college) subjects are not school-based but career orientated‟

„parent or learners choice‟

22

„they are not coping with an academic course‟

„they do not want to follow an academic matric‟

„not coping in academic school with academic subjects, wants something more skills

based, does not like system (uniform, rules) – wants more freedom‟

Particularly revealing were high school respondents’ views on ‘who’ should attend FET

college programmes. According to principals and teachers these should be:

„those who are not coping with academic course – those who know what career

they want to follow and who do not want to follow a higher education path‟

„students not well suited to high school, learners seeking specialist skills training

– 2nd chance for less academic learners‟

„learners who do not plan to go to university or university of technology or other

tertiary education colleges‟

„where learners were not coping with the demands of the curriculum‟

„those who show an interest especially in creating things‟

„for learners with a learning problem and who is more practically able‟

„dropouts and average learners‟

„for learners that experience difficulties with content subjects and are more

practically inclined‟

„learners with practical skills, dedicated but slower learners‟

Most school respondents admitted that they were not familiar with the NCV curricula,

but offered advice to FET colleges as follows:

„parents should be exposed to the possibilities of FET colleges for children –

community info sessions‟

„colleges need to work on selling a more positive image to the public. Parents

of school going children are reluctant to send their children to colleges even

though they would benefit‟.

„Colleges need to work on negative view some members of the public have

about them‟

„Parents need to be educated to the possibilities of NCV qualifications‟

„I wish parents could be educated about FET colleges as they are still stuck in

expecting their children to finish matric at school irrespective of the learner‟s

interests and abilities‟

„Parents can‟t afford sending their kids to these colleges‟

23

„Too poorly marketed. Inaccessible to most learners as too expensive.

Colleges are not making vocational learning attractive enough for learners.

Economic viability is not evident‟.

It is clear from the above comments that there was/is great confusion about the kind of

learner who should attend FET colleges and lack of understanding about the demands of the

new NCV curriculum. Having schools encourage their academically weak learners to go and

„learn a skill‟ at the college has certainly been a contributory factor to poor performance in

the NCV programmes, especially according to lecturers who cited „poor preparation at

schools‟ as a reason for poor performance at college. Marketing staff said they were aware

of public misconceptions and had already begun improving their campaigns in terms of the

following recommendations that they had for this aspect:

Marketing staff recommendations:

„we need to change the perception of FET colleges – better education of the public,

parents, teachers. Schools do not understand what FET colleges are, they are not

technical colleges‟

„FET colleges and the NCV would benefit from a national advocacy campaign – we

need to change the apartheid era image of technical colleges and artisan training‟

„marketing can be improved if the promises we make will be met as we are

responsible to parents and students. We promised articulation with HE but there is

still no confirmation of this by any HE institution‟

„there must be a match between curriculum design and the level of the student. Do

you change the curriculum or do you recruit an older student?‟

„I would recommend they drop the fundamentals requirement for Grade 12 students.

They should be given credits for their school fundamentals and put on an accelerated

NCV course‟

„we have now developed a „career focus‟ pitch which has improved on the 2007 door

to door campaign‟.

However, in 2007 colleges found themselves with a cohort of learners in NCV2 who had

earnest expectations of the NCV programmes, based on information they had received from

various quarters – through college marketing, from friends and family, as well as ex-college

learners who had been through the NATED system. The findings of the data gathered from

learners and lecturers, managers and support staff are unlikely to be new and surprising, but

they provide deeper insight into the hearts and minds of learners who went to colleges with

high hopes and great expectations.

Findings: Learners and Colleges

In this section, the qualitative data is organized around two main clusters: learner responses

and college staff (managers, lecturers, learner support) responses. It is the intention of this

section to allow the data to „speak for itself‟, however there can only be represented here a

selection of responses which illustrate trends in the data. These are reported to enable the

reader to get a clearer picture of the data, in the words of the respondents. With regard to

24

factors that contributed to poor performance and recommendations made by both lecturers

and learners, the frequency of responses are represented graphically as well. Bulleted points

hereunder are direct quotations from the data.

Learner responses

Why did learners enroll at an FET college, and in a particular programme?

Responses to this question from NCV Learners in each of the four programmes, Electrical

Infrastructure Construction (EIC), Tourism, Office Administration (OA) and IT fell roughly into

three categories:

There were those who were idealistic and future-focused, following their dreams and looking

forward to improving their prospects. Of these there were a number who said they had failed

Grade 11 or 12, and wanted to complete their matric. They said they had enrolled:

„to get a good job‟;

„to improve my standard of living‟;

„to fulfil my dreams‟

„to make a success of my future‟

„to fulfil my dream of becoming an electrical engineer‟

„to work on my career and to become something in life‟.

The majority of learners interviewed knew the direction they wanted to go into and were

interested in the occupational field they chose:

„it is lovely to work with computers‟;

„to become a qualified electrician‟;

„I always wanted to work in an office‟;

At least one third of the learners said they were at college/or in the programme by default:

„because I don‟t want to be in school anymore‟;

„I didn‟t have the correct subjects/money to go to university‟;

„I was bored at school‟;

„I didn‟t choose this programme, they chose it for me -they said I must do NCV‟;

„I don‟t have money to further my studies and NCV was offering bursaries‟,

„they didn‟t have the course that I wanted – to become a doctor‟

„They didn‟t offer architecture‟.

25

What did learners expect from the programme?

With little exception, learners echoed the expectation that they would do more practical (or

actual) work than theory at college, and be introduced to the working world for which they

were being prepared to enter. This may hark back to historical understandings about FET

colleges being „technical colleges‟ associated with artisan training, popular notions about

vocational training or public advertising. Many students expected the programmes to be

„easy and interesting‟, and that it would help them obtain employment in the future. About

90% of the responses were as follows:

„to do more practical work than written work‟

„I thought we were going to do more practical work‟

„that we going to do a lot of practicals…to teach me more about the field‟

„expected less subjects‟

„to be taught how to fix appliances (eg.TV) and to create new devices‟

„to do more practical and more work‟

„to be taught about electricity, not LO and English‟

„to help me get a decent job‟

„I expected it to be more fun, by them not giving so much homework‟

„to help me be qualified in a shorter way than waiting for my matric‟

„not to be like school‟.

„to be easy and interesting‟

Unfulfilled expectations and little understanding of the demands of the programme being

embarked upon (a learner asked in his response „what level „N‟ do we have, N1, N2?), may

have contributed significantly to learners‟ later disenchantment with the programme they

were in, resulting in absenteeism, poor performance, bad behaviour and ultimately leaving

the college.

What did learners find difficult at the college, what subjects did they struggle

with, and what did they attribute their difficulties to?

The diagram below sets out the major difficulties learners reported across colleges and

across programmes:

26

Fig. 5: Learner difficulties experienced at college

Difficulties experienced by learners covered academic, social, socio-economic and personal

categories. A surprisingly high number of learners struggled particularly with the social

aspect of adapting to college life: having to make new friends, taking responsibility and

understanding the college system. Academically, most learners reported problems with the

workload, having to cope with 7 subjects, which resulted in long days, too many periods in

the day - „classes start early and finish late‟ - in some instances saying that they had to work

as well. A learner summed this up by saying „too much to do and too little time to do it in‟.

There were passionate pleas for the college timetables to be revised with longer break

times, fewer periods and earlier closing times. Learners reported that they found the courses

difficult and there were many complaints about lecturers who „could not explain the content‟,

were „not prepared‟ and the like, illustrated by the extracts below.

The majority of learners travelled by public transport and reported being tired from all the

travelling, waiting for taxis and buses and arriving home late, only to still have homework and

projects to attend to.

Subject difficulties

The diagram below shows the major subject difficulties reported by learners in the four NCV

programmes across the colleges where these were offered:

27

Fig.6: Subject difficulties reported by learners

Subjects specified as being particularly difficult were the following, but at the same time

many learners reported that they also enjoyed these subjects: Maths and Maths Literacy

came out tops as subjects learners were struggling with, followed by Electrical Systems and

Construction, Electrical principles and practice, Electronic Control and Digital Electronics,

Systems Development, Information Systems, System Analysis and Design,

Entrepreneurship, Office administration. In colleges offering Tourism, subjects that posed

difficulty were Sustainable Tourism and Science of Tourism. Learners who did not have

English as their first language, said that they could not cope with all their subjects being

taught in English, while on campuses where Afrikaans was used as a language of

instruction, learners said that lecturers needed to use English so that everyone could

understand.

In addition, academic problems were attributed to the following:

„The lecturer could not teach well/transfer knowledge‟

„I don‟t understand the lecturer and don‟t know where to start‟

„Because we do not get enough help‟

„I found it hard to grasp certain subjects‟

„Because some lecturers do not explain clearly‟

„The lecturer cannot explain the content in a simple way‟

„The lecturer does not want to listen to our complaints…‟

„College can be boring at times and then I just go home‟

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„the college is very unorganised‟

„there is a lot of work to do as compared to high school‟

„there‟s too much stuff to learn‟

„having to pass all your subjects, cannot fail one! In school you can fail one subject

and go to the next grade without rewriting the previous subject you failed‟.

„I‟m not focusing and need time to think and lecturers must explain work clearly‟

„too much textbook theory‟

„lack of concentration and I don‟t feel like finishing the course‟

„I had maths in the 1980s last and the curriculum has changed a lot‟

„Lecturers do not prepare themselves beforehand‟

„the assignments we get after each other and it makes me stressed and I don‟t cope‟.

A learner insightfully commented that what was difficult was „finally growing up noticing that

life isn‟t as easy as school and people aren‟t all that friendly‟. The nature of the learner

sample was such that learners interviewed were being asked to be reflective about their

previous 1 or 2 years at the college, for instance a learner who had started with Level 2 in

2007 would (ordinarily) be in Level 3 in 2009. With the benefit of hindsight, many learners

were able to be self-reflective about their own shortcomings in spite of the majority attributing

their poor performance to external causes (eg. lecturers, curriculum and so on). In this vein a

number of learners attributed poor performance (in addition to external causes) also to

„laziness‟, „inability to concentrate‟, „not paying attention in class‟, „lack of commitment‟ and

lack of self-motivation‟.

Socio-economic status issues manifested. In addition to transport costs and inconvenience,

a number of students referred to their financial difficulties as they had not secured a bursary.

Several learners across the colleges cited „not having food to eat during break time‟ as a

difficulty. Others referred to personal and community problems where bad influences were

rife with regard to abuse of alcohol and drugs, gangsterism, peer pressure.

Many students mentioned the lack of recreational facilities (eg. cafeterias, entertainment,

sport) at colleges, and having „nothing to do during breaks‟ as contributing to boredom and

disenchantment with the college and the programme.

What, according to learners would have made the NCV course easier to

manage?

Many of the responses here were related to the logistical difficulties stated above, hence

learners wanted „shorter periods‟, „less periods in the day‟, „reduce the amount of hours‟ and

suggestions in this vein.

Academically it was suggested that only the courses related to the field should be done, with

more practicals, visits to industry and „leaving out the unnecessary subjects like

fundamentals‟. Grade 12 learners expressed irritation at having to do the same course as

29

Grade 9‟s. There was an extensive litany of learner complaints about lecturers not giving

learners sufficient support, and asking for „a better teacher who can explain‟, „teachers that

teach better‟, „more experienced lecturers‟, and maintaining that „some teachers don‟t teach

the way we want them to‟, „teachers come and go‟, and so on. A learner said that „I wanted

the lecturer to understand students…the load that he has he must manage and he must not

take his stress and give it to students‟.

Other requests were related to the need for more equipment to assist with research on tasks

and internet access as learners did not have access to computers and internet at home to

complete assignments.

What recommendations did learners have for the college?

Fig.7: Learner recommendations

Apart from inserting more practical work into the curriculum and better lecturers, which an

overwhelming majority of learners mentioned, the following were also recommended inter

alia - the graph illustrates the highest concentrations of recommendations:

„extra classes for English‟

„transport for students‟

„take away the fundamentals‟

„access to the internet‟

„better learning materials‟

„ordering textbooks on time‟

„that lecturers make sure students understand their work‟

30

„more supportive lecturers‟

„more time and teachers who teach better‟

„enough time to complete practicals and enough time in classes to work‟

„provide L2 and L3 certificates when completed‟

„get enough tools and equipment for each student to work with‟

„better recreational facilities‟

„more visits to industry – to inform in terms of how things work in industry‟

„get a warm place for students to sit lunch time and in the winter months‟

„take away the national exam because everyone fails it‟

„realistic objectives and textbooks discussing the needed outcomes properly‟

„if the work can be spread out, not everything at once, and not having maths‟

„bring the N course back (NCV course is a waste of time)‟

„lecturer doesn‟t explain, he just gives activities. We would suggest that he …relates

the work to our environment...explains more‟

„open a bigger cafeteria with a better variety of things and two snooker tables at least‟

„stop sitting in meetings whole day and assist the students‟

„have more activities, have a heated pool, make smoking area bigger‟

„put more fun and excursions in so that we can understand what we are learning

about‟

„Please build our students a nice warm internet café where students can sit and do

their homework during breaks and off periods, and mostly during winter cause the

college gets very cold during winter and tend to be a very unpleasant place to be at

during winter‟.

College staff responses (Lecturers, Managers, Learner Support staff)

Questions with areas of focus similar to those put to learners, were asked of college staff in

order to understand poor performance from the college staff perspective.

What, according to college respondents were the biggest areas of difficulty for

NCV learners and what caused these difficulties?

Here responses ranged from general problems that lecturers experienced with learners, to

specific curriculum-related problems that learners had also raised. A factor that emerged

strongly from college responses was that of uneven or no placement testing of learners

especially in 2007, resulting in learners without the necessary literacy and numeracy skills

31

required for the NCV2 programmes, and being placed inappropriately in programmes. The

first cohort in 2007, performed dismally but were promoted to the next level carrying up to

four subjects, which compounded their problems in Level 3 and subsequently in Level 4 if

they had not dropped out along the way.

College staff said that in 2007 and 2008 they were „chasing numbers‟ and entrants were

mostly just placed in programmes without any proper selection or pre-testing (to a lesser

extent in 2008) in order to meet projected numbers of learners. This was confirmed by

college marketing staff, who said that:

„we were not properly informed as to who we were targeting (in 2007). We targeted

from Grade 9 upwards which meant alienating the more mature market which was

our previous market‟. Comments made often were that „learners were not ready for

this (NCV) kind of curriculum‟

„at the time NCV was marketed as a vocational alternative to an academic matric,

therefore we targeted Grade 9‟

In 2007 we were fixing while flying and in 2007 we had a lot of dropouts…in 2008

that all changed – we have focused our school visits, we are more knowledgeable

and therefore a better product‟

„in 2007 it was all hype, we just tried to attract anyone to get the numbers‟

Regarding the programmes, managers and lecturers noted that in 2007:

„the curriculum seemed to be pitched too high for learners, particularly in ICT,

Engineering and Maths‟

„English as a language of instruction problematic for learners who have this as their

second or third language‟

„Lecturers struggled with teaching the curriculum, mostly in Engineering‟

„Parental involvement was minimal‟

„learner literacy levels were low‟

„low numeracy skills‟

„overcrowded timetable resulting in long days‟

„textbooks arrived late‟

„subject guidelines vague and uncertain‟

„Examinations were set outside the subject guidelines‟

„national concessions resulted in learners carrying up to four subjects and thus doing

11 subjects at the next level‟

„students were not really sure that they wanted to do the programme they were in –

they came because of bursaries‟

32

„in 2007 we took anyone who had a grade 9 certificate‟

„a lot of learners thought they were coming to work with their hands. They struggle

with theory‟

„training provided for lecturers not adequate – still too much confusion‟

some courses content not appropriate to the level

„shortage of staff in certain fields eg. ICT‟

„poor learning culture, younger learners – discipline problems‟

„requirements for passing set much higher than schools – learners unable to cope‟

These concerns were echoed by the majority of lecturers interviewed. While many of the

initial problems were identified at the end of 2007 and colleges attempted to address them

by introducing better selection and placement processes in 2008 for the second intake of

NCV 2 learners, problems relating to the first cohort were still evident as learners carried

Level 2 subjects into Level 3 and required intensive support. Colleges set up Plato for

assistance with Language and Numeracy, instituted support classes after hours, remedial

academic staff members and motivational events.

It is still too early to evaluate whether the interventions to date have borne fruit, but most

college personnel made positive statements about the measures that they have instituted,

especially the screening and placement (eg. PACE and CAP assessments) of applicants.

Managers and lecturers also referred to the WCED „focus groups‟ instituted after 2007 which

played a helpful and supportive role for lecturers to work together across colleges on

curriculum matters of mutual interest and for mutual benefit, though a few lecturers thought

that there was room for improvement of its operation.

Learner support staff shared valuable information on the issues faced by learners in the first

two years of NCV implementation. For instance, they reported on administrative problems

related to bursaries due to ineffective systems, volumes of applications and unwieldy

application processes. Learner support staff were of the view that performance problems

arose because:

„many students thought „tec‟ was an easy option – lecturers no longer had time to

teach…too much energy had to be spent on disciplinary problems and huge amounts

of time consuming paper work‟

„attendance very poor especially on Mondays and Fridays‟

Staff were not adequately trained or equipped for implementing NCV type student‟

Class management problems…lack of discipline from students‟

33

What do lecturers think of the NCV programme that they teach on?

Fig.8: Lecturer views on NCV curricula

Generally the responses of lecturers to the NCV programmes were positive and

complimentary, but the comment was made that the course is ‘too advanced for many

students’, and really depended on the learners’ academic background which would allow

them to cope with the course content or not. In addition, there was too much theory, as

opposed to more skills, which learners struggled with. As Science was an optional subject (in

Engineering curricula), many colleges did not offer it, and the absence of this was felt to be a

disadvantage to learners who might want to go on to higher education.

A tourism manager commented that „we need to use the right tools to draw down the right

student. The content is very good…develops good general knowledge…most students enjoy

the course‟. In office administration the NCV programme was described by a manager as

„brilliant‟. However, in ICT for example, a manager expressed that the „NCV programme

wasn‟t sized right. The Department should have done an „error analysis and have an early

warning system in place‟ to identify and address problem areas. The course, while

„interesting and actual‟, was „too advanced for many students‟. Assessment and subject

guidelines, it was stated, should be more detailed and specific: „it still allows for too much

interpretation which impacts on the quality of delivery and the level of the learner‟. The ISAT

particularly in ICT and EIC had been problematic, and it was suggested that the National

Department „see to it that national exams are set within the limits of the assessment

guidelines‟. In Office Administration overlaps with Life Orientation were noted and suggested

that these be eliminated to reduce learner overload and boredom. Assessment was said to

be „exaggerated‟ as it made the learners‟ workload too heavy with excessive assignments

required. A selection of other comments on the curriculum was as follows:

„too much theory – not always relevant – projects, tasks not integrated‟

„Content difficult, especially at Level 2‟

34

„Its (Office Admin) an extremely good course, however the students are on different

levels‟

„Students do better in Level 3 because most of the basic principles are repeated‟

„Very full. Whole lot of outcomes for students who do not have enough background‟

„A lot of paperwork, unnecessary‟

Content a lot of fancy words and views‟

„it‟s a good course, we just have the wrong students for the course‟

„In ODP (office data processing) the syllabus too long‟

„The NCV programme is excellent – the type of student cannot meet the

requirements‟.

Lecturers and managers admitted that they had struggled with the curriculum and training

before implementation had not been adequate. However, lecturers mostly lamented the

‘type’ of learner who had enrolled for the programme, and attributed learners’ poor

performance in the first and second NCV intake to the following:

Fig.9: Lecturer responses on factors in poor learner performance

„students not committed to the programme – laziness, undisciplined‟

„Poor recruitment – wrong learners in programmes‟

„poor literacy and numeracy skills‟

„absenteeism‟

35

„late textbooks‟ or „irrelevant/inappropriate textbooks‟

„Learners carried too many subjects‟ (in 2008)

„English language of instruction difficult for learners‟

„social problems‟ – learners living in shacks, transport problems

„Shortage of teaching staff/staff turnover‟

„ learners‟ poor mathematics background‟

„lack of motivation, self-esteem‟

„couldn‟t cope with the pressure of assessment‟

„age difference too big within one class‟

„drug abuse‟

What, according to college respondents, would improve success rates and

what recommendations were made by them?

Fig.10: College respondents’ recommendations

An overwhelming number of college respondents thought that learner support, both

academic and counseling, was needed to improve learner success. There was also general

agreement that lecturers had been under severe stress from all the policy change in their

sector, and that they needed motivation and incentives in the form of better salaries, working

conditions and training. Other recommendations included:

„maths and language support‟

„extra classes‟

36

„Improve selection‟ – proper screening and guidance

„change entrance requirements to Gr 11, 12‟

„Excursions and more practicals‟

„enforce 100% attendance‟

„parental involvement‟

„motivational camps/winter school‟

„Review and improve assessments‟ – PoE, ISAT

„Remedial teachers for fundamentals‟

„induction, bridging or Level 1 for maths and reading‟

„early textbook orders‟

„Subject guidelines reviewed, aligned to correct level and in a logical sequence‟

„nutritional programmes for hungry learners‟

„scrap fundamentals for students who already have matric‟

„reduce the pass percentage required in line with schools‟

„praise and prizes for motivated students‟

„a practical guide nationally‟

„let positive lecturers teach NCV‟

Why did learners drop out of college?

Dropped out learners were very difficult to locate and in this regard the research was

dependent on biographical details supplied by the colleges which, given their day-to-day

pressures, were submitted very late in the research process. In the case of one college

some primary data had already been gathered from dropped-out learners with whom the

college had made contact in order to be proactive about interventions for the future. This

information was generously shared with us by the college.

Learner support staff reported that some of the reasons for learners dropping out were:

„…those who dropped out really wanted things to be easy – they thought by leaving

school they would get out of hard work‟

„most of them when they failed the course they don‟t come back and others have got

money problems‟

„Most of them thought it was going to be easier than a school course…with the

hospitality course the students thought they would be cooking the entire time instead

of learning the theory subjects‟

37

„poor academic performance and de-motivation‟

„not enjoying chosen course‟

„domestic difficulties/little parental interest‟

„financial difficulties…not all qualify for bursaries and some apply too late‟

„lecturers weren‟t comfortable with the curriculum…students picked up on this‟

„couldn‟t cope with the work‟

„when the NCV started there was no disciplinary procedure in place‟

„some dropped out when they discovered there is no articulation to HE‟

„some Grade 12‟s dropped out when they discovered that all three years were

compulsory‟

„substance abuse‟

„expected more practical than theoretical component‟

Learners’ reasons for dropping out

A small cohort of learners who had dropped out of colleges could be traced through the

records supplied by college administrations. Their motivation for attending college and their

expectations of college/FET programmes were similar to those of poorly performing learners,

particularly the desire for practical training and the idea that „college would be easier than

school‟. Reasons they gave for dropping out included the following:

„cost of transport‟

„I left because I failed 3 subjects – Maths and 3 vocational‟

„I didn‟t qualify to for my finals due to not having 80% attendance for the year‟

„I was expelled from college for being disruptive‟

„I didn‟t expect to repeat Grade 12 subjects – thought that NCV was a level higher

than Grade 12‟

„my accommodation made me unhappy‟

„I didn‟t pay the outstanding fees before the final exam‟

„I lost my job and couldn‟t pay the fees‟

„My grandmother died and I went to the Eastern Cape for the funeral and to look after

her animals…there was no one else to look after the animals. This happened in

August. When I came back in January I wasn‟t accepted at the college. They said the

classes were full and there was no bursary‟

38

Recommendations for the college from dropped-out learners

Dropped out learners had the following recommendations for making it easier to remain in

the programmes:

„ a travel subsidy‟

„I enjoyed the course but it was tough to do a full-time course for three years when

one has a full time job. I would have liked to do a N course because they are quick. I

would also like the students to have more computers at the college so they can study

on their own‟

„improve the quality of lecturers‟

„make the curriculum easier‟

„the day is too long, starts too early and ends too late‟.

When dropped out learners were asked what they were doing presently out of college,

answers ranged from ‘sitting at home’ to ‘I found a job (security guard)’ and ‘I am doing a six

month IT course’. A small number of learners who had dropped out of one college had

moved to another college and was currently studying there.

Discussion

This discussion section attempts to draw together the findings regarding the poor

performance of NCV learners in 2007 and 2008, and to set out the recommendations more

concisely and systematically.

While it was useful to select a stratified sample of learners within different cohorts and four

„high risk‟ programmes in order to identify context/programme specific factors, learners and

college staff across the levels, programmes and colleges were saying largely the same

things about poor performance, irrespective of the programmes they were in. Within

programmes though, problematic subjects and areas of difficulty could be identified, for

example, problems with the ISAT in IT or content difficulties in EIC. Over and above

answering the main research questions covered in this report, the data could be fruitfully

mined further for purposes of answering other questions that may arise hereafter.

Reasons for poor performance and dropping-out

There was a strong convergence between learner reasons for failure and college

understanding of the reasons for poor performance, as well as in the recommendations

made for interventions which might improve performance. Reasons for poor performance

can be categorized as follows, according to both learner and college responses, although

the categories are inter-related:

Programme related issues

content overload, syllabus too long – long days, too many periods, too much work for

1 year

content levels set too high

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time spent on fundamentals – cause of overcrowded timetable, too little time for core

courses

insufficient equipment/tools

theory laden courses, little time for practicals

textbooks, subject guidelines late or inadequate (vague, confusing)

advance course planning – assessment dates and requirements

over-assessment – too many tasks and assignments close together

too much administration (learners and lecturers)

progression and certification criteria

national examinations not within subject guidelines – not fair, valid or reliable.

Learner related issues

learners can‟t cope with pressure of workload (possibly related to immaturity)

cognitive skills lacking

Maths foundation poor

Academic preparedness poor – reading, writing, research skills needed for study

Domestic/personal problems – socio-economic circumstances, substance abuse,

pregnancy, little parental support, gangsterism, poverty

Self-management skills lacking – time management, independence, responsibility,

discipline, self-motivation, easily bored/distracted

Want to have „fun‟ – excursions, outings, exciting activities

College (institution) related issues

Facilities improvement (recreational, sport, computer labs, after hours study facilities,

transport, internet access)

Attracting and Retaining (good) lecturing staff – positive, motivational, empathetic,

respectful of learners

Recruiting the „right‟ learners – placement in „right‟ programmes

Appropriate, clear, marketing – creating realistic expectations

Language of learning and teaching (may also be programme related) –

English/Afrikaans may be 2nd or 3rd language for learners

Training of lecturers – CPD

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The means for making college „fun‟ and „exciting‟

Disciplinary measures and procedures – reasonable and fair related to absenteeism,

achievement, behaviour

As might be expected, college personnel looked to the shortcomings of learners and their

previous learning experiences as primary causes of failure in the college system, while

learners were vocal about the failings of their teachers, inefficiencies in the college systems

and deficiencies in the programmes as critical reasons for their poor performance. In spite of

these attributions, there were serious attempts at self-reflection and honest admissions

about personal inadequacies, especially on the part of learners. It must be said though, that

a large proportion of learners were complimentary about their lecturers and appreciative of

their efforts to assist them with learning and personal difficulties.

Towards feasible recommendations

The overall impression created by the pleas of learners was that learner complaints in many

instances were not taken seriously, even though there might have been little

acknowledgement that the issues they raised could not have immediate solutions, for

example, „finding better lecturers who can make me understand‟; „building a better cafeteria‟;

„providing transport‟; „scrapping the fundamentals‟, to name a few.

What was significant though, as noted in the categories suggested above, was the high

prevalence of external (to the college) factors that were possibly beyond the control of

colleges at the time of implementation of the new programmes, but which undoubtedly led to

learner unhappiness, de-motivation, poor performance and dropping out. These may be

taken together as follows:

External factors that require a strategy

While it was stated at the outset that systemic and structural factors would not be the focus

of this investigation, it would be difficult and perhaps irresponsible to ignore the influence of

the factors below on the achievement of learners and on the efforts of their lecturers. It is

hoped that in the face of the overwhelming evidence on the following issues, a concerted

strategy will be devised in order to bring these concerns to the levels at which they may be

addressed, and that the outcomes of such a strategy be conveyed clearly and unequivocally

to learners and college staff alike:

The late arrival/inadequacy of textbooks and subject guidelines

Criteria for promotion and certification – promotion concessions set by the National

Department of Education were viewed by college staff as compounding the academic

difficulties of learners at the next level, while pass requirements and certification

criteria were seen as setting the bar too high, certainly higher than that of high

schools.

Curriculum structure – 7 subjects including 3 compulsory fundamentals and four

vocational core subjects (with Science as optional subject in Engineering

programmes). Most learners struggled with the volume of content in each of the 7

subjects as well as the level of complexity. For learners who had passed Grades 11

or 12, fundamentals were seen as an additional burden taking up valuable core

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subject learning time. Life orientation in particular was viewed as being onerous and

repetitive.

English as the language of learning, teaching and assessment due to materials

availability in English only, put non-English speakers at a distinct disadvantage.

Availability of bursaries or other financial assistance to learners: late applications,

onerous application documentation, travel subsidies said to be promised but not

received, placed impoverished learners under stress and for many in these

circumstances led to their leaving the college.

Inappropriate levels assigned to subject content: many college respondents pointed

to obvious inconsistencies in the levels assigned to specific content in their subjects,

particularly erring on the side of being too complex and way above the cognitive

abilities of their learners, especially at Levels 2 and 3. These had, they said, been

conveyed to the National DoE but had not yet been addressed.

Overcrowded curriculum with limited time available for completing all teaching and

assessment in a programme: this is a direct result of the curriculum structure referred

to above.

Learners proceeding to the next level while having to complete failed subjects in

addition to higher level subjects: this stipulation led to learners carrying Level 2 and

Level 3 subjects into Level 4, and having to contend with examinations in up to 11

subjects in one year.

Learners under-prepared by the school system (no Maths/Science/Computers) or

returning to learning after a period out of school. Learners who had had no grounding

in the subjects referred to here, especially those who had been out of the classroom

for some time, struggled to cope with the Maths and Math Literacy particularly,

across all programme areas.

Internal college factors - recommendations

Though no doubt impacted on by outside pressures (like finance, availability of staff and so

on), internal factors are largely under the control of colleges (perhaps with provincial/donor

assistance), and require college-driven interventions to remedy them. Gleaned from the data

from both learner and college perspectives, the following are areas in which

recommendations were made, for which feasible actions may be considered in the

appropriate college forums:

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment – including training of lecturers in

aspects referred to by learners (sensitivity, empathy etc). Learners were consistently

vocal and emphatic about lecturers across colleges and programmes who were

unprepared, lacked the necessary pedagogic skills to assist them academically and

seemed unsympathetic to their plight. Serious introspection may be needed here to

separate the spurious from the serious comment, and take remedial steps in this

regard.

Language of learning and teaching that is sensitive to the needs of the whole college

community.

42

Creating a culture of learning, discipline and mutual respect: College respondents

across the board voiced their concern about the poor culture of learning at their

campuses and the breakdown of discipline attributed to an immature group of

learners. There were notable interventions undertaken by colleges, for example a

motivational camp, speakers and so on, attempting to address these, which may be

fruitfully explored more widely. Many learners on the other hand spoke of lecturers

who were rude and disrespectful towards them, were racist in their attitudes and

generally appeared uncaring.

Learner support interventions for Maths/Maths Lit, Language, Life Orientation,

academic reading and writing, motivation, self-esteem and the like. Timing of these

initiatives may be problematic, as colleges reported learners not taking up such

opportunities where they were provided after college hours. In spite of learners

appealing for extra assistance in the subjects they were struggling with, they

complained about the long hours at college and getting home late in the day due to

transport difficulties.

Creating a learner-friendly campus with recreational facilities and safe, comfortable

spaces conducive to young people learning and interacting eg. cafeteria with

affordable/subsidised food, computers available after hours for completion of

assignments and internet access. Many learners said that food was not available on

the campus after hours, or food was inadequate (hence, according to them, some

learners went into „town‟ for food and then drifted off home), there was „nothing to do‟

on the campus between periods, the learning spaces were cold and inhospitable, and

internet access (which they did not have at home either) was problematic in terms of

completing their tasks.

Creative time-tabling of classes to avoid overcrowding of the time-table, long days

and successive periods throughout the day.

An affordable, safe transport system for learners.

Strict recruitment and selection procedures: colleges reported their difficulty with

recruiting the numbers they had projected in their first NCV intake, particularly as

matriculants were unwilling to, as they put it, „repeat Grades 10-12‟, therefore they

had targeted Grade 9‟s in schools in 2007. Many late applicants had also been

admitted to programmes without any screening or placement testing hence colleges

had been unaware of the extent of the gaps in their learning. Given the challenges

posed to Grade 9 school leavers by the NCV curriculum, colleges have already

begun to revise their entry criteria and instituted screening and placement

mechanisms.

Fair and appropriate marketing of programmes to avoid unrealistic learner

expectations. The expectations of learners in the study were largely not met, and

they conveyed their feelings of disappointment or had left the college because of this.

Many referred to „college promises‟ that had not been kept. It was clear also from the

school respondents in the study that the roles of vocational education, FET colleges

and the new curricula are not fully understood.

43

Ensuring that learners understand fully the course requirements, assessments, time

commitments, at the outset. Unhappiness was expressed by learners about the

proportion of theory to practical, the number of assessments (all at the same time),

the promotion criteria, the need to pass all 7 subjects for certification and so on.

Arranging more excursions, practicals and „fun‟ activities for programmes wherever

possible. In view of the „full‟ time-tables in all programme areas, it is difficult to

envisage how the time for more „fun‟ activities may be scheduled. However, colleges

will have to seriously interrogate the demands of the theoretical component in their

programmes, and consider how a balance may be struck with the insertion of more

practicals.

Ensuring that learners are in possession of the necessary learning materials and

equipment for the programme at the time these are needed. Learners in Level 3 in

2008 in particular mentioned the lack of textbooks when the course had been well

under way, and having nothing to refer to when they wanted to work through the

sections on their own at home.

Learner counseling for social problems, referral system for drug abuse where these

are not in place or available.

Staff wellness, pleasant working conditions to ease the lot of college lecturers.

Early warning system for potential drop-outs so that interventions can be timeous and

the learner is not lost to the system through problems that can be „fixed‟.

Cooling off period‟ early in the programme for learners to change courses if required

and avoid later dissatisfaction or no-shows at summative examinations. Without

adequate counseling and placement in the „right‟ programmes, or even in spite of

this, learners may wish to change programmes. The opportunity for this needs to be

created through, perhaps, „taster‟ courses which learners undertake early in the

orientation period of their programmes.

Conclusion

The reasons and recommendations raised in this report are unlikely to be new or surprising

to colleges. The value, inter alia, of this research exercise though, is that lecturers,

managers and other college personnel are able to view themselves and their institutions

through the eyes of their learners, within the context of learners‟ dreams, ambitions,

expectations and disappointments. By all accounts most lecturers have worked extremely

hard under difficult conditions and for little reward, but they have stayed the course and been

true pioneers of the new curriculum – a memorable remark by a college member was that

„we built the plane while flying, without a landing strip in sight, and without a pilot‟. However,

given the volume of learners‟ data related to poor lecturer quality, and college respondents

comments on inadequate lecturer preparation, there is room for serious introspection by

colleges.

The NCV curriculum has come in for its fair share of critique, especially for its hasty

implementation in spite of inter alia materials, equipment, infrastructure, teaching staff not

being everywhere in place in 2007. Nonetheless these national curricula intended by the

44

Department of Education to be FET college flagship programmes into the future, are widely

regarded by college staff to be the „right programmes‟ which attracted the „wrong‟ learners.

This was attributed by college staff to misguided - though executed in good faith - marketing

and recruitment. While structural adjustments of NCV curricula are urgently required as is

inevitable with any new curriculum after a testing period of its delivery, there are many

concerns articulated by learners that just as urgently need to be addressed institutionally.

It is clear from this report that extensive financial and human resources have been ploughed

into building a new identity for FET colleges, to change them from „technical colleges‟ into

new FET colleges capable of taking skills development to the scale required by our country.

National and global economic challenges have induced a need for rapid educational change,

however the extent of institutional change required to forge a new identity for colleges has

been sorely underestimated. The data indicates that concerted efforts will be needed at

national, provincial, institutional and individual levels, to effect a coherent new FET college

identity. The current complex and diverse grouping of FET college learners reflects that the

envisaged identity of FET colleges may be out of sync with actual learner expectations and

needs at this stage. The report begs the questions of who FET colleges should serve, and

how the wide-ranging needs of college communities are to be met. Further research should

be focused on these issues.

The learners in this study, regarded by college staff as poorly prepared for the high cognitive

and other demands of NCV programmes, have already been failed by systems in school and

society, and have looked to the college for alternative opportunities. In addition to extensive

early support and counseling for under-prepared learners, it is imperative that the collective

efforts of all our colleges are brought to bear on getting the right learners into the right

programmes, and on building the culture of learning, trust, accountability and hope that

these young people so desperately need.

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