Did you pass the PAS 111 module in 2013?

Table 5.8 indicates the percentage of students who passed and failed the PAS 111 module in 2013. The table does not include students who were repeating the subject.

Table 5.8: Module pass and failure distribution of student participants Cumulative Cumulative Response Frequency Percentage frequency percentage

Yes 43 82.69 43 82.69

No 9 17.30 52 17.31

Total 52 100

Table 5.8 indicates that in 2013, 82.69% of the participant students passed the PAS 111 module and 17.30% of the students failed the module. However, the failure rate does not correspond with the failure rate indicated by the student information system in 2013. This figure was given as 38%. As participation in this study was voluntary, the missing 20.7% could be due to the fact that for unknown reasons, 20 of the registered 82 students for the module in 2013 did not participate in the study.

133 5.2.2.3 Academic performance (closed-ended)

The third section of the questionnaire consisted of a series of statements in the form of a five- point Likert scale (1=disagree strongly; 2 = disagree; 3 = uncertain; 4 = agree; 5 = strongly agree) to measure students’ perspectives on factors that might have an influence on academic performance. The results of these statements are displayed in Table 5.9 and a discussion follows.

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Table 5.9: Student perspectives of factors that might have had an influence on their academic performance STATEMENT Strongly disagree % Disagree % Uncertain % Agree % Strongly agree % *Frequency missing Chemistry should be an

admission requirement for the

BAgric programme 19.23 25 15.38 34.62 5.77 0

There was limited provision for

Afrikaans tuition 9.8 27.45 13.73 29.41 19.61 1

There was limited provision for

English tuition 10.2 51.02 20.41 10.2 8.16 3

Students were interested in the

module 11.76 37.25 37.25 11.76 1.96 1

Class attendance was good 2 12 26 52 8 2

I had enough time to prepare for

tests and exams 5.77 11.54 17.31 57.69 7.69 0

I had enough contact time with

the lecturer 9.62 28.58 21.15 34.62 5.77 0

The examination paper was fair 15.69 25.49 19.61 35.29 3.92 1 The module was presented at a

high level 5.77 13.46 30.77 44.23 5.77 0

The notes correlated with the

presentations 5.88 13.73 17.65 54.9 7.84 1

The standard of the notes was fair 3.92 19.61 15.69 56.86 3.92 1 You received student support 13.46 23.08 23.08 36.54 3.85 0 Tutorials helped improve your

understanding of the subject 1.92 9.62 5.77 73.08 9.62 0 Summer school can help you pass

the module 0 0 21.57 37.25 41.18 1

As indicated in Table 5.9, 44.23% of the students indicated that they strongly disagreed or disagreed that Chemistry should be an admission requirement to the BAgric programme, while

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12.38% were uncertain and 40.39% strongly agreed or agreed. With more or less the same percentage of students who agreed and disagreed overall to the statement and whether Chemistry should become an admission requirement or not, Chemistry lecturers should take note of their students’ assumptions, motives, intentions, and more importantly, their background, that may influence the students’ academic performance (Byrne & Flood, 2005). Altogether 37.25% of students indicated that they strongly disagreed or disagreed that there was limited provision for Afrikaans tuition; less than a quarter (13.73%) were uncertain and the majority of the group (49.02%) strongly agreed or agreed that there was limited provision for Afrikaans tuition. Table 5.4 indicates that 80.77% of the students’ first language was Afrikaans – this is the majority of the group who did not receive tuition in their first language. More than half of the students (61.22%) indicated that they strongly disagreed or disagreed that there was limited provision for English tuition, 20.41% were uncertain, and 18.36% strongly agreed or agreed that there was limited provision for English tuition.

Regarding interest in the module, 49.01% of the students indicated that they strongly disagreed or disagreed that they were interested in the module, 37.25% were uncertain, and 13.72% strongly agreed or agreed that they were interested in the module. This is similar to the findings of Graeber (1995) who found that students have low and decreasing interest in sciences such as physics and chemistry.

Only 14% of the students strongly disagreed or disagree that class attendance was good, 26% were uncertain, and more than half (60%) strongly agreed or agreed that class attendance was good.

Less than a quarter of the students (17.31%) reported that they strongly disagreed or disagreed that they had enough time to prepare for tests and examinations, an equal percentage of students was uncertain, and 65.38% of the students strongly agreed or agreed that they had enough time. Regarding contact time with the lecturer, 38.2% strongly disagreed or disagreed that they had enough contact time with the lecturer, 21.15% were uncertain, and 40.39% of the students strongly agreed or agreed that they had enough contact time.

Altogether 41.18% of the students strongly disagreed or disagreed that the examination paper was fair, 19.61% were uncertain, and 39.21% of the students strongly agreed or agreed.

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Less than a quarter (19.23%) of the participants strongly disagreed or disagreed that the course was presented on a high level, 30.77% were uncertain, and 50% of the students strongly agreed or agreed that the course was presented on a high level.

Similarly, less than a quarter (19.61%) strongly disagreed or disagreed that the course notes correlated with the presentations, 17.65% were uncertain, but more than half (62.74%) of the group strongly agreed or agreed that the course notes correlated with the presentations. A total of 23.53% of the students reported that the standard of the notes was fair, 15.69% were uncertain, and more than half (60.78%) strongly agreed or agreed that the standard of the notes was fair.

On the question of student support, 36.54% of the students strongly disagreed or disagreed that they received student support, the same percentage was uncertain and 40.39% strongly agreed or agreed. In their study, Davidowitz and Rollnick (2005) found that an increase in the number of tutorials as well as a closer correspondence between tutorial problems and examination questions led to an improvement in the performance of the students, and a slight improvement in the overall pass rate of the course. This corresponds to the students’ feedback in the current study that only 11.54% of students strongly disagreed or disagreed that tutorials helped improve their understanding of the subject; a mere 5% were uncertain and 82.7% strongly agreed or agreed. No one strongly disagreed or disagreed that summer school could help them pass the module, 21.57% were uncertain, and 78.43% strongly agreed or agreed that it could help them.

From the findings in Table 5.9 it is clear that the students strongly disagreed with the admission requirements to the BAgric programme and that they were not interested in the PAS 111 module.