Factors influencing the academic success of first-year students in chemistry at an agricultural training institution

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Learning is a multi-layered concept which depends on many different role-players, complexfactors and different historical and contextual factors. In view of the many factors that mayinfluence the learning environment, a need was identified to investigate the aspects of learningthat are related to chemistry education. In basic chemistry, a variety of factors influencelearning and academic performance as well as the strategies to learn chemistry in order tominimise the factors that have a negative influence on students' learning and their academicperformance.Several authors have highlighted possible factors that may influence the academic performanceof students. Only a limited number of studies have investigated teaching and learning inchemistry education and in agricultural training in particular. Factors that were found topotentially influence students' academic performance were incorporated in Astin's inputenvironment-output model that was used as a framework to interpret the data generated for thestudy. Such knowledge may provide valuable information to first-year students, lecturers andthe planners of foundation programmes at the Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute andsimilar agricultural training institutes.In this study, the aim was to investigate the possible academic factors that influence the successof the BAgric students who study Chemistry (PAS) 111 in their first year. Three data sourceswere used: PAS 111 curriculum documents, the opinions of 2013 BAgric first-year studentsand the opinions of lecturers involved in the first-year courses and in PAS 111 in particular.These data sources contributed to determining to what degree, if at all, academic factorsinfluence learning in Chemistry (PAS) 111 and how these factors are perceived by the mainconstituents. The main question addressed in this study was thus: Why do students at ElsenburgAgricultural Training Institute not perform well in Chemistry (PAS) 111?In conducting the study, a pragmatic stance was taken and a mixed-methods research designwas used. The findings of this study indicate that language, admission requirements, studentinterest, and student support had a considerable influence on student academic performance forthe 2013 PAS 111 student group. Implications flowing from the study for the ElsenburgAgricultural Training Institute as well as possibilities for future research are pointed out.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University