There is a tide in the affairs of men... Die uitdaging om werkbare en billike(-r) keuringsmeganismes te ontwerp

Abstract

There is a tide in the affairs of men... The challenge of devising effective and fair(er) selection mechanisms Initially, research regarding student admission to fields of study at tertiary training institutions focused primarily on a search for mechanisms to decrease the number of at-risk students significantly – an extremely complex matter. Recent changes in South African society compel tertiary institutions to reflect on their own character and aims in an innovative way. At the moment the focus is mainly on possible ways of giving the traditionally disadvantaged part of South African society a fairer chance of gaining access to, and achieving success at tertiary institutions. The pressure on tertiary institutions to ensure that the demography of the student population becomes more representative of the population in general is increasing dramatically. Since the ratio black : white students who are admitted to these courses is still totally unsatisfactorily (to the disadvantage of black students) and not at all in line with the aims of the government, student selection in fields of study such as Medicine, Dentistry, Engineering and Psychology will probably remain in the firing line in the foreseeable future. In this article, the researchers investigate the achievement of senate-discretionary students at the Education Faculty of the University of Pretoria and arrive at the conclusion that neither a minimum M score of 11, nor an admission test score accurately predicts success at a tertiary institution. Outcomes-based Education and changing ways of assessing and ‘scoring’ in Grade 12 create an even more complex situation. In order to facilitate the escalating challenge of fair selection and admission to tertiary institutions, a national two-year strategy is advocated. AFRIKAANS : Navorsing rakende die toelating van studente tot studierigtings aan tersiêre instansies is aanvanklik primêr gefokus op ’n soeke na meganismes om die aantal risikostudente betekenisvol te verminder – ’n uiters komplekse aangeleentheid. Onlangse veranderings in die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing noodsaak tersiêre inrigtings om innoverend oor hul eie aard en doelstellings te dink. Die fokus is tans veral op moontlike wyses om die tradisioneel agtergeblewe deel van die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing ’n billiker kans te gee op toelating tot en die behaal van sukses aan tersiêre instansies. Die druk op tersiêre instansies om te sorg dat die demografie van die studentekorps aan tersiêre instansies meer verteenwoordigend van die algemene bevolking raak, neem hand-oor-hand toe. Keuring van studente in studierigtings soos medies, tandheelkunde, ingenieurswese en sielkunde sal waarskynlik in die afsienbare toekoms in die brandpunt bly, aangesien die verhouding swart : wit studente wat tot hierdie studierigtings toegelaat word, steeds heeltemal ontoereikend (ten koste van swart studente) is en nie naastenby in lyn met die doelwitte wat deur regeringslui gestel word nie. Die navorsers ondersoek in die onderhawige artikel die prestasie van senaatsdiskresionêre studente aan die Fakulteit Opvoedkunde van die Universiteit van Pretoria en kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat nóg ’n minimum M-telling van 11, nóg ’n toelatingstoetspunt tersiêre prestasie akkuraat voorspel. Uitkomsgebaseerde Onderrig en veranderende wyses van assessering en ‘bepunting’ in Graad 12 maak die situasie ingewikkelder. ’n Nasionale tweejaarstrategie word bepleit om die eskalerende uitdaging van billike keuring en toelating tot tersiêre opleidingsinstansies te fasiliteer.