Students’ perceptions of a University access (bridging) programme for social science, commerce and humanities

Studentsrsquo perceptions of a University access

(bridging) programme for social science commerce

and humanities

Zaynab Essack University of KwaZulu-Natal

Michael Quayle University of KwaZulu-Natal

Running head Students‟ perceptions of an access programme

Keywords UNIVERSITY TERTIARY ACCESS BRIDGING SOCIAL SCIENCE

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed

Michael Quayle School of Psychology University of KwaZulu-Natal Private Bag X01 Scottsville 3209 South

Africa E-mail quaylemukznacza

1

Abstract

Tertiary educational institutions in South Africa face the challenge of redressing past (and

continuing) inequalities in higher education by increasing accessibility to previously (and

currently) disadvantaged students One means of doing so is through bdquoaccess‟ or bdquobridging‟

programmes This paper explores successful students‟ perceptions of one such programme at

the University of KwaZulu-Natal by means of qualitative focus group interviews This

retrospective evaluation of the programme explores students‟ perspectives on the extent to

which the Access Programme (AP) has bdquobridged the gap‟ between secondary and tertiary

education as well as any potential negative outcomes generated by the programme eg

perceptions of stigma Results indicate that (1) interviewed students generally perceived the

programme as beneficial and legitimate in preparing them for their degree studies (2) the

racial homogeneity and the isolation of AP students from mainstream students have resulted

in some negative outcomes such as perceptions of stigmatisation and inferiority and (3)

students enrolled in the programme and the programme management may have quite different

perceptions of the nature of the bdquoarticulation gap‟ that the programme aims to address

2

Introduction

Although South Africa has recently celebrated ten years of democracy the country is still

facing the challenge of redressing past inequalities While apartheid policies and practices

have largely been repealed and renounced all levels of South African society are affected by

their legacy After the advent of democracy in 1994 the major challenge for the ANC-led

national government has been to address transformation in the political cultural social and

economic sectors of South Africa Since higher education performs a gate-keeping function

in aspects of social cultural and economic development it is important in the broad task of

realising and producing social change Investigations into the state of higher education in

South Africa (eg Kapp 1994) have emphasised the need for increasing equitable access to

tertiary education and access or bridgingi programmes have been recommended as a partial

solution (Education White Paper 3 1997)

While many tertiary educational institutions in South Africa have been implementing access

programmes for some years now there is limited information regarding the practical success

of such programmes Although authors such as Van Tonder (1996) Troskie-de Bruin (1999)

and Bernstein (2002) have explored the success of access programmes from students‟

perspectives much of the research into access programmes has been initiated and executed

by tertiary institutions As a result it generally describes and to a limited extent evaluates

access and bridging programmes from institutional perspectives (de Villiers amp Rwigema

1998) Such evaluations generally assess performance by analysing statistics such as

improvement in students‟ marks pass rates and throughput (eg Curtis amp De Villiers 1992

de Villiers amp Rwigema 1998) This allows us to determine the formal success of access

programmes but it leaves us guessing as to the subjective (but important) experiences of

students who pass through such programmes particularly in terms of their later adjustment to

mainstream studies Timm (2005) emphasises that student perceptions of access programmes

are an important indicator of the success of such programmes

Curriculum evaluation involves making judgements about the effectiveness value andor

appropriateness of a curriculum and one method of achieving such an evaluation is by

examining students‟ experiences (Melrose 1996) The present paper evaluates an access

programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal by exploring the perspectives and

experiences of a single cohort of successful students The transactional (naturalistic)

3

paradigm of curriculum evaluation which recognises the diversity of students‟ experiences

(Melrose 1996) was the underlying philosophy for the evaluation of the programme The

study aimed to assess students‟ perceptions of the value and function of the programme in

order to investigate their perspectives on its strengths and weaknesses The study also

explored students‟ perceptions of the how well the goals and aims of the programme were

realised namely the extent to which the programme has bdquobridged the gap‟ between

disadvantaged secondary and mainstream tertiary education as well as any unintended

outcomes potentially introduced by participation in the programme Adhering to the

philosophy of the transactional paradigm of curriculum evaluation this evaluation aimed to

provide stakeholders with insight into students‟ subjective experience of the programme their

perceptions of its value and with a platform to modify and develop the programme in the

future

Literature Review

The imprints of apartheid on education

In apartheid South Africa the quality and level of education an individual could attain was

inextricably tied to their race Even today previously disadvantaged schools continue to be

characterised by discrepancies in resources facilities and teachers because of the effects of

Bantu Education and the under-funding of black education during the apartheid era

(Education White Paper 3 1997) Many schools although no longer officially segregated in

terms of race lack the resources and infrastructure to produce students who are sufficiently

prepared for university

The complex problems experienced by the school system means that many matriculants are

under-prepared for higher education (Nair 2002) The majority of these students are blackii

and have suffered the residual effects of apartheid educational policies in previously

disadvantaged schools These students are often ill-equipped to cope with the academic

challenges that tertiary educational institutions present Clearly the academic under-

preparedness of large groups of students is directly related to the legacy of apartheid policies

of inequality (du Preacute 2003)

4

The new complexity

A decade after the dawn of democracy many black South Africans will have entered tertiary

institutions by meeting standard entrance criteria Kahn (2005) suggests that black high

achievers tend to be concentrated in ex-Model C and private schools These schools are able

to provide an increasingly adequate number of bdquoprepared‟ black matriculants to fill available

places and meet racial quotas although the process appears to be proceeding more slowly in

the sciences than in the humanities

As student racial demographics begin to reflect population proportions a new complexity

unfolds Geographic and socio-economic constraints mean that many black students

(especially African students) receive their primary and secondary education at disadvantaged

schools The fact that an increasingly large pool of bdquoprepared‟ black students are entering the

tertiary education system via previously Model C schools may distract authorities from the

huge body of students who continue to be disadvantaged by inequalities in the education

system These social changes are likely to result in a system of inequality defined

geographically and socially rather than purely racially as it was in the past The challenge for

access programmes in the coming years then is not so much about issues of race as it is

about redressing structural social inequalities by making the gatekeepers of the social elite

(ie universities and other tertiary education institutions) more permeable to poor students

who have so far been underprivileged with regard to educational opportunities

Bridging programmes as an alternative route to access

Many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are employing bridging programmes as an

alternative for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who fail to meet tertiary entrance

requirements (Nair 2002) Bridging programmes focus on providing pre-degree assistance to

students who are educationally disadvantaged (Snyders 1999) These programmes aim to

address the bdquoarticulation gap‟ between secondary and tertiary institutions and to compensate

for the under-preparedness of students by providing them with additional support in

preparation for mainstream studies (du Preacute 2003) Access programmes are developed by

many HEIs as a solution to two problems (1) the need to increase access to black students

who were disadvantaged by the apartheid system and (2) to equip these students academically

for higher-level study (Kapp 1994)

Factors Contributing to the Effectiveness of Access Programmes

5

Pavlich Orkin and Richardson (1995) have highlighted factors that increase the ability of

access programmes to focus on students‟ existing strengths in order to enhance their

capacities They argue that effectiveness is determined by

The development of sensitive alternative selection procedures ie identifying the more

capable students regardless of their matriculation results

The extent to which the faculty administration and the student body perceive the

programme as ldquolegitimaterdquo

The use of appropriate learning technologies (eg tutorials computer-assisted learning

etc)

Intra- and inter-programme management structures

Ensuring that disadvantaged students are catered for in non-academic ways (in terms of

financial aid counselling services etc)

The limitations of Access Initiatives Developing strengths versus addressing weaknesses

Some authors argue that access programmes by definition are problematic as a final solution

because they treat individual students rather than the education system as a whole as

defective However Pavlich et al (1995) argue that although access programmes initially

sought to redress deficits in knowledge they are increasingly acknowledging the importance

of harnessing existing strengths in students rather than focusing on weaknesses However

five years later Mabokela (2000) examined academic development programmes at two

historically white universities and found that they still focused largely on addressing students‟

deficiencies He argues that

the deficiency model of labelling black students has the potential not only to

stigmatise black students as inferior but also to impede the ability of these universities

to critically interrogate the relevance of their academic programs to the incoming

student group (Mabokela 2000 147)

Clearly there is potential for such programmes by attempting to redress past educational

inequities to increase students‟ perceptions of inferiority or stigma Troskie-de Bruin (1999)

found that access students are critical of this bdquobackward looking‟ stance of access initiatives

considering such remedial education as a waste of time Nevertheless in light of the extent

of inequity in the South African education system it is widely agreed that access programmes

are a worthwhile stopgap measure

6

The present study

Programme evaluation involves an appraisal of the effectiveness of instructional programmes

(Fleischman amp Williams 1996) The purpose of this evaluation was to explore the

experiences of an access programme through the eyes of the students who have passed

through it In addition the present study will explore students‟ perceptions of whether the

access programme prepared them for their degree studies as well as whether the concerns of

academics expressed in the literature are reflected in the experiences of students in a local

access programme

Method and sample

The Participating Access Programme

The access programme of interest (hereafter referred to as the AP) was developed by a

faculty of humanities and social science at the University of Natal (now the University of

KwaZulu-Natal) in response to an emergent awareness that many of the students accepted

into the faculty were not sufficiently prepared for university studies The AP was designed as

a one-year bridging course for academically disadvantaged students and those who failed to

meet university entrance criteria Eligible students were generally identified as matriculating

from schools that were still disadvantaged in terms of materials facilities and teacher-pupil

ratios Additionally many of these students spoke English the language of instruction as a

second language However students were also enrolled if their secondary education did not

result in the equivalent of a South African matriculation exemption for example students

who completed their schooling in neighbouring SADC countries

Students enrolled in the AP mostly completed courses exclusive to the AP such as an

academic literacy course designed to address the bdquoarticulation gap‟ However they also

participated in a limited number of mainstream first-year modules (some of which were

credit-bearing) in order to provide students with a framework for further study in degrees

such as Commerce Arts Social Science Law and Education In general this programme

aimed to equip under-prepared students with the resources and skills to pursue degree studies

with the envisaged outcome of increasing the success rates of these students

Method

7

Programme evaluation involves ldquothe use of social research methods to systematically

investigate the effectiveness of social intervention programsrdquo (Rossi Lipsey and Freeman

2003 p 29) The study adopted a qualitative focus which was consistent with our intention

to explore students‟ subjective experiences of the access programme and subsequent degree

studies Data was collected using semi-structured focus group interviews (see Appendix 1)

Questions for the focus group were developed after consultation with the programme

counsellor Data collected in focus groups are valuable because group discussion helps to

provide insight into shared experiences revealing details and intricacies that may not be

readily apparent from individual interviews Further focus groups are a popular method of

collecting data about perceptions (Melrose 1996)

The sample

The sample was purposively selected and the 2001 cohort were sampled largely because it

was anticipated that these students would be in the second or final year of their degree studies

and would be able to provide valuable insight into the efficacy of the access programme The

cohort consisted of 71 students 70African and one coloured 40 males and 31 females all

above the age of 18 Twenty-six of these students were enrolled for commerce degrees thirty

in the social sciences fourteen in education and one in theology

Due to practical constraints the study focused only on students who were enrolled in degree

studies (ie 51 of 70) Therefore the sample was biased to the extent that it only considered

successful students who may obviously have different perceptions of the programme

compared to other students Of the 51 students still enrolled in degree studies at the time of

sampling we randomly selected two groups of eight participants to recruit for focus groups

using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet function All selected students agreed to participate but

only three of the eight selected participants attended the first focus group and six of the eight

attended the second resulting in a sample size of nine (all were black South Africans five

were female and four were male) Although this turnout was disappointing it was

understandable since sampling was carried out quite close to exams However this further

suggests that the results of this study should be understood to come from a particularly

successful (given that they were still enrolled in degree studies) and organised (given that

they attended the focus groups in spite of academic pressure) subset of students Although

this by no means invalidates the findings of the study since this successful subset of students

had insightful observations and important criticisms related to their experience of the AP it is

8

likely that other subsets of students ndash particularly those no longer enrolled in degree studies ndash

would have quite different perspectives on the programme It is recommended that future

research be undertaken with students who have been academically unsuccessful or who have

dropped out for other reasons

It should be remembered that the aim of this study was not to provide an exhaustive account

of all attitudes towards the AP or the extent to which such attitudes are representative of the

student body On the contrary we aimed to obtain idiosyncratic narratives that would extend

our understandings of the types experiences that may be important to students on similar

programmes

Analysis

The recorded focus groups were transcribed verbatim resulting in a data corpus of

approximately 7500 words Informed by Terre Blanche and Kelly (1999) transcripts from

focus groups were analysed using thematic analysis which involves inductively coding

interviews to find common themes While themes are being developed data is coded by

means of grouping and regrouping in analytically relevant ways Once themes have been

induced and coded they are elaborated on to capture the finer meanings that were missed

during the coding stage Finally data are interpreted in light of the emergent themes

Results

Several themes have emerged from the data and these may be grouped along two dimensions

namely themes that relate to the structural and practical elements of the AP and themes that

relate to the social aspects of the programme

1 Students‟ perceptions of the effectiveness of the practical components of the AP

The AP as an alternative route to access

One sentiment expressed by the overwhelming majority of participants (eight of nine

participants) was that the AP was beneficial to students from disadvantaged schools and

backgrounds because it provided them with an avenue to enter tertiary education and to

pursue degree studies Students noted that without the AP they would have been denied

access to university because they did not fulfil the admissions criteria stipulated for entry into

the university with regard to exemptions and the minimum entry points for example

9

Extract 1 Focus Group 2

P1 And I also think it was very helpful for people who didn‟t get things like

exemptions and stuff like that


P1 Firstly I say that uh [pause] without enough points to go straight to LLB I found

that it was good for me because if they didn‟t select me to do the access programme

I‟d be staying at home I wouldn‟t be here at varsity

Participants perceived the AP as a legitimate and viable alternative route to university entry

and even suggested that the AP increase the number of students it enrols and thereby

ldquoaccommodate more studentsrdquo (Focus group 2 Participant 4)

The extent to which students‟ perceived that they were prepared by the AP for their degree

studies was related to the specific degrees that the participants pursued when they entered

mainstream first-year studies The commerce students in the group commented that they

were less prepared in general than participants who pursued other degrees within the Faculty


P5 No I didn‟t think it [the AP] prepared me bdquocause I was gonna do BCom [pause]

when I came to first year BCom everything was different and then I had to change

my degree to B Social Science as it was too difficult I couldn‟t handle it


I How did it feel going from the AP straight into your degree

P2 It was more difficult

P3 For us who were doing B Social Science it was easy

Students pointed out that the faculty to which the AP was attached offered courses in a great

variety of disciplines that each placed different demands on students Students argued that

these differences as well as differences in individual students‟ limitations and potential had

not been completely addressed by the general approach of the AP The bdquofaculty‟ is an

organisational entity that groups numerous disparate subjects and disciplines for

administrative convenience The use of this administrative grouping in defining the AP may

have masked important differences in the skills and abilities required for individual target

disciplines conglomerated in the faculty Students argued that the AP should be more

thoughtful about preparing access students for the unique demands of specific disciplines

within the faculty rather than taking a bdquoone size fits all‟ approach

The nature of the articulation gap

Students readily acknowledged the bdquogap‟ between high school and university and recognised

the role of the AP in bridging that gap by increasing access to previously disadvantaged

10

students However as mentioned previously students reported different perceptions of the

nature of the bdquogap‟ that the AP aims to address


P1 hellipit‟s like when you are coming from high school you don‟t know exactly what is

happening at varsityhellip


P3 For me I think [inaudible] if I can compare myself to some students doing first

year who were doing Standard 10 last year I can do I can do well


P2 From like school they got all the advantages so I definitely understand that I‟m

coming from a disadvantaged school So for us it‟s not easy to have equal points


P4 I just will support her in saying that you‟re actually better than the person who

comes straight into first year

From the above extracts it is evident that some students viewed the AP merely as a means to

attain the bureaucratic requirement of exemption in other words perceiving a practical gap

(see Extract 7) Such students did not see themselves as academically bdquounder-prepared‟ nor

did they express the belief that the programme had addressed any potential lack of

preparedness or decreased the bdquoarticulation gap‟ Rather they saw the AP as a means to an

end for those who fail to meet the usual university entrance criteria Other students reported

that the AP addressed social deficits by initiating them into university culture and preparing

them to access social resources (see Extract 5) for example by giving them the confidence to

approach educators Finally a few students recognised that the AP addressed pedagogic

deficits by bridging the gap between their secondary and tertiary education (see Extract 6 and

8)

2 Social components of the AP

Socialisation into university culture

Participants agreed that an advantage of completing the AP was that by their first year they

were sufficiently socialised into the university culture and hence were more adept at adjusting

in their first year and at choosing courses

Extract 9 Focus Group 2 (P5)

P5 I think the good part of it again is probably for first year you get to know the

whole university part of it and you can decide which courses you wanna do You

can research them when you‟ve got timehellip


P1 I thank the programme for that because I learnt how to approach lecturers

11

They also suggested that the discipline enforced in the HSAP to attend lectures did extend to

their current degrees Participants said that the programme helped improve their capacity to

communicate and express themselves both verbally and in writing essays and they enjoyed

the cohesive nature of small classes in which strong and enduring friendships were formed

Disenchantment with the Racial Composition of the Student Body

According to the majority of participants (eight of nine participants) one of the negative

aspects of the AP was the fact that the programme enrolled only African students


I And any negative parts of the AP

P5 There were only blacks [Africans]

Students pointed out a disparity between rhetoric and practice in that the AP is advertised to

be an alternative route of access to university for all students who did not meet standard

university entrance requirements of the matric exemption with the specified number of

points However in practice access seemed restricted to African students only even though

the AP was ldquotheoreticallyrdquo open to non-African students Some students pointed out that

there are certainly many White Indian and Coloured students who fail to meet standard

entrance criteria and yet were not enrolled in the AP for example in Extract 12


P2 Because even in our group I think there was only one White and one Indian who

just uh came here and there

P1 Two Indians

P2 I just didn‟t understand what was going on you know and it just made me

question the whole process of the access programme

Participants argued that limiting enrolment to African students instils feelings of being

separate from the rest of the university and being different from mainstream students who

learn in an integrated environment They suggested that by enrolling African students only

issues of race are accentuated which might perpetuate feelings of inferiority in students


P2 I think that [inaudible] at least they should be mixed with other first year students

getting a feel of at least the first year you know modules and attend lectures with

them [pause] so that they won‟t feel inferior

Some participants reported that they entered university hoping for an opportunity to interact

with people of different races and from different cultures In an interview with Troskie-de

12

Bruin (1999) an African student remarked ldquoI‟ve met most of my friends from the Coloured

community on the Bridging Programme and we are still very good friendsrdquo which reflects

the importance students attach to studying in an integrated environment In our study one

participant suggested that the racial homogeneity of the programme mirrored the environment

of a disadvantaged high school


P5 bdquoCause we thought when we‟d come to varsity we would interact with all kinds of

races

I Ja

P3 It was more like high school

Van Tonder (1996) suggests that it is important that students in access programmes feel part

of university life However participants argued that by enrolling only African students the

AP limits their social development in that they do not interact with students from other race

groups However one participant did argue that it is not the intention of the programme to

target African students but rather that the programme was aimed at disadvantaged students

the majority of whom are African


P4 hellipthe intention of the course is not mainly based on integrating different races but

it is to encapsulate people who come from different backgrounds that is who have

something in common And that thing being a disadvantaged backgroundhellip you find

that those people actually come from those such backgrounds are actually black in

colour [Africans] or come from a particular race

Stigma

Participants also discussed feeling stigmatised as AP students saying that the organisation of

the programme results in perceptions of inferiority


P1 We have that attitude we have that We feel like we were treated different from

the varsity students like we like I don‟t know ndash we like inferior or we don‟t qualify

because we like got those small classes separate






P1 I don‟t think that other people were treating us badly it‟s just that you

individually you feel like inferior because I‟m doing the thing [the AP] you know

It‟s not recognisable

The majority of participants agreed that they felt different from mainstream university

students during their year in the AP Participants reported that they rarely had the

opportunity to interact with mainstream university students in an academic environment and

13

suggested that the structure of the programme as well as its racial homogeneity perpetuated

feelings of inferiority as students felt isolated from the rest of the university Students

reported that this was accentuated by the fact that many mainstream students had a limited

knowledge if any about the AP


P3 Some people ask us bdquowhat are you doing here‟ When we say [the AP] they say

bdquowhat is that‟

AP students reported that they were often ldquoremindedrdquo of their deficiencies by members of

staff which may feed into feelings of isolation inferiority and stigmatisation


P5 And we were always told that we were from the disadvantaged schools

P3 We were reminded over and over again


I Did you feel different during the AP from the rest of the varsity students

P4 In many ways but I will name two Okay one way something that we actually

complained about that we know we come from disadvantaged backgrounds now to

actually keep on reminding us that we are second language speakers was the problem

We knew that we were second language speakershellip Now if you keep telling us that

we are second language speakers as if you are saying to us a particular language is

superior to others is a problem Also the fact that they kept reminding us that we are

in access not in university - we were being told that we were not yet in university

Although students‟ reported that staff had developed their strengths as students they noted

that this was accomplished in a context in which their limitations were often emphasised

Discussion

Pavlich et al (1995) suggests that the effectiveness of access programmes is partially

determined by the extent to which the faculty administration and student body perceive the

programme as legitimate In the case of the AP participants overwhelmingly reported that

the programme is a viable and legitimate alternative route to university access In general

students found the programme valuable and helpful in preparing them for their degree

studies particularly in terms of lecture attendance and in developing relationships with

educators and other students They also reported that without the AP many students would

not have had the opportunity to access a university education and they credit the AP for their

success in their degrees Students believed that the programme equipped them with both

academic and social skills that enabled them to prosper in mainstream studies

14

Access programmes are usually initiated and implemented to address the articulation gap

between disadvantaged secondary and mainstream tertiary level education However

students perceive this bdquogap‟ in three ways 1) as a pragmatic barrier impeding entry to the

institution 2) as a social resource because they are unfamiliar with the culture of the

university environment and 3) as the pedagogical gap identified by educators Many

students do not overtly acknowledge the role of the AP in bdquobridging the articulation gap‟

This demonstrates two things firstly that the students in AP‟s may consider themselves to be

bdquoadministratively impeded‟ rather than bdquoacademically disadvantaged‟ Of course given the

potential for perceived stigmatisation that we will discuss below this may be a more useful

self-image Secondly it may be beneficial for APs to focus on the social gap identified by

students as well as the more conventional goal of addressing educational deficits In fact the

participating AP included certain activities designed to address this for example requiring

that students approach and interview mainstream educators as part of their studies

Focusing too exclusively on the bdquoarticulation gap‟ may potentially disguise great variation in

the needs of students Regarding AP students as a homogenous bdquodisadvantaged‟ group has

the potential to result in programmes in which staff aim to prepare students for mainstream

studies by addressing their deficits As students point out this focus has the potential to

create an unintended consequence of stigmatisation Similarly Troskie-de Bruin (1999)

found that the bdquoone size fits all‟ approach was critiqued by students in other APs at another

South African university

AP management reported that students were encouraged to use English (the language of

instruction) as much as possible but that mother-tongue use was certainly not prohibited

However students reported that some AP staff criticised mother tongue use giving the

impression that ldquoa particular language is superior to othersrdquo (Extract 21) Students reported

that they were sometimes criticised and subtly demeaned for their inadequacies Mabokela

(2000) argued that focusing on students‟ deficiencies has the potential to stir feelings of

inferiority and stigmatisation in students Indeed many of the interviewed students reported

that they felt ldquoinferiorrdquo and ldquostigmatisedrdquo during their year in the AP This is not necessarily

an objective indictment of the AP or the staff members to which the students are referring

and it is important to note that students in this context may be very sensitive to anything that

may emphasize their difference or disadvantage Nevertheless this is an important reminder

15

to educators to avoid activities or comments that may intentionally or unintentionally

highlight differences and thereby result in feelings of inferiority or stigma

While AP management reports that the programme is open to any students who have failed to

qualify for general university selection criteria and had attended disadvantaged schools in

practice the AP is primarily aimed at students from ex-DET schools ie African students

This is consistent with the purpose identified by Kapp (1994) who suggested that APs are

developed by many HEIs to increase access to black [African] students Although apartheid

policies resulted in educational hierarchies such that educational disadvantage is most often

experienced by African students (de Villiers and Rwigema 1998) the exclusive focus on

these students masks the fact that apartheid policies have academically disadvantaged other

race groups as well While racial homogeneity in an AP of this nature may be difficult to

avoid participants have identified the lack of racial diversity among students as a negative

outcome of the programme that may result in feelings of stigmatisation inferiority and

isolation One student even suggested that the racial composition of the AP reproduces

aspects of their disadvantaged school This reveals a great dilemma for APs in general they

are by nature defined by the needs of a particular social group (the educationally

disadvantaged) and are therefore inevitably homogenous ndash and yet such homogeneity may

accentuate the sense of inferiority that they are designed to address This issue clearly needs

to be tackled if APs are to continue as a means of providing access to disadvantaged students

in years to come One potential solution suggested by students is to structure AP studies so

that AP students are spatially and socially integrated with the mainstream student body

The question of whether APs should continue into the future is a thorny one since after more

than a decade of democracy issues of race and disadvantage are becoming more blurred As

the proportion of black students receiving their education through advantaged schools

increases so the importance of access programmes in achieving equitable student

demographics decreases However even once an institution‟s demographic spectrum is

achieved by drawing a full complement of students from advantaged schools there will still

be a massive body of (largely African) students from disadvantaged schools who lack access

to tertiary education If AP‟s are conceptualised as interventions to address disadvantage

then they will continue to be important in years to come However if they are conceptualised

as entities that intervene on the level of race then they may appear to be unimportant once

issues of demographic representation are satisfied through conventional (and cheap) selection

16

criteria Incidentally students in the present study criticised the difference between rhetoric

that frames the intervention in terms of bdquodisadvantage‟ and practices that intervene on the

level of race At present the legacies of apartheid make race an important part of this social

pattern of inequality but in the future assuming that race is a good proxy for disadvantage

will be problematic in two ways Firstly increasing numbers of advantaged African students

will enter universities via mainstream selection procedures satisfying equity criteria and

thereby disguising the vast and persistent inequalities in South African society Secondly

disadvantaged students who are not bdquoAfrican‟ will be further disadvantaged APs therefore

need to clarify these issues by revising their selection procedures to redress social rather than

racial issues

Conclusion

This exploratory study aimed to evaluate an access programme by investigating students‟

perceptions of the extent to which the AP has ldquobridgedrdquo the ldquogaprdquo between secondary and

tertiary education It also aimed to explore any potential negative outcomes generated by the

programme The present study has identified important strengths and weaknesses of the

programme Firstly while the majority of students perceive the AP as a beneficial and

legitimate alternative route to access a divide exists across disciplines regarding students‟

perceptions of the effectiveness of the programme in preparing them for their degree studies

This emphasizes the importance of approaching access students as a varied group of students

with different needs rather than approaching them as a homogenous group who share the

same bdquodisadvantage‟ This study reveals that individual students may have vastly different

needs expectations and requirements of such a programme Students generally identified

three different bdquogaps‟ addressed by the AP namely the pragmatic gap of obtaining

exemption the social gap of acculturation to university life and the bdquoarticulation gap‟ that

such programmes are generally designed to address

Issues of racial homogeneity of the student body and stigmatisation have been discussed as

negative outcomes of the programme While these are clearly unintended consequences that

are difficult to avoid they have nevertheless had a powerful impact on participants‟

perceptions of the AP

17

These results suggest that APs should take issues of variation amongst bdquodisadvantaged‟

students seriously In particular it is recommended that APs

expand the conception of the gap that is being addressed to incorporate the practical and

social as well as the academic requirements of students and

adopt an ideology that avoids practical isolation and racial homogeneity of AP students

from the mainstream student body

Undoubtedly access programmes have a significant purpose to fulfil in the process of

transformation envisaged by the democratic government Since the abandoning of apartheid

policies and practices these programmes have played an important role in increasing access

to tertiary institutions for the many students who have been academically disadvantaged

While the majority of previous research regarding access programmes has focused on the

viewpoints of educators this study has focused on students‟ perceptions As such it has

illuminated factors that have the potential to impact on the efficacy of access programmes

and which may have important implications for their future implementation and development

However this paper should not be misunderstood as an objective appraisal of the

participating AP Firstly only students who had successfully remained in their degree studies

for three years were sampled and students who had either not been accepted into degree

studies or who had later dropped out would probably have different perceptions of the AP

Secondly while students are important stakeholders they do not necessarily have full insight

into the benefits or limitations of the AP through which they have passed Thirdly they were

interviewed retrospectively about a programme they completed a few years previously and

their memories may have been clouded by their consequent experiences in their degree

studies Nevertheless the opinions they put forward were sophisticated and are an important

voice in the ongoing debate about APs in South African education

References

Bernstein N 2002 An engineering bridging course ndash success or failure Proceedings 2nd

International Conference on the Teaching of Mathematics at the undergraduate level 2002

Hersonissos Crete Greece 1-6 July Available url httpwwwmathuocgr ~ictm2

Proceedingspap238pdf Accessed 6 January 2006

18

Curtis P J D amp De Villiers J U 1992 The academic effectiveness of a bridging year for

commerce undergraduates Deelopment Southern Africa 9 457-470

De Villiers J amp Rwigema H 1998 The effect of a bridging year on the graduation

success of educationally disadvantaged commerce students South African Journal of Higher

Education 12(1) 103-108

du Preacute R 2003 Coping with changes in Higher Education in South Africa [Online]

Available url httpwwwfacestiracukdocumentsPaper101-RoyduPrepdf Accessed 8

June 2004

Education White paper 3 (1997) A programme for the transformation of Higher Education

Pretoria Department of Education

Fleischman HL amp Williams L 1996 An introduction to program evaluation for classroom

teachers Available url httpteacherpathfinderorgSchoolAssessassesshtml Accessed 15

March 2006

Kahn M 2005 A class act ndash mathematics as filter of equity in South Africa‟s schools

Perspectives in Education 23(1) 139-148

Kapp C 1994 Some perspectives on problems and approaches to solutions in Higher

Education in South Africa In D Adey P Steyn N Herman amp G Scholtz eds State of the Art

of Higher Education 13-24 Pretoria University of South Africa

Mabokela RO 2000 Voices of Conflict Desegregating South African Universities

New York RoutledgeFalmer

Melrose M 1996 Encouraging transactional and critical models of curriculum evaluation

Different Approaches Theory and Practice in Higher Education Proceedings HERDSA

Conference 1996 Perth Western Australia 8-12 July Available url

httpwwwherdsaorgauconfs1996melrosehtml Accessed 17 January 2006

Nair PAP 2002 A theoretical framework for an access programme encompassing

19

further education training remedy for educational wastage South African Journal of Higher

Education 16 94-102

Pavlich GC Orkin FM amp Richardson RC 1995 Educational development in

post-apartheid universities framework for policy analysts South African Journal of Higher

Education 9 65-73

Rossi PH Lipsey MW amp Freeman HE 2003 Evaluation A systematic approach Sage

Publications

Snyders AJM 1999 Foundation Mathematics for Diversity Whose Responsibility and

What Content Proceedings of The bdquo99 Symposium on Undergraduate Mathematics

[Online] Available url httpwwwsciusqeduaustaffspundedelta99Paperssnyderspdf

Accessed 6 January 2006

Timm DN 2005 The evaluation of the augmented programme for ND Analytic Chemistry at

the ML Sultan Technikon for the period 1994-1999 Available url httpetdunisaaczaETD-

dbthesesavailableetd-04062005-161116unrestrictedThesisPDF Accessed 6 January

2006

Terre Blanche M amp Kelly K1999 Interpretive Methods In M Terre Blanche amp K

Durrheim eds Research in Practice 123-146 University of Cape Town Press

Troskie-de Bruin C 1999 How much diversity can effectively be accommodated by academic

development programmes Proceedings HERDSA Annual International Conference 1999

Melbourne Australia 12-15 July [Online] Available urlhttpwwwherdsaorgaubranches

vicCornerstonespdfTroskiePDF Accessed 17 January 2006

Van Tonder AH 1996 An overview of academic development programmes for

engineering at South African universities Different Approaches Theory and Practice in

Higher Education Proceedings HERDSA Conference 1996 Perth Western Australia 8-12

July Available urlhttpwwwherdsaorgauconfs1996vantonderhtml

20

Appendix 1 Interview Schedule

1 If you think back what do you remember most about the AP

2 What were some of your positive experiences of the AP

3 What were some of your negative experiences of the AP

Why

4 How did if feel going from the AP into your degree

5 Do you think that you were better prepared for your degree studies because you

completed the AP

What aspects of the programme were most effective in preparing you for your

degree

What aspects of the programme were least effective in preparing you for your

degree

6 Were there any specific courses that you feel prepared you better for your degree

Which ones

7 Did you encounter any problems in your first year that you feel the AP should have

prepared you for

What did you think that the AP could have done to prepare you for this

8 Did the AP provide you with any support during your degree studies

What type of support would you have liked to receive from the AP during your degree

studies

9 What aspects of the AP were most enjoyable

10 Was it difficult to adapt to the freedom and independence of your current degree as

compared to the discipline and structure of the AP

11 Do you think that you would have coped well in your first year if you did not complete

the AP

12 During your year in the AP did you feel different in any way from mainstream university

students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers

13 Would other people be aware that you entered university through the AP

How would they know

How do you feel about others knowing that you were an AP student

21

14 Do people treat you differently when they know you‟re from the AP

15 Do you think that the AP would be better if it comprised students from other race groups

16 Would you recommend the AP to other students Why

17 What comments and criticisms could you offer about the AP

18 What could change about the AP in order to improve the learning experiences of future

students

19 What comments and criticisms could you offer about the access programme

Endnotes

i For the purposes of this paper the terms ldquoaccess programmesrdquo and ldquobridging programmesrdquo will be used

interchangeably ii Classifying social groups by race is always problematic and there is little agreement in the literature as to

whom the term bdquoblack‟ refers to For the purposes of this paper bdquoblack‟ refers to any person who would have

been prejudiced by inequitable conditions under apartheid ie people previously classified as bdquoAfrican‟

bdquoColoured‟ and bdquoIndian‟

1

Abstract

Tertiary educational institutions in South Africa face the challenge of redressing past (and

continuing) inequalities in higher education by increasing accessibility to previously (and

currently) disadvantaged students One means of doing so is through bdquoaccess‟ or bdquobridging‟

programmes This paper explores successful students‟ perceptions of one such programme at

the University of KwaZulu-Natal by means of qualitative focus group interviews This

retrospective evaluation of the programme explores students‟ perspectives on the extent to

which the Access Programme (AP) has bdquobridged the gap‟ between secondary and tertiary

education as well as any potential negative outcomes generated by the programme eg

perceptions of stigma Results indicate that (1) interviewed students generally perceived the

programme as beneficial and legitimate in preparing them for their degree studies (2) the

racial homogeneity and the isolation of AP students from mainstream students have resulted

in some negative outcomes such as perceptions of stigmatisation and inferiority and (3)

students enrolled in the programme and the programme management may have quite different

perceptions of the nature of the bdquoarticulation gap‟ that the programme aims to address

2

Introduction































3












future

Literature Review
















4

The new complexity































5









etc)























6

The present study







access programme

Method and sample




















Method

7











The sample






















8









programmes

Analysis








Results












9




































10

























8)












11





















P1 Two Indians













12








races

I Ja














Stigma


















13
























Discussion











14
































15

































16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






2

Introduction































3












future

Literature Review
















4

The new complexity































5









etc)























6

The present study







access programme

Method and sample




















Method

7











The sample






















8









programmes

Analysis








Results












9




































10

























8)












11





















P1 Two Indians













12








races

I Ja














Stigma


















13
























Discussion











14
































15

































16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






3












future

Literature Review
















4

The new complexity































5









etc)























6

The present study







access programme

Method and sample




















Method

7











The sample






















8









programmes

Analysis








Results












9




































10

























8)












11





















P1 Two Indians













12








races

I Ja














Stigma


















13
























Discussion











14
































15

































16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






4

The new complexity































5









etc)























6

The present study







access programme

Method and sample




















Method

7











The sample






















8









programmes

Analysis








Results












9




































10

























8)












11





















P1 Two Indians













12








races

I Ja














Stigma


















13
























Discussion











14
































15

































16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






5









etc)























6

The present study







access programme

Method and sample




















Method

7











The sample






















8









programmes

Analysis








Results












9




































10

























8)












11





















P1 Two Indians













12








races

I Ja














Stigma


















13
























Discussion











14
































15

































16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






6

The present study







access programme

Method and sample




















Method

7











The sample






















8









programmes

Analysis








Results












9




































10

























8)












11





















P1 Two Indians













12








races

I Ja














Stigma


















13
























Discussion











14
































15

































16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






7











The sample






















8









programmes

Analysis








Results












9




































10

























8)












11





















P1 Two Indians













12








races

I Ja














Stigma


















13
























Discussion











14
































15

































16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






8









programmes

Analysis








Results












9




































10

























8)












11





















P1 Two Indians













12








races

I Ja














Stigma


















13
























Discussion











14
































15

































16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






9




































10

























8)












11





















P1 Two Indians













12








races

I Ja














Stigma


















13
























Discussion











14
































15

































16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






10

























8)












11





















P1 Two Indians













12








races

I Ja














Stigma


















13
























Discussion











14
































15

































16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






11





















P1 Two Indians













12








races

I Ja














Stigma


















13
























Discussion











14
































15

































16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






12








races

I Ja














Stigma


















13
























Discussion











14
































15

































16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






13
























Discussion











14
































15

































16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






14
































15

































16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






15

































16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






16










racial issues

Conclusion



















17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






17

























References





18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






18





Education 12(1) 103-108



June 2004





March 2006













19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






19


Education 16 94-102



Education 9 65-73


Publications








2006











20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






20





Why



completed the AP


degree


degree


Which ones


prepared you for




studies





the AP


students

Socially

Resources

Lecturers


How would they know


21






students


Endnotes






21






students


Endnotes






Documents

Students’ perceptions of a University access (bridging) programme for social science, commerce and humanities