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AbstractTertiary 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 ‘access’ or ‘bridging’ 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 ‘bridged the gap’ between secondary and tertiary education as well as any potential negative outcomes generated by the programme, e.g. 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 ‘articulation gap’ that the programme aims to address.
Citation preview
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
Extract 2 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 3 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 4 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 5 Focus Group 1
P1 hellipit‟s like when you are coming from high school you don‟t know exactly what is
happening at varsityhellip
Extract 6 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 7 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 8 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 10 Focus Group 1 (P1)
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
Extract 11 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 12 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 13 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 14 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 15 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 16 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 17 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 18 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 19 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 20 Focus Group 2
P5 And we were always told that we were from the disadvantaged schools
P3 We were reminded over and over again
Extract 21 Focus Group 2
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
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
Extract 2 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 3 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 4 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 5 Focus Group 1
P1 hellipit‟s like when you are coming from high school you don‟t know exactly what is
happening at varsityhellip
Extract 6 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 7 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 8 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 10 Focus Group 1 (P1)
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
Extract 11 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 12 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 13 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 14 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 15 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 16 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 17 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 18 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 19 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 20 Focus Group 2
P5 And we were always told that we were from the disadvantaged schools
P3 We were reminded over and over again
Extract 21 Focus Group 2
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‟
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
Extract 2 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 3 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 4 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 5 Focus Group 1
P1 hellipit‟s like when you are coming from high school you don‟t know exactly what is
happening at varsityhellip
Extract 6 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 7 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 8 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 10 Focus Group 1 (P1)
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
Extract 11 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 12 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 13 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 14 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 15 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 16 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 17 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 18 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 19 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 20 Focus Group 2
P5 And we were always told that we were from the disadvantaged schools
P3 We were reminded over and over again
Extract 21 Focus Group 2
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‟
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
Extract 2 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 3 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 4 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 5 Focus Group 1
P1 hellipit‟s like when you are coming from high school you don‟t know exactly what is
happening at varsityhellip
Extract 6 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 7 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 8 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 10 Focus Group 1 (P1)
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
Extract 11 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 12 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 13 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 14 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 15 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 16 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 17 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 18 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 19 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 20 Focus Group 2
P5 And we were always told that we were from the disadvantaged schools
P3 We were reminded over and over again
Extract 21 Focus Group 2
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‟
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
Extract 2 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 3 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 4 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 5 Focus Group 1
P1 hellipit‟s like when you are coming from high school you don‟t know exactly what is
happening at varsityhellip
Extract 6 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 7 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 8 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 10 Focus Group 1 (P1)
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
Extract 11 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 12 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 13 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 14 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 15 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 16 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 17 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 18 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 19 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 20 Focus Group 2
P5 And we were always told that we were from the disadvantaged schools
P3 We were reminded over and over again
Extract 21 Focus Group 2
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‟
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
Extract 2 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 3 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 4 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 5 Focus Group 1
P1 hellipit‟s like when you are coming from high school you don‟t know exactly what is
happening at varsityhellip
Extract 6 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 7 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 8 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 10 Focus Group 1 (P1)
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
Extract 11 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 12 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 13 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 14 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 15 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 16 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 17 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 18 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 19 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 20 Focus Group 2
P5 And we were always told that we were from the disadvantaged schools
P3 We were reminded over and over again
Extract 21 Focus Group 2
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‟
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
Extract 2 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 3 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 4 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 5 Focus Group 1
P1 hellipit‟s like when you are coming from high school you don‟t know exactly what is
happening at varsityhellip
Extract 6 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 7 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 8 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 10 Focus Group 1 (P1)
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
Extract 11 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 12 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 13 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 14 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 15 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 16 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 17 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 18 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 19 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 20 Focus Group 2
P5 And we were always told that we were from the disadvantaged schools
P3 We were reminded over and over again
Extract 21 Focus Group 2
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‟
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
Extract 2 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 3 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 4 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 5 Focus Group 1
P1 hellipit‟s like when you are coming from high school you don‟t know exactly what is
happening at varsityhellip
Extract 6 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 7 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 8 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 10 Focus Group 1 (P1)
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
Extract 11 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 12 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 13 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 14 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 15 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 16 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 17 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 18 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 19 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 20 Focus Group 2
P5 And we were always told that we were from the disadvantaged schools
P3 We were reminded over and over again
Extract 21 Focus Group 2
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‟
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
Extract 2 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 3 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 4 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 5 Focus Group 1
P1 hellipit‟s like when you are coming from high school you don‟t know exactly what is
happening at varsityhellip
Extract 6 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 7 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 8 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 10 Focus Group 1 (P1)
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
Extract 11 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 12 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 13 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 14 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 15 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 16 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 17 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 18 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 19 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 20 Focus Group 2
P5 And we were always told that we were from the disadvantaged schools
P3 We were reminded over and over again
Extract 21 Focus Group 2
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‟
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
Extract 2 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 3 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 4 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 5 Focus Group 1
P1 hellipit‟s like when you are coming from high school you don‟t know exactly what is
happening at varsityhellip
Extract 6 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 7 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 8 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 10 Focus Group 1 (P1)
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
Extract 11 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 12 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 13 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 14 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 15 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 16 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 17 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 18 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 19 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 20 Focus Group 2
P5 And we were always told that we were from the disadvantaged schools
P3 We were reminded over and over again
Extract 21 Focus Group 2
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‟
10
students However as mentioned previously students reported different perceptions of the
nature of the bdquogap‟ that the AP aims to address
Extract 5 Focus Group 1
P1 hellipit‟s like when you are coming from high school you don‟t know exactly what is
happening at varsityhellip
Extract 6 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 7 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 8 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 10 Focus Group 1 (P1)
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
Extract 11 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 12 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 13 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 14 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 15 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 16 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 17 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 18 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 19 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 20 Focus Group 2
P5 And we were always told that we were from the disadvantaged schools
P3 We were reminded over and over again
Extract 21 Focus Group 2
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‟
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
Extract 11 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 12 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 13 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 14 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 15 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 16 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 17 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 18 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 19 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 20 Focus Group 2
P5 And we were always told that we were from the disadvantaged schools
P3 We were reminded over and over again
Extract 21 Focus Group 2
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‟
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
Extract 14 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 15 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 16 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 17 Focus Group 2
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
Extract 18 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 19 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 20 Focus Group 2
P5 And we were always told that we were from the disadvantaged schools
P3 We were reminded over and over again
Extract 21 Focus Group 2
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‟
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
Extract 19 Focus Group 1
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
Extract 20 Focus Group 2
P5 And we were always told that we were from the disadvantaged schools
P3 We were reminded over and over again
Extract 21 Focus Group 2
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‟
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‟
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‟
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‟
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‟
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‟
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‟
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‟
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‟