An investigation of the perceptions of the education stakeholders into possible reasons for the poor pass rates in the senior certificate examinations in the Northern Province in 1995.
Date
1997
Authors
Themane, Mahlapahlapana Johannes
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This study investigates the perceptions that stakeholders such as students, teachers, parents and
education officials hold about what the possible reasons are for pass poor pass rates in the Senior
Certificate Examinations within the Northern Province of South Africa.
This study was limited to the Northern Province of South Africa. It focussed on the Std. 10
examination results of 1995. Three schools covered the sample. One school (A) Was typical of
school with good or above average public examination scores. The second (B) had average
examination scores and the third (C) had comparatively low examinations scores. The schools
reflected a range of the overall results of the Northern Province for 1995. In essence this was a
case study in which qualitative and quantitative techniques (semi-structured interviews and
structured questionnaires) were employed and cross referenced to achieve a degree of
triangulation to determine commonly held viewpoints,
The analysis show that on one hand, stakeholders had different views regarding what the causes
of poor pass rates were, and on the other hand there was substantial agreement on the conditions
that were conducive to examination success.
Description
Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF EDUCATION
in the Department of Education at the Witwatersrand University
Keywords
Academic achievement -- South Africa., Pass-fail grading system -- South Africa., High school equivalency examinations -- South Africa.