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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:University Education and African Thought: Reflections on Underachievement among Some UNISA Students
Author:Van Heerden, Eulalie
Year:1997
Periodical:South African Journal of Ethnology
Volume:20
Issue:2
Period:June
Pages:76-85
Language:English
Geographic term:South Africa
Subjects:academic achievement
students
black universities
Education and Oral Traditions
Abstract:This article is concerned with underachievement among black students at the University of South Africa (Unisa). As a distance education institution, Unisa occupies a specific position among South African universities. For many (black) students, particularly those who are employed or live in rural areas, Unisa offers their only chance of obtaining a university education. Political factors, specifically the discriminatory policies of the apartheid era, are widely and almost exclusively held responsible for underachievement among black students. As a consequence, the solutions proposed to solve this problem have emphasized political factors. The present author argues that underachievement is a complex phenomenon which necessitates the consideration of factors other than political ones. These factors are: circumstances during childhood; school education; learning styles, study habits, and attitudes; the role of language; political, economic and physical environmental factors; individual characteristics; and the influence of norms and values. The author also considers some aspects of African thought which appear to provide a framework for tentative explanations of the way students deal with their studies: their concept of time, group-orientation, people-orientation, and notions of causality. Bibliogr., notes, sum. in Afrikaans and English.