The mystery of student selection: are there any selection criteria?

Abstract

First‐year students are still failing at an alarming rate. This is an international issue that universities face and there is currently no clear indication of the cause of the problem as universities move from being elite to providing mass education. This article examines the possible correlation between students’ high school performance and first‐year performance. The focus is primarily on the students’ performance in mathematics and English. National Senior Certificate results as well as academic and mathematics competency results are used to determine any correlations and therefore any predictors. The research is done to determine whether these results are a true reflection of a student’s performance and can be used as selection criteria. The results were disappointing since no correlation was found between students’ high school performance and first‐year performance. There is an indication, however, that the competency results might be an indicator. The results imply that more research is needed and that the current selection criteria are either not valid or need to be adjusted.

Keywords:

• selection criteria
• ICT
• academic performance
• higher education
• quantitative research