AN ANALYSIS OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN NAMIBIA
A RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA
BY NILS CLAUSEN, M.Sc.
12 / 2014
THESIS SUPERVISORS: PROFESSOR MONISH GUNAWARDANA, Ph.D. PROFESSOR EARLE TAYLOR, Ph.D. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION...... 4
1. Orientation of the Study...... 4
2. Statement of the Problem...... 5
3. Objectives of the Study...... 7
4. Hypotheses of the Study...... 9
5. Significance of the Study...... 10
6. Limitations of the Study...... 11
II. LITERATURE REVIEW...... 13
1. Introduction...... 13
2. Namibia as a Country...... 14
3. History of the Educational System in Pre-Independence Namibia... 16
4. Role of the Bantu Education System and its Influences on Namibia after Independence...... 19
5. Namibia’s Economy and Current System of Education...... 22
6. Current Educational Framework in Namibia and Comparison with Other Countries...... 25
7. Influential Factors on Student Performance...... 29
8. Role of the Namibia Ministry of Education...... 31
9. Role and Regulations of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE)...... 33
10. Role and Regulations of the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA)...... 35
11. Standards and Regulations of Namibian Universities...... 37
12. SACMEQ Report and Resources...... 44
13. Self-regulated Learning and Education Achievement...... 49 TABLE OF CONTENTS
14. E-Learning and Academic Success...... 56
15. Commonwealth of Learning and Education Achievement...... 60
16. Conclusion of Literature Review...... 61
III. METHOLODOGY...... 63
1. Research Design...... 63
2. Research Ethics...... 63
3. Population...... 63
4. Samples...... 64
5. Research Instruments...... 64
6. Procedure...... 64
7. Data analysis...... 67
IV. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION...... 68
1. Intrinsic Attributes and Academic Performance...... 68
2. Non-Intrinsic Attributes and Academic Performance...... 74
3. Extra-Curricular Learning Offerings and Academic Performance.... 81
4. Conclusion...... 83
V. REFERENCES...... 85
VI. APPENDIX A...... 92
1. SQL Statements to Retrieve Source Data...... 92
2. Raw Data Sets...... 95
3. Test Material and Other Documents...... 95
4. List of Schools in Namibia...... 95 TABLE OF CONTENTS
VII.APPENDIX B...... 96
1. Pre-Test S00173...... 96
2. Pre-Test S00175...... 114
3. Post-Test S00177...... 115
4. Post-Test S00179...... 133 An Analysis of Academic Performance of University Students in Namibia
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Orientation of the Study
Based on observations during my work as a lecturer for some years, its seems that a considerable proportion of university students in Namibia need to enhance their academic performance in regard to be fully competitive in a globalised working environment. This specifically includes thorough understanding of mathematics, as it forms an integral part of modern knowledge disciplines such as information technology and the management sciences. Yet students struggle or fail to engage in relevant coursework, either because of an absence of adequate material, capable educators, their own will power, or a combination thereof. This study aims to investigate the critical factors that are related to academic performance of university students in Namibia.