Exploring Predictors of Academic Success in Psychology I at Wits University as an Important Component of Fair Student Selection

Abstract

Afrikaans

The aim of the present research is to explore empirical predictors of students' performance in the Psychology I course at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits), within the context of procedural, distributive and interactional fairness. The research is divided into two studies: the first is an archival study examining the use of individual school subject results and the Arts Faculty Ratings (based on school results) as predictors. The second study focuses on the predictive validity of the Arts Faculty Ratings as well as that of various psychometric aptitude tests. In both studies the sample was divided into two groups whereby Group I consisted of primarily white students who had attended private or government schools and were not regarded as educationally disadvantaged; Group 2 comprised of black students who attended Department of Education and Training (DET) schools and were regarded as educationally disadvantaged. Results from both studies show that the Arts Faculty Ratings consistently provide a statistically significant predictor of academic performance in the Wits Psychology I course for educationally non-disadvantaged students. A far less clear picture emerged for the educationally disadvantaged group. The Arts Faculty Rating correlated significantly with overall success in first-year Psychology in the first study, while the Conceptual Reasoning Test was found to be the best predictor for this group in the second study. The implications of the studies for student selection are discussed within a social justice paradigm and future research directions are suggested.

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