Student Adjustment, Retention, Throughput and Success an Evaluation Design for a University Scholarship Programme Paper and poster

Co-author: Charles Potter, PhD Virtual Conference on Programme Evaluation Methodology, October 2010

There are major differences in preparedness for higher education in South Africa as a result of continuing socio-economic and educational inequalities. These present obstacles to university access and throughput, not only at our own university, but more broadly across the country. The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg has implemented the Bale Scholarship Programme which aims to identify, select, enroll and support Black women in Science, Engineering or Architecture degrees so that they graduate within minimum time. This paper focuses on the design of an evaluation undertaken to establish whether the methods and procedures used for selecting the Bale students have been well conceptualised, and whether the support they have received while at university has been effective. The evaluation design is multimethod, and is based on analysing both qualitative and quantitative evidence collected from thirty Black women graduates in science at Wits, against a broader data base collected from contrast groups of other students in these Faculties. The aim will be to establish a blueprint for future programmes and contribute to the understanding of student access, adjustment, retention, throughput and success within the South African context.