AN ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSITION FROM MATRIC TO UNIVERSITY ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA: EXPERIENCES OF ODEL STUDENTS.
The transition from Grade 12 (Matric) to university in South Africa remains one of the most pressing challenges within higher education. While completion of the National Senior Certificate signifies academic achievement, it does not always equip learners with the language proficiency, critical think...
| Publicado en: | Scientific Culture Vol. 12; no. 1, Part 1; pp. 1712 - 1724 |
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| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | Artículo |
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University of the Aegean
2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=192213710&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 192213710 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 24080071 I6HU jtl: Scientific Culture issn: 24080071 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: 2026 vid: 12 iid: 1, Part 1 pid: 47715 pub: University of the Aegean artinfo: ui: 192213710 10.5281/zenodo.11425225 ppf: 1712 ppct: 12 formats: tig: atl: AN ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSITION FROM MATRIC TO UNIVERSITY ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA: EXPERIENCES OF ODEL STUDENTS. aug: au: Mdlungu, Tandiwe Zitha, Thabiso affil: Lecturer, School of Criminal Justice, University of South Africa, University of South Africa, College of Law. Lecturer, Private Law, University of South Africa, University of South Africa, College of Law. su: Distance education Digital divide Language ability testing Formative evaluation College student adjustment Language ability South Africans South Africa sug: subj: South Africa Distance education Digital divide Language ability testing Formative evaluation College student adjustment Language ability South Africans keyword: Assessment Inequality Language Inclusivity ODeL Student Success ab: The transition from Grade 12 (Matric) to university in South Africa remains one of the most pressing challenges within higher education. While completion of the National Senior Certificate signifies academic achievement, it does not always equip learners with the language proficiency, critical thinking, and independent learning skills required at the tertiary level. Within the context of Open Distance e-Learning (ODeL), these challenges are further compounded by digital inequality, limited access to academic support, and the enduring influence of socio-economic disparities. This study is framed within the larger context of South Africa's educational system, where the effects of apartheid, linguistic realities, and unequal educational outcomes still influence students' capacity to adjust to new university evaluation methods. The aim of this study is to analyse how learners in South Africa experience the transition from Grade 12 (Matric) to university assessments with particular attention to ODeL. This study adopts a qualitative approach with an emphasis on content analysis to examine the transition from Grade 12 (Matric) to university assessments within South Africa’s ODeL environment. A literature synthesis covering the period 2020–2025 was undertaken, drawing on peer-reviewed scholarship, government and sector reports (including those of the Department of Higher Education and Training and the Council on Higher Education), and institutional documents from different universities. The data were subjected to thematic analysis, structured by the Low-Bandwidth, Translanguaging, and Authentic Assessment (LB-TAA) framework, to integrate insights across sources. This approach not only enabled the identification of systemic challenges, particularly those linked to language, digital inequity, and assessment design, but also illuminated possible strategies for alignment between school-leaving examinations and the demands of higher education. The study reveals that the majority of students struggle with a clear misalignment between the rote memorization style of Matric examinations and the more independent and analytic tasks expected at university. Many students also face barriers related to language, as assessment practices remain dominated by English, which disadvantages those from multilingual backgrounds. Digital inequalities such as limited access to devices, high data costs, and unstable connectivity further restrict fair participation in ODeL assessments. At the same time, most students report that multilingual and low-bandwidth approaches, such as translanguaging in formative assessments, open-resource tasks, and mobile-first methods using SMS or WhatsApp, make assessment more accessible. The rapid digitisation of assessments during COVID-19 also placed additional pressure on students, with e-proctoring systems often heightening concerns of exclusion and unfairness. Published research from other Global South contexts shows that when communities are involved in student support and when multilingual approaches are built into assessment, inclusivity and participation improve. Based on these findings, the study recommends that assessment practices in South Africa’s ODeL system must be restructured to include stronger alignment between school and university tasks, and the use of multilingual methods suitable for unstable or limited connectivity approaches. Universities are further urged to move away from surveillance-heavy assessment methods towards more inclusive, formative, and context-sensitive strategies that reflect the realities of many South African students. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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