Exploring Factors Influencing Student Disciplinary Challenges in TVET Colleges: An Investigation Study

Exploring Factors Influencing Student Disciplinary Challenges in TVET Colleges: An Investigation Study

Johnny Mafika Mthimunye, Patricia Namayammu Mokgosi

Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2024.1108001

Received: 23 June 2024; Revised: 11 July 2024; Accepted: 17 July 2024; Published: 26 August 2024

ABSTRACT

The department of education in 2006 developed the new outcomes-based curriculum of the National (NCV) to be implemented in 2007. It was aimed at addressing shortcomings of quality and relevance in the college curriculum.  The purpose of this article was exploring factors influencing student disciplinary challenges such as absenteeism and dropping out in the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College with National Certificate Vocational (NCV) programme. The NCV primarily targets post Grade 9 school leavers and also Grade 10, 11 and 12, and although these students are not at the same knowledge level, they are placed in one Level 2 class. A qualitative research approach was chosen, employing a research method which included focus-group interviews for students, semi-structured (face to face) interviews with NCV lecturers. Population comprised of 43 NCV lecturing staff and 353 NCV students in all six campuses from Level 2, 3 and 4.  The investigation focused on three lecturing staff and 12 students in the NCV programme who were purposefully sampled to participate in the study. This investigation revealed that students’ behaviour can be attributed to the curriculum demands, lack of resources such as textbooks, and stationery, shortage of lecturers, inadequately trained lecturers, and students who are not fully matured and not committed. A recommendation was made that the entry requirement for NCV Level 2 should be changed from post Grade 9 to Grade 10 graduates, after a subject choice has been made in school. The study is underpinned by curriculum theory, which says curriculum is an academic discipline devoted to examining and shaping educational curricula.

Keywords: Discipline, Absenteeism, Curriculum, Dropout, National Certificate Vocational (NCV), TVET

INTRODUCTION

Absenteeism, late-coming, and the drop-out rate of students remain pertinent issues in colleges and universities, and these issues have a significant impact on the performance rate at colleges and universities, globally as well as in South African Colleges (Akkus, & Cinkir. 2022). According to Dorfling (2013), the National Certificate Vocational (NCV) is a new intervention programme which admits successful Grade 9 learners from public schools, irrespective of the symbols they obtained. Lutaaya (2017) states that the NCV was established in 2007 by the Department of Education (DoE) in collaboration with the Department of Labour (DoL) to integrate theoretical learning and practical training.  It also includes learners who are currently in Grades 10–12 and the entry level at colleges differs globally. NCV is aimed at ensuring that these learners proceed and attain quality results in Levels 2, 3 and 4 (Level 2 is equal to grade 10). Level 4 students have skills that prepare them for work. A challenge identified by Badenhorst & Radile (2018) is that the programme is highly pitched for some of the students.

Disciplinary challenges affect countries globally in one way or another. The United States of America (USA), and European, Asian and African countries are faced with diverse problems in terms of discipline, and it affects schools, FETs, community colleges, polytechnics and universities, although they all differ from one another. Disciplinary challenges such as absenteeism and poor performance are ubiquitous in secondary schools, Technical and Further Education (TAFE), as well as Vocational Education and Training (VET) institutions, which causes students to drop out (Korumaz & Eksioglu, 2022). In addition, Zulu (2018) found that strict rules and regulations for students lead to absenteeism and dropouts, and further revealed correlating behaviours such as truancy, coming late, and not doing tasks given to them. Bodo (2020) mentioned that discipline involves firmly teaching acceptable behaviour and firmly unlearning maladaptive behaviours’ with unwavering support, guidance, and direction to effectively manage behaviour. Once again, it involves setting clear boundaries, defining roles, and ensuring unwavering stability and predictability in life.

Background to the study

According to Needham (2019), South Africa’s experience of the global economic downturn of the early 1970s, coupled with its particular political crisis, led to a sharp decline in apprenticeship numbers. Moreover, students who were trained in urban, white colleges got jobs somewhere else other than in local industries, so their traditional core of students disappeared and they were forced to increasingly rely on private candidate learners without any access to work placements. These trends undermined college-employer relations because the demands of the industry were not matched by these candidates as they had no relevant programmes. Colleges were largely written off by employers, government and the public as of low quality and low status (McGrath & Akoojee, 2009).

Billett (2018), Akoojee, McGrath and Visser (2008) state that in 1994 the incoming democratic government was faced with a college sector that was not fit for its purpose. Students were predominantly white and institutions were racially segregated, leading to duplication of facilities and huge unevenness of resourcing. Abrahams, Lomofsky, Phillips, Burns, Wessels & Abrahams, (2018); Gewer (2010) reveals that the Minister of Education introduced the FET College Act bursary scheme in 2007, with an initial three-year allocation of R600 million to support enrolments in the NCV qualification. The Department of Education used Table 1.1 below to depict how the budgeted figures would be allocated by the National Plan for FET, gazetted in December 2008 as outlined in the White Paper.

Table 1.1: NCV enrolments from 2007 to 2014

Year	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Enrolment	25000	60000	120000	177000	256000	317000	538000	800000

The information in the table above translates into between 43% and 46% growth per annum.

Factors identified that cause student to dropout

Students are pushed out by the college systems that are put in place. The assessment policy is one of the factors that have a direct impact on students’ well-being. Makole (2015), and Adams (2017) indicated that the assessment policy of the Department of Higher Education (DHET) and Umalusi stipulates that papers should be set, assessed, moderated and marked externally, for quality assurance.

The assessment policy in the fundamental subjects requires that in a year students should have completed seven tasks, plus an Integrated Summative Assessment Task (ISAT), which excludes the lecturers’ daily class work and/ or homework. The same applies to the core subjects, which require five recorded tasks, plus ISAT and being ready for the final examination at the end of the year. All of the above assessments are taken into consideration to calculate the final mark for the student to progress to another level. According to Jansen (2020); and Badenhorst & Radile (2018) students could also lack interest in the study, which could be because of content that is difficult for them to grasp and hence pushes them away from school.

External factors play a significant role in pulling out students. According to a study by Billett (2018);(Bradley, 2020) children in the rural provinces of northern and western China unequivocally confront daunting challenges in accessing educational opportunities that are essential for overcoming their poverty-ridden upbringing. School is failing to provide motivation for continued study and youngsters admiring the lifestyles of contemporaries who have already left. Furthermore, working students or those needing to work and study could not afford to stay in college for three years to obtain the NCV4 exit level qualification.

In many instances students stayed out on their own accord, citing a diverse range of reasons Badenhorst & Radile (2018). Students get out due to college work pressure, for instance, the Portfolio of Evidence (PoE). All NCV students receive PoEs for their subjects and must submit assessed tasks for administrative record-keeping. In addition, the ISAT demands more of their time in a limited period. Furthermore, students get tired of being taught by under-qualified lecturers or inadequately trained lecturers for TVET colleges.

As a result, the students in the NCV stream undeniably experience significant dropout and failure rates for a variety of reasons which include a great deal of theoretical work and cognitive and assessment (Makole 2015 & Adams 2017)  demands for students and lecturers of the NCV programmes . In addition, Jansen (2020) states that the approach used by teachers may not be understood by the student and this could lead them to lose interest in school.

According to Jonathan Jansen, columnist in a Herald LIVE article on 11 April 2024, Now that I am spending much time inside schools, I am amazed at how much time is lost. Because learners are routinely late, also there is a slow march to classrooms between periods. Despite the efforts by the Gauteng Education Department, educators, and parents, dozens of schoolchildren continue to arrive late at Itirele-Zenzele secondary school on the outskirts of Diepsloot. The problem is widespread and serious, because there are constant complaints about late-comers from many schools across the province. Lead SA will be running an awareness campaign on its platforms to encourage children to arrive for classes on time.

In many cases, lecturers have experienced a significant problem with their first periods, because only a few students manage to attend or there is no one at all. Therefore, it becomes difficult to continue, as many students are not there and thus this affects the completion of the tasks at hand.

Hertz (2017) mentioned that South Africa is one of the countries faced with high unemployment, poverty in society and racial inequalities. These factors are also causing challenges globally and in African colleges. Policy-makers have tried to address these challenges through vocational education in TVET colleges by introducing NCV programmes. SADC (2021), Guo and Lamb (2010), Kuczera and Field (2010) and Wang (2012) state that policymakers in many developing countries regard upper-secondary TVET as a key element in economic growth and poverty reduction. In Brazil, the government recently launched the National Program of Access to Technical and Education and Employment (Pronatec), which will invest more than 600 million US dollars in upper-secondary TVET and will expand enrolment by eight million students by 2014. Furthermore, the Indonesian government aims to increase the share of TVET in upper-secondary education to 70% (from 30%) by 2015 as a means to reduce youth unemployment. Again, education officials in China, like elsewhere in the world, have made it clear that TVET is supposed to play an important role in the nation’s education strategy. In addition, China has one of the most ambitious TVET programmes in the world today.

In 2007 a new state-funded (Sheppard, 2017) official curriculum, the National Certificate Vocational (NCV) was introduced to replace the outdated Nated programme. New students, regardless of their different knowledge levels, should be enrolled in the same class (Level 2) as depicted in (Figure 1.2). Badenhorst, & Radile. (2018), Contends that lecturers were ill-prepared for the many younger students pushed into NCV programmes by schools when these learners were judged unable to cope with the academic school syllabus Buthelezi (2018), The program caters to older learners who have been out of school for a while and have diverse academic support needs.

Figure 1.2: Current pathways into a TVET College for the NCV programme

According to Ngubane (2016), and Makole (2015), the uncertainty has raised questions of the intended target audience of the NCV, the extent to which curricula are appropriate for their intended purpose, and the cost-effectiveness of the programmes.

Theoretical framework

This article is underpinned by curriculum theory. Curriculum theory is an academic discipline devoted to examining and shaping educational curricula. However, it is one of the factors that seem to be causing ill-discipline among NCV students, Young & Gamble, as cited by Mazhinye (2018). Curriculum theory states that a knowledge-based approach to the vocational curriculum has begun to be seriously challenged. There is an emerging belief shared increasingly by governments and employer organisations that the knowledge-based approach to the vocational curriculum has lost contact with the main purpose of vocational education – developing workplace competence, Young & Gamble, as cited by Mazhinye (2018).

This study was based on disciplinary challenges faced by the TVET colleges globally, with a focus on the South African National Certificate Vocational students. College lecturers required extensive training to deliver and assess the new programmes within an outcomes-based orientation, which those trained in an earlier dispensation were not familiar with (Papier, 2010), (Papier, Powell, McBride & Needham. 2017). Students experienced the high cognitive and assessment demands of the NCV programme as challenging, (Gaffoor, & Van der Bilj (2019), so ultimately students became frustrated and this led to high failure and dropout rates. NACI (2021) argued that the modernisation of TVET college’s programmes was intended to reflect stronger disciplinary knowledge-based qualifications in line with the new knowledge economy, although subsequent difficulties with the design of the NCV qualification have resulted in sharp critique. Furthermore, from a macro policy perspective, the conceptual framework has largely positioned TVET colleges to drive skills training for successive economic policy imperatives, though this has not been reflected in official curricula and programmes, according to those who believe curricula should reflect a stronger occupational orientation.

Research strategy

In this research study the qualitative approach was employed to form a case study method in exploring factors leading to disciplinary challenges with NCV students’ in Tshwane TVET College. A case study is chosen because it is usually descriptive in nature and provides rich longitudinal information about individuals or particular situations. A non-probability method was used to select the sample size. The plan provided the researcher with the opportunity to view and investigate comprehensively and in-depth the students’ disciplinary challenges in TVET colleges. Based on the journals and literature the challenges are the same in all TVET Colleges, so one campus was selected. Three participants were chosen because of their knowledge and experience in lecturing NCV programmes and the twelve NCV students were purposively sampled according to their Levels 2, 3, & 4.

The data collection instrument was semi-structured interviews for three lecturing staff. Twelve students, four in each level were purposively selected to participate in focus group interviews. Interviews were conducted during the free periods of all the participants in different dates. Consent forms were explained to all the participants to understand their rights before they sign. Trustworthiness was used because of the quality of collecting data and the true state of the human experience from which it was collected.

FINDINGS

Factors that cause students’ late-coming, absenteeism and dropout.

The students had varying responses to research question 1: What are the factors that cause students’ late-coming, absenteeism and dropout? These reasons presented two themes, which were then used for reporting the results: a) boring content, and b) boring environment.

Theme 1: Boring content

Level 2

Participant said the following: “This course is boring me sir, I even fall asleep in class”. In addition, another Participant, commented: “This Applied Accounting subject its killing me and I end up hating it”. Furthermore, their fellow student, third participant, stated that “Some lecturers are not active in class and always teaching us sitting down”. A female student, fourth participant, commented: “There is too much theory in these contents and not what I expected when I enrolled in the college”.

Level 3

A fellow student, participant, mentioned that as a result, “too much work and too many tasks that are given to us. I fail to keep up”. In fact, another participant mentioned: “I did most of the fundamental subjects at school”, since she has Grade 11, “then this becomes a repetition to me”. Similarly, third participant said: “This is not challenging at all because I have done Grade 12, though I failed it but in an actual fact these levels are too easy for me”. In conclusion participant added that “Computer labs are not functioning properly, as many computers are not in good working condition, hence we share a computer being four or five at once”.

Level 4

A group member from this level, participant, said the following: “My child’s transport comes late to collect her, so I need to wait until they come, besides, first period it is not attended to by many”. Fellow classmate another participant said: “High standard of the curriculum or subjects I don’t even finish my tasks, I cannot cope so I get bored”. For the same reason, third participant said that “lecturers come late to class every day, so why should I be on time? Therefore, I end up skipping classes”. Another student, fourth participant, also indicated that “some lecturers don’t attend to their periods especially after break. In as much as we are tired we then leave early”.

Theme 2: Boring environment

Level 2

A student from this level (participant) said the following: “Aaah Sir! The library is a quiet and free place to study, but it only operates from 8am till 4pm, which is not good for us as we study after class”. Another female student (participant) added: “College hostels are not operating anymore and now I’m forced to reside outside; that compromises my safety. Besides I came here because of the boarding hostels”. On the other hand, third participant declared “Sir, I lack commitment because I did not pay for my fees but the bursary did, so I feel no pain”. However, her counterpart (fourth participant) said: “I get bored because I don’t get the allowance that was promised to me and other bursary holders and now I’m struggling to make ends meet”.

Level 3

Participant said the following: “When my friends did not come to the college I get bored because I have no one to hang around with”. A classmate (Another participant) commented: “I used to stay and depend on my parents, now here I’m all alone and getting out of control, because of the environment”. Another student (Third participant) said: “Soshanguve is a vibrant place, as for me and my behaviour I struggle to contain myself because, I’m an outgoing person, studying is a problem”. On the other hand, fourth participant noted: “the resource centre is not user friendly since it operates from 8am to 4pm, and I don’t get time to study as the room I’m renting there is congested and too much noise for that I cannot study”.

Level 4

Participant, a student in Level 4, said: “There are strikes taking place here and this affects me big time in my studies”. Equally important, another participant mentioned that: “Lecturers use different teaching methods which confuse me most of the time and it affects me a lot”. Furthermore, third participant said: “Sir. The lack of textbooks and computers makes my life to be difficult, as I don’t even have a laptop”. Similarly, fourth participant said: “I don’t have money and the bursary allowances do not come as indicated, then that environment is destroying me”.

In addition, the response to this question by lecturers, “What are the factors that cause students’ late-coming, absenteeism and dropout?”  Moreover the following two themes emerged: a) lack of commitment and maturity, b) and lack of resources and motivation. All three the lecturers interviewed concurred that lack of commitment and shortage of resources are factors that have a detrimental impact on teaching and learning.

Theme: 1 Lack of commitment and maturity

Lecturer A

A lecturer who is lecturing Level 2 (Respondent A) said: “Our students do not want to attend classes with various reasons, some citing transport problems, money issues”. She went on to say: “I personally offer computers and they do come to class but to do their own things rather than my subject”. And in addition to that: “the Level 2 students experience content problems since most of them do not cope academically especially the Grade 9s. They still need guidance, and are 100% dependent on the lecturers because of their age and lack of maturity.”

Lecturer B

A Level 2–3 lecturer (Respondent B) said: “our students always complained about work load and that too many tasks are given to them as for Mathematical literacy and claim that it is difficult, others citing reasons that I did this in school”. “Most of the students do not attend classes, because they don’t pay anything from their pockets and the bursary pays for them, therefore, have nothing to lose, they feel no pain in that regard”. She added that: “These student complaints about the lecturers methods or approach they use in class, that bores them yet they do not attend regularly. Most of the Grade 9 students can’t read and write and that give lecturers a problem because they have to start with grammar in order for them to understand the content”.

Lecturer C

According to Respondent C: “Students get to be registered with their passed Grade 9, 10, 11, 12 reports without checking the symbols or levels a student has obtained from the school”. “The requirements are that one must pass Grade 9 to be enrolled. Nevertheless, students have a problem of failing at school and come to the college assuming that they are going to do less theoretical work and more of practical work and experience a huge amount of work compare to their school work. Pace test is used to give a choice of subjects for students. And, the moment they are registered laziness begin to show up”. In addition, he said: “students get tired of being taught by under-qualified lecturers or inadequately trained for NCV programme”. He continued: “According to the DHET policy, NCV programme theory should be 40% and the practical 60%, but now it is vice versa, then students begin to bunk classes. TVET College requires much disciplined students”.

Theme 2: Lack of resources and motivation

Lecturer A

Respondent A mentioned that: “students complain about the shortage of textbooks and computers that are not in good operational condition. There is too much theory than practical because simulation rooms are not in operation”. Similarly, “I as a lecturer, I do not have enough computers to use in our laboratory because most are broken, overhead projectors are not fitted in all the labs and where they did are not in good working conditions, therefore makes it difficult for me to do my work properly and finish on time”. Equally important, the simulation rooms do not serve the required purpose. Respondent A added: “lecturers become demotivated because there is no incentive for lecturers who produces 100% pass rate and receive no support from the college management”.

Lecturer B

According to Respondent B: “Students cannot use the resource centre, since it operates from 8am-4pm and students are in class during that time, as it should be open until 8pm at least”. And, I personally have a problem with the shortage of textbooks because most of the things we do are found in the textbook, especially the tasks to be given as homework. Some of our classes are not equipped with whiteboards so that we are unable to use the whiteboard markers. Again, the same green boards are falling before us, and it is no longer safe to use them. Morning briefings take more than enough time and make lecturers arrive late to their first periods.

Lecturer C

Respondent C stated that: “Students are registered manually here in the campus, then, sent to the central office (Head office) for capturing”. Only a few people are able to use the ITS system. The campus is struggling to enrol the required number of students due to a lack of communication with the central office, and hence they end up over or under enrolling the students. That process alone delays the issuing of class registers to lecturers and affects the daily operations. In addition, the resources for administration purposes, such as whiteboard markers, and copying sheets, do not arrive on time and this makes it difficult to function as a campus. When you order things they do not get to be delivered on time. Furthermore, he mentioned that: “In business studies the ISAT is supposed to be a practical subject, done in the simulation room by the lecturers concerned”. However, our simulation rooms are not equipped with the equipment to serve that purpose, and hence the courses are more theoretical than practical. The HOD (Respondent C) continued: “I feel there is lack of support from the management of the college, shortage of lecturers is another factor that is slowing the process of completing the work allocation of lecturers”. With that problem, some lecturers end up being given extra classes, depending on their specialisation, and that demotivates them as they can no longer perform effectively. Sometimes students stay without lecturers until mid-year while waiting for our head office to approve the vacant posts.

Disciplinary strategies to be implemented

This section presents lecturers’ responses: “How can disciplinary strategies be implemented to prevent, late-coming, absenteeism and dropout?”

Lecturer A

Lecturer A commented: “Everyone has a right to basic and further education and thus all students and youth can learn and need support”. This implies that every student has the potential to learn and become a responsible citizen if given a favourable atmosphere. She further said: “when life skills are mastered, the growth and development of people becomes reality and people are then empowered”.

Lecturer B

According to lecturer B, “If there can be a good communication between students and the central office, then there would be a smooth transition in the college”. This involves the delivery of promised goods and NSFAS to pay student allowances at the agreed time. Furthermore, she said, “the central office to support campuses immediately in case of need, to avoid unnecessary strikes. Ensure that all the non-operational equipment get to be fixed, replaced on time so as to avoid misunderstandings.”

Lecturer C

He mentioned that: “There should be a clear code of conduct in order to ensure that every student adheres to it”. A disciplinary code should be implemented in a fair and transparent manner. Discipline should be consistent and not selective. It should be applied consistently to everyone. Students should be aware of the consequences of ill-discipline and this may stop them from misbehaviour. There has to be a disciplinary committee made up of college management and students in order for things to be fair. Discipline should be corrective and not punitive. There should be training for NCV lecturers to keep up with the standard of the programmes.

DISCUSSIONS

These students’ responses echo the statement of Jansen (2020) that students could be lacking interest in the study, which could be because of the content is too difficult for them to grasp, hence pushing them away from school. In addition, Makole (2015), Adams (2017) agreed that the NCV is blamed for being too academic for students who want to embark on special skills and related activity or business-directed learning programmes. Furthermore, for educators to manage their classes effectively and to exercise discipline over learners, they must themselves be disciplined because their examples as disciplinarians are the most potent force in the character formation of learners. Buthelezi (2018), some learners may have a negative attitude towards learning and doing school work in general.

In addition the responses translate into the fact that students’ daily lives are affected by many occurrences that happen around them. Lecturers should ensure that students are motivated to learn and behave appropriately because unmotivated students will be demoralised and not behave fittingly. Some of the parents are reluctant to cooperate with the educators in disciplining their children. Equally important, Gaffoor & Bilj (2019) argue that disciplinary problems experienced in colleges may originate in the family or in society at large, but many problems are aggravated and sometimes caused by strict college policies and procedures, as well as by lecturers and other college personnel. Sheppard (2017) remark that the mainstreaming of NCV programmes was accomplished as a result of state funding support for colleges and students from the onset.

The lecturing participants complained about the life skills to be mastered and the good communication between students and the head office, as well as the delivery of promised allowances on time. Furthermore, students should be aware of the consequences of ill-discipline by ensuring that the code of conduct is administered to all the students in a fair and transparent manner by the disciplinary committee. According to Gaffoor, & Van der Bilj (2019), despite the government funding commitments, the escalating college absenteeism and dropout rates in particular have grown to become a serious academic crisis. Lutaaya (2017) also argued that evidence is emerging that there are differences in behaviour between today’s youth and that of ten years ago. When these students reach the TVET colleges, they encounter behavioural challenges. Since ill-disciplined and non-committed students pose a challenge, the college management should have management systems to ensure effective teaching and learning and should provide a suitable atmosphere needed for successful curriculum delivery.

The recommendation for this study is that the NCV is a good programme as it equips students with skills, knowledge and attitudes. However, the head office should give full support to the campus management, and there must be effective communication between students and the management in the head office. Implement additional training programs for lecturers to ensure they are adequately prepared to meet the cognitive and assessment demands of the NCV program. The entry requirements for NCV Level 2 should be changed from post-Grade 9 to Grade 10 graduates after a subject choice has been made in school. Increase the availability of resources, such as textbooks and functional computer labs to support student learning and engagement.

A limitation of the study is that the survey was restricted to the Tshwane North district and the NCV programme. Many researchers raised an alarm about the curriculum and the target market for the NCV programme immediately after its inception in 2007. A study therefore needs to be conducted about the DHET management of the NCV programme.

CONCLUSION

The problems encountered with the NCV students are mainly attributable to problems with the curriculum and the entry level. The lecturers themselves are not clear about the NCV curriculum, and the type of students enrolled also leaves much to be desired. The lecturers’ lack of curriculum training also poses a threat to effective and efficient education and training. The problems reported have been confirmed, based on the information gathered through analysis. The DHET has introduced an 80% attendance policy and recently a qualifying factor to write the final examination (ICASS Mark/ Predicate Mark). However, the students continue to bunk classes and play truant.

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