Abstract
M.Ed.
The writers of the HSRC report on the provision of
education in the RSA emphasize the necessity of the
introduction of a selection programme which ought to
be implemented by every educational authority as
standard practice. This study forms part of a team
research project of the BUE which deals with some of
the factors which may have an influence on the
academic achievement of degree-course first-year
students in the Rand Afrikaans University.
The aim of this study is to determine whether there
is a connection between the psychometric variable
stress and the academic achievement of degree-course
first-year teacher trainees and possibly to make
an indirect contribution to the development of a
selection mechanism for teacher trainees in the RAU should
such a mechanism become a reality.
At the hand of a study of literature on the subject
the psychometric concept of stress was scrutinised
specifically with refence to the definition and
measuring of the concept and the connection between
stress and academic performance. The most important
finding was that there is a slight inverse connection
between stress and academic achievement - that is
low stress is inclined to go hand in hand with better
performance and high stress with poorer performance.
In the course of the empirical investigation the
post hoc approach was followed and use was made of
the BUE data bank to supply the necessary information
regarding
the 1986 and 1987 degree-course first-year
students.
The statistical technique was used to determine which
differences between successful and unsuccessful
student groups may be said to be significant, with
reference to the various factors of the IPAT stress
scale. Although there were no significant differences
in respect of the factors, the following did emerge:
the stress levels of all the students in the research
group may be said to vary between low and average.
This points to a normal society.
In respect of total stress counts, the following was
found:
B, A. (Ed, ) students: There are no statistically
significant differences between successful and
unsuccessful students in respect of conscious,
unconscious or total stress.
B. Com, (Ed. ) students: The difference between the
successful and the unsuccessful student's
experience of unconscious stress was found to be
statistically significant,
respect of conscious or
regarded as significant
stress was found to be statistically significant
but the differences on the
total stress cannot be be regarded as significant.
B.Sc.(Ed.) students: The difference in successful
and unsuccessful students experience of total
stress was found to be statistically significant.