A MULTIVARIATE EVALUATION OF MAINSTREAM AND ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT COURSES IN FIRST‐YEAR MICROECONOMICS

Leonard Smith and Lawrence Edwards

South African Journal of Economics, 2007, vol. 75, issue 1, 99-117

Abstract: “There is no place for him [the Bantu] in the European community above the level of certain forms of labour. For that reason it is of no avail for him to receive a training, which has as its aim absorption in the European community, where he cannot be absorbed.” (Verwoerd, 1954, p. 24) Abstract This paper analyses the impact of the University of Cape Town's first‐year microeconomics academic development course on performance in examinations. The paper makes two advances to existing empirical literature in this area. Firstly, we compare performance with a control group drawn from the mainstream economic course. Secondly, we evaluate performance in subsequent courses in first‐year macroeconomics and second‐year microeconomics. The results suggest that the academic development course has a major impact on students’ performance in the structured/essay questions, relative to the control group, in first‐ and second‐year microeconomics, and for the multiple‐choice questions in first‐year macroeconomics. Matriculation results, mathematics, English first language, physical science and gender are also important determinants of performance.

Date: 2007
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