Approaches to Learning and Achievement in Specific School Subjects of Black African Students

Abstract

This research investigated the power of measures of approaches to learning, locus of control, and demographic factors to predict the academic achievement of 234 Black South African secondary school subjects. It was found that while these variables were fairly able to predict success in English, they were unable to predict success in Biology or Xhosa. Structural equation modeling was used to further explore the English findings but more emic, indigenous variables may be needed to explain success in the other subjects.



IFE PsychologIA Vol 9, No 2 September 2001, pp. 143-151