THE IMPACT OF EXTENDED CURRICULUM PROGRAMMES: GRADUATION TRENDS AND STUDENT NARRATIVES

This study investigates the efficacy of Extended Curriculum Programmes (ECPs) in Science and Commerce at the University of Pretoria, specifically designed to mitigate the enduring effects of educational inequality in South Africa.By providing an alternative pathway for students who do not meet standard admission criteria, Extended curriculum programmes (ECPs), Graduation rate, Educational inequality, Cohort analysis and Student experience -these ECPs offer access to four streams: commerce, physical sciences, mathematical sciences and biological sciences, with the goal of enabling students to graduate within the minimum time plus one year (n+1).A cohort analysis, conducted from 2017 to 2020, reveals a modest but positive trend in student graduation rates within the (n+1) timeframe, increasing from 17% to 19.5%.However, the study also highlights significant challenges, with approximately 33% of students discontinuing their studies by the fourth year.Furthermore, a substantial portion of the remaining students require longer than the stipulated timeframe to complete their degrees.To gain a deeper understanding of these quantitative findings, the research incorporates a qualitative dimension through interviews with ten randomly selected students who commenced their studies in the foundational ECP year.These interviews explore the students' lived experiences, identifying factors that facilitated or hindered their academic progress.The insights gleaned from these interviews offer a nuanced perspective on the ECPs' effectiveness, highlighting both successful strategies and areas necessitating improvement.Student generated recommendations provide valuable, practical suggestions for enhancing the ECPs and fostering greater student success.These recommendations offer actionable insights that can inform program adjustments and contribute to improved student outcomes.Ultimately, this study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the ECPs' performance, combining quantitative data with qualitative perspectives to inform strategies for enhancing student success and addressing the enduring challenges of educational inequality in South African higher education.