An Exploration of the Efficacy of Project-based Assessment as a Tool to Promote Basic Research Skills at Undergraduate Level in South African Rural Universities

摘要

The importance of research as a vital tool for problem-solving and enriching livelihoods cannot be overstated and yet most South African universities introduce the component of research at the post-graduate level leaving out students who do not enroll for postgraduate studies without this critical skill. The lack of a dedicated research module at the undergraduate level is critical as it hampers critical thinking, entrepreneurship innovation and negatively impacts problem-solving to address societal-based problems. The case of University X in the Eastern Cape province in South Africa is that of a remote and rural university that is challenged by many negative factors ranging from, but not limited to; poverty-stricken students, poor infrastructure, and a weak staff complement in terms of qualification level as well as their research output. The problem of low research activity and knowledge generation keeps holding the university back and hence the need to look at ways to improve research activity both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The purpose of this study is to explore methods that can be used to encourage research development at the undergraduate level to close the research skill gap currently being experienced by the 85% of students who do not progress with their postgraduate studies. An experimental research design was used to assess the contributions of project-based assessment as a tool for transferring research skills at the undergraduate level. In this study, 122 respondents (control group =38, experimental group = 84) participated in the study. Respondents from the experimental group were given project-based assessments and traditional tests, while those from the control group were given traditional tests only. A questionnaire was then given to both groups to compare the contribution of project-based assessments as a tool for transferring research skills. The findings showed that project-based assessments improved students’ research skills and also that they promoted students to engage in research activities. Researchers recommended that the project-based assessments be developed in a balanced way that will expose students to research in totality.