Self-determination and undergraduate student success: A view from high performing students in a South African university

Authors

  • Ashnie Mahadew University of KwaZulu-Natal
  • Samukelisiwe Khumalo University of Mpumalanga
  • Victor Nnadozie University of KwaZulu-Natal
  • Nomkhosi Nzimande University of KwaZulu-Natal
  • Phakamile Mazibuko North-West University
  • Cedric Bheki Mpungose University of South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/19trbr16

Keywords:

Self-determination theory, Student success, Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation

Abstract

Using self-determination as a theoretical perspective, the study sought to understand the motivating factors behind high-performing students’ success. High-performing students who are on track for cum laude and summa cum laude were identified as the cohort for the study. A sample of 10 of these identified students was purposively selected from the School of Education at a South African university. Data were generated using individual and focus group interviews. The findings suggest that these students were motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The students were intrinsically motivated when their needs for competence, autonomy and relatedness were met. The findings further suggest that three levels of extrinsic motivation (introjected, identified and integrated regulation) influenced students’ success. The study challenges a deficit discourse as it enabled us to understand the factors that enabled high-performing students to thrive despite social and economic hardships. These views from high-performing students’ are useful to inform strategies and interventions for understanding and improving undergraduate student success. 

Author Biographies

  • Ashnie Mahadew, University of KwaZulu-Natal

    Dr  is an academic from the School of Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. She holds teaching qualifications and an honours degree in Psychology. She completed her Master’s and PhD degrees at the University of Kwa-Zulu-Natal (UKZN). She has spent 20 years as a foundation phase teacher before joining UKZN. She has experience lecturing in both the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Dr Mahadew also supervises postgraduate students, and her research focuses on inclusion employing community-based action research in the early childhood care and education sector. 

  • Samukelisiwe Khumalo, University of Mpumalanga

    Professor Samukelisiwe Khumalo is Dean of the Faculty of Education, Mpumalanga University, South Africa. She holds a Ph.D (University of KwaZulu-Natal), Professor Khumalo began her career as an educator at Hluma High School from 1997 to 1999 in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. She also taught in several secondary schools in the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2008. She joined the University ofKwaZulu-Natal in 2009, where she also served in various positions in the School of Education, including being a contract lecturer and an Academic Monitoring and Support Coordinator until 2015. She was then appointed a permanent lecturer in Curriculum Studies from 2015 and served as Academic Leader for the Bachelor of Education programme from 2016 to 2018. She was appointed Academic Leader: Teaching and Learning in the School of Education in 2019. Before joining UMP, Professor Khumalo was an Associate Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal since 2024. 

  • Victor Nnadozie, University of KwaZulu-Natal

    Victor Nnadozie coordinated academic monitoring and support in the College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. His commitment to enhancing student experiences and outcomes shows in his contributions to the discourse on effective teaching and learning and student support strategies in higher education. His research focuses on the intersection of student agency, academic performance, and the integration of digital technology in educational practices. 

  • Nomkhosi Nzimande, University of KwaZulu-Natal

    Dr Nomkhosi Nzimande is a senior lecturer in the Curriculum and Education Studies Department in the School of Education, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. She teaches across undergraduate studies (Sociology and Philosophy of Education) and postgraduate studies (Curriculum theorising). Her research interest transcends disciplinary boundaries focusing on curriculum issues, gender and human rights and arts-based methodologies, hence her ability to work with unfamiliar research methods whilst ensuring collegiality with colleagues from various disciplines. She is passionate about how the curriculum is enacted in a socially-just manner to cater for the marginalised groups. 

  • Phakamile Mazibuko, North-West University

    Phakamile Mazibuko is a lecturer at the North-West University under the Faculty of Education. She is also a doctoral student specialising in Curriculum Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. 

  • Cedric Bheki Mpungose, University of South Africa

    Professor Cedric Bheki Mpungose is a Professor within the Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies (CIS) at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria. His extensive research focuses on the integration of Educational Technology and Curriculum in higher education. Cedric has presented at numerous conferences, and his work has been published in various accredited journals. He has also mentored and graduated numerous M.Ed. and PhD. Students, and has been the recipient of the Fulbright Research Scholar award (2019-2020), and Mellon Fellowship award (2021-2023). Currently, he holds the prestigious NRF Thuthuka research fund (2023-2025) and is C2 rated. 

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Published

10-12-2025

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 2 (2025): The Independent Journal of Teaching and Learning

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Articles

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Mahadew, A., Khumalo, S., Nnadozie, V., Nzimande, N., Mazibuko, P., & Mpungose, C. B. (2025). Self-determination and undergraduate student success: A view from high performing students in a South African university. The Independent Journal of Teaching and Learning, 20(2), 155-172. https://doi.org/10.17159/19trbr16

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