Table 1.
Socio-demographic characteristics of the study cohorts and total sample
| 2006 (N = 71) | 2007 (N = 91) | 2008 (N = 109) | 2009 (N = 111) | Total (N = 382) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (mean, SD) | 25.4 (6.1) | 24.6 (4.0) | 25.7 (5.9) | 25.6 (6.4) | 25.4 (5.7) |
| Gender (n, % female) | 37 (52.1) | 53 (58.2) | 57 (52.3) | 62 (55.9) | 209 (54.7) |
| Previous qualificationa, b (n, %) | |||||
| Health Profession | 7 (9.9) | 14 (15.4) | 26 (24.1) | 13 (11.8) | 60 (15.7) |
| Biomedical Science | 13 (18.3) | 28 (30.8) | 31 (28.7) | 49 (44.5) | 121 (31.7) |
| Other Biology | 34 (47.9) | 33 (36.3) | 35 (32.4) | 36 (32.7) | 138 (36.1) |
| Physical Science | 9 (12.7) | 8 (8.8) | 8 (7.4) | 7 (6.4) | 32 (8.4) |
| Non-science | 8 (11.3) | 8 (8.8) | 8 (7.4) | 5 (4.5) | 29 (7.6) |
| Rural originc (n, %) | 15 (22.7) | 22 (24.2) | 29 (26.6) | 31 (27.9) | 97 (25.4) |
| State of origin SA (n, %) | 47 (66.2) | 51 (56.0) | 65 (59.6) | 62 (55.9) | 225 (58.9) |
| Impeded progress (n, %) | 26 (36.6) | 43 (47.3) | 46 (42.2) | 47 (42.3) | 162 (42.4) |
Notes. aIn 2008 previous qualification was available for only 108 students
bIn 2009 previous qualification was available for only 111 students
cIn 2006 rural origin was available for only 66 students