Professor Human-Vogel delivered her inaugural address in the Groenkloof Campus Auditorium on 3 August 2022.The topic of her address was ‘Why do you persist, Mr Anderson? Considering the role of meaning as a driver of academic commitment’. In her address, she shared the findings of her research on why some students achieve academic success and others do not.

‘What makes some students persist when others give up? Like the iconic character Neo Anderson in The Matrix, who realised that his ability to choose was what gave life meaning, students who choose to persist are at the heart of what I have come to describe as academic commitment. Like student engagement—a well-acknowledged driver of student success—my work suggests that students who are meaningfully committed to their studies are more likely to invest in their studies and persist. Contrary to studies of student engagement, which focus on student satisfaction and interest as pathways to academic achievement, my findings suggest that meaning can act as a buffer when low satisfaction and interest threaten engagement,’ said Prof Human-Vogel.

She further stated that meaning arises when students perceive that their learning environment supports and promotes the expression of their identity. As a result, academically committed students regulate their behaviour in support of their academic goals even when the costs of achieving those goals may be high. The significance of her research should be considered against the backdrop of a higher education landscape that focuses on student success by increasing student satisfaction, effort and time spent on tasks as proxies for engagement. Future research on academic commitment must consider how student success interventions can support meaningful academic commitment as a pathway to academic success.

Prof Salomé Human-Vogel completed a PhD in Educational Psychology in the Department of Educational Psychology and is currently the Deputy Dean of Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Education. She has been a registered educational psychologist for more than two decades, served on the Professional Board of Psychology from 2017 to 2020, and regularly acts as a convenor of professional board examinations and professional accreditation visits for the Board of Psychology. She also served as a Council member for the South African Council of Educators from 2018 to 2021.

At the time of her appointment as Deputy Dean, Prof Human-Vogel was a C3-rated NRF researcher. She has acted as supervisor for numerous master’s and doctoral students in Educational Psychology, and regularly publishes articles in national and international journals. Her research interests are focused on meaningful academic commitment as a self-regulatory process and its implications for student success, while her professional and teaching interests and experience are focused on family psychology and counselling.