Student success hinges on the utilization of existing resources and educational opportunities effectively. With this in mind, academic support workshops teach valuable knowledge and skills that can significantly improve lifelong learning. Unfortunately, many students are reluctant to proactively attend such workshops, making it difficult for educational institutions to effectively harness their full potential. To address this issue, successful incentive and perk programs have been implemented at various universities and schools worldwide to motivate students to attend academic support workshops. The purpose of this article is to discuss the effectiveness of material incentives for students to attend academic support workshops in a challenged Global South context. The study uses a quantitative methodology to investigate the effect of offering material incentives on attendance at exam preparation workshops for EBIT students at The University of Pretoria. Tangible rewards in the form of exam packs, comprising of notebooks, translucent pencil cases, highlighters, pens, and lanyards were provided as material incentives for all students who attended the exam preparation workshops. The statistical analysis conducted indicates that the material incentive offered to students yielded a positive effect on attendance rates for the exam preparation workshops. This article reviews the necessity and efficacy of employing material incentives to promote student participation in academic workshops. Additionally, this paper explores various potential strategies and approaches to enhance the effectiveness of material incentives in challenged Global South context.

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