Social citizenship formation at university: a South African case study

The paper considers citizenship formation at universities, drawing on the example of a student leadership project at the University of the Free State, a formerly White South African university, in a higher education context and society where racialised difference continues to influence peer relationships. The paper proposes a multi-dimensional conceptualisation of social citizenship, as described by T.H. Marshall, enriched by the capabilities approach, which adds specific citizenship dimensions of deliberation, acknowledgment of heterogeneity, and agency goals and activities as core elements of being able to be and to do as citizens. This is operationalised by investigating the student development intervention, based on biographical interview data from 50 of the 71 students who participated in the first iteration of the programme. The data is analysed for the three capability dimensions and for student criticisms of the programme, before an overall judgment is made of the programme’s contribution to democratic values and citizenship formation.     

University teaching and social cohesion in the age of AIDS: A South African case study

In the context of ongoing social divisions, lack of coherent leadership by government, and even divisiveness over medical advances and public health mandates, how might universities respond? What university actions can support social cohesion in a society splintered by class, race, gender, colonial legacies, the history of apartheid, and HIV/AIDS? More specifically, what approaches to university teaching of HIV/AIDS might foster social cohesion? During 2006, I interviewed 22 instructors at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) at three campuses. The interviewees were faculty members in education, sociology, history, psychology, theology, gender studies, and theater. I observed numerous classes that focused on HIV/AIDS and interviewed approximately 40 undergraduate, honours (4th year), and graduate students. I found that the curriculum and teaching went beyond the technical, individualistic, rational, self-interested assumptions and approaches (such as how to distribute information and condoms) typical of much safe-sex education. The courses explicitly critiqued assumptions, beliefs, and stereotypes that contribute to social divisions and stigma. The teaching efforts consciously included cultural understandings, specifically Zulu cultural understandings of health, community responses, and individuals within communal relationships. The approaches explicitly connected HIV/AIDS with social divisions and inequities of power. The teaching promoted an awareness that public health initiatives (and church or counseling responses) are fraught and controversial. Thus, the teaching tried to place its own ideas within history and society, offering a post-colonial/critical understanding of knowledge, theories, and social “solutions.” In foregrounding social divisions in relation to AIDS, these programmes promoted a critical-edged social cohesion.     

Developing the Theory and Practice of Action Research: a South African case

The three tales told here concern my experiences of teaching educational action research. I first became involved in action research in 1973 while a doctoral student working on peace and cultural studies education curriculum in Northern Ireland where project teachers inquired into their own classrooms so as to facilitate the teaching of contentious social and political issues for mutual understanding across the religious–political divide. My three tales of teaching action research are rooted in three very different settings: one working with gypsy education projects in inner-city Dublin; the second as part of a small university–school collaborative in rural North Carolina, and the last a tale of a doctoral seminar at East Carolina University.     

Navigating the discursive tensions of the public university: the case of a South African student

As public universities seek to be locally responsive and compete internationally, tensions arise between expansion and equity, and between discourses of neoliberalism and social justice. This article focuses on how students navigate these tensions, and the implications for how they can act, interact and be. Norman Fairclough’s three-level view of the social and language, and his method of critical discourse analysis are used to analyse longitudinal interviews with an undergraduate science student. This student is, on account of his home and schooling, considered ‘historically marginalised’ at an historically-white, English-medium South African university. The results show how the student navigates multiple positionings that draw on notions of class, language, independence, progress, choice, care, and so on. It is argued that while universities should support students to navigate some of these tensions, there is a need to re-imagine structuring discourses related to the ‘normal’, ‘independent’ university student.     

Environmental learning in regions: a social capital based approach. The case of Latvia

How do people learn about the environment and behave accordingly? What is the cognitive process at the base of this learning mechanism? The present paper is a pilot work investigating the dynamics of individual environmental knowledge on the basis of social capital theory. Using Tsai and Ghoshal’s findings, a well known framework widely accepted in organizational studies which supports the existence of a relationship between structural, relational and cognitive dimensions of social capital, and between social capital and knowledge exchange, these dynamics are then tested in the context of environmental behaviour studies. The quantitative analysis is carried out by means of a structural equation model based on data collected in the Republic of Latvia. Results support main theoretical hypotheses, but several effects are found to be highly sensitive to control variables (residence place dimensions, ethnic affiliation, age, personal income), leading to hypothesise a strong dependency of environmental learning patterns on the socio-demographic, socio-economic and cognitive context.     

Inequality in social capital: social capital,social risk and drop-out in the Turkish education system

This article examines the effects of social capital on the likelihood of dropping out from the compulsory education system (Grades One through Eight) in Turkey. It focuses on the question of whether school-related social capital can provide the means to stay in school in the presence of risk factors such as socioeconomic status, race, or gender that cannot be easily modified. Despite major progress in enrollment rates due to policies enacted in recent years, the overall drop-out rate in compulsory education is close to 15% in Turkey. Data collected from 764 student–mother pairs show that drop-outs are exposed to higher number of social risk factors. We further illustrate that school-related social capital, as measured by quality of in-school teacher–student interactions as well as parental involvement in school, significantly and positively contributes to adolescents’ likelihood of staying in school even in the presence of severe social inequalities.     

Social capital in the classroom: a study of in-class social capital and school adjustment

Social capital is generally considered beneficial for students’ school adjustment. This paper argues that social relationships among pupils generate social capital at both the individual and the class levels, and that each has its unique effect on pupils’ performance and well-being. The sample in this study consists of 1036 children in 60 first-grade classes in 46 Dutch elementary schools. Multilevel regression results show that a substantial proportion of the variance in school adjustment can be attributed to the class level and that both individual-level and classroom-level social capital have substantial effects on school adjustment. At the individual level, the size of one’s network is more important than its structure. At the collective level, social capital also has a ‘dark side’ because it can have negative effects on adjustment, lowering the academic performance in a class.     

Enabling transformation through critical engagement and reflexivity: a case study of South African academics

ABSTRACT

Scholars writing on agency argue that normally, individuals who experience social structures as comfortable will tend to want to reproduce them while those who experience these structures as oppressive will want to change them. This is a bleak outlook because it suggests that those in positions of power and influence are less likely to seek to overhaul the very system of rewards and punishments that benefits them. However, there are exceptions to this pattern: instances where those who experience the structures as comfortable, nevertheless, work at transforming them. This article introduces an alternative perspective to current transformation discourses by seeking to understand why such exceptions exist. It argues that critical engagement is an important dimension of such transformation, and examines how it interacts with reflexivity to shape individual choices and reformulate interest. Drawing on a hermeneutic phenomenological analysis of in-depth interviews with 10 academics who have been identified as agents of change at one university in South Africa, we reveal how individuals are able to shift their understanding of what is or is not in their interest in a context where raced, gendered and classed interests are deeply embedded in the fabric of the society. In such contexts, reflexivity and critical personal engagement with one’s context can lead to a shift in interest and then consciousness as the individual comes to see and experience things from a different vantage point, opening up the possibility for a changed relationship with the social structure and its constraints and determining influence.     

Adjustment of Black Students at a Historically White South African University

The adjustment of black African students to what, under apartheid, were white universities has long been a concern for South African educators. Dimensions of adjustment to university were examined for 339 African black and white freshmen attending a historically white South African university, using the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire. No significant differences were found between black African and white participants on academic adjustment or institutional commitment. However, black African participants reported significantly poorer levels of social adjustment, and somewhat poorer levels of personal-emotional adjustment. Further investigations found relationships between academic performance, race and additional variables hypothesised to be associated with adjustment.     

Aspects of a Practical Understanding: Heidegger at the workplace

This article aims to clarify some of our pre‐conceived assumptions when we address issues of learning in practice. It argues that we need to develop an understanding of practice based on its own premises. For this purpose the German philosopher Martin Heidegger's (1889–1976) understanding of practice and learning is introduced. Heidegger emphasises the use of equipment as crucial for a practical understanding. This perspective is contrasted with an intellectualistic approach to learning in practice exemplified by the work of Donald Schön. Heidegger and Schön's perspectives on learning in practice are evaluated and discussed throughout the article. Examples from studies of apprenticeship are used to illustrate Heidegger's comprehension of learning in practice. Especially learning through the use of tools and equipment, learning in context, learning as a consequence of making mistakes and learning as a matter of developing a sense of familiarity are types of learning emphasised in this article.     

Ethnicity as social capital: an examination of first-generation,ethnic-minority students at a Canadian university

In this article, we use interview data collected in a four-year longitudinal study of first-generation university students to answer the question: how might the ethnicity of first-generation students impact their university experiences? After briefly examining previous literature written on the educational achievement levels of ethnic-minority Canadians, specifically Asian-Canadians, and on first-generation students, we explain the concept of social capital and how it relates to ethnicity. The findings extracted from the interviews in this paper suggest that, although first-generation students lack general knowledge about university, their ethnic identities serve to ease their disadvantaged positions in university by serving as both bonding and bridging social capital in the form of relationships, peer groups and ethnic clubs.     

The dynamics of online learning at the workplace: Peer-facilitated social learning and the application in practice

Research stresses the importance of social components in learning. The social contact with peers and tutors stimulates reflection and supports higher processes of learning necessary for the internalisation and application of new knowledge. However, merely proposing opportunities for interaction does not necessarily lead to fruitful discussion and collaboration. Social presence and facilitation are key concepts for successful mutual learning. Both are represented in Murphy’s collaboration model; social presence forms the basis of collaboration on which discussions and co-construction of knowledge evolve. Facilitation supports the entire collaboration process. In this paper, an adjusted version of Murphy’s model was applied to analyse 1085 comments shared in an online course between career practitioners of a public employment service. The results show that without a dedicated tutor, learners can still be involved in collaborative learning and co-construction of new knowledge provided that the topic under discussion is highly relevant and controversial. Learners themselves take over social presence and facilitation activities, but less frequently than when a professional tutor facilitates discussions. Ex post summative evaluation revealed that only a few learners applied the gained knowledge in the long-term. As comparisons with related research suggest, higher facilitation support leading to a higher cognitive interaction with the learning could have better supported the transfer to practice.     

Personality,Gender and Student Performance at a South African University

Abstract

This article reports on a study that tested theory predicting differences in personality endowments between first-year and second-year accounting students, as well as the potential influence of personality on academic performance in the context of a large South African university. Data from 1 380 first-year and second-year accounting students was used to test theory predicting gendered differences in the relationships between personality and both throughput and performance. Multiple linear regression and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) estimations were applied. The findings suggested that fewer students with openness and agreeableness continue to second-year accounting studies. While conscientiousness might not be a primary differentiator of performance at first year, at second year it dominates as a predictor of performance. The findings are expected to generalise to other contexts to the extent that such contexts share characteristics with the context under study.     

Adding Net Value: The Nature of Online Education at a South African Residential Institution

Online learning is usually implemented as a component of distance learning, although this technology also has definite advantages for residential educational institutions. When addressing issues such as computer literacy, improved communication skills, problem-based learning, inclusion of real-life issues and exposing students to the working world, the online environment holds tremendous potential. The first year journalism students at the Technikon Pretoria, South Africa, were incorporated in a carefully designed online course with assignments and activities to supplement and enrich their learning experience. This paper will report on the strategy that was implemented and will offer some suggestions when teaching a residential course online. Ajoutant la valeur du Net: la nature d'une éducation on-line dans une institution d'Afrique du Sud d'enseignement résidentiel. L'éducation on-line est généralement mise en m uvre comme une composante de l'enseignement À distance bien que cette technologie ait des avantages certaines pour les institutions donnant une éducation résidentielle. Lorsque l'on considère les problèmes comme l'aptitude À se servir de l'ordinateur, des aptitudes améliorés en communication, des apprentissages fondés sur l'étude de problèmes, l'inclusion de problèmes de la vie réelle et l'exposition des étudiants au monde du travail, l'environnement on-line offre un potentiel énorme. Les étudiants de la première année de journalisme au Technikon Pretoria, en Afrique du Sud ont été impliqués dans un cours on-line soigneusement planifié avec des devoirs et des activités qui complètent et enrichissent leur expérience d'apprentissage. Cet article fait rapport des stratégies qui ont été mise en m uvre et propose des suggestions pour un cours on-line en enseignement résidentiel. Der Vorteil des (Net) Netzwert: Online Ausbildung an einer Bildungseinrichtung in einer Wohngegend Süd Afrikas. Online lernen beschränkt sich am allgemeinen auf den Fernunterricht, obwohl diese Technologie Vorteile für Bildungseinrichtungen in einigen Wohngebieten bietet. Wenn es um Fragen geht wie: Computerfertigkeiten, Kommunikationsfähigkeiten zu verbessern, lernen auf der Basis von Problemlösungen, die Einbeziehung von Themen aus dem wirklichen Leben und die Schüler auf die Arbeitswelt vorzubereiten, bietet das online Umfeld ein enormes Potential. Die Studenten des Erstsemester für Journalistik am Technikon Pretoria, Süd-Afrika, wurden mit einem wohl geplanten online Kurs inklusive Aufgabenstellung konfrontiert, um ihre Lernerfahrungen auszubauen. Dieser Artikel berichtet über die angewandte Strategie und macht Unterrichtsvorschläge unter Einbeziehung von online Kursen in Wohngebieten.     

The role of social networks in the transitional experiences of international African doctoral students at one university in South Africa

ABSTRACT

International doctoral students’ sojourn encompasses three transitional processes: to the new country, to the university and to a new academic identity as a researcher in a specific discipline. This article examines the role of social networks in facilitating these transitions for international doctoral students at one South African university. It is based on qualitative interviews conducted with 23 international PhD students representing eight different disciplines and various countries in Africa. The findings suggest that students are involved in a number of social networks, which all, apart from the academic network, exclude local students. This close-knit co-national network, while providing international PhD students with a well documented survival mechanism, may hinder their international experiences and limit the acquisition of the inter-cultural skills necessary for global citizenship in the twenty-first century. The findings also indicated that family networks back home played a role in instilling worries and doubts among students related to xenophobic attacks against foreigners.     

Institutional transformation at South African universities: Implications for academic staff

In South Africa the restructuring of the higher education system and the transformation of higher education institutions are located within the country's broad political and socio-economic transition to democracy. This paper focuses particularly on institutional transformation, and pays attention to the implications of the process of transformation for academic staff.The following five interlinked and interdependent issues characterizing institutional transformation in South African higher education are identified:democratising the governance structures of institutionsincreasing access for educationally and financially disadvantaged studentsrestructuring the curriculumfocusing on developmental needs in research and community serviceredressing inequalities in terms of race and gender.Although the overall effect of institutional transformation is experienced rather negatively by many academic staff members, the paper concludes that academics have to be empowered by means of staff development to remain active partners in the transformation process.     

Implementing a teaching approach based on the multiple intelligence theory in a South African school: A case study

Abstract

This article reports on the implementation of a teaching approach based on Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences (MI) at a school in the Hammanskraal area in Gauteng, South Africa. The aim was to determine the impact that such an approach would have on teachers, learners and learner performance. This article discusses the implementation process and the impact thereof on learner results and conduct, as well as learners' opinion on the implementation of the MI approach in the classroom. The study showed that the implementation of a new approach should be monitored regularly and that teachers should receive ample support. An MI approach to teaching had a positive influence on learners' conduct and academic achievement. It also made learners more aware of their own strengths and weaknesses and how to overcome weaknesses. Learners indicated that they prefer an MI approach in teaching.