Faculty of Education
Department of Humanities Education
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
Most public schools in South Africa, in addition to opening their doors to all South African children irrespective of race, colour or creed, have also opened their doors to a number of black immigrant children. There is, however, very little research on the ways in which immigrant student identities are framed, challenged, asserted and negotiated within the dominant institutional cultures of schools. Accordingly, this SANPAD-funded research study asks how immigrant students construct, negotiate and represent their identities in the South African schooling context. To what extent has the ethos of these schools been transformed towards integration in the truest sense and how do immigrant students perceive this in practice? Are new forms of immigrant students’ self-identities beginning to emerge? Utilising the theoretical frameworks of critical race theory and figures of identification, this research study attempts to understand the constitution, negotiation and representation of immigrant identities in South African schools. Major findings that contrasted with what was found in the voluminous literature in this field were multifold in nature. Firstly, although immigrant students’ ease of assimilation into the chosen reference group was to some degree sanctioned by their phenotypic racial features, their attempt at “psychosocial passing” was politically motivated. They wanted to pass as the indigenous blacks so as to gain access to resources, etc. However, they could not come to terms with the ill discipline and poor moral conduct of South African students and saw this as a site of contamination and shame. Secondly, immigrant students did not readily classify themselves according to skin pigmentocracy. They initially identified themselves in terms of personality traits and subsequently in terms of ethnicity linked to culture, traditions, language and country of origin. The label of “black” was something that was ascribed to them on entry into the host country and something that they learnt to incorporate as part of their identity, given that they shared similar phenotype features as indigenous black students. Thirdly, the majority of immigrant students heightened their ethnic self-awareness in forming their identity. Fourthly, immigrant students were not seen as having an identity, but rather as being “cast into a category with associated characteristics or features”. The categorisation process was based on “shades of blackness” and negatively influenced many immigrant students’ formation of social identities and their sense of belonging to groups. Fifthly, immigrant students preferred to present themselves in relation to others in terms of a “continental” perspective. There seemed to be an increasing emphasis on an “African” identity. In the sixth instance, their self-agency was twofold in nature. They not only wanted to improve their own condition as much of the literature in the field reports, but there seemed to be an inherent drive to improve the human condition of others. There was genuine concern and a form of empathy. They wanted to assist the indigenous black students in the spirit of “brotherhood” (we are the same, we are all “Africans”) to improve the moral, academic and social fibre of South African society.
Contact person: Prof S Vandeyar.
This case study documents the perceptions and experiences that learners from the Basarwa and Bakgalagadi communities in Botswana had of studying for a secondary school-leaving certificate. It was informed by an interpretive paradigm using a mixed-methods approach. The theoretical underpinning for the study pertained to Holmbergs’ theory of conversational learning (2003). Qualitative methods of data collection included semi-structured interviews, journals, document analysis and observations, while a questionnaire provided nested quantitative data. Key findings showed that these marginialsed learners exhibited strong intrinsic motivation and 72.1% of them were satisfied with the learning support provided by the host institution. This substantiates that learner motivation remains a key attribute for successful distance learning in any context. Despite their geographic remoteness and adverse circumstances, positive perceptions and experiences were shared where learners had access to personalised academic and affective support from empathetic tutors. However, policy and managerial flaws frustrated and unintentionally disadvantaged them in terms of the language and culture of instruction, connectedness, feedback and future prospects. An analysis to establish learner needs, expectations and aspirations is critical for the design and development of relevant learning materials, and for the delivery of quality learning support to enhance the academic experience of remote learners from marginalised communities. Implications for practice include policy reviews, open and distance learning (ODL) staff training, and the adoption of best practices specific to underdeveloped distance learning contexts.
Contact person: Dr R Evans.
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