Doctoral Degrees (Educational Psychology)

Permanent URI for this collection

https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/746

Browse

Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Educational Psychology) by Subject "Apartheid -- South Africa"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Narratives of educational and psychosocial support amongst black African male students at a historically white university
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12) Saunderson, Claudia Priscilla; Carolissen, Ronelle; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Educational Psychology.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : The democratic elections in 1994 marked the formal end of apartheid in SA. As part of the action to address the inequalities of the apartheid era, the government compiled a National Plan of Higher Education (NPHE). One of the goals of this plan is: “The promotion of equity of access”. The result of this is that a growing number of students entering universities come from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and sometimes with numerous challenges. Within the South African context, this is especially the reality of Black students entering HWIs. Literature suggest that it is especially black male students that are more likely than any other group to drop out, to underperform or disengage academically. Furthermore, Black male students at HWIs often feel unwelcome and often experience a lack of support and understanding. Therefore, the primary aim of the study was to do an in-depth exploration of Black African male students’ everyday experiences at an HWI and furthermore explore what they and the university may do to enhance their educational and psychosocial experiences on campus. As the theoretical base of this study, critical race theory (CRT) as an overarching theory at a macro level as well as defining properties of micro-aggression theory (MAT) and co-cultural theory (CCT) on micro level, were utilized. Within a social constructivist paradigm, a qualitative research approach was adopted and a case study, as a research design, was most suitable for this study. Through focus group sessions as well as individual interviews, 20 Black African male students were able to share their educational and psychosocial experiences as well as their support needs. The findings of the study demonstrate how race and gender-based treatments like micro-aggressions that include negative stereotyping, criminalization, racial profiling and the questioning of their intellectual abilities impede participant’s ability to thrive at the institution. However, participants also shared positive comments about their experiences and perspectives about the institution. Positive aspects that participants mentioned about the institution include, funding opportunities, well-aligned administration processes, quality of education, supportive lecturers and they refer to the institution as a top-class university. The implication of the study is that transformation within the HE sector necessitates that aspects that are hidden in institutional culture and environment that function as barriers to transformation, needs to be explored and illuminated within a social justice framework, as proposed by CRT. A social justice stance is guided by the belief that all students are equal and entitled to appropriate, equitable, and culturally and racially responsive education and support.