The educational achievement routes of first generation students in a rural town

Date
2019-04
Journal Title
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Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT : This thesis explores the unique educational achievement routes of selected ruralorigin first generation students (FGSs) in South Africa. The study aimed to understand the family-, social-, community-, and school experiences and paths of three rural-origin FGSs who were able, successfully, to enter university study. This study applied a combined theoretical framework of Bourdieu‟s notion of cultural capital, Yosso‟s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework and the Figured Worlds theory (Holland et al., 1998), to address the main research question of this study, which is: How do first generation students from a rural town construct their educational achievement routes during their high school years to gain access to university? The methodological research design employed for this study was qualitative, based on an interpretive phenomenological research approach. This approach is characterised by its central focus on the lived experiences of the research participants. For this reason it was chosen as the most suitable approach to understand the nuanced educational achievement routes that the individuals in this study had to establish as aspirant FGSs, growing up in a rural and impoverished small town environment. The data collection method used was the in-depth semistructured interview. The most important finding of this study was that unlike the other young people from their rural home environs, the FGSs in this study demonstrated resilience to the restrictive environmental influences around them. Their educational paths were grounded in their ability to use their capitals and community cultural wealth to recognise and utilise the opportunities for educational achievement both outside (in their family-, social-, and community environments) and inside the school. These students used their agency to mobilise the resources in these environments to shape their educational subjectivities in a way that led to them becoming academic achievers, which enabled their entry into the Figured World of educational achievement operating within their high school.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Hierdie tesis verken die unieke opvoedkundige prestasieroetes van verkose landelike eerste-generasie studente in Suid-Afrika. Hierdie studie het beoog om die familie-, sosiale-, gemeenskaps-, en skoolervaringe en paaie van drie suksesvolle landelike-oorsprong eerste-generasie studente, wat die Universiteit van Stellenbosch suksesvol betree het, beter te verstaan. Die studie het 'n gekombineerde teoretiese raamwerk van Bourdieu se kulturele kapitaal teorie, Yosso (2005) se Gemeenskaps Kulturele Rykdom raamwerk, en die Geskepte Wêreld teorie van Holland et al. (1998) toegepas om die volgende navorsingsvraag te beantwoord: Hoe bou eerste-generasie studente uit 'n plattelandse dorp hul opvoedkundige prestasieroetes gedurende hul hoërskooljare om toegang tot universiteit te verkry? Die metodologiese navorsingsontwerp van die studie was kwalitatief en is gebasseer op „n interpretatiewe fenomenologiese analitiese benadering. Die interpretatiewe fenomenologiese analise word gekenmerk deurdat die metode sentraal fokus op die ervaringe van die navorsingsdeelnemers. Hierdie metode is dus gekies as die mees geskikte benadering om die gekompliseerde opvoedkundige prestasieroetes, wat die individue in hierdie studie moes oprig as aspirant-eerste-generasie studente in „n landelike en verarmde omgewing, te verstaan. Die studie het semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude as data-insamelingsmetode gebruik. Die belangrikste bevinding van hierdie studie was dat die deelnemers, anders as die ander jongmense in hul landelike omgewing, veerkragtigheid teenoor die beperkende omgewingsinvloede rondom hulle getoon het. Hul opvoedkundige paaie is gegrond in hul vermoë om hul gemeenskap kulturele kapitale te gebruik om die geleenthede vir prestasie beide buite (in hul familie-, sosiale-, en gemeenskapsomgewings) en binne die skool, te herken en te benut. Hierdie studente het hul agentskap gebruik om die hulpbronne tot hul beskikking te mobiliseer om hul opvoedkundige vakkundigheid te vorm op 'n manier wat hulle toegelaat het om topstudente kon word. Sodoende kon hulle die Geskepte Wêreld van opvoedkundige prestasie wat binne hul hoërskool in werking is, betree.
Description
Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2019.
Keywords
First-generation college students -- South Africa -- Western Cape, Academic achievement -- South Africa -- Western Cape, Bourdieu, Pierre --1930-2002, Universities and colleges -- Admission, Education, Rural -- South Africa -- Western Cape, Educational sociology -- South Africa
Citation