Exploring the lived experiences and identities of ‘coloured’ women as professional mathematics educators in higher education
| dc.contributor.advisor | Davids, Nuraan | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Kenny, Sinobia | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Education Policy Studies. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2020-11-10T20:42:32Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-01-31T19:42:20Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2020-11-10T20:42:32Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-01-31T19:42:20Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2020-12 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2020. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH SUMMARY : ‘Coloured’, as a marker of race, has become normalised in the political, social and economic rhetoric in a democracy. The study recognises the controversy and othering associated with the term ‘coloured’, but without delving into it, the label cannot be ruptured and disrupted. To date, the dominant research on ‘coloured’ women in South Africa has not only relied on stereotypical depictions of sexualisation and slander but have served to entrench these women as displaced and valueless. As a result, very little is known about the resilience and contribution of ‘coloured’ women. In attempting to rebuild the existing research and knowledge on women classified as ‘coloured’ by the brutal system of apartheid, this study brings to the fore the lived experiences of seven women. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to reflexively explore the particular experiences and identities of ‘coloured’ women as professional educators in higher education, with special attention given to employment in roles centred around mathematics and mathematics education. The racialised schooling experiences, tertiary education and winding career paths post-apartheid calls for a confrontation of race and race construction in South Africa. Critical Race Theory provided a relevant conceptual framework. Understanding how these seven women adopted the identity label of ‘coloured’, the extent to which it shaped them, and positioned or relegated them in South African society was not possible without consideration of identity and identity construction. In this regard, identity and identity construction concerning theories on (mis)recognition were studied. Using interpretivism and phenomenology as research paradigms, this study examined the lived experiences and identities of the seven women as they traversed through their schooling, and tertiary education, and as professional mathematics educators in various spaces of higher education. The study showed that public spaces and separate schools were sites where racialised hierarchical othering and inequalities mirrored a demeaning picture of themselves, questioning their worth and diminishing their self-esteem. The way mathematics was taught, reflected similar kinds of divisions and differentiated treatment. Separate learning and teaching meant that higher grade learners received more attention and time, while standard grade learners were neglected under the guise that they were incapable of performing well at mathematics. As ‘coloured’ women, they had limited opportunities to, and funding for tertiary education – most of the participants opted for government-restricted teaching bursaries as a way into tertiary education. Following their tertiary education, there were no apparent pathways into professional mathematics education for ‘coloured’ women, and they sought alternative winding routes. While the women were determined and successful at Stellenbosch University paving pathways into higher education, they continued to be at the mercy of higher education institutions who overlooked the challenges they overcame to participate in higher education, holding them to the same standards as those who had benefited from apartheid legislation. Consequently, their roles as professional mathematics educators transpired across a range of higher education spaces with no uniformity in their job titles and terms of employment. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : ‘Kleurling’, as ’n merker van ras, het in die loop van die die demokrasie genormaliseer met betrekking tot die politieke, sosiale en ekonomiese retoriek. Die studie erken die omstredenheid en vervreemding wat met die term ‘kleurling’ verband hou, maar sonder om te diep daarin te delf, kan die etiket nie verbreek en ontwrig word nie. Tot op hede het die oorheersende navorsing oor ‘kleurling’-vroue in Suid-Afrika nie net op die stereotipiese uitbeeldings van seksualisering en laster staatgemaak nie, maar het gedien om hierdie vroue as ontheem en waardeloos uit te beeld. Die gevolg is dat baie min bekend is oor die innerlike krag en bydrae van ‘kleurling’ vroue. In ’n poging om die bestaande navorsing en kennis oor vroue wat as ‘kleurling’ deur die brutale apartheidsisteem geklassifiseer is, te herbou, plaas hierdie studie die kollig op die lewenservaringe van sewe vroue. Die doel van hierdie studie was dus om die spesifieke ervarings en identiteite van ‘kleurling’-vroue as professionele opvoeders in hoër onderwys te ondersoek. Spesiale aandag is gevestig op hul werksgeskiedenis in rolle in wiskunde en wiskunde-onderwys. Die gerassifiseerde skoolervarings, tersiêre onderrig en kronkelende loopbane na apartheid het ’n konfrontasie van ras en raskonstruksie in Suid-Afrika ontlok terwyl Kritiese Rasseteorie’n relevante konseptuele raamwerk verskaf het. Om te verstaan hoe hierdie sewe vroue die identiteitsetiket van ‘kleurling’ aangeneem het, die mate waarin dit hulle gevorm het, en hoe dit hulle in die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing geposisioneer of uitgesluit het, was nie moontlik sonder oorweging van identiteit en identiteitskonstruksie nie. In hierdie verband is identiteit en identiteitskonstruksie oor teorieë van miskenning bestudeer. Met behulp van interpretivisme en fenomenologie as navorsingsparadigmas, het hierdie studie die lewenservaringe en identiteite van die vroue ondersoek – eers gedurende hul skooldae, gevolg deur hul tyd op universiteit, en laastens as professionele wiskunde onderwysers in verskeie hoër onderwys kontekste. Die studie het getoon dat openbare ruimtes en afsonderlike skole plekke was waar gerassifiseerde hiërargiese vervreemding en ongelykhede ’n vernederende prentjie van hulself weerspieël het, waar hul waarde bevraagteken is en hul selfbeeld afgebreek is. Die manier waarop Wiskunde aangebied is, het soortgelyke verdeling en gedifferensieerde behandeling weerspieël. Afsonderlike leer en onderrig het beteken dat hoërgraadleerders meer aandag en tyd ontvang het, terwyl standaardgraad-leerders afgeskeep is onder die voorwendsel dat hulle nie in staat was om goed te presteer nie. As ‘kleurling’-vroue het hulle beperkte geleenthede en befondsing vir tersiêre onderrig gehad – die meeste van die deelnemers het die regeringsbeperkende onderrigbeurse gekies as ’n manier om tersiêre onderrig te ontvang. Na aanleiding van hul tersiêre onderrig was daar geen oënskynlike pad na professionele wiskunde-onderwys vir hierdie ‘kleurling’-vroue nie, en hulle het alternatiewe roetes gesoek. Terwyl die vroue vasbeslote en uiteindelik suksesvol was om hul pad in die hoër onderwys uit te kap, was hulle steeds uitgelewer aan die genade van hoëronderwysinstellings wat die uitdagings wat hulle moes trotseer om aan hoër onderwys deel te neem, miskyk, en wat hulle steeds aan dieselfde standaarde meet as diegene wat voordeel uit die apartheidsisteem getrek het. Gevolglik het hul rolle as professionele Wiskunde-opvoeders oor ’n verskeie hoër onderwysruimtes gestrek sonder eenvormigheid in hul werkstitels of diensvoorwaardes. | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Doctoral | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | xviii, 221 pages ; illustrations, includes annexures | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/109274 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | College mathematics teachers -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Women mathematics teachers -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | College teachers, Colored -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Universities and colleges -- Faculty -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.title | Exploring the lived experiences and identities of ‘coloured’ women as professional mathematics educators in higher education | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |