Perceptions of factors affecting the pursuit of higher education among disadvantaged Grade 12 learners Tasneem Ebrahim Supervisor: Tanya Swart A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Masters of Arts in Educational Psychology. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2009 DECLARATION I declare that this thesis, entitled „Perceptions of factors affecting the pursuit of higher education among disadvantaged Grade 12 learners‟, is my own unaided work. It is submitted for the degree of Masters of Arts in Educational Psychology, at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It has not been submitted before for any other degree or examination at any other university. Signed this __________ day of _____________ 2009 ____________________________ Tasneem Ally Ebrahim ii DEDICATION For my husband Zunaid whose tireless support and sensible advice has helped me complete this research; and to my children, Muhammad and Faatimah, who have patiently motivated me throughout this process. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To my parents who have always motivated and supported me with their unshakable belief that I “can do it”. Without your direction and sacrifice I would not be who I am . Many thanks to my parents-in-law whose help and willingness to relieve me of some of my responsibilities has helped me through this process. Heartfelt thanks to Shamima and Aneesa who mothered my children when I really needed the time to engage with this work. A special thanks to Ms. Tanya Swart who was so sympathetically patient with my slow progress while supervising this project. Your continuous support, encouraging words and meticulous guidance on this arduous journey are highly appreciated. To my family and friends whose belief in me is unwavering and whose encouragement throughout the process has spurred me to complete this project. Finally, many thanks to all the participants whose courage and perseverance in the face of great injustice remains a beacon of inspiration. I hope that your dreams for a better life are realised. “One finger cannot lift a pebble.” Anonymous iv ABSTRACT Prior to 1994, education in South Africa was formally and legally segregated according to race and ethnicity. The pre-eminent transformation demand for the educational policies of the post-1994 democratic government was therefore to promote equity in enrolments and staffing across educational sectors, so that equal opportunities can exist for the broader society. Fifteen years after democracy the expectation is that diversity and inclusivity would not be in question. However, it appears that access and participation in higher education still remains reserved for a small elite. Policy gains have therefore been modest. This study attempts to understand the reasons for the slow transformation in equity gains in higher education by interviewing disadvantaged Grade 12 learners in a school south of Johannesburg. The qualitative approach using a semi-structured questionnaire was utilized to facilitate a dialogue about their perceptions of what prevents these learners from accessing higher education. Thematic content analysis of the participants‟ responses revealed four salient themes: perceptions of the economic, educational, socio-cultural and political constraints to higher education which are discussed using Paulo Freire‟s theory of conscientisation as a conceptual framework. The results of this research imply that a broader more purposeful approach to social reform and more comprehensive and equitable strategies of redistribution of wealth and income are required to empower disadvantaged communities to access higher learning institutions in South Africa. v Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................... 2 Rationale ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 2 Aims ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 7 Structure of the R esearch Report ................................ ................................ ............................... 7 Chapter 2: Literature Review ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 10 Introduction ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 10 The Legacy of Inequality in South Africa ................................ ................................ ............... 11 Inequalities in Higher Education ................................ ................................ ............................. 12 Inefficiencies in Higher Education ................................ ................................ .......................... 13 Transforming the H igher Education System ................................ ................................ ............ 14 Transformation at an Institutional L evel ................................ ................................ .................. 15 Structural Problems in Higher Education ................................ ................................ ................ 17 Conjunctural Prob lems in Higher Education ................................ ................................ ........... 17 Transformation at an Individual Level................................ ................................ ..................... 18 Barriers to Equality of Access and Participation in Higher Education ................................ .... 21 Economic Barriers to Higher E ducation ................................ ................................ .................. 21 Social and Cultural Barriers to Higher Education ................................ ................................ ... 26 Educational Constraints to Higher E ducation ................................ ................................ .......... 28 Theoretical Framework ................................ ................................ ................................ ............ 29 Summary ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 40 Gaps in the L iterature................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 40 Working Definitions ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 41 Conclusion ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................... 42 Chapter 3: Method ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ 43 Research Questions ................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 43 Research Design ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 44 Participants ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................... 45 Procedures ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ 47 Data Collection Tool ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 47 Gaining Access to Participants ................................ ................................ ................................ 48 Gaining Permission from the Department of Education ................................ .......................... 49 Gaining Permission from the Principal of the S econdary School ................................ ............ 49 Gaining Permission from P articipants ................................ ................................ ..................... 49 Data Collection ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................ 50 Data Analysis ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................... 50 Researcher Reflexivity ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 52 Ethical Considerations ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 55 Conclusion ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................... 56 Chapter 4: Presentation of F indings ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 57 Perceptions of the Economic C onstraints to Higher Education ................................ ............... 57 Insufficient Disposable I ncome ................................ ................................ .................. 58 Basic Resources at Home................................ ................................ ............................ 61 1. Food ................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 62 2. Electricity ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 64 3. Privacy and Quiet................................ ................................ ....................... 65 4. Heating ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 66 Privileges of Wealthier S chools ................................ ................................ .................. 68 Expectations of Parents ................................ ................................ ............................... 70 Aspirations and A mbitions ................................ ................................ ......................... 73 Perceptions of the E ducational Constraints to Higher Education ................................ ............ 74 Resources at School ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 75 1. Libraries ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 75 vi 2. Computers .................................................................................................. 76 3. Laboratories ............................................................................................... 77 Turnover Rates of Teachers ........................................................................................ 78 Information Dissemination ......................................................................................... 80 Admission Requirements ............................................................................................ 83 Educator Expectations ................................................................................................ 84 Perceptions of the Social and Cultural Constraints to Higher Education ................................ 85 Parental Outsider Status .............................................................................................. 86 Poor Self Esteem ......................................................................................................... 87 Unfamiliarity Breeds Contempt .................................................................................. 88 Peer Pressure ............................................................................................................... 89 Language ..................................................................................................................... 91 Perceptions of the Political Constraints to Higher Education .................................................. 92 Government‟s role in Poor Service Delivery .............................................................. 92 Poor Curriculum Policy .............................................................................................. 93 Deficient Student Financial Aid from Government .................................................... 94 Chapter 5: Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 97 Economic Barriers ................................................................................................................... 97 Educational Barriers................................................................................................................. 98 Socio-cultural Barriers ............................................................................................................. 99 Political Barriers .................................................................................................................... 100 A Theoretical Understanding of the Barriers to Accessing Higher Education ...................... 101 Chapter 6: Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 105 Limitations ............................................................................................................................. 107 Directions for Future Research .............................................................................................. 108 Concluding Comment ............................................................................................................ 108 References ........................................................................................................................................... 110 Appendix A: Preliminary Interview Questions ................................................................................... 122 Appendix B: Subject Information Sheet (qualitative/interview based research) ................................ 124 Appendix C: Consent Form (Interview) ............................................................................................. 125 Appendix D: Consent Form (Recording) ............................................................................................ 126 Appendix E: Consent from Gauteng Department of Education .......................................................... 127 Appendix F: Ethics Clearance Certificate ........................................................................................... 128 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviation Full terminology ANC African National Congress CASS Continuous Assessment CHE Council on Higher Education DoE Department of Education GDE Gauteng Department of Education HSRC Human Sciences Research Council IPA Interpretive Phenomenological Approach NCHE National Commission on Higher Education Nepi National Education Policy Institute NSFAS National Student Financial Aid Scheme OBE Outcomes Based Education OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development SAIRR South African Institute of Race Relations SET Science, Engineering and Technology SGB School Governing Body UJ University of Johannesburg UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Wits University of the Witwatersrand viii Education is the great engine to personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that the child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another. [Nelson Mandela] 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION The focus of this research report is the perceived barriers to accessing or pursuing higher education for Grade 12 learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. For the purpose of this study, disadvantaged refers to black learners from the low socio-economic group and who reside in an informal settlement. While universities, colleges and technikons are showing an increased enrolment rate of black students since the year 2000, participation of black learners from disadvantaged backgrounds remains low. This despite the introduction of greater opportunities afforded to these learners by changes in policy at both institutional and national level. In 1991, the Tertiary Education Fund of South Africa (TEFSA) was established as an avenue for funding to help historically disadvantaged students with academic ability to study at a tertiary institution. This, however, did not translate to better access for disadvantaged learners (Imenda, Kongolo & Grewal, 2002). This indicates that the barriers preventing these learners from gaining equal access to higher education is more than just financial. This research attempts to identify and understand the barriers learner‟s perceived to accessing tertiary education institutions, through a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Data from these interviews are analysed and discussed. This introductory chapter serves to provide the background information to this study. The rationale for conducting this research is discussed, the aims are outlined and a brief overview of the structure of the research report is presented. RATIONALE Berg and Hoenack (1987, p.280) note that the “economic, social and political features of higher education in South Africa depend heavily upon the enrolments and access of students to these institutions.” Historically, the majority of the South African population were excluded from higher education. The major causes for this inequality to access were the socio-political circumstances in South Africa. The laws of apartheid ensured white political freedom and the national oppression of all non-whites. The tool of education was used to ensure this oppression and exclusion. Policies on admission, finance, and language of instruction and minimum requirements for accessing higher education were used by the apartheid government to exclude blacks from gaining access to higher education. Most of those who did access higher education, studied through part-time correspondence studies with UNISA or institutions like Vista University (Bunting, 1994). 2