Negotiating Learning and Identity in Higher Education: Access, Persistence and Retention (Understanding Student Experiences of Higher Education)

While access to higher education has increased globally, student retention has become a major challenge. This book analyses various aspects of the learning pathways of black students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds at a relatively elite, English-medium, historically white South African university. The students are part of a generation of young black people who have grown up in the new South Africa and are gaining access to higher education in unprecedented numbers. Based on two longitudinal case studies, Negotiating Learning and Identity in Higher Education makes a contribution to the debates about how to facilitate access and graduation of working-class students. The longitudinal perspective enabled the students participating in the research to reflect on their transition to university and the stumbling blocks they encountered in their senior years. The contributors show that the school-to-university transition is not linear or universal. Students had to negotiate multiple transitions at various times and both resist and absorb institutional, disciplinary and home discourses. The book describes and analyses the students' ambivalence as they straddle often conflicting discourses within their disciplines; within the institution; between home and the institution, and as they occupy multiple subject positions that are related to the boundaries of place and time. Each chapter also describes the ways in which the institution supports and/or hinders students' progress, explores the implications of its findings for models of support and addresses the issue of what constitutes meaningful access to institutional and disciplinary discourses. Title Page Copyright Page Contents Series Editors’ Foreword Notes on Contributors Acknowledgements Introduction: Conceptualizing Access,Persistence and Retention Chapter 1 Students’ Negotiation of Learning andIdentity in Working-class Schooling Introduction Theoretical considerations Methodology ‘Out of order’: Students’ perceptions of the school environment ‘Learning to pass’: Teaching and learning in the classroom ‘Moving with the movers’: Students’ positioning in school ‘Mentally I’m not there’: Students’ positioning outside of school Conclusion Chapter 2 ‘Closing the Gap’: Three Mathematics StudentsTalk about their Transitions to and throughtheir Undergraduate Degrees in the Sciences The transition from school mathematics to advanced mathematics at university Perspectives for viewing the transition The research lens Methodology Thabo’s transition Josephine’s transition Luthando’s transition Discussion and conclusions References Chapter 3 ‘Going Nowhere Slowly’: A LongitudinalPerspective on a First-generation WomanStudent’s Withdrawal from University Introduction Theoretical framework Methodology ‘I want to do something with my life’ ‘You see the ladder’ ‘Suffer in silence’ ‘I don’t have proper direction’ Conclusion References Chapter 4 Humanities Students’ Negotiation ofLanguage, Literacy and Identity Introduction Methodology Negotiating new discourses Negotiating home Straddling multiple discourses Negotiating new spaces Renegotiating voice Conclusion Notes References Chapter 5 The Role of Religion in Mediating theTransition to Higher Education Introduction The role of religion, particularly Christianity, in South Africa Identity and religion Research methodology: Attempting to hear the student voice Religion at an institutional level The impact of course curricula on students’ religious beliefs and practices Conclusion References Chapter 6 A Longitudinal Account of the FactorsShaping the Degree Paths of Black Students Introduction The notion of choice in black students’ degree pathways The ambiguous position of the honours degree within the postgraduate domain Methodology Investing in the identities of psychologist and lawyer Accessing the job market Conclusion References Chapter 7 Enabling Capabilities in an EngineeringExtended Curriculum Programme Introduction The capability approach Methodology Access: Embarking as a university student Beyond embarkation: Transitioning to university studies The people: Being part of a valued community Continuing the journey: Transitioning into second year and beyond Journey’s end: Graduating Conclusion References Chapter 8 The Impact of Previous Experiencesand Social Connectedness on Students’Transition to Higher Education Introduction The significance of habitus and capital for the transition of first-generation students Methodology Chris’s transition Philisani’s transition Senzo’s transition Monique’s transition Lyndsey’s transition Reflections Conclusion References Conclusion: Exploring the Implicationsof Students’ Learning Journeys forPolicy and Practice References Index