The sociology curriculum, pedagogy and capabilities formation: a case study in two South African universities

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dc.contributor.advisorWalker, Melanie
dc.contributor.advisorWilson-Strydom, Merridy
dc.contributor.advisorFongwa, Sam
dc.contributor.authorManyonga, Bothwell
dc.date.accessioned2017-07-17T06:37:21Z
dc.date.available2017-07-17T06:37:21Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.descriptionThesis (Ph.D.(Centre for Development Support))--University of the Free State, 2016en_ZA
dc.description.abstract𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 The study addresses how the sociology curriculum and pedagogy interact to enhance or constrain students’ capabilities and more broadly, human development. More specifically, the research is focussed on how curriculum knowledge acquired by undergraduate sociology students contributes to enhancing their capabilities to live and to act in society. The context is one where universities are under pressure to better align the relevance of their curriculum to the needs of the labour market, with less focus on expansive aims and more emphasis on outcomes that contribute to both economic advancement and human well-being. While the South African government has invested in the expansion of higher education enrolments and programmes for academic support, there is a need to interrogate how universities enhance or constrain individual and social well-being. Sociology has been chosen as a case subject because there is a growing concern internationally and nationally about the weakening and deepening disregard of the humanities and social sciences within the academy. Based on Sociology Departments at two South African universities, the research investigates three levels: i) curriculum level to examine what sociology knowledge is selected and why, as well as what valued doings and beings are considered important; ii) pedagogy level to explore how sociology knowledge is transmitted and how (if at all) the process expands capabilities and functionings; and iii) exit level outcomes to consider what students say they have become as a result of studying sociology. The study draws on perceptions from empirical data collected through semi-structured interviews with students (11) and lecturers (11) at each university, as well as relevant documents. The findings suggest that sociology is a subject taken by diverse students across axes of race, gender and schooling backgrounds. Although the students have different bundles of ‘resources’, the development of the curriculum fails to account for these differences but largely treats them as a homogeneous group. In this conceptualisation, there is limited or no attempt to consider the personal conversion factors that shape each student’s freedom to achieve, as well as understand the choices and values that convert these freedoms into actual achievements. Regarding valued capabilities, students and lecturers value capabilities such as knowledge and critical thinking, with the students’ having emphasis on capabilities such as economic opportunities, the opportunity to provide or experience good teaching, autonomy and voice, resilience, and recognition, respect and belonging, however, there were limited opportunities for this. All capabilities intersect and are multidimensional, thus students need all of them to achieve well-being as they reinforce and support each other. Subsequently, agency rests on the platform of these capabilities. Thus, equipping graduates with more capabilities, more well-being and more agency means higher education is more just rather than less just or is cognisant of a social justice agenda. The thesis concludes by proposing a capabilities-inspired curriculum model for human well-being. The model suggests grounds for (re)thinking policy orientations to sociology curriculum developers, particularly on how the capabilities approach and the more limited human capital theory can complement each other in higher education and curriculum development.en_ZA
dc.description.abstract 𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒌𝒂𝒂𝒏𝒔 Die studie gee aandag aan die manier waarop wisselwerking tussen die Sosiologie-kurrikulum en -pedagogie plaasvind om studente se vermoëns, en menslike ontwikkeling oor die algemeen, te verbeter of aan bande te lê. Die navorsing fokus meer spesifiek op die wyse waarop kurrikulumkennis wat deur voorgraadse Sosiologie-studente bekom word, tot die verbetering van hulle vermoë om in die samelewing te leef en op te tree, bydra. Dit is in ’n konteks waar universiteite onder druk is om die toepaslikheid van hulle kurrikulum beter met die behoeftes van die arbeidsmark te vereenselwig, met minder klem op omvattende doelstellings en meer fokus op resultate wat tot sowel ekonomiese vooruitgang as menslike welsyn bydra. Terwyl die Suid-Afrikaanse regering in die uitbreiding van hoëronderwysinskrywings en programme vir akademiese ondersteuning belê het, bestaan daar ’n behoefte om ondersoek in te stel na die manier waarop universiteite individuele en sosiale welstand versterk of beperk. Sosiologie is as onderwerpgeval gekies omdat daar internasionaal en nasionaal groeiende kommer oor die verswakking en stygende miskenning van die geestes- en sosiale wetenskappe in die akademie is. Op grond van Sosiologie-departemente by twee Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite, stel die navorsing ondersoek in na drie vlakke: i) kurrikulumvlak om te kyk watter sosiologiese kennis gekies word en waarom, asook welke betekenisvolle handelinge en mense as belangrik beskou word; ii) pedagogievlak om te ondersoek hoe sosiologiese kennis oorgedra word en hoe (indien enigsins) die proses vermoëns en funksionering ontwikkel; en iii) uittreevlakresultate om oorweging te skenk aan dit wat studente sê hulle as gevolg van die bestudering van sosiologie geword het. Die studie maak gebruik van waarnemings uit empiriese data wat versamel is deur middel van semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met studente (11) en dosente (11) by elke universiteit, sowel as toepaslike dokumente. Die bevindings dui daarop dat Sosiologie ’n vak is wat deur uiteenlopende studente oor grense van ras, geslag en opvoedingsagtergronde heen geneem word. Hoewel die studente verskillende bondels ‘hulpbronne’ het, versuim die ontwikkeling van die kurrikulum om vir hierdie verskille voorsiening te maak en behandel hulle hoofsaaklik as ’n homogene groep. In hierdie konseptualisering, is beperkte of geen poging aangewend om die persoonlike omskeppingsfaktore wat vorm gee aan elke student se vrymoedigheid om te presteer, asook die keuses en waardes wat hierdie vrymoedigheid in werklike prestasie omskep, in ag te neem nie. Wat betekenisvolle vermoëns betref, heg studente en dosente waarde aan vermoëns soos kennis en kritiese denke, met die studente wat vermoëns soos ekonomiese geleenthede, die geleentheid om goeie onderrig te verskaf of te ervaar, selfstandigheid en uitdrukking, veerkrag en erkenning, respek en samehorigheid, beklemtoon; daar was egter beperkte geleenthede hiervoor. Hierdie vermoëns kruis mekaar en is multidimensioneel, dus het studente almal nodig om welstand te bewerkstellig ten einde mekaar te versterk en te ondersteun. Vervolgens berus bemiddeling op die platform van hierdie vermoëns. Om gegradueerdes dus met meer vermoëns, meer welstand en meer bemiddeling toe te rus, beteken dat hoër onderwys meer regverdig eerder as minder regverdig sal wees, of van ’n sosiale geregtigheidsagenda bewus sal wees. Die proefskrif sluit af deur ’n vermoënsgeïnspireerde kurrikulum-model vir menslike welstand voor te stel. Die model stel gronde aan Sosiologie-kurrikulumontwikkelaars voor vir (her)besinning oor beleidsoriëntering, veral oor die manier waarop die vermoënsbenadering en die meer beperkte menslikekapitaalteorie mekaar in hoër onderwys en kurrikulumontwikkeling kan aanvul.af_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11660/6482
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherUniversity of the Free Stateen_ZA
dc.publisher Abstract in other languages 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘢𝘯𝘴
dc.rights.holderUniversity of the Free Stateen_ZA
dc.subjectSociology -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectCurriculum planning -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectEducation, Higher -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.titleThe sociology curriculum, pedagogy and capabilities formation: a case study in two South African universitiesen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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