A capabilities approach to student experiences of pedagogy, power and well-being at a South African university - Calitz, Talita M. L. (University of the Free State, 2015)
Persistent educational, economic and social inequalities in South Africa perpetuate patterns of unequal access and participation for a significant number of university students. In particular, many first-generation, working-class and African students are positioned precariously within institutions, and have fewer opportunities to convert academic resources into successful outcomes. In response to these structural constraints, the study investigates undergraduate student experiences of pedagogical and institutional arrangements at a historically advantaged South African university. The study is guided by the following research question: Given the structural inequalities within universities, how could pedagogical and institutional arrangements enable first-generation students to convert available resources into the capability for equal participation? The research problem is informed by the assumption that having access to higher education does not mean that individuals have the freedom to participate in an equitable way, or to achieve the same outcomes. The research problem informed the design of four research questions: 1. How do structural conditions at school, in the family, and the community enable and constrain the conversion of resources into capabilities for equal participation? 2. How do pedagogical and institutional arrangements at university constrain the conversion of resources into capabilities for equal participation? 3. How do pedagogical and institutional arrangements at university enable the conversion of resources into capabilities for equal participation? 4. How could student experiences be used as evidence to inform the design of capability praxis for equal participation? The study is situated within a transformative paradigm, where qualitative methods are applied to track the experiences of eight undergraduate university students over a period of two years. I collected qualitative data using a number of narrative research tools, including in-depth interviews, focus groups and digital stories. Another aspect of data collection was involving students as co-researchers in the study, in order to draw on student voices to shed light on the complexities underlying unequal participation. The theoretical framework used to conduct the research integrated Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum’s capability approach with critical social theory. The capability approach is a multidimensional approach that I used to evaluate the comparative opportunities for participation available to the research participants. The capability approach offers an egalitarian evaluation of the individual consequences of inequality, while retaining a focus on the agency and resources that students bring to higher education. Based on this framework, I make the argument that unequal participation is a remediable injustice that can be partially addressed by creating enabling arrangements for capability development. The outcome of the data analysis is a capability-informed praxis, in which I propose and defend six capabilities as a pedagogical response to inequalities identified in the student data. These capabilities are listed below: 1. Practical reason 2. Critical literacies 3. Student research 4. Deliberative participation 5. Critical affiliation 6. Values for the public good The capability-informed praxis conceptualized equal participation on a spectrum where on the one end, equality is defined as access to the resources and opportunities needed to achieve valued outcomes aligned with student capabilities, agency and aspirations. On the other end of the spectrum, unequal participation refers to students who are vulnerable to drop out, face resource scarcity, and do not have sustained access to pedagogical or institutional arrangements that enable them to convert available resources into equal participation. I conclude the study with recommendations that could expand opportunities for equal participation for undergraduate students at the university.

Onverpoosde opvoedkundige, ekonomiese en maatskaplike ongelykhede in Suid-Afrika bestendig ongelyke toegang en deelname vir ’n beduidende aantal universiteitstudente. In besonder word ’n groot aantal eerste-generasie, werkersklas en swart studente wisselvallig geposisioneer binne instellings en het minder geleenthede om akademiese hulpbronne te omskep in suksesvolle uitkomste. In reaksie tot hierdie strukturele beperkings, ondersoek die studie voorgraadse studente se ervaring van pedagogiese en institusionele bedeling by ’n voorheen historiese begunstigde Suid-Afrikaanse universiteit. Die studie se sentrale navorsingsvraag kan soos volg gestel word: Gegewe die strukturele ongelykhede binne universiteite, hoe kan pedagogiese en institusionele bedeling eerste-generasie studente in staat stel om beskikbare hulpbronne te omskep in die bekwaamhede tot gelyke deelname? Die navorsingsprobleem word geïnformeer deur die aanname dat toegang tot hoër onderwys nie beteken dat individu die vryheid het om op ’n gelyke wyse deel te neem en in dieselfde uitkomste te voldoen nie. Die navorsingsprobleem het die daarstelling van vier navorsingsvrae meegebring: 1. Hoe het strukturele toestande op skool, in die familie en binne die gemeenskap die omskakeling van hulpbronne bewerkstellig of teengewerk in die bekwaamhede tot gelyke deelname? 2. Hoe weerhou die universiteit se pedagogiese en institusionele bedeling die omskakeling van hulpbronne in die bekwaamhede tot gelyke deelname? 3. Hoe stel die pedagogiese en institusionele bedeling op universiteit die student in staat om hulpbronne om te skakel in die bekwaamhede tot gelyke deelname? 4. Hoe kan die studente se ervarings gebruik word as getuienis tot die ontwikkeling van bekwaamhede toepassing vir gelyke deelname? Die studie is vervat binne ’n transformerende paradigma, waar kwalitatiewe metodes toegepas word om die ervarings van agt voorgraadse universiteitstudente oor ’n tydperk van drie jaar te volg. Ek het kwalitatiewe data versamel deur gebruik te maak van verskeie narratiewe navorsingsmetodes, insluitend omvattende onderhoude, fokusgroepe en digitale stories. ’n Verdere aspek van my dataversameling was om die studente as medenavorsers te ken in die studie, en daardeur die studente se stemme toe te laat om meer lig te werp op die kompleksiteit van onderliggende ongelyke deelname. Die teoretiese raamwerk waaruit die navorsing onderneem is integreer Amartya Sen en Martha Nussbaum se ‘bekwaamheidsbenadering’ [‘capability approach’] met kritiese sosiale teorie. Die ‘capability approach’ is ’n multi-dimensionele analitiese benadering wat ek gebruik om die fokus vanaf meetbare akademiese uitkomste te verskuif na die vergelykbare geleenthede wat beskikbaar is aan die navorsing se deelnemers. Hierdie teoretiese benadering bied ’n egalitariese evaluering van die individuele gevolge van ongelykheid, maar terselfdertyd behou dit ’n fokus op die agentskap en hulpbronne wat studente bring na hoër onderwys. Gebaseer op die raamwerk, argumenteer ek dat ongelyke deelname ’n herstelbare onreg is wat deels aangespreek kan word deur die gelykmatige verdeling van hulpbronne en die daarstelling van bekwaamhede ontwikkeling. Die uitkomste van die data-analise is ’n bekwaamheidgedrewe toepassing, waarin ek ses voorstel en verdedig as ’n pedagogiese reaksie tot ongelykhede soos uitgewys in die navorsingsdata. Die ses bekwaamhede is as volg: 1. Praktiese rede 2. Kritiese geletterdheid 3. Studente navorsing 4. Beraadslagende deelname 5. Kritiese affiliasie 6. Waardes vir openbare welwillendheid Die bekwaamhede benaderende praktyk konseptualiseer gelyke deelname op ’n spektrum waar aan die eenkant, gelykheid definieer word as toegang tot die hulpbronne en geleenthede om prysenswaardige uitkomste te behaal in lyn met studente se bekwaamhede, agentskap en strewes. Aan die anderkant van die spektrum, verwys ongelyke deelname na studente wie kwesbaar is om op te skop, die skaarsheid van hulpbronne in die gesig staar en wie nie volhoubare toegang tot pedagogiese of institusionele bedeling het nie, wat hulle in staat sou stel om beskikbare hulpbronne om te skakel in gelyke deelname. Ten slotte maak ek aanbevelings rakende die geleenthede vir voorgraadse universiteitstudente wat gelyke deelname kan meebring.
Thesis (Ph.D. (Higher Education Studies))--University of the Free State, 2015
Keywords: Higher education; Equal participation; Human development; Capability approach; Social justice; Critical pedagogy; Qualitative methodology; Well being; College students -- Psychology