Epistemicaccessforuniversitystudentsfromdisadvantaged(mainlyrural)backgrounds:

SouthAfrica’sMirathoProject

Ann-MarieBathmaker(UnivofBirmingham)andMonicaMcLean(UnivofNottingham)

December2017/January2018

InclusivehighereducationlearningoutcomesforruralandtownshipyouthinSouthAfrica:developingamulti-dimensionalcapabilities-basedHigherEducationIndex

• Researchteam:MelanieWalker(UFS)PI;MerridyWilson-Strydom(UFS);Ann-MarieBathmaker(Birmingham);MonicaMcLean(Nottingham)allCIs;MikatekoHoeppener(UFS)seniorresearcher.

• PartnershipwithThusananiFoundation(youth-ledNGO)• Consultants:AlbertaSpreaWicoandEnricaChiappero-Martinetti(UniversityofPavia)andCharlesShepperd(NMU)

• Funding:ESRC-DfID(ES/NO0094/1)withNRF(86540).• Whythe‘Miratho’project?(www.miratho.com).

ProjectOverview•  Four-yearproject(2016-2020)(ESRC-DFiDandNRFfunded)•  CapabilitiesApproachframework:‘Ultimately,thefocushastobeonwhatlifeweleadandwhatwecanorcannotdo,canorcannotbe’(Sen,1999)

•  Focusonaccess,participationandoutcomesforruraland(some)townshipyouth–5universities-City(comprehensive),Country(HDI),Metropolitan(elite),Provincial(mid-rankingtraditional),Rural(HDI)

• Multi-method,longitudinalstudy:65lifehistories(over4years);statisticalanalysis;studentengagementsurvey;participatoryphotovoiceproject.

•  Constructionofan‘Inclusivecapabilities-basedHElearningoutcomesIndex’foroneuniversity’(thecapabilitiesforasuccessfuluniversityeducation)

AStatisticalPicture•  South Africa is a highly unequal society. •  Participation of 18-24 years at 23 public universities is 18. 4% overall.

Proportion of 18-24 from different backgrounds: Coloured (14.2%), Black African (15.4%), Indian/Asian (48.9%) and white (53.1%).

•  ‘Against the odds’: 37.1% of the population in rural areas (suffering multiple deprivations) but under 15% of a given cohort of undergraduate university students come from rural backgrounds.

• Completion rates: by Y3 by Y6 by Y10 Black African 9.3% 34.7% 41% White 29% 59% 65%

• Higher education seen both as reproducing inequalities and as disrupting them if they can complete (graduate unemployment is 4.2 %, youth unemployment 68%).

Twocentralcapabilities

• ThecapabilityforsufWicientandsecureWinancialresources• Thecapabilityforepistemiccontribution(beinga‘knower’)

ThecapabilityforsufGicientandsecureGinancialresources • Our data is showing that the capability for financial (material)

resources is neither sufficient nor secure. • Too few and insecure resources persistently affects learning

capabilities, even though learning cannot be reduced only to material capabilities.

• Lotter (2011, 23): ‘To describe someone as poor is the result of normative judgment that a specific human being has inadequate resources available to live a life that conforms to minimum standards a group of humans have implicitly agreed upon as minimally adequate for themselves’. Their situation is unacceptable (for example as an HE student)

Povertyindexandcategorisation•  Absolutepovertyor‘extremepoverty’theinabilitytoachieveandsustainbiologicalwholeness,i.e.,health,duetolackofeconomiccapacities.Declinemaybegradualandthushardtospot.InSouthAfrica:livingonlessthanR441pm(5students)

•  Intermediatepoverty‘Althoughpeoplehaveadequateeconomiccapacitiesto[…]maintaintheirphysicalhealth,theycannotparticipateinactivitiesregardedasindicativeofbeinghumaninthatsociety….PeoplewhoareintermediatelypoorareexcludedfromlivinglivesexpressingtheirhumanityinsociallydeWinedways’(Lotter2011,pp.161–162).LivingonmorethanR991pm(53students)

•  EmergingmiddleclassThosestudentswhoarebetteroff.Theiremergingmiddle-classnessislikelytoberelativelyrecent,andholdonmiddle-classnessislikelytobetenuous(Burgeratal).(7students)

Thecapabilityforepistemiccontribution•  MirandaFricker(2015):Peoplehavearighttocontributeonanequalbasistothesharedstockofsociety’smeanings,ideas,arguments.

•  Thecapabilityforepistemiccontributionistohavethefreedomandthecapacitytochoosetomakeacontributionasknower,enquirerandtellerinsociety.

•  Equalityofaccesstouniversityknowledgeor‘epistemologicalaccess’isaconditionfordevelopingthiscapabililty.

•  Therefore,comingtounderstandspeciWicbodiesofknowledgeatuniversityhasaspecialroleinexpandingwhatpeoplevaluebeinganddoing-knownastheirachievedfunctionings(McLeanetal,2017).

•  InFricker’sview,thecapabilityforepistemiccontributionisafundamentalrightwhichcanbedeniedintwoways:bywayofdistributiveinjusticewhenpeopledonothaveaccesstoepistemicgoods,suchaseducation;and,discriminatoryinjusticewherebypeople’sknowledgeisnottakenascredibleorisnotunderstood.

•  Ourempiricalaimistoexploreepistemicaccess,thatis,whatenablesorhindersstudentstoengagewithuniversitybodiesofknowledgeandthereforetogainthefreedomtochoosetomakeepistemiccontributionstosociety.

Methodology

• Firstroundinterviewswith64second-yearstudents.• Codesforinitialanalysis:teaching;hardwork;Wittingin;inWluential/aspirationalothers;ontology;language;futureaspirationsandtechnology.

• 64synopsesproduced,1foreachinterviewee• Firstanalysis:Biographicalandsocio-economicfactors;agentspositioningthemselvesforepistemicaccess;evidenceofepistemicaccess;struggle&failure/success;perceptionsofqualityofteaching

•  Selectionoffour‘epistemicaccess’studentcasesforthispaper.Herewefocusononeoftheseparticipants

Sonto

• BAordinarydegreeinPoli/csatCityUniversity(acomprehensiveuniversity–thesewereformedin2002throughthemergerofatechnikonandauniversity)

•  20yearsold,female• Borninaruralarea,movedtoatownshipattheageof8withbrotherandmother

•  Liveswithmother,stepfatherandbrotherinthetownship.CityUniversityiswithincommu/ngdistance(buttakesalotof/me)

Family,Schooling,Community

• Familieswithalmostnoformaleducation;communitiesinwhichno-onehasbeentouniversity,manyormostareunemployedandthereislittlechanceofescapingpoverty;poorquality,severelyunder-resourcedschooleducation,whichisalegacyofapartheid.

• Aconversiontrilogyoffamily,schoolandcommunitycanstructureexpectationencouragingtheacademiceffortnecessaryforpassingonvarietyofinformationnecessarytoapplyforuniversityandgainingaccess

•  InWluentialpeoplefromthetrilogysupportstudentstobelievetheyhavetherighttoandcapacityforauniversityeducation(epistemicaccess)

Conversion trilogy: Sonto’s family

• Motherworksforafeedingscheme.ShehasalwaysencouragedSonto’seduca/on

•  StepfathercallsCityUniversitya‘fake’university• Biologicalfather,whohaddiscouragedher,isnowproud.

Conversion trilogy: Sonto’s schooling

•  AKendedatownshipsecondaryschoolunder-resourced:nocomputerorbookaccessClasssizesofover50

•  Teachersdiscouragedstudentsfromgoingtouniversity,andonly5fromherclassprogressedtoHE

•  ButSontosaysEnglishteacherwasintelligentandopen-mindedandtaughtherthat‘therewasnoonerightanswer’.

• Matricgrades*:English(65);mathsliteracy(havingdroppedpuremaths)(78);isiZulu(90);accoun/ng(42);economics(60);business(70);lifeorienta/on(80);commerce(?).

*Matricisthefinalexamina/onattheendofuppersecondaryschool,andistheexamina/onthatdeterminesuniversityentrance

Conversion trilogy: Sonto’s community

•  ThetownshipSontolivesinis‘rough’andunsafe,highcrimerate,includingrape,aboutwhichpolicedoliKle.

• Communitybeginningtohelpitself:AtweekendsSontocollectsdona/onsforfamiliestohavefuneralsandclearsrubbish.

•  Sontohasle]thechurchbecauseshedisagreeswithministerspreachingthat‘sufferingisthenorm’andbecausetheyarejudgemental.

Students’ExperienceofPovertyatUniversityThecapabilityforsufWicientandsecureWinancialresources• 73%ofthe64studentsthatwehavecategorisedasexperiencing‘intermediatepoverty’areunable-tohaveabedtothemselves;tohaveenoughtoeateveryday;tobuyadequatetoiletriesorclothing;tobuyalaptoporbooks;topaytheiraccommodation,travel,registrationandfeesregularly.

• Precarity:studentsusuallyhavesomeformofloantosupporttheirstudies,butitsarrivalisextremelyuncertain.Theymighthavetosuspendstudiesatanytimeorvacateaccommodationuntiltheypayfeesandregistrationcharges.

• Theirdebtsaregrowing.

Poverty at university: Sonto’s experience

•  TheThusananiFounda/onisfundingSonto’sfees(R35,000pa)Shehasnoothersourceofmoney

•  ShelivesathomeIttakesupto4hourstotraveltoandbackfromcampustohomeonbuses,forwhichshecanwait3hours.Sheo]enwalks.

•  Shehasn’tgotheroverallmarkfromlastyearbecauseherfeeswerenotpaid(marksarenotreleasedbytheuniversityifyouareindebt)

Studentsasagentspositionedforepistemicaccess

• Narrativeofselfaspersistent,determined,resilient,goal-driven,aspirationaltoensuresuccessinforgingbetter,‘brighter’futuresandmaketheirfamiliesandcommunitiesproud.

• Hard-working.• Desiretobroadenhorizonsandtoengagewithdisciplinaryknowledge.• Butalsonarrativesofstruggleandfailure.•  (Perceptionsofpedagogicquality:qualityofexplanation;accesstotechnologyandbooks;knowinghowtoimprove;relationshipswithtutors.)

Forging a be=er, brighter future: Sonto

Educa/onmeansalot,man.Ifitwasn’tforthis,andpeoplefoughtforthiseduca/onandtheydiedforit,so[…]itmightbeseenasaprivilegebuteduca/onisarightandeveryonemustbeexposedtothiseduca/on.Everyonemustbe,youknow,given,andmustbeencouragedtobeeducated,becauseIwaslookingatthestructurenowandthisareawe’relivingin,educa/oniseverything,withouteduca/onyou’renotgoingtogoanywhere.

Students as agents: Sonto Narra$veofselfasdetermined,resilient,goal-driven,aspira$onaltoensuresuccessinforgingbe8er,‘brighter’futuresWhenshearrivedatCity,Sontowas‘overwhelmed’withhappiness,andcon/nuestofeelextremelyfortunate:‘I’mvery,veryluckytobeinthissitua/onrightnow,becausenotmanyofuscouldmakeit’.ShesaysshebelongsatCitybecauseshehasasmuch‘right’tobeatuniversityasanyone-looksandpossessionsdon’tmaKer,everyoneispursuing‘academicexcellence’.

Evidence of Epistemic Access: Desire to engage with knowledge - Sonto

Ithinkit’simportantthattheynotonlyteachstudentshowtocrambutalsoteachstudentshowtothink,howtocomeupwithyourownideas,tellyouwhatyourviewisaboutthis,notjust,what,accordingtowho,who,who,who,who.

Evidence of Epistemic Access: Discipline-specific engagement - Sonto Lessevidenceofthisinfirstroundinterviews,buttherearesomeexamplessuchashere:Ilovesociologybecause[…]sociologyisthestudyofindividualsandhowtheyinteractwiththesocietyorthecommuni/esandviceversa,andpersonallyIthinkthatoursocietyorcommunityhasalargeimpactonwhoweturnouttobeattheendbecausehadIgrownupinXXI'dbedifferentfromwhoIamrightnowcomparedto,youknow,thepersonthatIam,so,yes,Ithink...SoIlovesociologyverymuch,ithasexposedmetolotofthings,I’mstar/ngtoques/onwhyiswhatlikethis,whydoyouhavecertainthingsand,yes,Ilovesociology.

Struggles and success/failures with studying: Sonto

Ø  6½hourscontact/meØ  Alotofself-study:betweenclassesandfrom22.00to1.00inthe

morningathomeØ  Difficulttounderstandwhitelecturers’accentsØ  Goesfor‘consulta/ons’(lecturers’officehours),butlecturersareo]en

nottheredespite‘officehours’.Shehasnorela/onshipwiththem.Ø  struggleswithtyping10-pageassignmentsbecauseshedoesn’thavea

computerØ  getsnofeedbackonwork,soshedoesn’tknowhowtoimprove.Ø  Nevertheless,nevergetsmarksbelow70%inclasstestsandfor

individualmoduleexams.

Concluding observaHons ThethreadsinSonto’snarra/vearerepeatedacrossthepar/cipantsintheproject:Ø  StudentssuchasSontodonothavethecapabilityof‘sufficiencyofeconomic

resources’,andruntherisksofdropoutanddebtaccumula/on.Ø  Nevertheless,asinthecasestudyoutlinedhere,theyarehighlydedicatedto

gainingepistemicaccesswhichisstronglyrelatedtotheirimaginingsaboutabeKerlifeforthemselvesandothers.

Ø  Hardworkandresiliencearenecessarybutnotsufficient.Ø  Pedagogicalframings/arrangementscanguidethedirec/onofeffortandopen

upepistemicaccess.Ø  Asconversionfactors,thearrangementsforcurriculumandpedagogydonot

sufficientlyoro]enenoughmobiliseandharnessthestudents’will,passionandhardworkinwayswhichsecureepistemicaccessandthecapabilityforepistemiccontribu/on.

Ø  Thisisnotdistribu/vejus/ce.Itisdistribu/veinjus&ce.

Ann-MarieBathmaker:a.m.bathmaker@bham.ac.ukMonicaMcLean:Monica.McLean@notngham.ac.uk

Furtherexamplesfromour4casestudies

Conversion trilogy: family

DUMASANI(CityUniversityBALanguagePrac/ce)Sincehisfatherhadastrokeandcouldnolongerwork,incomeinthehouseisverythin.Hisolderbrothershelpwheretheycanbuttheytoohavefamiliestosupport.Nevertheless,hisfatherhasalwaysbeendeterminedtosupporthiseduca/on:“Icanwearshoes,myfatherstayedalmostfiveyearswithouthavingpropershoesasali?leboy.IfIsaid,Idon’thaveaschoolshirt,eventhoughhewasearningli?le,hewouldmakesurethatIgetaschoolshirt,hemakessurethatIamlikeeachandeveryotherkidinschool.”

Conversion trilogy: schooling DUMISANI:Thesecondaryschoolwaspoorbeforehestartedthere:“therewerealotofotherpeopleandtheyweredoinglike,allthatstufflikevandalisingtheschool,beingdisrespecvulandeverything.So,theschoolwasknownforitsmisbehavingandeverything.”Thenewheadteacherturneditaround:“Theteacherwasinterac/vebetweenthemandourparentsandeverythinginordertomaketheschoolright,heinvolvedthepolice,justtokeepoutthosethingsbecausepeopleusedtocarryweaponstoschool.”OLWETHU(BScBiologicalSciences):Classsizesathighschoolwere90+.Theprincipalwasextremelysuppor/veandencouraging,buttherewasanunequippedsciencelabandnocomputers(hefirstusedamicroscopeatuniversity).Theprincipaldidnotallowextra-muralac/vi/essothatstudentscouldconcentrateonacademicwork.

Conversion trilogy: agency and school teachers OLWETHU:Inhisvillage,mostboysaspiredtobepolicemenorsoldiers.ButwhenOlwethuwas14,hismothergotasmartphone.Heplayedwithitandfoundtheinternetbychanceandbecame‘obsessed’withfamouspeople’slives,discoveringthat‘educa/onisjustthebaseofeverything’.Hispassionforscienceledhimtoques/onanunclewhowasastaffnurseabouthealth-relatedscience(pathogensandbloodtypes)andfoundthathisuncledidn’tknow.Hedecidedthatbecauseheis‘verycurious’hemustgotouniversity,althoughhisfamilydiscouragedhimbecausetheythoughtitwouldbetoodifficult.So,hetoldhisteachersandhisprincipalgavehimextramoredifficultmathema/cstopreparehim,Olwethulikedandwastopatmathema/csandsciences,forwhichhegotdis/nc/onsinMatric.

Poverty at university

LWAZI:Un/lheturned18,livingcostswerecoveredbymoneythatpaidoutfromhisfather’slifeinsurancepolicy(fatherwasateacher;motherwasunemployed).However,themoneyhassincerunout.Whenhegottothepointofapplyingforuniversity,twoofLwazi’steachersofferedtohelphimraisefundstoenteruniversity;familymembersalsopitchedin.Themoneyraisedwasenoughtocoverregistra/onfees.Hehadnoideawheretui/onfeeswouldcomefrom,hisguardiansaidheshouldjustfocusonwhathecando:‘juststudy’.

Evidence of Epistemic Access: Desire to engage with knowledge and determinaHon to succeed DUMASANI:loveoflearningfromanearlyageaspartof‘howthingswere’inhisfamily:“mybrotherswereinschoolalreadysothatmademetobecurious.Whentheywerespeakingbetweenthemselves,I’dgetcuriousandaskquesCons,whenweusedtodohomeworkinoneplacewithourneighbours,that’swhenwetriedtoengage,writethings,trytoraphereandthere.So,theloveforlearning….”“mystartwasn’tlikethebestofthemallbutI’mnotonetogiveupwithmystart,myfinishshouldbethestrongestoneyet,tocome.[…]AndwhenI’mrolling,everybodyknows,whenI’mrollingI’mlikeatumblingrockfromamountain,IgainmomentumasIgo.”

Evidence of Epistemic Access: Discipline-specific engagement DUMASANI“webasicallyanalyseeverything,whenwe’resayingthisislanguageinpower,we’redisplayingitasthisandthatifsomebodyisshouCngatyou,doingthisandthat,that’showtheyuselanguagetoshowpowerinpoliCcs,referencingtoeverythingthatweknoworhaveseeninourdailylives,soitwasn’tmoretechnicalbutitwasmoreofananalysisandananalogyofanideaandhowthatidearepresentsacertainenCtythatwefindinourclasses.”