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Título: Fruits of democratic education transformation in a South African university in 1998 : perspectives of administrators, teachers, and students in the School of Education : University of Cape Town
Autores: Taylor, Philip J.
Fecha: 2002
Publicador: McGill University - MCGILL
Fuente:
Tipo: Electronic Thesis or Dissertation
Tema: Educational change -- South Africa -- Cape Town
University of Cape Town. School of Education
Descripción: This is a study of educational change that was carried out at the School of Education (SOE) of the University of Cape Town's (UCT) in July 1998. It is about institutional and human transformation in South African higher education in 1998. The context of this inquiry is situated in South African society and polity from the start of the Apartheid era in the late nineteenth century colonization by the Britain, through the 1948 period of minority Afrikaner nationalist government, and to the time of the historic democratic election in 1994. It deals with postapartheid policies aimed at eliminating apartheid in all areas of society and education. The thesis examines new educational policies and practices that resulted from postapartheid transformational initiatives that addressed past inequities and injustices committed against the African and black majority population.
South African universities were charged with the responsibility of increasing access to formerly excluded students and staff, in circumstances of declining economic fortunes. My central research question was concerned with the changes that had been brought about in the educational system to enable the process of transformation to come about. More specifically, I inquired whether changes had occurred at UCT and if they did, to what extent could they be indicative of a transition from apartheid to a democratic ideal. The research targets the respondents' (students, teachers, administrators) views of transformational experiences, whether positive or negative. The research adopts a case study approach to gain insights into transformation in South African universities' reform process.
UCT was chosen as the focus of this study because as the country's first university established in 1829, it has distinguished itself in many fields and yet has remained largely a historically all white university, up to 1994. The University was also the first to be led by an African female academic leader, the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, to transformation. This study found that the University had been greatly transformed at an intellectual and administrative level. Notably, access for disadvantaged South African students has been improved; teaching and learning encouraged critical thinking and participation, and administrators demonstrated dedication to democratic change. However, the study also reveals that there is still a gap between the expectations of a top-notch research university and preparation of students; financial restraints still limit students' learning opportunities. Race, gender, and class issues still constrain efforts to fully democratise the University. Also, the constructs and content of knowledge require changes that reflect a democratic ethos.
The significance of this study lies in its attempts to form a part of the growing body of research concerned with conflict resolution, peace, and the maintenance of stability in South Africa and indirectly, in the world. This study furthermore exposes a view of what open education means within the South African context.
In highlighting the example of UCT's SOE, the most outstanding feature of this work is that it formulates questions about the actual nature and process of educational, pedagogical, and administrative transformation taking place in contemporary South African universities.
Idioma: en