This thesis contributes to our knowledge on the emergence of environmental entrepreneurs. The study is guided by the research question, “how do UK environmental entrepreneurs start to form their distinctive environmental entrepreneurial thinking” and analyses the development of the environmental entrepreneurial mindset in the UK, through a theory of practice perspective. Based on a three-stage data collection process (preliminary focus group, semi-structured interviews and life stories), the study (1) conceptualises the construction of the environmental entrepreneurial mindset, (2) investigates the experiences of constraints for practice and (3) analyses differences in habitus and constraints on the basis of the sampling dimensions, type (social environmental and commercial) and gender (male and female). The study was undertaken under a social constructivist perspective and follows the naturalistic paradigm (Guba, 1978). The rigour (or trustworthiness) of the qualitative approach has been established according to perspectives by Mason (2001) and Guba and Lincoln (1985). The empirical basis of the study is comprised of a three stage design of discursive interviews, involving overlapping collective (focus group) and individual (life stories, in-depth interviews) data collection techniques, with a partly gathering structure (through semi-structured questions). A preliminary focus group identified key themes relevant to the study’s objectives and the concepts of the theory of practice (field, capital, and habitus). Three life stories refined the themes and analysed them within the context of entrepreneurs’ lives. The two stages enabled the development of questions targeting themes for the in-depth interviews and the cross case content analysis. For sampling purposes, the Maximum Variation Sampling (MVS) strategy was employed, which enabled identification and analysis of common and divergent themes (Miller & Crabtree, 1999) and by over-coming the limitations of the sample size, it provided a conditional representativeness. The findings show that environmental entrepreneurs accumulate divergent forms of cultural, social and economic capital, which shapes their entrepreneurial and environmental mindsets, triggering the creation of a disposition (habitus) towards setting up an environmental enterprise. Studying the formation of the environmental entrepreneurial mindset addresses a relevant knowledge gap and offers theoretical and methodological contributions. It also confers implications for practice, with a particular reference to entrepreneurial education and policymaking.

Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa / This research aimed at investigating the challenges white teachers face in the socialisation of diverse learners in a former Model C school in the northern suburbs of Cape Town. The research involved a literature review conceptualising democracy, human rights, diversity, equality and socialisation, in addition to the concepts of white fragility and the theoretical perspective of Bourdieu’s ‘habitus’. The empirical investigation consisted of interviews to gather data. The findings revealed the perspectives of the teachers and their understanding of the socialisation of diverse learners in a democracy. Based on these findings, recommendations were made for the school and the Department of Basic Education to develop a system to incorporate in schools, in order to enhance socialisation and the transformation of former Model C schools. As the title states, this study was focused on the challenges white teachers experience relating to the transition to democracy. The context of a former Model C school is a complex scenario, where the values and norms of a dominant culture have formed, and continue to form, a critical part of the school climate and culture. The research findings revealed that since the transformation process started in 1994, ‘ex-Model C’ schools have assumed different characteristics and encountered challenges depending on their demographical location. Teachers need to address both social and educational aims, especially as the findings suggest that the schools, and particularly the teachers, are unclear about how diversity contributes to norms and values. This reflects in the tendency to remain focused on a dominant white culture, with which the teachers identify as ‘normal’. / Hierdie navorsing het ten doel gehad om die uitdagings wat wit onderwysers ten opsigte van die sosialisering van diverse leerders in ʼn gewese model C-skool in die noordelike voorstede van Kaapstad trotseer, te ondersoek. Die navorsing het ʼn literatuuroorsig behels waarvolgens demokrasie, menseregte, diversiteit, gelykheid en sosialisering gekonseptualiseer word, benewens die konsepte van wit broosheid en die teoretiese perspektief van Bourdieu se “habitus”. Die empiriese ondersoek het bestaan uit onderhoude om data in te samel. Die bevindinge het onderwysers se perspektiewe en hul begrip van die sosialisering van diverse leerders in ʼn demokrasie onthul. Op grond van hierdie bevindinge is aanbevelings gedoen vir die skool en die Departement van Basiese Onderwys rakende die ontwikkeling van ʼn stelsel om in skole te inkorporeer ten einde sosialisering en die transformasie van gewese model C-skole te bevorder. Soos wat die titel aandui, het hierdie studie gefokus op die uitdagings wat wit onderwysers ervaar ten opsigte van die oorgang na demokrasie. Die konteks van ʼn gewese model C-skool is ʼn komplekse scenario, waar die waardes en norme van ʼn dominante kultuur ʼn noodsaaklike deel van die skoolklimaat en -kultuur gevorm het (en dit is steeds die geval). Die navorsingsbevindinge het getoon dat sedert die transformasieproses in 1994 begin het, “eks-model C”-skole verskillende eienskappe aangeneem het en uitdagings teëgekom het afhangende van hul demografiese ligging. Onderwysers moet sowel sosiale as opvoedingsdoelwitte bereik, veral aangesien die navorsingsresultate daarop dui dat daar onduidelikheid onder die skole, en veral die onderwysers, is oor hoe diversiteit bydra tot norme en waardes. Dit blyk uit die neiging om gefokus te bly op ʼn dominante wit kultuur waarmee die onderwysers identifiseer as “normaal”. / Olu phando lujolise ekuphandeni imingeni ejongene nootitshala abamhlophe ekuhlanganiseni ngokwezentlalo abafundi beentlanga ezahlukeneyo kwisikolo esasifudula siyiModel C kumahlomela edolophu asemantla esixeko saseKapa. Uphando lwenza uphononongo loluncwadi oluchaza ngedemokhrasi, amalungelo oluntu, ukungafani, ulingano noqheliso lwezentlalo, kwakunye nobuthathaka babamhlophe neenkalo zokucinga ngokwethiyori ka Bourdieu ekuthiwa yi’habitus’. Uphando olusekelwe kubungqina baquka iindliwano ndlebe ekuqikeleleni idatha. Okufunyanisiweyo kwadiza iimbono zootitshala nendlela abaluqonda ngayo uqheliso lwezentlalo lwabafundi abangafaniyo kwimeko yedemokhrasi. Okufunyanisiweyo kwakhokelela ekwenziweni kweengcebiso kwisikolo nakweSebe Lemfundo Esisiseko ukuba kuphuhliswe inkqubo yokubandakanya ezikolweni, ngenjongo yokukhulisa uqheliso lwezentlalo nenguqu yezikolo ezazifudula ziziModel C. Njengoko nesihloko sisitsho, esi sifundo sagxininisa kwimingeni ejongene nootitshala kwixesha lenguqu eya kwidemokhrasi. Imeko yesikolo esasifudula siyiModel C yimeko enzima, apho iinqobo zokucinga nezithethe zenkcubeko eyongameleyo zibumbe, kwaye zisaqhuba ukubumba inxalenye emandundu yesimo sentlalo nenkcubeko yesikolo. Okufunyaniswe kuphando kwadiza ukuba okoko kwaqala inkqubo yenguqu ngowe-1994, izikolo ezazifudula ziziiModel C zaba neempawu ezahlukileyo kwaye zajongana nemingeni ngokuxhomekeke kwiindawo ezimi kuzo. Ootitshala badinga ukuhlangabeza iinjongo zentlalo nemfundo, ngakumbi, ngokokutsho kophando, izikolo, ngakumbi ootitshala, bengacacelwanga kukuba ukungafani kuncedisa njani kwiinqobo zokucinga nezithethe. Oku kubonakala kumkhwa wokungagungqi kwinkcubeko yabamhlophe neyongameleyo, le ootitshala bayithatha ngokuba ‘yeyesiqhelo’. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Socio-Education)