A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand
in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in
Education / The recognition of prior learning (RPL) is framed in the discourse of equity and
redress. It is tasked with transforming education and training and bringing about
opportunities of access to those whose educational paths were disrupted by
apartheid. While policy in higher education has a vision, conditions on the ground
remain unexamined, bringing to the fore complex challenges which relate to prior
knowledge on the one hand and its capacity to compete with academic ways of
knowing on the other, begging the question: Can RPL deliver on espoused goals
of equity, access and redress?
This research utilises critical education theory and qualitative research to enquire
into participants', recipients' and implementers' perceptions of RPL programmes.
In particular the research probed the epistemological and philosophical framings
of such programmes, participants' perceptions of the capacity of RPL to deliver
equity and redress in education and their ideas for changes and improvements to
future RPL programmes and practices.
The predominant research method consisted of in-depth interviews with 37
respondents in five RPL projects within four institutions of higher education in
South Africa, 14 of whom were academics who implemented RPL, and 23 of
whom were RPL students who were the recipients of RPL. In addition, scholarly
articles and reports written by the academics as well as RL portfolios, compiled by
the students were used as source material. The research results are reported as
institutional case studies reflecting the initial responses to RPL in higher
education and the ideas, beliefs and perceptions that animate them. The case
studies provide a picture of the institutional environment in which RPL operates,
and highlight the different levers that are shaping and influencing the practice of
RPL in South Africa.
The research results show that RPL in practice raises personal questions for those
who implement it and for those who receive it - questions about themselves as
raced, gendered and classed actors. Different academics have responded to these
personal questions in varied ways resulting in contending versions of RPL
propelled by different epistemological orientations. On another level the research
results show that RPL in practice requires institutional support from senior
managers in particular, that such support needs to be driven by an institutional
vision and an institutional champion. In the institutions in this study these
variables were largely absent. Equity and redress on their own have not been the
levers for the implementation of RPL in higher education in South Africa.
Keywords: Access; Assessment of Prior Experiential Learning; Equity;
Higher Education; Recognition of Prior Learning; South Africa / AC 2018
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/23937 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | Osman, Ruksana |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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