Thesis (MPhil (Sociology and Social Anthropology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Amidst debates over the transformation of South African (SA) Higher Education
(HE), the core institutional function of community engagement is a possible means of
bolstering the developmental role of HE in relation to community needs. The potential
for community engagement, and more specifically service-learning, to contribute to
community development is yet to be fully explored in the SA context.
Broad policy mandates such as the Reconstruction and Development Programme
(GNU, 1994) and the White Paper on Transformation of Higher Education (DoE,
1997) have created a policy environment supportive of community engagement as an
institutional function of HE advancing the state’s developmental agenda. In the course
of the national reorganization of the HE system, the Joint Education Trust (JET) /
Community-Higher Education- Service Partnerships (CHESP) initiative undertook
feasibility studies of community engagement in SA HE and consulted widely around
community engagement. The main outcome has been service-learning’s promotion as
an endorsed means of knowledge-based community engagement. Concerted efforts to
build the institutional capacities for service-learning nationwide have since been
conducted and service-learning is now an increasingly prominent means of
community engagement in HE.
The conceptual origins of service-learning suggest that mutual student and community
benefits are achieved in the course of service-learning programmes, with significant
research substantiating student learning outcomes. However, there is limited research
available on community outcomes and a lack of empirical evidence on how the
community is engaged in service-learning. Conceptualizations of service-learning
partnerships in SA yield the introduction of a third party, the partner organization as
the host of the service-learning modules in addition to the university and the
community.
The Triad Partnership Model applied at Stellenbosch University (SU) provides an
opportunity to explore the experience of the third party, the partner organization, in
what is conceptualized as a dyadic relationship between student and community. As a
former student, representative of a partner organization and co-facilitator in a servicelearning
module, the author explores the experiences of representatives of partner
organizations of service-learning in HE.
This dissertation presents the experiences of ten site-supervisors from nine partnering
organizations of Stellenbosch University as evidence of some of the developmental
outcomes of two service-learning modules. The study discusses the various stages in
the process of partnership as it pertains to outcomes experienced by the sitesupervisors
of the partner organizations. These experiences help clarify the
developmental implications of the Triad Partnership Model for the partner
organizations of the two service-learning modules studied. The dissertation concludes
by making recommendations for future areas of study and makes some considerations
for prospective service-learning modules at SU. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die kern institusionele funksie van gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid is te midde van die
debate oor die transformasie van Suid-Afrikaanse (SA) Hoër Onderwys (HO), ‘n
moontlike wyse om die ontwikkelingsrol van HO in verhouding tot
gemeenskapsbehoeftes te bevorder. Die potensiaal van gemeenskapsontwikkeling, en
meer spesifiek diensleer se bydrae tot gemeenskaps-ontwikkeling, is nog nie
voldoende in die SA konteks ondersoek nie.
As breë beleidsmandate het die Heropbou en Ontwikkelingsprogram (GNU, 1994) en
die Witskrif oor die Transformasie van Hoër Onderwys (DoE, 1997) ‘n
beleidsomgewing geskep wat ondersteunend is vir gemeenskapsinteraksie as ‘n
institusionele dryfkrag van HO om die Staat se ontwikkelingsagenda te bevorder. Ten
tye van die nasionale herorganisering van die HO stelsel het die Joint Education Trust
(JET) / Community-Higher Education- Service Partnerships (CHESP) inisiatief
volhoubaarheidstudies van gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid in SA HO gedoen en ook
gekonsulteer oor verskeie aspekte rondom gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid in die breë. Die
belangrikste uitkoms hiervan was die bevordering van diensleer as ‘n legitieme wyse
van kennisgebaseerde gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid. Doelbewuse pogings is onderneem
om die institusionele kapasiteit vir diensleer op nasionale vlak uit te bou, wat vandag
‘n toenemende prominente wyse van gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid in HO is.
Die konsepsuele oorsprong van diensleer veronderstel dat gemeenskaplike student- en
gemeenskapsvoordele deur die verloop van diensleermodules bereik word. Alhoewel
daar heelwat navorsing gedoen is wat fokus op leeruitkomste vir studente, is daar
weining navorsing beskikbaar oor gemeenskapsuitkomste, sowel as ‘n tekort aan
empiriese bewyse van hoe die gemeenskap betrokke is by diensleer.
Konsepsualisering van diensleer vennootskappe in SA sluit ‘n derde party in, die
vennootskap-organisasie waar die diensleermodule gehuisves word, bykomend dus tot
die universiteit en gemeenskap.
Die Triad Vennootskap Model wat by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch (US) toegepas
word, bied die geleentheid om ondersoek in te stel na die ervaring van ‘n derde party,
die vennootskap-organisasie, oor wat gekonseptualiseer word as ‘n diadiese
verhouding tussen student en gemeenskap. As ‘n vorige student, verteenwoordiger
van ‘n vennootskap-organisasie en mede-fasiliteerder in ‘n diensleermodule, stel die
outeur ondersoek in na die ervarings van verteenwoordigers van vennootskaporganisasies
van diensleer in HO.
Hierdie verhandeling stel die ervarings van tien supervisors van nege vennootskaporganisasies
van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch voor, as bewys van sommige van
die potensiële uitkomste van twee diensleer modules. Die ondersoeker bespreek die
fases van die proses van vennootskap-vorming soos wat dit verband hou met
uitkomste wat supervisors ervaar het. Hierdie ervarings help om die ontwikkeling
implikasies van die Triad Vennootskap Model vir die deelnemer-organisasies van die
twee diensleermodules wat bestudeer is, te verhelder. Die verhandeling word afgesluit
deur aanbevelings te maak vir toekomstige studie-areas en oorweging te skenk vir
toekomstige diensleermodules by die US.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/4242 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Leslie, Mike (M. C.) |
| Contributors | Du Plessis, Jacob M. J., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 129 p. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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