In this study I explored depictions of diversity in the Curriculum Studies programme of the
BEdHons degree course at North-West University in South Africa. South Africa was and is still is
facing the challenge of inequalities such as getting access to higher education institutions that
were previously dominated by a white Christian Afrikaans-speaking group. The first democratic
election in South Africa in 1994 brought about structural changes in society. These structural
changes included the merging of tertiary education institutions such as colleges of education,
technikons and universities. In view of South Africa’s history of divisions and injustices such as
patriarchy, mono-religiosity and mono-ethnicism, it therefore seemed valuable to explore how
diversity is depicted in higher education institutions.
In 2012 a task team was set up by the dean of the Faculty of Education Sciences at the
Potchefstroom Campus of North-West University. This team investigated how diversity was
expressed in selected study guides of the undergraduate BEd degree programme offered at the
Potchefstroom Campus to contact mode students. This study identified the need to explore how
diversity is depicted at a postgraduate degree level.
The primary purpose of my research was to explore empirically the extent to which diversity
nuances of gender, religion and ethnicity are depicted in the Curriculum Studies programme of
the BEdHons degree course. This involved exploring the depictions of diversity in study guides
of the modules presented in the Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons degree course.
In addition, I also looked into the depictions of diversity by lecturers presenting modules and
students enrolled for the Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons degree course.
The study was situated in a critical theory paradigm and utilised a qualitative research design
with a critical ethnographic methodology. Three sets of data generation methods were
employed: document research, semi-structured one-on-one interviews and focus group
interviews. The two campuses of North-West University offering this programme were
purposefully selected as my research environments. I employed purposeful sampling, and study
guides utilised by lecturers and students in the Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons
degree course formed the sample. Lecturers presenting modules and students enrolled for the
Curriculum Studies programme of the BEdHons degree course were participants. Critical
discourse analysis, underpinned by Fairclough’s (1992) three-dimensional conception of
discourse, was the method of analysis.
The conclusions were derived predominantly from the diversity nuances acculturation and
rationality. Some of the conclusions were also derived from diversity as a nuance but to a
limited extent. The conclusions vary from depictions on the chosen discourse of diversity, depictions relating to curricula and the multifaceted aspect of diversity. With regard to the
depictions on the chosen discourses of diversity, it was evident that some lecturer participants
were only fostering the aspects gender, religion and ethnicity of certain cultural groups, which
caused some groups to be invisible. Student participants’ depictions were ideologically
embedded as they preferred not to engage with diversity to eliminate certain issues. Lecturer
participants also tended to include disadvantaged minority/majority groups to such a limited
extent that they were almost non-existent. Furthermore, it appeared that lecturer participants
excluded diversity to foster inclusion. Separation was also emphasised by student participants
in that they were being forced to engage with diversity rather than wanting to or having a choice
to engage with diversity or not.
Reflecting on the conclusions arising from my study, I put forward a theoretical stance focusing
on curriculum-making for social justice. / MEd (Curriculum Development), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/16330 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Blignaut, Jean Henry |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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