Highs, Lows and Turning Points in Marginalised Transitions and Experiences of Noncompletion amongst Pushed Dropouts in South African Higher Education
Against a backdrop of dominant deficit, victim-blaming and class/colourblind theories of unequal educational transitions and higher education outcomes, this article analyses thematically in-depth narrative interviews with Black working class “dropouts” in South African higher education to explore ho...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/9/608 |
| _version_ | 1827661675066556416 |
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| author | Mukovhe Masutha |
| author_facet | Mukovhe Masutha |
| author_sort | Mukovhe Masutha |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Against a backdrop of dominant deficit, victim-blaming and class/colourblind theories of unequal educational transitions and higher education outcomes, this article analyses thematically in-depth narrative interviews with Black working class “dropouts” in South African higher education to explore how this group of former students narrate and make sense of their educational journeys and how their accounts could strengthen efforts to achieve just and equitable experiences and outcomes for students from all walks of life. Their narrative accounts reveal that, (a) in their marginalised educational transitions, despite disrupted and sometimes traumatic formative years (lows), their transformative habitus and community cultural wealth enables them to find highs in nadir moments; (b) their educational pathways are paved with unlikely steppingstones and improvising agents of transformation who overcome the odds of under-resourced schooling experiences; (c) despite policymakers’ best intentions, student financial aid moderates but does not ameliorate the perils of being Black and working class in higher education; (d) as pushed dropouts, they are victims of a class and colourblind criminalisation of failure that naturalises injustice in already unjust educational contexts. This study illuminates the transformative and social justice potential in analysing narrative accounts of those who often disappear from higher education without a trace. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:13:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f5cc3fc7941449748a85b1c27ed83783 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:13:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-f5cc3fc7941449748a85b1c27ed837832023-11-23T15:55:51ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022022-09-0112960810.3390/educsci12090608Highs, Lows and Turning Points in Marginalised Transitions and Experiences of Noncompletion amongst Pushed Dropouts in South African Higher EducationMukovhe Masutha0Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2006, South AfricaAgainst a backdrop of dominant deficit, victim-blaming and class/colourblind theories of unequal educational transitions and higher education outcomes, this article analyses thematically in-depth narrative interviews with Black working class “dropouts” in South African higher education to explore how this group of former students narrate and make sense of their educational journeys and how their accounts could strengthen efforts to achieve just and equitable experiences and outcomes for students from all walks of life. Their narrative accounts reveal that, (a) in their marginalised educational transitions, despite disrupted and sometimes traumatic formative years (lows), their transformative habitus and community cultural wealth enables them to find highs in nadir moments; (b) their educational pathways are paved with unlikely steppingstones and improvising agents of transformation who overcome the odds of under-resourced schooling experiences; (c) despite policymakers’ best intentions, student financial aid moderates but does not ameliorate the perils of being Black and working class in higher education; (d) as pushed dropouts, they are victims of a class and colourblind criminalisation of failure that naturalises injustice in already unjust educational contexts. This study illuminates the transformative and social justice potential in analysing narrative accounts of those who often disappear from higher education without a trace.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/9/608black working class studentsmarginalised transitionspushed dropoutsnoncompletionsocial justiceSouth Africa |
| spellingShingle | Mukovhe Masutha Highs, Lows and Turning Points in Marginalised Transitions and Experiences of Noncompletion amongst Pushed Dropouts in South African Higher Education Education Sciences black working class students marginalised transitions pushed dropouts noncompletion social justice South Africa |
| title | Highs, Lows and Turning Points in Marginalised Transitions and Experiences of Noncompletion amongst Pushed Dropouts in South African Higher Education |
| title_full | Highs, Lows and Turning Points in Marginalised Transitions and Experiences of Noncompletion amongst Pushed Dropouts in South African Higher Education |
| title_fullStr | Highs, Lows and Turning Points in Marginalised Transitions and Experiences of Noncompletion amongst Pushed Dropouts in South African Higher Education |
| title_full_unstemmed | Highs, Lows and Turning Points in Marginalised Transitions and Experiences of Noncompletion amongst Pushed Dropouts in South African Higher Education |
| title_short | Highs, Lows and Turning Points in Marginalised Transitions and Experiences of Noncompletion amongst Pushed Dropouts in South African Higher Education |
| title_sort | highs lows and turning points in marginalised transitions and experiences of noncompletion amongst pushed dropouts in south african higher education |
| topic | black working class students marginalised transitions pushed dropouts noncompletion social justice South Africa |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/9/608 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mukovhemasutha highslowsandturningpointsinmarginalisedtransitionsandexperiencesofnoncompletionamongstpusheddropoutsinsouthafricanhighereducation |