ERIC Number: EJ1260411
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0965-0792
EISSN: N/A
Access to Higher Education in South Africa: Expanding Capabilities in and through an Undergraduate Photovoice Project
Martinez-Vargas, Carmen; Walker, Melanie; Mkwananzi, Faith
Educational Action Research, v28 n3 p427-442 2020
There is a gap in research on access to universities in South Africa. The research that exists focuses on quantitative methodologies, although some qualitative studies are now emerging. These research methodologies, although necessary and substantial for the development of equity measures and policies, might be less successful in their impact on the local context, on research participants and in expanding what counts as knowledge in the university. In this paper, participatory research, which has not been used to research access, is explored. The paper seeks to go beyond the instrumentalization of research participants -- especially those from low-income households -- highlighting the potential of using multi-strategy research, in which participatory elements are included as a way to foster both participants' human development and local impact. Drawing on a research project on access to higher education in South Africa, the paper demonstrates that by including participatory elements (in this case photovoice) has the potential to operationalize Appadurai's notion of the 'right to research' among undergraduates. Using data, including processes, observations, workshops, interviews, and visual narratives from a participatory photovoice project, the findings highlight how methodological plurality creates space for locally and relevant knowledge production, challenging epistemic barriers and fostering human development among the research participants.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Access to Education, Higher Education, Student Empowerment, Photography, Low Income Students, College Freshmen, College Admission, Equal Education, Decision Making, Action Research, Participatory Research, First Generation College Students, Personal Narratives, Student Attitudes, Self Efficacy, Program Effectiveness, Aspiration, Multicampus Colleges, Transitional Programs
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A