scholarly journals Unboxing “Born-frees”: freedom to choose identities

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (104) ◽  
pp. 456-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saloshna Vandeyar

Abstract This qualitative case study sets out to explore how “born-free” students constitute, negotiate and represent their identities in South African schools twenty years after the advent of democracy. The meta-theoretical paradigm of social constructivism and the methodology of narrative inquiry was used. Data comprised a mix of semi-structured interviews and field notes. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings reveal that the demographic diversity of “born-free” students seemed to extend towards many competing views of identity. “Born-free” students did not possess distinctive views about their generations” identity. Racial identity still seemed to play a pivotal role. Some “born free” students expressed optimism with the freedom their identity provided, while others felt constrained by the enduring historical legacy of apartheid, transmitted through knowledge in the blood. Although “born-free” students themselves did not live through apartheid, the physical legacies of apartheid –such as its geographical contours – served as a daily reminder of its presence. “Born-free” students are not only well aware of the social and political dynamics of the country, but are also beginning to question externally imposed identities.

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inbanathan Naicker ◽  
Phumlani Erasmus Myende ◽  
Zamokwakhe Thandinkosi Ncokwana

Drawing on the quintile system of categorising schools, South African public schools are bifurcated into no-fee and fee paying schools. Emerging research has shown that school principals in both categories of schools encounter several challenges with regard to school funding. In this article, we employ contingency leadership theory to examine how school principals respond to the school funding challenges they encounter. An interpretive, qualitative case study drawing on semi-structured interviews with 4 purposively selected principals was conducted. To augment the interview data, purposively selected school documents were reviewed. Through thematic analysis, it was found that principals in fee-paying and no-fee schools employ a cocktail of practices to respond to the challenges they encounter. From the findings, we learn that school funding challenges push principals to enact a form of transgressive leadership where they adopt a context-driven, as opposed to a policy-driven approach to school leadership. Furthermore, the funding challenges drive school principals to renegotiate their roles as professional managers of the school and as ex-officio members of the School Governing Body. This results in school principals becoming more entrepreneurial in their school leadership.


Plaridel ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ridwan Effendi ◽  
Vidi Sukmayadi ◽  
Andi Alimuddin Unde ◽  
Triyanto

This paper explores how an Indonesian national youth community uses social media as a radicalization prevention medium. In this paper, the Indonesian youth community’s applied online interventions are explored and evaluated through a mixed-method approach, using a qualitative case study and visual content analysis. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews and analyzed visual content outputs, focusing on the social media strategy enacted to create counter-radicalization narratives, and measuring social media engagement rates as a means of evaluating that strategy. This paper extends existing counter-radicalization studies by adding insights on how youth community-based social media initiatives could contribute as a non-coercive approach in combating radicalization.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
N G Mugovhani ◽  
Lebogang Lance Nawa

This article discusses and raises awareness about the socio-economic plight of indigenous musicians in South Africa. Through a qualitative case study of the Venda musician, Vho-Talelani Andries Ntshengedzeni Mamphodo, dubbed the “Father of mbila music,” the article highlights the fact that the welfare of Black South African artists, particularly indigenous musicians in South Africa, is generally a precarious affair. Their popularity, at the height of their careers, sometimes masks shocking details of exploitation, neglect, and the poverty they are subjected to, which are exposed only after they have died. Empirical data identifies this as a symptom of, among other things, cultural policy and arts management deficiencies in the promotion of indigenous music. The article aims to find ways to redress this unfortunate situation, which is partially a product of general apathy and scant regard that these artists have perennially been subjected to, even by their own governments, as well as some members of their societies. All these factors mentioned are compounded by ignorance on the part of South African artists. Part of the objective of this study was to establish whether the exposition of the Vhavenda musicians is a typical example of all Black South African indigenous musicians and, if this is the case, whether the suggested ways to redress this unfortunate situation could contribute to or play a role in alleviating the plight of such artists in the entire country.


Author(s):  
Oliver Tafadzwa Gore ◽  

Although policies to widen participation have been implemented in South African higher education since 1994, inequality of achievements persists in universities. The failure of the higher education policy to clearly define ‘disadvantage’ in various interventions seems to have contributed to the continuing inequalities. This study theorises disadvantage using the capabilities approach pioneered by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum and argues for a more nuanced definition of disadvantage by exploring the opportunities, agency and achievements available to students in universities. The theorisation is based on findings from a qualitative case study of 26 semi-structured interviews conducted with students from one South African university. Using empirical findings, the theorisation in this study shows how the conversion factors intersect, resulting in some students achieving fewer functionings, which put them at a disadvantage. While gender equality seemingly has been achieved through enrolment figures that show parity levels, some female students are still disadvantaged through subtle forms of discrimination and sexual harassment in universities. This study therefore recommends that higher education policies should consider an expansive definition of disadvantage that encompasses the various dimensions of student wellbeing for all students to have flourishing lives.


2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 38-47
Author(s):  
Karel Stanz ◽  
G. J. Schwart ◽  
W. J. Schurink

The social construction of frontline employees’ client service plays a major role in organisational success. This study illuminated why frontline personnel are reluctant to accept organisational change which is in line with new policing philosophies. Applying modernist qualitative methodology, and particularly grounded theory within a case study design a ‘process satisfaction model’ was developed with the aim to improve employee satisfaction with internal processes and ultimately service delivery. This model may be used for change in the South African Police Service SAPS) and other government departments.


2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-76
Author(s):  
Noel Gilzean ◽  
James W. McAuley

This is a case study of the social and physical construction of an ‘Irish’ community in an English town. It asks how or why members of this community migrated and how they construct contemporary images of ‘home’. The article draws on semi-structured interviews and conversations with members of the contemporary Irish community in Huddersfield, including Irish-born and second-generation Irish respondents. We find that their sense of Irish identity is complex, encompassing the totality of social experience, much of which is influenced by often competing interpretations of social and political relationships and understandings of history. What constitutes Irish identity in Huddersfield is determined not just by these factors, but also by the ways in which individuals are socialised as members of different families, neighbourhoods, workplace or other social interest groups.


2021 ◽  
Vol VI (IV) ◽  
pp. 34-41
Author(s):  
Hina Iqbal ◽  
Muhammad Saeed

Academic writing plays a pivotal role in developing research proposals. The present study aimed to explore the grammatical errors that M.Phil/PhDs scholars commit in academic writing. The present study employed a qualitative case study designed to explore the challenges in the English language faced by the M.Phil and PhDs scholars. The 20 Ph.D. and 36 M.Phil scholars were selected by busing purposive sampling technique. Data were collected by using two self-developed semi-structured interviews protocol. Thematic analysis approach was employed for data analysis. The findings revealed that all the participants reported that correct use of tenses was a big hurdle that entailed the other grammatical mistakes and reduced the report quality because all the lexical aspects are linked with these mechanics. The study recommended that English language courses be offered to postgraduate, M. Phil and Ph.D. scholars to learn the technical aspects of the language and provide students with online interactive programming.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 218-237
Author(s):  
Rosyanne Louise Autran Lourenço ◽  
Eliana Barbosa dos Santos

Este artigo visa a apresentar, sob uma perspectiva ecológica de letramento, resultados da análise de práticas sociodiscursivas do processo de ensino-aprendizagem de Português Língua de Acolhimento, de imigrantes refugiados no Brasil, realizadas por meio do WhatsApp. Teoricamente, o estudo circunscreve-se às dimensões analíticas de letramento (MOREAU et al., 2013), sob a perspectiva ecológica dos estudos linguísticos (VAN LIER, 2004, 2010), fundamentando-se em pressupostos referentes aos recursos multimodais das tecnologias digitais (LEFFA, 2006; MORAN, 2013) e à função mediadora da linguagem (VIGOTSKI, 1971), em especial, do Português Língua de Acolhimento (BARBOSA; SÃO BERNARDO, 2017) e de suas implicações referentes à noção de afetividade (LEITE, 2012). Metodologicamente, trata-se de estudo qualitativo de caso (STAKE, 1994), de base etnográfica virtual (SANTOS; GOMES, 2013) cuja geração dos dados ocorreu por meio de observação participante (BOGDAN; BIKLEN, 1998) e notas de campo (FETTERMAN, 1998). Sua relevância reside na urgência no processo de imersão de imigrantes refugiados em práticas sociodiscursivas que viabilizem a obtenção de condições mínimas de vida digna e a garantia de autonomia em sua agência no país de destino (COSTA; TAÑO, 2018). Os resultados da pesquisa sugerem que a abordagem ecológica de práticas de letramento em ambiente virtual amplia a compreensão das articulações inerentes ao processo de ensino-aprendizagem de línguas, propiciando ao docente melhores condições de promover a autonomia dos estudantes, em contexto de imigração, na condução de soluções que atendam às suas necessidades mais prementes, voltadas para as práticas sociais de imersão no país de chegada.   This article aims to present, in the light of an ecological perspective of literacy, the results of the analysis of sociodiscursive practices of the teaching-learning process of Portuguese as a Host Language, through WhatsApp by refugee immigrants in Brazil. Theoretically, the study is limited to the ecological perspective of linguistic studies (VAN LIER, 2004, 2010) and analytical literacy dimensions (MOREAU ET AL., 2013) based on assumptions regarding the multimodal resources of digital technologies (LEFFA, 2006; MORAN, 2013) and the mediating function of language (VIGOTSKI, 2009) in particular the Portuguese Host Language (BARBOSA; SÃO BERNARDO, 2017) and its implications regarding the notion of affectivity (LEITE, 2012). Methodologically, it is a qualitative case study (STAKE, 1994) with a virtual ethnographic basis (SANTOS; GOMES, 2013) whose data generation occurred through participant observation (BOGDAN; BIKLEN, 1998) and field notes (FETTERMAN, 1998). Its relevance resides in the urgency in the process of refugee immigrants sociodiscursive practices that make it possible to obtain minimum conditions of dignified life and guarantee autonomy at their agency in the destination country (COSTA; TAÑO, 2018). The research results suggest that the ecological approach to literacy practices in a virtual environment broadens the understanding of the articulations inherent to the language teaching-learning process, providing the teacher better conditions to promote the autonomy of the students in the context of immigration, in driving solutions that meet their pressing sociodiscursive needs, focused on social immersion practices in the country of arrival.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Karen Coulton

<p>International and New Zealand research continues to show that there is concern about boys being less successful than girls in writing at all levels of the school. This study examines to what extent year 7 and year 8 boys are motivated to advance their writing when they collaborate with a peer and choose to use a drama strategy. A qualitative approach was taken to explore the insiders‟ view of writing from eight year 7 and year 8 boys in an intermediate school in New Zealand. Data gathered were from semi-structured interviews, in class observations and samples of writing. Sociocultural theory was used to inform the investigation of the social and cultural influences on the boys‟ learning about writing. The findings illustrate that the drama intervention was successful as the boys were motivated to write through their social interaction of role- playing characters from a choice of topics represented in their everyday lives. The boys revealed their metacognitive knowledge by showing their awareness of their thought processes about writing and how to use this knowledge to develop their writing abilities. The study makes recommendations for teachers, including the need for teachers to recognise the boys‟ position of authority over their knowledge, which is essential for their motivation and learning to write successfully.</p>


Author(s):  
Naili Sa'ida

<em>This study aims to describe the development of self-regulation of children aged 4-5 years at Kindergarten Dhamawanita Persatuan Pucang Jajar. This study is a qualitative case study in children aged 4-5 years. Data analysis techniques use the model proposed by Miles and Huberman which consists of 3 stages: data reduction, data display, and verification. The research were use multi technique to collect the data use the observation, interviews, and documentation. The results showed that the development of self-regulation developed simultaneously with language skills. Language can really play an important role in determining how children regulate their thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Language facilitates the internalization of children's social structures and rules through their interaction in the social world around them. When children interact with others, their understanding of other people's perspectives and expectations is expanded. This perspective shows that language helps children understand their experiences, as well as the experiences of others, and so it is through language that children connect this information with their own behavior.</em>


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