CHAPTER NINE: ACADEMIC LIFE STORY OF DR KHOTSO MOKHELE 198 My life was not a smooth plan that evolved over time. CHAPTER TEN: THE ACADEMIC LIFE STORY OF DR ROMILLA MAHARAJ 240 Success due to a combination of opportunity, support and self-determination.
ABSTRACT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ACRONYMS
CHAPTER ONE
LIFE HISTORIES OF BLACK SOUTH AFRICAN SCIENTISTS
ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN AN UNEQUAL SOCIETY
- INTRODUCTION
- THE STUDY
- RATIONALE FOR THIS STUDY
- PARTICIPANTS IN THE STUDY
- STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS
- KEY ISSUES FROM THIS CHAPTER
The third (auxiliary) purpose of the study is a methodological contribution in the field of historical work. The educational profile of the participants shows that all but two completed their education within the required time.
CHAPTER TWO
THE EDUCATIONAL, POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE IN SOUTH AFRICA DURING THE
PERIOD 1948 TO 1994
- THE POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS BETWEEN 1948 AND 1994
- EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA DURING THE PERIOD 1948 - 1994 The major characteristic of the South African educational system (school and
- Schooling
- THE STRUCTURE OF THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
- School system
- The University System
- KEY ISSUES FROM THIS CHAPTER
Under job reservation policies, the beneficiaries of high- and middle-level jobs were predominantly white. In the 1960s, Student Representative Councils (SRCs) at some of the black universities affiliated with NUSAS.
CHAPTER THREE
A LANDSCAPE TO LIFE HISTORY RESEARCH
MY GUIDING FRAMEWORK IN THIS STUDY
Epistemologically, I agree with the realist view of Huberman and Miles (1998), who believe that social phenomena exist not only in the mind, but also in the objective world, and that there are some legitimate, reasonably stable relationships between them. In approaching this study, I believed that regularities must be found in the physical and social world and that from these regularities we derive constructs that explain individual and social life.
LIFE HISTORY RESEARCH
All three forms contain three main features: the person's own story about her life; the social and cultural situation to which the subject and others see the subject responding; and sequences of past experiences and situations in the subject's life. An edited life story has the main feature of constantly interspersing comments, explanations and questions from someone other than the main subject.
LIFE HISTORY RESEARCH AND ITS UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION
Because of this, it can lead to a better understanding of stages and critical periods in his developmental processes. Since a life story constantly moves between the individual's changing biographical history and its social history, it can provide powerful insights into the process of change.
A LIFE HISTORY APPROACH IN STUDYING LIVES
In life history research, proper focus on historical change can be achieved in ways that are lacking in many other methods. Many disciplines use a life history approach: literature, history, social science, education, feminist and minority perspectives.
KEY METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN LIFE HISTORY RESEARCH There has been much written about the theoretical and methodological issues in
- Memories leading to theories
- Individual stories leading to collective understanding
In the stories, I do not claim to have captured the entire reality of life. The question arises of the researcher's subjective involvement in the construction of a life story or narrative.
WHAT DID I DO IN THE RESEARCH
Using the interview schedule developed by Thompson with Perks (1993), I developed an expanded interview schedule [Appendix C]. I reminded people to talk about their experiences and started the interview with questions from the interview schedule.
CHAPTER FOUR
CRAFTING A STORY: REPRESENTATION OF DATA
EPISTEMOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL DIMENSION OF STORIES Stories provide a way of coming to know (epistemological function) how a
- The political dimension of narratives
Stories generated from oral history projects have been used to tell the story of the "underclass";. The stories that have been written have understandably been those of the most marginalized groups.
STORIES, NARRATIVES AND STORIED NARRATIVES
- Storied narratives
In the process of narrative analysis, the researcher organizes the data elements into a coherent, developing account. The resulting plot informs the researcher about which elements from the collected data should be included in the final floor plan. The task of the researcher is then to ascertain the meaning or understanding already implied in the story teller.
In constructing the story, the researcher could use the interview data and provide comments and interpretive comments. One of the fundamental principles of positivism is a unified reality that is independent of the researcher. The construction of a life story uses experience as data and depends on the interaction between the individual and the researcher (issues are discussed in Chapter Three).
REVIEW OF STORIES WRITTEN FROM EXPERIENCE DATA
- Story presented in the respondent's voice to be used for future research Atkinson (1997) describes the work at the Centre for the Study of Lives where
- Writing through the voice of others with very little theoretical commentary The writings of Studs Terkel in the United States and Tony Parker in Britain have
- Writing through the voice of the participant from a particular theoretical position
- Stories written with the researcher as narrator to illuminate the life and a particular theoretical position
In the editing process, Frisch proposes "an aggressive editorial that does not shy away from significant manipulation of the text. While Bogdan indicates that this is an 'autobiography' of Lane Fry, he is the author of the story. Shostak describes the structure of the story Nisa: Life and Words of an !Kung Woman.
The story of Nisa is also an example of a story written by someone who is outside the linguistic and cultural background of the respondent. In these stories, the researcher tells the story and the purpose of the story is to illuminate life and a theoretical position. The strength of the stories made by Lawrence-Lightfoot is in both the content and the artistic presentation.
ISSUES IN WRITING A STORY
What is the theoretical orientation or disciplinary focus that underlies the construction of the story. A story has a plot or overarching theme that holds the different elements of the story together. The purpose of the story is to highlight some common phenomena, and this phenomenon must be made explicit.
If the researcher is the narrator of the story, there is a decision about the intensity of the researchers voice. Will the researcher's voice be muted and subtle or will the data be reworked and the story told mostly in the researcher's voice. What is the cultural and linguistic distance between the researcher and respondent of the story and how is it made explicit in the story.
TRUTH VALUE IN STORIED NARRATIVES
Lawrence-Lightfoot states that the researcher, by creating the stories, has a responsibility to ensure that the stories are credible. An important aspect in the construction of the story is the extent to which researcher and interviewer can work together to construct a text that is fully representative of the interviewee's life. Shostak (1989) draws on the work of anthropologist Crapanzano to explain how she reinforces the 'truth value' of Nisa's story.
The above discussion led me to formulate the following framework to strengthen the truth value of the stories [has written. Read the data and stories to ensure there is an internal consistency and coherence to the story I have told and constructed by me. From my experience as a researcher and a review of the literature, ensured that a plausible plot is formulated.
HOW I WROTE THE STORIES
I called this a descriptive story and tried to provide a synthesis and analysis at the end of the story. I decided to write one of the stories (Nozibele Mjoli) with the respondent as the narrator. She did not raise any issues with the format of the story, but felt that the analysis was poor.
The analytical part of the story would answer the question about how and why something happened. I tried to structure the events of the story in a way that reflected causality - even if it was retroactive. A question in writing stories about academics is how much of the personal to include.
KEY ISSUES FROM THIS CHAPTER
Freedom is a good example of the approach that incorporates personal experience against broader movements in the country. Those who sent back their stories made minor factual corrections and did not dispute the plot and structure I had imposed on the story. I indicated that it was impossible to mask the identity of the respondents because it would be immediately obvious who they were in high profile positions.
CHAPTER FIVE
ACADEMIC LIFE STORY OF DR AHMED BAWA
I liked dealing with it." [The police didn't realize it was Ahmed who made the switch]. It wasn't so much about doing physics and chemistry, but different about what everyone else was doing."
I was going to medical school." At that point there was no doubt in Ahmed's mind that he would study further. 34;It was amazing." He burst out laughing because that's what I expected him to say.
CHAPTER SIX
ACADEMIC LIFE STORY OF DR NOZIBELE MJOLI If I keep searching I willfind a place where I can use my talents
34;There was a period when I even taught for a month." The university was closed for just over a month. I felt it was something I wanted to do." Nozi's first project in microbiology was about genetic engineering. 34;The first year was very difficult and in the first semester I wished I could go home." Nozi was the only South African at Notre Dame that year.
I think it was the right thing to do and I enjoyed it when I did it. ". I don't like doing written things, but it's exciting to do research where you always wonder what next.". Once the investigation is complete, our job is to ensure that the information is disseminated to users.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Academic Life Story of Dr Phuti Ngoepe
I think she was a good teacher." Phuti says he also had good teachers in standard two and three. He was a good teacher who engaged us." He was different from the teacher who taught agriculture. In general, the teachers treated them well, "but there was the issue of language."
It helped that the university didn't sweep me away in the usual way it does with new students.". 34;I didn't have to study biology with this principal." An accident happened during graduation. That helped me when I started teaching at the undergraduate level—teaching from the fundamentals.” Phuti was the first student to graduate from North University with a degree in physics.
CHAPTER EIGHT
34;Education was not linked to a career, but it was a value." Botlhale described the difference, politically, between people from a village and a city. I was more of a person of words." She performed well and was in the top 10 of her class.
It was fun and I enjoyed it." No one was a failure at UED and there was good interaction with people from different departments. I later realized that we have different views of what makes a good place." Botlhale was the only South African there. 34;I feel it really strengthened my knowledge of biology." Botlhale did not find the theory part difficult.
