Institute for Post-School Studies

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Browsing by Subject "Articulation"

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    Patched pathways, dead-end dreams: articulation and access to higher education for mature women in early childhood development
    (Universty of the Western Cape, 2024) Zokufa, Kaylianne Aploon
    The purpose of this study was to document the learning pathways and transitions of mature women Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners in the Western Cape from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges into universities. There has, to date, been limited research regarding the lived experiences of predominantly Black and marginalised women in the field of ECD and their pathways into and through higher education. It is well known, however, that mature women face significant barriers to access to education, and that they have to maintain high levels of motivation and resilience to ensure educational success. In this detailed qualitative study, I employed three research methods to gather both qualitative and quantitative data about the trajectories of Black women who had completed ECD training at TVET colleges in South Africa, and who wished to transition to higher education in the sub-field of education. Using a narrative life history methodology, my project aimed to generate knowledge about how women ECD practitioners, after completion of the formal college ECD certificate, accessed (or not) the university BEd (Foundation Phase) degree qualification. Interview data revealed the factors that promoted and impeded these women’s access to university, as well as the many ways in which broader social and economic factors in post-apartheid South Africa impacted on their life chances and choices. A feminist lens was used to understand their convoluted pathways into higher education, and to describe the barriers that frustrated them. Data were presented in feminist narrative form to ensure that the voices of women participants were captured as authentically as possible. Appropriate theoretical perspectives applied in my study enabled consideration of the ways in which issues of race, class, and gender, and their intersections, shaped these mature women’s learning pathways and lived experiences.