Browsing by Author "Marshall, Delia"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    A bourdieuian analysis of foundation programmes within the field of engineering education : two South African case studies
    (2011) Kloot, Bruce; Case, Jenni; Marshall, Delia
    While analyses of foundation programmes have traditionally focused on pedagogical innovations, curriculum design or student experience, this thesis investigates social structures in order to examine the potential that foundation programmes, in general, hold for the transformation of higher education in South Africa.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Grappling with methodologies in educational research: science and engineering educators finding their way
    (Nova Science Publishers, 2009) Jawitz, Jeff; Case, Jennifer; Marshall, Delia; Kgeti Setati; Renuka Vithal; Cliff Malcolm; Rubby Dhunpath
    Science and Engineering faculties at South African tertiary institutions have seen dramatic changes since the 1980’s due to a changing student body as a result of equity and redress measures. There has also been an increasing interest in educational research that might help improve student learning. Some of these researchers are disciplinary experts taking an interest in teaching and learning, while others have moved from undergraduate scientific work to postgraduate educational qualifications. Many of these researchers have no foundations in social science research. As a result much of the research produced by this group tends to unproblematically apply the ‘scientific method’ to problems in the social sciences. As authors of this chapter, we fit the above description, and describe our journeys in developing more appropriate and critical ways of conducting research in these complex and changing higher education contexts. Our initial research efforts were conducted in largely positivist frames. While there were many opportunities to develop (and publish) within this framework, we became increasingly aware that this framework offered superficial understandings of the student experience and failed to engage with broader societal issues. Interpretivist and critical perspectives appeared to offer more productive frames within which to work, yet we struggled to make sense of and gain access to these discourses. In this chapter we analyse and describe the experiences gained from two different research projects we have pursued during the 1990’s. The first theme concerns issues around gender and engineering education, and began with a narrow focus on why women choose to study engineering and shifted to grappling more critically with notions of gender and race. The second theme concerns students’ experiences of learning, initially exploring the approaches to learning framework and in later work responding more critically to the dominant theories in this area. Some of the questions which we address include: What are the methodological challenges involved in shifting to a more interpretive and critical paradigm? Is critical theory a useful framework for researching tertiary science and engineering education?
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Mind the gap: science and engineering education at the secondary-tertiary interface
    (Academy of Science of South Africa, 2013) Case, Jenni; Marshall, Delia; Grayson, Diane
    In the South African higher education sector, there is increasing concern about the poor retention and throughput rates of undergraduate students. There is also concern that the participation rates in higher education, relative to population demographics, remain extremely racially skewed. With the quality of schooling unlikely to change dramatically in the short term, universities need to look for ways to improve student success, particularly in science and engineering, where graduates are needed for a range of key roles in society. Here we review the research presented at a forum held by the Academy of Science of South Africa in 2010, which sought to bring together the latest expert thinking in this area. The major focus of academic development to date has been the establishment of extended degree programmes. However, it is clear that this model has limited capacity to deal with what is, in fact, a much broader problem. We summarise existing interventions aimed at reducing the 'gap' between secondary and tertiary education, and describe key innovations in mainstream programmes that are possible at the levels of pedagogy, curriculum and institutional environment, some of which are also becoming established internationally in science and engineering. Driving such initiatives will demand visionary university leadership in order to effect the integrated and holistic change that is needed.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Student success in an introductory engineering course : an investigation of approach to learning and cultural capital
    (2008) Setlogelo, Disaapele Gleopadra; Case, Jenni; Marshall, Delia
    The construct of approach to learning has proved to be powerful in explaining differences in students' experiences of learning in higher education. However this construct does not explain the impact that students' socio-economic background has on their experiences of higher education. For this reason, the construct of cultural capital that is widely used in the sociology of education literature was used in an attempt to explain the differences experienced by students from various social classes. Data of this study were collected through individual in-depth interviews with each of ten purposefully selected students. Students' approaches to learning were identified for both early and later in the course. A majority of students' approaches shifted from the use of a deep approach to a strategic approach. However, in terms of success in the course, the construct of approach to learning was limited in explaining why some students failed while others were successful in the course. Cultural capital better explained why these differences in performance occurred, and it further emphasized the importance of taking into account the different forms of cultural capital that students bring into higher education. This study has two main implications: firstly, it supports the promotion of deep approach to learning, however, a caution about the students workload should be taken as this might unintentionally promote the use of surface approach. Secondly, the results regarding cultural capital showed that students come from varying backgrounds. This implies that assessment should take this into account and should aim to be explicit in all demands.