As social inequities are compounded by knowledge inequity, there is need to reconsider how higher education privileges some and excludes others. This paper reports on a study that was conducted to examine rural students’ pathways with reference to their experiences of entering and progressing through higher education in South Africa. Nancy Fraser’s notion of social justice is key to understanding how education can be empowering to some while disempowering others.

Qualitative methodology informed this study. To collect data, I first analyzed twenty-four digital documentaries. To gain more depth and insight and for triangulation purposes, I conducted eighteen semi-structured interviews as well as two focus groups. The findings reveal the profound inequalities that these students experienced in attaining higher education. This study seeks to contribute to knowledge and theory development in research on educational equality and social justice in addition to providing insights that may inform policy making with the aim of improving the trajectory for rural students in higher education.

Authors:
Hellen Agumba, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

About the Presenter(s)
Hellen Agumba is a coordinator of a national project-Teaching Advancement at University (TAU) and she is also a part-time lecturer at the university of Johannesburg . Research interest- Social Justice, teaching and learning, teacher education.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hellen-agumba-695098181/?originalSubdomain=za

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hellen-Agumba-2

Additional website of interest
https://publons.com/researcher/4903804/hellen-agumba/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule

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