Qualitative Data and Methodological Handbooks on Rural Transitions to Higher Education in South Africa, 2016-2019

This data collection includes the qualitative interview and focus group data for the senior leaders and academic staff interviewed at three universities in South Africa as part of phase 2 of a research study of student transitions for rural areas to higher education in South Africa. Interviews and focus groups were conducted to support an in-depth participatory research process (phase 1) involving 71 student co-researchers who collected multimodal narratives on their own lives and transition experiences over the course of one year. The two data collection handbooks prepared for the research project (phase 1 with. student co-researchers, phase 2 - senior leaders and academics) are also included and a working paper on the methodology of the research. The research findings demonstrated the numerous challenges for students from rural contexts in accessing university, including linguistic, cultural and technological barriers and divides. The research also highlighted the deeply rooted historical effects of colonialism and apartheid, which continue to shape the educational pathways of young people in rural areas in South Africa, through severe educational and infrastructural constraints and enforced mobilities. However, what we sought to make more visible, were the rich and diverse lives of students from rural areas, including their extensive cultural and local knowledge, their roles and responsibilities within communities, the importance of familial and community support. These funds of knowledge were critical to successful transitions to higher education. Yet these were often ignored or unrecognised by higher education institutions, making transitions far more difficult. The research further identified how university learning environments and staff within them do not always acknowledge or value the knowledges and skills that students have developed in their rural communities or the distinctiveness of their home languages, prior educational experiences and trajectories. This leads to difficulties in participating in teaching and learning and in the social fabric of university. Whilst many of the challenges of widening access were acknowledged in interviews with senior and academic staff, there continue to be powerful structural and cultural constraints and resistance that frustrate opportunities to decolonise curricula and teaching practices. In our study, students from rural contexts wanted to be recognised as key contributors to knowledge production and to learning and teaching activities that are relevant for all students. These experiences have implications for university policies on education and student wellbeing in South Africa, other Southern African contexts, UK and globally.