10 - Researching the Public Good: Reflections on Experiences of Doing Research on Higher Education and he Public Good in South Africa
Journal of Higher Education in Africa,
Vol. 20 No. 2 (2022): Journal of Higher Education in Africa: Special Issue on Conceptualising and Researching the Public Good Role of Universities in Africa
Abstract
This article discusses the experience of doing research on higher education and the public good in South Africa within a bigger project titled ‘Higher Education, Inequalities and the Public Good: Perspectives from Four African Countries’. Qualitative data was collected through key informant interviews by a team of eight researchers who concentrated on specific groups of stakeholders as per the themes of the research. The aim of the interviews was to understand the perceptions of stakeholders both within and outside the university system on the public good role of university education in South Africa. This article focuses on three key issues: locating the research in the context of South Africa’s democratic transition, methodological challenges and pitfalls, tensions, and missing questions/silences. We were doing our research in the aftermath of the student protests of 2015 and 2016, and many of the stakeholders we interviewed were actively involved in making sense of the issues that the students raised. The research team formulated the ‘DNA’ framework for analysing qualitative data from the stakeholders, which refers to the descriptive, normative and analytic aspects of the data that pointed to a unique way in which we could frame our findings. By reflecting on the research process and our positionality in it, the paper contributes to the general field of qualitative research studies, bringing in the dynamics of conducting research in large-scale cross-national projects.
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- Allais, S., 2018a, South African higher education, society, and economy: What do we know about the interrelationships? in Ashwin, P. and Case, J., eds, South African Undergraduate Education and the Public Good, Cape Town: African Minds, pp. 44–60.
- Allais, S., 2018b, Analysis must rise: A political economy of falling fees, in Khadiagala, G. M., Mosoetsa, S., Pillay, D. and Southall, R. eds, New South African Review 6: The crisis of inequality, Johannesburg: Wits University Press, pp. 152–166.
- Ashwin, P., and Case, J., 2018, Introduction, in Ashwin, P. and Case, J., eds, South African Undergraduate Education and the Public Good, Cape Town: African Minds, pp. 3–9.
- Badat, S., 2019, The Equity-Quality/Development Paradox and higher education: Transformation Post-1994, in Reynolds, J., Fine, B. and Van Niekerk, R., eds, Race, Class and the Post-Apartheid Democratic State, Pietermaritzburg: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, pp. 241–281.
- Becker, H. S., 1998, Tricks of the Trade: How to Think about Your Research While You are Doing It, Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
- Benaquisto, L., 2008, Codes and Coding, in Given, L. M., ed., The SAGE encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods: Volumes 1 and 2, Los Angeles: Sage, pp. 85–88.
- Booysen, S., 2016, FeesMustFall: Student Revolt, Decolonization and Governance in South Africa, Johannesburg: Wits University Press.
- Burawoy, M., 2009, The Extended Case Method: Four Countries, Four Decades, Four Great Transformations and One Theoretical Tradition, Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
- Cini, L., 2019, Disrupting the neoliberal university in South Africa: The #FeesMust- Fall movement in 2015, Current Sociology, Vol. 6, No. 7, pp. 942–959.
- Cooper, D., 2019, South African University Student Trends by ‘Race’ and (Possibly) Social Class, 1988–98 and 2000–12: Further Insights into a ‘Stalled Revolution’, in Reynolds, J., Fine, B. and Van Niekerk, R., eds, Race, Class and the Post-Apartheid Democratic State, Pietermaritzburg: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, pp. 282–337).
- Cresswell, J. W., 2009, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches, Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
- Czerniewicz, L., and Rother, K., 2018, Institutional educational technology policy and strategy documents: An inequality gaze, Research in Comparative and Inter- national Education, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 27–45.
- Davis Tax Commission (DTC), 2016, Macro Analysis of the Tax System and Inclusive Growth in South Africa, The Davis Tax Committee.
- Hellawell, D., 2006, Inside out: analysis of the insider-outsider concept as a heuristic device to develop reflexivity in students doing qualitative research, Teaching in higher education, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 483–494.
- Hill, C., and Lawton, W., 2018, Universities, the digital divide and global inequality, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, Vol. 40, No. 6, pp. 598–610."
- Hockey, J., 1993, Research methods—researching peers and familiar settings, Research Papers in Education, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 199–225.
- Kinzie, J., Magolda, P., Kezar, A., Kuh, G., Hinkle, S., and Whitt, E., 2007, Meth- odological challenges in multi-investigator multi-institutional research in higher education, Higher Education, Vol. 54, pp.460–482.
- Languille, S., 2020, African universities and the rise of public-private partnerships: Illustrations from Senegal, in Gideon, J. and Unterhalter, E., eds, Critical Reflec- tions on public private partnerships, Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 134–159.
- Lofland, J., Snow, D. A., Anderson, L., and Lofland, L. H, 2006, Analyzing Social Settings: A Guide to Qualitative Observation and Analysis, Wadsworth: Thomson.
- Mason, M., Crossley, M., and Bond, T., 2019, Changing modalities in international development and research in education: Conceptual and ethical issues, International Journal of Educational Development, Vol. 70, pp. 1–10.
- Mathebula, M., and Calitz, T., 2018, #FeesMustFall: A media analysis of students’ voices on access to Universities in South Africa, in Ashwin, P. and Case, J., eds, South African Undergraduate Education and the Public Good, Cape Town: African Minds, pp. 177–191.
- Mercer, J., 2007, The challenges of insider research in educational institutions: wielding a double-edged sword and resolving delicate dilemmas, Oxford Review of Education, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 1–17.
- Motala, E., Vally, S., and Maharajh, R., 2018, Education, the state and class inequality: The case for fee higher education in South Africa, in Khadiagala, G. M., Mosoetsa, S., Pillay, D. and Southall, R., eds, New South African Review 6: The crisis of inequality, Johannesburg: Wits University Press, pp. 167–182.
- Mulhall, A., 2003, In the field: notes on observation in qualitative research, Journal of Advanced Training, Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 306–313.
- Nduna, M., Mthombeni, A., Mavhandu-Mudzusi, A. H., and Mogotsi, I., 2017, ‘Studying Sexuality: LGBTI experiences in institutions of Higher Education in Southern Africa’, South African Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 1‒13.
- Nyamnjoh, F., 2016, #RhodesMustFall: Nibbling at Resilient Colonization in South Africa, Mankon: Langa.
- Pasque, P. A., Carducci, R., Kuntz, A. M. and Gildersleeve, R. E., 2012, Confronting Qualitative Inquiry for Equity in Higher Education: Methodological Innovations, Implications and Interventions, ASHE Higher Education Report, California: Wiley Online Publishers.
- Ragin, C. S., 1992, Introduction: Cases of ‘What is a case?’, in Ragin, C. and Becker H. C., eds, What is a case? Exploring the Foundations of Social Enquiry, New York: Cambridge University Press, pp. 1–17).
- Republic of South Africa, 2001, National Plan for Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Pretoria.
- Shaw, M., 2019, Strategic instrument or social institution: Rationalized myths of the university in stakeholder perceptions of higher education reform in Poland, International Journal of Educational Development, Vol. 69, pp. 1–9.
- Wangenge-Ouma, G., and Carpentier, V., 2018, Subsidy, Tuition Fees, and the Challenge of Financing Tuition Fees in South Africa, in Ashwin, P. and Case, J., eds, South African Undergraduate Education and the Public Good, Cape Town: African Minds, pp. 40–67.
- Xing, B., and Marwala, T., 2017, Implications of the Fourth Industrial Age for Higher Education, The Thinker: A Pan African Quarterly for Thought Leaders, Vol. 73, No. 3, pp. 10–15.
- Vally, S., 2019, Professorial Inauguration: Prof. Salim Vally, Between the Vision of Yesterday and the Reality of Today: Forging a Pedagogy of Possibility, Lecture delivered 4 September 2019, University of Johannesburg Council Chambers."
References
Allais, S., 2018a, South African higher education, society, and economy: What do we know about the interrelationships? in Ashwin, P. and Case, J., eds, South African Undergraduate Education and the Public Good, Cape Town: African Minds, pp. 44–60.
Allais, S., 2018b, Analysis must rise: A political economy of falling fees, in Khadiagala, G. M., Mosoetsa, S., Pillay, D. and Southall, R. eds, New South African Review 6: The crisis of inequality, Johannesburg: Wits University Press, pp. 152–166.
Ashwin, P., and Case, J., 2018, Introduction, in Ashwin, P. and Case, J., eds, South African Undergraduate Education and the Public Good, Cape Town: African Minds, pp. 3–9.
Badat, S., 2019, The Equity-Quality/Development Paradox and higher education: Transformation Post-1994, in Reynolds, J., Fine, B. and Van Niekerk, R., eds, Race, Class and the Post-Apartheid Democratic State, Pietermaritzburg: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, pp. 241–281.
Becker, H. S., 1998, Tricks of the Trade: How to Think about Your Research While You are Doing It, Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
Benaquisto, L., 2008, Codes and Coding, in Given, L. M., ed., The SAGE encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods: Volumes 1 and 2, Los Angeles: Sage, pp. 85–88.
Booysen, S., 2016, FeesMustFall: Student Revolt, Decolonization and Governance in South Africa, Johannesburg: Wits University Press.
Burawoy, M., 2009, The Extended Case Method: Four Countries, Four Decades, Four Great Transformations and One Theoretical Tradition, Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Cini, L., 2019, Disrupting the neoliberal university in South Africa: The #FeesMust- Fall movement in 2015, Current Sociology, Vol. 6, No. 7, pp. 942–959.
Cooper, D., 2019, South African University Student Trends by ‘Race’ and (Possibly) Social Class, 1988–98 and 2000–12: Further Insights into a ‘Stalled Revolution’, in Reynolds, J., Fine, B. and Van Niekerk, R., eds, Race, Class and the Post-Apartheid Democratic State, Pietermaritzburg: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, pp. 282–337).
Cresswell, J. W., 2009, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches, Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Czerniewicz, L., and Rother, K., 2018, Institutional educational technology policy and strategy documents: An inequality gaze, Research in Comparative and Inter- national Education, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 27–45.
Davis Tax Commission (DTC), 2016, Macro Analysis of the Tax System and Inclusive Growth in South Africa, The Davis Tax Committee.
Hellawell, D., 2006, Inside out: analysis of the insider-outsider concept as a heuristic device to develop reflexivity in students doing qualitative research, Teaching in higher education, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 483–494.
Hill, C., and Lawton, W., 2018, Universities, the digital divide and global inequality, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, Vol. 40, No. 6, pp. 598–610."
Hockey, J., 1993, Research methods—researching peers and familiar settings, Research Papers in Education, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 199–225.
Kinzie, J., Magolda, P., Kezar, A., Kuh, G., Hinkle, S., and Whitt, E., 2007, Meth- odological challenges in multi-investigator multi-institutional research in higher education, Higher Education, Vol. 54, pp.460–482.
Languille, S., 2020, African universities and the rise of public-private partnerships: Illustrations from Senegal, in Gideon, J. and Unterhalter, E., eds, Critical Reflec- tions on public private partnerships, Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 134–159.
Lofland, J., Snow, D. A., Anderson, L., and Lofland, L. H, 2006, Analyzing Social Settings: A Guide to Qualitative Observation and Analysis, Wadsworth: Thomson.
Mason, M., Crossley, M., and Bond, T., 2019, Changing modalities in international development and research in education: Conceptual and ethical issues, International Journal of Educational Development, Vol. 70, pp. 1–10.
Mathebula, M., and Calitz, T., 2018, #FeesMustFall: A media analysis of students’ voices on access to Universities in South Africa, in Ashwin, P. and Case, J., eds, South African Undergraduate Education and the Public Good, Cape Town: African Minds, pp. 177–191.
Mercer, J., 2007, The challenges of insider research in educational institutions: wielding a double-edged sword and resolving delicate dilemmas, Oxford Review of Education, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 1–17.
Motala, E., Vally, S., and Maharajh, R., 2018, Education, the state and class inequality: The case for fee higher education in South Africa, in Khadiagala, G. M., Mosoetsa, S., Pillay, D. and Southall, R., eds, New South African Review 6: The crisis of inequality, Johannesburg: Wits University Press, pp. 167–182.
Mulhall, A., 2003, In the field: notes on observation in qualitative research, Journal of Advanced Training, Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 306–313.
Nduna, M., Mthombeni, A., Mavhandu-Mudzusi, A. H., and Mogotsi, I., 2017, ‘Studying Sexuality: LGBTI experiences in institutions of Higher Education in Southern Africa’, South African Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 1‒13.
Nyamnjoh, F., 2016, #RhodesMustFall: Nibbling at Resilient Colonization in South Africa, Mankon: Langa.
Pasque, P. A., Carducci, R., Kuntz, A. M. and Gildersleeve, R. E., 2012, Confronting Qualitative Inquiry for Equity in Higher Education: Methodological Innovations, Implications and Interventions, ASHE Higher Education Report, California: Wiley Online Publishers.
Ragin, C. S., 1992, Introduction: Cases of ‘What is a case?’, in Ragin, C. and Becker H. C., eds, What is a case? Exploring the Foundations of Social Enquiry, New York: Cambridge University Press, pp. 1–17).
Republic of South Africa, 2001, National Plan for Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Pretoria.
Shaw, M., 2019, Strategic instrument or social institution: Rationalized myths of the university in stakeholder perceptions of higher education reform in Poland, International Journal of Educational Development, Vol. 69, pp. 1–9.
Wangenge-Ouma, G., and Carpentier, V., 2018, Subsidy, Tuition Fees, and the Challenge of Financing Tuition Fees in South Africa, in Ashwin, P. and Case, J., eds, South African Undergraduate Education and the Public Good, Cape Town: African Minds, pp. 40–67.
Xing, B., and Marwala, T., 2017, Implications of the Fourth Industrial Age for Higher Education, The Thinker: A Pan African Quarterly for Thought Leaders, Vol. 73, No. 3, pp. 10–15.
Vally, S., 2019, Professorial Inauguration: Prof. Salim Vally, Between the Vision of Yesterday and the Reality of Today: Forging a Pedagogy of Possibility, Lecture delivered 4 September 2019, University of Johannesburg Council Chambers."