Empowering first year (post-matric ) students in basic research skills: a strategy for education for social justice

Constance Zulu

doi:10.15700/saje.v31n3a546

Abstract

Post-matric students from under-resourced (historically disadvantaged) black high schools generally encounter difficulties in their academic work at university. The study reported here was intended to empower first year (post-matric) students from these schools with basic research skills in a bid to counteract the effects of their high school under-preparedness. The context of an English and Academic skills module was used to offer a hands-on collaborative research skills experience based on John Dewey’s concept of “learning-by-doing”. The students were an intact class of Human and Social Sciences first year students involved in a research endeavour based on student-generated topics. The research project was carried out in small groups during the second semester of the year. Qualitative data were collected by means of an open-ended questionnaire and a written report at the end of the year. Students reported that the collaborative research experience had a positive effect on their basic research, reading, writing, and critical thinking skills, and it empowered them to work in groups on a project. They had not been exposed to this experience at high school. Keywords: collaborative research experience; empowerment; learning-by-doing; post-matric students; social justice

Highlights

Learning about research and simultaneously putting theory into practice is not normally offered to first year university students
These participants shared their understanding of the research experience, and attempted to make sense of the meanings they attached to these experiences
The findings presented are students’ own words, and they generally reflect six important areas of students’ experiences with their involvement in the undergraduate research experience; how the experience of working on the project empowered them as persons and as students; how it empowered them cognitively, socially and affectively; how it empowered them as novice researchers; how it empowered them to understand group dynamics; and how it empowered them to understand what research entails, and empowerment in language and literacy skills

Summary

Introduction

Learning about research and simultaneously putting theory into practice is not normally offered to first year university students Some studies such as Hutchinson & Atwood (2002), Bourner, Hughes & Bourner (2001) involved first and second year students in the research experience. The present study involved post-matric students from rural public high schools Often, these schools do not provide the kind of educational background that offers skills and competences normally expected of a first year university student. These schools do not provide the kind of educational background that offers skills and competences normally expected of a first year university student Such students often find academic work at the first year level very challenging. This study sought to minimize the effect of these students’ underpreparedness on their first year academic career by exposing them to learning experiences which they did not, and could never do, at high school

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion