"I feel that I get by with what I do" - Using narrative as a conceptual tool for understanding social identity

Drawing on a qualitative study of a cohort of final year preprimary teacher college students, this paper motivates for narrative analysis as a suitable tool for accessing ‘insider accounts’ of social reality. Through an analysis of the voices of these young people, I make the argument that narrative analysis allows us to develop an explanation of how people interpret their social locations and personal histories through the discourses and material contexts to which they have access. I commence by presenting the narrative of academic performance of one of the social groupings within the cohort. The material and discursive parameters that framed their narrative account are outlined. Similarities and differences between individual accounts are highlighted, and explanations for these similarities and differences posited. The ways in which multiple social locations nuance identity as nested are explicated. The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential contribution of narrative analysis as a conceptual tool for understanding social identity.The substantial financial support of a SYLFF Fellowship for the research project upon which this paper is based is gratefully acknowledged. The financial assistance of National Research Foundation (NRF) towards this research is hereby acknowledged

"We are not in the least bit used to these ways of studying": Developing academic competence in all students

This article is located in the field of academic development in oral health science education. Specifically, it examines the academic difficulties experienced by oral hygiene students in their transition from high school to university. A qualitative approach was employed to elicit student and lecturer perceptions. Drawing on empirical evidence from a case study of a cohort of first-year oral hygiene students at a dental faculty in South Africa, the article contributes to an understanding of how first-year university students might be better prepared for the challenges of reading and writing in higher education. The voices of lecturers and students are used to highlight the nature of the difficulties that students experience in the transition from high school to university. The suggestions that students made regarding how the transition might be eased are also examined. The final section draws on these suggestions and presents a working model for an academic development module for first-year oral health students

Understanding diversity as a framework for improving student throughput

INTRODUCTION: Literature suggests that a diverse body of healthcare graduates could extend health service delivery. However, the literature also indicates that the throughput of minority, working class, and historically disadvantaged students is problematic. Poor throughput is attributed to the way that university environments alienate some students. This brief communication highlights lessons learned from exploratory interviews with four first-year oral hygiene students at a university in South Africa. It provides insight into the issues that contribute to academic success and failure. METHODS: Semi-structured, individual interviews, to gain information regarding students’ university academic experiences were conducted. Enablers and barriers to learning identified in the literature were used to capture themes. FINDINGS: The following three themes emerged: educational identity, language and finances. The analysis showed how a white middle class student recognized practices that are rewarded at university and how three, working-class, black students experienced tension between their expectations and experiences and the university culture. However, far from being victims, these students provided suggestions on how their transition might be facilitated. CONCLUSION: Evidence suggests that these students wanted both to be apprenticed into the new way of doing things while having their differences acknowledged. A model for education that initiates learners and also challenges the culture of power is suggested

‘Your thrust is to understand’ - how academically successful students learn

The article sets out to understand how academically successful students learn. Self-regulated learning theory is used as a lens to explicate the learning strategies adopted by a cohort of academically successful dentistry students. Data was collected from self-report interviews, observations of individual student’s learning in a quasi-realistic context, and post-observation interviews. Discussion focuses on the cognitive and metacognitive strategies adopted by these students, and highlights the way in which positive motivation supported their use of these strategies, especially when learning was challenging. The paper concludes by drawing on these findings to argue for appropriate ways to support effective learning for all students.Web of Scienc

"I could go work in a factory, but this is something I want to achieve": Narratives into social action

This paper is conceptually informed by a reading of Peter McLaren's work (1993). Drawing on the relationship that he signals between identity, narrative, and social action, it sets out to examine the ways in which identity shapes narratives of academic performance and consequent action. Speci®cally, I present the narratives of academic performance of a social grouping within a cohort of preprimary teacher education students. These students are all women, historically classi®ed `coloured' and of working class origin. Argument is presented that students interpret and reconstruct their personal histories and particular social locations through the material and discursive contexts to which they have access. The students are presented as active agentsÐ producing themselves within existing, and often potentially contradictory, material and discursive contexts. Evidence is marshalled to frame an argument that students' narratives shape their social action as agents of history, and are implicated in the distribution of privilege within society.The substantial financial support of a SYLFF Fellowship for the research project upon which this paper is based is gratefully acknowledged. The ®nancial assistance of National Research Foundation (NRF) towards this research is hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at are those of the author and are not necessarily attributed to the National Research Foundation

Finding a method to analyse qualitative data: using a study of conceptual learning

There is increasing awareness in the health sciences of the potential of qualitative research to address questions that quantitative research cannot satisfactorily answer. While a growing number of studies in health sciences and health sciences education discuss the value of such research or describe the methodology and data collection processes, few detail how analysis was carried out. Reliability and validity of findings from qualitative research depend on the quality of data management, retrieval, and interpretation or identification of meaning. The robustness of data analysis is therefore an important factor in the rigor of qualitative research. This article uses a study of dental students’ conceptual learning to illustrate strategies that ensure rigor in qualitative analysis. Factors that informed the decisions regarding analysis are discussed in detail. The use of both grounded theory and literature is discussed. The role that deductive and inductive reasoning played in the analysis is outlined. A brief section illustrates the kinds of conclusions that can be made about conceptual learning when qualitative data are rigorously analyzed. Finally, potential shortcomings in the study and alternatives or additional mechanisms for ensuring validity and reliability of analysis are discussed

"I now see CPD as an integral part of my life": Authorship in continuing professional development

This is a conference paper from the OLKC (Organizational Learning Knowledge and Capabilities Conference) held in Milan, Italy on 10 & 11 April 2015. The initial extended abstract was peer-reviewed and responses to comments from the peer-review process were incorporated into the conference proceeding paper. The conference proceeding paper was not peer-reviewed. http://www.olkc2015.com/The Actuarial Society of South Africa (‘Actuarial Society’) is piloting amended continuing professional development (‘CPD’) requirements. Cycles of work-based personal development are expected to support the delivery of a quality service better than the existing requirement to attend a minimum number of relevant events. Feedback from volunteers on the pilot project indicated that the proposals were effective in this regard. However, it was also observed that the reflective process embedded in the development cycle resulted in professionals authoring on-going positive revisions to their professional identity. Further, that strengthened professional identity might be leading to a ‘virtuous circle’ whereby the professional is in turn motivated to continue engaging in effective CPD. This paper explores this observation and the extent to which professional identity may be inscribed through a CPD programme which facilitates authentic professional development.Actuarial Association of South AfricaWeb of Scienc

Who teaches the teachers? Identity, discourse and policy in teacher education

In this article we argue that understanding the identities that teacher educators construct for themselves is central to effecting innovation within a changing policy environment. The article begins with a theoretical perspective on the nexus of change and identity. It then discusses the central features of identity amongst a group of teacher college educators who have been incorporated into a higher education institution in South Africa. The discussion focuses in particular on their new roles as researchers. We argue that the promotion of research needs to be based on what teacher educators already perceive to be their particular strengths and roles. The paper ends with some examples of strategies for research promotion in this particular setting

"Quality is bound up with our values" - Evaluating the quality of mentoring programmes

This paper discusses quality evaluation of health sciences mentoring programmes. The discussion highlights the way in which perceptions of what constitutes quality shape evaluative purposes. Potential tensions between the evaluative purposes of various stakeholders are brought to the fore. To this end, the discussion explores the ways in which accountability shapes the evaluative purposes of funders and how the desire for programme knowledge and development frames the evaluative purposes of academics. Various approaches to programme evaluation are examined. The potential of reflective practice as a tool for examining quality for knowledge and development of programmes is considered. The paper concludes by presenting a framework for evaluating various aspects of quality in mentoring programmes

Recruiting and retaining rural students: evidence from a Faculty of Dentistry in South Africa

There is a shortage internationally of adequately trained health professionals to service rural areas. Health professionals are more likely to practice in communities that are like the one in which they grew up. The WHO therefore suggests targeted university admission policies to facilitate the enrolment of students from rural areas. In South Africa, rural students have special needs with regard to university access and throughput because they come from the most economically disadvantaged communities and often are the first in their families to attend university. This descriptive study, the first in South Africa with a cohort of dentistry students, draws on data from undergraduates at a single faculty of dentistry in South Africa. It investigates the factors affecting rural students’ access to university, their academic success, as well as their employment intentions.Web of Scienc