Suchergebnisse

This study focuses on the impact of social change on the black youth of post-apartheid South Africa. It is argued that adolescents' perspectives on their future in this country are of particular relevance due to the extent of social problems which are currently experienced in South Africa. With South Africa's history of apartheid and discrimination, it emerges that the influence of traditional cultural norms and values on the black youth is slowly but surely diminishing. They tend to share the general consumerism of South Africa's wealthy classes, and many lack the history of participation in the struggle for political freedom. Amidst severe social problems, such as poverty, unemployment, HIV/AIDS and violent crime, the findings of an empirical investigation into the views of 391 black adolescents from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds indicate that a general spirit of optimism and independence exists, paired with a strong desire to escape the trappings of poverty and the inferiority of the past.

In view of the challenge which higher education constitutes for most black South African students, this study focuses on study elements and aspects which black students regard as helpful and supportive. Our research question was: What do black students view as assets in their studies at tertiary institutions, specifically at the University of Pretoria? In their model of student development, Chickering and Reisser (1993) identified seven vectors which represent the main aspects of student development, as well as seven institutional influences on student development. We used this model to investigate how the learning assets which our participants identified could provide distinct guidelines for the provision of institutional support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. A qualitative approach was followed where the 'photo voice' method (Olivier et al., 2009), combined with focus group discussions and narratives, was used to collect the data. Three themes emerged from our data. Students viewed their own study inspiration, the encouragement from within the university and from families and community, as well as a sense of physical security, as their main learning assets.