NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1444163
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0313-7155
EISSN: EISSN-1837-6290
Navigating a Diverse University Context in South Africa: A Student's Narrative about Identity Formation
Emma Groenewald
Issues in Educational Research, v34 n3 p1053-1069 2024
This article focuses on the navigation and negotiation of a Zulu student on a diverse university campus in South Africa. Students in higher education institutions bring their life stories, shaped by lived experiences, culture, history, and language, to the campus, while the interconnection between race, language, culture, and gender creates new possibilities for identity formation. The study is guided by the central research question: How do students navigate and negotiate their narrative identities in a diverse university context? Reflective writing exercises and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from a black male isiZulu-speaking student. Using the narrative methodology, the lived experiences of the participant were explored. Tajfel and Turner's social identity theory was employed as a theoretical lens. An inductive thematic analysis highlighted the following themes in the data: language and race; culture; gender and sexuality; and social class. The findings reveal that narrative identities can be negotiated and navigated through re-creation, adaptation, and limited adjustment.
Western Australian Institute for Educational Research Inc. 5/202 Coode Street, Como, Western Australia 6152, Australia. e-mail: editor@iier.org.au; Web site: http://www.iier.org.au/iier.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A