Rurality and the professional development of university teachers

Abstract

This study forms part of a wider NRF project that sought to examine the enabling and constraining conditions in the uptake of professional development opportunities by academics as teachers at eight South African universities. This case study isolated two rurally-based, historically disadvantaged South African institutions (HDIs). Qualitative data from institutional self-evaluation reports were augmented with semi-structured interviews conducted with five members of the senior management and ten academics at each of the institutions. Thematic analysis of the data revealed constraints around promotion policy and the value accorded to research development over teaching development, the inability of rural institutions to attract and retain staff, as well as the huge workloads that consumed time that could have been used for professional development. The study recommends reconsideration of theoretical frameworks that inform professional development in rural universities and a re-look at practicalities in the modes of delivery when planning for professional development interventions in rural settings.

Developing the next generation of university teachers

“… Studies and reports (see CHET, 2000;Boughey, 2013;Moyo, 2018) indicate that uptake of systemic programs, especially in the early years of implementation, is often uneven in SAHE's differentiated and imbalanced context.Informal conversations with colleagues tasked with the coordination of these programs at the institutional level indicate that a number of institutions struggled to fill the posts within the dates stipulated by the DHET, thereby limiting the number of institutions willing to be part of the study at the early implementation stages.5 In the original proposal five institutions were identified and approached, however, one institution declined participation on the grounds that it was far too early in the programme for any significant findings.6 A rural setting is characterised by sparse population, with high levels of social deprivation that link to the lack of amenities and infrastructure due to the distance from urban centres. Institutions in these settings have particular challenges affecting teaching and learning (seeLeibowitz et al, 2015;Mgqwashu, 2016;Ndebele et al, 2016).…”

Encounters with coloniality: Students' experiences of transitions from rural contexts into higher education in South Africa

“…The relationship between race, geography, land and rurality is underscored by Gordon, who refers to a 'geography of race', in which 'white populations hav[e] more geographical space than people of colour... ' (2015: 163). While we acknowledge that poverty is also prevalent in urban conurbations, and students coming from urban townships or settlements may also experience considerable disadvantages, nonetheless, support, infrastructure and Students' experiences of transition from rural contexts to higher education 78 access to social services is far greater in urban than in rural areas (Ndebele, Muhuro, and Nkonki, 2016). Furthermore, rural communities tend to be contrasted with their urban counterparts in terms of deficit, disadvantage and passivity.…”

The Impact of Social Networks on Teaching and Learning at a Rural University in South Africa

“…In the South African context, the apartheid racial segregation policies favored universities that enrolled white students while universities that enrolled black students, mostly located in rural areas, received very limited resources. Following the attainment of democracy in 1994, the majority of these black universities located in the rural areas were classified as HDIs for the purpose of equity and redress because of various challenges such as poor resources allocation and isolation (Ndebele et al, 2016;Songca et al, 2021). The majority of these HDIs draw their students' population from rural communities that have poor socio-economic backgrounds (Badat, 2012;).…”