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An exploratory study of governance practices at the student, Institutional, and Systems level of selected Higher Education Institutions in South Africa
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614035035291648 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Brown, Tom Mark |
| author2 | Mantzaris, E. A. |
| author_browse | Brown, Tom Mark Mantzaris, E. A. |
| author_facet | Mantzaris, E. A. Brown, Tom Mark |
| author_sort | Brown, Tom Mark |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131607 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:45:37.487Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131607 An exploratory study of governance practices at the student, Institutional, and Systems level of selected Higher Education Institutions in South Africa Brown, Tom Mark Mantzaris, E. A. Pillay, P. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership. Education, Higher -- Administration -- South Africa Universities and colleges -- Administration -- South Africa Student participation in administration -- South Africa UCTD Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH SUMMARY: Although research has been conducted on the concept of “Governance” in the South African public sector, the country’s public higher education sector gained prominence and the attention of researchers as early as the 1990s. Generally, governance in the public higher education sector has also been researched from the university management and student leaders’ perspectives. However, the role that the students themselves and not student leadership, in other words the Student Representative Council (SRC), have played and can play in university governance, is relatively under-researched. Furthermore, the students’ role, not that of student leadership, in university governance as stakeholders in its management in the current discourse, is generally perceived as student activism, protests, and demonstrations. This phenomenon of the students’ role in university governance being that of activists, demonstrators, protestors, and, to a lesser extent, stakeholders, has perhaps been perpetuated not only by students themselves as well as their leaders but also by the government of the day and society. Given South Africa’s history, students as political activists in university governance also appears to be path-dependent, a theoretical frame not often utilised to comprehend the perceived role perpetuated by students. This study adopted an exploratory, qualitative research design and a path dependency stakeholder theoretical approach to comprehend how students perceive their role in university governance at three selected public universities. The study presents the findings from both the secondary data, primarily retrieved from the literature review, and the primary data through a thematic approach. Given its exploratory design, the study recommends areas for future research based on significant concepts or constructs where limited research has been conducted but would require a more focused quantitative approach in subsequent studies. The latter can then be utilised to further inform the extent to which students can play a role in university governance. This study’s primary contribution to the existing body of knowledge lies in creating an enhanced understanding of the concepts involved in the perceived role students should play in the management of the university. A topic which is lacking in the current discourse on university governance and management. This study also serves as a starting point to delineate the concepts and constructs to be considered when revising the role that students can play, from a policy formulation perspective, in the management of the university. Lastly, this study brings together in one document, previously disparate data on the role of students in the management of the university from their perspective and not from that of student leadership alone. The study also highlights several concepts that had been ignored in previous research related to the role of students in the management of the university. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hoewel daar heelwat navorsing al gedoen is oor die konsep “Bestuur” in die Suid-Afrikaanse openbare sektor, het die land se openbare hoeronderwyssektor ook reeds in die 1990’s prominensie en die aandag van navorsers gelok. Oor die algemeen is navorsing oor bestuur in die openbare hoeronderwyssektor gedoen vanuit die perspektief van die universiteitsbestuur en studenteleiers. Daar is tans relatief min navorsing oor die rol wat studente self, en nie studenteleierskap soos die SR nie, in universiteitsbestuur gespeel het en kan speel. Verder word die studente se rol, en nie die van studenteleierskap nie, as belanghebbendes in universiteitsbestuur in die huidige diskoers, oor die algemeen beskou as studentaktivisme, protesoptredes en betogings. Hierdie voorstelling van die studente se rol in universiteitsbestuur as die van aktiviste, betogers en oproermakers en, in mindere mate, belanghebbendes, is moontlik nie net deur studente self en hul leiers gevestig en voortgesit nie, maar ook deur die regering van die dag en die samelewing oor die algemeen. Gegewe Suid-Afrika se geskiedenis, blyk dit dat studente as politieke aktiviste in universiteitsbestuur ook padafhanklik is, ‘n teoretiese raamwerk wat nie dikwels gebruik word om die waargenome rol, wat deur studente voortgesit word, te begryp nie. Hierdie studie het 'n verkennende, kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp en 'n teoretiese benadering tot padafhanklikheid van belanghebbendes aangeneem om te verstaan hoe studente hul rol in universiteitsbestuur by drie geselekteerde openbare universiteite waarneem. Die studie omskryf die bevindings van beide die sekondere data, hoofsaaklik bekom deur die literatuuroorsig, en die empiriese of primere data deur middel van 'n tematiese benadering. Gegewe sy verkennende ontwerp, wys hierdie studie gebiede uit vir toekomstige navorsing gebaseer op beduidende konsepte of konstrukte waar beperkte navorsing gedoen is, maar wat 'n meer gefokusde kwantitatiewe benadering in daaropvolgende studies sou vereis. Die laasgenoemde kan dan ook gebruik word om 'n beter begrip te bekom tot watter mate studente 'n rol in universiteitsbestuur kan speel. Hierdie studie se primere bydrae tot die bestaande kennisliggaam le in die skep van 'n beter begrip van die konsepte wat betrokke is by die waargenome rol wat studente in die bestuur van die universiteit moet speel. Dit is 'n belangrike onderwerp wat ontbreek in die huidige diskoers oor universiteitsbestuur en -beheer. Hierdie studie dien ook as 'n beginpunt om die konsepte en konstrukte te definieer wat oorweeg moet word wanneer die rol wat studente, vanuit 'n beleidsformuleringsperspektief, in die bestuur van die universiteit kan speel, hersien word. Laastens bring hierdie studie voorheen uiteenlopende gegewens oor die rol van studente in die bestuur van die universiteit, vanuit hul perspektief en nie noodwendig die van studenteleierskap alleen nie, netjies bymekaar. Die studie beklemtoon ook verskeie konsepte wat verband hou met die rol van studente in die bestuur van die universiteit wat nie in vorige navorsing in ag geneem is nie. Doctoral 2025-01-29T06:18:56Z 2025-01-29T06:18:56Z 2024-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131607 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 230 pages : illustrations, includes annexures application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Education, Higher -- Administration -- South Africa Universities and colleges -- Administration -- South Africa Student participation in administration -- South Africa UCTD Brown, Tom Mark An exploratory study of governance practices at the student, Institutional, and Systems level of selected Higher Education Institutions in South Africa |
| title | An exploratory study of governance practices at the student, Institutional, and Systems level of selected Higher Education Institutions in South Africa |
| title_full | An exploratory study of governance practices at the student, Institutional, and Systems level of selected Higher Education Institutions in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | An exploratory study of governance practices at the student, Institutional, and Systems level of selected Higher Education Institutions in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | An exploratory study of governance practices at the student, Institutional, and Systems level of selected Higher Education Institutions in South Africa |
| title_short | An exploratory study of governance practices at the student, Institutional, and Systems level of selected Higher Education Institutions in South Africa |
| title_sort | exploratory study of governance practices at the student institutional and systems level of selected higher education institutions in south africa |
| topic | Education, Higher -- Administration -- South Africa Universities and colleges -- Administration -- South Africa Student participation in administration -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131607 |
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