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Narratives of first-generation black female graduate students at a historically White institution
Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613952138018816 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Bosch, Leigh-Anne |
| author2 | Daniels, Doria |
| author_browse | Bosch, Leigh-Anne Daniels, Doria |
| author_facet | Daniels, Doria Bosch, Leigh-Anne |
| author_sort | Bosch, Leigh-Anne |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134524 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:18.862Z |
| 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:10019.1/134524 Narratives of first-generation black female graduate students at a historically White institution Bosch, Leigh-Anne Daniels, Doria Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Educational Psychology. African American women in higher education -- South Africa First-generation college students -- South Africa Women graduate students -- South Africa Education, Higher -- South Africa -- Social aspects Universities and colleges -- Race relations -- Education (Higher) Universities and colleges -- South Africa -- Social aspects UCTD Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Bosch, L. 2025. Narratives of first-generation Black female graduate students at a historically White institution. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/8bc04f0c-ed32-470f-a97b-19a0364d6cb6 ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study explores the lived experiences of first-generation Black female graduate students (FGBFGS) at a historically White institution (HWI) in South Africa, centring their voices in a higher education landscape still characterised by racial, gendered, and socio-economic inequities. Although apartheid was abolished years ago, enduring structural exclusions, institutional cultures, and pedagogical practices continue to marginalise Black students—particularly women who are the first in their families to pursue postgraduate education. This study sought to investigate how their experiences are impacted by the intersecting of race, gender and culture with education. Guided by Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and Feminist Theory, this qualitative research employed a narrative inquiry approach to understand how participants made meaning of their journeys. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews and a focus group incorporating the River of Life activity, enabling a rich and nuanced exploration of their experiences. The core themes that emerged were: (1) Navigating Alienation and Marginalisation, (2) Strategies of Resilience and Adaptation, (3) Institutional Support and Systemic Barriers, (4) Intersection of Motherhood, Race, and Academia, and (5) First-Generation Identity and Pride. Findings reveal that FGBFGS experienced persistent invisibility, linguistic and cultural alienation, tokenism, hypervisibility, and epistemic exclusion, yet they also displayed remarkable resilience, critical agency, and a profound sense of building an academic legacy for future generations. They expressed a strong desire for authentic transformation, greater recognition of African epistemologies, and institutional cultures that genuinely reflect the diversity of the South African student body. The persistence of FGBFGS in HWIs is a testament to their courage and a challenge to institutions to live up to the promise of transformation—where equity is not an aspiration but a lived reality. The study recommends that HWIs move beyond symbolic transformation by embedding culturally sustaining pedagogies, developing intersectionally -informed support structures, ensuring equitable representation in leadership and decision-making, and creating spaces where the knowledge, identities, and aspirations of Black women are validated. Institutional accountability must extend beyond policy into practice, ensuring that higher education becomes truly inclusive, just, and empowering for all. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie delf in die geleefde verhale van eerste-generasie Swart vroulike nagraadse studente (EGSVNS) aan ‘n historiese Wit instelling (HWI) in Suid-Afrika, wat hul stemme sentreer oor ‘n hoëronderwyslandskap wat steeds op grond van rassige, geslagtelike en sosio-ekonomiese ongelykhede gekenmerk word. Binne Suid-Afrikaanse konteks sluit die term Swart die Afrika-, Bruin- en Indiër-individue in waarvan elkeen histories gemarginaliseer was onder Apartheid. Alhoewel Apartheid jare gelede afgeskaf is, duur die struktruele uitsluitings, intstellingskulture, asook pedagogiese praktyke van Apartheid voort wat steeds Swart studente marginaliseer – spesifiek eerste-generasie vrouens wat nagraadse opleiding natreef. Gelei deur die Kritiese Ras-teorie (KRT), Interseksionaliteit, en Feministiese Teorie (FT), is hierdie kwalitatiewe navorsing aangestel deur ‘n narratiewe ondersoekbenadering om te deurgrond hoe deelnemers betekenis aan hul reise gee. Data was versamel deur semi-gestruktureerde individuele onderhoude en ‘n fokusgroep waar die Rivier van die Lewe aktiwiteit geïnkorporeer was, wat toelaat vir diepgaande en genuanseerde verkenning van die deelnemers se ervaringe. Die kern temas wat verskyn het was: (1) Navigasie van Vervreemding en Marginalisering, (2) Strategieë van Weerbaarheid en Aanpassing, (3) Institusionele Ondersteuning en Sistemiese Hindernisse, (4) Kruispunt van Moederskap, Ras en Akademie, en (5) Eerste-Generasie Identiteit en Trots. Bevindings ontbloot dat EGSVNS ervaar konstante onsigbaarheid, taalkundige en kultruele vervreemding, vorms van tokenisme, hipersigbaarheid, en epistemiese uitsluiting, maar tog toon hul merkwaardige veerkragtigheid, kritiese agentskap, en ‘n diep dryf om ‘n akademiese erfenis te bou vir toekomstige generasies. Hul toon ook ‘n sterk begeerte vir egte transformasie, groter erkenning van Afrika epitemollogieë, en istitusionele kulture wat werklik die diversiteit van die Suid-Afrikaanse studenteliggaam reflekteer. Die deursettingsvermoë van EGSVNS in HWI is ‘n testament tot hul durf en ‘n uitdaging vir instellings om opteleef na hul belofte aan transformasie – waar gelykheid nie net ‘n aspirasie is nie, maar ‘n realiteit. Hierdie studie stel voor dat HWI’s verder as simboliese transformasie beweeg deur die inbedding van kultuurlik-behoudende onderrigbenaderings, ontwikkeling van interseksioneel-ingeligte ondersteuningsstrukture, billike verteenwoordiging in leierskap en besluitneming te verseker, asook ruimtes skep wat kennis, identiteite en aspirasies van Swart vroue erken en bekragtig. Institusionele aanspreeklikheid moet verder as die toepassing van beleid in praktyk strek, sodat hoër onderwys werklik inklusief, regverdig, en bemagtigend vir almal kan wees. XHOSA ABSTRACT: lu phononongo lugxile kumabali aphilayo abafundi abamnyama, abasetyhini, abathweswe izidanga kwizifundo eziphakamileyo okokuqala kwiintsapho zabo (FGBFGS) kwikholeji eyaziwa ngembali yayo yokungamkelwa kwabamnyama eMzantsi Afrika. Esi sifundo sibeka phambili amazwi abo kwindawo yemfundo ephakamileyo eMzantsi Afrika, apho kusenokubakho ukungalingani ngokobuhlanga, ubulili, kunye neemeko zempilo nezoqoqosho. Kumxholo waseMzantsi Afrika, igama elithi “abamnyama” lisetyenziswa ukubandakanya abantu abangamaAfrika, abaNtsundu (Coloured), kunye namaNdiya, bonke abaye bagqithwa phantsi lixesha lobandlululo. Nangona ubandlululo lwagqitywa kudala, izithintelo zesakhiwo, iinkcubeko zezemfundo, kunye neendlela zokufundisa zisagcina abafundi abamnyama – ngakumbi abasetyhini – bephantsi, ngakumbi abo bangabokuqala kwiintsapho zabo ukufunda izifundo eziphakamileyo. Olu phando lukhokelelwa yiCritical Race Theory, i-Intersectionality, kunye neFeminist Theory, lusetyenziswa indlela ye-narrative inquiry ukuze kuqondwe indlela abathathi-nxaxheba abenza ngayo intsingiselo yehambo yabo. Idata yaqokelelwa ngodliwanondlebe lwabanye ngabanye kunye neqela lentsebenziswano elalibandakanya nomsebenzi othi River of Life, nto leyo eyavumela ukuqonda okunzulu, okuneenkcukacha ngeemvakalelo zabo. Imixholo ephambili ephumayo yaba le: (1) Ukubhekana Nokungamkeleki Nokugatywa, (2) Iindlela Zokomelela Nokuzilungiselela, (3) Inkxaso Evela Kwisikolo Nezithintelo Zenkqubo, (4) Indibaniselwano Yobumama, Uhlanga, Nezemfundo, (5) Isazisi Sokuqala Kwintsapho kunye Neqhayiya. Iziphumo zibonisa ukuba abafundi beFGBFGS bajamelene nokungabonwa, ukungaziwa kwenkcubeko kunye nolwimi, ukujongwa njengento yokuzalisa isabelo (tokenism), ukujongwa kakhulu (hypervisibility), kunye nokungamkelwa kwezimvo zabo kwezokwazi (epistemic exclusion). Nangona kunjalo, babonise amandla okumelana neemeko, isakhono sokuzilawula, kunye nomnqweno omkhulu wokwakha ilifa lezemfundo kwizizukulwana ezizayo. Babonakalise umnqweno oqinileyo wenguqu yenyani, ukuqondwa kweendlela zokwazi zaseAfrika, kunye neenkcubeko zesikolo ezifanelana nenyaniso yohlukeneyo yabafundi baseMzantsi Afrika. Ukunyamezela kwabafundi beFGBFGS kwizikolo ezineimbali emhlophe bubungqina bobugorha babo, kwaye kungummceli-mngeni kwiinkqubo zemfundo ukuba zifezekise isithembiso songuqu – apho ukulingana kungabi nje liphupha kodwa libe yinto ephilwayo mihla ngemihla. Isifundo sicebisa ukuba izikolo ezineembali ezimhlophe zidlule kwindlela yokwenza uguqu olubonakala kuphela ngamagama, kwaye zifake iindlela zokufundisa ezihlonipha inkcubeko, ziphuhlise iinkqubo zenkxaso ezithathela ingqalelo imiba emininzi yesazisi, ziqinisekise ukumelwa ngokulinganayo kwezobunkokeli nezokwenza izigqibo, kwaye zenze iindawo apho ulwazi, isazisi, kunye neenjongo zabasetyhini abamnyama zixatyiswa. Ulawulo lwemfundo ephakamileyo kufuneka lungapheleli kumgaqo-nkqubo kuphela, kodwa lube yinyani ebomini, ukuze imfundo ephakamileyo ibe yeyokwenyani, elinganayo, nenamandla kubo bonke. Masters 2025-12-12T07:51:44Z 2025-12-12T07:51:44Z 2025-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134524 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 179 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | African American women in higher education -- South Africa First-generation college students -- South Africa Women graduate students -- South Africa Education, Higher -- South Africa -- Social aspects Universities and colleges -- Race relations -- Education (Higher) Universities and colleges -- South Africa -- Social aspects UCTD Bosch, Leigh-Anne Narratives of first-generation black female graduate students at a historically White institution |
| title | Narratives of first-generation black female graduate students at a historically White institution |
| title_full | Narratives of first-generation black female graduate students at a historically White institution |
| title_fullStr | Narratives of first-generation black female graduate students at a historically White institution |
| title_full_unstemmed | Narratives of first-generation black female graduate students at a historically White institution |
| title_short | Narratives of first-generation black female graduate students at a historically White institution |
| title_sort | narratives of first generation black female graduate students at a historically white institution |
| topic | African American women in higher education -- South Africa First-generation college students -- South Africa Women graduate students -- South Africa Education, Higher -- South Africa -- Social aspects Universities and colleges -- Race relations -- Education (Higher) Universities and colleges -- South Africa -- Social aspects UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134524 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT boschleighanne narrativesoffirstgenerationblackfemalegraduatestudentsatahistoricallywhiteinstitution |