Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Exploring students’ ‘epistemic becoming’ on a residence-based education support programme during the COVID-19 PANDEMIC at Stellenbosch University
Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Published: |
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867614035113934848 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Petersen, Joy |
| author2 | Fataar, Aslam |
| author_browse | Fataar, Aslam Petersen, Joy |
| author_facet | Fataar, Aslam Petersen, Joy |
| author_sort | Petersen, Joy |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134768 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| 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 | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134768 Exploring students’ ‘epistemic becoming’ on a residence-based education support programme during the COVID-19 PANDEMIC at Stellenbosch University Petersen, Joy Fataar, Aslam Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies. Education, Higher -- South Africa Residence halls -- Study and teaching COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- -- Study and teaching -- South Africa Distance education -- South Africa Student affairs services Transformative learning College students -- South Africa -- Attitudes Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Petersen, J. 2025. Exploring students’ ‘epistemic becoming’ on a residence-based education support programme during the COVID-19 PANDEMIC at Stellenbosch University. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/bf924eb4-7488-410b-a3c1-ca54abe33f2c ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis explored the epistemic becoming of a group of first-generation students who participated in the Residential Education and Support Programme (RESP) established during the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘Epistemic becoming’ refers to the acquisition of modelled and cultivated dispositions that orient the self towards knowledge, others and the world. The study responds to the question: How did the educational support programme established under Covid-19 pandemic conditions in a Stellenbosch University residence engender the ‘epistemic becoming’ of students on the programme? The nexus of students, staff and the institutional structure during the COVID-19 pandemic enacted particular relational, ethical and pedagogical practices that enacted the RESP. This thesis argues that the RESP acted as a catalyst for the transmission and acquisition of knowledge-based qualities and dispositions – or epistemic virtues (Barnett 2009). The RESP was co-created between the resident head and a group of first-generation students who remained in the university residence during the pandemic. Findings showed the RESP’s ethical care pedagogies interrupted and mitigated the students’ previous experiences of misrecognition, exclusion and dissonance. This dissertation is presented as four academic pieces that have been submitted for publication, with integrated introductory and concluding chapters. The introduction provides the context of the pandemic moment, the rationale and introduces the research questions. The body of the thesis consists of four academic pieces, one book chapter and three articles, each responding to a specific sub-question of the research. The first chapter is an article focussed on the pre-pandemic being of the residential educator, while the second is a book chapter on the students’ subjective formation before the pandemic. Article three places the spotlight on the RESP and analyses its curricular and pedagogical dimensions. The fourth article captures the students’ agentic morphogenesis from primary agents to corporate actorhood. The concluding chapter consolidates the findings of the articles and frames the trajectory of the student's agency development and epistemic becoming. The study was conducted using a qualitative, interpretivist methodological approach with a case study design that illustrated the boundedness of the pandemic event. It followed a longitudinal narrative inquiry methodology and conducted an analysis to account for the temporal, contextual and relational dynamics of the study. An integrated theoretical framework was developed to capture the facets of the students’ epistemic becoming. Archer’s morphogenesis theory provided the overarching framework, complemented by Bourdieu’s concepts of field and habitus, Yosso’s capitals, Tronto’s ethics of care and Freire’s conceptualisation of humanising pedagogies. Together, a conceptual framework emerged that connected structure, culture, agency and pedagogy, highlighting their mutual influences and identifying how students epistemic becoming can be conceptualised. The main insight gleaned from the study is that intentional pedagogies based on ethical care practices and humanising principles can engender and cultivate epistemic virtues. The study offers such an experiential framework with design principles for practice that can be implemented and adapted inside and outside the classroom. The study emphasises the significance of acquiring epistemic virtues such as intellectual humility, a preparedness to engage, a willingness to continue learning and take risks, intellectual curiosity, amongst others, to prepare the contemporary student for a world that is increasingly uncertain, unstable, ambiguous and super-complex. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis het die epistemiese wording van 'n groep eerstegenerasie-studente ondersoek wat deelgeneem het aan die Residensiële Onderwys- en Ondersteuningsprogram (RESP) wat tydens die COVID-19-pandemie ontwikkel is. Epistemiese wording verwys na die verkryging van gemodelleerde en gekweekte disposisies wat die self oriënteer teenoor kennis, ander en die wêreld. Die studie beantwoord die vraag: Hoe het die opvoedkundige ondersteuningsprogram wat onder Covid-19-pandemietoestande in 'n Universiteit Stellenbosch-koshuis gestig is, die 'epistemiese wording' van studente op die program teweeggebring? Die samesmelting van studente, personeel en die institusionele struktuur tydens die COVID-19-pandemie het spesifieke relasionele, etiese en pegagogeiese praktyke gelewer wat die RESP in werking gestel het. Hierdie tesis voer aan dat die RESP as ‘n katalisator opgetree het vir die oordrag en verkryging van kennisgebaseerde kwaliteite en disposisies – of epistemiese deugde (Barnett 2009). Die RESP is mede-geskep tussen die inwonende hoof en 'n groep eerstegenerasie-studente wat tydens die pandemie in die universiteitskoshuis gebly het. Vroeë bevindinge het getoon dat die RESP se etiese sorgpedagogieë die studente se vorige ervarings van wanherkenning, uitsluiting en dissonansie onderbreek het. Hierdie proefskrif word aangebied as vier akademiese stukke wat vir publikasie ingedien is, met geïntegreerde inleidende en afsluitende hoofstukke. Die inleiding verskaf die konteks van die uniekheid van die pandemie-oomblik, die rasionaal en stel die navorsingsvrae bekend. Die liggaam van die tesis bestaan uit vierstukke, wat elk 'n spesifieke subvraag van die navorsing beantwoord. Die eerste artikel het gefokus op die pre-pandemie-wese van die residensiële opvoeder, en die tweede – ‘n boek hoofstuk - op die studente se subjektiewe vorming voor die pandemie. Artikel drie plaas die kollig op die RESP en ontleed die kurrikulêre en pedagogiese dimensies daarvan. Die vierde artikel vang die studente se agentiese morfogenese vas van primêre agente tot korporatiewe akteurskap. Die afsluitende hoofstuk konsolideer die artikels en raam die trajek van die studente se agentskapontwikkeling en epistemiese wording. Die studie is uitgevoer met behulp van 'n kwalitatiewe, interpretivistiese metodologiese benadering met 'n gevallestudie-ontwerp wat die begrensdheid van die pandemie-gebeurtenis geïllustreer het. Dit het 'n longitudinale narratiewe ondersoekmetodologie en -analise gevolg om rekening te hou met die temporale, kontekstuele en relasionele dinamika van die studie. 'n Geïntegreerde teoretiese raamwerk is ontwikkel om die fasette van die studente se epistemiese wording vas te lê. Archers se morfogenese-teorie het die oorkoepelende raamwerk verskaf, aangevul deur Bourdieu se veld en habitus, Yosso se gemeenskap kapitale, Tronto se sorgsetiek en Freire se konseptualisering van humaniserende pedagogieë. Saam het 'n konseptuele raamwerk ontstaan wat struktuur, kultuur, agentskap en pedagogie verbind het, hul wedersydse invloede uitgelig het en geïdentifiseer het hoe studente se epistemiese wording gekonseptualiseer kan word. Die belangrikste insig wat uit die studie verkry is, is dat intensionele pedagogieë gebaseer op etiese sorgpraktyke en humaniserende beginsels epistemiese deugde kan kweek. Die studie beklemtoon die belangrikheid van die verkryging van epistemiese deugde, soos intellektuele nederigheid, 'n bereidwilligheid om betrokke te raak, 'n gewilligheid om aan te hou leer en risiko's te neem, intellektuele nuuskierigheid, onder andere, om hedendaagse studente voor te berei vir 'n wêreld wat toenemend onseker, onstabiel, dubbelsinnig en superkompleks is. Doctoral 2026-01-07T09:01:41Z 2026-01-07T09:01:41Z 2025-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134768 Stellenbosch University 167 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Education, Higher -- South Africa Residence halls -- Study and teaching COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- -- Study and teaching -- South Africa Distance education -- South Africa Student affairs services Transformative learning College students -- South Africa -- Attitudes Petersen, Joy Exploring students’ ‘epistemic becoming’ on a residence-based education support programme during the COVID-19 PANDEMIC at Stellenbosch University |
| title | Exploring students’ ‘epistemic becoming’ on a residence-based education support programme during the COVID-19 PANDEMIC at Stellenbosch University |
| title_full | Exploring students’ ‘epistemic becoming’ on a residence-based education support programme during the COVID-19 PANDEMIC at Stellenbosch University |
| title_fullStr | Exploring students’ ‘epistemic becoming’ on a residence-based education support programme during the COVID-19 PANDEMIC at Stellenbosch University |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring students’ ‘epistemic becoming’ on a residence-based education support programme during the COVID-19 PANDEMIC at Stellenbosch University |
| title_short | Exploring students’ ‘epistemic becoming’ on a residence-based education support programme during the COVID-19 PANDEMIC at Stellenbosch University |
| title_sort | exploring students epistemic becoming on a residence based education support programme during the covid 19 pandemic at stellenbosch university |
| topic | Education, Higher -- South Africa Residence halls -- Study and teaching COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- -- Study and teaching -- South Africa Distance education -- South Africa Student affairs services Transformative learning College students -- South Africa -- Attitudes |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134768 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT petersenjoy exploringstudentsepistemicbecomingonaresidencebasededucationsupportprogrammeduringthecovid19pandemicatstellenboschuniversity |