Browsing by Author "Van Schalkwyk, Rhoda"

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    Exploring the role of ontological identity in the development of workplace literacy
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-03) Van Schalkwyk, Rhoda; Frick, B. L.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. Curriculum Studies
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT : The question about the possible role of ontological identity in the development of workplace literacy arose from my experience as adult literacy educator. Sensing parallels between my own refocusing of identity at post-graduate level and nuances of growth my students reported in practice, I set out to uncover the phenomenon of identity shift in the context of the learning which prepares people for work engagement. A literature review was done to explore the concomitance of identity and literacy. An understanding of identity, as seated in the being of an individual, was linked to literature which had revealed the sub-textual ontology of literacy development. Applying an interpretative lens to identity within the context of workplace literacy, a phenomenological methodology was adopted. Using unstructured interviews, participative observation during literacy classes and the analysis of reflective texts of students and the researcher, thick descriptions of the ontological identity of four students of a workplace literacy programme were co-authored dialogically. These portraits were interpreted in terms of the definitional frame to make sense of the voice which had been accorded to these students. The perceived identity shifts of the students were compared to those reported by the researcher and relevant literature. The findings of the study, although not generalizable, point to strengthening and nuancing of identity during learning which prepares for work on different levels. Learning for the workplace appears to reside in ontological identity. The possible implications of this study are that the epistemological lens of practitioners of workplace literacy development needs to accommodate the seat of being as the site of learning, which points to a need for a modification of practice.