Hoër onderwys as navorsings- en studiegebied in Suid-Afrika: 'n Historiese en tematiese perspektief
Date
2012-09
Authors
Wilkinson, Annette
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
South African Academy for Science and Arts, P.O. Box 538, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa, Tel: 021 328 5082 Fax: 012 328 5091
Abstract
This contribution addresses three issues concerning higher education as a field of study and
research in South Africa. It starts off by tracing a number of moments in the historical development
of higher education studies and research in South Africa – particularly in the period prior to the
1994 transition of political power. Next, the question of what the field of higher education studies
and research entails internationally, is explored. The thematic categorisation of Malcolm Tight
from the United Kingdom is used to determine international publication trends as derived from
his analysis of 406 articles in 17 selective academic journals for the period 2002 – 2003. Tight
identified eight major categories or clusters of publications in the field of higher education research.
These were: (1) Teaching and learning in higher education; (2) Curriculum planning and design;
(3) Student learning experiences; (4) Quality in higher education; (5) Systems and policies in
higher education; (6) Institutional management; (7) Academics and academic work; (8) Knowledge
and the nature of knowledge in higher education. For the South African position, three different
analyses of studies and articles on higher education were explored. The first included an analysis
by Muller (1998), who analysed 371 titles of research projects as well as master’s and doctoral
titles that were registered on the Nexus database of the National Research Foundation for the
period 1993 – 1997. A second analysis, by Uys and Frick (2009), comprised the abstracts of 1237
articles which were published in the South African Journal of Higher Education in the period
1987 – 2007. Although not directly comparable to Muller’s, this analysis indicated similar as well
as different clusters of research undertaken. A third analysis, by Wilkinson and Van Jaarsveldt
(2009), comprised 159 articles published by the South African Journal of Higher Education
between 2006 and 2007 as one section of their research. The other section looked at 382 titles of
master’s and doctoral theses as registered on the database of the National Research Foundation
for the period 2006 – 2007. From a comparison between the international analysis by Tight on
the one hand and the three South African analyses on the other, it was concluded that while the
Tight mapping was largely confirmed by the South African anlyses, two further local themes have
emerged and another seems to be evolving. The new themes are (9) Transformation in/of higher
education and (10) Higher Education and community involvement. A theme that seems to be
evolving, is research on the role and use of electronic information and communication systems in
higher education, while research on quality issues in higher education seems to be on the downturn
or, at least, not growing. Finally, the authors have highlighted a number of issues for possible
future exploration in order to extend and promote higher education as a field of research and
studies in South Africa. These include the continuing and pressing question of student access to
higher education, the relationship of higher education to other levels of post-school education
and the effects of the economic downturn worldwide on higher education institutions and systems.
It is also suggested that a more accurate and continuous mapping of the field can assist policy
makers, study leaders and postgraduate students in making more informed choices on selecting
and funding research priorities and topics in the field of higher education studies and research.
Description
Please cite as follows:
Bitzer, Eli, & Wilkinson, Annette. (2012). Hoër onderwys as navorsings- en studiegebied in Suid-Afrika: 'n Historiese en tematiese perspektief. Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe, 52(3), 382-396
The original publication is available at www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0041-47512012000300004&lng=en&nrm=iso
Bitzer, Eli, & Wilkinson, Annette. (2012). Hoër onderwys as navorsings- en studiegebied in Suid-Afrika: 'n Historiese en tematiese perspektief. Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe, 52(3), 382-396
The original publication is available at www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0041-47512012000300004&lng=en&nrm=iso
Keywords
Opvoedkunde, Kurrikulumstudie
Citation
Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe
Bitzer, Eli, & Wilkinson, Annette. (2012). Hoër onderwys as navorsings- en studiegebied in Suid-Afrika: 'n Historiese en tematiese perspektief. Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe, 52(3), 382-396
Bitzer, Eli, & Wilkinson, Annette. (2012). Hoër onderwys as navorsings- en studiegebied in Suid-Afrika: 'n Historiese en tematiese perspektief. Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe, 52(3), 382-396