an appreciative inquiry into the design of a conceptual model for a flexible undergraduate ...

135 Pages·2017·2.24 MB·English

by  Chris Steyn

AN APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY INTO THE DESIGN OF A
CONCEPTUAL MODEL FOR A FLEXIBLE UNDERGRADUATE
CURRICULUM STRUCTURE
BY
CHRISTOFFEL MATHYSS VAN AS STEYN
Comprehensive dissertation
submitted in fulfilment of the requirements
for the degree
Magister Artium
in
Higher Education Studies

School of Higher Education Studies
Faculty of Education
University of the Free State
Bloemfontein

Supervisor: Dr CN Ndeya-Ndereya

January 2017
DECLARATION

I, Christoffel Mathyss van As (C.M.v.A) Steyn, declare that the Master’s Degree
research thesis that I hereby submit for the Master’s Degree qualification MAHES at
the University of the Free State is my independent work, and that I have not previously
submitted it for a qualification at another institution of higher education.
I, Christoffel Mathyss van As Steyn, hereby declare that I am aware that the copyright
is vested in the University of the Free State.
I, Christoffel Mathyss van As Steyn, hereby declare that all royalties as regards to
intellectual property that was developed during the course of and/or in connection with
the study at the University of the Free State, will accrue to the University.
Signed:
31 January 2017
_______________ ______________
C.M.v.A. Steyn Date

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
 First, I want to thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity and guidance to
complete this qualification.
 I wish to express my sincere thanks to my wife, Hermien Steyn, and my
daughter, Janke-Daniel Steyn, for their continuous love, support and patience;
 Thank you to my parents for their love, encouragement and support.
 Thanks are also due to Mrs Dijana Wilson, research assistant, for assisting me
during the data collection process, and to Mrs Olga Evangelou, who gave me
the opportunity to further my studies.
 A special thanks to my supervisor and mentor, Dr Charity Ndeya-Ndereya.
Doctor Ndeya-Ndereya, I am very grateful for all your support, guidance and
mentorship throughout the past couple of years in the completion of the
dissertation. Without you, who kept on pushing me, the completion of this study
would not have been possible. You did not treat me as a student but rather as
a colleague and I appreciated that. I duly respect you as a professional. Your
knowledge of research is priceless.
 A special thank you to the Vaal University of Technology, and especially the
Research Directorate, for the financial support offered during this study.
 I am also grateful to the deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and Research), dean
of the Faculty of Engineering, staff and students of the university for sparing
their precious time during the study;
 Lastly, thank you to the language editor, Ms Hettie Human, for editing the
dissertation.

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CONTENTS

DECLARATION ......................................................................................................... ii
DECLARATION BY LANGUAGE PRACTITIONER ................................................. iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................... iv
LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................................... ix
LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... x
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ....................................................... xi
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. xii
OPSOMMING ......................................................................................................... xiv
chapter 1: ORIENTATION TO THE STUDY ............................................................. 1
1.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 1
1.2 THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK.................................. 4
1.3 RESEARCH PROBLEM ................................................................................ 6
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................................................ 7
1.5 RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVES........................................................... 8
1.6 DEMARCATION OF THE RESEARCH......................................................... 8
1.7 CLARIFICATION OF TERMS ....................................................................... 8
1.8 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ............................................ 11
1.9 VALUE OF THE RESEARCH ..................................................................... 12
1.10 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS .................................................................... 12
1.11 TRUSTWORTHINESS OF THE STUDY ..................................................... 12
1.12 LAYOUT OF THE DISSERTATAION.......................................................... 13
1.13 SUMMARY .................................................................................................. 13
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chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................... 14
2.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 14
2.2 TRANSFORMATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION ....................................... 15
2.2.1 Transformation challenges in higher education 16
2.2.2 Access with success challenges within higher education 18
2.2.3 Alternative access to higher education 20
2.3 ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENTS FOR AN IMPROVED HIGHER EDUCATION
SYSTEM ...................................................................................................... 24
2.3.1 A generic introductory undergraduate programme in higher education 26
2.4 CURRICULUM AND CURRICULUM DESIGN ............................................ 27
2.4.1 Curriculum 28
2.4.2 Curriculum design and curriculum design models 29
2.5 EVOLUTION OF ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA ......... 33
2.5.1 Three phases of academic development in South Africa 34
2.6 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY IN EDUCATION
RESEARCH ................................................................................................ 36
2.7 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................ 38
chapter 3: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ...................................... 40
3.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 40
3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN .................................................................................. 41
3.2.1 Framework for research design - appreciative inquiry 43
3.3 RESEARCH METHODS .............................................................................. 45
3.3.1 Selection of research participants 46
3.3.2 Data collection 48
3.3.3 Data analysis 56
3.4 TRUSTWORTHINESS OF THE STUDY ..................................................... 58
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3.4.1 Credibility 58
3.4.2 Dependability 58
3.4.3 Transferability 59
3.4.4 Confirmability 59
3.5 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS .................................................................... 60
3.6 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................ 61
chapter 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS ..... 63
4.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 63
4.2 CURRENT UNDERGRADUATE EXTENDED CURRICULUM CONTEXT . 63
4.3 PRESENTATION OF DATA ........................................................................ 65
4.3.1 Discovery phase 66
4.3.2 Dream phase 74
4.3.3 Design phase 75
4.4 DATA ANALYSIS ....................................................................................... 75
4.5 DISCUSSION OF CATEGORIES AND THEMES ....................................... 79
4.5.1 Theme 1: Underpreparedness 80
4.5.2 Theme 2: Access and success 82
4.5.3 Theme 3: Curriculum 82
4.5.4 Theme 4: Student needs 83
4.6 DESIGNING THE PRELIMINARY CONCEPTUAL MODEL ....................... 84
4.6.1 Step 1: Educational purpose 86
4.6.2 Step 2: Educational experience 87
4.6.3 Step 3: Organisation of educational experiences 88
4.6.4 Step 4: Evaluation of the curriculum 88
4.7 DESTINY PHASE ........................................................................................ 91
4.8 SYNTHESIS ................................................................................................ 91
chapter 5: CONCLUSIONS, SYNTHESIS OF FINDINGS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................ 92
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5.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 92
5.2 SYNTHESIS OF THE FINDINGS ................................................................ 93
5.3 IMPLICATIONS ........................................................................................... 95
5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH................................ 96
5.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ................................................................ 96
5.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY .................................................................. 97
5.7 CONCLUDING REMARKS ......................................................................... 97
LIST OF REFERENCES ........................................................................................... 98
APPENDIX A: RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS ......................................................... 115
APPENDIX B: REQUEST TO PARTICIPATE IN A RESEARCH STUDY .............. 117
APPENDIX C: INFORMED CONSENT FOR FOCUS-GROUP INTERVIEWS ....... 119
APPENDIX D: INFORMED CONSENT FOR INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEWS ............. 120

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1: The product and the process of curriculum development ............29
Figure 2.2: The Appreciative Inquiry 4-D Cycle ..............................................38
Figure 3.1: The research design plan.............................................................42
Figure 3.2: Modified delivering appreciative inquiry cycle ..............................48
Figure 3.3: Linear representation of the conceptual model for an extended
flexible undergraduate curriculum design, based on Madeus and
Stufflebeam (1989) ......................................................................55
Figure 4.1: Elements influencing the design of the conceptual model ...........86
Figure 4.2: Proposed conceptual model for a flexible extended
undergraduate curriculum ............................................................90

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 4.1: Data with coded themes...............................................................77

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