1. Scraping the surface: What is the bottom line regarding ethics
Ms Moliehi Rosemary Mpeli
School of nursing
University of the Free State
Prof. M.L.E. Monnapula-Mapesela
Centre for Higher Education Studies and Development
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2. Overview of the presentation
The purpose of the paper
Background and literature
Research design and methodology
Research findings
Recommendations and conclusion
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3. Purpose of the paper This paper advocates:
The importance of cultural values as a basis for ethics formation and morality in higher education
Recognition of cultural values as the way forward for (ethical) conduct in higher education in democratic and diverse communities
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4. Purpose of the paper cont.
To share our experiences as academics within an institution that lacked cultural pluralism
To demonstrate how our cultural values were/are neglected by the dominant culture
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5. Background and literature
The role of education in South Africa pre-1994:
Cornerstone for apartheid - transmit values, myths and ideologies
Sustain apartheid and culture of the Afrikaners
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6. Afrikaner vs native education
The Afrikaner’s education
The native education
Based on Christian
National
Spiritual and
Cultural
Principles of trusteeship
Non-equality and segregation
Controlled in terms of structure and content
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7. Afrikaner vs native education cont.
The Afrikaner’s education
The native education
In the light of God’s discreet plan and will to separate nations
( Robertson and Whitten: , Hirson: 1979, Johnson: 1982)
With the aim of inculcating the Afrikaners’ way of life as senior trustee
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8. Aims of native education: pre- 1994
To prepare them for occupations such as gardening and house-keeping
To teach them that equality is not for natives and
Their place within the white community is not above certain forms of labour
(Birley: 1968 and Horrel: 1968, Johnson:1982)
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9. The dawn of democracy 1994 Main issues of concern:
Transformation agenda was strengthened
Reconstruction and development of the country
Redress of inequality
In higher education many policies were developed
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10. The dawn of democracy cont.
These policies advocate issues of transformation such as:
Transforming institutional cultures
Widening access for blacks
Access with success
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11. What about institutional culture?
Transparency, an open culture of integrity, ownership and accountability
Recognition of stakeholders values
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12. Institutional culture
Design of institutional policies to meet objectives
Ensure existence of conditions that bring the best in all people
Are all people valued as human beings?
Is there a sense of family or community?
Are people physically and emotionally safe?
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13. Ethics in Higher education
How does higher education contribute towards ethics development?
Who evaluates the impact of these strategies on ethical development?
Who ensures that these are enforced in teaching and learning?
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14. Ethics in Higher education
Examples:
Orientation speeches
Convocations
Community service learning
Religious and spiritual activities
(Daltone and Crosby 2006)
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15. Ethics in Higher education cont.
What are some of the ethical issues that you encounter in your own practice?
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16. discrimination on grounds of disability and sexual orientation
Racism
Plagiarism
Fraud
Theft
Prejudice
Stereotyping
Sexism
discrimination on grounds of disability and sexual orientation
gentlemen’s clubs
queen bee syndrome,
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17. Controversies regarding Ethics
Problems regarding teaching ethics and teaching about ethics
What type of ethics should be taught?
Can an individual be taught to be ethical?
Are professions: law, health, business void of ethical issues?
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18. Concept culture Lacks a single meaning, and entails:
Collective programming of mind that distinguishes members of a culture
It is an important aspect of an individual’s life
(Sivathambi : 2000, Adigalar: 2000, Hofstede: 1983, Matšela: 1979, Boas:1934)
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19. Culture cont. It builds a person’s identity
It is a bedrock for survival of people
It influences decision-making, thinking, actions and behaviour
(Sivathambi :2000, Adigalar :2000, Hofstede: 1983, Matšela: 1979, Boas :1934)
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20. Acted out involuntarily
Values
Cultural values
Ethics
Acted out involuntarily
Guide interactions, behaviour, attitudes and psychosocial processes
They shape life and experiences
Patterns of goodness or badness assigned to ways of being in the world
Shapes one’s worldview and behaviour
Are related to development of ethics
Give meaning to thinking, decisions and actions
Deeply engrained in person
(Leininger and McFarland 2002, Bennet 1998)
Result from personal choice after reflection and deliberation on cultural values and morals
They are incorporated in the identity and personal policy of a person’s life
They guide decision-making and actions
(Winberg 2006)
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21. Research design and methodology
Qualitative research
Critical autoethnography
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22. The designs These designs hold same assumptions :
That reality in neither fixed, nor entirely external
But reality is created by and moves with changing perception and beliefs
(Cormack 2000, Duncan 2004, Marxwell 1996)
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23. Critical Autoethnography
It is a process by which the researcher chooses to make explicit use of own position, involvement and experience as an integral part of ethnographic research
(Duncan 2004)
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24. Critical Autoethnography cont.
Involves the researchers examining critically their culturally situated lived experiences
Reconceptualising their cultural identities
(Duncan 2004)
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25. Critical Autoethnography cont.
Developing inclusive educational philosophies that acknowledge beliefs, values, languages, identities and experiential realities that are brought into the classroom
(Duncan 2004)
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26. The context: Our university
It is a historically white Afrikaans university
Its transformation started and has been in transit ever since
Was forced by the Dutch Reformed Church to introduce the Afrikaner Education policy and to use Afrikaans as the only medium of instruction
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27. The context: Our university
1988 – One black student was allowed to register at the university
1989 – Hostel accommodation ban for black students was lifted
Parallel medium was introduced
The university is still the stronghold of the Afrikaans culture
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28. The context: Our university
Current university values are:
Academic freedom and autonomy
Excellence
Fairness
Service
Integrity
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29. Who are we? We are Basotho
Raised within a rich culture that believes initiation into the human experiential world is a lifelong endeavour
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30. Who are we? Cont. Indigenous initiation/education:
Is a strategy that gives entry into another experience
It is through initiation that apprentices become introduced into adulthood and into important social operations
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31. Who are we? Cont.
Started from infancy where a woman of good repute initiated our first morsel of meat
Through proverbs, fables, folktales, legends, and myths, we learned the values of our culture
Cultural values form the basis of our experiences
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32. Who are we? Cont.
When we were adolescents, our parents decided on Western education for us, instead of indigenous initiation/education
This was approved by the community as the benefits of this were and are still obvious
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33. Who are we? Cont. Our culture forms part of our inner world
In order to make sense of every situation, we consult our values faculties, which are our experiences
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34. Our cultural identity
Our culture poses a collective identity and cultural frame of reference
This identity is based on our values which are some how hierarchical
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35. Our cultural values Pursuit of peace (kgotso)
Service for the benefit of society
Human dignity is an important attribute
Self-expression
Appreciation and encouragement of the good and pursuit of excellence, beauty and mastery
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36. Our cultural values Believe in God Authority and respect
Industriousness and wealth
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37. Experiences : Results
Personal experiences of the authors who studied at a transforming university of South Africa
Later on, we both became academic staff members
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38. Experiences : Results Scheduling of lectures
Parallel medium (English and Afrikaans)
Window dressing
Institutional policies
Separate hostels (Rietz video)
Single classroom composed of groupings of students based on race
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39. Experiences : Results Selective communalism
No trusting relationship between the communities that were separated
Talking about racial issues, differences and individuality is a sin 
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40. Experiences : Results
We feel like visitors, outsiders even after 12 years of academic life
What keeps us going is the resilience taught at childhood
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41. Experiences : Results cont.
At times we become depressed with a strong urge to quit (resigning has been one strategy employed by many of our colleagues at UFS)
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42. Impact of unrealised values
When a person’s culture, security and values are threatened, neglected or oppressed:
Suffer ethnostress
feelings of hopelessness
malfunctioning behaviour
loss of identity,
denial of self/identity and culture
(Antone and Hill 1992)
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43. Recommendations and conclusions
The interface between practice and theory of ethics should be unified by the harmony created by being at peace with ones cultural values
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44. Recommendations and conclusions cont.
Ethics should not only be good on paper/theory but should be acted out in moral worth
Make students aware of the practice of ethics
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45. Recommendations and conclusions cont.
Ethics should be transferable/translated into good action and conduct (such conduct should display ethical significance or worth/value observable as good will)
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46. Recommendations and conclusions cont.
Value clarification
Assist all students in searching and researching their cultural values/prior knowledge
Cultural values should form a basis for the development of ethical discernment
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47. Departement Sentrum • Department Centre
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48. Departement Sentrum • Department Centre
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50. Departement Sentrum • Department Centre
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52. Departement Sentrum • Department Centre
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55. Departement Sentrum • Department Centre
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56. THANK YOU!