1. Presented by Siphelo Mapolisa, PhD Student, UNISA
The socio-cultural complexities of student Access-Success in an Open Distance Learning (ODL) context: The case of University of South Africa
Presented by
Siphelo Mapolisa, PhD Student, UNISA

2. Introduction
In the South African context access and success, play out against the historical and social setting of an educational system of marginalisation, poverty and political disempowerment.
Access and success have different meaning and are articulated and understood differently by students from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.
Access to quality education is essential for development and provide opportunities, knowledge and skills in order for individuals to be successful.
However, there are still educational inequalities where previously individuals still struggle to access institutions of higher education hence the policy imperative for massive enrolment of previously disadvantaged groups.

3. The White Paper on Higher Education
The cornerstone higher education policy document that clearly states the transformation imperatives facing the sector, inherited from colonialism and apartheid, has been the White Paper on HE Transformation (WPHET) of 1997.
The WPHET calls for a new system of higher education based on:
equity of access and fair chances of success to all who are seeking to realise their potential through higher education, while eradicating all forms of unfair discrimination and advancing redress for past inequalities;
meeting, through well-planned and co-ordinated teaching, learning and research programmes, national development needs, including the high-skilled employment needs presented by a growing economy operating in a global environment;
supporting a democratic ethos and a culture of human rights by educational programmes and practices conducive to critical discourse and creative thinking, cultural tolerance, and a common commitment to a humane, non-racist and non-sexist social order; and
contributing to the advancement of all forms of knowledge and scholarship, and in particular addressing the diverse problems and demands of the local, national, southern African and African contexts, and upholding rigorous standards of academic quality.

4. Problem Statement
Given that the function of Institutions of Higher Learning especially ODL is to bridge the gap between the poor and the privileged as a catalyst of change and social justice little has been achieved
Educational access is a far-fetched reality for the majority of students from poor socio-economic and cultural backgrounds
Once they access the ODL institution, they are faced with a number of complexities and challenges that may lead to failure.
The models and frameworks have not addressed the challenges of access and success and have not focused on social injustice and inequality especially in ODL

5. Types of Access Universal Access Equitable access Educational access
Epimistological Access
Economic Access
Social Access
Cultural access

6. What is success?
As indicated by Bourdieus (1978) success is a relative term depending on one’s socio-cultural and economic background and status in society
Institutional success
graduation/throughput
Individual success
graduation and qualification and job
Community success
degree and status in society

7. Rational of the study
This study will explore the experiences of distance education students from a socio-economic and cultural perspective, using UNISA as a case study.
The study will focus on the complexities of access and access where the realities, experiences and life stories of students are told instead of focusing on head counts and figures to inform policies and decision- making.
The experiences of students are often not documented in ODL institutions as to why do students leave their places of origin to be close to the periphery or main campus and what are the implications and challenges.
Look at measures to curb migration of students from rural to urban settings pursuing success

8. Research Design
This section will look at the research strategy and presents the connection between the epistemological, theoretical and methodological perspectives which will be applied to make sense of the collected data, and thus to shed light at the central research question guiding the study.
In order to investigate the socio-cultural aspects and experiences of students in an ODL environment students will interviewed over a period of two months at the Sunnyside campus during lunch hours and the data will be collected through face to face interviews and focus group discussions and observations.  

9. Theoretical framework
This sociological study will premised on Bourdieu’s Grand Theory of Practice where capital, field and habitus will be explored looking at the implication of these factors in access and access for UNISA students
Capital –economic, social and cultural
Field –domain where things are happening
Social class, education and upbringing and individual past choices determine the behaviour of the agent in the field.
Habitus -which he refers to as a set of acquired patterns of thought, behaviour, and taste. He uses the term to constitute the relationship between social structure and social practice

10. Research Methodology
The study will be ethnographic and qualitative in nature and will involve interviews, focus group discussions and observations
The population will be UNISA students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds identified using demographics from UNISA student database
The sample will be purposeful sampling where only black students from rural and township areas will be targeted
30 students 15 males and 15 females from the ages of years

11. Data collection and analysis
The data will be collected and segregated according to age, gender home language, degree, college and place of origin
The data will collected and documented on atlas.ti
The responses will be coded and analyzed according to different themes
Results will analyzed and discussed

12. Literature review
The literature and debates on access and success has focused on frameworks and models that are suitable for students without taking into consideration their socio-economic and cultural backgrounds
Some literature also focuses on University preparedness and capability approach
There is also assumption that access leads to success whereas there are socio-economic and cultural variables could hinder success
Institutions of Higher Education (HIE) meant for the elite and privileged

13. Discussion and Suggestion
Thank you
Enkosi