Black South African professionals’ narratives of mobility: Overcoming disadvantaged education backgrounds to achieve professional success

Abstract

The educational policies implemented during Apartheid resulted in Black people receiving inferior quality education in under resourced schools. The education inequality has continued post apartheid with learners from township and rural schools producing lower academic results than those in urban schools. Bourdieu’s Social Reproduction Theory and Garmezy’s Resilience theory were the theoretical frameworks that anchored this study. Despite the challenges faced by learners in township and rural schools, some learners manage to disrupt their anticipated trajectories. They develop resilience and work towards achieving success whilst acquiring the social capital required to become successful professionals. The aim of this study was to identify the key factors that influenced the professional success of 13 Black South Africans who attended township and rural high schools. This study was required as Black South Africans have the lowest tertiary qualification rate and account for the majority of South Africa’s unemployment rate. This was a qualitative study using a narrative thematic analysis approach to understand the lived experience of each participant. Each participant attended a rural or township school, obtained a degree or a diploma and was working as a professional earning more than R 22 000 (starting salary to be classified as middle class). Data was collected through interviews using a semi structured questionnaire. The participants narratives highlighted the challenges experienced during their schooling years, how they stayed motivated and the factors that contributed to their success. They learnt to navigate the social and cultural differences experienced when transitioning from their disadvantaged education backgrounds to tertiary institutions and then the workplace. The key themes identified were navigating education barriers with the help of protective factors (personal agency, family support and discipline), acquiring cultural capital and social mobility (including English proficiency for social mobility), dreaming beyond reality (aspirations and inspirational figures), and prioritising education equity. These themes captured how attending disadvantaged rural and township schools put the participants at a disadvantage when entering the tertiary and workplace environment. Their resilience was evident throughout the study showing how they overcame barriers which many of their peers from the same high schools did not. Their determination to succeed yielded tertiary qualifications and successful professional careers. Recommendations prioritised the intervention of micro level interventions including community empowerment, mentorship programmes, career guidance in schools, increased use of technology and involvement in extra mural activities. Macro level interventions are more resource and effort intensive however they are still critical. Initiatives such as educational content broadcasts using 8 mass media, increasing access to tertiary education and addressing structural barriers could positively contribute to learners success after high school. To develop effective interventions to improve the success rate of learners from disadvantaged education backgrounds more research is required on the lived experiences of those individuals who beat the odds and became successful.