Abstract:
Although the Black student population in South Africa now amounts to 72% of student
enrolments in higher education, the same trend is not experienced in early childhood
education (ECE). Research suggests that cultural and linguistic differences between
home communities and university settings as well as meeting the academic demands of
an institution that is unfamiliar with students‟ home languages and cultures can be
overwhelming. Using the Force Field Model of Professional Development as a
theoretical lens, the experiences of Black students are explored at a previous White
university. Findings from focus group interviews indicate that financial restraints,
unfamiliar teaching practices and language barriers are amongst the factors that are
experienced as barriers and could serve as reasons for the low enrolment in ECE.
