Early Childhood Education (ECE) in South Africa : Black student teachers’ views on push and pull forces in their training

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.