Southern African Rurality in Higher Education
Experiences as university students
•
Technology - unfamiliar with devices, online cultures and
systems at university:
‘Now that I’m at varsity I had to start a new life and it
was very difficult and challenging for my first year
because then I was supposed to do my assignment
using laptops. I didn’t know what [they were] and how
to open [them]’ (discussion group, U.F.H., 27 July
2017, M.)
•
Language as a barrier, e.g. difficulty following English lectures or
writing tests in English.
•
Identity – thinking/feeling different to other students and
perception of not fitting in:
‘Coming to Joburg is like I’m in a foreign country…’
(discussion group, U.J., 20 April 2017)




