Students’ experiences regarding diversity and their academic self-concept in a South African institution

Abstract

Being exposed to different cultural diversity during the transition from high schools to higher institutions has been found to impact students' performance. Despite this, diversity and academic self-concept have received little consideration. Therefore, this study aims to investigate students' experiences regarding diversity and their academic self concept in a South African institution. This qualitative study adopts an interpretive research design. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 9 registered honours students of North-West University since they represent different provinces in South Africa. They were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide, and data analysis was done using a thematic technique. Themes and sub-themes that emerged show that culture, family background, religiosity/faith in God, family socio-economic status, language diversity, peer interaction, previous high school, and students social interaction were responsible for academic self-concept. It is recommended that policies and programs to support students' academic progression should be incorporated into the academic curriculum.