Abstract:

Higher education institutions in South Africa receive considerable state resources to retain and improve the number of science graduates. However, these investments do not appear to sufficiently benefit the retention and success of students with disabilities in the science fields. For the institution, the aggregated cost of losses through attrition is in terms of reputational risk as well as losses in terms of revenue. For students with disabilities, the losses are in terms of lost opportunities, as well as emotional and financial loss. Studies have shown that the low retention and success rates in online learning could be attributed to individual learners experiencing a sense of isolation in a community of online learners. Students with disabilities in science fields, an enduringly vulnerable group, have become more vulnerable as a result of the global pandemic. Moisey & Hughes (2008, p.419) argued that the provision of a variety and a range of non-academic support and resources that acknowledge and address the unique set of skills, experiences, and expectations of the individual learner in the community of online learners are as crucial for ensuring success as academic support services. Prinsloo (2020), citing Butler (2012), stated that institutions have a “duty of care that comes into being, because of sharing a space, a learning journey". In an earlier study, the author investigated the expectations of career possibilities of students with cerebral palsy in science fields, with the aim of uncovering the various barriers to success. An analysis of the in-depth interviews highlighted that despite an early interest in and love for science, above-average performance in biology, mathematics, and physical science, and a keen desire to pursue higher education studies related to those fields, black South African learners with disabilities involved in the study were not encouraged and supported, nor expected to pursue careers in these fields. This study canvassed first-year undergraduate students with disabilities in science fields at an open and distance learning institution in South Africa in an attempt to find out whether their lived experience and expectations of career possibilities in science fields have improved since the early study. In-depth interviews, together with learning analytics, were employed to develop student profiles with the aim to track progress, identify barriers to learning, and providing unique customized support for each of the students on their learning journey. It is envisaged that the study will improve our insights into the lived and learning experiences of students with disabilities, the barriers that confront them, especially since the advent of the pandemic, and propose ways of improving support, retention, and success for students with disabilities, located within debates on equity, inclusion, and quality.

Keywords:

Equity, Inclusion, Disability, Retention, Student support.