SUSTAINABLE EMPOWERING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS: PERCEPTIONS OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES STUDENTS

The paper investigates the perceptions of students majoring in Biological Sciences at the Mafikeng Campus of the North West University regarding what they consider to be sustainable empowering learning environment(s) conducive to successful pursuance of their studies. The study is couched in the Critical Emancipatory research paradigm whose criteria for quality are determined on the basis of advancing the agenda for equity, social justice, freedom peace and hope. Through discourses of these students gleaned through Free Attitude Interview Technique (Meulenberg-Buskens) we use Fairclough and van Dijk's Critical Discourse Analysis to make sense of these interpretations of what constitute sustainable and empowering learning environments. Findings of this study are aimed at informing, thus enhancing practices of education, and research thereof across the globe.