عنوان

The things they learned :

Number

TLets648956

Title Proper

The things they learned :

General Material Designation

[Thesis]

First Statement of Responsibility

Williams, Timothy

Title Proper by Another Author

aspiration, uncertainty, and schooling in rural Rwanda

Subsequent Statement of Responsibility

Hart, Jason ; Ridge, Tess

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

University of Bath

Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.

2015

Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree

Ph.D.

Body granting the degree

University of Bath

Text preceding or following the note

2015

Text of Note

This thesis constitutes an interpretive ethnography of children's educational experiences in rural Rwanda. It advances a theoretical argument for conceptualizing subjectivity, one which attends to how impersonal forces of political economy and history converge to inform children's awareness, expectations, and perceptions of possibility. A decade ago, children from poor families in Rwanda had few opportunities to continue their studies beyond primary school. With the government's recent introduction of basic education, more children now have access to more years in the formal education system-yet, poor education quality excluded them from meaningful participation within that system. Study findings suggest that children's schooling functions as a contradictory resource: the same education policy reforms that aim to transform Rwanda into a knowledge-based economy have also introduced the perception of inequalities along the lines of economic status, ethnicity, language, and geographic location. The core of my study included a collaboration with 16 focal students. Their subjective experiences were the microcosm through which I investigated the nexus of individual and collective processes. Students grappled with what value their education had, what status it would confer, and whether it would lead to opportunities for social mobility. However, in absence of alternatives, most felt obliged to continue their studies-even as their educational experience produced a growing sense of disillusionment.

Africa

education

ethnography

Rwanda

Williams, Timothy

Hart, Jason

Ridge, Tess

University of Bath

Electronic name

p

[Thesis]

276903

a

Y