- Title
- Relationship management in all-boys fee-paying public Schools in the Eastern Cape, South Africa: experiences and perspectives of LGBTQ alumni
- Creator
- Mahlangu, Nhlakanipho
- Subject
- Single-sex schools -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Subject
- Sex differences in education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Subject
- Customer relations -- Management
- Subject
- Sexual minorities -- Education -- Research -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Date Issued
- 2024-04
- Date
- 2024-04
- Type
- Master's theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/65108
- Identifier
- vital:74024
- Description
- This study explores the perspectives and experiences of LGBTQ alumni of all-boys’ schools in the Eastern Cape. The context of increased competition between schools in the education sector and the importance of inclusion within the sector necessitated a study to investigate the extent to which relationship management is conducted with an orientation towards LGBTQ inclusion in all-boys’ schools in the Eastern Cape. Student protests in South Africa over the past 10 years have expanded concerns about student belonging beyond the widely studied lenses of race and class. A growing body of literature and wider discourse emphasises student belonging as a challenge in the South African education sector. Marginalised students continue to experience educational spaces negatively. LGBTQ student experiences in the South Africa are characterised by violence and ostracisation, thus warranting further investigation and inquiry. The study locates itself in the intersections between gender and sexual diversity and economic citizenship in the broader discourse of school inclusivity. A qualitative research approach was employed, making use of semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews. The sample was derived from alumni of all-boys’ schools in the Eastern Cape through snowball sampling. Ten LGBTQ-identifying alumni of boys’ schools in the Eastern Cape were interviewed. The findings reveal the need to question the extent to which LGBTQ alumni can enjoy the fullness of the value proposition of all-boys’ schools, and what can be done to ensure LGBTQ belonging. The findings of this study concur with existing literature about LGBTQ experiences. Participants defined their school experiences as exclusionary and characterised by fear of failing to assert themselves in a hypermasculine school environment. LGBTQ alumni of all-boys’ schools in the Eastern Cape view relationship management as under-utilised as a tool to facilitate LGBTQ belonging. Instead, relationship management is used to affirm those who fit the mould of the quintessential ‘old boy’ network, by defining the masculine behaviours that learners in all-boys’ schools are compelled to aspire towards.
- Description
- Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, School of Management Sciences, 2024
- Format
- computer
- Format
- online resource
- Format
- application/pdf
- Format
- 1 online resource (xiv,149 pages)
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
- Rights
- All Rights Reserved
- Rights
- Open Access
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NMU School of Management Sciences
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Mahlangu, N April 2024.pdf | 1 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |