Exploring Inequality in South African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through Vignettes

Vignettes, as a research method, presents short hypothetical stories to individuals to elicit their views on a particular topic. A review of the literature indicates that although vignettes have successfully gleaned detailed data on phenomena, few research studies have employed this valuable method in higher education institutions' (HEIs) contexts globally. This paper provides findings from a qualitative study that generated data through vignettes to understand students' perceptions of (dis)advantage. Twenty-four honours students from five faculties at one HEI in South Africa participated in the study. Findings indicate that vignettes more effectively glean rich qualitative data on sensitive or complex topics than other research methods. The method can prompt open discussions on topics usually regarded as sensitive by the participants because it helps them to reflect on their own lived experiences of (dis)advantage in HEIs. More importantly, this study shows that vignettes reveal the hidden and unexpected of what constitutes (dis)advantage, for example, low-income students have certain advantages that contributed to their success. This finding has direct implications for the design of interventions at HEIs aimed at reducing inequality. [For the complete Volume 20 proceedings, see ED622631.]