5 minute read
MERVYN COETZEE
Tell us about the background of your research.
As a former resident of Bonteheuwel and survivor of the injustices and brutality of Apartheid, I am wired for egalitarian thinking and practice. On a more personal level, I was born with a physical anomaly. I was born with 12 fingers: two thumbs on each hand. In this sense, I had to endure decades of ridicule, embarrassment, belittlement and being made to feel less than a human being for being different naturally. It was this specific aspect that would form the root inspiration for embarking on the type of research my doctoral study had embraced: “Trauma, injustice and identity: investigating an egalitarian and autoethnographic approach to analysing students’ personal narratives.” I have taught academic literacy and language related courses in the B.Ed. Foundation Phase programme at UWC. In addition, I have spent 15 years in the United States in various capacities. One of these is learning and teaching at middle school and college levels. In light of this, I have learned much about life in both the so-called “developing” and “first” worlds.
During my time while teaching in California, I had encountered an experience that would forever change my approach towards learning and teaching in South Africa. I was facing an audience of about 200 4th and 5th grade learners and was about to ask for volunteers to help with a skit. Before I was able to complete my request, almost every single learner had eagerly raised a hand with enthusiasm. This was very surprising to me. I had come from learning and teaching backgrounds where intimidation and a lack of self-confidence were commonplace. In this regard, I wanted to come to grips with the issues that gave rise to this apparent reticence.
What were the motivations for carrying out this research?
There were several issues that motivated me to continue and push forward towards the completion of my study. As the only member of my family of six children, I was the only one able to complete high school. In this regard, I wanted to honour them through the successful completion of this degree. Another key issue that motivated my study was my desire to share my findings with the rest of the learning and teaching community. I believe that the issues my study has investigated are critical in understanding the deep-rooted issues of affect that impact student performance and success. As my role in the solution, I have endeavoured to inspire, empower, enable and eventually ennoble those learners/students in my care. Research can be a long and tough journey, what kept you going during this process? When I started embarking on the study I was very anxious because I had doubted my ability to conduct the research at this level. It was my supervisor Professor Siva who constantly motivated me. He would send encouraging messages that inspired me and helped me to believe in myself and my ability to excel.
Who is your biggest inspiration/What inspires you?
My biggest inspiration is to honour my mother and late father, and make my two sons Blake and Luke and my siblings proud. Another motivating factor is that I am solutions-driven. When I see something that is not right, I am motivated to try to get to the heart of the problem. I then subsequently endeavour to find possible solutions to the issues at hand. Motivating others who are enduring similar hardships to mine, are what inspires me push for excellence in myself and others.
What is the funniest/scariest/most embarrassing or best thing that has happened to you as a researcher?
I think one of the most embarrassing things that I have encountered was being in the presence of senior academics, many of whom are well published when, on the contrary, I had not published anything. This fact in itself was very daunting although it did not prevent me from striving to successfully complete my study. Another very scary experience was my computer suddenly shutting down and me being in fear of having lost hours and hours of new work. Fortunately I was able to retrieve the work from emails that I constantly sent to myself as I updated my study.
There are certainly lots of lessons you took from your journey, what can you share with an aspiring researcher/post grad student?
One of the biggest lessons I have learnt from my journey is that there has to be a personal and an academic connection between myself and the supervisor who will be accompanying me on this journey. I was fortunate that I had a supervisor who was both exceptionally competent and sincerely compassionate given the various challenges I had encountered along the way. It is very important for you and your supervisor to develop a road map with specific goals and timelines by which to shape your progress towards completion. I also learnt to persevere, and not to be side-tracked by the various challenges I had encountered. Another significant lesson that I embraced, is to say, “Yes!” to those in need; you may never know the impact it can have on someone. Practically, I have learned to always backup my work and to email the latest revisions to myself.
COVID-19 has been a huge challenge in the society at large, how did you cope with this challenge?
It is true that the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown had a tremendous impact on everyone. I was initially very intimidated by this sudden and unusual change in my routine and lifestyle. But I believe that everything in life comes down to “perspectives”; it is not just the way in which to look at life but the way I chose to look at it. In this sense, I choose to view the changes and an opportunity to devote the majority of my free time to the completion of my study. On a practical level, I have learnt that it is very important not to rush your study. It is critical to take frequent breaks throughout the day. I have also discovered that researching at this level is like embarking on a long distance race. In this sense, proper planning, exercising and adequate rest are vital for one’s overall well-being.
How was your supervision experience in one word?
Phenomenal!
What are you currently doing (work/ academics)?
I am currently working in the University’s the Academic Planning Unit assisting with academic reviews and the University’s curriculum transformation, renewal and Africanization initiatives, among other things.
What does the future hold for Mervyn A. Coetzee?
Upon the recommendations from each of the three external examiners respectively, I am currently embarking on redeveloping my study into a book for publication. A major aim would be for the study to reach a wider academic readership; specifically targeted at those practically involved in learning and teaching at all levels in education from the foundation phase to postgraduate levels. I am also currently offering my services as a motivational speaker to High School learners particularly there was from the townships and rural areas.
