1. What is Stellenbosch culture like for you? Please explain. 2. Do you ever attend social gatherings?
3. Which language is most dominant in social gatherings? How does that make you feel?
4. What sports are dominantly played and watched in SU? Do you like any of those sports/ how does that make you feel? What do you do about it?
5. What do you do for fun in Stellenbosch?
6. What Christian denomination are you affiliated with? Does it have a branch in SU? Do you ever attend church?
7. What lifestyle is central in Stellenbosch? Do you enjoy what most people do for fun? Please explain.
8. What kind of music do most people listen to? Do you like the music? How does that make you feel?
9. Is the food served in most places the kind of food you like? Do you enjoy the food? Please explain.
10. Do you have friends in Stellenbosch? Where are they from?
11. Do you watch anything on the screen in the Neelsie or the residence common room? What do you watch the most? How is the atmosphere at such places?
12. Let’s talk about you own culture, is it important to stay in touch with your Lesotho culture when in SU? Why (not)?
13. Do you exercise your culture in SU? How?
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15. Does SU culture sometimes dominate your own culture? How? How does that make you feel?
16. Are you a member of any society or club? Which one(s)? Why?
17. How often do you go to the student centre (Neelsie)? How do you find the social atmosphere?
18. Tell me about your family and friends back in Lesotho, are they supportive? 19. Do you have friends in Res?
20. In res, are there any social functions hosted for students? What kind of music do they play such functions? How does that make you feel?
21. Have you ever experienced any form of racial discrimination in res? Please tell me about it. What did you do about it?
Question 3. How do these students engage in the learning practices at Stellenbosch University?
1. What course do you study, and which level are you?
2. How are you finding the progress of your course so far? Please explain. 3. How do you experience your lessons and tutorial? Please explain.
4. Do you ever find yourself struggling with course content? And how do you overcome that?
5. Describe the experience of being in a multiracial classroom, how did that make you feel?
6. How many languages do you speak, read and write? 7. In what language was your learning material?
8. Still on the issue of language, in what language was your lectures and learning material?
9. Do you consider your lecturers supportive? Explain your answer to me. How does that make you feel?
10. In what language do your lecturers communicate? Do you understand it? How does that make you feel?
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11. During your application, what language did you choose as your language of choice? Do you feel that your language of choice has always been considered and used, in all you academic interactions here?
12. How would you rate your fluency in Afrikaans?
13. How does it make you feel, that you are in an Afrikaans-speaking dominated place and you are not fluent in the language? How do you overcome that?
14. How do you experience the use of Afrikaans as a medium of communication?
15. Is there ever a communication barrier caused by language? How do you overcome
that?
16. From what we know, the infrastructure of SU is different to NUL, how did you find the university when you first got here?
17. Test weeks, exams time and submission time gets tough on students. How do you cope when it gets difficult? Who or what helps you, and how do they help?
18. Do you find yourself having to work in groups? If so, how do you choose your group members? Why in that particular way?
19. Do you plan to study further than your current level of study? Why?
20. Have you ever experienced any form of racial discrimination in class? Please tell me about it. What did you do about it?
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Appendix B: Focus Group Questionnaire
FOCUS GROUP FOR LESOTHO POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS AT STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY
Thank you for taking time to participate in this focus group that investigates the experiences of Lesotho postgraduate students at Stellenbosch University. You have been chosen to take part in this focus group because you are postgraduate students who studied for their undergraduate at the National University of Lesotho.
During this focus group I will ask questions and facilitate a conversation about your experiences at Stellenbosch University. My research is concerned with how you, as postgraduate students from Lesotho find the campus in terms of its culture. I am interested in learning of your experiences and how you live out those experiences, and how you eventually overcome those experiences. Please keep in mind that there are no right or wrong answers to any of the questions I will ask, just different opinions. The aim is to stimulate conversation and hear the opinions of everyone present. I hope each of you will be comfortable speaking honestly and sharing your ideas.
Please note that this session will be recorded to ensure that I capture every idea, therefore, can we try to have one person speak at a time. Please also note that, the comments from this focus group will be confidential and no name will be used in presenting the data.
1. Let us do a round of introductions. Can each of you tell the group your name, hometown, field and level of study, year of completion at the NUL, and your field of study at the NUL?
OFFICIAL DOMAIN
2. Let us talk about Stellenbosch University, how did you choose this university? 3. Think of the first time you came to SU, what did you think about the place? 4. How did the PGIO help you? Please explain.
5. In your individual departments and faculties, do you find staff helpful to you as (a) newcomer(s)?
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6. Was res management and staff helpful upon your arrival?
7. What do you find different about Stellenbosch culture compared to NUL culture?
PEDAGOGIC DOMAIN
8. In terms of your academic life at SU, what challenges did you encounter? 9. What caused those challenges? How did you overcome the challenges?
10. Explain to me how teaching and learning methods differ at SU from what you knew at NUL.
11. How does that affect your learning process?
12. What stands out for you in terms of teaching and learning? SOCIAL DOMAIN
13. Tell me about your experience of moving into res. What were students like?
14. Are you part of any clubs/societies? Which one(s)? Why did you choose those particular ones?
15. What do you do for fun in Stellenbosch?
16. How do you experience the difference in social activities? What do you do about it? 17. What do you think about language at SU?
18. Of all the things we have discussed here today, what stands out for you? 19. Is there anything we have left out that you would like to include?
Thank you for taking part.
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Appendix C: Consent Form