Perspectives in Education

Editorial

2023-12-13T10:38:58+02:00

In recent times, the use of cell phones or mobile devices in schools has often been debated in the media and in education circles and conferences. For many educators the availability of cell phone technology has opened new education delivery opportunities whilst for others it has become a serious bone of contention. A review of the literature shows that mobile phones are changing behaviour, relationships, communication and the dynamics of physical environments. Most people, including academics and teachers, will readily admit that reliance on mobile technology for everyday activities has increased. Consequently, “nomophobia”, defined as the fear of being without one’s mobile phone, has emerged as a new phobia. In our opening article Zyliekha Matwadia provides us with an overview of research into nomophobia as a possible mental health disorder. Sticking with the psychological theme, Gore and associates present their findings on research into teachers’ perceptions of the psycho-social effects of COVID-19 on learners’ well-being and we close the section on education psychology with an article on the Self-Assessment Inclusion Scale (SAIS) by Panagiotis Paoullis, Eleni Samsari and Agathi Argyriadi.

Investigating nomophobia as a possible mental health disorder in Gauteng public schools

2023-09-05T09:03:05+02:00

A person’s fear of not having a mobile phone on hand may inhibit certain aspects of a person’s life. This study sought to investigate nomophobia (the irrational fear of not having access to mobile devices) as a possible mental disorder in the Gauteng education sector. To address nomophobia as a possible mental health disorder in Gauteng schools, one needs to understand the usage of mobile devices by both educators and learners in the classroom context. A mixed-methods, single-case research study (MMSCR) was adopted with two phases. In the quantitative phase, data were collected using a close-ended questionnaire, while in the qualitative phase, data were collected using open-ended questions during face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. The data obtained revealed that respondents displayed mild to severe nomophobia; in some cases, educators displayed even higher levels of nomophobia, compared to learners. The findings of the study indicate, inter alia, that educators feel uncomfortable without access to their mobile devices, while learners admit being addicted to playing games and spending time on social media on their mobile devices. Although both educators and learners use their mobile phones to access resources for schoolwork and to keep in touch with family and friends, they also agree that they constantly use their mobile devices for other, non-education purposes. Recommendations include that the Department of Education must recognise that nomophobia does affect teaching and learning and must provide counselling therapists for educators and learners. Furthermore, a policy for the use of mobile phones must be introduced for both educators and learners.

Teachers’ perceptions of the psycho-social effects of COVID-19 on learners’ well-being in South African schools

2023-02-03T11:25:23+02:00

The lockdown the South African government implemented in 2020 to contain the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in school closures. During this time, and also when learners were allowed to attend school again, the focus was on the physical health and safety of the learners. However, in the process, schools might have neglected the psycho-social and mental well-being of learners, which is a state in which learners are able to manage stress and function optimally. This paper reports on a study that investigated teachers’ views on how learners’ psycho-social and mental well-being was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to gather data from 17 teachers from five schools in two districts of the North-West Province in South Africa. The school mental health theoretical framework was used for the study because of its focus on the psycho-social mental health of learners and the role of institutions in supporting mental health. The findings indicate that learners experienced a higher level of emotional distress during the lockdown. This was caused by an increase in fear, stress, anxiety, uncertainty, frustration, anger and aggression during the pandemic. Although learners from all the schools were negatively affected by COVID-19, learners from low-income schools that had limited access to resources were affected more due to the limited professional psycho-social support they received. This highlights the need for Education Departments to build the capacity of all South African schools to address the emotional and psycho-social well-being of their learners. It is vital that schools commit themselves to enabling learners to develop a high level of resilience and antifragility at all times, not just during major crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Self-Assessment Inclusion Scale (SAIS): a tool for measuring inclusive competence and sensitivity

2023-07-19T10:49:15+02:00

Recent studies highlight the fact that the establishment of an inclusive school is regarded as a requirement for the growth of a pluralistic, democratic society in which each form of diversity is welcomed and valued and the maintenance of social justice is a top priority. The aim of this research was to design and validate the Self-Assessment Inclusion Scale (SAIS) and test it in the population of teachers in Greece and Cyprus. The SAIS scale aims to selfassess the participants’ inclusive competence. Its ultimate goal is to help people to consider their skills, knowledge, and awareness of themselves in their interactions with others. The validation of the SAIS scale took place between October 2022 and February 2023 in 401 teachers in Greece and Cyprus using census sampling. The sample consisted of all school grade school teachers. The results of this study show that SAIS scale is reliable, functional and suitable for use in order to measure the inclusive competence of the participants. Moreover, it emerged that the participants were willing to consider their daily actions and behaviours and had some awareness of their own prejudices and stereotypes. However, there is still a lot to be done in terms of formulating plans to lessen harm and make the environment more inclusive for everyone. The findings imply that the participants were willing to consider their teaching methods and behaviour and that they were aware of some of their own biases and stereotypes. In conclusion, the selfassessment scale used in this study to assess inclusive competence was found to be valid and useful in assessing participants’ cultural awareness, knowledge, behaviours, and attitudes. The research team recommends its use as a tool for maintaining inclusion in community settings, schools and other organisations.

Regular schools as a straitjacket for zone of proximal development

2022-11-21T16:04:51+02:00

Malawi has a twin-track system of primary and secondary education. In this system, some learners with special educational needs are enrolled in regular schools while others are still in special schools. Research has shown that regular schools receive learners with special educational needs into the system but with the possibility of enabling and constraining their developmental and learning abilities. Put metaphorically, when learners with special educational needs are placed in regular schools, they are dressed in straitjackets that may enable or constrain their development and learning. A straitjacket refers to the freedom and limitations that regular schools give learners with special educational needs. When prisoners and people with mental health conditions are dressed in straitjackets, the foremost reason is to ensure that they can be easily restrained once they turn violent. This situation can be understood through a theoretical frame of what Lev Vygotsky termed the zone of actual development versus the zone of proximal development which was employed in this study. The study conducted in-depth interviews with ten regular teachers from five regular secondary schools in the South West Education Division in Malawi. The results from the interviews show that inclusive education is failing at the point of implementation due to: (1) a lack of capacity development for regular teachers, (2) limited support for learners with special educational needs, (3) inadequate specialist teachers, and (4) lack of parental and community involvement. These challenges originate from an entrenched view on special education that makes the transition to inclusive education cumbersome. I, therefore, argue that special education should be used as a stepping-stone into inclusivity to expand learning rather than as a discriminating tool against learners with special educational needs. The study proposes a third space schooling model in which special education facilitates inclusivity towards the zone of proximal development. The study concludes that the third space model has the potential to help Malawi and other countries to move towards meaningful, inclusive education.

The implementation of the curriculum and assessment policy statement

2023-05-09T15:59:07+02:00

Worldwide, national educational authorities set curricular guidelines for schools to ensure implementation. Despite these measures, the translation of policies into school or classroom activities is rarely a smooth or complete process. South Africa has made significant and much-needed positive curriculum changes. However, effective curriculum implementation requires a sound understanding of the curriculum policy, adequate and varied resources and greater attention to contextual factors. Using the interpretivist paradigm and qualitative research design, the study explored the perspectives and experiences of school managers regarding the challenges and problems of implementing the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements in the Intermediate Phase within the South African curriculum reform context. For the first research question, the thematically analysed data generated the findings which highlight a generally good understanding and positive outlook of the revised curriculum policy by the participants. In contrast, the findings for the second research question confirmed that inadequate resources such as a shortage of teachers and textbooks, overcrowded classrooms and other learning support materials impact teaching and learning and the process of curriculum implementation negatively. The study contributes to the important topic of curriculum reforms and curriculum implementation challenges and problems. The study recommends, among others, strategies needed for monitoring the implementation of the CAPS, placing individual school managers as change agents and adopting the three constructs of the theory of curriculum implementation for strengthening implementation.

Critical reading for critical engagement with English literature: a critical reflective study

2023-10-20T10:04:55+02:00

In South African secondary schools, critical reading is encouraged by the CAPS policy document, but still some learners, even at university level, find it difficult to utilise critical reading, a skill that is believed by scholars to promote critical thinking skills. This alternative, valuable kind of text study called critical reading escalates basic knowledge of the text to applying it to everyday life experiences. This, in turn, makes teaching and learning interesting, meaningful and ensures that the desirable educational goals such as preparing learners to become solutions to societal challenges are achievable when teachers use the concept of critical reading as a teaching strategy. This qualitative study used a critical reflective theory to explore how critical reading can equip secondary school Further Education and Training (FET) learners with critical, creative skills to be truly able to tackle life challenges. The article further shows that critical reading is an ideal teaching method that uses learner-centred teaching strategies to promote critical reading and critical thinking skills.

Why teach in the foundation phase: Motives of males at a university in Johannesburg, South Africa

2023-10-20T17:32:11+02:00

Worldwide, male teachers in the Foundation Phase (FP) are a rarity, given the perception that the teaching of younger children is more suited to females than to males. Little research has been conducted in South Africa on the factors that influence men to become Foundation Phase teachers. This study investigated the motives of male student teachers at a university in Johannesburg who had decided to pursue a career as Foundation Phase teachers. The study adopted a theoretical lens based on the Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation (Wigfield & Eccles, 2000). The study adopted a qualitative approach and an intensive research design, with data collected from semi-structured
interviews with seven purposively selected participants. Data were analysed by means of the Factors Influencing Teaching (FIT) choice theory. Three participants were driven by intrinsic motives, stating that they had a passion for teaching young children. The other three were driven by extrinsic motives, stating either that they wanted to address gender stereotypes, or that FP teaching had been their default choice after they had been refused admittance to
their preferred course. One participant indicated altruistic motives, borne of personal experience with a family member, empathy and the desire to be a positive male role model.

Strategies to support progressed South African Grade 12 Mathematics learners

2023-10-20T17:17:59+02:00

The introduction of progression policy, which prohibits the repetition of a grade to more than once within each of the four phases of Basic Education, was enforced in South Africa in the Further Education and Training phase in 2013, but appropriate strategies which could be applied to support progressed learners are not addressed.

This research was qualitative by nature and approached according to the interpretative paradigm. It was a comparative case study, which investigated strategies to support Grade 12 progressed Mathematics learners using Information Communication Technologies in comparison with other strategies that do not apply ICT instructional technologies. Data collection strategies were semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and support policies. The study population was sixteen FET Mathematics educators from five schools in Ekurhuleni North district.

The findings indicated that connectivism, when incorporated into teaching and learning, becomes an effective support tool for progressed learners. ICTs within networks makes teaching and learning more learner centred, improves participation, learner attainment and pass rate. Learners are able to learn at their own pace, in their most convenient set-up and they manage what they learn, how they learn, with whom they learn and what information they require. The study found that there are greater benefits of using ICT instructional technologies in a connectivist classroom to support progressed learners, but that traditional support strategies cannot be ruled out due to the socio-economic challenges schools under research experienced. The findings further indicated that there is a dire need of a comprehensive support policies, strategies and guidelines to support progressed and low-ability learners in Mathematics both digitally and non-digitally.

The economic rationale for the provision of technical/vocational education (TVE) in colonial Ghana: Implications for practice

2023-07-19T10:35:59+02:00

The paper examines the economic rationale for the provision of technical/ vocational education (TVE) in colonial Ghana. It further highlights some key lessons drawn from the study, particularly, in term of the Ghanaian contemporary search for a more pragmatic policy formulation for TVE. Data were retrieved from primary sources in the form of archival materials and some secondary sources as well some interview sessions with two personalities who were actively involved in the provision of TVE during the period. Chronological and thematic analysis of the data were utilized. The study revealed that the missionary bodies and the colonial administration vigorously promoted TVE largely because of economic reasons. It further argues that this level of vigor could not unfortunately keep pace with the developmental needs of the country due mainly to overriding interest in literary/grammar education, lack of entrepreneurial training for graduates of the TVE institutions and virtual non-existence of local industries to absorb these graduates.

Adult education as care work in a South African prison: the role of adult educators

2023-06-14T14:41:33+02:00

The 2000s saw a change in South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services’ theorising about adult education’s potential to shift incarcerated men’s thinking about their future in a proactive way. The plan was to advance active citizenship in the incarcerated. As such, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) introduced holistic, integrated adult educational programmes at twelve of its prisons. Although the policy and scaffolding aspects of AET (Adult Education and Training) received extensive attention, limited research was done to understand the situational and institutional challenges that adult learning centres are presented with, and how institutional culture impacts on the successful implementation of policy. The contributions that adult educators make in advancing transformative learning in adult learning centres, often go unacknowledged because they are seldom the focus of educational research.

This article reports on a case study of a successful prison-based adult learning centre. It explores the adult learner-AET educator relationship, specifically the role that educators play in fostering transformational change in such students’ lives, through education. The data were generated through semi-structured interviews with students, their educators and the ALC’s (Adult Learning Centres) manager, as well as through observations in the prison setting.

The findings show that there are strategic employees within the prison environment who resisted the educational opportunities available to incarcerated students. This hostility presented with unique institutional and situational challenges that work against the adult students’ participation and success. However, through facilitation and reflective mediation, the educators established an educationally viable environment in which their students could accumulate cultural and social capital to benefit their educational journeys whilst incarcerated, and their chances of success once released from prison. The educators’ actions resembled a caring pedagogy that was based on social justice principles.

Principals’ servant leadership practices and teacher motivation: Perspectives from South African rural schools’ context

2023-07-03T16:02:13+02:00

This study explored the relationship between principals' servant leadership practices and teacher motivation in selected rural schools in South Africa. It adopted a qualitative research design, collecting data through semi-structured interviews with six principals and six teachers from rural schools in South Africa. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, which identified themes related to principals' servant leadership practices and teacher motivation.

This study is underpinned by the theory of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which explains the five levels of human needs that motivate individuals. The findings revealed that principals' servant leadership practices were positively associated with teacher motivation in South African rural schools’ context. Specifically, the study found that principals who exhibited servant leadership practices such as listening to teachers' needs, providing support and guidance, promoting teamwork and collaboration, and showing appreciation and recognition, had motivated teachers.

The study identified that principals who engage in servant leadership strategies can succeed in motivating their teachers to commit to their teaching profession and quality education. However, secondary data shows that servant leadership strategies are not drivers of success but contributing factors to keeping their teachers motivated and not losing them to urban areas.

The study further argued that not all schools practicing servant leadership are able to motivate or keep their best teachers. Thus, there are other factors that motivate teachers to stay in rural schools such as high salaries, teaching schools located in their home villages, or the ability of principals to appoint teachers who view the profession as their calling and not just an employment opportunity. Teachers who already view their profession as a calling are easy to remain motivated and stay committed to schools in rural areas. Similarly, teachers working in their rural villages have a higher chance to resist relocating to urban schools since they are comfortable being close to their families and relatives.

In sum, servant leadership strategies alone are not enough unless the teachers are already committed to the school project for subjective reasons. This study contributes to the growing body of research on leadership and motivation in education and highlights the critical role that principals can play in promoting positive teacher attitudes and behaviors in South African rural schools’ contexts.

Exploring collaborative strategies used by school management teams to sustain parental involvement in Xhariep District schools

2023-06-21T11:58:40+02:00

The annual analysis of schools’ results shows that Xhariep District still has many underperforming schools at the primary level, requiring continuous intervention from the Free State Department of Basic Education. This article explored collaborative strategies used by School Management Teams to sustain parental involvement in Xhariep District primary schools. The article is based on one of the authors' Masters dissertations. It is a qualitative research project that is based on the collaboration theory. After conducting a convenience sampling, 15 participants, including SMTs, teachers, and parents, were interviewed to determine their perception of parental involvement. The research used the inductive thematic analysis method, resulting in the identification of categories and trends and the interpretation of findings. The results of this study suggest that many societal issues contribute greatly to negative educational outcomes in the district. Most learners continue to become less interested in going to school, thus dropping out at the primary school level. The study also found that the contribution of parents to education is essential to ensuring a child's academic success, well-regulated school attendance, and acceptable levels of behaviour in and out of school. Therefore, the article recommends that parents be empowered and developed to have the necessary attributes essential to their participation and educational partnerships with schools.

The oversight functions of school governing bodies in the management of budgets

2023-08-09T12:27:25+02:00

The South African Schools Act, No. 84 of 1996 (RSA, 1996) heralded a shift in decision-making powers through decentralising school governance from the state to local communities. One of the primary functions of school governing bodies (SGBs) is to manage school finances. It is imperative for SGBs to design and implement irrefutable finance policies that clearly and unambiguously spell out specific structures and processes by applying relevant legislation and regulations enforced by the Ministry of Education. Using a generic qualitative approach within an interpretivist paradigm, this paper accentuates the oversight functions of SGBs to manage budgets effectively and efficiently. This research was grounded in a social constructivist paradigm and data were collected by way of semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Findings revealed that many SGBs place very little importance on the oversight functions of budgets which usually result in the mismanagement of school funds. This is reflected in poor finance policy formulation and implementation, and the absence of operational mechanisms (e.g. budget variance analysis) to curb wasteful and fruitless expenditure. Furthermore, challenges associated with the non-compliance of a finance policy and the failure of SGBs to take timely corrective action exasperate the problems of poor financial management.

Discipline in the parental home and at school: Instead of the “blame game”, a caring community

2023-05-25T14:39:26+02:00

This is an educational-philosophical, more particularly, a societaltheoretical reflection on the “blame game” that is occasionally played between the parental home and the school with respect to the behaviour displayed by children in these societal relationships. After consulting the literature regarding this issue, and the findings of recent empirical studies in South Africa for purposes of describing the “blame game”, the interpretivist-constructivist method was employed for exploring an alternative approach to the discipline problem in homes and schools, namely the creation of a social compact, and of a caring school community based thereon. The discipline practised in the parental home differs
from that at school because home and school are essentially different societal relationships, each with unique foundation and destination functions; hence with respective sphere sovereignty. Their interests and activities are, at the same time, also interlaced in that they share the same child as a member. It is due to this interlacement (enkapsis) that unacceptable behaviour at home might impact detrimentally on discipline in the school, and vice versa. To counteract this reciprocal display of unruly behaviour, it is suggested that the parents and the school attended by their children could consider entering into a social compact or covenant so that they are as one in guiding the young people towards disciplined behaviour, that is, socially acceptable behaviour. The actions of such a new community should be guided by several moral codes, the most important of which are the ethic of community, and of loving, caring and compassion.

Grade R teachers’ perceptions concerning parental participation in early literacy development in a disadvantaged context in the Western Cape

2023-06-16T11:01:42+02:00

Parent participation is fundamental to children’s early literacy development and later academic success. This small-scale qualitative study located in the interpretivist paradigm utilised semistructured interviews to collect data from two Grade R teachers’ concerning their perceptions of parent participation in children’s early literacy development. Findings revealed that teachers had a narrow and limiting understanding concerning parental involvement. Teachers attested to parents not being interested in their children’s early literacy due to their socio-economic positions which hurdled their commitments to work. Teachers wanted parents to participate in storytelling but on their terms. These findings have important implications for how policy and practice need to be reconceptualised for a stronger focus on parental participation in children’s early literacy and holistic parental participation.

Auditing public schools' financial records: A study of financial management from the eyes of relevant stakeholders

2023-10-04T11:40:27+02:00

The demand for proper financial management in schools is dictated by the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996, Section 43(1), according to which public schools must retain a suitably qualified accountant registered in terms of the Public Accountants and Auditors Act, 1991 (Act No.80 of 1991), to audit the school's financial records and statements. This study investigated the schools' financial management stakeholders' experiences of the auditing of public schools' financial records. A qualitative approach was applied in the study. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from three purposefully selected secondary schools in which principals, chairpersons of the finance committees and finance officers were involved. A case study design was applied. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the collected data. All the participants demonstrated limited knowledge and understanding of the processes and procedures of auditing financial records, including an inability to interpret the audited financial reports. However, the participants revealed the benefits of audited financial reports, such as trust from parents in how school finances are managed. Furthermore, the audited financial reports enable schools to seek and apply for additional funding from businesses and other organisations, and to be allocated funds from the Department of Basic Education (DBE). This study recommends that the Department of Education should provide stakeholders in financial management with adequate support and training in auditing processes and procedures and interpretation of financial auditing reports.

Differing priorities: International research collaboration trends of South African universities, 2012-2021

2023-07-26T10:54:07+02:00

This study analyses international research collaboration (IRC) trends of South African public universities during the 2012-2021 period. While previous studies have explored IRC trends between South Africa and the rest of the world, there is a gap in literature when it comes to the analysis of institutional IRC trends. Using bibliometric data from Scopus, we analyse the internationally coauthored scholarly output of 24 public universities. Our focus is on the annual and overall institutional IRC trends; a comparison of IRC trends between different institutional types; and an analysis of institutional IRC trends broken down by world regions. Our findings show that the inequalities rooted in colonial and apartheid policies continue to be evident in South African higher education, and that most of the scholarly output through IRC is produced by historically white institutions (HWIs). The findings highlight that HWIs prioritise IRC with the Global North while neglecting research collaboration with the African continent and Global South. On the other hand, even though research output at historically black institutions (HBIs) is low, these institutions prioritise intra-Africa and South-South IRC. Our findings highlight the need for the government to move beyond the policy rhetoric and implement programmes that would enable HBIs to develop capacity to produce scholarly output through national and international collaboration. The government also needs to develop incentives for universities which are contributing to the expansion and strengthening of IRC within the African continent and Global South, in line with the national higher education and research priorities.

Systemic reviews: Financing of higher education internationalisation

2023-06-02T09:39:13+02:00

The global higher education landscape has witnessed an increasing trend towards internationalisation in recent years; hence the demand for funding such endeavours has grown significantly. However, funding internationalisation efforts can be a challenging task for institutions. This review discusses various funding models for higher education internationalisation and the challenges posed by insufficient funding. This will be followed by a discussion on the following models: government funding, private philanthropy, corporate sponsorship, and partnerships with foreign universities, the role of tuition fees in funding internationalisation, and the challenges posed. Ultimately, this paper will propose a framework for funding that is based on an analysis of successful internationalisation strategies from around the world and intends to guide various funding bodies on how to best allocate resources for this purpose. By implementing this framework, countries shall overcome financial constraints that limit the extent to which internationalisation can be pursued, while also ensuring that the benefits of such efforts are shared equitably across their populations. This paper also explores the challenges facing the higher education internationalisation and the hurdles present in the funding process. A successful example in China has been studied thoroughly. This paper argues that while there is no one-size-fits-all approach to funding internationalisation efforts, a diversified funding approach that leverages various funding models can help institutions overcome funding challenges and achieve their internationalisation goals.

A systematic review of the implications for teaching, learning and assessment at South African universities after the Covid-19 pandemic

2023-08-11T11:36:44+02:00

This paper presents the results of a systematic review of literature, reported in research journals, on the experiences of higher educational institutions regarding teaching, learning, and assessment during the Covid-19 pandemic. Different studies related to the Covid-19 pandemic have been conducted within the South African context, but there has not been a systematic review of these studies highlighting the lessons learned, how these lessons have affected education in higher education institutions (HEIs), and how these lessons can inform future planning. This study aims to summarise literature on teaching, learning and assessment in higher education institutions and to conceptualise possible guidelines for future planning. An analysis of 52 research articles revealed 7 implications for the lessons learnt from the pandemic for future teaching, learning and assessment (TLA) in South African HEIs (realisation of the affordances of technology for TLA, institutional changes related to online TLA during the pandemic, students’ experiences related to TLA, lecturer’s experiences related to TLA, the need for care, assessment related matters, approaches to teaching, learning and assessment) and several recommendations for how these lessons can be leveraged to help HEIs to prepare effectively for future catastrophic disruptions to education in South African HEIs. The discussion shows the digital divide that exists within the South African population and other contextual challenges faced by higher education institutions during the pandemic, and the different sacrifices by both institutions and students to survive the pandemic. Overall, the findings of this review provide valuable guidance for HEIs and stakeholders involved in TLA, offering insights on how to integrate the lessons learned from the pandemic into their future planning and strategies.

Insights into the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on postgraduate students at a university of technology

2023-04-16T09:35:21+02:00

The objective of this study was to ascertain the impact and effects of Covid-19 on postgraduate students at a university of technology. A qualitative exploratory research approach was used to guide the study, and semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with postgraduate students (N=10) from the Faculty of Health Sciences. Analysis of the study results indicated that postgraduate students encountered numerous challenges and issues that affected their mental health negatively and hindered their holistic academic experience. Findings of the study suggest that the institution should implement concerted efforts to assist students with psychological, social, and financial support that would reduce the adversity experienced through the Covid-19 pandemic.

‘Sometimes I wonder if our best really is our best’: Tutor reflections on the challenges of shifting to online tutoring during the pandemic

2023-05-11T15:18:58+02:00

Tutors play an important role in higher education, as they may facilitate learning, promote engagement, and assist with student success. Students also often feel more comfortable seeking assistance from them than from lecturers. Yet, tutors tend to be sidelined in the literature on teaching and learning, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper is framed by an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach and seeks to understand how three tutors in an online academic literacy module experienced the shift to online learning. Data, in the form of personal reflections, were collected online and analysed thematically. It was found that the tutors experienced the shift negatively and they raised practical concerns, as well as interpersonal ones. Implications for tutor training are discussed.

Reflecting on why transformation students in a comprehensive bursary programme may be academically unsuccessful

2023-08-10T11:15:54+02:00

It is imperative that higher education institutions reflect on the success of transformation initiatives aimed at providing students with academic, financial, and other support. Programmes such as the Thuthuka Bursary Fund aim to provide students with a comprehensive bursary programme that offers multi-faceted support. By conducting interviews with 11 students who were previously in the Thuthuka bursary programme between 2017 and 2021, and lost their bursary at various stages of their undergraduate degree programme due to poor academic performance, this study qualitatively examined the effectiveness of multi-faceted bursary programmes in an attempt to determine, based on student reflections, what factors were the most prevalent in contributing to their poor academic performance. These students received a comprehensive bursary for student fees, accommodation, and other living expenses. The findings of this study suggest that various factors led to these students losing their bursaries, with the overarching factors including inadequately tailored mental health-focused support and mentoring based on the students’ specific needs. The interview participants noted that many of these support services were offered; however, the students opted not to make use of these. The findings suggest that academic success and the enhancing of wellbeing are interwoven; the specific context of bursary holders should be considered in programme design considerations. Of vital importance is the understanding of students’ backgrounds, as these present unique challenges to their integration into higher education institutions. The stigma of
asking for help should be eradicated as far as possible through specific design choices in the support offered to these students. The findings provide insight that can be used by various bursary programme planners to design their programmes better and to consider the effect of students losing their bursaries in the higher education environment system.

First-year university students’ understanding of function concepts encountered in Grade 12 Mathematics: a case study

2023-06-01T10:24:49+02:00

This article focuses on first-year university students’ understanding of concepts related to third-degree polynomial and trigonometric functions that they encountered during their study of Grade 12 mathematics. In this study three online questions from two firstyear mathematics quizzes at the University of KwaZulu-Natal were analysed. The first question focused on the characteristics of a polynomial function, while the second and third questions focused on the characteristics of trigonometric functions. The characteristics included calculus-related concepts, for example, intervals of increase or decrease, concavity and local extrema. It was found that about a fifth of the participants (n = 557), science students who studied the core mathematics module Introduction to Calculus, had difficulties in answering those calculus-related questions compared to determining the general non-calculus characteristics, for example, the range and domain. The study also found that about a quarter of the participants lacked relational understanding with regard to calculus-related concepts. This study recommends that lecturers need to spend more time on calculus-related concepts of a function that focus on relational understanding.

An exploration of African-student agency: Placing students from historically disadvantaged communities at the centre

2023-04-03T10:58:33+02:00

At the national universities within South Africa, various events during the past years indicate that students suffer under different kinds of oppression. It is widely acknowledged that students from poor, rural geographical areas find the university space alienating and not speaking to their life worlds. In this paper I respond to Fataar’s (2019) notion of the “misrecognised” university student in the South African context. My focus on students coming from historically disadvantaged communities aims to contribute to ongoing debates about social justice for students in the university sector. The problem to be addressed in this paper is the misalignment between the critical horizontal knowledge of
historically disadvantaged students and the knowledge codes of the university relating to learning, curriculum, and pedagogical practices. I therefore argue that if university institutional practices recognise, embrace, and align with students’ agency, resilience and adaption, a reframed institutional platform could engage students in their intellectual becoming. Furthermore, I am guided by two questions: 1) How can students from historically disadvantaged communities use their critical horizontal knowledges to connect with disciplinary and transdisciplinary knowledge of the university to enhance critical specialised consciousness in the becoming of ethical humans? and 2) How can an African theorisation of student agency form the basis to consciously reframe the core institutional function of the university? In responding to these questions, I locate my arguments in African-student agency, reviewing literature by African scholars to gain an understanding of the African concept of student agency.

Tutor and tutee experiences of same-year/level peer-assisted learning in health sciences’ extended curriculum programmes

2023-08-29T10:44:28+02:00

Peer-assisted learning (PAL) encompasses the active acquisition of knowledge and skills among students in similar social settings where teaching one another enables reciprocal learning. Sameyear/ level PAL (SPAL) is applied in theoretical and clinical teaching across medical disciplines worldwide and is regarded as a teaching and learning strategy promoting self-directed learning. However, it is unclear if SPAL is supporting the academic progress and skills development of students placed on extended curriculum programmes (ECP) in health sciences education (HSE) effectively. This paper focuses on ECP tutors and tutees’ experiences of SPAL on their academic, personal and professional development. Six qualitative, semi-structured group interviews were conducted with 41 ECP students (14 tutors and 27 tutees) after they had participated in SPAL sessions. Findings indicate that SPAL supports ECP students not only academically, but also improves graduate attributes and leadership development, and promotes adapting to higher education through the establishment of communities of learning. Embedding structured SPAL sessions into ECPs in HSE was found to be central to the success of this teaching and learning strategy.

Even hungrier for knowledge: A 10-year follow-up study on vulnerability to food insecurity amongst students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

2023-11-27T09:21:31+02:00

Research on the extent of food insecurity amongst the South African university student population has gained momentum over the past decade, and for good reason. Along with the multiple other challenges that South African university students face (e.g. funding shortfalls, limited access to student housing, high levels of failure and dropout, institutional bureaucracy, and oppressive colonial legacies), students being chronically hungry and unable to access safe and nutritious food on a regular basis remains a notable crisis. This article reports on a 10-year follow-up study on the extent of vulnerability to food insecurity amongst students registered at the University of ABC (UABC). Whereas data collected for the initial 2007–2009 study only targeted students from one of the five UABC campuses, the current study improved on the sampling strategy and collected data from 438 students registered across all five UABC campuses in 2018. Using the University Students Food Insecurity Questionnaire, as developed during the initial study and adapted from the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, the findings from the current study suggest that 49% of the UABC student population experience serious to severe levels of vulnerability to food insecurity. This is more than double the reported levels of serious to severe vulnerability to food insecurity found in the initial study. This article reports on how and why food insecurity levels may have escalated unchecked over the past decade.

Bridging gender disparities in the teaching profession in tertiary institutions for globalisation

2023-04-13T08:15:04+02:00

Globally, female teachers have established careers in teaching. In Nigeria, there are more females in the teaching profession at lower levels of education than at tertiary institutions. This study examined the gender distribution rate of teachers in secondary and tertiary institutions and the factors that caused differences in gender balance at tertiary institutions using mixed method research. A proforma form was used to collect quantitative secondary data, while the interview guide was used to collect qualitative data. Descriptive statistics of frequency and percentage were used to analyse the quantitative data collected to establish the rate of male and female teachers. The qualitative data were analysed thematically with the aid of Atlas ti. The results showed that the rate of female teachers outweighed their male counterparts by 4.35% at secondary schools, while male lecturers outnumbered female lecturers by 54.67% at the tertiary level. Lack of ambition to aspire higher, as well as societal perspective and marriage, among others, were factors responsible for the low rate of female lecturers in tertiary institutions. In order to address the gender gap
identified at tertiary institutions for globalisation, educational policy makers were advised to ensure that tertiary institutions increase the percentage of women in their academic recruitment.

The complexities of delivering a home-school based comprehensive sexuality curriculum to visually impaired learners

2023-08-23T09:37:16+02:00

Following the ongoing study to develop a Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) curriculum for visually impaired learners in South Africa, teachers reported hesitance from parents/guardians to inform their visually impaired children about sex. As such, this study sought to explore parents/guardians’ involvement in their children’s psychosexual education. Five parents/guardians were engaged in a focus-group discussion. Data were analysed thematically, while home-school partnership theory underpinned this study. Parents felt confident that they had prepared their children with enough psychosexual education to make healthy sexual choices, and therefore blamed teachers, security guards, and hostel caretakers for their children’s early sexual debut. However, no blame or accountability was assigned to the learners for their own sexual behaviour and decision-making. Interrogating the complexities within these socio-educational spaces suggested that there was confusion in the roles and responsibilities assumed for the capacitation of visually impaired learners with CSE. More importantly, the problem was not that parents were worried that these learners were not having safe sex, but that they should not be having sex at all now or in the future. The study suggests that a supportive, non-judgemental, and collaborative home-school partnership is necessary to recognise and guide the sexual agency of visually impaired learners.