Depression and Suicidal Preoccupation in South African Students

1999 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 242-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lester ◽  
Adebowale Akande
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
African Students ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression

Xhosa, Zulu, and colored students in South Africa did not differ on depression scores, but there was some evidence that the pattern of the symptoms of depression differed among the three groups.

The Unattainable South African Paradise

2021 ◽  
pp. 143-151
Author(s):  
Anita Virga
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
African Students ◽  
Hegemonic Discourse ◽  
The Future

Whether Dante was part of a hegemonic discourse or a counter one, he helped to shape identities, create new ones, re-imagined old ones. However, for these young South African students whose contributions are collected in this book Paradise as a place of the future seems to remain an unattainable mirage. For them South Africa is locked in a present which cannot overcome its past and cannot imagine its future; an eternal Purgatory, which ironically enough for Dante is the only non-eternal place of the afterlife.

Multilingualism and social cohesion: insights from South African students (1998, 2010, 2015)

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 (242) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Coetzee-Van Rooy
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Home Language ◽  
African Students ◽  
African Context ◽  
Vaal Triangle ◽  
Complex Settings ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

AbstractThe relationship between nations (or states), languages and social cohesion have been studied over time. Contexts like Africa and India challenge the conceived Western notion of “one-nation-one-language”. Insights about multilingualism and social cohesion from complex sociolinguistic contexts like South Africa could provide a deeper understanding helpful for promoting social cohesion in emerging “super-diverse” situations across the globe. This article reports on selected data from a longitudinal language repertoire survey conducted over three periods (1998, 2010 and 2015) in the Vaal Triangle region in South Africa. It discusses the views of multilingual urban students (N=1900+) about the relationship between multilingualism and social cohesion. The main findings are that the multilingual African home language participants believe that being multilingual is related to social cohesion, while this is not a prominent finding for Afrikaans home language users (who are mainly bilingual). The data from the South African context indicate the importance of multilingual repertoires as instruments that support the fostering of social cohesion in complex settings. Multilingual repertoires facilitate communication that enhances the building of better relationships and a deeper understanding between people in diverse settings. The implications of the findings for emerging “super-diverse” global societies are discussed.

Towards an African-Centered Model of Learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 155-177
Author(s):  
Rendani Tshifhumulo ◽  
Faith F. Musvipwa ◽  
Tshimangadzo Justice Makhanikhe ◽  
Livhuwani Daphney Tshikukuvhe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Education System ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
African Students ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Cultural Aspects

This chapter interrogates the current teaching and learning strategies in South African higher institutions of learning in relation to the negligence of cultural aspects. For many years now, the general population in South Africa agitated for the amendment or annulment of the current education system as a means of restoring the African norms and values. The suspension and/or expulsion of some African students from schools due to their adherence to African values is a vivid example of how the education system undermines African cultures and traditions. The chapter deliberated on story telling as one of the methods that is relevant for Indigenous Knowledge Systems. On the central argument of the chapter the authors conversed on colonialisation and its impact on education in South Africa. OBE and the revised national curriculum statement and the crises in South African education system are discussed. The chapter ends by interrogating the possibility of using African Languages in the school curriculum.

scholarly journals Reviewing gender and cultural factors associated with HIV/AIDS among university students in the South African context

Curationis ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Van Staden ◽  
G. Badenhorst
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Hiv Infection ◽  
South African ◽  
Cultural Factors ◽  
Unprotected Sex ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
African Students ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Hiv Aids

South Africa is in the midst of a catastrophic AIDS epidemic. HIV prevalence statistics in most countries indicate that up to 60% of all new infections occur among 15 to 24 year olds, whilst this group also boasts the highest incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Statistical findings among South African students predict a 10% increase in the HIV infection rate, highlighting the inability of universities to cope with societies’ demands for academically trained workers which, in the near future, will have a detrimental effect on the economy of South Africa. From the literature it is evident that HIV/AIDS is more than a health issue, it is an inter-sectoral challenge to any society. This paper explored the interplay of gender and cultural factors on South African students’ sexual behaviour by inter alia discussing the following factors that might put students at risk for HIV infection: male dominance vs. female submissiveness; age of first sexual encounter; gender-based violence; contraception; circumcision; financial status; myths and ‘othering’; demonstrating the need for effective strategies, policies and programmes to protect young people, especially females from sexual abuse/rape and its consequences, including HIV. The literature review revealed that South African students, despite adequate HIV/AIDS knowledge, demonstrated high rates of sexual practices that place them at risk for HIV infection, i.e. unprotected sex, multiple partners and ‘sugar-daddy practices’. The paper concludes with a discussion on recommendations for future HIV prevention/ intervention programmes, highlighting the fact that it acquires an inclusive approach. Such interventions should move beyond the individual level to be effective and target gender-based inequalities, human rights violations, including sexual violence and rape, as well as stigma and poverty reduction, both at community and tertiary educational level.

A minor majority

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 387-392
Author(s):  
Lesley Lokko
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Graduate School ◽  
Coming Of Age ◽  
African Students ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Age Of Consent ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Age Of Majority ◽  
The University

The terms ‘age of consent’, ‘age of licence’ and ‘age of majority’ – often used interchangeably – give young adults legal and moral permission to drink, drive, vote, smoke, have sex and marry (among other rights). Depending on context, the threshold from being a minor to attaining majority – adulthood – is marked by a ritual or a ceremony, giving the threshold cul-tural as well as legal significance. But thresholds, as we already know, are places of action, movement, change … rarely comfortable or easy, and seldom precise. Drawing on the three years since the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg (GSA) was established in 2016, this essay traces the school's own ‘coming-of-age’ in a time of violent protest and popular uprising against an out-of-date and stubbornly Eurocentric curriculum. Whilst the issues facing young South African students – both black and white – have particular resonance inside South Africa, many of the initiatives that the school has pioneered under the banner of ‘Transformative Pedagogies’ hold meaning for the rest of the African continent. Using a mixture of conventional texts, videos, projects and transcripts, A Minor Majority details the GSA's attempts to seize both the site-specific ‘winds of change’ in South Africa and take advantage of global shifts in research culture and methodology to arrive at new insights and possibilities.

Web-based health information seeking

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 933-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annika Rantala ◽  
Heidi Enwald ◽  
Sandy Zinn
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Information ◽  
South African ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
African Students ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internet Penetration

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine differences of health information seeking among Finnish and South African university students. The focus is on weight management and on how students utilise various internet sources. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected with a web-based, structured survey by using convenience sampling. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s χ2 test were utilised in the analysis. Findings Overall, health information was more often encountered than sought on purpose. Passive information seeking was more common for South African students as almost a third of them report encountering it several times a week. As an information source, South African students opted for social networking sites more frequently than search engines, the latter being the first choice for Finnish students. Discussion boards were more popular among South African students, and, on the other hand, web-based health calculators among Finns. Research limitations/implications This is a small-scale comparative study. The results are not to be generalised, but may provide clues about the information seeking differences between Finland and South Africa. Practical implications Media literacy, digital literacy and health information literacy of young adults should be emphasised so that they would be able to evaluate information for reliability and accuracy in order to help them make appropriate decisions when confronted by health information online. Social implications The implications of the study are that health providers and professionals should be more prominent on social media sites, which are popular ways for young people to discover information. Originality/value Comparative studies are rare. This comparison is between Finland, where internet penetration is 94 per cent, and South Africa, where internet penetration is 54 per cent.

“Dante, Can I Lead You?” South African students write back (across seven centuries and a hemisphere)

2021 ◽  
pp. 97-103
Author(s):  
Chris Thurman
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Fourteenth Century ◽  
World View ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
First Century ◽  
African Students ◽  
Cosmic Order ◽  
The World ◽  
Temporal And Spatial

This account of the essays, poems and stories collected in the present volume reflects on the authors’ diverse forms of engagement with Dante via the implications of proximity and distance. In what ways do these students signal affinity with Dante – his historical context, his writerly persona – and in what ways do they subvert or challenge the world view (or the cosmic order) represented in the Commedia? How does their location in South Africa in the twenty-first century, as a particular kind of temporal and spatial dislocation from Italy in the fourteenth century, enable their creative and critical responses to Dante’s work?

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