scholarly journals Managing the Culture of COVID-19 "New Normal" as a Motivation for University Students in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-51
Author(s):  
Bunmi I Omodan ◽  
Cias T Tsotetsi ◽  
Olugbenga A Ige
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
University Students ◽  
South African ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
University Education ◽  
Motivational Strategies ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
Adequate Provision

The advent of COVID-19 and its implication on university education has been the bone of contention in recent times. The COVID-19 emergency has led to a change in knowledge inputs, processes, and outputs. This trajectory has demotivated student approaches to their learning. In response to this revolution, this study provides motivational strategies through students' perspectives to respond to the underside of new normal among South African university students. Ubuntu underpins the study within the Transformative Paradigm lens and Participatory Research as a research design. Ten students of a particular module in a selected university in South Africa were chosen to participate in the study. They were selected using the snowballing sampling technique because the participants were under level 3 lockdown with little or no access to campus at the time of the study. Online interview via phone calls, email and WhatsApp, was conducted with the students, and the data were analysed using Thematic Analysis. The study revealed a lack of visualised physical engagement between students and their lecturers and unstable internet access and lack of the internet as the major challenges.  The study, therefore, recommends solutions that there should be adequate provision of effective online audio-visual sessions with enough space for student-lecturer’s interactions and low-tech online sessions and content deliveries.

scholarly journals Deconstructing the Challenges of COVID-19 on First-Year Rural University Students in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-242
Author(s):  
Bunmi Omodan
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
University Students ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
University Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Rural High Schools ◽  
Phone Calls

Assumptions and facts exist about the various challenges rural learners face when transitioning into university education in South Africa due to the pedagogical differences between secondary and university education. However, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic compounded the transitioning challenges of students because most of the universities, especially the selected university, utilise online learning, which is alien to first-year students who are transitioning from rural high schools to the university. This study explores the challenges and solutions associated with first-year students transitioning to a new level of education during the COVID-19 pandemic. An asset-based approach was used to theorise the study within the Transformative Paradigm (TP), while Participatory Research (PR) was used to design the study. These are relevant because both TP and PR are targeted towards transforming people’s predicaments. The participants consisted of ten first-year students selected using a convenient sampling technique. Data was collected using electronic interviews such as email, WhatsApp messages, and phone calls. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The study revealed that first-year rural university students’ inability to use online learning tools effectively and unstable internet connections in the rural community are major challenges. The study, therefore, concludes that the provision of internet access and students’ readiness for adaptability are the possible solutions.

scholarly journals University Students' Perceptions of Curriculum Content Delivery During COVID-19 New Normal in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 204
Author(s):  
Bunmi Isaiah Omodan ◽  
Olugbenga A Ige
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
University Students ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Content Delivery ◽  
The Internet ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Academic Activities ◽  
Teaching Learning

Observation and experience exist among university students during COVID-19 new normal; the quality and the process of academic activities have been compromised. This study, therefore, examines the lacuna on whether the new normal is more productive by ensuring that the intention of the curriculum towards students' content knowledge is met or not. Organisational change theory was used to theorise the study within the transformative paradigm (TP) and participatory Rresearch (PR) lenses as a research design. The study was conducted in one of the universities in South Africa. Ten students were selected using the convenience sampling technique because the students were not fully on campus as of the time of this study. The online interview was adopted to collect data because of social distancing rules across the country. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. The findings revealed that the COVID-19 new normal does not affect students’ academic performance negatively even though the quality of content delivery is low. The channels of teaching-learning and the Internet of Things are deduced to be unpleasant for the students with recommendations that there is a need to provide the internet-or-things alongside training and retraining for students and lecturers.

Decriminalized, Not Legalized: A Pilot Study of South African University Students’ Views on the Use, Impact, Legalization and Decriminalization of Marijuana

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 490-506
Author(s):  
Molewane Mametja ◽  
Eleanor Ross
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
University Students ◽  
South African ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Significant Others ◽  
Intervention Programs ◽  
Personal Use ◽  
Potential Impact

Given the 2018 decriminalization of marijuana in South Africa for personal use and medicinal consumption, the aim of this research was to explore the perceptions of university students regarding the use, impact, legalization, and decriminalization of marijuana. Key findings revealed that a fair number of participants acknowledged using marijuana. When asked about the potential impact of marijuana on users, their families and significant others, they seemed to have a good understanding of the effects of the drug. However, while some participants were aware of the addictive nature of marijuana, others were not aware of the risk of addiction from smoking or ingesting this substance. However, they were able to weigh up the risks as well as the benefits of legalization/decriminalization of marijuana. This study has implications for health care professionals working with youth who use illicit substances such as marijuana, and in developing prevention and intervention programs aimed at the youth.

Everyday discourses of belonging of first-generation Eritrean refugees in South Africa: lived experience and attachment*

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-182
Author(s):  
Amanuel Isak Tewolde
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
South African ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
African Context ◽  
The University

Research is scant on the everyday sense of belonging of refugees in South Africa. This paper addresses this gap by exploring the everyday discourses of belonging of Eritrean refugees in South Africa. Purposive sampling technique was used to recruit participants, and qualitative data was gathered from 11 participants in the City of Tshwane, South Africa, through open-ended interviews and focus group discussions. Analysis of data resulted in three dominant discourses: 1) ‘we feel like outsiders’; 2) ‘we are neither here nor there’; and 3) ‘South Africa is home’. Drawing on the participants’ discourses, I argue that in the South African context, refugees’ sense of belonging tends to be varied mirroring multifaceted lived experiences. Participants’ construction of South Africa as their home also counters previous research that portrayed foreign nationals in South Africa as ‘excluded’.* This article is based on research conducted at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

scholarly journals Perceived Parenting Style and Suicidal/Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in University Students: A Cross-Sectional South African Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mwanja Chundu ◽  
Eugene L Davids ◽  
Petrus J de Vries
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
General Population ◽  
University Students ◽  
South African ◽  
Parenting Style ◽  
Parenting Styles ◽  
Authoritative Parenting ◽  
Mothers And Fathers ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background: Low- and middle-income countries like South Africa carry the greatest suicide burden, with local general population suicide attempt rates of 2.9–22.7%, in comparison to 0.7–9% in international literature. Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) commonly co-occurs with suicidal behaviours and estimates range from 5.5% internationally to 19.4% in South Africa. As a subgroup of the general population, university students are at higher risk for both suicidal behaviours and NSSI (S/NSSI). Risk factors for S/NSSI include parenting style; however, very little is known about the relationship between parenting styles and S/NSSI in university students in the South African context. This study aimed to describe the rates of S/NSSI behaviours and to explore the relationship between the Baumrind parenting style typography and S/NSSI in university students. The study hypothesised that authoritative parenting would negatively correlate with S/NSSI. No a priori hypotheses were made about the other parenting styles investigated. Methods: Students from all faculties at the University of Cape Town were invited to complete an anonymous, online electronic survey. Data collection included a socio-demographic questionnaire, Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire and Self-Harming Behaviours Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics quantified parenting styles, suicidal behaviours and NSSI. Spearman’s correlation coefficients examined the association between parenting style and S/NSSI. Results: In 1136 students, the rate of suicidal attempts was 6.3% and of NSSI was 22.7%. Suicide threats, suicidal thoughts, and thoughts of dying were reported by 5.9%, 35.7% and 50.7% respectively. No significant differences were seen between male and female students. We observed no significant association between authoritative parenting and suicidal behaviours, but authoritative mothers and fathers were significantly associated with a history of NSSI. Both permissive mothers and fathers were associated with suicide attempts, threats, and thoughts, whereas only permissive mothers were associated with NSSI. Conclusions: This study replicates previously reported high rates of S/NSSI in South African university students in comparison to general population and international data. Contrary to our hypothesis, authoritative parenting style was positively correlated with NSSI, but not with suicidal behaviours. Further studies are warranted to examine parenting style, and permissive parenting, in particular, in relation to S/NSSI.

scholarly journals Determinants of Social Entrepreneurial Intentions of University Students in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6A) ◽  
pp. 72-80
Author(s):  
Olawale Fatoki
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
University Students ◽  
South African ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Entrepreneurial Behaviour ◽  
Questionnaire Method ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire

Entrepreneurial behaviour can be predicted by intentions. The study investigated the determinants of social entrepreneurial intentions (SEI) of university students in South Africa. The study adopted a quantitative research design that involved the use of a survey. The self-administered questionnaire method was used to collect data from the survey participants. The participants in the survey were final year undergraduate students of the Department of Business Management of two South African universities. Reliability was measured using the Cronbach’s alpha. The data analysis methods for the study were descriptive statistics, principal component analysis and regression analysis. The results indicated that empathy, moral obligation, entrepreneurial self-efficacy and perceived social support are predictors of social entrepreneurial intentions. The recommendations to improve the SEI of university students focus on passive and active entrepreneurship teaching methods.

scholarly journals The Auditory Brainstem Response - Are South African ENT's Missing the Point?

1999 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-98
Author(s):  
Antonia Sahli ◽  
Shamim Ebrahim ◽  
Wayne J. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Auditory Brainstem Response ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
Postal Survey ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Brainstem Response ◽  
Level Of Training ◽  
Auditory Disorders

The use and misuse of the auditory brainstem response (ABR) test by hearing professionals is often related to the extent and nature of the training they have received. This study used a postal survey based questionnaire to investigate the levels of training in, knowledge about, and appropriateness of referral for, ABR testing in Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeons and registrars in Gauteng, South Africa. Thirty-seven actively practising ENT specialists and registrars were sampled using a convenience sampling technique. Overall, a poor level of training and knowledge in ABR and its related areas of audiology was identified. This was mirrored by a high demand for further education. Considering the prevalence of auditory disorders in South Africa, and the push towards primary care and early intervention, this study's results highlight the need for improved training in ABR for ENT surgeons and registrars.

The Development and Validation of a Subtle Racism Scale in South Africa

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 233-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Duckitt
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
University Students ◽  
South African ◽  
Racial Prejudice ◽  
African Population ◽  
South African Population ◽  
Modern Racism ◽  
Subtle Racism ◽  
Validity Criteria ◽  
Development And Validation

Research on the concept of symbolic or modern racism has shown that transparent and obvious measures of traditional racism no longer adequately reflect racial prejudice in many American sub-populations. There are indications that this may also be the case for certain segments of the white South African population, particularly in the case of university students who have been the typical subjects of research on prejudice. Traditional measures of prejudice may also be viewed as offensive by subjects and elicit antagonistic reactions. The present study therefore set out to develop and validate a new, more indirect, and subtle measure of anti-black racial prejudice designed to overcome these problems. The results ( N = 217) indicated that the Subtle Racism scale was unidimensional, highly reliable, and showed powerful associations with a number of validity criteria. It clearly outperformed a more traditional measure of racism in all respects.

scholarly journals Macro and micro challenges for talent retention in South Africa

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Berenice Kerr-Phillips ◽  
Adèle Thomas
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Job Insecurity ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Employment Equity ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Talent Retention

The aim of the study was to explore the challenges presented in retaining South Africa’s talent at both macro (country) and micro (organisational) levels. Using a web-based survey placed on eight New Zealand sites, the reasons for emigration of South African talent during the period 1994–2006 were explored with 84 respondents. Utilising a purposive sampling technique, 20 semi-structured interviews were undertaken with identified ‘top talent’ in two financial services companies. Content analysis of the responses from both samples was employed. Reasons for emigration (macro issues) included uncertainty about the future of the country, job insecurity and fears regarding both corruption and violent crime. Reasons for talent loss amongst identified top talent (micro issues) were found to be linked to leadership, organisational culture and employment equity.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document