scholarly journals Experiences of Student Affairs Professionals in Facilitating Co-Curricular Leadership Development Programmes in South African Universities

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 24-45
Author(s):  
Gugulethu Xaba
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Student Affairs ◽  
South African ◽  
Student Leadership ◽  
Student Affairs Professionals ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Student Affairs Practitioners ◽  
Student Leadership Development ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
University Support

Despite the important role that student affairs practitioners play in supportinguniversities to produce well-rounded graduates, few studies have beenconducted on their lived experiences. This article examines the challengesconfronted by these professionals in interacting with student leadersand facilitating leadership programmes in South African universities. Aqualitative methodology was adopted and semi-structured interviews wereconducted with 20 student affairs practitioners responsible for facilitatingstudent leadership development programmes. A focus group discussionwas also held with six student affairs experts. The findings point to a lackof seamlessness in the structure, staffing, and operation of these programmes,as well as a lack of university support to professionalise student affairs.Furthermore, student leadership development programmes werefound to lack proper theoretical grounding. Key words: Student leadership development programmes, students,student affairs professionals

scholarly journals Challenges Faced by Student Affairs Practitioners in Embedding Indigenous Knowledge into Student Leadership Development Pedagogy. A Case for Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 01-12
Author(s):  
Crispen Mazodze ◽  
Jacob Mapara ◽  
Maria Tsvere
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Leadership Development ◽  
Student Affairs ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Student Development ◽  
Student Leadership ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Student Affairs Practitioners ◽  
Student Leadership Development ◽  
Indigenous Epistemologies

The drive to mainstream indigenous knowledge into student leadership development in Zimbabwean higher education has recently gained currency. Student leadership development has a Eurocentric historical background and it has continued on this paradigm in the post-independence era. Framed on decolonial theoretical framework this study interrogates the challenges that are faced by student affairs practitioners in their efforts to include indigenous epistemologies into student leadership development programmes. The research was designed as a case study that employed qualitative methods of data collection and analysis focussing on student development practice at three state universities in Zimbabwe namely Bindura University of Science Education, Chinhoyi University of Science Education and Great Zimbabwe University. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with student Affairs practitioners and analysed through NVivo qualitative data analysis software. Research findings indicate that student affairs practitioners face a myriad of problems which hinder the mainstreaming of the knowledge of the local indigenous people into leadership development. These problems include lack of training to empower them with skills to include indigenous epistemologies into student leadership training, lack of funding and policy guidelines. Theorising on this complexity the research recommends the designing of leadership programmes that imbue indigenous epistemologies of the local people in student development such as hunhu/ubuntu values.

scholarly journals Cultivating Connection

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tura M. Magley ◽  
Matthew G. Barnes ◽  
Garrett P. Schlichte
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Student Affairs ◽  
Student Leadership ◽  
Student Affairs Professionals ◽  
Transition To College ◽  
Student Leaders ◽  
College Campuses ◽  
Common Thread ◽  
New Students ◽  
Empathic Leadership

Student leadership is an increasingly utilized tool on college campuses for welcoming and supporting new students as they transition to college. In our various experiences as previous student leaders turned student affairs professionals, we found a common thread in our work which made a tremendous difference in the development of student leaders and the students they served—the ability to create and maintain meaningful empathic connections. This paper will provide structure for orientation, transition, and retention (OTR) professionals to cultivate empathy in student leaders who may use those skills to build stronger and more authentic connections as they welcome and help students successfully navigate their transition to college. The purpose of this paper is to fill a gap in empathic leadership development and its potential to positively impact the transition and retention of new students.

Youth high unemployment/unemployability in South Africa: the unemployed graduates' perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zethembe Mseleku
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cooperative Effort ◽  
Content Type ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
Skills Mismatch ◽  
Graduate Unemployment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore youth graduate unemployment and unemployability as a development problem in South Africa.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory study applied a qualitative research method to elicit the perspectives of youth graduates regarding their unemployment and unemployability. A total of 30 face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with unemployed youth who recently graduated from five South African universities.FindingsThe results indicate that, as youth graduate unemployment increases in South Africa, graduates become hopeless in terms of securing employment. The participants attributed their unemployment to multidimensional factors that include limited demand in the labour market, skills mismatch and lack of work experience.Research limitations/implicationsThis research exclusively focused on graduates from five South African universities; hence, the results of this small qualitative study cannot be generalised to the entire South African population. However, this paper offers important insights that may form the foundation for a nationwide study on a related topic.Originality/valueThis paper presents important insights that influence policy makers, government and other relevant stakeholders to develop alternative solutions to youth graduate unemployment. This paper recommends that government should play a critical role in bridging the gap between higher education and industry in order to address youth graduate unemployment. It also calls for a more cooperative effort between government, higher learning institutions and employers in order to create job opportunities for youth graduates in South Africa.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document