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 ofhistorically 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.
{"title":"An exploration of African-student agency: Placing students from historically disadvantaged communities at the centre","authors":"D. Larey","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i4.6891","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i4.6891","url":null,"abstract":"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 ofhistorically 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.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"63 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139004116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Argyriadis, P. Paoullis, Eleni Samsari, A. Argyriadi
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.
{"title":"Self-Assessment Inclusion Scale (SAIS): a tool for measuring inclusive competence and sensitivity","authors":"A. Argyriadis, P. Paoullis, Eleni Samsari, A. Argyriadi","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i4.7294","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i4.7294","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"133 21","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139004276","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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.
{"title":"A systematic review of the implications for teaching, learning and assessment at South African universities after the Covid-19 pandemic","authors":"S. C. Mahlaba, Keabetswe Gordon Sekano","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i4.6181","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i4.6181","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"3 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139004222","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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.
{"title":"The oversight functions of school governing bodies in the management of budgets","authors":"Junaid King, R. Mestry","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i4.7512","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i4.7512","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"69 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139004629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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.
{"title":"Investigating nomophobia as a possible mental health disorder in Gauteng public schools","authors":"Nico Botha, Z. Matwadia","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i4.7381","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i4.7381","url":null,"abstract":"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.\u0000 ","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"131 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139004374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Oliver Gore, Corlia Twine, Johan Botha, Shantha Naidoo
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.
{"title":"Teachers’ perceptions of the psycho-social effects of COVID-19 on learners’ well-being in South African schools","authors":"Oliver Gore, Corlia Twine, Johan Botha, Shantha Naidoo","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i4.7042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i4.7042","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"38 16","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139006226","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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.
{"title":"Differing priorities: International research collaboration trends of South African universities, 2012-2021","authors":"Savo Heleta, Divinia Jithoo","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i4.7471","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i4.7471","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"95 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139005555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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.gy.
{"title":"Tutor and tutee experiences of same-year/level peer-assisted learning in health sciences’ extended curriculum programmes","authors":"Róan Slabbert, Jeanette Du Plessis, Mpho Jama","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i4.7551","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i4.7551","url":null,"abstract":"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.gy.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"118 4‐5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139006410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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.
家长参与是儿童早期识字发展和日后学业成功的基础。这项小规模的定性研究采用解释学范式，通过半结构式访谈收集了两位 R 级教师对家长参与儿童早期识字发展的看法。研究结果表明，教师对家长参与的理解狭隘而局限。教师认为，由于家长的社会经济地位妨碍了他们的工作，因此他们对孩子的早期识字不感兴趣。教师希望家长参与讲故事，但要以他们的条件为前提。这些研究结果对如何重新认识政策和实践具有重要意义，因为政策和实践需要更加重视家长参与儿童早期识字和家长的全面参与。
{"title":"Grade R teachers’ perceptions concerning parental participation in early literacy development in a disadvantaged context in the Western Cape","authors":"Naseema Shaik","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i4.7349","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i4.7349","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"25 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138976504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The importance of the academic writing facilitator’s role – part of which involves the facilitator’s capacity to master, and to enable students’ confident navigation of increasingly digitised learning platforms1 – has been widely noted in academic circles. Covid-19’s aftermath has provided further impetus for the acceleration of higher education institutions’ research output on the successes and shortcomings of curricular learning designs. The waves of the pandemic have also resulted in educators and students being challenged to craft innovative and creative ways to continue facilitating the learning process for the benefit of their students. The initial ‘teething problems’ accompanying the online migration of course content and sessions meant that the poorest students suffered doubly, for reasons including lack of access to technology, as well as poor signal/connectivity in rural areas. It is against this backdrop that this piece, phenomenological by nature, sets out to explore how and when meaningful relationships between students and facilitators might be forged for the sake of fostering meaningful, productive collaborations between facilitators and students enrolled in tertiary academic literacy courses. The overarching research question is how an educator’s personal investment in, and commitment to the academic writing process might be evidenced by way of positive student feedback, generated and sourced from student evaluations.2 The reader is invited to consider whether or not a correlation exists between the input of an experienced educator who displays genuine interest in her students’ engagement in the course and positive student feedback. It is suggested that display of emotion (including, but not limited to exhibiting a sense of humour) corresponds positively with students’ overall satisfaction with the course material and presentation thereof.
{"title":"An academic facilitator’s commentary on teaching in a post-COVID-19 South Africa","authors":"","doi":"10.38140/pie.v41i3.7114","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v41i3.7114","url":null,"abstract":"The importance of the academic writing facilitator’s role – part of which involves the facilitator’s capacity to master, and to enable students’ confident navigation of increasingly digitised learning platforms1 – has been widely noted in academic circles. Covid-19’s aftermath has provided further impetus for the acceleration of higher education institutions’ research output on the successes and shortcomings of curricular learning designs. The waves of the pandemic have also resulted in educators and students being challenged to craft innovative and creative ways to continue facilitating the learning process for the benefit of their students. The initial ‘teething problems’ accompanying the online migration of course content and sessions meant that the poorest students suffered doubly, for reasons including lack of access to technology, as well as poor signal/connectivity in rural areas. It is against this backdrop that this piece, phenomenological by nature, sets out to explore how and when meaningful relationships between students and facilitators might be forged for the sake of fostering meaningful, productive collaborations between facilitators and students enrolled in tertiary academic literacy courses. The overarching research question is how an educator’s personal investment in, and commitment to the academic writing process might be evidenced by way of positive student feedback, generated and sourced from student evaluations.2 The reader is invited to consider whether or not a correlation exists between the input of an experienced educator who displays genuine interest in her students’ engagement in the course and positive student feedback. It is suggested that display of emotion (including, but not limited to exhibiting a sense of humour) corresponds positively with students’ overall satisfaction with the course material and presentation thereof.","PeriodicalId":19864,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Education","volume":"68 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135082045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：