South African University Research Articles

Exploring students’ views and experiences of an acupuncture programme at a South African university: Case study

<p align="justify">Curriculum transformation for 21st-century skills in higher education is gaining much attention nationally and internationally. The African continent is becoming acutely aware of strengthening the curriculum to improve teaching and learning. In this study, the focus is on transforming the acupuncture programme to align with international standards. Streamlining and aligning the South Africa (SA) curriculum programme to international standards will improve patients’ health.<strong> </strong>The reason is that higher education institutions are responsible for ensuring that their students are competent in the world of work through quality educational programmes. There is an increasing demand for quality acupuncture services for the public. According to the World Health Organization, acupuncture is one of the most popular alternative medicines worldwide. However, there is a lack of research to explore contextualised acupuncture programmes on the African continent. This study aimed to explore the content of the South African acupuncture programme and align it with international standards. To undertake this study, the author employed a qualitative, single-case study by interviewing the students of the programme using a semi-structured interview schedule. The findings of this study revealed that students shared positive views towards the acupuncture programme. They had a clear and accurate understanding of the outcome of the programme. However, participants reported that there was limited clinical exposure in the acupuncture programme, which negatively affected students’ competencies in the working world. This study concluded that there was a need to ensure the contextualised acupuncture programme was benchmarked against international standards. Furthermore, there was a need to improve the infrastructure at the university to ensure adequate training facilities. This study is of profound significance since the identified higher education institution is the only university that provides an acupuncture programme in South Africa.</p>

Are we there yet? An intersectional take on Black women academics' experiences in a South African university

In this paper, we adopt an intersectional lens to explore and theorise the complex experiences of Black women academics in a research-intensive university in South Africa. We purposively recruited 10 Black women academics, ranging from early career academics, lecturers, to senior professors in the field. We relied on intersectionality to theorise Black women academics' challenges in navigating and negotiating their being and belonging in the university. We used semi-structured interviews as a data generation method to elicit the narratives/ stories/experiences of the Black women academics. The findings revealed two things. Firstly, they revealed that a large number of the research participants were "accidental academics" in higher education due to the nature of their entry and access to the university. Secondly, the findings also showed the important role that formal and informal mentoring plays in higher education as a catalyst for helping Black women academics access, negotiate, and succeed at university. We conclude this paper with some thoughts on the need for formalised and well-structured mentoring systems in higher education to support Black women academics' access, being, and belonging in the university.

Mathematics and science teacher educators experiences of using the WhatsApp platform as a tool for supporting teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic

This article problematises the media used for delivery of curriculum at the onset of lockdowns due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in a sudden cessation of all face-to-face teaching and learning at a South African university. The article reports on how the otherwise neutral WhatsApp social media platform was appropriated to become a serious teaching tool for mathematics and science pre-service teacher educators. The study draws predominantly on connectivism learning theory to understand how WhatsApp was used to continue the teaching of mathematics and science during the Covid-19 lockdowns. The sample consisted of 10 mathematics and science teacher educators from whom data were collected through authentic conversations and questionnaires. The article reports on the affordances and constraints the WhatsApp platform presented, as well as how it reshaped the teaching of mathematics and science. Findings indicate that teacher educators transformed the use of WhatsApp from a social media tool to a tool for supporting teaching. However, being a social tool, WhatsApp does have affordances and constraints when used for teaching. The affordances include ease of access and ease of use, while constraints include the risk of students not possessing smartphones and intrusion into the personal lives of teacher educators.

Relationality and student engagement in higher education: Towards enhanced students’ learning experiences

This study examines how student engagement and social relationships between teachers and students may enhance the learning experiences of students in a South African university. Two separate sets of semi-structured interviews were held with 27 university teachers and 51 students respectively. The findings revealed that that the relationships between the behavioural and cognitive dimensions of student engagement and social relationships between teachers and students are motivated by good relational communication; relational pedagogy; good inter-relational culture; teacher relational competences (cognitive, behavioural and inter-cultural); and teacher demonstration of care. The current study adds to the literature on relational pedagogy and student engagement by highlighting the importance of inter-relational culture and teacher relational competences to the behavioural and cognitive development of university students. Moreover, when students and particularly, first generation students, students from low socio-economic backgrounds and students from rural communities develop good relationships with their teachers, they are set to have positive learning experiences. Keywords: Student engagement, learning experiences, social relationships, inter-relational culture, teacher competences

Psychological implication of student unrest on student leaders: A social support perspective

The study explored the psychological implications of student unrest on student leaders in South African universities, focusing on both the negative and positive implications. The study is underpinned by social support theory and lensed within transformative paradigm. The study is qualitative in nature and employs participatory research design. Three universities were randomly selected across three provinces in South Africa, and four student leaders from each univesity were selected as participants using convenient sampling technique. Semi-structured interview was used to elicit information from the participants, and the data was analysed using thematic analysis. The study found that social and unpleasant anxiety and social group conflict tendencies are major negative psychological implications on student unrest. On the other hand, it also revealed that student unrest enhances the sense of empowerment and solidarity and also promotes self-esteem and political awareness among student leaders, with a recommendation that universities should provide adequate social support for student leaders.

A Critical View On Doctoral Supervisor Capacity Development At A South African University Of Technology

Growing the number of doctoral graduates, increasing the capacity for study supervision, and enhancing the quality of research output and impact remain some of the many challenges for higher education institutions in South Africa – especially for universities of technology (UoTs). Study supervisors at UoTs often lack sufficient experience and capacity to guide doctoral students to timely and successful completion. This article explores one such case as an example of critically assessing the capacity, quality, and effectiveness of supervisory development at a UoT. Our valuational stance involves observing aspects of institutional support to grow supervision capacity, comparing research performance to peer universities in the UoT cluster and engaging the South African university system as related to relevant literature on doctoral supervision and graduation. The selected institutional case revealed that supervisory capacity and subsequent graduations have improved significantly over time. However, the challenge remains to graduate increasing numbers of doctoral students, hence the need for further enhancing supervisory capacity. The inquiry also points to the need for increasing throughput figures and graduation in meeting institutional targets. The UoT under scrutiny had introduced several strategies to capacitate doctoral supervisors, including promoting relevant supervisory skills, scientific writing and communication. It also promoted research dissemination, incentives to support research capacity development, and policies to enhance quality supervision. Since the range and scope of developmental actions and activities at the selected UoT were too broad to evaluate in one project, the focus was on one aspect of supervisor support, namely an institution-wide postgraduate supervision developmental programme. Programme results for the period 2017 to 2021 were critically evaluated, addressing two key dimensions: enhancing doctoral supervision capacity and trends in doctoral graduations. These dimensions are discussed against the background of relevant literature on supervisory capacity, peer UoT cluster trends in South Africa, as well as trends related to the whole public university system in South Africa. The article concludes with important lessons learnt from the institutional case and suggestions to enhance research into doctoral supervisor developmental interventions within an UoT context.

Final-year medical students' reflections on types of significant events in primary care.

Adverse events are considered a universal challenge and a burden in the provision of healthcare. For that reason, significant event analysis (SEA) is a critical undertaking in primary health care (PHC), particularly in South Africa where 84% of the population relies on the public health system for their care. The study aimed to describe the types of perceived significant events medical students experienced during an integrated primary care block placement. Eighteen PHC settings included clinics, community health centres and district hospitals across three provinces in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the North West. Using a qualitative descriptive design with purposeful sampling and maximum variation, structured reflection reports were retrieved from logbooks of final-year medical students studying at a South African university in 2014. Conventional content analysis was used to record the relevant facets of secondary data from 124 logbooks that contained a recording of a significant event using MAXQDA software version 2020.4. An iterative process revealed three major themes of significant events that were prevalent in PHC settings. These comprised medication and prescription errors, diagnostic errors and suboptimal patient management. Significant event analysis became a critical quality improvement reflective learning tool. Logbooks offered an opportunity for medical students to explore significant events as a strategic way towards addressing quality and safe practices in PHC settings.Contribution:This study demonstrated medical students' ability to identify incidents in the care of patients using the SEA approach and their role in assessing patient safety issues in PHC settings.

Academic career management intervention at a South African university: A modified Delphi study

Orientation: Understanding the components for an academic career management intervention programme, to enable the development of the required academic pipeline to achieve the strategic objectives of higher education institutions.Research purpose: A consensus view across subject experts for a career management intervention programme to enable the progression of academic careers.Motivation for the study: While academic career literature captures an array of normative designs of career management programmes to cultivate the required academic talent consortium, literature indicates a lack of a comprehensive and systematic approach for career management to provide a framework for successfully managing academic careers.Research design, approach and method: A modified Delphi technique was employed, by presenting an expert panel with the findings of a broader research project to initiate the consensus-seeking methodology - a systematic approach to obtain concordance on the experts’ opinions through two rounds of structured questionnaires.Main findings: The identified components are structured and presented in five main themes (categories), including: (1) institutional, (2) individual, (3) overlapping, (4) cultural and (5) external. The results show a strong agreement among the experts on the first four categories. The fifth (external) offers the lowest level of agreement, reminding that the higher education system is part of a broader contextual system; it should be understood within its operational context and time.Practical/managerial implications: Offering talent management practitioners and higher education leaders expert observations of the factors to consider while planning and implementing career management intervention programmes to enable academic career progression.Contribution/value-add: A comprehensive and systematic approach for career management, providing a framework for successfully managing academic careers across the various career stages.

An examination of supporting structures for postgraduate students’ completion of research projects at one of the universities in South Africa

The Council on Higher Education (CHE)’s report on the doctoral programme review states that offering postgraduate programmes seems to be a challenge to some South African universities. Amongst others, the report expresses that postgraduate supervision at universities suffers from many challenges, some of which result in students being delayed or not completing their studies. Underpinned by Archer’s (1998) theory of the interplay between structure, culture, and agency (support programmes), the study seeks to examine factors that hinder postgraduate students’ completion of their dissertations and theses. The study adopted narrative research where the qualitative design was used. Postgraduate students (Master and Doctoral) who have registered for these programmes repeatedly in the university served as participants in the study. The purposive sample was used to sample eight postgraduate students who have frequently registered for more than the required residency period. Semi-structured questions were formulated to guide data collection. Data was collected through a focus group of eight Master and Doctoral students. Collected data were analysed using the content analysis method. The study found that the university does not have adequate (or weak) supporting structures for students to complete their degrees in record time.

Technology-Based Support of Final Year Bachelor of Education Students in a South African Open Distance e-Learning Institution

Throughput rates are a cause for concern across South African universities. Acceptance at university does not guarantee success for students, particularly the historically and economically disadvantaged majority. This challenge is exacerbated in Open Distance e-Learning institutions such as the University of South Africa (UNISA). Through a case study, this paper discusses key issues affecting students who were on the brink of completion, requiring one or two modules to complete their Bachelor of Education qualification at UNISA. The two hundred students who were part of the study were enrolled in the second-level English module, Genres in Literature and Language: Theory, Style and Poetics. The sampling was voluntary and purposeful from students in this module, who either sought assistance with the module content via email or who qualified for the FI Concession, which is an additional assessment opportunity for final-year students. The study identifies existing barriers to successful study using Keller’s (1987) ARCS Model of Motivation. It offers a glimpse of support efforts provided to these students using the myUnisa Learning Management System in combination with the WhatsApp application, short video podcasts, and NoRedInk. The latter is an online learning site that seeks to develop writing skills through grammar and writing activities. These digital platforms and resources were used as part of the Lecturer-in-the-Pocket (LiP) approach, which underpins the intervention. The success of this cohort provides another approach to improving throughput rates in Open Distance e-Learning institutions.

Deconstructing Decolonising in the Context of a South African Higher Education Institution

Decolonisation at its different levels and stages is a movement that started around the sixties and has swept across all continents of the world. However, there has been a re-invigoration of this movement in recent years on the African continent, particularly in the education sector. This took a different turn in South Africa in late 2015 when the #Mustfall movement started. Different institutions responded to this in a frenzy and the result was absolute chaos in both the understanding of the subject and response to it. About eight years later many academics are still grappling with the meaning of the consult and how to go about decolonising in higher education. Though there is a dearth of academic writing on the subject particularly in South Africa, this has translated to little action and the vestiges of colonialism remain. This paper sought to deconstruct decolonisation from an institutional perspective and theorise how the same can be made to unfold within the stratosphere. This study was designed as a qualitative case study of a South African University and used interviews as the data generation method. The findings indicated that decolonisation is about politics, language, and identity, not forgetting an element of confusion. The paper concluded that decolonisation has to transcend individual understandings of the same to deal with all facets of the higher education sector. It, therefore, recommended the adoption of a holistic approach to dealing with decolonisation and an overall improvement in the understanding of lecturers on decolonisation. This paper makes a vital contribution to the body of knowledge by articulating the conflicting understandings that exist and the confusion it breeds. It also points to the lack of decolonisation within the higher education space. Keywords: South Africa, Deconstructed Decolonisation, Higher Education, Teacher Education

From Contact to Online Learning in a Crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an abrupt change to the education system as most South African universities were forced to halt all face-toface teaching and learning activities and shift to an online curriculum. This study aimed to provide an initial overview of the online behaviour of second-year South African Auditing students. Using reports from the Learning Management System, it investigated the time taken by students to access online resources, the type of resources accessed and if this behaviour had an association with students’ marks. The analysis revealed that, on average, only 23% of the resources provided were accessed and also provided evidence that students did not access resources promptly. On average it took them 130 days after initial upload to access the online material. Students took longer to access tutorial videos (234 days) than other resources such as lecture videos (89 days). Significant, negative associations were established between student marks, time to access resources, and the percentage of resources accessed. This implies that, while face-to-face and online learning may be substituted for each other in an ordinarily contact university, the efficacy of online resources is dependent on the student’s online behaviour.

Experiences and challenges of black women enrolled in a STEM field in a South African urban university: A qualitative study

Experiences and challenges of black women enrolled in a STEM field in a South African urban university: A qualitative study

Communicating during a Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic that emerged in late 2019 resulted in many universities across the world switching to emergency remote teaching in order to complete the academic year. This article examines what senior management at one South African university felt was important to communicate to their student body regarding the COVID-19 crisis and emergency remote teaching, and the modalities utilised for this communication. The type of crisis responses enacted by this university are also investigated. Relevant communication events by the university’s senior management to their student body during the pivot were examined utilising a bottom-up (thematic analysis) and top-down (situational crisis communication theory) approach. Important themes that emerged included the need to empower and mobilise students, acknowledging unequal access to the devices and data required for online learning, and looking after student’s mental health. Crisis response strategies involved justification of the pivot to emergency remote teaching, praising staff for their efforts, expressions of sympathy for students, and provision of data and devices for students in need. The article concludes with recommendations on an approach to communicate with students in the event of a crisis.

Self-Authorship: A Pedagogical Tool for Pre-Service Teachers to Develop (Pre)Professional Identity

This article reports on the use of self-authorship as a pedagogical tool to develop pre-service teachers’ professional identities. Pre-professional identity is considered a dynamic, less mature version of professional identity. Such a notion of fluidity in the professional self necessitates the integration of both personal and professional life experiences in the process of becoming, rather than already being, a teacher. A random sample of 56 pre-service teachers from a population of first-year students at a South African university was selected for this qualitative interpretivist study. Thematic analysis of personal reflections after a professional orientation programme indicates that the pre-professional identity of first-year pre-service teachers is mostly based on external cues and naïve perceptions rather than on well-thought-through personal ideology. The authors draw on Baxter-Magolda’s theory of self-authorship to highlight this influence of past life experiences that shape the pre-professional identity that first-year pre-service teachers bring to initial teacher training programs. Self-authorship is defined as a person’s ability to conceptualise and apply their own beliefs, identity, and social relations in various contexts. Findings confirm that most first-year pre-service teachers place themselves within the first phase of self-authorship. It is postulated that higher education institutions could, through platforms such as Work Integrated Learning, shift the structure and focus of pre-service teacher training programmes away from passive observation and instruction to active partnership, engaged reflection, and critical thinking. Such an approach can then contribute to professional and personal development through the remainder of the pre-service teacher programme. It is further argued that a longitudinal study is needed to explore this required movement towards and through the three phases of self-authorship.

Rethinking South African Higher Education Institutions Role Towards Curriculum Restructuring

The article shed light on the crucial process of restructuring the curriculum and emphasized the need for proactive engagement, despite the challenges that impede effective learning and teaching. The transformation of education in South Africa is a topic that deserves more attention, particularly considering the positive impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which accelerated the integration of technology into learning and teaching worldwide since 2020. This acceleration has prompted urgent changes in various operational aspects of higher education institutions (HEIs). The main focus of this article was to highlight how higher education institutions should approach the restructuring of the curriculum to ensure sustainable transformation. Although the need for this transformation has long been recognized, there has been limited resistance against the prevailing Eurocentric model upon which South African university’s foundational academic organization is built. The author argued that despite efforts to counter Eurocentrism, the South African educational system remains dominated by it in all aspects. To assess the role of higher education institutions in promoting effective learning and teaching through curriculum restructuring, this theoretical paper thoroughly examined the topic of restructuring the curriculum at South African universities. The theoretical framework for this study drew upon the principles of socio-cultural theory, curriculum development and the role of HEIs in curriculum reform. These approaches aim to comprehend how higher education institutions sustain and perpetuate exclusion through Eurocentric epistemology and pedagogical practices. Based on the findings, it was concluded that the struggle to normalize higher education must continue. The article emphasized the ongoing need for change and transformation in higher education institutions to address the deficiencies caused by Eurocentric influences and ensure an inclusive and effective learning environment. Keywords: Higher Education Institutions, Socio-Cultural Theory, Curriculum Development, Decolonisation, Transformation

Religion, Religious Climate, and Students’ Sense of Belonging in a South African University

Abstract Informed by a social constructionist approach, this study examines the relationship between religion, institutional religious climate, and students’ sense of belonging in a university in South Africa. Data were gathered and analysed from a sample of 2026 students who completed a survey that included an open-ended section. The results revealed that students’ perceptions of institutional religious climate are directly associated with their sense of belonging, supportive campus environment, and cross-cultural interaction. Also, while the religious beliefs of students are strengthened by their interaction with colleagues and staff from diverse cultures, they also develop a sense of belonging when they freely practice their religious beliefs in an institution that promotes religious diversity. The study concludes that a positive institutional religious climate could enhance students’ religious experiences, encourage religious freedom, and create students’ sense of belonging.

Implementation of a Multilingual Booklet to Accommodate First-Year Students with Academic Work

Academic writing is a major challenge within Higher Education. Poor writing skills and low academic literacy increase the chances of dropout among students from disadvantaged backgrounds and communities. A multilingual booklet was developed as a tool for improvement among first-year students. The multilingual booklet aims to allow students to engage their study material in their mother tongue. As an academic literacy lecturer, the researcher will be sharing what has inspired her to suggest such a project. This paper follows an educational approach through personal reflections. Availing and promoting multilingual reading material to students may reduce failure rates. Students may be equipped to understand their academic work when it is presented in their home language. Another advantage of the translated open resource material is that multilingual education provides monolingual students with the opportunity to learn a second language and become bilingual. The booklet can be accessed by other institutions as they are loaded on the university website. The booklet aims to contribute towards the decolonization of tertiary curricula– a notion to which first-generation students have no reference. The booklet is in line with the vision of enabling a smart university, rooted in the spirit of Ubuntu. Recommendation: South African universities should adopt multilingual tools in their curricula to accommodate the students who are not English, or first language speakers to do better in their academic work

Poor cardiorespiratory fitness in first year medical students at a South African University

ABSTRACT The personal health behaviours, including physical activity, of healthcare professionals influence their counselling practices as they relate to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). However, despite the importance of producing healthy, physically active graduates, there are limited data on the physical fitness of future healthcare professionals. This cross-sectional observational study determined the prevalence of below-average fitness in the four components of fitness in first-year university medical students. 152 participants (46 male, 106 female, 20.16 ± 2.69 years) completed cardiorespiratory fitness tests (submaximal step test), flexibility (sit-and-reach test), muscle strength (handgrip), and muscle endurance tests (sit-ups, push-ups). Sex differences were reported using one-way ANOVA or Chi square test and significance was set at p < 0.05. The prevalence (%) of below-average fitness was 69.54% for cardiorespiratory, 25.66% for handgrip strength, 65.79% for sit-ups, 23.03% for push-ups and 7.24% for flexibility. Physical fitness parameters (mean±standard deviation (SD)) were compared between sexes, where it was found that females were more flexible than males (40.61 ± 8.40 cm vs 36.70 ± 9.31 cm, p = 0.012). Males had better handgrip strength (88.96 ± 12.04 kg vs 59.34 ± 10.36 kg, p < 0.001), muscle endurance sit-ups (33.46 ± 9.04 vs 24.48 ± 12.18, p < 0.001) and push-ups (30.28 ± 13.95 vs 24.27 ± 12.35, p = 0.009). First-year medical students have poor physical fitness, notably cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength, which are important markers for NCD risk assessment. Tertiary institutions training healthcare professionals should consider developing interventions to improve students’ physical fitness thereby influencing their health, wellbeing, academic performance and future counselling practices.

On the dialectics of policy and practice: Multilingualism and the virtual linguistic landscape of a South African university

On the dialectics of policy and practice: Multilingualism and the virtual linguistic landscape of a South African university