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Migrating From Face-To-Face to Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Experiences of Psychology Students at a Private Higher Education Institution in Gauteng
11-21Views:674Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an accelerated migration from face-to-face to online learning. This article aims to explore and describe how psychology students experienced the migration from face-to-face to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. It entailed a qualitative research design with an exploratory and descriptive approach. The participants were 28 purposively sampled psychology students from a Private Higher Education Institution in Gauteng. An online survey method was employed to gather the needed information which was then subjected to a thematic analysis. It emerged that the challenges experienced by students were internet connectivity issues, insufficient computer literacy, reduced class time, anxiety, physical impact, and communication issues. Moreover, some benefits related to flexibility, the convenience of online studies and safety from infection with COVID-19 were identified. It was also noted that having certain attributes such as independence, time management skills, having support and being tech savvy improved the online learning process. Some opportunities for Higher Education Institutions to improve the experiences of students included creativity in module delivery as well as providing guidelines on how to use these online platforms.
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Examining challenges to Parental Involvement in Enhancing Academic Performance Among Grade 7 Learners/Students
Views:50Parental involvement is a critical determining factor of learners' academic success, particularly during transitional educational phases such as Grade 7. This study explores the factors challenging parental engagement in supporting their children's academic performance at this crucial stage in South Africa, Tshwane South District. Although extensive research has been conducted on parental involvement, there is limited studies focusing on the transitional phase of grade 7 within the South African context. Employing a qualitative approach, and purposively selected 11 participants (6 parents, 5 educators). Furthermore, data were collected through interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis. Findings indicate that socioeconomic constraints, limited parental education, communication gaps between schools and families, and parents' time constraints significantly hinder effective involvement. Additionally, cultural perceptions of parental roles in education and students' increasing need for autonomy in adolescence further complicate engagement efforts. The study also identifies systemic barriers, such as inadequate school initiatives to foster parent-teacher collaboration. Recommendations include capacity-building workshops for parents, and the development of inclusive communication strategies by schools. This paper highlights the need for a holistic, community-driven approach to overcoming barriers and fostering sustained parental involvement to enhance student achievement in Grade 7, offering insights that are particularly relevant within South African context.
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Family-School Partnerships in Improving Academic Performance of Grade 10 Learners in a Rural Public School
42-51Views:208Family-school partnerships address academic difficulties and ensure the performance of learners, thus, they are crucial for the improvement of learners. However, these collaborative partnerships can occasionally be hampered by problems including inadequate communication, and limited parental involvement. Research acknowledges the significance of these partnerships, but their successful implementation is hampered by a variety of institutional and socioeconomic barriers, which lessens their impact on learner academic performance. This study examined how essential forming family-school partnerships are for enhancing the academic performance of Grade 10 learners in a rural public school in Limpopo, South Africa. The study aimed to better learner performance and provide support strategies to foster improvement. An interpretivism paradigm was adopted, employing semi-structured individual interviews and document analysis. Purposefully selected participants included four academically underperforming learners, their parents, and two teachers. The study was grounded in Epstein’s model of school, family, and community partnership, advocating for parental collaboration with school personnel through six key guidelines, promoting mutual responsibility among stakeholders. Findings revealed that parents understood the value of family-school partnerships and their roles within these. However, challenges such as other obligations, transportation issues, and time constraints were identified as hindrances preventing them from fully supporting their children’s academic integrity.
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Teacher-Driven Strategies for Enhancing Parental Involvement in Rural Education
Views:72Parental involvement is widely acknowledged as a vital contributor to learners’ academic achievement and overall school success. While much is known about the benefits of parental engagement, particularly in urban and well-resourced settings, the dynamics and challenges in rural schools remain underexplored. This study addresses that gap by investigating how teachers perceive and implement strategies to enhance parental involvement in rural contexts. Specifically, the study aimed to answer the following question: (1) What are teachers’ perceptions and experiences regarding parental involvement in rural schools? and (2) What teacher-driven strategies do they propose to improve collaboration with parents? This qualitative case study draws on Rotter’s Social Learning Theory to explain how behaviour is shaped by observation, reinforcement, and social interaction. The study was conducted at a rural high school in Mandlanzini Agri-village, KwaZulu-Natal, with ten purposively selected teachers as participants. Data were collected through a semi-structured online questionnaire and analysed thematically following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) coding process. The findings reveal a pressing need for structured, teacher-driven strategies that extend beyond standard parent-teacher meetings to include structured and culturally responsive interventions. The study highlights the practical value of teacher agency in facilitating parental involvement and offers context-specific insights that may guide future interventions in similar rural settings.
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The Effectiveness of Indigenous African Values in Building the Resilience of Out-Of-School Suspended Learners
Views:44This study explores the effectiveness of indigenous African values in building the resilience of suspended learners in South African township schools. Schools often impose suspensions in response to a wide range of behaviour challenges established by legislators and officials to address problems related to school interruptions. Nevertheless, despite the established disciplinary procedures, students still exhibit difficult behaviour. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of African Indigenous values in building the resilience of suspended learners. The study comes from larger research that focuses on the experiences of suspended learners in the context of township secondary schools. This research study is qualitative in nature to provide a rich description of the parents' experiences in their natural setting. I used a purposive sample of parents of suspended learners based on the characteristics of the population and the objective of the study. I collected data using face-to-face interviews, field notes, and documents. The collected data was organised, organized, prepared systematically, and classified into themes and categories. The findings showed that given the increasing number of suspended learners in township schools, parents and the school community recognised the need to understand the risk factors that contribute to behaviour problems as a stepping stone to building the resilience of adolescents.
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Family-School Partnership in Supporting Level 4 Students at a Community Education and Training College
52-59Views:217Family-school partnership is essential for achieving quality school and academic performance to level 4 students at a Community Education and Training (CET) College. The partnership comprises the ability of families and schools to provide holistic support and guidance to students as they progress toward independence and becoming responsible community members themselves. However, this is not prevalent in the majority of CET centres, particularly those in low-income communities (Madzinga, 2021). This study explored the role of different stakeholders within the CET Colleges in enhancing family-school partnership and supporting level 4 students. The current study intends to assist schools/centres with strategies that could be used by the centres to involve families and communities to enhance the academic performance of students in the CET College. This study was underpinned by the interpretivism paradigm. Data was gathered using semi-structured individual interviews. Epstein's model of school, family, and community interaction served as the foundation for the study. The idea was deemed appropriate for this study because it promotes parental and family involvement through mutual collaboration among many stakeholders. The findings of this study show that families want to be involved in their children's education, but they don't have the time owing to various commitments.