KovsieJournals - University of the Free State (UFS)
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Factors contributing to doctoral student attrition in higher education institutions in Namibia
Full text linkPostgraduate student attrition remains a pressing global issue extensively investigated in academic research. Guided by Tinto’s student integration theory, this study explores factors driving high dropout rates among doctoral candidates at two Namibian universities. The investigation utilised purposive and snowball sampling methods to recruit participants. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews involving 23 doctoral candidates enrolled between 2013 and 2019. Thematic analysis identified research supervision challenges such as inadequate support, delayed feedback, strained supervisory dynamics, and supervisors’ excessive workloads as critical barriers to degree completion. Compounding factors like competing personal, professional and familial obligations and financial constraints were found to impede academic progress substantially. Participants further identified perceived disengagement from policymakers, researchers and potential collaborators as exacerbating attrition risks. The study recommends targeted retention initiatives to mitigate dropout rates and foster degree persistence in response to these findings. The study warns that Namibia’s doctoral education system, evidenced by unsustainable attrition patterns, risks undermining national development goals outlined in its 2030 agenda unless coordinated institutional and governmental interventions are prioritised
Empowering student-led initiatives: integrating social action into higher education curriculum in West Java
Full text linkThis article presents a comprehensive examination of a pioneering social action endeavor led by first-year bachelor and vocational students in Sumedang, West Java. Integrating principles of science literacy, environmental stewardship, and community health promotion, the initiative comprised three distinct components: science literacy engagement for pupils, waste cleaning activities, and a healthy food campaign at elementary school canteens. Drawing upon participatory methodologies, the article reported the planning, implementation, and outcomes of these interconnected initiatives, shedding light on the transformative potential of student-led initiatives in addressing pressing societal challenges. The article highlights the multifaceted impact of these interventions on both the participating students and the broader community. The findings underscore the importance of fostering civic engagement and social responsibility within educational curricula, emphasizing the role of students as catalysts for positive change in their communities
Instilling values through literature: Analysing Everyman, a medieval morality play
Full text linkWar, poverty, hunger, misery, prejudice, loneliness, and intolerance have been the problems of the world throughout history and the sufferings due to these problems have always been deep. In an ever- changing world, characterised by rapid technological advancements, shifting cultural landscapes, and complex global challenges, values education holds paramount importance. This article aims to integrate moral instruction into higher education literature courses, by examining the use of the medieval morality play Everyman as a pedagogical tool. With a growing emphasis on values education and character development, educators are seeking innovative approaches to instil moral principles in learners. The allegorical representation of virtues and vices, the protagonist’s existential journey, and the play’s cultural and historical context contribute to its significance as a catalyst for values education. By delving into the complex moral choices faced by the central character, learners are prompted to contemplate the implications of their own decisions and values
Christians’ social perception of climate change and poverty: A study of the Nkroanza south district assembly
Full text linkClimate change and its associated risks continue to dominate global discourse, considering the negative effect on human existence. Despite a plethora of scientific publications on climate change with its associated risks globally and locally, there is limited empirical evidence from the Ghanaian Christian context. Consequently, hardly any research has been done to examine the social perception of Christians on climate change. A quantitative study was conducted using self-prepared questionnaires to examine the knowledge and social perception of Christians on climate change in the Nkroanza South Municipal. It was established that respondents understand climate change from the context of their indigenous knowledge systems. The study chi-square test (25.167, df) = 10, p = 0.005, indicated a statistically significant association between the duration of residence in the community and climate change awareness. The study further found a divergence in the general perception of climate change among the Christian community
Indigenous research methods and African women’s theology: A theo-analytical engagement
Full text linkThis article seeks to address the following question: To what extent can we draw a parallel between the methodology of African women’s theology and that of African indigenous research? It sets out on the premise that indigenous methodologies strive towards research authenticity, from an insider perspective, as opposed to an outsider’s overview. Understanding the concept of relationality in the indigenous methods is critically important as we comparatively engage African women’s theology. Does the latter embrace an all-inclusive approach that encompasses axiology (aesthetics and ethics), epistemology (knowledge and truth), political philosophy (the state and government), logic (argumentation and reason), and metaphysics (reality and being), as in the former? In vouching for a cosmological interconnectedness, women theologians have approached their discourses from a broad spectrum that seeks to preserve and nurture a two-winged society of men and women. In using a theo-analytical engagement, this article reviews relevant literature, in order to understand its concern
Interview with Prof. Malan Nel
Full text linkDr. Martin Laubscher interviews Prof. Malan Nel on his years in theological scholarship
At risk: Age, gender, and socio-economic status in bullying victimisation among South African primary school students
Full text linkWhile there is public and political consensus on the need to safeguard the physical and psychological welfare of students while at school, little is known about which South African students are at risk of exposure to bullying, or the nature and extent of bullying in primary schools. Such data is crucial in informing the development of appropriate school safety programmes. This paper uses self-reported nationally representative data from 11 891 Grade 5 students who participated in the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), to first examine the extent and nature of bullying in South African primary schools nationally and by school socioeconomic status, and then to look at the risk factors associated with being a victim of bullying. The results point to significant age and gender differences, where boys and older students are more likely to be victims of bullying. The paper concludes that policymakers, teachers, and principals must take these factors into consideration when designing interventions to support safe learning environments for students in South African primary schools
Debunking the myth: Can the university develop resilience in graduates?
Full text linkThere has been an intense focus on the ‘21st century skills’ and on universities developing graduate attributes through teaching, learning and innovative curricula. One example is resilience, frequently cited as desirable, especially during and post the COVID-19 pandemic. Resilience gained momentum across a number of fields, such as development studies, ecology and education, examining the ability of people, institutions, environments, and societies to ‘bounce back’ from crisis or adversity. Despite its popularity, however, resilience has no shared meaning, with scholars emphasising the looseness, potential vacuousness, and lack of ideological clarity of the concept (van Breda, 2018; Brewer et al., 2019; Zembylas, 2021). This paper examines resilience with specific reference to higher education and interrogates its deployment as a graduate attribute with respect to individual students and higher education curricula. It will be argued that tensions inherent in the South African system are brought to the fore, particularly in the context of current debates on the relevance of resilience for the complexity and change anticipated in the 21st century. The resulting ambiguity burdens universities, which requires courageousness in the quest for accessibility and self-awareness of precarity as an operational feature (Barnett, 2000: 409). It is argued that universities are trapped by supercomplexity on the one hand, with its “multiplicity of frameworks” and competing demands (Barnett, 2000: 415) and, on the other hand, access to resources and state regulatory and policy requirements. Furthermore, apartheid-defined realities continue to define the present, rendering the future more complex. The rhetoric in South African higher education policy imbues universities with an apparent superpower: to produce graduates with a (continuously shifting and increasing) set of attributes. The development of attributes is a complex process and is dependent and contingent on multiple variables. Among these are the contexts and histories of individual students, which define whether and to what extent graduate attributes are achieved, and a set of outcomes that can neither be determined nor guaranteed. Through the lens of resilience, the paper interrogates whether the development of graduate attributes can be solely the university\u27s task and whether this expectation is justified both in the absence of consideration of students’ agency and in the complex worlds outside the university
A pilot study in the Waterberg district to develop a ward-level social progress index to improve measuring human development in South Africa
Full text linkFor town planners, prioritising human development, including education, health, income, and equity, is key for cultivating sustainable, thriving communities. In South Africa, persistent unemployment, poverty, and state dependency hinder development progress, making it vital to track human development levels to guide planning, investments, and targeted interventions across various levels of governance. A comprehensive index – the Social Progress Index (SPI) – has been developed that measures the well-being of a society, by observing social and environmental outcomes directly rather than the economic factors. In South Africa, the SPI is applied on provincial level, but this data set does not sufficiently capture the information required to assess quality of life at the sub-municipal, ward level. This article reports on a pilot study conducted in the Waterberg district to assess the feasibility of developing a sub-municipal SPI in South Africa. The methodology is informed by the national SPI framework, which guided the index design and selection of outcome-based indicators/measures. Due to initial concerns about data availability, a case study approach is adopted to limit the scope and focus the data-collection process. Identifying suitable indicators and associated data items is a critical step, with data profiled for relevance, availability, and spatial disaggregation. Quantitative processing and analysis, including the use of ESRI’s ArcGIS Pro software, play a central role in assembling and evaluating the indicators. Statistical analyses are used to calculate an overall SPI score which examines interrelationships and correlations among indicators to enable their integration into the index framework. The study demonstrates that constructing a sub-municipal SPI is feasible, with the resultant index offering value through both its composite score and the detailed insights provided by its individual indicators. When spatially applied, the index can help planners identify underperforming areas requiring targeted intervention and, when periodically updated, offers potential as a monitoring and evaluation tool for sub-municipal development outcomes
Spatial planning constraints in historically marginalised areas: An integrative review
Full text linkHistorically marginalised areas such as South African homelands experienced systemic disadvantages over time due to various factors. Several studies relating to spatial planning constraints in historically marginalised areas have been conducted worldwide. However, to date, no integrative review has been conducted to synthesise the evidence of spatial planning constraints that hinder proper planning in historically marginalised areas to achieve sustainable development. Following a systematic approach to gather and evaluate relevant literature and adhering to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), to ensure a transparent report on the purpose, methodology, and findings, this study identifies spatial planning constraints that hamper the planning of historically marginalised areas. Data was collected from different databases with only English language articles published between 2010 and 2023 being selected for the study. After sequentially narrowing the search and removing duplicates, 60 relevant papers remained, out of which 34 fulfilled the stated criteria of constituting spatial planning constraints in historically marginalised areas. Thematic analysis of the findings revealed a range of political, economic, social, governance, and public administration factors that constrain spatial planning of historically marginalised areas. These include poor policy implementation, inadequate infrastructure, resource mismanagement and inadequacy, land-tenure complexities, informality, rapid urban growth, inadequate government investment, poor energy facilities, evolving development, slow uptake, and locational factors. The study is relevant particularly to policymakers in devising strategies towards crafting targeted spatial planning implementation frameworks for historically marginalised areas