Research Articles (Educational Psychology)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10566/19633

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Invisible struggles: the reality of food insecurity among students at the University of the Western Cape
(Frontiers Media SA, 2026) Archer, Elizabeth
Food insecurity is a student-success, equity and well-being concern in South African higher education. At historically disadvantaged institutions, the issue is shaped by national patterns of inequality, the transition from school-based nutrition support to more fragmented post-school support, and the limits of using income or funding status alone as a proxy for basic needs. This study examines the prevalence and severity of food insecurity among students at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and explores demographic and socio-economic patterns associated with vulnerability. An anonymous online census survey was administered to registered UWC students between March and September 2023. The survey combined demographic questions with the eight-item Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). Responses were analysed descriptively and through Rasch-based FIES procedures to examine prevalence, item severity, residual correlations and comparability with the global reference scale. Among 655 valid FIES cases, 66% of respondents were classified as experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity; 49% were classified as severely food insecure. The item hierarchy indicated a progression from anxiety about food access and limited dietary variety to skipped meals, hunger and going a whole day without eating. Descriptive subgroup patterns showed higher mean food insecurity scores among students with no formal income and those relying on government grants, and higher mean scores among African and Coloured students than among Indian and White students. Here, ‘Coloured’ is capitalised and used in its specific South African context to denote a recognised population group and social identity, not in the derogatory sense the word may carry elsewhere. Food insecurity at UWC is not a marginal welfare issue but a basic-needs constraint on learning and participation. Institutional responses should therefore connect food relief, financial aid advising, psychosocial support, data-informed referral systems, and sustainable campus food initiatives, while recognising the structural limits of what a single university can resolve on its own.
Inmates' experiences of rehabilitation and self-perception: a sense of coherence exploration from Leeuwkop correctional centre
(John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2026) Ndimande, Bonginkosi; Archer, Elizabeth
Background: Rehabilitation is a central objective of correctional services in South Africa, intended to support behavioural change, reduce recidivism and contribute to successful reintegration. Despite this mandate, concerns regarding persistent recidivism and prison overcrowding remain. Less is known about how incarcerated individuals themselves experience rehabilitation and make sense of it. Aim: To explore how incarcerated individuals describe and make sense of their experiences of rehabilitation within a South African correctional setting. Methods: Forty repeat-offending men serving custodial sentences at Leeuwkop Correctional Centre, South Africa, and having taken part in some rehabilitation programmes there, agreed to participate in semi-structured interviews about their experiences of the rehabilitation work. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Findings were partially validated through interviews with eight professional staff members who had been delivering aspects of the rehabilitation work. Themes were subsequently interpreted using the Sense of Coherence framework. Results: Prisoner participants described shifts in self-perception, including increased self-awareness, a greater sense of personal responsibility and more future-oriented perspectives. These experiences broadly fit with the Sense of Coherence components of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness. Such shifts were not, however, uniform and were often described as tentative and shaped by contextual constraints. Conclusion: Rehabilitation was experienced not only as a behavioural intervention but also as a process of meaning-making and identity reconstruction. By applying the Sense of Coherence framework as a postanalytic interpretive lens, this study offers a novel way of understanding how incarcerated individuals experience rehabilitation and perhaps internalise key aspects of it. Further longitudinal research is needed to examine the sustainability of these perceived changes over time.
Sexual consent: an examination of differences in a South African sample
(Springer, 2026) Koch, Ronél; Whitney, Stephen; Renner, Lynette
The process of sexual consent is nuanced and deeply influenced by the culture in which it occurs. This comparative case, qualitative study explores the conceptualization of sexual consent in culturally diverse South Africa, aiming to understand university students’ experiences with sexual consent. The interviews consisted of three parts. First, participants read three vignettes and provided their interpretation of whether sexual consent was given. In the second part, participants described a personal recent sexual encounter and elaborated about the communication, interpretation, and conceptualization of sexual consent during the encounter by responding to a semi-structured interview protocol. The third part of the interview consisted of asking participants for their personal definition of sexual consent and rape. The main themes that emerged from the data included strong traditional gender stereotypes, the importance of obtaining consent before an encounter, and a nuanced, complex understanding of sexual consent in cross-cultural communication. Limitation and future directions are discussed.
COVID-19 revealed South Africa's need to circularise its economy
(AOSIS Publishing, 2025) Babane Vusiwana C
When the first coronavirus disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) case was diagnosed in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, no one would have predicted its rapid global transmission pace. As physicians, epidemiologists and policy makers were frantically investigating the pathogen’s natural reservoir, it rampantly spread to all continents. Beginning with a few cases identified in Wuhan (Li, Liu & Ge 2020), by mid-June 2023, ‘there were 767,984,989 confirmed cases of COVID-19’ globally (World Health Organization [WHO] 2023, p. 1). This exponential increase in global infections from 2019 to 2020 as well as morbidity and mortality rates impelled the WHO to declare COVID-19 a global health emergency of international concern in early 2020 (Sohrabi et al. 2020). By the time, this WHO declaration was lifted in May 2023, COVID-19 had claimed the lives of 6,943,390 people worldwide (WHO 2023) of which 256,542 were Africans (Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention 2023). These high mortality statistics at a global level were because of the initial lack of safe, effective vaccines and later, their delayed roll out post-development because of regulatory and policy approval bottlenecks. There are, however, continental and country-level variations that explain delayed vaccine roll out and, in some cases, outright limited access. A case in point is South Africa, which I use as a reference point in this chapter to argue that thousands of lives and livelihoods were lost because of a complex combination of factors that include profiteering by big pharmaceutical
Envisaged learning environments for learners with visual impairments in Lesotho rural schools using asset-based approaches
(Literasi Indonesia, 2024) Khanare Fumane; Ramatea Mamochana
Previous literature has highlighted the persistent global challenge of providing quality education in conducive settings for learners with visual impairments (LVIs), particularly in rural schools. This study aims to explore viable resources that can be leveraged to create an enabling learning environment for LVIs within rural primary school contexts. Employing a qualitative research approach, the study engaged 12 teachers from rural mainstream primary schools in Lesotho. Data were gathered through focus group discussions with a purposively selected sample of teachers and analyzed thematically. The findings underscored the perception among participants that rural schools possess a range of assets, both visible and concealed, that effectively cater to the special educational needs of LVIs. However, a notable limitation surfaced regarding the teachers' knowledge about utilizing these existing resources optimally. Consequently, this highlighted a crucial need for enhanced collaboration, involvement of relevant stakeholders, and augmentation of academic resources. The effective utilization of these assets emerges as a pivotal factor requiring improved management to cultivate a more conducive learning environment for LVIs in the future.
Despite good intentions: the elusiveness of social justice in health and physical education curricula across different contexts
(SAGE Publications Ltd, 2024) Gerdin, Göran; Kitching, Ansie; Lundin, Katarina
This paper draws on critical discourse analysis to examine how health and physical education (HPE) curricula from Sweden, Norway, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand may influence possibilities for the enactment of social justice in schools. The findings highlight the presence of social justice intentions across the five curricula as related to embodied movement experiences, social cohesion, and activism. That said, the findings simultaneously suggest that the language used to orient teaching towards social justice objectives is often elusive. In this paper, we contend that despite the presence of social justice intentions in these five HPE curricula, the articulation and function of the language within the curriculum documents do not necessarily support the enactment of this in practice. To conclude, we therefore suggest that more work is needed to ensure that curricula and other supporting artefacts and resources can better support both teachers’ practice and students’ learning in raising awareness of, and addressing, social justice outcomes in HPE.
Feasibility of introducing digital music skills into South African primary school curriculum
(OpenJournals Publishing AOSIS (Pty) Ltd, 2024) Yende, Sakhiseni Joseph
BACKGROUND: As the global landscape of education evolves with digital advancements, the feasibility of integrating digital music skills into primary school curricula has become a subject of exploration, South Africa is no exception AIM: This study aims to conduct a content analysis of the existing scholarly writings to assess the feasibility of infusing digital music skills into the curriculum of South African primary schools SETTING: The research is conducted using content analysis, the inclusion of different South African public-school contexts allows for a comprehensive examination of the feasibility of digital music skills integration across varied environments METHODS: The study uses a rigorous qualitative content analysis methodology, drawing on historical documents, archival materials and scholarly discourse RESULTS: The study reveals nuanced insights into the cultural emphasis on music, historical disparities influencing resource distribution, the role of positive social interactions, challenges in curriculum alignment and the imperative for teacher professional development in the context of digital music skills integration CONCLUSION: Findings underscore the importance of a balanced and culturally sensitive approach to curriculum development, highlighting the need for tailored strategies that address historical inequalities and promote collaborative efforts CONTRIBUTION: This article enhances music education by integrating digital technologies, offering virtual practice spaces, collaborative platforms and interactive opportunities. The incorporation of real-time feedback, specialised courses and immersive experiences through virtual and augmented reality not only boosts skill development but also readies students for contemporary music careers
Primary school learners with characteristics of dyslexia: auto-ethnographic approach to the effectiveness of the screening, identification, assessment, and support policy in South Africa
(Frontiers in Education, 2024) Kgatse, Karabo Moses; Khanare, Fumane; Adewuyi, Habeeb Omoponle
The implementation of the Screening Identification Assessment and Support (SIAS) policy has been ongoing for almost a decade to provide care and support to all learners, including those with neurodevelopmental challenges such as dyslexia. Despite these efforts, many primary school learners continue to experience barriers to learning associated with dyslexia. This phenomenon is of great concern in rural communities where dyslexia is generally ignored and misunderstood. On the other hand, there is a lack of research investigating the effectiveness of the SIAS policy in supporting learners with dyslexia. Existing studies often focus on dyslexia and the SIAS policy in isolation. The ‘qualitative research’ approach was adopted. Autoethnography was employed as the study’s design, positioned within the interpretivism paradigm to investigate the effectiveness of the SIAS policy in supporting learners with dyslexia characteristics in Tlokweng village. The sample consists of (5) participants and Critical reflection and auto-interviewing methods were used to generate data, which was thematically analysed. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory was used to understand the interaction between learners, their environment, and the SIAS policy.

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