Masters Degrees (School of Educational Psychology)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (School of Educational Psychology) by Title

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    Effects of COVID-19 on learners’ wellbeing in a rural high school district
    (University of the Free State, 2022) Mofokeng, Sentle Patricia; Mukuna, Kananga R.
    In December 2019, COVID-19 appeared in Wuhan, China. As it quickly spread across various regions, its devastating effects had global political and socioeconomic repercussions. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on learner wellbeing in a rural high school. It sought to establish the effects of COVID-19, challenges encountered and strategies that the learners think could be helpful in the context of COVID-19. The well-being of learners has been linked to various aspects of their lives, such as their satisfaction, mental health and academic performance. Drawing from John Rawls’ (1971) Classical Liberalism of Equal Opportunities, every learner possesses certain abilities and can learn and better their lives if everyone could be afforded the same equal opportunities. Using the qualitative approach and phenomenology research design, the study was conducted within the confines of the interpretive paradigm. Data were generated using in-depth interviews, and the WhatsApp social media platform was used to conduct interviews to safeguard the participants from the virus. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Six learners and two teachers from one high school in the rural area of Kestell in the Thabo Mofutsanyane District of the Free State province constituted the study sample. The findings revealed that the learners encountered many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects include poor academic performance, loss of loved ones, learners developing mental health issues, and the new normal. The challenges revealed are food scarcity, lack of resources as the COVID-19 pandemic mandated a new mode of teaching and learning and lockdown (confinement). The participants suggested strategies that include providing resources such as laptops, smartphones, and data and equipping learners with skills to learn using online platforms. Recommendations based on the findings were made to train teachers and learners to gain the digital skills and knowledge needed for successful teaching and learning on online platforms in cases such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
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    Enhancing teachers’ self-efficacy for supporting visually-impaired learners in Lesotho schools through school support networks
    (University of the Free State, 2020) Mosola, Lintle Lydia; Khanare, F. P.
    The inclusion of visually-impaired learners in mainstream schools continues to be debated among many researchers as it places many challenges on the current functioning of the schools. These include the lack of teacher-training, high student-teacher ratio and a tertiary education curriculum which fails to equip teachers with basic skills for utilising assistive devices in teaching these learners. Despite efforts that the Government of Lesotho instituted according to many national and international policies in ensuring inclusion of people with disabilities, only a few schools accommodate visually-impaired learners. This is exacerbated by the fact that teachers remain academically and psychologically underprepared to accommodate these learners in their classrooms. Since teachers are positioned as the key implementers of inclusive education, it is therefore assumed that teachers’ self-efficacy is an important ingredient in embracing inclusive education. Considering this situation, the study drew from both a self-efficacy theory and an asset-based perspective to understand teachers' self-efficacy and how school-support networks could be used to enhance teachers' teaching-learning skills and knowledge regarding visually-impaired learners. This study was informed by a critical paradigm and situated within qualitative research. The visual participatory methodology was used to generate data using a purposive sampling technique to select participants with experience of interacting with learners with visual impairments in Lesotho (n = 21: 7 teachers of the visually impaired learners; 7 learners with visual impairment; 7 parents of learners with visual impairment). Participatory methods such as lesokoana were used as well as focus group discussions, where each group was asked to discuss the need and availability of school-support networks to improve the quality of educating learners with visual impairments. Also, teachers compiled a collage indicating the challenges and enabling factors concerning their self-efficacy. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that there are school networks that support teachers in dealing with visually-impaired learners, even though their engagement is perceived to be on an informal basis. The study recommends that schools should develop an asset-based map and establish school-support network committees that will engage in effective ways to support teachers.