A communication strategy to foster social cohesion in a higher education institution

Abstract

Die doel van die studie is om ʼn kommunikasiestrategie te ontwerp om sosiale kohesie in ʼn hoëronderwysinstelling te bevorder. Bricolage is die lens of teoretiese raamwerk waarvolgens ek na die navorsing gekyk en dit benader het. Die rede is dat hoëronderwysinstellings deur die dekades gemeenskappe van diverse kulturele, godsdienstige en verskeie ander aspekte van menslike bestaan geword het. Die literêre oorsig van die studie sluit die twee hoofdissiplines in – Kommunikasie en Sosiale Kohesie. Aangesien Kommunikasie grootliks met gedragsfaktore handel, dikteer die studie ’n oorsig of verkenning van beide verbale en nie-verbale kommunikasie ondersoeke. Dit word gevolg deur literatuur rakende die drie pilare van Sosiale Kohesie, naamlik Sosiale Kapitaal, Sosiale Insluiting en Sosiale Mobiliteit. Die hoofdoelwitte van die studie sluit uitdagings, oplossings, voorwaardes, bedreigings en die aanduidings van sukses in. Drie lande word bespreek op grond van hul ervarings met betrekking tot sulke doelwitte, naamlik Brittanje, Kenia en Suid-Afrika, deur te fokus op hulle politiese, ekonomiese, sosiale, tegnologiese omgewings en wetlike landskappe. Habermas se Kommunikatiewe (Deelnemende) Aksie is in metodologie gebruik, met fokusgroep-onderhoude en deelnemende waarneming om die data onder gemeenskapslede aan die Universiteit van die Vrystaat in te samel. Die ontleding sluit die SWOT-analise, Kritiese Diskoersanalise en Nie-verbale Kommunikasie-analise in, wat komponente/antwoorde voorsien vir die beoogde kommunikasiestrategie vir sosiale kohesie. Op grond van die teoretiese raamwerk, literatuuroorsig, data wat ingesamel is, ontleding, bevindinge en die bespreking daarvan, is ’n gevolgtrekking bereik wat die aanbevelings in terme van die mees geskikte tipe kommunikasiestrategie verskaf om sodoende sosiale kohesie by die Universiteit van die Vrystaat te bevorder. Die studie beveel ter afsluiting ʼn kommunikasiestrategie aan wat gegrond is op die beginsels van Ubuntu met Deelnemende Ontwikkelingskommunikasie as die bloedlyn wat al die are vir oorlewing infiltreer.

The aim of the study is to design a communication strategy to foster social cohesion in a higher education institution. Bricolage is the theoretical framework/lens through which I view and approach this study. The reason is institutions of higher learning have over the decades become communities of diversities of culture, religion and various other aspects of human life. Literature Reviewed include that of the two main disciplines in the title namely Communication and Social Cohesion. Because Communication deals largely with behavioural factors, the study dictates a review/exploration of both main legs namely Verbal and Nonverbal Communication. That is followed by literature regarding the three pillars of Social Cohesion, namely Social Capital, Social Inclusion and Social Mobility. Main objectives of the study include challenges, solutions, conditions, threats and indicators of success. Three countries are discussed based on their experiences relating to such objectives namely Britain, Kenya and South Africa by focusing on their political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal environments. Habermas’ Communicative (Participatory) Action is used in methodology, with focus group interviews and participant observation to collect data amongst community members of the University of the Free State. Analysis includes a SWOT Analysis, Critical Discourse Analysis and Nonverbal Communication Analysis, which provide components/answers for the intended communication strategy for social cohesion. Based on the theoretical framework, literature reviewed, data collected, analysis, findings and discussion thereof, a conclusion is reached, which informs the recommendations for the type of communication strategy suitable to foster social cohesion in the University of the Free State. The study therefore concludes and recommends a communication strategy based on based on the principles of Ubuntu with Participatory Development Communication as its bloodline that infiltrates all its veins for its survival.

Inhloso yocwaningo ukwakha isu lokuxhumana ukukhuthaza ukubambisana komphakathi esikhungweni semfundo ephakeme. I-bricolage uhlaka lwenjulalwazi/ indlela yokubuka lapho ngibuka ngayo futhi ngenza lolu cwaningo. Isizathu ukuthi izikhungo zemfundo ephakeme esikhathini esingaphezu kwamashumi eminyaka seziphenduke imiphakathi eyahlukehlukene yamasiko, inkolo kanye nezinye izimo zempilo yabantu. Imibhalo ebuyekeziwe okubalwa kuyo imikhakha emibili eqavile esesihlokweni nokungukuXhumana kanye nokuBambisana koMphakathi. Ngenxa yokuthi ukuXhumana kubuka kakhulu izimo ngokuziphatha kwabantu, ucwaningo luqhuba phambili ukubuyekezwa/ukuphenya kwemilenze emibili emikhulu nebizwa ngokuXhumana Ngamazwi nokuNgenazwi. Lokhu kulandelwa imibhalo emayelana nezinsika ezintathu zokuBambisana koMphakathi, nezibizwa isiZinda soMphakathi, ukuHlanganyela ndawonye koMphakathi kanye nokuHambahamba koMphakathi. Izinhlosongqangi zocwaningo zibala izingqinamba, izixazululo, izimo, ubungozi kanye nezinkomba zempumelelo. Amazwe amathathu kuxoxwa ngawo ngesizathu sokusebenza kwayo mayelana nalezi zinhlosongqangi nokuyiBritain, iKenya kanye neNingizimu Afrikha ngokugxila kwezepolitiki, ezomnotho, ezenhlalo yomphakathi, ezobuchwepheshe, ezemvelo kanye nezezimo zezomthetho. I-Habermas’ Communicative (Participatory) Action isetshenzisiwe endleleni yocwaningo, nezingxoxo namaqoqo acwaningwayo kanye nokubukela ube wenza ukuqoqa imininingo kumalunga omphakathi aseNyuvesi yaseFree State. Ukuhlaziya kubalwa uHlaziyo lwe-SWOT, uHlaziyo oluNzulu lweNkulumo kanye noHlaziyo lokuXhumana ngokungenaMazwi, nokunikeza izinhlaka/izimpendulo zesu lokuxhumana okuqondiwe ekubambisaneni komphakathi. Ngenxa yohlaka lwenjulalwazi, imibhalo ebuyekeziwe, imininingo eqoqiwe, ukuhlaziya, imiphumela kanye nezincazelo ezilandelayo, isiphetho kufinyeleliwe kuso, neziveza izincomo ngohlobo lwesu lokuxhumana olufanele ukwakha ukubambisana komphakathi eNyuvesi yaseFree State. Ucwaningo ngaleyo ndlela lube seluphetha futhi lwaphakamisa isu lokuxhumana olwencike ezinkolelweni zoBuntu kanye ne-Participatory Development Communication njengofuzo olungena kuyo yonke imizipha ukuze luphile.

Sepheo sa diphuputso ke ho betla mokgwa wa dipuisano o tla tlisa kutlwano bathong setheong sa thuto e phahameng. Bricoleiji ke moralo kapa leihlo leo ke tadimang le ho atamela diphuputso tsena ka lona. Lebaka ke hore dibaka tsa thuto e phahameng ha nako e ntse e tsamaya, di fetohile dibaka tse nang le setso, bodumedi, le tse ding tsa bophelo tse fapaneng. Sengolwa “Literature Reviewed”, se kenya tse pedi tsa dithuto tse bitswang Dipuisano le Dikamano. Hobane dipuisano di amana haholo le taba tsa boitshwaro, diphuputso tsena di tlama hore ho fuputswe hape maoto a mabedi a sehlohlolo, e leng dikamano tsa ho Buisana le tseo eseng tsa ho Buisana. Seo se latelwa ke dingolwa mabapi le ditshiya tse tharo tsa Dikamano, e leng Kutlwano, Kenyelletso ya bohle le Phahamiso ya batho. Maikemisetso a maholo a diphuputso tsena a kenyelletsa diphuputso, ditharollo, maemo, ditshoso le tse bontshang katleho. Ho buuwa ka dinaha tse tharo ho itshetlehilwe tsebong ya tsona, e leng Britain, Kenya, Afrika Borwa ka ho tadima dintlha tsena tsa bona; dipolotiki, moruo, theknoloji, tikoloho le tsamaiso ya molao. Ho sebedisitswe se bitswang Habermas’ Communicative (Participatory) Action bakeng sa mokgwa wa diphuputso, ho bile ho sebediswa batho ba botswang mmoho le ba shebileng se etswang, le ho bokella deitha. Tlhatlhobo e kenyelletsa mekgwa ena e latelang, SWOT, Critical Discourse, le Nonverbal Communication tse nehelanang dikarabo bakeng sa tsela ya ho buisana le ho amana hore ho be le kutlwano setjhabeng Ho itshetlehilwe mokgweng wa moralo wa teori, dingolwa tse badilweng, deitha e bokelletsweng, tlhahlobo, tse fumanweng le puisano ka tsona, ho fihlelletswe qeto, e hlahisang dikgothalletso bakeng sa mokgwa wa ho buisana le ho amana, o loketseng ho thusa hore ho be le kutlwano setjhabeng sa Yunivesithi ya Freistata. Tlhahlobo ena e tla kenya mefuta ena latelang: SWOT, Critical Discourse, Nonverbal Communication tse tla fana ka dikarabo bakeng sa kutlwano setjhabeng. Ho itshetlehilwe hodima kgopolotaba, dibuka tse badilweng, deitha e bokelletsweng, tse fumanweng le puisano ka tsona, sephetho se fihletswe, se re bolellang hore ke tsela efe e loketseng ho sebediswa mona Yunivesithing ya Freistata. Kahoo diphuputso di fihlella qeto le kgothalletso mabapi le tsela ya ho buisana le dikamano tse itshetlehileng hodima molawana wa Ubuntu mme o sebediswa e le molao o kgothalletsang dikamano ka puo le ho sebetsa mmoho.