The problem being investigated in this thesis is to understand and explain why some Setswana speaking students in the ACE-programme for Life Orientation who have voluntarily registered for a decentralised off-campus education programme at the NWU, continue to demand personal, face-to-face communication with their lecturers during the course of their studies. „Off-campus education‟ (also known as „distance education‟ and / or „decentralised education‟) is usually implemented in an attempt to afford more students the opportunity to improve their qualifications and skills – especially in the case of those students who, for a variety of reasons, may not be in a position to enrol for fulltime contact training. Off-campus education could help to serve the divergent education-related needs of poor, less privileged, geographically isolated, difficult-to-reach and deep rural communities. It could also assist with the teaching and learning of new knowledge and skills as far as its integrated use of contemporary technological developments is concerned. Besides UNISA, the North-West University is at present the biggest supplier of off-campus education programmes to practising teachers in the country. Despite the exponential increase in educational and technological developments in the late 20th and early 21st century, information and communication technology – within a broader South African context – is still not within reach of all the NWU‟s off-campus education students. Recent attempts to integrate contact education principles in off-campus education, led to the development of the (well-known) hybrid, namely „flexi-education‟. Over the past seven years or so, this state of affairs has slowly developed to the point where the number of registered, off-campus African education students at the NWU who insist (despite paper-based, electronic and mobile learning support) on demanding personal, face-to-face contact with their lecturers, has increased rapidly. It would furthermore seem that the use of, for example, internet and communication technology is increasing the existing gap between the African education student and his / her lecturer. This growing gap has already resulted in some registered African education students feeling increasingly isolated. The problem with the use of ICT in off-campus education is understood by some as leading to a situation where the ICT being implemented may, one day soon, replace the lecturer during scheduled contact facilitation sessions. Should that happen, it could mean that interactive communication and the social presence of the lecturer during scheduled contact facilitation sessions may be compromised and even permanently forfeited. The available body of scholarship does not adequately address the perceptions of students with regard to the importance of (a) the temporal-spatial, simultaneous presence of their lecturers and (b) social interactions during scheduled contact facilitation sessions. From the available literature, it is also not clear: why some students may want to entertain and maintain such perceptions, what the attitude of students with regard to social interaction and the social presence of their lecturers might be, or what role ICT could be playing in the life-world of off-campus students in South Africa. In an attempt to solve this intellectual conundrum and with a view to effecting naturalistic generalisation (and not statistical generalisation) I have decided, in light of the above, to implement and follow a multi-analytical research design (mixed methods, multi-analysis design) (Onwuegbuzie et al., 2009: passim; 117). Instead of me seeking to generalise my own research findings, I have decided to leave it to my readers to generalise the findings from their own experiences in the past (Onwuegbuzie et al., 2009: 120). This approach represents a kind of „fuzzy generalisation‟ (Ekiz, 2006:73) in the sense that something that has happened in one place could just as well be demonstrated to have happened somewhere else as well (ibid.). I have, therefore, undertaken both a quantitative as well as qualitative study in order to understand why Setswana speaking education students in the ACE-programme in Life Orientation would continue to demand personal, face-to-face contact with their lecturers, despite all the teaching and learning support that they are offered along the way. I have completed my research on the basis of (and in view of) my research aims. The same applies to the data that I have managed to capture and interpret. On the basis of these data, certain strategic guidelines for effective education in off-campus education programmes for practising teachers have then been drafted. My most important research findings include: Off-campus education is purposively delivered to the client, e.g. to the Setswana speaking student in his / her natural surroundings. Off-campus education should strive to care for the student and his / her contextualised needs. An authentic encounter between the off-campus lecturer and student should be allowed to take place. These encountering opportunities could assist in liberating the Setswana speaking student from all moral and ethical obligation of having to meet his / her lecturer and talking to him / her personally. No more moral burdening or social indebtedness should be placed on students to attend the scheduled contact facilitation sessions. The Setswana speaking student should be accompanied to feel and experience that s/he is unconditionally accepted and respected in his / her particular situation and locale. The Setswana speaking student should be able to feel and experience on a particularly deep interpersonal level the security that s/he has the right to belong to a particular off-campus education community (that is not only viewed as a communal society, but also managed as one). The University as service provider ought to create intimate, interactive spaces during scheduled contact facilitation sessions for all off-campus lecturers in order to afford their Setswana speaking students the opportunity to realise their ontic, social yearning for belonghesion. The Setswana speaking student experiences off-campus education as a process of social unity, as well as a social, communal learning community, together with his / her lecturers and fellow students. For this reason, scheduled contact facilitation sessions should be focusing (given the transactional nature of off-campus education) on communal, „perfect-fit education for us‟. Within a communal „perfect-fit‟ education community, the Setswana speaking student should be accompanied to adopt his / her reason for existence in the following manner: “We are, therefore I am.” Given the transactional nature of scheduled contact facilitation sessions (that should be focusing on transactional proximity, openness and sincerity within this communal „perfect-fit education for us‟) the Setswana speaking student does not wish the use of computer and internet technology to replace their ontic and socially cohesive, essential yearning for communal humanity and fellowship. It would seem that Setswana speaking students may not, necessarily, be less than ready for the implementation of ICT in their off-campus education programmes because they cannot afford it, but mainly because they do not yet regard computer and internet technology as part of their cultural furniture. Any attempt at implementing ICT in off-campus education should be considered and managed by universities with great circumspect, so that these students‟ social, ontic, and cohesively essential yearning and ever intensifying, deepening, socially-mutual attaching, fixative and reciprocally trusting attraction could be properly accounted for, and so that it may be managed satisfactorily on a curricular level. Off-campus education should, therefore, be based on the realisation of ontic „We-ness‟ where the members of this community continue to depend on each other and where the supply and delivery of off-campus education is constantly reformed and fine-tuned so that it may reflect an authentic collective learning community. Off-campus education should be focusing on a collectivist, communally searching, epistemological approach where human beings are constantly relating to their fellow human beings, playing different social roles and taking full responsibility for whatever may be needed to realise these students‟ off-campus studies successfully. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

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Delivering education through open and distance learning (ODL) mode imposes upon ODL institutions a responsibility to provide support services deemed adequate to address students’ expectations and learning needs. Student support services are a vital part of academic success in distance learning environments because of the nature of distance education. Therefore, it is critical to provide student support services whose quality levels are acceptable to those who use them. Quality and its measurements are a contentious issue in higher education and distance education. Efforts to help service quality researchers in distance education understand service quality and its evaluation have come from marketing researchers. Among different approaches of service quality assessment is the SERVQUAL model. This study explored and examined the quality of students’ support services in distance learning environments from students’ perspective, using a modified SERVQUAL model. The objectives of the study were to examine students’ expectations and perceptions of the quality of support services; analyse the gaps between expectations and perceptions; develop and validate a service quality model and a scale to evaluate the quality of distance education students’ support services. A sequential mixed methods design was used to collect and analyse the data. Data were collected in two phases. The first phase involved collecting data qualitatively. The qualitative data were used to develop a context specific service quality model and a scale. The model and the scale were validated in the second (quantitative) phase of the study. The results of the study showed that the students’ expectations exceeded the perceived performance levels of the student support services. The largest gaps related to feedback, study material delivery and spaces for quiet learning. The study also found that distance education student support services can be measured by four service quality dimensions, namely: tangibles, reliability, delivery and assurance. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The purpose of this study was to determine and examine the impact of student support services (SSS) on academic success at a historically black college. The study was grounded in the theoretical framework of Astin’s Input-Environment-Outcome Model (IEO), Scholssberg’s theory of marginality, holistic theory , facilitation theory, and the theory of sensory simulation (Dunn, 2002; Anderson et. al., 2011; Dennick, 2014 and Pritchard, 2013) A mixed method approach was used to quantify and explicate triangulated data, which included the N-LSSI survey, archival data, and focus group interviews. The N-LSSI survey used a 7-point Likert Scale, and students from The College completed the instrument. The longitudinal nature of the study meant that the assumption of independent observations required by ANOVA was violated. Therefore, I used MANOVA to analyze SSS and Non-SSS student academic achievement data (i.e., GPA, Accuplacer test scores). This analysis also determined whether significant differences existed between the SSS and Non-SSS student participant groups based on means of the predictors. Qualitative data were organized, evaluated, and interpreted using open, axial and selective coding with MAXQDA, a qualitative data analysis software program. The results of the analyses showed there were no significant differences between the two student groups relative to GPAs. In contrast, Accuplacer math scores, reading scores, and writing scores were significantly different. The retention differences between SSS and Non-SSS students were significant in 2011 and 2012, while graduation data revealed significant differences in 2012. Results from the N-LSSI survey produced no significant difference between SSS and Non-SSS satisfaction with The College, while focus group interviews revealed student satisfaction levels were virtually the same.

This presentation discusses the impact of unwanted sexual contact and survivors in the collegiate setting from the family studies perspective. Specifically, this research examines the association between gender and service utilization on measures of resilience and coping in survivors of unwanted sexual contact at the University of North Alabama. The presenter identifies the disparity found between resiliency and coping when students utilized victim support services (i.e., formal reporting procedures, counseling services and/or a victim support advocate) following an incident of unwanted sexual contact. Because gender was a significant predictor of resilience, coping and service utilization, differences in coping subscale measures are identified. The university’s Campus Climate Survey data is briefly examined along with the implications of findings and recommendations for changes in family studies professionals and family advocate roles on college campuses.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The Student Support and Development Services (SSDS) at Further Education and Training (FET) colleges represent a holistic and systemic approach to addressing barriers to learning and development. College SSDS are based on the acknowledgement that all FET students need support and development and that, when addressing needs of the college student, it is done in a holistic, integrated, intersectional and inclusive manner. The SSDS therefore strive to develop competencies, knowledge, skills and attitudes in a systemic and holistic manner. The aim of the study was to design, implement and evaluate SSDS at the FET colleges in the Western Cape Education ..Department and to establish a Lecturer Support and Development Team (LSDT) at each FET college, which would include the following services: • student counselling services • academic development and learning support • occupational development and career guidance • life skills education and health education, and • college institutional development. Student counselling services at FET colleges aim to render comprehensive student services with a holistic developmental aspect of the student in relation to his/her social, emotional, physical and cognitive dimensions. The staff of the LSDT are the first line of contact for the troubled student. The aim of the study was to design, implement and evaluate SSDS at the FET colleges in the Western Cape Education ..Department and to establish a Lecturer Support and Development Team (LSDT) at each FET college, which would include the following services: • student counselling services • academic development and learning support • occupational development and career guidance • life skills education and health education, and • college institutional development. Academic development is aimed at the students who enter the FET sector with inadequate schooling, education and training. Orientation programmes include bridging the gap between schooling and FET education and training. Bridging programmes and remedial programmes are offered to students to compensate for their academic backlog and to accelerate their education and training up to a level suitable for FET. Within the context of academic development learning support is targeted at students experiencing learning and training barriers. This should occur within the framework of inclusive education and training at FET colleges, which is in acknowledgement of the belief that all students can learn and be trained at FET colleges. The development and support mechanisms at the college aim to offer comprehensive assistance to students who experience barriers to education and training. Occupational development and career guidance are aimed at helping the students to make informed and meaningful subject and course decisions which will enable them to enter a suitable occupation in the world of work. Occupational development is the development of appropriate skills, knowledge and competencies to keep students abreast with the fast and ever changing demands of the world of commerce and industry. The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) development has introduced student learnerships as a 'way of equipping students with the appropriate practical skills for a career. Life skills and health education includes the development of the well-being of students along physical, psychological, social and cognitive dimensions. The HIV/AIDS strategies are the highest priority at the FET colleges. The health promoting education and preventative measures are programmes aimed at minimising risks and giving the student coping strategies. Life skills and health education, which includes sexuality, are infused in the classroom education and training curriculum to ensure that all students are exposed to indispensable information aimed at equipping them for life in the world of work. College institutional development is the ongoing development of the college organisation where the college staff, management and community develop a systemic way of thinking about and managing change. With the clustering and amalgamation of colleges in South Africa, the transformation of the FET colleges necessitates adaptation of the individual and group systems to the development of education and training. The research commenced with a pilot study at eight technical colleges of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). The study followed a quantitative and qualitative research method to collect data from the college, staff and students. Two questionnaires were used to do a needs analysis. The College Institution Evaluation Questionnaire was then administered to 58 colleges in South Africa and the College Student Profile questionnaire to 2175 students. The data from these questionnaires were used to construct the training programme for the student counselling, academic development and learning support, occupational development and career guidance, life skills and health education programmes which were being conducted at 18 colleges of the WCED. A Student Support and Development Evaluation Questionnaire was then used to evaluate the effectiveness and value of the SSDS programmes. During an interview the Lecture Support and Development Interviewing Schedule was used to evaluate and to determine the efficiency of the LSDT at the college.

Skollagen (SFS 2010:800) slår fast att elever som riskerar att inte nå målen ska ges den ledning och stimulans som behövs för att utvecklas i riktning mot målen. Studiens syfte är att beskriva specialpedagogens roll i arbetet med stödinsatser för de elever som riskerar att inte nå målen. Studiens tre teman är Stödinsatser, Specialpedagogens roll och Främjande och förebyggande arbete. En kvalitativ metod har använts med semistrukturerade intervjuer med nio specialpedagoger. För att bearbeta intervjumaterialet har kvalitativ innehållsanalys använts. Analysen har gjorts utifrån systemteori och de specialpedagogiska perspektiven relationellt perspektiv, kategoriskt perspektiv och dilemmaperspektiv. Resultatet visar att specialpedagogens roll i arbetet med stödinsatser är komplex. Dels handlar det om att i samråd med läraren identifiera elever, att välja adekvat anpassning eller stödinsats och att utvärdera dessa. Resultatet visar också att alla specialpedagogernas arbetsuppgifter ryms inom ramen för examensordningen men att de inbördes kan skilja sig åt i det att vissa arbetar mer elevfokuserat medan andra arbetar mer på organisationsnivå (SFS 2017:1111). Det skiljer sig också åt i hur mycket specialpedagogerna är involverade i systematiskt kvalitetsarbete och att utveckla undervisningen på skolan. En slutsats som dras är att specialpedagogerna till stor del använder samma typ av extra anpassningar och stödinsatser, men att det skiljer sig mycket i vilka stödinsatser som förespråkas mest och i hur specialpedagogerna motiverar användandet av dem med utgångspunkt i användbarhet. En annan slutsats är att dokumentation av extra anpassningar är en förutsättning för att kunna utvärdera hur de har fungerat, och att många skolor gör detta trots de motsatta intentionerna i reformen kring extra anpassningar som kom 2014 (Skolinspektionen, 2016; Skolverket, 2014). / The Education Act (SFS 2010:800) states that students who are at risk of not reaching the minimum standards are entitled to support. The aim of this study is to describe the role of the Special Education Coordinator (SENCo) regarding the support given to students who risk not receiving a passing grade in at least one subject. The study has three parts: Support, The role of the SENCo, Promotion and prevention. The study has been conducted using a qualitative method with semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis with nine SENCos. The analysis has been made using system theory and three perspectives: the relational perspective, the categorical perspective and the dilemma perspective. The result shows that the role of the SENCo regarding support is complex. The role includes cooperation with teachers in identifying students, in choosing the correct supplemental support and in evaluating the support given. The result also shows that the roles of the SENCo are included in the System of Qualifications (SFS 2017:1111), but that the SENCOs that were interviewed have different perspectives where some are more inclined to work close to the students whereas others operate on an organizational level. There is also a clear difference between how involved the SENCos are in the systematic quality work and in developing the teaching methods in order to reduce the amount of support provided to individual students. One conclusion is that the SENCos use the same types of supplemental support but that they motivate their use in different ways. Another conclusion is that documentation of supplemental support is necessary to be able to evaluate them and that many schools do this despite the intention in the reform from 2014 (Swedish Schools Inspectorate 2016; Swedish National Agency for Education, 2014).

Many factors are present in the teaching and learning environment that could influence students’ motivation positively or negatively. This study explores and describes the factors influencing motivation of nursing students in order to identify student support strategies to enhance motivation in the teaching and learning environment. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive design was used. The accessible population was all final-year students registered for the certificate leading to enrolment as a nurse (R.2175) and studying at two campuses of a selected private Nursing Education Institution (NEI) in Gauteng province. The sample selection was non-probability, convenient sampling. Data was collected by means of semi-structured focus group interviews. The three main themes that emerged from the collected data were factors related to interpersonal relationships, factors related to the teaching and learning milieu and factors related to self-worth. Recommendations for student support in nursing education, student support in practice and for future research were made. / Verskeie faktore bestaan in die leeromgewing wat motivering van studente positief sowel as negatief beïnvloed. Hierdie studie ondersoek en beskryf die faktore wat die motivering van verpleegstudente beïnvloed om sodoende studentondersteuning-strategieë te identifiseer wat motivering in die leeromgewing sal bevorder. Die navorser het kwalitatiewe navorsing gebruik. Die toeganklike populasie was al die finale jaar studente geregistreer vir die kursus wat lei tot inskrywing as verpleegkundige (R.2175) en aan twee kampusse van ‘n geselekteerde privaatverpleegskool in die Gauteng provinsie studeer. Die nie-waarskynlikheids-, gerieflikheidsteekproeftegniek is gebruik. Semi-gestruktureerde fokusgroeponderhoude is gebruik om data in te samel. Die drie hooftemas wat navore gekom het uit die ingesamelde data was faktore geassosieer met interpersoonlike verhoudings, faktore geassosieer met die leeromgewing en faktore geassosieer met selfwaarde. Aanbevelings vir studentondersteuning in verpleegonderrig, studentondersteuning in praktyk en vir verdere navorsing is gemaak. / Ho na le dintlha tse ngata tse teng tikolohong ya dithuto tse ka bang le kgahlamelo e itseng ho baithuti ka tsela e ntle kapa e bosula. Diphuputso tsena di hlakisa dintlha tse ka bang le kabelo morolong wa baithui ba booki e le hore ho tle ho hlauwe meralo ya tshehetso e tlang ho matlafatsa tikoloho ya dithuto. Ho sebedisitswe mokgwa o nang le boleng, o batsi o hlakileng. Batho bao ho entsweng diphuputso tsena ho bona, e ne e le baithuti ba selemo sa ho qetela ba ingodiseditseng setifikeiti sa ho ya ithutela booki, ba ithutelang dikhemphaseng tse pedi tsa lekala la poraefete la Nursing Education Institution, profensing ya Gauteng. Mokgwa o sebedisitsweng wa ho kgetha, o ne o sa fane ka sephetho se hlakileng, se bobebe. Ho ilwe ha bokelletswa lesedi ka tsela ya dihlopha tse hlonngweng dipotso. Dihlooho (mokotaba) tse tharo tse ka sehlohong tse hlahellang leseding lena le bokelleditsweng, e bile dintlha tse amanang le dikamano tsa batho, dintlha tse amanang le tikoloho ya dithuto le dintlha tse amanang le boitshepo ya motho. Ho entswe dikgothalletso tsa tshehetso ya baithuti thutong ya booki, tshehetso ya baithuti kwetlisong le bakeng sa diphuputso tsa nako e tlang. / Health Studies / M. P. H. (Health Studies)

Submitted in accordance with the requiremerts for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (D. Phil) in the subject Psychology in the FACULTV OF ARTS at the UNIVERSllY OF ZULULAND, 2006. / The study investigates counselling interventions used by staff at the Centre for Guidance and Counselling (CGC) from 1977 to 2006. Both location and situation of the University of Zululand (Unizul) in the rural north coast of KwaZulu-Natal, where poverty and political intolerance once reigned, presents unique challenges to students and staff, particularly the Student Representative Council (SRC) and Management. A number of significant discoveries were made as revealed by research techniques used i.e. narratives, selected qualitative and quantitative research methods and case studies. After the 1976 national riots and communication breakdown between students and management, the University established a department to serve as a communication conduit between the two structures (Bengu, 2005). It is with that background that the Student Services Department (SSD) was conceived at Unizul. In spite of interruptions and difficulties from one period to another, there is evidence of hard work from previous headships. Unforeseen circumstances in each case prevented formal hand over. It is only recently, in 2003 that Unizul began to make provisions for change management strategy. For the purposes of this study a survey on student experiences on campus life was conducted. From randomly selected members of the university community it is concluded that, all is not well with student life at Unizul. Further, attitudes of students and staff in Student Services Department (SSD) were explored as they impact on service delivery (Ludeman, 1998; 1997; Worthen, 1987). The genera! view is that problems of de-motivation and academic indifference, political intolerance and domination, mob spirit and group-think are excessive between and amongst students. Student politics rules student affairs. Executive appointments in sports, societies and clubs are dominated by political placements of individuals that serve interests of political groupings. Over the years, the operations of the SRC, Student Parliament and Senate, All Sports and Student Housing Committees have taken political stands. By accommodating and sometimes nursing political squabbles of students, management and staff are perceived to be aligned to one of two main political rivals in the country. SSD is faced with an ongoing responsibility of diffusing tensions to establish a healthy working relationship amongst students, and also between student governing structures and management. The University is faced with challenges of normalizing conditions to enable effective teaching and learning to take place. A systematic, multi-pronged approach to deal with problems of political intolerance and domination, poverty and academic indifference is recommended. As problems will not vanish on their own, a need for an effective, well-thought management strategy and psychological intervention are strongly recommended.

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