International Journal of Studies in Psychology

IJSPSY ABSTRACTS 3.2

. . — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0200

The International Journal of Studies in Psychology is a peer-reviewed, international (diversity) multidisciplinary research journal in psychological studies. The IJSPSY is peer-reviewed, online, and open-access (OA) three times a year. It is supported by an editorial board team comprising experts in all psychology disciplines from various countries. It is an international refereed e-journal and aims to propagate innovative research and eminence in knowledge. It has become a prominent contributor to research communities and societies. It is further making the bridge between research and development. The IJSPSY is a psychology publication in the Global Association of Educational and Research in Psychology. It relies on vast theoretical, practical, and thematically scholarly psychology, including unpublished research in human behavior issues. These include indigenous psychology, mental well-being, Community developmental psychology, educational psychology, psycholinguistics, and inclusive education.

History and implications of Indian education in South Africa in the era before 1994 and after: An educational psychology approach

Patience Ndlovu — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0200

This paper discusses the history of Indian education in South Africa before 1994 and beyond, focusing on the origin, intended purpose, challenges encountered, and its transformation post-1994. It unpacks the administrative objectives of the Apartheid Government education system for the Indian Community and its psychological and social implications on gender, religion, culture, politics, and economics. This analysis will give readers an in-depth understanding of Indian education and its implications. It also explores the role of language, culture, and religion in development and education matters. For example, English, Afrikaans, and other languages were imposed on Indian communities as a medium of instruction in missionary schools. Finally, this paper deliberates on the implications of this education system for the quality of educational output for learners at that time (before 1994) and even today.

Exploring the resilience of heartbroken divorced individuals at a university in London

Christina Lambros, Candan Ertubey — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0200

This study explored how resilience was achieved and experienced among individuals who experienced heartbreak from divorce. If individuals experience resilience, the study will further explore how resilience was achieved. A sample of (n = 10) participants aged between 42 and 61 years underwent hour-long online interviews. Participants answered a series of open-ended questions, explaining their experiences of divorce and heartbreak. Through a qualitative thematic analysis, three main themes were identified: mental health, support of others, and positive and negative activities. There were noticeably high levels of common responses from shared experiences of the divorce process and how resilience was achieved. Results of the study found that while heartbreak and poor mental health conditions arise from divorce, overcoming them resiliently was achievable through positive activities and social support.

Effects of COVID-19 on Learners’ Wellbeing in a Rural High School District

Patricia Sentle Mofokeng — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0200

In December 2019, COVID-19 quickly spread across various regions, and its effects devastated the educational system globally and locally. The wellbeing of learners has been linked to various aspects of their lives, such as their mental health and academic performance. Therefore, this study investigates the effects of COVID-19 on learners’ wellbeing in a rural high school. It adopted a qualitative approach and phenomenology research design within the interpretive paradigm. Data were generated from telephone in-depth interviews using the WhatsApp social media platform as participants were isolated due to the lockdown regulations that had been imposed as a result of the pandemic. Six learners and two teachers were purposively selected from a rural high school in the Thabo Mofutsanyane District of the Free State province. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that poor academic performance, loss of loved ones, learners developing mental health issues, and the “new normal” could be the effects of COVID-19, which could affect the learners’ wellbeing. This study recommended that teachers and learners should be trained to gain the digital skills and knowledge needed for successful teaching and learning on online platforms in cases such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nature of the progressed Grade 12 learners’ self-esteem at schools in the Motheo education district

Khobe Mamello — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0200

The practice of progression or social promotion at schools is a concern in the South African education system and worldwide. The practice has raised many theoretical and practical concerns regarding its impact on the progressed learners’ self-esteem. This study sought to determine the progress of grade 12 learners’ self-esteem at high schools. It was embedded within a postpositivism paradigm as reinforced by a quantitative research methodology, and a face-to-face survey research design was adopted. Fifty (N=50) respondents (females = 29, males = 21) were conveniently and purposefully selected from five high schools in the Motheo Education District. Data were collected through questionnaires. The findings demonstrated that progression negatively impacted the progressed grade 12 learners’ self-esteem and needed to be mitigated at schools. This study recommended that the South African Department of Basic Education should capacitate schools to become centres of care and support for teaching and learning.

Factors influencing teachers’ self-efficacy at a rural school during the COVID-19 era

Kwanele Masondo — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0200

This study explored factors influencing teachers’ self-efficacy and how teachers’ self-efficacy could be improved in the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study employed a qualitative approach to show how the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic affected classrooms in a rural school in South Africa. People had to adapt to a new way of life to prevent the spread of the disease. COVID-19 created enormous challenges and changes in educational systems. Over and above the changes, the rural schools suffer from issues inherited from the disadvantages of apartheid marginalisation. Teachers face many challenges, increasing their stress levels and forcing them into early retirement. Some teachers remain positive, committed, and inspired despite the challenges. These positive and enabling factors influence these teachers to work harder and believe they can overcome obstacles. Finally, this study will aid in exploring the enabling factors and the depth of their influence.

Exploring factors influencing teachers’ self-efficacy at rural schools during the Covid-19 pandemic

Nomthandazo Tshabalala — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0200

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected our normal life. People had to adapt to new living styles to prevent the spread of disease. COVID-19 created enormous challenges and changes in educational systems. Teachers at work faced many challenges, increasing their stress levels and forcing them into early retirement. Some teachers remained positive, committed, and inspired by the challenges. These factors influenced teachers to work hard and believe they could overcome obstacles. This study explored factors influencing teachers’ self-efficacy at rural schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. It employed a qualitative approach and interpretive paradigm. It used the phenomenological research design. This study found various factors influenced teachers’ self-efficacy during the COVID-19 pandemic such as technology, electricity, and overcrowded classrooms. It concludes that teachers remain positive, committed, and inspired by the challenges.

Induction programme supporting beginner teachers’ self-efficacy at schools in the Thabo Mofutsanyane district: Teaching approach

Amanda Ndabankulu — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0200

Beginner teachers experience various challenges, including a lack of support from their colleagues or mentorship, which could lead to frustration and even resignation. The study explored how an induction programme supports beginner teachers' self-efficacy in the Thabo Mofutsanyane district schools. It used a qualitative research approach and generated data through semi-structured interviews. The telephonic interviews were conducted in two phases. The first was in January 2021, and the second was in August 2021. Fourteen beginner teachers were randomly selected from schools in the Thabo-Mofutsanyane district. Data were analysed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed that self-efficacy was vital in developing beginner teachers as professionals through induction programmes. This showed that there was a connection between self-efficacy and an induction programme. Therefore, this study provides conclusive evidence that beginner teacher induction programmes positively impact their preparation in acquiring professional skills and overall contribution to learner development.

Gown versus town relationship in hearing health: Implication for international best practices in hearing health practices in Africa

Olufemi Adigun, Barnabas Bem Vangerwua — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0200

Africans are well-represented among the global population of persons with hearing impairment. Various initiatives have previously been implemented to curb the rise in the population of persons with hearing impairment. However, practice among hearing healthcare professionals according to international best standards in Africa remains a mirage. Adopting the literature review approach, this study established, among other factors, that the percentage of hearing healthcare professionals is lower than that of patients needing hearing care services. Hence, emphasis on practicing according to international best practices may be impossible. Therefore, this study advanced some recommendations that would foster hearing healthcare practice in Africa that is in tune with internationally acceptable standards of operation.

Psychological challenges facing grade 7 learners in mathematics classes at schools in the Frances Baard district, Northern Cape

Fatima Ajimudin, Kananga Robert Mukuna — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0200

Mathematics is a science that involves studying quality, structure, space, and change. This science seeks to pattern, formulate new conjectures, and empirically deduce truth from appropriately chosen axioms and definitions. This study identifies the psychological challenges that grade 7 learners encounter in Mathematics classes. It adopts a qualitative approach through a case study research design. It involved six focus group discussions. The thematic analysis was used to analyse data in this study. This study revealed that grade 7 learners encountered various challenges. The psychological factors included anxiety, stress, insufficient assessment timing, negative feelings associated with mathematics, peer disruptions, frustrations, negative learner-teacher relationships, and an unpleasant atmosphere. The academic factors dealt with learners disrespecting teachers, misunderstanding mathematics, class seating arrangement, and insufficient lesson hours. The socio-economic factors included home issues and geographical locations. This study recommends that the teaching style and methods of teaching be upgraded. It further recommends introducing more practical work to encourage learner engagement. Learners should be taught to solve problems and think deeper about concepts instead of rote learning and lecture-style teaching. As the issue of 21st-century learning has taken over the learning scope, learners should be encouraged to think critically about issues and use the content to solve real-life problems. Learners' anxiety could be managed by seeking the help of social services available to schools, even though they are in demand in many schools across South Africa.

Psychological influence of internet on self-medication among undergraduate students at a university in Oyo state, Nigeria

Augusta Nkem — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0200

This study examines the psychological influence of the internet on self-medication among Undergraduate Students at a University in Oyo State, Nigeria. The descriptive survey that is correlational with the total population that consisted of all the students was used. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 200 students from 10 departments in five faculties at a University in Oyo State, Nigeria. The information was collected and analysed with a simple percentage and mean. Pearson Product Moment Correlation to check the hypotheses at p< 0.05 significant level. The results show the rate of self-medication to be moderate and that internet contributed to self-medication among students. However, the results did not show a significant correlation between the internet and self-medication (r=0.152, < 0.292; p 0.05), while a significant relationship exists between the level of knowledge and self-medication (r=0.310, > 0.029; p 0.05). This study concluded that the internet influences self-medication. Therefore, it is recommended that students avoid getting prescriptions from the internet.

Exploring novice teachers’ experiences in coping with adversities at a rural school in the Thabo Mofutsanyane district in COVID-19: A wellbeing programme

Masabata Dlhlamini — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0200

This study explored how a wellbeing programme helps novice teachers cope with adversity at a rural school. It adopted a qualitative approach and case study research design. This study employed in-depth semi-structured interviews in data collection. Four novice teachers were selected to participate in the study from a rural school in the Thabo Mofutsanyane district, Free State Province, South Africa. It used thematic analysis to analyse qualitative data. The results revealed that novice teachers experienced a lack of cooperation, no sense of belonging, no warm welcome, conflict, discouragement, job dissatisfaction, and traumatised and ill-disciplined learners during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are various reasons why most of them find it difficult to cope with adversities at a rural school. This study recommended that the National Department of Basic Education create a policy allowing teachers to submit necessary documents needed by the administration of the department of basic education.

Dimensionality of Chemistry Teachers' Effectiveness Scale (CTES) in secondary schools in Osun state, Nigeria

Deborah Adamu — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0200

The study assessed the dimensionality of the Chemistry Teachers’ Effectiveness Scale (CTES) in Osun State, Nigeria secondary schools. Also, the study determined the extent to which CTES satisfies the unidimensionality assumption of the Item Response Theory model. It determined the extent to which the observed unidimensionality of CTES was confirmed when the scalability of the individual items and the overall scale was assessed. The study employed a survey research design. Thirty-five (35) Chemistry teachers who were rated by their Heads of Departments and Chemistry students made up the sample for the study. A multistage sampling procedure was employed for choosing the sample in two phases-: validation (conducted in Oyo State), and pilot testing (conducted in Osun State). A self-developed research instrument titled "Chemistry Teachers Effectiveness Scale (CTES)" was used for data collection. Items of the CTES were rated on a four-point Likert-type scale described under 1 = very poor, 2 = poor, 3 = moderate, and 4 = good. The Chemistry teachers’ effectiveness scale started with the initial version of 206 items, and was reduced to 96 items after validation. The 96-item second version of CTES was reduced to 62 items after pilot testing and reliability analysis (giving Cronbach Alpha coefficient of 0.92). A thorough and more robust statistical analysis was conducted on the 62-item third version of CTES. Mokken Scaling Analysis (MSA) was used to analyse the data via the Mokken package. Results showed that all the items of CTES have scalability coefficients within the 0.20 and 0.39 range and violated the Item Response Theory (IRT) unidimensionality assumption. The study concluded that items of the CTES are multi-dimensional.

Exploring beginner teachers’ experience in their first year of teaching at Thabo Mofutsanyane district: Induction programme approach

Nasaret Tjirumbi — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0200

This study explores the beginner teachers’ experience in their first year of teaching before and after the induction programme at Thabo Mofutsanyane district. This study used a qualitative approach through a case study design. Fourteen beginner teachers participated in this study, a representative sample from the Thabo Mofutsanyane district, stratified by gender, age, and level of qualification. The data were analysed through thematic narrative analysis. Before the induction, this study revealed that beginner teachers experienced challenges in their first years of teaching. These included inability to complete class registers, control absenteeism, lack of knowledge to implement the curriculum, ill-disciplined learners, overcrowded classrooms, and heavy workload in their classrooms. After induction, in phase two, there was an improvement. Thus, this study suggested that job satisfaction, motivation, resilience, commitment, peer support, and a sense of belonging could help beginner teachers remain at schools that have induction programmes. This study recommends strengthening induction programmes, which could help beginner teachers to deal with the existing challenges and develop their professional identity.