‘Tell someone who cares’ : the value of intentionally establishing an online presence dedicated to student emotional wellbeing; particularly during times of crisis

Abstract

Rather than being antithetical to thinking or reasoning, current research would suggest that emotion has a critical role to play in the teaching and learning process, especially in the online environment. While a literature review will soon reveal the importance of emotion, either as directly experienced by the student or as orchestrated by the online facilitator in the creation of a safe and respectful learning environment, it is far more challenging to find any documented research that refers to the importance of a third-party presence dedicated to the emotional wellbeing of students in an online context – particularly in times of crisis such as that experienced during Covid-19. Such a presence exists in the form of a Programme Success Tutor (PST), a role integral to the ODL model of a leading South African private higher tertiary (PHT) organisation. Using a case study design and an interpretivist paradigm, 34 students – enrolled for distance studies with this PHT provider – shared their experiences of the PST role and the value they placed on having access to this affective support mechanism during the pandemic. Qualitative data was collected using a series of semi-structured and focus group interviews and then analysed using the thematic analysis model of Braun and Clark (2006; 2012). The findings suggest that while students appreciate the PST presence and the support these individuals provide, they do not make a clear and immediate connection between the role, the support, and their emotional wellbeing. Rather than undermining the importance of the PST as affective support, the findings provide the opportunity to broaden the scope of the role to now also include the forms of generic support valued by the participants in this study.

Eerder as om antiteties teenoor denke of redenering te staan, doen huidige navorsing aan die hand dat emosie ’n deurslaggewende rol speel in die onderrig- en leerproses, veral in die aanlynomgewing. Hoewel ’n literatuuroorsig spoedig die belangrikheid van emosie sal onthul (όf soos direk deur die student ervaar, όf soos deur die aanlyn fasiliteerder bewimpel in die skep van ’n veilige en eerbiedige leeromgewing), is dit ’n baie groter uitdaging om enige gedokumenteerde navorsing te vind wat verwys na die belangrikheid van ’n derdepartyteenwoordigheid wat aan die emosionele welstand van studente in ’n aanlynkonteks toegewy is – veral in krisistye, soos ervaar is tydens Covid-19. So ’n teenwoordigheid bestaan in die vorm van ’n sogenaamde programsuksestutor (PST), ’n rol wat integraal tot die ODL-model van ’n toonaangewende Suid-Afrikaanse private hoër tersiêre (PHT)-organisasie is. Met behulp van ’n gevallestudieontwerp en ’n interpretatiewe paradigma het 34 studente wat vir afstandstudie by hierdie PHT-verskaffer ingeskryf is, hul ervarings gedeel ten opsigte van die PST-rol en die waarde wat hulle tydens die pandemie geheg het aan toegang tot hierdie affektiewe ondersteuningsmeganisme. Kwalitatiewe data is ingesamel met behulp van ’n reeks halfgestruktureerde en fokusgroeponderhoude, waarna dit ontleed is op grond van die tematiese-ontleding-model van Braun en Clark (2006; 2012). Die resultate suggereer dat hoewel studente die PST-teenwoordigheid en die ondersteuning wat hierdie individue bied op prys stel, hulle nie ’n duidelike en onmiddellike verband tussen die rol, die ondersteuning en hul emosionele welstand waarneem nie. Die bevindinge ondermyn nie die belangrikheid van die PST as affektiewe ondersteuning nie, maar bied eerder die geleentheid om die omvang van die rol uit te brei om nou ook die vorme van generiese ondersteuning in te sluit wat deur hierdie studie se deelnemers na waarde geskat word.

Esikhundleni sokuphikisa ukucabanga noma ukucabanga, ucwaningo lwamanje lungaphakamisa ukuthi imizwa inendima ebalulekile okufanele iyidlale enqubweni yokufundisa nokufunda, ikakhulukazi endaweni ye-inthanethi. Nakuba ukubuyekezwa kwezincwadi kuzokwembula maduze ukubaluleka kwemiza, njengoba umfundi ebhekana nayo ngokuqondile noma njengoba kuhlelwe umsizi we-inthanethi ekudaleni indawo yokufunda ephephile nehloniphekile, kuyinselele enkulu kakhulu ukuthola noma yiluphi ucwaningo olubhaliwe oluqondiswe kulo, ukubaluleka kokuba khona komuntu wesithathu okunikezelwe enhlalakahleni engokomzwelo yabafundi esimweni esiku-inthanethi - ikakhulukazi ngezikhathi zobunzima obufana naleso esiye sabhekana nabo ngesikhathi se-Covid-19. Ubukhona obunjalo bukhona ngohlobo loMfundisi Wempumelelo Yohlelo (MWY), indima ebalulekile kumodeli ye-ODL yenhlangano ehamba phambili yaseNingizimu Afrika ezimele yemfundo ephakeme (EYE). Besebenzisa umklamo wesifundo sendaba kanye nepharadimu yokuhumusha, abafundi abangama-34 – ababhalisele izifundo zebanga nalo mhlinzeki we-EYE – babelane ngolwazi lwabo ngendima ye-MWY kanye nenani abalibeka ekufinyeleleni le ndlela yokweseka ngesikhathi sodlame. Idatha yesimo yaqoqwa kusetshenziswa uchungechunge lwezingxoxo zeqembu ezihlelekile nezigxilile zase zihlaziywa kusetshenziswa imodeli yokuhlaziya ingqikithi kaBraun noClark (2006; 2012). Okutholakele kukhombise ukuthi nakuba abafundi bekwazisa ukuba khona kuyi-MWY nokusekelwa yilaba bantu, abawenzi uxhumano olucacile nolusheshayo phakathi kwendima, ukusekelwa kanye nokuphila kahle ngokomzwelo. Esikhundleni sokubukela phansi ukubaluleka kuyi-MWY njengokwesekwa okuthinta inhliziyo, okutholakele kunikeza ithuba lokwandisa ububanzi bendima ukuze manje ihlanganise izinhlobo zosekelo olujwayelekile olwaziswa ababambiqhaza kulolu cwaningo.