COVID-19 experience and student wellbeing amongst publicly funded higher education students in South Africa after the first, and second waves

Show simple item record

dc.contributor.author Wildschut, Angelique
dc.contributor.author Wilson-Fadiji, Angelina
dc.date.accessioned 2024-10-04T07:10:14Z
dc.date.available 2024-10-04T07:10:14Z
dc.date.issued 2024-08
dc.description.abstract Although higher education students have been identified as one of the social groups most affected by the impact of COVID-19, higher education literature appears to focus more on documenting implications for teaching and learning, curriculum and institutions, than student wellbeing. This has resulted in gaps to our understanding and approaches to intervene positively in, student wellbeing within the higher education space ‘post-COVID-19’. Drawing on a novel survey data set administered in November 2021, of the 6877 higher education (University and TVET College) students in South Africa, this paper aims to contribute through cross-sectional data that allows analysis of student experience of COVID-19 and its relationship to student wellbeing. As expected, our findings confirm COVID-19 experience as a significant predictor of student wellbeing. We also identify satisfaction with interventions from higher education stakeholders in response to COVID-19 as the strongest, and the extent to which students felt impacted by changes to their routine behaviours as the weakest, predictors of wellbeing. The paper adds to existing international literature, the South African context with a large sample. Secondly, the analysis provides a more comprehensive view of the link between COVID-19 and higher education student wellbeing, as TVET College students are included. The composite measurement of COVID-19 experience is a further contribution. Finally, the findings add to the literature on COVID-19 and higher education student wellbeing, the experience of disadvantaged students. The findings underscore the emotional health of students as a critical area for higher education policy and intervention during times of uncertainty or disruption. en_US
dc.description.department Educational Psychology en_US
dc.description.department Sociology en_US
dc.description.librarian hj2024 en_US
dc.description.sdg SDG-03:Good heatlh and well-being en_US
dc.description.sdg SDG-04:Quality Education en_US
dc.description.sponsorship The National Student Financial Aid Scheme as part of the research portfolio of the organisation in the 2021/22 financial year. Open access funding provided by Human Sciences Research Council. en_US
dc.description.uri http://link.springer.com/journal/10734 en_US
dc.identifier.citation Wildschut, A., Wilson-Fadiji, A. COVID-19 experience and student wellbeing amongst publicly funded higher education students in South Africa after the first, and second waves. Higher Education (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-024-01273-3. en_US
dc.identifier.issn 0018-1560 (print)
dc.identifier.issn 1573-174X (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.1007/s10734-024-01273-3.
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/98501
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher Springer en_US
dc.rights © The Author(s) 2024. Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. en_US
dc.subject Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) en_US
dc.subject COVID-19 pandemic en_US
dc.subject Student wellbeing en_US
dc.subject Higher education en_US
dc.subject Publicly funded students en_US
dc.subject SDG-03: Good health and well-being en_US
dc.subject SDG-04: Quality education en_US
dc.title COVID-19 experience and student wellbeing amongst publicly funded higher education students in South Africa after the first, and second waves en_US
dc.type Article en_US


Files in this item

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record