Learners’ educational aspirations in South Africa: The role of the home and the school

An extensive body of research exists on the background characteristics that predict learner achievement. However, in South Africa, little attention has been paid to the level of educational aspirations and the factors that shape the level of aspirations. Using a bio-ecological systems theory of development, we explored the role of gender, socio-economic status (determined by resources at home and school), parental involvement and school climate in determining educational aspirations. Using a nationally representative sample of 11,969 learners (females = 5,248; mean age = 15.7 years) from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the statistical analysis technique of structural equation modelling (SEM), we investigated the relationships between parental involvement, school climate and learner educational aspirations. Our study showed that students from low socio-economic status (SES) homes and schools had lower educational aspirations. We also found positive relationships between both positive and negative school climate and learner aspirations. A surprising finding was that parental involvement did not have any influence on shaping learner aspirations. The findings indicate a need to improve educational resources at schools as well as the school climate, as schools matter for learners in low-income countries. Furthermore, it is important to inform learners of the requirements for tertiary education, so that they develop more realistic aspirations. Keywords: home resources; learner educational aspirations; parental involvement; school climate; school socio-economic statu

Well-being and mathematics achievement : what is the role of gender, instructional clarity, and parental involvement?

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The datasets presented in this study can be found in online repositories. The names of the repository/repositories and accession number(s) can be found below: https://www.timss-sa.org/dataset/ timss-2019-grade-9-learner-and-school-context-data.INTRODUCTION : The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between satisfaction with life and mathematics achievement among a nationally representative sample of Grade 9 learners in South Africa. METHODS : Using the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2019) based on a sample of 20,829 learners (females = 11,067 and males = 9,719), and employing structural equation modelling (SEM), we examined the nature of the relationship between satisfaction with life and mathematics achievement, considering the role of gender, parental involvement, and instructional clarity. RESULTS : Our findings showed that satisfaction with life is positively related to mathematics achievement, but is not moderated by gender. Additionally, instructional clarity contributes to, and is a partial mediator of, the relationship between life satisfaction and mathematics achievement. This suggests that greater instructional clarity is positively associated with high achievement in mathematics, over and above the relationship with satisfaction with life. By contrast, parental involvement negatively mediates this relationship, suggesting that mathematics achievement is negatively associated with certain forms of parental involvement, such as setting time aside for homework; and checking if homework is done. DISCUSSION : Given the tested linear relationship between life satisfaction, instructional clarity and mathematics achievement, the results of the study suggest that if wellbeing is improved and existing instructional practices are constantly reviewed, mathematics scores could be positively affected. In addition, the emerging finding on the negative role of parental involvement in the hypothesised mediated relationship suggests that learners could benefit from properly tailored, and governmentsponsored, afterschool tutoring.This study emerged from a TIMSS Working Paper, which was funded by the Human Sciences Research Council.http://www.frontiersin.org/Psychologyam2024Educational PsychologySDG-03:Good heatlh and well-beingSDG-04:Quality Educatio

Family values and social well-being : do motives for activities mediate?

DATA AVAILABILITY : The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.This study explored the extent to which the relationship between family values and social well-being is explained by well-being orientations. We investigated whether hedonic and eudaimonic motives for activities mediate the effect of family values of roles hierarchy and kin relations on social well-being. Using a cross-sectional survey design, randomly sampled participants from Ghana (N = 390) completed the Family Values Scale, Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities scale, and the Social Well-Being subscale of the Mental Health Continuum. Using structural equation modelling, we tested for direct and indirect effects. The full mediation was well fititng (CFI = .910; RMSEA = .059 [90% CI: .052, .066]). Direct effects between roles hierarchy (family values) and social-well-being as well as between hedonic motives (well-being orientations) and social well-being were significant. The relationship between roles hierarchy and social well-being was mediated by hedonic motives. However, kin relations and eudaimonic motives had a non-sigificant relationship with social well-being. The empirical finding, of how family values as a cultural index intersects with well-being dispositional orientation in the promotion of social well-being, is helpful in the counselling psychology settings. This contribution is particularly relevant in an African sociocultural setting which is known to be characterised by interdependence.https://link.springer.com/journal/12144hj2024Educational PsychologySDG-03:Good heatlh and well-bein

A bibliometric review of positive psychology and well-being research in Africa

Positive Psychology rapidly developed into an influential field of study and intervention, initially situated in Psychology, and later becoming multidisciplinary. Research interest in the study of (psychological) well-being has gained global popularity, with increasing salience in Africa. Although the global trends of these developments are relatively well-known, a bibliometric analysis of positive psychology research in Africa was necessary to shed light on the present hotspots and trends and future trajectories in this region of the world. The data source of the present bibliometric analysis study was Scopus, from which Positive Psychology and well-being research literature from Africa between 1983 and 2023 were searched. Using biblioshiny and VOSviewer, the 622 extracted articles were analysed, from which findings about the current condition, research hotspots, and thematic developmental patterns could be made. Africa experienced an initial slow growth period from 1983 until 2005, after which a rapid growth in research productivity, relevance and impact was experienced. In this regard, the results show that the focal point of scientific productivity is South Africa, with the dominance of South African institutions, particularly the North-West University, from where most positive psychology research is produced and cited. Even with potential access to international journal, African researchers seem to prefer to place their publications in the regional journals such as Journal of Psychology in Africa and South African Journal of Psychology. The research reviewed tends to be characterised by more dominant thematic clusters of positive psychology, psychological well-being, and subjective well-being, with a focus on human individuals. An increasing concern for contextual factors and potential antecedents and dynamics of well-being is also observed. The findings provide a good map from which identification of future research priorities can be deduced. As such, we speculate that future positive psychology research in Africa ought to be concerned with the following: greater distribution and intercountry collaborations across the continent, questions of conceptual clarity of terms, better understanding of contextual factors which influence well-being, and well-being research embracing the complexity of bio-psycho-social-ecological well-being, and science concerned with health-promotion interventions

The dance of the positives and negatives of life : student wellbeing in the context of #FeesMustFall-related violence

Violence has become a regular occurrence in the context of the South African student movement. However, to date there are no studies that investigate student wellbeing in the context of student movement violence. How are violence and wellbeing experienced in the context of the student movement? What resources do students draw upon to protect or restore their wellbeing during and in the aftermath of violence? This article discusses students' experiences of violence and wellbeing and particularly the resources that fostered their psychological wellbeing during and after experiences of violence related to the #FeesMustFall protests of 2015/16. The study used a photovoice methodology and worked with groups of former student activists from four universities in South Africa. Student psychological functioning in the midst of adverse circumstances is demonstrated in their ability to make meaning of their experiences by inventing knowledge spaces; creating spaces of inner harmony; having a sense of purpose; and protecting symbolic spaces of hope. It is also shown in their courage to challenge spaces of oppression. This study suggests that the co-production of social space for functioning occurs through an important psychological process of meaning-making that provides direction for student movement activities. Given our findings, it is recommended for student affairs and counselling services to m,./=-09864 facilitate the co-creation of spaces of knowledge and spaces of safety, spaces where students can experience being wanted and connected, and spaces where they can make sense of their experiences in the unfamiliar and potentially alienating higher education space.https://www.journals.ac.za/index.php/sajhe/indexam2024Educational PsychologySDG-03:Good heatlh and well-beingSDG-04:Quality Educatio

Measuring positive mental health and depression in Africa : a variable-based and person-centred analysis of the dual-continua model

The dual-continua model of mental health provides a contemporary framework for conceptualising and operationalising mental health. According to this model, mental health is distinct from but related to mental illness, and not the opposite or merely the absence of psychopathology symptoms. To examine the validity of the dual-continua model, previous studies have either applied variable-based analysis such as confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), or used predetermined cut-off points for subgroup division. The present study extends this contribution by subjecting data from an African sample to both CFA and latent class analysis (LCA) to test the dual-continua model in Africa. We applied CFA separately for the Mental Health Continuum—Short Form (MHC-SF) and Patient Health Questionnaire—9 (PHQ-9); and LCA on combined item responses. College students (N =892; average age=22.74, SD =4.92; female=58%) from Ghana (n =309), Kenya (n =262), Mozambique (n =232), and South Africa (n =89) completed the MHC-SF and PHQ-9. With minor modifications to the measurement models, the CFA results of this study confirm the threefactor structure of the MHC-SF, and a unidimensional solution for the PHQ-9. LCA results show the presence of three distinct latent classes: languishing with moderate endorsement of depressive symptoms (25.9%), flourishing with low endorsement of depressive symptoms (63.7%), and moderate mental health with high endorsement of depressive symptoms (10.4%). These findings further contribute to affirming the evidence for the dual-continua model of mental health, with implications for the assessment of mental health, to inform policy, practise, and future research in community and clinical settings in Africa.The South African National Research Foundation (NRF).https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychologydm2022Educational Psycholog

Rapid photovoice as a close-up, emancipatory methodology in student experience research : the case of the student movement violence and wellbeing study

In this paper, we critically reflect on our conceptualization and operationalization of “rapid photovoice” as a close-up, emancipatory, action research methodology which has multiple, intersecting social-justice goals; and consider the methodology’s potential for helping to achieve such goals. We first consider photovoice in relation to its typical use in public health research, as well as in prior research into student experiences of higher education. We then consider our pragmatic redesign of the methodology as rapid photovoice (RPV), which we conceptualized in response to the goals, parameters, and constraints inherent in our project, which studied student movement violence and wellbeing. In the third part of the article, we describe and discuss our operationalization of RPV in this study on four university campuses in South Africa. In the fourth section, we reflect on some of the ethical considerations arising from the topic and the methodology. In the final section of the article, we critically assess the interim outcomes of our use of RPV in terms of (1) psychologically empowering students to reflect on traumatic experiences in a safe space and enhancing their self-awareness of wellbeing, wellbeing resources and coping strategies; (2) the politically emancipatory potential of photovoice to represent student experiences authentically and with immediacy to higher education policy role-players, and (3) its ability to co-create artifacts of collective memory that provide authentic empirical material for making trustworthy knowledge claims.The National Research Foundation of South Africa. The project is part of a larger research into the new South African student movement “From #RhodesMustFall to #FeesMustFall” which is funded in part by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.http://journals.sagepub.com/home/ijqhj2021Educational PsychologyPsycholog

Motivations for relationships as sources of meaning : Ghanaian and South African experiences

Afrocentric paradigms reflect assumptions of the overarching importance of interconnectedness and social bonds in meaningful experiences. It is, however, not known if types of relatedness vary in importance as meaning sources in the subjective experiences of laypeople, or what the reasons are that they ascribe to the importance of relationships. The empirical and theoretical substantiation of philosophical assumptions is needed to provide a scientific basis for appropriate well-being interventions in African contexts. Therefore, this study aimed to empirically explore the relative importance of various types of relationships as sources of meaning and in particular why relationships are important to laypeople in relatively collectivist African contexts. Using a bottomup qualitative approach with quantification of responses, this study explored how prominently relationships featured as meaning sources compared to other domains of life and then, in particular, the motivations for the importance of various types of relationships as found in four African samples: a Ghanaian urban group (n = 389), a South African multicultural, English-speaking urban group (n = 585), and two South African Setswana-speaking groups (n = 512 rural, n = 380 urban). Findings showed that the relational domains of life, namely, family, interpersonal relations, spirituality/religion, and community/society, made up a large proportion of responses on what provides meaning in life in particular family and spirituality/religion with community/society occurring the least. The reasons for meaning experienced in various relationship types included domain-typical relational descriptors, such as contributions made or rewards received. However, many intrapersonal motives also emerged: inner well-being, happiness, joy, a sense of competence, and own growth. Material needs and harmony also surfaced as motivations for relational importance. Findings are aligned with African philosophical perspectives as far as the importance of relationships and the value attached to spirituality/religion are concerned, but contributed additionally by showing that different types of relationships vary in importance: close relationships are more important than community/societal relationships. Unearthing the reasons for the importance of relationships points toward a dialectic pattern of African individualism– collectivism in which independent and interdependent orientations flow together. Such knowledge is vital for the promotion of mental health and well-being in these contexts.This work from the FORT 3 and PURE-SA projects are based on the research supported in part by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa (Grant Numbers: 91557, 106050, 2069139, FA2006040700010, FA2007042600011, and 121948). Funding for PURE-SA were also obtained from the SANPAD (South Africa Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development 08/15), the South African Medical Research Council, the North-West University, South Africa, and the Population Health Research Institute, ON, Canada.http://www.frontiersin.org/Psychologyam2020Psycholog

School and individual predictors of mathematics achievement in South Africa : the mediating role of learner aspirations

Extant literature has demonstrated the importance of individual and school-related factors in improving mathematics achievement. Despite this, there is still a gap in research to understand the mediating role of educational aspiration in mathematics achievement. The aim of the present study is to test the relationship between self-efficacy, school resources, positive school climate and mathematics achievement as mediated by learner aspirations. Using a nationally representative sample of 12,514 learners from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and structural equation modelling, we determined the model fit of a mediated relationship between self-efficacy, school resources, positive school climate and mathematics achievement. Findings from the structural equation modelling in addition to good fit indices revealed that self-efficacy, learner aspiration and school resources were positively related to mathematics achievement. However, there was an unexpected negative relationship between positive school climate and achievement. Learner educational aspirations mediated the relationship between positive self-efficacy, positive school climate with achievement. In order to improve educational achievement, interventions must include both the school and individual factors where interactions between positive self-efficacy and aspirations contribute to improved learner achievement.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rmse202022-02-02hj2021Educational Psycholog