Peer support interventions in the time of crisis: Peer-based adaptation strategies of undergraduate students during COVID-19 pandemic at a Rural University in South Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20853/40-1-6528Keywords:
blended learning, COVID-19 pandemic, peer support, interventions, rural-based university, undergraduate studentAbstract
One of the most significant elements that help students address difficult academic situations is Peer Support Interventions (PSIs). During the COVID-19 pandemic, various PSIs emerged from university students in universities around the world, to deal with the difficulties associated with blended learning. While such interventions represent valuable collaborative approaches for enhancing effectiveness and students' learning capacities in traditional settings, an analysis of their values in blended learning contexts, particularly in rural-based higher education contexts, remains limited within education and COVID-19 literature. This qualitative study examines peer support interventions to alleviate challenges encountered during blended learning among undergraduate students at a rural-based University of Venda in South Africa. Drawing on the firsthand experiences of thirty undergraduate students, the results show how various forms of peer connections act as forms of mitigating the challenges of e-learning during the pandemic. In alignment with the Transactional Distance Theory (TDT), the study illustrates the role of PSIs in supporting students and reducing transactional distance in online learning environments. The findings shed light on five central peer support interventions: formation of study groups with friends and peers, interactions with experienced students, participation in peer discussions, and emotional support services for students. Based on these findings, it is recommended that both the State and institutions of higher learning pay more attention to how peer-learning and student-led interventions can foster positive pedagogical outcomes when traditional teaching-and-learning models are impossible. Interventions should consider how students help themselves rather than always focusing on top-down intervention plans that do not seriously consider or take students' agency, abilities, creativity, and resilience.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Rendani Tshifhumulo, Andani Sadiki, Vanessa Mpatlanyane, Amaechi Ekene
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