Group
members: Senzo, Bongani and Major
 |
| Senzo Tsela and Bongani Mhlanga |
 |
| Major Shoulder and Bongani Mhlanga |
The
role of a constant peer study group in the learning experience of University of
Swaziland (UNISWA) Institute of Distance Education (IDE) Level 3 B Ed Secondary
students of 2017/18.
Background
In
this study we want to examine the role of a
constant peer study group of
UNISWA IDE B Ed Secondary students to cope with the academic challenges and
demands in the course of their studies . Different scholars have written
extensively on the area of the role of a constant peer study groups, such as Weirsema
(2000) who asserts that learning is enhanced when it is more like a team effort
than a solo race. This is also echoed by Weimer (2017) when he posits that it
is easy for students to pose questions amongst themselves sin their peer study
groups before asking the Professor. Since our research will take the
form of a case study, we will be focusing only on Level 3 B Ed Secondary students
in the 2017/18 academic year.
What
prompted our interest in this issue of inquiry were the anecdotes about
experience we have shared and observed since our first year in the B Ed
Secondary Programme. Stu dying part-time
through the IDE B. Ed Programme comes with challenges largely due to the fact
that students have to grapple with academic, work, and personal commitments
simultaneously.
As pointed out above, the academic commitments
and responsibilities comprise of attending classes, writing class works,
assignments, tests, and doing presentations and mini-projects and projects
which all demand thorough preparation in advance and follow up work. While faced with the
above mentioned tussle, you still have to grapple with personal
responsibilities and commitments which are a toll order on their own. Some of
these include the act that enrolling for study is not legally authorized by the
educational authorities where we are currently employed but instead it is a collegial understanding with the immediate
supervisor. This has resulted to intermittent conflicts and misunderstanding
with the immediate supervisors in the work place. In the same vein, there are
problems in the families between spouses, in-laws, parents and children.
These
challenges have resulted in a number of ripple effects on the students. They range
from stress related illnesses, high dropout rate, suicidal thought, psychological distress, job losses, family/relationships
breakups and indebtedness to mention some. All these present a challenge for students to strike a
balance between the demanding personal responsibilities and academic
commitments.
The
study might be useful in orienting the students about the importance of
consistent and committed study groups. It might also empower the counselling
department by exposing it to the specific challenges faced by students specifically
in the IDE B Ed Secondary Programme. It will also create an awareness among the students themselves on how to
navigate and surmount the obstacles so that they can complete their studies
successfully.
Problem statement
IDE
students face unique challenges in the course of their studies. Unlike full time learners who have regular
contact with their lecturers and peers, IDE students have limited face-to-face
sessions with their course lecturers and tutors. In addition, they are isolated from one
another as they live in different places and see one another only when they
attend face-to-face sessions on campus.
They also have to juggle their studies with work and personal
commitments. Such circumstances may
negatively impact on their personal well-being and ultimately on their academic
performance. To attain academic success
under such circumstances, IDE learners find themselves practically compelled to
creatively establish workable strategies by which to cope. We have observed from anecdotal information
as we share our experiences that the study group has been one such coping
strategy. This study seeks to
investigate the ways in which the study group enables Level 3 IDE learners in
the B Ed Secondary Programme to cope with their work and thus play a positive
role in their learning experience.
Literature Review
Our
understanding of a peer study group is a group of students that are in the same
Programme who decided to learn collaboratively. In some instances , the study
group is not confined to academic work , but also extends to catering
for social, economic, and emotional needs of the study group members. Boud
(2001) posits that peer learning involves learning from each other without any
implied authority to any individual. This is based on the tenet that students
learn better by explaining their ideas to others and participating in activities
in which they can learn from their peers. IDE is the kind of learning whereby
the learners work independently with occasional contact with the lecturers for
direction, guidance and support. Distance learning is a way of learning
remotely that can be defined as a method of studying specifically designed for
students who are separated from lecturers by physical distance.
Distance
education has been associated with a high dropout rate which in fact is a
biggest drawback facing this form of education. Distance education dropout
rates reportedly vary between 30% and 68% (Pithers and Twyford, 2000). Carr
(2000) observes that the dropout rate in distance education courses is not only
an issue in Quebec – Canada), but one that is a challenge to the whole world.
That being the case, UNISWA IDE B.Ed Secondary students, as distance learnners,
are no exception to being affected in this way. Dropping out of IDE courses has
negative consequences for the students, institution and the society.
Incompletion or failure of a first distance course may prevent students from
taking other distance courses (Moore and Kearsley, 1996). It may also have a
negative impact on the student’s self-esteem and self-confidence. From an institutional
point of view, it may be considered a sign of inefficiency in terms of cost of
training, loss of students, lowering success rates. Finding ways to help
students persevere in their courses seems to be the best way to improve
achievement in distance education courses.
According
to Abrahamson (1998), there is a sense of isolation experienced by learners in
distance education unlike in traditional education where learners are expected
to be in contact with each other and their educators frequently and constantly
on a daily basis. Scholars
such as Weimer (2017) posit that there are some merits of peer education
study groups such as helping each other in addressing questions that arise in
the course before getting assistance from the professor. They can help each
other by critiquing views and opinions, offering advice, sharing information or
registering an opinion. It is dynamic since students regularly learn from each
other. Weimer (year of publication) further affirms that peer learning is
something lecturers should inculcate because it is easy for peers to seek help
from each other than from a professor.
Peer education is an instructional
strategy that is helpful in higher education. Guido (2017) echoes Weimer that
peer teaching develops reasoning and critical thinking skills. He further
reveals that students who work in groups typically do better in tests that
involve critical thinking skills. It
also improves confidence and interpersonal skills, like organization,
collaboration and communication. Briggs (2013) posits that students feel more
comfortable and open when interacting with other peers. The peer study group
gives the lecturer less stress since the learners educate themselves. There is
more time for individualized learning.
Having
reviewed a sample of related scholarly literature, it is evident that the ways in which IDE learners
use a standing study group is an issue that warrants investigation Evidence form existing literature suggests
that most of the scholars have focused on group learning in general that a constant peer study group. The studies
have also been confined to specific subjects and group learning in general. Based
in a unique context, our proposed study is therefore going to fill in a gap in
knowledge locally and globally. By inquiring into the role of a constant peer
study group in the learning experience of UNISWA Level 3 IDE B.Ed. Secondary students
in the 2017/2018 academic year, this
promises to yield novel findings and further inform the teaching and learning
practices that are part of the academic culture .
Objectives
of the study
The objectives of the study are to:
- Sketch the demographic profile of UNISWA Level
3 IDE B Ed. Secondary students in the 2017/2018 academic year.
- Describe the ways in which 2017/2018 UNISWA
Level 3 IDE B Ed. Secondary students use a standing study group as a learning
strategy and practice.
- Identify the organisational strategies by which the
2017/208 UNISWA Level 3 IDE B Ed. Secondary learners manage and sustain their
collaborative learning activities
Justification
of the study
The
present research is one of the few in-depth case studies of IDE UNISWA with a
focus on peer study group support. It covers the major issues in the field of
peer study group support, and discusses small group as a form of peer group
support. The study questions the relationship between peer study group support
systems and different approaches to learning, and further questions how to
design a peer study group support system for supporting an engaged,
collaborative distance learner and for fostering their creative, critical or
independent thinking skills. At the same time, in the analysis, consideration
is given to the special characteristics of
IDE UNISWA B. ED Secondary students, keeping in mind the current learning and social context in
Swaziland.
Results
from this study can be used to share knowledge and perceptions about the peer
study group support issues, based on the case of IDE UNISWA, with researchers,
practitioners and policy makers. These results may also contribute to some new
knowledge and insights on related issues in the field of peer study group
support of distance education, worldwide. The study might be useful in
orienting the students about the importance of constant peer study groups. It
might also empower the counselling department by exposing it to the specific
challenges faced by students specifically in the IDE B Ed Secondary Programme.
It will also create an awareness to the students themselves on how to navigate
and surmount the obstacles inclined to the Programme without considerable
hindrances.
Scope
The
study will specifically focus on the role of a consistent peer study group in
the learning experience of the 2017/2018 UNISWA Level 3 IDE B.Ed Secondary students.
Methodology
This
is a qualitative study that will adopt a case study approach to obtain relevant data from a
non-representative sample of participants among THE 2017/2018 level 3 UNISWA IDE learners.
The study will take a phenomenological approach in investigating their personal
experiences under this program. We will use an interview and Focus Group
Discussion (FGD) guides as data collection instruments. The semi-structured
interview and FGD will be used in order to triangulation towards increasing the
authenticity, credibility and dependability of data.
Limitations
of the study
Since
the participants in the study will be small population, its findings cannot be generalized
to apply to the entire UNISWA student population. In addition, it is a
challenge to guard against sentimentality in the data collection process given
that were are both researchers and insiders in this study. To offset this challenge, we will
deliberately create space for reflexivity and to weave the information emerging
from the reflexive accounts into the research project report.
REFERENCES
Abrahamson,
C. E. (1998). Issues in interactive communication in distance education. College
Students Journal, 32(1), 33-43
Boud
(2001). Introduction: Making the Move to Peer Learning. London: Kogan Page Ltd
Carr,
S. (2000). As distance education comes of age, the challenge is keeping the
students. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 46(23), A39-A41.
Moore,
M., & Kearsley, G. (1996). Distance education: Asystem view. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Pithers,
B., & Twyford, K. (2000). The effect of telephone contact as a means of
student support in distance education. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Vocational
Education Research, 8(2), 91-109
Weimer,
M. (2017). The Benefits of Peer Learning. Magna Publications
Wiersema,
N. (2000). How does collaborative learning actually work in a classroom and how
do students react to it? A brief reflection.
 |
Senzo Tsela and Bongani Mhlanga
after defending their proposal topics |
 |
Major Shoulder and Bongani Mhlanga at
UNESWA library |
