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Exploring conceptualisations and praxis of community engagement with Stellenbosch University student leaders
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2023
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| _version_ | 1867613796365762560 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Demas, Grant Henry |
| author2 | Naidoo, Anthony V. |
| author_browse | Demas, Grant Henry Naidoo, Anthony V. |
| author_facet | Naidoo, Anthony V. Demas, Grant Henry |
| author_sort | Demas, Grant Henry |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/127407 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:50.126Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/127407 Exploring conceptualisations and praxis of community engagement with Stellenbosch University student leaders Demas, Grant Henry Naidoo, Anthony V. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Department of Psychology. Service learning -- South Africa Community psychology Stellenbosch University -- Students Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Community engagement (CE) is a mandatory enterprise at South African higher education institutions (SAHEIs). One of the main reasons for this is to redress the damaging legacy of apartheid. Historically, these institutions were designed to be complicit in perpetuating the objectives of apartheid, and it is therefore important that due great care be exercised in how these institutions conceptualise and enact CE. This study explored SU students’ conceptualisation and praxis of CE. Twenty-one SU student volunteers in various CE leadership roles, within the ambit of their student club, society, residence, and faculty structures, were individually interviewed with the view to develop a theoretical explanation to explore the question: What is the theoretical explanation for Stellenbosch University students’ conceptualisation and praxis of voluntary community engagement? This was accomplished this by applying a grounded theory approach to analyse each interview transcript until a narrative emerged from the themes that were generated, from which a theoretical explanation was developed. I found that family, faith (religion), school, neighbourhood as formative microsystem contexts, and the broader socio-political and historical macrosystemic context in South Africa shaped this study’s participants’ conceptualisation and praxis of CE. Initially their CE praxis was predominantly motivated by altruistic intentions and then morphed into transactional and, in some cases, transformative ideals, as a consequence of participation in their CE initiatives. This study contributes to understanding the conceptualisation and implementation of CE as it provides a rich description of CE from different perspectives of students volunteering within their club and societies’ structures. It also provides insight into how university structuring of CE can enable and support Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za iii student based voluntary initiatives. The findings suggest that in order to achieve transformative ideals of CE, it is imperative to imbed an awareness of contextual influences and to adequately prepare and consistently support the students who stand in this critical position between the university and its engagement with external organizations and communities. AFRIKAANS OPSOMMING: Gemeenskapskakeling (GS) is ’n verpligte aktiwiteit by Suid-Afrikaanse hoëronderwysinstellings. Een van die hoofredes hiervoor is om die skadelike nalatenskap van apartheid reg te stel. Hierdie instellings is histories ontwerp om die oogmerke van apartheid te help bevorder, en daarom is dit belangrik dat hulle uiters sorgvuldig te werk gaan in hoe hulle GS konseptualiseer en beoefen. Dít is die agtergrond waarteen ek hierdie PhD-studie onderneem het om GS-konseptualisering en -praktyk onder studente van die Universiteit Stellenbosch (US) te ondersoek. Ek het kwalitatiewe navorsing en die gegrondeteoriemetode gebruik om my navorsingsvraag te beantwoord. Individuele onderhoude is met 21 studenteleiers van vyf verskillende fakulteite gevoer om ’n teoretiese verklaring te ontwikkel in antwoord op die vraag: Wat is die teoretiese verklaring vir US-studente se GSkonseptualisering en -praktyk? Hiervoor het ek elke onderhoudtranskripsie reël vir reël ontleed totdat daar ’n narratief uit die geïdentifiseerde temas na vore gekom het, waaruit ek vervolgens ’n teoretiese verklaring ontwikkel het. Ek het bevind dat deelnemers se familie, geloof, skool en buurt as formatiewe kontekste, sowel as die wyer sosiopolitieke en historiese konteks in Suid-Afrika, hulle GS-konseptualisering en -praktyk gevorm het. GS is aanvanklik hoofsaaklik aangevuur deur altruïstiese voornemens, wat later in transformerende strewes verander het as gevolg van deelname aan die US se GS-inisiatiewe. Hierdie studie dra by tot die verstaan van die konseptualisering en implimentasie van GS aangesien dit ‘n ryk beskrywing van GS, van ‘n verskeidenheid perspektiewe van studente bied wat vrywillig deelneem aan studentegemeenskap en – klub stukture. Dit bied ook insig tot hoe universiteite die struktuering van GS ondersteuning vir studentegebaseerde vrywillige initiatiewe kan Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za vevorder. Die bevindings stel voor dat in orde om transformatiewe ideale van GS te bereik, is dit noodsaaklik om ‘n bewustheid van kontekstuele invloede vas te stel en daarvolgens om voldoende/genoegsaam voorbereidenis te tref en konsekwent te wees rakend die ondersteuning van studente wie in ‘n kritiese posisie staan tussen die Universiteit en die deelname met eksterne organisasies en gemeenskappe. Doctorate 2023-03-07T18:46:16Z 2023-05-18T07:20:38Z 2023-03-07T18:46:16Z 2023-05-18T07:20:38Z 2023-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/127407 en_ZA en_ZA Stellenbosch University xviii, 221 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Service learning -- South Africa Community psychology Stellenbosch University -- Students Demas, Grant Henry Exploring conceptualisations and praxis of community engagement with Stellenbosch University student leaders |
| title | Exploring conceptualisations and praxis of community engagement with Stellenbosch University student leaders |
| title_full | Exploring conceptualisations and praxis of community engagement with Stellenbosch University student leaders |
| title_fullStr | Exploring conceptualisations and praxis of community engagement with Stellenbosch University student leaders |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring conceptualisations and praxis of community engagement with Stellenbosch University student leaders |
| title_short | Exploring conceptualisations and praxis of community engagement with Stellenbosch University student leaders |
| title_sort | exploring conceptualisations and praxis of community engagement with stellenbosch university student leaders |
| topic | Service learning -- South Africa Community psychology Stellenbosch University -- Students |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/127407 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT demasgranthenry exploringconceptualisationsandpraxisofcommunityengagementwithstellenboschuniversitystudentleaders |