The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Students' Learning at Universities in the Gauteng Province, South Africa

Measures that were put in place to combat the spread of COVID-19, such as lockdowns, movement restrictions, and social distancing, resulted in remarkable changes in the traditional educational systems. Online learning was implemented to replace face-to-face teaching and learning, albeit with several challenges and varying levels of unpreparedness. The present study examined the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on university students' learning and emotional stability with the aim of understanding the impact of the changes on students. A questionnaire was administered online to 254 registered students at three universities in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Results showed that for the majority of participants (84.9%), their source of internet connectivity for learning was data provided by the universities, while 21% of participants made use of the Wi-Fi also provided by the universities. However, the data for 91.9% of participants depleted before new data could be provided in a new month resulting in 30.9%, 30%, and 29.2% of participants buying, borrowing, and stopping to learn, respectively. On average, 33.7% of participants were neutral about having adequate time for studies and their academic performance improving during COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, 33.9% of participants were neutral about receiving adequate assistance from lecturers (34%) and family members (33.7%) during COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, 30% of participants indicated that they were neutral and disagreed that they were getting sufficient resources for studies during COVID-19 pandemic. Loneliness and boredom were the main problems faced by most participants since teaching was mostly done online. To make online teaching and learning more effective, it is recommended that more data and support are provided to the students by the university management so that teaching and learning as well as students' academic performance can be enhanced during future similar situations.

Pre-Service Teachers' Levels of Adaptations to Remote Teaching and Learning at a University in a Developing Country in the Context of COVID-19

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has not only caused fear and uncertainty in the education systems across the globe, but it brought about a fundamental paradigm shift in the mode of teaching and learning. Higher education drastically transitioned to remote/online delivery even for the students who had enrolled for face-to-face mode of teaching and learning. The paper is premised in the context of a developing country that such a drastic change could have widened the digital divide between students from privileged homes and those from disadvantaged families as students did not receive adequate technological training and to even acquire the necessary electronic devices. Consequently, the study sought to establish the levels of adaptation to remote teaching and learning by university students herein referred to as pre-service teachers. Following a quantitative research design, an online questionnaire survey was administered to 157 pre-service teachers enrolled in a Life Sciences Methodology module at a South African university. Data was analysed using SPSS version 26 and descriptive statistics, exploratory analysis of the questionnaire constructs and One-Way ANOVA tests were conducted to compare pre-service teachers' perceptions, experiences and preparedness. The results showed that the disparities and inequalities that exist in different South African contexts in which pre-service teachers hail from, dictated their levels of adaptations to remote teaching and learning. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds were less adapted as they struggled more when it comes to acquisition of electronic gadgets and connectivity to facilitate remote learning compared to those from advantaged backgrounds. This study affirms the call for education institutions and governments to rethink ways of closing the gap between the poor and the rich in education in terms of resource and other support mechanisms.

Bachelor of Education Science Students' Beliefs, Perceptions, and Experiences of Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case of Disadvantaged Students

This study examined Bachelor of Education science students' beliefs, perceptions, and experiences of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigation adopted an explanatory mixed method research design and involved purposively selected students enrolled for Bachelor of Education degree specialising in Physical and Life Sciences at a South African university. These students came from rural areas, townships, and informal settlements, which are characterised by a myriad of socio-economic challenges. These challenges have profound implications for students' resilience within the higher education sector. The study was underpinned by Technology Ac ceptance Model as the theoretical framework. Quantitative data was collected through administration of a questionnaire while qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Quantitative and qualitative data were analysed using SPSS and Atlas.ti, respectively. Findings showed that the students struggled to acquire appropriate digital devices and to access internet connectivity amongst other challenges because of their socio-economic backgrounds. They however demonstrated resilience through successful completion of their studies in the face of these critical challenges. Notwithstanding their socio-economic backgrounds, the students competed favourably with their peers from privileged backgrounds. The study has important implications for the alleviation of existing socio-economic disparities within the South African higher education system.