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Research Publications (Arts and Design)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/214

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    A sociological exploration of language lecturers' journey into African language teaching
    (University of Brawijaya, 2024) Adedokun, Theophilus Adedayo; Usadolo, Sam Erevbenagie; Awung, Felix Nkwatta
    Post-apartheid policies aimed to promote African languages in higher education, yet lecturers face lack of institutional support and resource scarcity. This qualitative study explores experiences of African language lecturers at South African universities, using Bourdieusian theory to understand broader discourses around language, identity, and power shaping efforts to revalue these languages. In-depth interviews were conducted to gain insights into lecturers' journeys and lived experiences. The findings revealed that their habitus was oriented towards language teaching by familial, socio-political, and educational contexts. In addition, accumulating cultural capital through credentials facilitated academic lecturers’ progression while leveraging social capital through professional networks provided them crucial access and advocacy. Within competitive academia, lecturers continuously pursued prestigious positions and various forms of capital. Collaborating with language communities enabled developing localized, culturally validating pedagogies to counter institutional barriers. Technology access empowered effective role performance, research publishing, and career advancement. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by African language lecturers and highlights the need for institutional support, resource availability, and community engagement to promote and sustain African language education in higher education institutions.
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    Communication strategies for healthcare providers to enhance vaccine discussions with vaccine-hesitant patients
    (Interdisciplinary Journal of Sociality Studies, 2024-04-27) Adedokun, Theophilus; Idowu-Collins, Patricia
    This study examines vaccine hesitancy as an emerging public health concern that undermines the efficacy of vaccination initiatives. Healthcare providers play a crucial role in addressing vaccine hesitancy; however, many lack effective communication strategies. This study developed evidence-based communication guidelines to assist healthcare providers in discussing vaccines with hesitant patients. Drawing on Bourdieu's theoretical framework, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten vaccine-hesitant parents and ten paediatricians in Nigeria. Through reflexive thematic analysis of the interview transcripts, this study uncovers power dynamics, legitimacy struggles, and cultural capital's significance in vaccine conversations. The findings reveal that hesitant parents question the legitimacy of vaccine recommendations, feeling marginalised yet constrained by societal norms of responsible parenthood. Similarly, healthcare providers' reliance on biomedical expertise often proves insufficient without rapport building, cultural competency, and addressing patients' unique knowledge assets. The findings of this study contribute to communication theory, medical education, and clinical practice by advocating for power-conscious, dialogue-based strategies to promote vaccination amidst uncertainty and scepticism.
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    Views from the margins : theorising the experiences of black working-class students in academic development in a historically white South African university
    (AOSIS, 2019) Hlatshwayo, Mlamuli N.; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George
    A significant amount of South African literature on academic development often focuses on the ideological and theoretical shifts that have occurred within the academic development field across different periods in the country – tracing different phases within the field, broadly termed, ‘academic support’, ‘academic development’ and ‘higher education development’. One of the gaps that have been identified in this literature is often the silence regarding the experiences of the black students themselves in academic development, and to what extent being in the programme has made a difference to their university experiences. This article attempts to fill this gap by critically exploring and theorising the complex experiences of black working-class South African students in an academic development programme in a historically white higher education institution. To effectively make sense of their experiences, French philosopher Pierre Bourdieu’s theory on capital was employed in this article. Participants were purposely recruited using snowball sampling and 32 black working-class students participated in the study. The findings of this study suggest that academic development in a historically white university is a complex field of forces that require further critical interrogation and theorisation. Students’ experiences of academic development are often complex and at times contradictory with some seeing the value of the programme, and others rejecting it and looking at it as an extension of their marginality in a historically white higher education institution.