4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Covid-19 Pandemic

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    An assessment on the provision of South African Sign Language interpreting services in the healthcare setting during the Covid-19 pandemic
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-06) Motimele, Dimakatso Martina; Parkins-Maliko, Natasha
    The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the communication challenges experiences by Deaf and hard-of-hearing people in various healthcare settings. The mandatory use of masks did not make communication any easier for such people, challenges related to lipreading and the understanding of non-manual features (facial expressions). Furthermore, owing to the shortage of sign language interpreters in South Africa, Deaf and hard-of-hearing patients had to navigate their way around healthcare settings regardless of the extreme communication difficulties experienced. This research assessed the provision of South African Sign Language (SASL) interpreting services for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people in healthcare settings in the Gauteng province of South Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic. Interviews and an online survey were conducted with Deaf and SASL interpreter respondents to collect data linked to access to healthcare services during the Covid-19 period. Deaf participants expressed the view that the provision of SASL interpreting services in healthcare was inadequate. Deaf participants also indicated that they were unable to book or gain access to an SASL interpreter for medical appointments. This was also the case in emergency situations where a last-minute booking was needed. In addition, a lack of trust in SASL interpreters was manifested by the Deaf participants, owing to the high costs associated with the interpreting services. Moreover, the Deaf participants expressed the view that medical staff tended to have a negative approach to Deaf and hard-of-hearing patients. The recommendations made on the basis of this research are that medical professionals should learn basic sign language and that SASL interpreters should learn medical terminology and the equivalent SASL sign/s to ensure increased accessibility by Deaf and hard-of-hearing people to communication in health care setting.
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    The psychological impact on adult children who moved back home due to the financial consequences of COVID-19
    (2023-08) dos Reis, Danielle; Marchetti-Mercer, Maria Chiara
    The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on most countries across the globe. It also resulted in severe losses in various aspects of life such as work, school, and the family. Family life was particularly strongly affected by the lockdowns that were implemented to curb the spread of the virus. Many young adults returned to the parental home, experiencing a disruption in the family life cycle, because the decision to make this move delayed their transition to adulthood and parenthood. The purpose of this research study was to explore the psychological impact on such young adults of returning to their parents’ home because of the financial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Gauteng, South Africa. The study drew on Family Systems theories and the Family Life Cycle model to understand this phenomenon and its impact on South African families. The participants of the study included young South African adults between the ages of 23 and 30 years. The data gathered from semi-structured interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings show that many young people moved back to their parents because of economic challenges experienced as a result of difficulties related to finding or retaining employment. Moreover, the study found that the return home had negative implications for participants’ sense of independence, privacy, and mental health, despite increased emotional and financial support from parents. This influenced changes in their perceptions of adulthood, as well as a concurrent sense of stagnation and failure. The study also found that the return home of adult children led to an increase in interpersonal connectedness on the one hand, and to conflict between adult children and parents or guardians on the other, and it created a change in the parent-adult-child dynamic. The study adds to the emerging body of work on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on family life and functioning.
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    Determining a Relationship Between Attitude Towards E Learning and Academic Stress Levels in Higher Education Students
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-08) Persello, Byron Franco; Pitman, Michael
    E-learning has become more prevalent in higher education institutes, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic that necessitated social distancing as well as the rise in technology application to education. With stress being an important factor in the academic experience, this research report explores the relationship between the experience of stress and attitudes towards e-learning factors in students. The sample was 79 undergraduate students from the University of Witwatersrand who had undergone e-learning during the 2021 academic year. To gather the data, the Student-life Stress Inventory and Scale of Student Attitude towards E-learning was used. The results showed there was no correlation between experienced stress and attitudes towards the e-learning factors, results r = -.178, n = 75, p = .317. Descriptive analysis of the two measure’s items indicates that participants recognised the benefits of e-learning but challenges using the e-learning medium were still relevant to their experience. The overall stress was beyond normal management for 86.11% of the participants, even though social support appeared available.
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    In the Era of Global Shocks: A Needs Inquiry on State Provided Housing During and After the Covid-19 Pandemic
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-02) Mogale, Lebogang Lucia; Klug, Neil
    South Africa, like many countries of the South is confronted by a housing crisis, especially in Metropolitan areas. This is because Metropolitan areas are experiencing rapid population growth and, in the process, creating a demand for low-income housing. The state-provided low-income housing, implemented as a remedial intervention, has faced spatial, procedural, and administrative scrutiny, among others. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought housing and human settlements into the spotlight, raising both opportunities and challenges with the resilience of state-provided low income housing. The study has used the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic to emphasize and make apparent the various types of housing and settlement needs that should be prioritised to potentially mitigate the impact of future global shocks such as pandemics. Global shocks trigger resilience thinking that is linked to spatial attributes that can potentially reduce and mitigate the impact of disasters and risks. This indicates an opportunity of supporting ‘resilience thinking’ with existing social realities. The study speaks to this gap by diving deep into theoretical discourses of housing needs and practical needs as determined by participants perceptions. This was done by adopting a case study design that follows Wilhelm Dilthey's philosophy of hermeneutics. The Case Study context used was Palm Ridge extension 10 where Breaking New Ground Housing and Military Veteran houses were allocated in November 2019. Interviews were conducted with both municipal officials and beneficiaries of subsidised housing to inquire in-depth about their considerations of housing needs and how they can be met. The findings of the study indicate that there is a correlation between what is perceived as housing needs during the pandemic and some principles of resilience thinking. It identifies two types of housing needs necessary for mitigation, coping, and recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic. The needs identified are technical housing needs which are concerned with the physical structure of a house and settlement, and soft dimensional housing needs which are more symbolic of the relationship residents have with their houses and the overall neighbourhood. Moreover, the study emphasises that the translation of housing needs from theory to practice is to a certain degree challenged by institutional deficiencies. Although state-provided housing is challenged, it has proven a resilient measure in the era of the pandemic when housing insecurities were on the rise. Neighbourhoods like Palm Ridge can potentially adopt evolutionary and transformative resilience due to their flexible nature to cater to changing needs. Therefore, it is apparent that needs inquiry is a complex issue that can be leveraged to stimulate the adoption and development of bottom-up and collaborative responses to shock mitigation.