The effectiveness of counselling services as an equity measure to support vulnerable and marginalised students at selected higher education institutions in Namibia
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Date
2024
Authors
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Publisher
University of Namibia
Abstract
Higher education offers a high prospect of job opportunities, has more significant
economic gains for individuals and communities and impacts social cohesion. It
remains the pathway to career opportunities and contributes to individuals' physical
and cognitive well-being. Despite the various support services including financial
support and counselling services in higher education to increase access and ensure
inclusion, anecdotal and media reports indicate that students from marginalised
communities in Namibia continue to face exclusion and have low academic
achievements. The study explored and discussed the perceived effectiveness of
counselling services offered as an equity measure to support students from
marginalised backgrounds in higher education in Namibia. This study employed a
pragmatic parallel mixed methods design. It comprised two phases: situational analysis
covering chapters one to five, and the development of the Student Assistance
Programme (SAP) and implementation strategies in Chapter six. Eleven individual
semi-structured interviews with the referrers for counselling support were conducted.
In addition, six semi-structured interviews from a subset of beneficiaries from the
quantitative sample were performed. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic
analysis paired with Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). In addition, a
quantitative descriptive correlational case study design was conducted, and a
consecutive sampling method was utilised to recruit 85 beneficiaries. Despite different
funding programmes and counselling services aimed at the retention and inclusion of
students from marginalised communities in higher education, the study found that
students from marginalised backgrounds continue to endure economic, physiological,
psychological, and academic challenges in higher education. Counselling
effectiveness as an equity measure is compromised by various factors. Besides the
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delays and lacks thereof, counselling services were found to be more effective in
addressing the psychological needs perceived as secondary, such as depression and
anxiety. However, the counselling services proved wanting in addressing the primary
causes of student distress, such as economic, physiological, social and academic needs.
Moreover, the study established significant important clusters of related attributes that
promote student resilience and academic success. The findings informed the
development of a person-centred, culturally sensitive Student Assistance Programme
(SAP) and guidelines for implementation, with well-defined psychological and non psychological support services
Description
A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Inclusive education)
Keywords
Marginalised, Beneficiaries, Referrers, Counselling effectiveness, Counselling as an equity measure