WhatsApp as a Tool to Facilitate Continued Adjustment of First Time Entering Students Into University During COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions.
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| Title: | WhatsApp as a Tool to Facilitate Continued Adjustment of First Time Entering Students Into University During COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions. |
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| Authors: | Rabotapi, Tshepo1 trabotapi@wsu.ac.za, Matope, Samson1 smatope@wsu.ac.za |
| Source: | Electronic Journal of e-Learning. 2024, Vol. 22 Issue 8, p1-11. 11p. |
| Subject Terms: | *COVID-19 pandemic, *Digital literacy, *Distance education, *School dropout prevention, *Computer literacy, Stay-at-home orders |
| Abstract: | The Covid-19 pandemic forced universities into emergency remote learning. For universities situated in a country where internet connectivity prices are high, network coverage is low, and most students live in rural areas, this presented a unique set of problems. One of the issues is that traditional orientations were face-to-face for first-time entering students (FTENs) at universities, and they had to be moved online due to lockdown restrictions and the desire to save the academic year. For the university concerned, this presented challenges in accessing students due to their low digital literacy skills and infrastructure limitations. The study employed a quantitative exploratory research approach to assess whether WhatsApp, a low-cost communication tool offering features like affordable data bundles, group creation, and accessibility, could facilitate student engagement and support during the COVID-19 lockdown at a rural university campus. The aim was to investigate if utilizing WhatsApp could foster a sense of belonging among students, potentially mitigating dropout rates and preventing students from falling behind. The hypothesis posited a positive correlation between using WhatsApp for academic support and student retention, ultimately leading to enhanced success rates. The study used the 'Academic Dropout Wheel, a theoretical framework developed by Naaman (2021), which identifies key factors contributing to academic dropout and provides strategies for intervention. The results of a quantitative questionnaire on 181 of the 2022 cohort of FTENS at the campus revealed that students felt more at ease, had a feeling of belonging and ownership of the university, and knew where to ask for help through the effective use of WhatsApp. This paper concludes that if professionally managed, WhatsApp can be an effective tool to facilitate continued adjustment and integration of FTENs into the university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Electronic Journal of e-Learning is the property of Academic Conferences & Publishing International Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 178757603 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: WhatsApp as a Tool to Facilitate Continued Adjustment of First Time Entering Students Into University During COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rabotapi%2C+Tshepo%22">Rabotapi, Tshepo</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> trabotapi@wsu.ac.za</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Matope%2C+Samson%22">Matope, Samson</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> smatope@wsu.ac.za</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Electronic+Journal+of+e-Learning%22">Electronic Journal of e-Learning</searchLink>. 2024, Vol. 22 Issue 8, p1-11. 11p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22COVID-19+pandemic%22">COVID-19 pandemic</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Digital+literacy%22">Digital literacy</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Distance+education%22">Distance education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+dropout+prevention%22">School dropout prevention</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Computer+literacy%22">Computer literacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stay-at-home+orders%22">Stay-at-home orders</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The Covid-19 pandemic forced universities into emergency remote learning. For universities situated in a country where internet connectivity prices are high, network coverage is low, and most students live in rural areas, this presented a unique set of problems. One of the issues is that traditional orientations were face-to-face for first-time entering students (FTENs) at universities, and they had to be moved online due to lockdown restrictions and the desire to save the academic year. For the university concerned, this presented challenges in accessing students due to their low digital literacy skills and infrastructure limitations. The study employed a quantitative exploratory research approach to assess whether WhatsApp, a low-cost communication tool offering features like affordable data bundles, group creation, and accessibility, could facilitate student engagement and support during the COVID-19 lockdown at a rural university campus. The aim was to investigate if utilizing WhatsApp could foster a sense of belonging among students, potentially mitigating dropout rates and preventing students from falling behind. The hypothesis posited a positive correlation between using WhatsApp for academic support and student retention, ultimately leading to enhanced success rates. The study used the 'Academic Dropout Wheel, a theoretical framework developed by Naaman (2021), which identifies key factors contributing to academic dropout and provides strategies for intervention. The results of a quantitative questionnaire on 181 of the 2022 cohort of FTENS at the campus revealed that students felt more at ease, had a feeling of belonging and ownership of the university, and knew where to ask for help through the effective use of WhatsApp. This paper concludes that if professionally managed, WhatsApp can be an effective tool to facilitate continued adjustment and integration of FTENs into the university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Electronic Journal of e-Learning is the property of Academic Conferences & Publishing International Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.34190/ejel.22.8.3405 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 11 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: COVID-19 pandemic Type: general – SubjectFull: Digital literacy Type: general – SubjectFull: Distance education Type: general – SubjectFull: School dropout prevention Type: general – SubjectFull: Computer literacy Type: general – SubjectFull: Stay-at-home orders Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: WhatsApp as a Tool to Facilitate Continued Adjustment of First Time Entering Students Into University During COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Rabotapi, Tshepo – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Matope, Samson IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 12 Text: 2024 Type: published Y: 2024 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 14794403 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 22 – Type: issue Value: 8 Titles: – TitleFull: Electronic Journal of e-Learning Type: main |
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