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Hester Julie

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Papers by Hester Julie

Cracking the nut of service-learning in nursing at a higher educational institution

Curationis, Feb 27, 2015

The readiness of academics to engage in the service-learning (SL) institutionalisation process is... more The readiness of academics to engage in the service-learning (SL) institutionalisation process is not accentuated in research on SL institutionalisation in South Africa. The argument has been advanced that SL scholarship and willingness of key stakeholders are crucial for SL institutionalisation at the academic programme level. The research focus of the study being reported here was on readiness of respondents to embed SL in the curricula of the nursing programme. Method: This study used a quantitative, exploratory and descriptive design. A selfadministered structured questionnaire was used to collect data from a stratified sample comprising 34 respondents. The data were analysed for descriptive statistics using SPSS 19. The demographic profile of the respondents indicated that 31 (66%) were between 31 and 50 years old; 36 (75.16%) had a minimum of 10 years' nursing experience; 19 (39.6%) had a master's degree, two (4.2%) had a doctorate; and 29 (60.4%) had been employed by the school for a maximum of five years. The results indicated that the nurse educators were in need of SL capacity-building because 9 (18.8%) had limited or no knowledge of SL and 24 (50%) confused SL with other forms of community engagement activities. However, only 15 (33%) of the clinical supervisors and 13 (27%) of the lecturers indicated a willingness to participate in such a programme. The school was not ready to embed SL in the academic programme because of a lack of SL scholarship and willingness to remediate the identified theory-practice gaps.

Professional nurses' attitudes and perceptions towards mentally ill in an associated psychiatric hospital : quality of care

African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, Dec 1, 2014

Professional nurses, with additional training in mental health, report attitudes and perceptions ... more Professional nurses, with additional training in mental health, report attitudes and perceptions of mental health nursing that are more positive, whilst those with less training report more negative attitudes and perceptions to mental health nursing. The primary aim of this research study was to describe the attitudes and perceptions of professional nurses towards the mentally ill in a psychiatric hospital in the Cape Metropole. The objectives of the study were: to explore the attitudes and perceptions of professional nurses towards the mentally ill; to identify common factors that influence the professional nurses' attitudes and perceptions towards the mentally ill; to compare the attitudes and perceptions of professional nurses who have completed the Regulation 425, Regulation 808 and Regulation 212 training in mental health nursing towards the mentally ill. A quantitative, exploratory, descriptive design was employed and cross-sectional survey was carried out. Participants comprised all permanent professional nurses (n=60) at a governmental Associated Psychiatric Hospital in the Cape Metropole. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and two self-report questionnaires, measuring attitudes to and perceptions of mental health problems. Nurses with a diploma report significantly higher role competency than those nurses with a degree. The ethnicity of nurses played a role in the stereotyping of the mentally ill. No significant differences were evident between those professional nurses who had completed the advanced mental health course and those whom had not. However, the combined effects of learning the appropriate course and experience in the practical field of the mentally ill are necessary for the task of impacting positively on the attitudes of the nurses towards the mentally ill. Professional mental health nurses; South Africa; attitudes and perceptions; mentally ill; education, training and experience. DECLARATION I, the undersigned, declare that Professional Nurses' Attitudes and Perceptions towards the mentally ill in an Associated Psychiatric Hospital, is my own work, that it has not been submitted for any degrees or examination at any other university, and that all the sources or quotes I have used, have been indicated and acknowledged by complete references. ……………………………. ……………………………… Marina Basson Date v DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my mother, Erna Basson, for her relentless support, encouragement, and love. I also dedicate this thesis to my deceased father, Francis Basson, who gave me the ambition to reach for the stars and the opportunity to explore my potential without any limits. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the following:  Mrs Hester Julie for her invaluable guidance, support, time, constructive criticism, advice and her consistent patience throughout my study period;  The head of the study site for granting me the permission to conduct my research at the associated psychiatric hospital;  The professional mental health nurses at the study site for sharing their experiences with me and making this research possible;  My colleague and friend, Lindi Martin, for her assistance with data analysis and editing of my dissertation. Thank you for your support, guidance and patience throughout the period of my candidature;

Piloting of a service-learning pedagogical model: student perceptions of the gender based violence service-learning module at a school of nursing in the Western Cape

Research indicates that most higher education institutions in South Africa fail to establish a st... more Research indicates that most higher education institutions in South Africa fail to establish a standard practice for service-learning (SL) in the formalised systems of their respective academic programmes. An intervention study was undertaken to develop a service-learning implementation framework for the school of nursing, using the multi-phased design and development model of Rothman and Thomas. This article focuses on reporting the findings related to student perceptions of the gender-based violence service-learning module during the piloting phase. This was a quantitative, exploratory, descriptive study which used a structured questionnaire for data collection. Participants were 162 final-year nursing students enrolled in 2012. The students indicated the mutual benefits of community work in terms of the learning they had experienced, the service the community had received, as well as the transformation that had assisted them to translate theory into practice. Also, the students indicated that service-learning as a teaching methodology was demanding in terms of time, cost, and effort, and generally found it quite challenging to engage with the module content because the blogging and structured reflection were cited as new teaching strategies. Service-learning modules should bear a higher credit rating to compensate for demands of the service-learning pedagogy in terms of time and finances. Students should also be introduced to community partners and their expectations before the commencement of the project.

Academic Coordinator of the Community Higher Education Services Partnership Programme, University of the

by Priscilla Daniels, Tracey-Ann Adonis, and Hester Julie

Domestic violence is a pervasive problem in South Africa. The School of Nursing at the University... more Domestic violence is a pervasive problem in South Africa. The School of Nursing at the University of the Western Cape has responded to the challenge of training sensitive, knowledgeable and skilled health personnel by develop-ing a Management of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) module. The purpose of this paper is to describe the profes-sional and personal development of nursing students in this programme through their service-learning experience in the GBV module based on the analysis of the description of the students ’ reflective journals, group project reports and a focus-group discussion as the primary data sources. Analysis showed that students gained critical thinking skills and developed an understanding of the supportive role health professionals can play through developing skills of caring, advocacy and a commitment to civic engagement, which promotes collaborative relationships. Some of the lessons learnt from this experience include realistic planning in terms of outcomes, ti...

Workplace Bullying Among Nurses at a Psychiatric Hospital in the Western Cape

Workplace violence is a worldwide issue, yet it remains underreported. Incidences of workplace vi... more Workplace violence is a worldwide issue, yet it remains underreported. Incidences of workplace violence, include, physical violence, verbal abuse, bullying, as well as sexual and racial harassment. Bullying is defined as any type of repetitive abuse, in which victims suffer verbal abuse, threats, humiliation or intimidating behaviours, or behaviours, by perpetrators that interfere with the victims' job performance and place their health and safety at risk. The prevalence of workplace bullying might be underreported due to the embarrassment that victims have to endure, or because of fear. Research has revealed that, in South Africa, in the public hospitals of Cape Town, despite the end of Apartheid, there are still subtle, but unspoken, tensions between racial groups. It can be assumed that such tensions are likely to escalate in the work environment and lead to workplace bullying. Yet, there is a lack of documented workplace bullying in Cape Town psychiatric hospitals, especiall...

Ill in an Associated Psychiatric Hospital

Professional nurses ’ attitudes and perceptions towards mentally

Evaluating blogging as a reflective strategy in a service-learning

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Nurses ’ experiences and understanding of workplace violence in a trauma and emergency department in

Pursuing a corporate understanding of service-learning in nursing education : a case study : part 1 : contemporary issues in nursing

South African journal of higher education, 2014

A corporate definition of service-learning (SL) could help to mainstream SL in higher education i... more A corporate definition of service-learning (SL) could help to mainstream SL in higher education institutions (HEIs). Concepts like 'service-learning', 'community engagement' and 'community service' tend to be used interchangeably. It is thus imperative to start from a common understanding of these related concepts. Therefore, this article discusses the development of a definition of SL for a school of nursing. The democratic process of the nominal group technique (NGT) allowed the academics to discuss conflicting points openly during the consensus-seeking process. The thematic analysis, based on frequency scores, identified 'equal tri-partnership'; 'teaching and learning process'; 'reflective practitioners'; 'community needs'; 'community development'; 'shared values'; and 'community engagement' as the essential concepts to be included in the definition of SL. It can be concluded that the final SL concept...

Exploring student awareness on critical factors which shape community engagement in the health science disciplines at a South African higher education institution

Background Community Engagement (CE) is cornerstone to South Africa’s higher education transforma... more Background Community Engagement (CE) is cornerstone to South Africa’s higher education transformative agenda. Teaching disciplines across faculties have adopted varied CE implementation strategies, due to different theoretical interpretations. Undergraduate health science students are traditionally exposed to CE experiential learning programs, preparing them for professional practice. This study investigated final year students’ awareness of the critical factors which shape CE in the health science disciplines at a South African university.Method An exploratory descriptive qualitative study was conducted at an engaged university located in the Western Cape. Five discipline- specific focus group discussions were conducted with twenty seven final year students, purposively selected from five health sciences faculties, using an adaption of Furco’s self-assessment rubric. Thematic analysis was conducted on the transcribed data to identify the factors deemed critical for CE using Furco’s...

Developing a service-learning module for oral health: A needs assessment

African Journal of Health Professions Education, 2017

visit community sites during their 2nd year of study. However, the current curricula would need r... more visit community sites during their 2nd year of study. However, the current curricula would need restructuring for alignment with the espoused pedagogy and standards of SL. Such an SL curriculum design would thus allow for the provision of meaningful services to communities as an integral component of these programmes. Objective. To explore (i) perceptions of 2nd-year oral health students; and (ii) opinions of academics with regard to the need for an SL module. Methods. Purposive sampling was used to conduct two focus group discussions with academics involved in curriculum development (n=11) and students who had previous exposure to communities (n=10). A survey containing open-ended questions was completed by 9 academics, who would implement the proposed SL module. Frequencies were calculated and data from the open questions were analysed for emergent themes. Results. Most academics (89%, n=8) indicated that working effectively with others as members of a team and developing cultural sensitivity were achievable from an SL module. Two themes emerged from the focus groups, i.e. (i) enhanced teaching and learning-students could apply theoretical and clinical training in an authentic setting; and (ii) standardisation of training-an SL module would ensure consistency when engaging with communities. Conclusion. The needs assessment was valuable to inform the development and implementation of the SL module.

Experiences of a research team in developing a leadership project in professionalism as a collaborative initiative

1539 Curationis

Cracking the nut of service-learning in nursing at a higher educational institution

Curationis, 2015

Background: The readiness of academics to engage in the service-learning (SL) institutionalisatio... more Background: The readiness of academics to engage in the service-learning (SL) institutionalisation process is not accentuated in research on SL institutionalisation in South Africa. The argument has been advanced that SL scholarship and willingness of key stakeholders are crucial for SL institutionalisation at the academic programme level.Aim: The research focus of the study being reported here was on readiness of respondents to embed SL in the curricula of the nursing programme.Method: This study used a quantitative, exploratory and descriptive design. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data from a stratified sample comprising 34 respondents. The data were analysed for descriptive statistics using SPSS 19.Results: The demographic profile of the respondents indicated that 31 (66%) were between 31 and 50 years old; 36 (75.16%) had a minimum of 10 years’ nursing experience; 19 (39.6%) had a master’s degree, two (4.2%) had a doctorate; and 29 (60.4%) had b...

Stakeholders’ community-engaged teaching and learning experiences at three universities in South Africa

African Journal of Health Professions Education, 2020

Community engagement (CE) in higher education is a contested field because of the diverse definit... more Community engagement (CE) in higher education is a contested field because of the diverse definitions linked to the concept, as argued in the literature. [1-3] The US Committee on Institutional Cooperation's Committee on Community Engagement defines it as 'the partnership of university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching, and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues, and contribute to the public good. ' [4] The purpose of CE is to magnify the impact that higher education has on students and the community. In South Africa (SA), CE is integrated within higher education and forms part of institutional audit standards. [5] The Higher Education Act No. 101 of 1997 mandates for integrated higher education underpinned by research, teaching and CE. [6] An array of interventions aimed at magnifying community-engaged pedagogical practices at SA universities has been implemented. The Joint Education Trust launched the Community Higher Education Services Partnership that in 1999 brought in initiatives to improve CE at programme, institutional and national level and to conceptualise and implement CE as a core function of higher education in SA. [7] The SA Higher Education Community Engagement Forum (SAHECEF), formed in 2009, provides a national forum where 23 universities in SA are represented. Higher education standards for nursing education implies approaches that will produce students who are able to impact health at community level. Nurses and other healthcare workers are crucial in helping to improve the health and wellbeing of populations, as well as in improving the social

The Development of an Implementation Framework for Service-Learning in the Undergraduate Nursing Programme in the Western Cape

In this doctoral thesis, I explored how the national guidelines for higher education to instituti... more In this doctoral thesis, I explored how the national guidelines for higher education to institutionalise service-learning as a particular type of community engagement were implemented in South African higher education institutions. Whilst the particular School of Nursing where the study was conducted was cognisant of the national policy imperative on service-learning as stipulated in the guidelines of the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC), operationalisation within the academic programmes had not been addressed. An intervention study was thus undertaken to develop a service-learning implementation framework for the School of Nursing using the multi-phased design and development model of Rothman and Thomas (1994). The factors that influenced the implementation of the HEQC’s service-learning policy guidelines in the nursing programmes were explored during the first phase: problem analysis and project planning. During this phase, the research focused on the readiness of the sch...

Critical success factors for institutionalising service-learning in a nursing programme at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa : teaching and learning

African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 2014

Scholars in the fields of community engagement contend that the service-learning (SL) policy impl... more Scholars in the fields of community engagement contend that the service-learning (SL) policy implementation in higher education is more likely to be successful when there is a strong institutional commitment and the policy implementation is well conceptualised. Research indicates that most higher education institutions in South Africa failed to operationalise the national SL policy, which mandates the incorporation of social responsiveness in their academic programmes. This quantitative study investigated whether a university in the Western Cape had created an enabling environment for a school of nursing to institutionalise service learning in the nursing programme. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using total sampling (n=48) to collect data on the operationalisation of the critical success factors and the stage of SL institutionalisation for each of Furco's five dimensions. Furco's self-assessment tool for service-learning institutionalisation was modified. A descript...

Critical success factors for institutionalising service-learning in a nursing programme at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa

African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 2014

Scholars in the fields of community engagement contend that the service-learning (SL) policy impl... more Scholars in the fields of community engagement contend that the service-learning (SL) policy implementation in higher education is more likely to be successful when there is a strong institutional commitment and the policy implementation is well conceptualised. Research indicates that most higher education institutions in South Africa failed to operationalise the national SL policy, which mandates the incorporation of social responsiveness in their academic programmes. This quantitative study investigated whether a university in the Western Cape had created an enabling environment for a school of nursing to institutionalise service learning in the nursing programme. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using total sampling (n=48) to collect data on the operationalisation of the critical success factors and the stage of SL institutionalisation for each of Furco’s five dimensions. Furco’s self-assessment tool for servicelearning institutionalisation was modified. A descriptive analy...

Evaluating blogging as a reflective strategy in a service-learning module for undergraduate nursing students : teaching and learning

African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 2014

Literature suggests that blogging has the potential to be a transformational technology for teach... more Literature suggests that blogging has the potential to be a transformational technology for teaching and learning. It is claimed that blogging is a useful practice for development of higherorder learning skills, active, learner-centred pedagogy, authentic learning, associative thinking, and interactive learning communities. At a school of nursing students are expected to be active participants in constructing knowledge and to build upon constructive learning principles through the use of e-tools such as forums, chat rooms and blogs. Hence an online module was designed for the fourth-year undergraduate nursing programme that requires students to engage in and reflect on a service learning community project. The reflection activities were accomplished through blogging and were expected to be completed according to the allocated structure. The main pedagogic objective was to reflect upon and discuss module content and/or issues that arose out of their learning experiences. Quantitative...

Piloting of a service-learning pedagogical model: student perceptions of the gender based violence service-learning module at a school of nursing in the Western Cape

Research indicates that most higher education institutions in South Africa fail to establish a st... more Research indicates that most higher education institutions in South Africa fail to establish a standard practice for service-learning (SL) in the formalised systems of their respective academic programmes. An intervention study was undertaken to develop a service-learning implementation framework for the school of nursing, using the multi-phased design and development model of Rothman and Thomas. This article focuses on reporting the findings related to student perceptions of the gender-based violence service-learning module during the piloting phase. This was a quantitative, exploratory, descriptive study which used a structured questionnaire for data collection. Participants were 162 final-year nursing students enrolled in 2012. The students indicated the mutual benefits of community work in terms of the learning they had experienced, the service the community had received, as well as the transformation that had assisted them to translate theory into practice. Also, the students indicated that service-learning as a teaching methodology was demanding in terms of time, cost, and effort, and generally found it quite challenging to engage with the module content because the blogging and structured reflection were cited as new teaching strategies. Service-learning modules should bear a higher credit rating to compensate for demands of the service-learning pedagogy in terms of time and finances. Students should also be introduced to community partners and their expectations before the commencement of the project.