Wint, Natalie;
Mapaling, Curwyn;
(2024)
Resilience in Context: A Comparative Study of Engineering Students in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
In:
Proceedings of the 52nd Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI).
(pp. 1-12 [AAM]).
SEFI
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Abstract
This qualitative study investigates the academic resilience of engineering students within the distinct cultural, social, and institutional landscapes of the United Kingdom and South Africa. Engaging with 36 participants through semi-structured interviews, the research aimed to discern the elements fostering academic resilience and gauge students’ preparedness for professional life. Two overarching themes were identified: similarities and differences in resilience experiences in these two contexts. Under similarities, individual resilience traits such as hard work, determination, and growth mindset emerged prominently, alongside the shared challenges of academic pressures and the transition to university life. The importance of support systems, including the role of peers, faculty, and university resources, was acknowledged across both contexts. Differences highlighted di stinct institutional and cultural influences on resilience: South Africa grappled with resource constraints, technological gaps, and historical educational disparities, while the UK experience revealed more detailed insights into the role of institutional support and introspective resilience. By contributing to the discourse on engineering education and student success, this research underscores the imperative for engineering programmes to focus on nurturing resilient, future-ready responsible engineers, and emphasises the value of cross-cultural insights and cooperation in fostering inclusive and supportive environments that respond to the unique needs of students in different educational contexts.
| Type: | Proceedings paper |
|---|---|
| Title: | Resilience in Context: A Comparative Study of Engineering Students in the United Kingdom and South Africa |
| Event: | The 52nd Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Publisher version: | https://sefi2024.eu/ |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > STEaPP |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10199236 |
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