Browsing by Author "Jackson, Justine"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Adapting to a COVID world: A comparative study of participants’ experiences of online vs. face-to-face facilitation
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-04) Jackson, Justine; Kafaar, Zuhayr; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY: This thesis explored the differences and similarities between feedback from those who experienced a synchronous online workshop vs those who experienced the same workshop in a face-to-face delivery method. The workshop that I got the feedback sheets from was a cognitive behavioural workshop delivered to adults in a corporate environment in South Africa. It was a 4-day workshop, which looked at shifting unhelpful behaviour in both the work and home environment. My research attempted to aid in the understanding and to further explore both differences and similarities in terms of the feedback and whether there were any differences and similarities in terms of the experience of either format. This may assist decision-makers to make more informed choices as to whether to continue developing employees or to cancel training altogether if online learning is the only option. Should there be only limited academic research to base decisions on, there is a risk that corporates will choose to either abandon training or follow their own lead and agendas when it comes to financing training for their employees. This is a potentially significant risk that could be mitigated with enough formal research regarding face-to-face versus online learning. My hope is that my thesis will add to the body of formal research on this topic and also provide more relevance in terms of the South African context. This research may also be relied upon since almost a third of the country is vaccinated and businesses are considering new hybrid ways of working and whether or not to reopen face-to-face training or to consider a synchronous training as the new normal. This thesis employed a thematic analysis in order to generate themes through the data. Through the data analysis there were five themes that emerged, namely: “The Link Between Perceived Value and Impact”, “The Effect of an Informal Light-Hearted Learning Environment”, “Engagement Always Wins”, “Gratefulness for Personal Growth” and “Experienced Irritations”. In response to the key research question, What are the differences and similarities between adult learners’ experiences of the cognitive-behavioural training workshop when performed virtually versus face-to-face, I picked up on some clear similarities as well as some unique differences. The differences were that the feedback sheets received from the face-to-face workshops had no comments about connectivity issues. “Experienced Irritations” comments from those in the faceto- face workshop revolved more around the course participants themselves feeling drained or tired at the end of the workshop. An additional difference in the feedback from the participants in the different formats was found under the theme “The Effect of an Informal Learning Environment”. There were also differences under the theme “Creating Safe Spaces”. For the rest of the themes and subthemes, both formats seemed remarkably similar in their feedback and the participants overall experiences.