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This study uses the principle of participatory parity (PP) espoused by Fraser (2008, 2009) for exploring social work students’ experiences of enabling and constraining factors in advancing their engagement with and involvement in a specific university. This study therefore explores factors related to this phenomenon using Fraser’s framework. Eight participants volunteered to form part of this qualitative study using three methods of participatory learning action (PLA) data collection, namely, the river of life, community maps and focus group discussions. Findings explore whether the economic, cultural and political dimensions of PP limit or facilitate student engagement and involvement.

In a postcolonial context, the influences of South African colonial and apartheid history are still visible, and much has been written about the need to decolonize learning and teaching practices. However, student protest movements point to a general dissatisfaction with the higher education context in a postcolonial and postapartheid society. In an effort to acknowledge this dissatisfaction, this article examines the concepts of colonialism, decolonization and decoloniality, and postcolonialism, and explores how an understanding thereof could contribute to decolonized social work education. Four strategies to employ in decolonized learning and teaching are proposed; namely, creating opportunities for conversations, exploring how we think about colonialism and decolonization, aiming for Africanization, and centralizing African culture and identity within the South African context.

Youth involvement in criminal gangs is rife in a particular area of Cape Town, the capital city of Western Cape, South Africa, known as the Cape Flats. But the Cape Flats is not unique and the youth's susceptibility to join these gangs cuts across cultures and societies. Wherever there is marginalisation and disadvantage, social issues emerge that are difficult to combat because of systemic and structural barriers. Community workers and those who live in these areas are often at their wits end trying to combat the allure that gang membership holds for their teenage children. This article reports on a study that was part of a larger research study conducted between 2016-2018 by social work students at a university situated in the area. The article reflects the findings of the 2018 study that focused on the perceptions and experiences of those who work or provide services in the area. The aim of the study was to explore the participants' experiences of gang violence during service provision and their opinions about ways to address their concerns. A qualitative approach, utilising an intervention mapping design was used. Individual interviews were conducted with 325 service providers on the Cape Flats. Two main themes emerged from thematic data analysis, namely, impact on service providers and service delivery, and suggested interventions and solutions. The implications of the findings are that the increasing violence has severe consequences on service provision in communities and is disruptive and traumatising to everybody involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on integration of theoretical knowledge and practice learning by students in social work education. Topics discussed include United World Colleges (UWC), a social service institution for education; teaching techniques of teachers; approach called outcomes-based education (OBE); and challenges faced by third-year social work students in the integration. Other topics include viewpoints of G. Clapton and V. Cree; and South Africa's education system.

The article presents a study on the effect of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) to the professional requirements for social work education at South African universities like the University of the Western Cape. It says that written assignments which explore students' experiences and influences that built their self-concept and how they are connected to the community were used. Results show that social work students' self-concept development experiences revealed traumatic family circumstances.

The article presents a study on the academic support for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) students in South Africa. The researcher followed qualitative approach and obtained the perceptions of a focus group of prior learning experiences. It says that students' responses were of confusion in their semester at a higher education institution (HEI). It ends that they tend to use prior learning experiences before entering universities in order to survive educational barriers like matriculation.