The interconnectedness between the wellbeing of undergraduate students of religion studies and the curriculum

Abstract

This study investigated the factors that support the wellbeing of undergraduate students in religion studies and religion at a large public university in South Africa. An ethnomethodological, interpretive research design was adopted to explore the intricacies between students’ wellbeing and the environment within which they pursue their academic aspirations in religion studies. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews ( n= 20) and two focus group discussions ( n= 8 ) . The interviews were audio- recorded, transcribed, and verified independently. The data were then analysed by means of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) . IPA provides an avenue for detailed examinations of personal lived experiences. Two unique themes emerged from the analysis, namely, that the wellbeing of the religion studies students in the study was supported by i) the pre-existing theoretical content of their theological studies, and ii) the quality of the academic relationship with their lecturers. This reconnaissance of the terrain of the lived experiences and wellbeing of religion studies students indicated the distinct nature of the constellations of wellbeing for students of religion studies, the entrenched symbiosis between curricula, the paradigms underpinning the curricula, and the role of lecturers in student wellbeing.