A participatory lens to enhance collaborative learning among university students in rural South Africa

Collaborative learning has been recognised as a highly effective approach to enhancing critical thinking, problem-solving, and overall academic performance. However, rural university students face unique challenges that may hinder their participation and engagement in collaborative learning activities. This gap may subsequently affect their learning effectiveness, leading to poor academic performance. Therefore, this study explores the challenges faced by rurally located university students in collaborative learning and strategies to enhance their participation. The study is underpinned by social learning theory and framed within a transformative paradigm using a qualitative research approach. Participatory Research was employed as a research design to provide inclusive opportunities for participants to be actively involved in the process of finding solutions to their problems. Focus group discussions were conducted to elicit information from 10 randomly selected rural university students enrolled in a particular module at a selected university in the Eastern Cape province. Thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the data. The results indicate that the main challenges faced by rural university students in collaborative learning include limited access to resources and technology, conflicting time schedules, and the unavailability of students. In contrast, providing adequate access to resources and technology, along with social and institutional support, is essential for enhancing collaborative learning among students in rural universities. In conclusion, promoting collaborative learning among rural university students requires universities to invest in adequate resources, implement flexible learning schedules, and create supportive learning environments.