Risk and resilience among students in the context of COVID-19: The case of One South African University

This chapter reports the findings of a qualitative study that explored risk and resilience among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample comprised 33 pre-graduates within a Bachelor of Education program in one institution. Data were collected through a questionnaire containing open-ended questions. Content analysis yielded five themes, namely personal resilience risks limiting curriculum access, socioecological resilience risks limiting curriculum access, personal resilience resources enabling curriculum access, socioecological resilience resources enabling curriculum access, and support needed to access the curriculum. The findings showed that students experienced risks at personal and socioecological levels. However, they coped resiliently through a complex combination of personal and socioecological resilience resources. The findings suggest that South African universities should maximise online access to the curriculum.