Abstract:

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Higher Education Institutions were forced to implement online learning that afforded university students the ability to continue their education. This educational shift to online learning posed many challenges concerning social connectedness and empathy. Social connectedness and empathy are fundamental human-related skills, which are needed for students to socially interact with others, as well as within various healthcare-related careers. This study aimed to explore how the COVID-19 Pandemic influenced postgraduate psychology students' perceptions and experiences of empathy and social connectedness in a South African context. Through this research, the value of the hidden curriculum was amplified. To capture the in-depth data needed, a qualitative exploratory research design was used, whereby ten participants were interviewed and a thematic analysis was conducted. Ethical considerations guided the research process. The key findings of this research were that the online learning environment increased feelings of social isolation and disconnection between peers and lecturers. Another key finding was the non-verbal barrier and absence of social skills that occurred in online learning environments, impacted empathy development. The social space in face-to-face learning contexts is known as the hidden curriculum and was found to be as important as the formal curriculum, as students perceived that learning within a social space facilitated empathy development.

Keywords:

Social connectedness, empathy, higher education, COVID-19 pandemic, qualitative exploratory research design.