Inclusiveness of teaching and learning to LGBTIQ individuals during COVID-19 and beyond
Azwihangwisi Helen Mavhandu-Mudzusi 
& Thulile Pearl Shandu-Phetla
Issue: Vol.3 No.11 October 2022 Post COVID-19 Special Issue Article 21 pp.277-292
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2022sp31122 | Published online 7th November 2022.
© 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) has changed teaching and learning activities in several ways. One of the changes is the transition of most higher learning institutions from face-to-face to either blended or fully online modes of teaching and learning. This paper discusses the experiences of LGBTIQ students regarding the inclusiveness of the teaching and learning strategies used during COVID-19 and beyond. The study followed the phenomenography design. Data were collected from sixteen LGBTIQ students in higher education institutions, recruited through the snowballing technique. The analysis was guided by phenomenographic steps of data analysis. The findings indicated variations in safety and access to online education for LGBTIQ individuals. Some viewed COVID-19-induced online teaching and learning as a panacea for their long-standing exclusion from the homo- and transphobic higher education environment. However, to other participants, online education posed more threats to their safety due to cyberbullying related to the increased sharing of contact details, be it WhatsApp numbers or email addresses. Recommendations are made to improve inclusiveness in education for LGBTIQ individuals, focusing on the flexibility of teaching and learning modes in order to meet the needs of diverse student populations while ensuring access and safety.
Keywords: COVID-19, Inclusiveness, Institutions of higher education, LGBTIQ individuals, teaching and learning
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Prof. Azwihangwisi Helen Mavhandu-Mudzusi is a Professor of Health Studies at the College of Human Sciences, University of South Africa. She holds a PhD in Education (Public Administration). Her research focuses on Health studies, HIV-AIDS and LGBTIQ.
Dr. Thulile Pearl Shandu-Phetla is a Senior Lecturer of English Studies at the College of Human Sciences, University of South Africa. She holds a D Litt et Phil: English. Her research focuses on Applied English Language Studies, technology-enhanced learning and ODL.
Mavhandu-Mudzusi, A.H. & Shandu-Phetla, T.P. “Inclusiveness of teaching and learning to LGBTIQ individuals during COVID-19 and beyond,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 3, no.11 (2022):277-292. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2022sp31122
© 2022 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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