
Religiosity, Spirituality, and Academic Resilience:
A study of First-Generation black students
Issue: Vol. 7 No. 7 2026 Article 4 pp. 741 – 760
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2026774 Published online 19th August 2026.
© 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords: Religion, Spirituality, Academic Resilience, First-generation Students, Black students, South Africa.
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Vincent Mabvurira is an Associate Professor and Researcher in Community Psychosocial Research Entity (COMPRES), North-West University, South Africa. His research interests are in the interface among religion, spirituality and social work as well as child protection, indigenous knowledge systems and environmental social work.
Curwyn Mapaling is an Associate Professor of Psychology and a registered clinical psychologist at North-West University, where he is a programme leader in the Optentia Research Unit. His research focuses on mental health and wellbeing in higher education and high-pressure institutions, with interests in belonging, resilience, and psychosocial interventions, including cross-cultural and applied work in African contexts.
Juliette Bih Nkarenbi is an emerging researcher and a postdoctoral fellow within the Community Psychosocial Research Entity (COMPRES) at the North-West University, South Africa. Her research skills and expertise are based on quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodologies, while her focus areas are mental health, Well-being, psychology of adolescents, migration, social support and religion and psychology.
Mabvurira, Vincent; Curwyn Mapaling, and Juliette Bih Nkarenbi. “Religiosity, Spirituality, and Academic Resilience: A study of First-Generation black students at a South African public university.” Journal of Education and Learning Technology 7, no.7 (2026): 741 – 760. https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2026774
© 2026 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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