Shakila Singh

Degrees Held

2003 D Ed University of Durban Westville (UDW), SA Education
1999 MEd UDW, SA Education
1996 BEd (Hons) UDW, SA Science Education
1994 HED University of SA Science Education
1989 B Sc UDW, SA Science

Profile

Experience

Accomplishments

Awards

Experience

Accomplishments

Awards

Research Interests

Gender Education; Gender, Teenage pregnancy; sexuality and HIV, Gender violence

Teaching Interests

Gender Education; Gender, Teenage pregnancy; sexuality and HIV, Gender violence

Student Supervision

PhD, Masters, Hons projects in the fields of Gender Education; Gender, Teenage pregnancy; Sexuality and HIV, Gender violence

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

Peer-reviewed Chapters in Books

Research Projects

Journal Articles

Peer-reviewed Chapters in Books

Research Projects

Current: Project Title: Alcohol use at higher education institutions.
Overall goals: This project is funded by the NRF. Alcohol use is a growing concern in South Africa and has been associated with sexual risk and high rates of gender-based violence. Furthermore, sexual risk and gender based violence have been found to be closely connected to HIV infection, which continues to be serious threat in South Africa. This project will explore alcohol use at a selected South African higher education institution (HEI), with particular focus on gender and sexuality. It aims foster collaboration amongst researchers and students with a view to understand and intervene in creating higher education institutions as safe and conducive learning spaces. This study employs a gendered perspective to facilitate more nuanced understandings of student identities and its connections to drinking motives and alcohol-related behaviours amongst university students. Given the South African context of high levels of gender based violence and HIV, the association of alcohol use, sexual risk and gender based violence, is significant.
Position: Principal Investigator

Current: Project Title: Alcohol use at higher education institutions.

Overall goals: This project is funded by the NRF. Alcohol use is a growing concern in South Africa and has been associated with sexual risk and high rates of gender-based violence. Furthermore, sexual risk and gender based violence have been found to be closely connected to HIV infection, which continues to be serious threat in South Africa. This project will explore alcohol use at a selected South African higher education institution (HEI), with particular focus on gender and sexuality. It aims foster collaboration amongst researchers and students with a view to understand and intervene in creating higher education institutions as safe and conducive learning spaces. This study employs a gendered perspective to facilitate more nuanced understandings of student identities and its connections to drinking motives and alcohol-related behaviours amongst university students. Given the South African context of high levels of gender based violence and HIV, the association of alcohol use, sexual risk and gender based violence, is significant.

Position: Principal Investigator

(2013-2015). Project title: Safer learning environments: Reducing gender based violence at UKZN residences and selected schools.
Overall goals: This project is funded by the NRF. The overall goals of this project include a commitment to the improvement in the quality of education by creating safe learning environments where male and female students can participate fully and freely. This study attempts to provide reliable statistics on the extent, the location, the times and the nature of gender-based violence (GBV) at UKZN. There are no available statistics of this kind. It contributes to addressing methodological challenges of accessing reliable data and researching in sensitive areas. It engages students in reflecting on their social, cultural, political, educational and institutional circumstances that make them vulnerable to being victims and/or perpetrators of GBV. It entails working with students rather than for students. This reflection challenges some of the social, cultural, political, educational and institutional circumstances that make them vulnerable, and facilitates the development of strategies to reduce GBV at university.
Position: Principal Investigator

(2013-2015). Project title: Safer learning environments: Reducing gender based violence at UKZN residences and selected schools.

Overall goals: This project is funded by the NRF. The overall goals of this project include a commitment to the improvement in the quality of education by creating safe learning environments where male and female students can participate fully and freely.
This study attempts to provide reliable statistics on the extent, the location, the times and the nature of gender-based violence (GBV) at UKZN. There are no available statistics of this kind. It contributes to addressing methodological
challenges of accessing reliable data and researching in sensitive areas. It engages students in reflecting on their social, cultural, political, educational and institutional circumstances that make them vulnerable to being victims and/or
perpetrators of GBV. It entails working with students rather than for students. This reflection challenges some of the social, cultural, political, educational and institutional circumstances that make
them vulnerable, and facilitates the development of strategies to reduce GBV at university.

Position: Principal Investigator

(2015-2016). Project title: Exploring support-seeking behaviours of male undergraduate students at UKZN (with Dr Ronicka Mudaly, Dr Vimolan Mudaly, Dr Asheena Singh-Pillay, Ms Bongeka Mabaso).
Overall goals: This project is funded by the UTLO office of UKZN. The overall goals include: To explore male undergraduate students’ perceptions about support provided at UKZN, to explore the social construction of gender in male undergraduate students’ support-seeking behaviours at UKZN, to explore social norms and ideologies influencing male undergraduate students’ support-seeking behaviour, and to explore male undergraduate students’ perceptions about the effects of support-seeking behaviour on academic performance.
Position: Core Research Team member

(2015-2016). Project title: Exploring support-seeking behaviours of male undergraduate students at UKZN (with Dr Ronicka Mudaly, Dr Vimolan Mudaly, Dr Asheena Singh-Pillay, Ms Bongeka Mabaso).

Overall goals: This project is funded by the UTLO office of UKZN. The overall goals include: To explore male undergraduate students’ perceptions about support provided at UKZN, to explore the social construction of gender
in male undergraduate students’ support-seeking behaviours at UKZN, to explore social norms and ideologies influencing male undergraduate students’ support-seeking behaviour, and to explore male undergraduate students’ perceptions about
the effects of support-seeking behaviour on academic performance.

Position: Core Research Team member

(2011-2014). Project title: Exploring and showcasing the work of lecturers/tutors/fieldworkers who contribute to the teaching and learning of HIV&AIDS education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (with Dr Linda van Laren, Dr Kathleen Pithouse-Morgan, Pr/td>
of Claudia Mitchell and Dr Ronicka Mudaly)
Overall goals: This project was funded by the UTLO office of UKZN. The overall goals included an exploration of the experiences and work of university educators who are involved in curriculum innovating through integrating HIV & AIDS in their teaching at a South African university. The study aimed to locate, document, highlight, encourage and explore further possibilities for curriculum innovating through integrating HIV & AIDS in Higher Education.
Position: Core Research Team member

(2010- 2012). Project Title: To have and to hold: Young adults’ understandings of and preparation for life within marriage
Overall goals: The overall goal of the study was to explore the gendered expectations of young adults of their own roles and those of their marriage partners. The study focused on young people’s understandings about and preparedness for dealing with safety within marriage, with particular relevance to the context of HIV/AIDS.
Position: Principal Investigator

(2011). Project Title: Smoking amongst female university students
Overall goals: The overall goals of the project included an attempt to understand why more female university students have taken up smoking in spite of the possible negative impacts that this may have on their health. It also looked at the intersections of gender, race, and class in the particular meanings that female student smokers attach to their versions of femininity. An important focus was to understand female university students’ notions of empowerment, freedom and responsibility in relation to possible health risks.
Position: Principal Investigator

(2011). Project Title: Smoking amongst female university students

Overall goals: The overall goals of the project included an attempt to understand why more female university students have taken up smoking in spite of the possible negative impacts that this may have on their health. It also looked at the intersections
of gender, race, and class in the particular meanings that female student smokers attach to their versions of femininity. An important focus was to understand female university students’ notions of empowerment, freedom and responsibility
in relation to possible health risks.

Position: Principal Investigator

Community Involvement

Participatory research- working with students and schools towards addressing gender violence and creating safer learning environments

Postgraduate Student Supervision

MEd

PhD

MEd

PhD

School of Education

Degrees Held

Profile

Research Interests

Teaching Interests

Student Supervision

Selected Publications

Community Involvement

Postgraduate Student Supervision

Inspiring Greatness