Beating all odds to earn a PhD

EMBARKING on a PhD is a challenging task for most students, but Faaiza Shaikh went above and beyond what’s usually required, despite her visual and audio processing challenges.

Shaikh, who is on the UKZN staff, earned her doctorate in psychology, focusing on university students with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and their coping mechanisms. She examined the use of “mindfulness breathing meditation” as a coping mechanism for ADHD symptoms.

“I was keen on creating awareness on the impact of ADHD on learning, tools and coping mechanisms students employed as well as services rendered to students,” she said.

“On a broader level, I wanted to create a space for the voices and experiences of the marginalised to reduce inequalities and enhance human rights and social justice.”

Students with ADHD, she said, still face many challenge. This suggested a more integrated approach to management and accommodation was needed. Shaikh embarked on her PhD journey as a student with visual and audio processing challenges, taking longer than the average person to complete a thesis.

Due to this, and the large volume of reading required, she submitted a 12 chapter thesis, challenging the norm of six or seven chapters.

She hopes her research will create awareness on ADHD in a tertiary setting and provide a framework for institutions to utilise when rendering services to those with the disorder.

Despite coping with the death of her son, Patricia Govender, seated in front among other students, has realised her dream of graduating with a PhD.

Faaiza Shaikh graduating with a PhD in psychology. She is pictured with UKZN Registrar, Simon Mokoena.Picture: Rajesh Jantilal