"Soap operas as a platform for disseminating health information regarding ART and the use of 'reel' versus 'real' role models"
- Authors: Deiner, Catherine Anne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Isidingo (Television program) , Television soap operas -- South Africa , Health in mass media , Mass media in health education -- South Africa , Antiretroviral agents -- South Africa , Public health -- Moral and ethical aspects , HIV-positive women -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3542 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017783
- Description: The media, through development communication and edutainment, plays a critical role in the transformation of societies. In line with this, this thesis discusses the extent to which commercially driven prosocial soap operas can provide a platform for public health messaging, in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa, for antiretroviral treatment (ART) and for encouraging ART adherence to foster national development. Furthermore, this thesis examined the potential of celebrities as HIV/AIDS ambassadors and the potential of both fictional characters and ‘real-life’ celebrities to disseminate these health messages. Although the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa is stabilising, this is not the time to relax the communication around the disease, particularly regarding adherence to ARVs, considering that South Africa has the largest ARV rollout in the world. The qualitative methodological approach taken for this thesis is a three-step approach examining the intended message, the text and the appropriated message by viewers. Firstly, a thematic content analysis of an episode of Isidingo, that illustrated Nandipha as HIV-positive and the side-effects that came with her ART adherence, and the 3Talk interview with Lesego Motsepe, where she announced that she was weaning herself off ART, was done in order to understand the intended health messaging in the soap opera and the health message disseminated by an HIV-positive actress with regards to ART. Thereafter interview responses by the production team as well as by HIV-positive viewers, using ARVs, were thematised. In addition media texts which provided commentary on the use of a celebrity as a HIV-positive role model were examined. In doing this, this thesis has offered up the meanings of how HIV-positive women taking ARVs and living in Makana experience and understand the media, particularly health messaging relating to ARVs. The findings of this study suggest that commercial soap operas are the perfect platform to address HIV/AIDS and that prosocial health messaging regarding ARV adherence is still necessary in this country. Soap operas have the potential to have an educational angle. Although, HIV-positive individuals serve as better role models as they are authentic; given human nature, fictional characters, such as Nandipha Matabane in Isidingo, may be more sustainable role models as their message can be scientifically-based and well-researched. Realistic characters serve as role models whose behaviour is to be emulated. Soap operas appeal to a wide audience and so storylines can be tailor-made according to the times and the needs in terms of health issues and messaging. Thus, soap operas are not a single platform but rather one which can be exploited to maximum advantage for public health messaging.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Deiner, Catherine Anne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Isidingo (Television program) , Television soap operas -- South Africa , Health in mass media , Mass media in health education -- South Africa , Antiretroviral agents -- South Africa , Public health -- Moral and ethical aspects , HIV-positive women -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3542 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017783
- Description: The media, through development communication and edutainment, plays a critical role in the transformation of societies. In line with this, this thesis discusses the extent to which commercially driven prosocial soap operas can provide a platform for public health messaging, in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa, for antiretroviral treatment (ART) and for encouraging ART adherence to foster national development. Furthermore, this thesis examined the potential of celebrities as HIV/AIDS ambassadors and the potential of both fictional characters and ‘real-life’ celebrities to disseminate these health messages. Although the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa is stabilising, this is not the time to relax the communication around the disease, particularly regarding adherence to ARVs, considering that South Africa has the largest ARV rollout in the world. The qualitative methodological approach taken for this thesis is a three-step approach examining the intended message, the text and the appropriated message by viewers. Firstly, a thematic content analysis of an episode of Isidingo, that illustrated Nandipha as HIV-positive and the side-effects that came with her ART adherence, and the 3Talk interview with Lesego Motsepe, where she announced that she was weaning herself off ART, was done in order to understand the intended health messaging in the soap opera and the health message disseminated by an HIV-positive actress with regards to ART. Thereafter interview responses by the production team as well as by HIV-positive viewers, using ARVs, were thematised. In addition media texts which provided commentary on the use of a celebrity as a HIV-positive role model were examined. In doing this, this thesis has offered up the meanings of how HIV-positive women taking ARVs and living in Makana experience and understand the media, particularly health messaging relating to ARVs. The findings of this study suggest that commercial soap operas are the perfect platform to address HIV/AIDS and that prosocial health messaging regarding ARV adherence is still necessary in this country. Soap operas have the potential to have an educational angle. Although, HIV-positive individuals serve as better role models as they are authentic; given human nature, fictional characters, such as Nandipha Matabane in Isidingo, may be more sustainable role models as their message can be scientifically-based and well-researched. Realistic characters serve as role models whose behaviour is to be emulated. Soap operas appeal to a wide audience and so storylines can be tailor-made according to the times and the needs in terms of health issues and messaging. Thus, soap operas are not a single platform but rather one which can be exploited to maximum advantage for public health messaging.
- Full Text:
"Why Persephone?" investigating the unique position of Persephone as a dying god(dess) offering hope for the afterlife
- Authors: Goodwin, Grant
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Mythology, Greek , Gods, Greek , Future life , Greece -- Religious life and customs , Persephone -- (Greek deity)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3655 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017896
- Description: Persephone’s myth is unique, as it was the central narrative of one of the most prominent ancient mystery religions, and remains one of the few (certainly the most prominent) ancient Greek myths to focus on the relationship of a mother and her daughter. This unique focus must have offered her worshippers something important that they perhaps could not find elsewhere, especially as a complex and elaborate cult grew around it, transforming the divine allegory of the changing seasons or the storage of the grain beneath the earth, into a narrative offering hope for a better place in the afterlife. To understand the appeal of this myth, two aspects of her worship and mythic significance require study: the expectations of her worshippers for their own lives, to which the goddess may have been seen as a forerunner; and the mythic frameworks operating which would characterise the goddess for her worshippers. The myth, as described in The Hymn to Demeter, is initially interpreted for its literary meaning, and then set within its cultural milieu to uncover what meaning it may have had for Persephone’s worshippers, particularly in terms of marriage and death, which form the initial motivating action of the myth. From this socio-anthropological study we turn to the mythic patterns and motifs the story offers, particularly the figure of the goddess of the Underworld (primarily in the influential Mesopotamian literature), and the Dying-Rising God figure (similarly derived from the Near East). These figures, when compared to the Greek goddess, may both reveal her unique appeal, and highlight the common attractions that lie in the figures generally. By this two-part investigation, on the particular culture’s expectations and the general mythic framework she exists in, Persephone’s meaning in her native land may be uncovered and understood.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Goodwin, Grant
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Mythology, Greek , Gods, Greek , Future life , Greece -- Religious life and customs , Persephone -- (Greek deity)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3655 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017896
- Description: Persephone’s myth is unique, as it was the central narrative of one of the most prominent ancient mystery religions, and remains one of the few (certainly the most prominent) ancient Greek myths to focus on the relationship of a mother and her daughter. This unique focus must have offered her worshippers something important that they perhaps could not find elsewhere, especially as a complex and elaborate cult grew around it, transforming the divine allegory of the changing seasons or the storage of the grain beneath the earth, into a narrative offering hope for a better place in the afterlife. To understand the appeal of this myth, two aspects of her worship and mythic significance require study: the expectations of her worshippers for their own lives, to which the goddess may have been seen as a forerunner; and the mythic frameworks operating which would characterise the goddess for her worshippers. The myth, as described in The Hymn to Demeter, is initially interpreted for its literary meaning, and then set within its cultural milieu to uncover what meaning it may have had for Persephone’s worshippers, particularly in terms of marriage and death, which form the initial motivating action of the myth. From this socio-anthropological study we turn to the mythic patterns and motifs the story offers, particularly the figure of the goddess of the Underworld (primarily in the influential Mesopotamian literature), and the Dying-Rising God figure (similarly derived from the Near East). These figures, when compared to the Greek goddess, may both reveal her unique appeal, and highlight the common attractions that lie in the figures generally. By this two-part investigation, on the particular culture’s expectations and the general mythic framework she exists in, Persephone’s meaning in her native land may be uncovered and understood.
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A sociological analysis of the production, marketing and distribution of contemporary popular music by Zambian musicians
- Authors: Kazadi, Kanyabu Solomon
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Popular music -- Zambia , Musicians -- Zambia , Sound recording industry -- Zambia , Popular music -- Production and direction -- Zambia , Popular music -- Marketing , Intellectual property -- Zambia , Copyright -- Royalties -- Zambia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3404 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018933
- Description: The purpose of this research was to gather information about the production, marketing and distribution of Zambian contemporary music by Zambian musicians. Very little information has been documented about the development of the Zambian music industry, particularly from the perspective of those within the industry. As a result this study attempted to add to this knowledge. To achieve this Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical concepts of ‘fields’ and ‘habitus’ were used to gain an understanding of what affects the creation of art forms such as music as well as the structures and underlying processes within the music industry. The concept of ‘fields’ usefully framed an explanation of the struggles and connections within the various fields in the industry and a view of the Zambian music industry in relation to the international industry. To gather the data necessary for this research a qualitative approach was utilised involving semistructured in-depth questionnaires from twenty-three interviewees. These interviewees were selected from various sectors of the music industry in an attempt to gain a holistic perspective of the industry in the 21st century. There were four subgroups: the artists (singers, rappers and instrumentalists), managers, radio DJs, and a miscellaneous group made up of the remaining participants, a Sounds Arcade manager, a music journalist, the National Arts Council Chairperson, a Zambia Music Copyright Protection Society (ZAMCOPS) administrator, and the then President of the Zambia Association of Musicians (ZAM). With the limited exposure to formal musical, instrumental and production training, musicians, instrumentalists, managers and studio production personnel interviewed had had to learn their craft on-the-job. This limited knowledge appears to add to the hindrance of the development of careers and the industry, particularly in terms of how to register and distribute music correctly to earn royalties and protect their intellectual property against piracy. From an institutional level piracy is being addressed more forcefully with the introduction of holograms and the tightening of policies and structures to do with the music industry.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Kazadi, Kanyabu Solomon
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Popular music -- Zambia , Musicians -- Zambia , Sound recording industry -- Zambia , Popular music -- Production and direction -- Zambia , Popular music -- Marketing , Intellectual property -- Zambia , Copyright -- Royalties -- Zambia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3404 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018933
- Description: The purpose of this research was to gather information about the production, marketing and distribution of Zambian contemporary music by Zambian musicians. Very little information has been documented about the development of the Zambian music industry, particularly from the perspective of those within the industry. As a result this study attempted to add to this knowledge. To achieve this Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical concepts of ‘fields’ and ‘habitus’ were used to gain an understanding of what affects the creation of art forms such as music as well as the structures and underlying processes within the music industry. The concept of ‘fields’ usefully framed an explanation of the struggles and connections within the various fields in the industry and a view of the Zambian music industry in relation to the international industry. To gather the data necessary for this research a qualitative approach was utilised involving semistructured in-depth questionnaires from twenty-three interviewees. These interviewees were selected from various sectors of the music industry in an attempt to gain a holistic perspective of the industry in the 21st century. There were four subgroups: the artists (singers, rappers and instrumentalists), managers, radio DJs, and a miscellaneous group made up of the remaining participants, a Sounds Arcade manager, a music journalist, the National Arts Council Chairperson, a Zambia Music Copyright Protection Society (ZAMCOPS) administrator, and the then President of the Zambia Association of Musicians (ZAM). With the limited exposure to formal musical, instrumental and production training, musicians, instrumentalists, managers and studio production personnel interviewed had had to learn their craft on-the-job. This limited knowledge appears to add to the hindrance of the development of careers and the industry, particularly in terms of how to register and distribute music correctly to earn royalties and protect their intellectual property against piracy. From an institutional level piracy is being addressed more forcefully with the introduction of holograms and the tightening of policies and structures to do with the music industry.
- Full Text:
An interrogation of the representation of the San and Tonga ethnic ‘minorities’ in the Zimbabwean state-owned Chronicle, and the privately owned Newsday Southern Edition/Southern Eye newspapers during 2013
- Authors: Mlotshwa, Khanyile Joseph
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: The Chronicle (Zimbabwe) , Newsday Southern Edition/Southern Eye (Zimbabwe) , Mass media and ethnic relations -- Zimbabwe , Mass media -- Political aspects -- Zimbabwe , Mass media and nationalism -- Zimbabwe , Minorities and journalism -- Zimbabwe , Press and politics -- Zimbabwe , San (African people) -- Social conditions , Tonga (Zambezi people) -- Social conditions , Critical discourse analysis
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3549 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018546
- Description: This study critically interrogates representations of the San and Tonga in the Chronicle and the NewsDay Southern Edition/Southern Eye newspapers in 2013. It makes sense of how these representations and the journalistic practices that underwrite them position the ethnic groups as ‘minorities’ - in relation to other ethnic groups - within the discourses of Zimbabwean nationalism. Underpinned by a constructionist approach (Hall, 1997), the study makes sense of the San and Tonga identities otherwise silenced by the “bi-modal” (Ndlovu- Gatsheni, 2012: 536; Masunungure, 2006) Shona/Ndebele approach to Zimbabwean nationalism. In socio-historic terms, the study is located within the re-emergence of ‘ethnicity’ to contest Zimbabwean nationalism(s) during debates for the New Constitution leading to a Referendum in March 2013. The thesis draws on social theories that offer explanatory power in studying media representations, which include postcolonial (Bhabha, 1990, 1994; Spivak, 1995), hegemony (Gramsci, 1971), and discourse (Foucault, 1970, 1972; Laclau and Mouffe, 1985) theories. These theories speak to the ways in which discourses about identity, belonging, citizenship and democracy are constructed in situations in which unequal social power is contested. The thesis links journalism practice with the politics of representation drawing on normative theories of journalism (Christians et al, 2009), the professional ideology of journalism (Tuchman, 1972; Golding and Elliot, 1996; Hall et al., 1996), and the concept of journalists as an ‘interpretive community’ (Zelizer, 1993). These theories allow us to unmask the role of journalism’s social power in representation, and map ways in which the agency of the journalists has to be considered in relation to the structural features of the media industry in particular, and society in general. The study is qualitative and proceeds by way of combining a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Fairclough, 1992; Richardson, 2007) and ideological analysis (Thompson, 1990) of eight news texts taken from the two newspapers and in-depth interviews with 13 journalists from the two newspapers. This way we account for the media representations journalists produced: sometimes reproducing stereotypes, at other times, resisting them. Journalists not only regard themselves as belonging to the dominant ethnic groups of Shona or Ndebele, but as part of the middle class; they take Zimbabwean nationalism for granted, reproducing it as common-sense through sourcing patterns dominated by elites. This silences the San and Tonga constructing them as a ‘minority’ through a double play of invisibility and hyper visibility, where they either don’t appear in the news texts or are overly stereotyped.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Mlotshwa, Khanyile Joseph
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: The Chronicle (Zimbabwe) , Newsday Southern Edition/Southern Eye (Zimbabwe) , Mass media and ethnic relations -- Zimbabwe , Mass media -- Political aspects -- Zimbabwe , Mass media and nationalism -- Zimbabwe , Minorities and journalism -- Zimbabwe , Press and politics -- Zimbabwe , San (African people) -- Social conditions , Tonga (Zambezi people) -- Social conditions , Critical discourse analysis
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3549 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018546
- Description: This study critically interrogates representations of the San and Tonga in the Chronicle and the NewsDay Southern Edition/Southern Eye newspapers in 2013. It makes sense of how these representations and the journalistic practices that underwrite them position the ethnic groups as ‘minorities’ - in relation to other ethnic groups - within the discourses of Zimbabwean nationalism. Underpinned by a constructionist approach (Hall, 1997), the study makes sense of the San and Tonga identities otherwise silenced by the “bi-modal” (Ndlovu- Gatsheni, 2012: 536; Masunungure, 2006) Shona/Ndebele approach to Zimbabwean nationalism. In socio-historic terms, the study is located within the re-emergence of ‘ethnicity’ to contest Zimbabwean nationalism(s) during debates for the New Constitution leading to a Referendum in March 2013. The thesis draws on social theories that offer explanatory power in studying media representations, which include postcolonial (Bhabha, 1990, 1994; Spivak, 1995), hegemony (Gramsci, 1971), and discourse (Foucault, 1970, 1972; Laclau and Mouffe, 1985) theories. These theories speak to the ways in which discourses about identity, belonging, citizenship and democracy are constructed in situations in which unequal social power is contested. The thesis links journalism practice with the politics of representation drawing on normative theories of journalism (Christians et al, 2009), the professional ideology of journalism (Tuchman, 1972; Golding and Elliot, 1996; Hall et al., 1996), and the concept of journalists as an ‘interpretive community’ (Zelizer, 1993). These theories allow us to unmask the role of journalism’s social power in representation, and map ways in which the agency of the journalists has to be considered in relation to the structural features of the media industry in particular, and society in general. The study is qualitative and proceeds by way of combining a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Fairclough, 1992; Richardson, 2007) and ideological analysis (Thompson, 1990) of eight news texts taken from the two newspapers and in-depth interviews with 13 journalists from the two newspapers. This way we account for the media representations journalists produced: sometimes reproducing stereotypes, at other times, resisting them. Journalists not only regard themselves as belonging to the dominant ethnic groups of Shona or Ndebele, but as part of the middle class; they take Zimbabwean nationalism for granted, reproducing it as common-sense through sourcing patterns dominated by elites. This silences the San and Tonga constructing them as a ‘minority’ through a double play of invisibility and hyper visibility, where they either don’t appear in the news texts or are overly stereotyped.
- Full Text:
An investigation into how Zimbabwe's Bulawayo viewers negotiate the gay storyline in Generations
- Authors: Khumalo, Senziwani
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Generations (Television program) , Homosexuality on television , Homosexuality -- Social aspects -- Zimbabwe -- Bulawayo , Homosexuality -- Law and legislation -- Zimbabwe , Homophobia -- Zimbabwe -- Bulawayo , Social psychology -- Zimbabwe -- Bulawayo
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3543 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017784
- Description: This study seeks to evaluate how aspects of religion, culture, political context, education and class, amongst others, impact on the manner with which Zimbabwe’s Bulawayo residents make sense of media messages which explore issues of homosexuality, as encountered in the soap opera Generations. This is against the backdrop of Zimbabwean legislation, such as the Sexual Deviancy Act, which criminalises homosexuality and the state victimisation of gays and lesbians in this country. The inclusion of homosexual liberties was rejected by all political parties and both public and private media in the recent drafting of a new rule of law. The legislation, including gay rights exclusion in the new constitution, and state action has perpetuated an impression that Zimbabwe is a deeply homophobic society. As a starting point the study examines the claims of the media imperialism thesis which supposes an all-consuming power of western media and next examines Straubhaar’s thesis of ‘cultural proximity’ which argues that there is often a preference for regional media, which is proximate to viewers’ local culture, language and identity. The study explores the prominence of South Africa as a regional media player and that proximate identities with some cultures in that country have played a role in drawing some Bulawayo viewers to South African television, as they feel slighted by Zimbabwean media. Utilising qualitative research methods, the study explores whether or not the representation of gay images on this South African soap opera provides viewers with opportunities for ‘symbolic distancing’. The concept highlights that when people have insight into lifestyles that are different from their own, they use that as a resource to critically analyse their own lives and cultural understandings. The study evaluates if Bulawayo viewers’ sentiments towards homosexuality has been challenged and changed through their interface with the soap opera, Generations.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Khumalo, Senziwani
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Generations (Television program) , Homosexuality on television , Homosexuality -- Social aspects -- Zimbabwe -- Bulawayo , Homosexuality -- Law and legislation -- Zimbabwe , Homophobia -- Zimbabwe -- Bulawayo , Social psychology -- Zimbabwe -- Bulawayo
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3543 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017784
- Description: This study seeks to evaluate how aspects of religion, culture, political context, education and class, amongst others, impact on the manner with which Zimbabwe’s Bulawayo residents make sense of media messages which explore issues of homosexuality, as encountered in the soap opera Generations. This is against the backdrop of Zimbabwean legislation, such as the Sexual Deviancy Act, which criminalises homosexuality and the state victimisation of gays and lesbians in this country. The inclusion of homosexual liberties was rejected by all political parties and both public and private media in the recent drafting of a new rule of law. The legislation, including gay rights exclusion in the new constitution, and state action has perpetuated an impression that Zimbabwe is a deeply homophobic society. As a starting point the study examines the claims of the media imperialism thesis which supposes an all-consuming power of western media and next examines Straubhaar’s thesis of ‘cultural proximity’ which argues that there is often a preference for regional media, which is proximate to viewers’ local culture, language and identity. The study explores the prominence of South Africa as a regional media player and that proximate identities with some cultures in that country have played a role in drawing some Bulawayo viewers to South African television, as they feel slighted by Zimbabwean media. Utilising qualitative research methods, the study explores whether or not the representation of gay images on this South African soap opera provides viewers with opportunities for ‘symbolic distancing’. The concept highlights that when people have insight into lifestyles that are different from their own, they use that as a resource to critically analyse their own lives and cultural understandings. The study evaluates if Bulawayo viewers’ sentiments towards homosexuality has been challenged and changed through their interface with the soap opera, Generations.
- Full Text:
Appraising the appraisal framework: evidence from Grahamstown property advertisements
- Authors: Beangstrom, Tracy
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54744 , vital:26608
- Description: This thesis considers how interpersonal meaning choices in property advertisements are best reflected in a context of constraint in Grahamstown, South Africa, using and appraising Martin & White’s (2005) APPRAISAL Framework. The study is comparative in two senses since the data is analysed using Martin & White’s (2005) APPRAISAL Framework and a revision to it, and property advertisements from two competing estate agencies are analysed: Remax Frontier Properties and Pam Golding Properties. An initial strict application of Martin & White’s (2005) framework is followed by a second, based on analyst difficulties and framework limitations experienced in the first analysis, as well as those experienced by other researchers. Revisions to the original framework include added ‘local’, context-driven features and sub-categories: Exclusivity and Convenience in Attitude, a Scale of Intensity in Graduation, and a category ‘Invite’ in Engagement. These enable a richer, more detailed account of the alignment strategies and interpersonal micro-politics at play in the property advertisements than is possible using the original framework. Findings from the analyses reveal four facts of note. Firstly, that while the original Martin & White (2005) APPRAISAL Framework captures a general level of interpersonal meaning in the data, it does so more fully when it includes contextual and contextually-driven categories that are informed by local knowledge. Secondly, two levels of meaning are expressed in the data. One is aimed at an ‘external’ audience; the other, truer, fuller and more contentious, is aimed at what appears to be the intended audience only. Thirdly, and relatedly, specific contextual and cultural knowledge is needed by the intended audience to access the intended meaning. Fourthly, both estate agencies promote values of high prestige, exclusivity, elitism and wealth as their intended meaning to align a like-minded audience, although Remax Frontier Properties attribute these values to location and features of the home to a greater extent than Pam Golding Properties, who place greater emphasis on the size of the home. The thesis suggests further avenues for research into the discourse of property advertising, as well as into overcoming certain context-specific limitations of the APPRAISAL Framework.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Beangstrom, Tracy
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54744 , vital:26608
- Description: This thesis considers how interpersonal meaning choices in property advertisements are best reflected in a context of constraint in Grahamstown, South Africa, using and appraising Martin & White’s (2005) APPRAISAL Framework. The study is comparative in two senses since the data is analysed using Martin & White’s (2005) APPRAISAL Framework and a revision to it, and property advertisements from two competing estate agencies are analysed: Remax Frontier Properties and Pam Golding Properties. An initial strict application of Martin & White’s (2005) framework is followed by a second, based on analyst difficulties and framework limitations experienced in the first analysis, as well as those experienced by other researchers. Revisions to the original framework include added ‘local’, context-driven features and sub-categories: Exclusivity and Convenience in Attitude, a Scale of Intensity in Graduation, and a category ‘Invite’ in Engagement. These enable a richer, more detailed account of the alignment strategies and interpersonal micro-politics at play in the property advertisements than is possible using the original framework. Findings from the analyses reveal four facts of note. Firstly, that while the original Martin & White (2005) APPRAISAL Framework captures a general level of interpersonal meaning in the data, it does so more fully when it includes contextual and contextually-driven categories that are informed by local knowledge. Secondly, two levels of meaning are expressed in the data. One is aimed at an ‘external’ audience; the other, truer, fuller and more contentious, is aimed at what appears to be the intended audience only. Thirdly, and relatedly, specific contextual and cultural knowledge is needed by the intended audience to access the intended meaning. Fourthly, both estate agencies promote values of high prestige, exclusivity, elitism and wealth as their intended meaning to align a like-minded audience, although Remax Frontier Properties attribute these values to location and features of the home to a greater extent than Pam Golding Properties, who place greater emphasis on the size of the home. The thesis suggests further avenues for research into the discourse of property advertising, as well as into overcoming certain context-specific limitations of the APPRAISAL Framework.
- Full Text:
Before before & after after
- Authors: Musavengana, Shelter K
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African -- 21st century , Creative writing (Higher education)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5991 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017775
- Description: The stories in this collection explore the fantastical, the power of memory, and the human capacity to love. Moving between the surreal, the absurd, the allegorical, and the metafictional, they elaborate on life's ordinary madness and the mysteries of the spirit. By challenging the either/or boundaries of the binary of realism and fantasy, the stories provoke the reader to engage actively with the text. Influenced by experimental US author Stacey Levine, the mid‐century British novelist Barbara Comyns, and the adventurous Chinese writer Can Xue, in most cases, they create a playful, experimental world that exists at a slight angle to the world as we know it.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Musavengana, Shelter K
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African -- 21st century , Creative writing (Higher education)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5991 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017775
- Description: The stories in this collection explore the fantastical, the power of memory, and the human capacity to love. Moving between the surreal, the absurd, the allegorical, and the metafictional, they elaborate on life's ordinary madness and the mysteries of the spirit. By challenging the either/or boundaries of the binary of realism and fantasy, the stories provoke the reader to engage actively with the text. Influenced by experimental US author Stacey Levine, the mid‐century British novelist Barbara Comyns, and the adventurous Chinese writer Can Xue, in most cases, they create a playful, experimental world that exists at a slight angle to the world as we know it.
- Full Text:
Bilingual teaching practices in South African higher education : making a case for terminology planning
- Authors: Mawonga, Sisonke
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Language and education -- South Africa , Native language and education , Language policy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3653 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017894
- Description: When the apartheid government was in power universities in South Africa were segregated according to a race and language. After apartheid, the democratic government came into power and its vision was abolition of segregation. There was also equal and equity of access to public institutions which were set aside for certain people to have access to. Access to universities was equalized and students with different racial, social, cultural and linguistic backgrounds were allowed access to universities which they used not to have access to before. The students‟ access to all universities led to diversity within these institutions. Even though this was the case, there were no changes in the system prevalent during apartheid. English, for example, continued to be the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) while the numbers of students who speak languages other than English (LOTE) as home languages was also increasing. The Constitution of South Africa (Section 6, Act 108 of 1996) acknowledges the previous marginalization of indigenous languages in the country and encourages the development and use of these languages as official languages. The right of access to educational institutions, and accessing education in one‟s language, if that language is one of the official languages, is also encouraged by the Constitution. There are other supporting legislative documents such as the Languages Bill (2011), the Higher Education Act (1997) and the national Language Policy for Higher Education (LPHE) (2002) that support multilingualism, the equal promotion of the official languages as well as use of multiple languages in higher education institutions (HEIs) to support learning. The above mentioned policies and legislations may exist to ensure equality and equity, and even though HEIs have become heterogonous, that does not guarantee that the students enrolled in these institutions have equal access to knowledge offered by the HEIs in SA. This research uses the theories of languages and conceptualization; language and learning as well as language planning to show that the students‟ first languages in learning can assist to facilitate cognition. Terminology development, as part of corpus planning which is the body of language planning is introduced in this study in the form of bilingual glossaries as an intervention especially for students‟ whose mother tongue is not English as language used for learning at university for different disciplines tend to be abstract. The data for this research was collected from the 2014 first year students registered in the Extended Studies Unit (ESU) in the Humanities Faculty at Rhodes University. Research methods such as questionnaires, participant observations, interviews as well as content analysis were used to collect the data. These methods were used to look at the students‟ use and perceptions of bilingual glossaries as additional resource materials which can assist them in learning. A Political Philosophy I module offered by the Political Science department was used for this research. This thesis presents a model which can be used for the development of bilingual glossaries in order to facilitate learning. The thesis recommends the use of corpus extraction tools such as WordSmith Tools (WST) that can be used to generate and extract terms and illustrates the use of this tool by extracting terms from an English Political Philosophy textbook. These terms are defined and these are then translated into isiXhosa to provide a sample of the bilingual glossary. This glossary has been designed to illustrate how the bi/multilingual glossaries with terms and definitions can be developed in order for use by students to facilitate learning them. The study also presents a terminology list which consists of Political Philosophy terms that have been generated during the corpus extraction process. It is recommended that further research looks into the development of bi/multilingual glossaries using the suggested model so that the students who are speakers of LOTE can also be able to understand abstract terms which are used at university
- Full Text:
- Authors: Mawonga, Sisonke
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Language and education -- South Africa , Native language and education , Language policy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3653 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017894
- Description: When the apartheid government was in power universities in South Africa were segregated according to a race and language. After apartheid, the democratic government came into power and its vision was abolition of segregation. There was also equal and equity of access to public institutions which were set aside for certain people to have access to. Access to universities was equalized and students with different racial, social, cultural and linguistic backgrounds were allowed access to universities which they used not to have access to before. The students‟ access to all universities led to diversity within these institutions. Even though this was the case, there were no changes in the system prevalent during apartheid. English, for example, continued to be the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) while the numbers of students who speak languages other than English (LOTE) as home languages was also increasing. The Constitution of South Africa (Section 6, Act 108 of 1996) acknowledges the previous marginalization of indigenous languages in the country and encourages the development and use of these languages as official languages. The right of access to educational institutions, and accessing education in one‟s language, if that language is one of the official languages, is also encouraged by the Constitution. There are other supporting legislative documents such as the Languages Bill (2011), the Higher Education Act (1997) and the national Language Policy for Higher Education (LPHE) (2002) that support multilingualism, the equal promotion of the official languages as well as use of multiple languages in higher education institutions (HEIs) to support learning. The above mentioned policies and legislations may exist to ensure equality and equity, and even though HEIs have become heterogonous, that does not guarantee that the students enrolled in these institutions have equal access to knowledge offered by the HEIs in SA. This research uses the theories of languages and conceptualization; language and learning as well as language planning to show that the students‟ first languages in learning can assist to facilitate cognition. Terminology development, as part of corpus planning which is the body of language planning is introduced in this study in the form of bilingual glossaries as an intervention especially for students‟ whose mother tongue is not English as language used for learning at university for different disciplines tend to be abstract. The data for this research was collected from the 2014 first year students registered in the Extended Studies Unit (ESU) in the Humanities Faculty at Rhodes University. Research methods such as questionnaires, participant observations, interviews as well as content analysis were used to collect the data. These methods were used to look at the students‟ use and perceptions of bilingual glossaries as additional resource materials which can assist them in learning. A Political Philosophy I module offered by the Political Science department was used for this research. This thesis presents a model which can be used for the development of bilingual glossaries in order to facilitate learning. The thesis recommends the use of corpus extraction tools such as WordSmith Tools (WST) that can be used to generate and extract terms and illustrates the use of this tool by extracting terms from an English Political Philosophy textbook. These terms are defined and these are then translated into isiXhosa to provide a sample of the bilingual glossary. This glossary has been designed to illustrate how the bi/multilingual glossaries with terms and definitions can be developed in order for use by students to facilitate learning them. The study also presents a terminology list which consists of Political Philosophy terms that have been generated during the corpus extraction process. It is recommended that further research looks into the development of bi/multilingual glossaries using the suggested model so that the students who are speakers of LOTE can also be able to understand abstract terms which are used at university
- Full Text:
Bitten
- Authors: Sullivan, Louella
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) , South African poetry (English) -- Study and teaching (Higher) , South African poerty (English) -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5994 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017778
- Description: My poetry investigates the extraordinary in the everyday, exploring my life as a mother and wife, to find the quiet truths that lie there. Using fresh ways of describing familiar experiences, the poems describe tiny, almost-missed moments and voices that have shaped me. Throughout the collection, I imagine my younger selves commenting on my current self and vice versa. Ultimately, my poems use simple words and clean lines to evoke how I feel (and how I want the reader to feel) in each of the moments they describe.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Sullivan, Louella
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) , South African poetry (English) -- Study and teaching (Higher) , South African poerty (English) -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5994 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017778
- Description: My poetry investigates the extraordinary in the everyday, exploring my life as a mother and wife, to find the quiet truths that lie there. Using fresh ways of describing familiar experiences, the poems describe tiny, almost-missed moments and voices that have shaped me. Throughout the collection, I imagine my younger selves commenting on my current self and vice versa. Ultimately, my poems use simple words and clean lines to evoke how I feel (and how I want the reader to feel) in each of the moments they describe.
- Full Text:
Britain after the Romans : an interdisciplinary approach to the possibilities of an Adventus Saxonum
- Lloyd-Jones, Glyn Francis Michael
- Authors: Lloyd-Jones, Glyn Francis Michael
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Great Britain -- History -- Anglo-Saxon period, 449-1066 , Civilization, Anglo-Saxon , English philology -- Old English, ca. 450-1100 , English literature -- Old English, ca. 450-1100 , Anglo-Saxon race , Genetic genealogy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3657 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019806
- Description: In the fifth century, after the departure of the Romans, according to tradition, which is based on the ancient written sources, Britain was invaded by the Angles and Saxons. This view has been questioned in the last century. The size of the ‘invasion’, and indeed its very existence, have come into doubt. However, this doubting school of thought does not seem to take into account all of the evidence. An interdisciplinary, nuanced approach has been taken in this thesis. Firstly, the question of Germanic raiding has been examined, with reference to the Saxon Shore defences. It is argued that these defences, in their geographical context, point to the likelihood of raiding. Then the written sources have been re-examined, as well as physical artefacts. In addition to geography, literature and archaeology (the disciplines which are most commonly used when the coming of the Angles and Saxons is investigated), linguistic and genetic data have been examined. The fields of linguistics and genetics, which have not often both been taken into consideration with previous approaches, add a number of valuable insights. This nuanced approach yields a picture of events that rules out the ‘traditional view’ in some ways, such as the idea that the Saxons exterminated the Britons altogether, but corroborates it in other ways. There was an invasion of a kind (of Angles – not Saxons), who came in comparatively small numbers, but found in Britain a society already mixed and comprising Celtic and Germanic-speaking peoples: a society implied by Caesar and Tacitus and corroborated by linguistic and genetic data.
- Full Text:
Britain after the Romans : an interdisciplinary approach to the possibilities of an Adventus Saxonum
- Authors: Lloyd-Jones, Glyn Francis Michael
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Great Britain -- History -- Anglo-Saxon period, 449-1066 , Civilization, Anglo-Saxon , English philology -- Old English, ca. 450-1100 , English literature -- Old English, ca. 450-1100 , Anglo-Saxon race , Genetic genealogy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3657 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019806
- Description: In the fifth century, after the departure of the Romans, according to tradition, which is based on the ancient written sources, Britain was invaded by the Angles and Saxons. This view has been questioned in the last century. The size of the ‘invasion’, and indeed its very existence, have come into doubt. However, this doubting school of thought does not seem to take into account all of the evidence. An interdisciplinary, nuanced approach has been taken in this thesis. Firstly, the question of Germanic raiding has been examined, with reference to the Saxon Shore defences. It is argued that these defences, in their geographical context, point to the likelihood of raiding. Then the written sources have been re-examined, as well as physical artefacts. In addition to geography, literature and archaeology (the disciplines which are most commonly used when the coming of the Angles and Saxons is investigated), linguistic and genetic data have been examined. The fields of linguistics and genetics, which have not often both been taken into consideration with previous approaches, add a number of valuable insights. This nuanced approach yields a picture of events that rules out the ‘traditional view’ in some ways, such as the idea that the Saxons exterminated the Britons altogether, but corroborates it in other ways. There was an invasion of a kind (of Angles – not Saxons), who came in comparatively small numbers, but found in Britain a society already mixed and comprising Celtic and Germanic-speaking peoples: a society implied by Caesar and Tacitus and corroborated by linguistic and genetic data.
- Full Text:
Contextualising work-family conflict, social support and gender ideologies of professional/registered nurses in the Cacadu District, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Koeberg, Richenda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Nursing -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Nurses -- Job stress -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Work and family
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3261 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017884
- Description: The focus of this study was to investigate work-family conflict, social support and gender ideologies of professional/registered nurses in the South African context, specifically within the Cacadu District (Eastern Cape). The study had four aims: (a) to investigate the construct validity of the measuring instrument, (b) to investigate the relationship between social support provided by family and family interference with work (FIW), (c) to ascertain the influence of shift work on perceived work-family conflict, and lastly, (d) to determine whether there is a difference between the number of children in households and nurses’ perceptions of work-family conflict. A quantitative research design was used in the study. The sample (N = 106) was taken from five district hospitals in the Cacadu District, Eastern Cape. The measuring instrument consisted of three scales, namely the Multi-dimensional Work-Family Conflict Scale (Carlson, Kacmar, & Williams, 2000), the Social Support Questionnaire (Sarason, Sarason, Shearin, & Pierce, 1987), and an adapted Gender Ideology Scale (Tsai, 2008). The results indicated that the construct validity of the Multi-dimensional Work-Family Conflict scale was satisfactory. However, analysis of the Social Support Questionnaire and Gender Ideology scales both suggested that these scales have not been validated for use with diverse samples outside the contexts in which they were developed. The results also indicated that there is a relationship between social support provided by families and behaviour-based family interference with work. Additionally, there appeared to be a difference between the shifts worked by nurses and their perceived work-family conflict, except for strain-based work interference with family. And lastly, the only significant difference between the number of children in the household and work-family conflict was reported for strain-based work interference with family. The implications of the results for future research suggest the importance of developing and validating work-family conflict, social support and gender ideology scales that are dependent on the context of the research. In so doing, the constructs of the scale are made meaningful. Additionally, the findings provide preliminary evidence of tailoring work-family initiatives that address the needs of the nursing profession and the context of healthcare institutions
- Full Text:
- Authors: Koeberg, Richenda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Nursing -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Nurses -- Job stress -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Work and family
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3261 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017884
- Description: The focus of this study was to investigate work-family conflict, social support and gender ideologies of professional/registered nurses in the South African context, specifically within the Cacadu District (Eastern Cape). The study had four aims: (a) to investigate the construct validity of the measuring instrument, (b) to investigate the relationship between social support provided by family and family interference with work (FIW), (c) to ascertain the influence of shift work on perceived work-family conflict, and lastly, (d) to determine whether there is a difference between the number of children in households and nurses’ perceptions of work-family conflict. A quantitative research design was used in the study. The sample (N = 106) was taken from five district hospitals in the Cacadu District, Eastern Cape. The measuring instrument consisted of three scales, namely the Multi-dimensional Work-Family Conflict Scale (Carlson, Kacmar, & Williams, 2000), the Social Support Questionnaire (Sarason, Sarason, Shearin, & Pierce, 1987), and an adapted Gender Ideology Scale (Tsai, 2008). The results indicated that the construct validity of the Multi-dimensional Work-Family Conflict scale was satisfactory. However, analysis of the Social Support Questionnaire and Gender Ideology scales both suggested that these scales have not been validated for use with diverse samples outside the contexts in which they were developed. The results also indicated that there is a relationship between social support provided by families and behaviour-based family interference with work. Additionally, there appeared to be a difference between the shifts worked by nurses and their perceived work-family conflict, except for strain-based work interference with family. And lastly, the only significant difference between the number of children in the household and work-family conflict was reported for strain-based work interference with family. The implications of the results for future research suggest the importance of developing and validating work-family conflict, social support and gender ideology scales that are dependent on the context of the research. In so doing, the constructs of the scale are made meaningful. Additionally, the findings provide preliminary evidence of tailoring work-family initiatives that address the needs of the nursing profession and the context of healthcare institutions
- Full Text:
Counsellors’ talk about their understanding of, and practices in response to, intimate partner violence during pregnancy: a narrative-discursive analytic study.
- Authors: Fleischack, Anne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Intimate partner violence -- South Africa , Intimate partner violence -- Psychological aspects , Abused women -- Counseling of , Pregnant women -- South Africa -- Abuse of , Pregnant women -- Counseling of
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3255 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016391
- Description: South Africa is a very violent society, where violence is often used as a social resource to maintain control and establish authority. Global and local research suggests that there is a high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), a facet of this violence, although little research has been conducted into the effects of IPV during pregnancy in the South African non-governmental organisation (NGO) context. NGOs globally and in South Africa have attempted to address IPV and IPV during pregnancy by providing services that aim to assist (largely female) clients emotionally and logistically. In light of this phenomenon, this qualitative study presents data generated through the use of a lightly-structured narrative interview schedule. The interviews were conducted over three sessions with eight counsellors, all based at two NGOs in South Africa and experienced in counselling women who have suffered IPV and IPV during pregnancy. This study used Taylor and Littleton’s (2006) narrative-discursive analytical lens, infused with theoretical insights from Foucault about power, discourse and narrative in order to identify the discursive resources that shape the narratives that the counsellors shared in the interviews and how these translate into subject positions and (gendered) power relations of the men and women about whom they speak. Six discursive resources emerged from the narratives, namely a discourse of ‘traditional “African” culture’, ‘patriarchal masculinity’, ‘nurturing femininity’, ‘female victimhood’, ‘female survivorhood’ and ‘human rights’. These informed the three main narratives that emerged: narratives about IPV in general, IPV during pregnancy, and the counsellors’ narratives about their intervention strategies. Within these narratives (and the micro-narratives which comprised them), men were largely positioned as subscribing to violent patriarchal behaviour whilst women were mostly positioned as nurturing and victims of this violence. The counsellors also constructed women as largely ignorant of their options about IPV and IPV during pregnancy; they constructed these phenomena as problems that require intervention and identified a number of factors that indicate what successful IPV interventions should entail. In reflecting upon this analysis, this study also aimed to address the questions of what is achieved or gained by using these narratives and discursive resources, what the significance or consequences are of constructing and using these particular narratives and discourses and whether different narratives or discourses would have been possible. Recommendations for further research includes incorporating more sites as well as interviewing perpetrators and IPV survivors themselves, perhaps in their home language where relevant rather than English, to gain a broader and more faceted understanding of the dynamics surrounding IPV during pregnancy. A recommendation for practice in intervention against IPV during pregnancy is to introduce more holistic/systemic intervention strategies and working with communities to address this issue.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Fleischack, Anne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Intimate partner violence -- South Africa , Intimate partner violence -- Psychological aspects , Abused women -- Counseling of , Pregnant women -- South Africa -- Abuse of , Pregnant women -- Counseling of
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3255 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016391
- Description: South Africa is a very violent society, where violence is often used as a social resource to maintain control and establish authority. Global and local research suggests that there is a high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), a facet of this violence, although little research has been conducted into the effects of IPV during pregnancy in the South African non-governmental organisation (NGO) context. NGOs globally and in South Africa have attempted to address IPV and IPV during pregnancy by providing services that aim to assist (largely female) clients emotionally and logistically. In light of this phenomenon, this qualitative study presents data generated through the use of a lightly-structured narrative interview schedule. The interviews were conducted over three sessions with eight counsellors, all based at two NGOs in South Africa and experienced in counselling women who have suffered IPV and IPV during pregnancy. This study used Taylor and Littleton’s (2006) narrative-discursive analytical lens, infused with theoretical insights from Foucault about power, discourse and narrative in order to identify the discursive resources that shape the narratives that the counsellors shared in the interviews and how these translate into subject positions and (gendered) power relations of the men and women about whom they speak. Six discursive resources emerged from the narratives, namely a discourse of ‘traditional “African” culture’, ‘patriarchal masculinity’, ‘nurturing femininity’, ‘female victimhood’, ‘female survivorhood’ and ‘human rights’. These informed the three main narratives that emerged: narratives about IPV in general, IPV during pregnancy, and the counsellors’ narratives about their intervention strategies. Within these narratives (and the micro-narratives which comprised them), men were largely positioned as subscribing to violent patriarchal behaviour whilst women were mostly positioned as nurturing and victims of this violence. The counsellors also constructed women as largely ignorant of their options about IPV and IPV during pregnancy; they constructed these phenomena as problems that require intervention and identified a number of factors that indicate what successful IPV interventions should entail. In reflecting upon this analysis, this study also aimed to address the questions of what is achieved or gained by using these narratives and discursive resources, what the significance or consequences are of constructing and using these particular narratives and discourses and whether different narratives or discourses would have been possible. Recommendations for further research includes incorporating more sites as well as interviewing perpetrators and IPV survivors themselves, perhaps in their home language where relevant rather than English, to gain a broader and more faceted understanding of the dynamics surrounding IPV during pregnancy. A recommendation for practice in intervention against IPV during pregnancy is to introduce more holistic/systemic intervention strategies and working with communities to address this issue.
- Full Text:
Dear space dad and other stories
- Authors: Kuit, Henali
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African -- 21st century , Creative writing (Higher education) , South African fiction -- Study and teaching (Higher)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5990 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017774
- Description: My stories are set around the themes of family, animals and outer space -- which leads to other themes like religion, loneliness, romance, eating animals, growing up and longing for the past. Most of the stories have non-linear structures. Some use gradual shiftings of narrator voice; in others the narrative is flat, lacking plot. I favour repetition over plot-based climaxes to create coherency and narrative flow. I also favour free indirect discourse over dialogue or description as a means to characterize.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Kuit, Henali
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African -- 21st century , Creative writing (Higher education) , South African fiction -- Study and teaching (Higher)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5990 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017774
- Description: My stories are set around the themes of family, animals and outer space -- which leads to other themes like religion, loneliness, romance, eating animals, growing up and longing for the past. Most of the stories have non-linear structures. Some use gradual shiftings of narrator voice; in others the narrative is flat, lacking plot. I favour repetition over plot-based climaxes to create coherency and narrative flow. I also favour free indirect discourse over dialogue or description as a means to characterize.
- Full Text:
Error analysis in a learner corpus : a study of errors amongst Grade 12 Oshiwambo speaking learners of English in northern Namibia
- Nghikembua, Annelie Ndapanda
- Authors: Nghikembua, Annelie Ndapanda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Corpora (Linguistics) , Language and languages -- Study and teaching -- Error analysis , English language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia -- Oshana , Second language acquisition , Contrastive linguistics
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2386 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018911
- Description: High failure rates in English as a second language at secondary school level have become a concern in the Namibian education sector. From 2005 until 2013, the overall performance of the grade 12 learners in English as a second language on Ordinary level in the Oshana region was unsatisfactory. In fact, only a minority (18.52 percent) of the grade 12 learners obtained a grading in the range of A to D in comparison to the majority (81.48 percent) of learners who obtained a grading of E to U. The poor performance was attributed to: poor sentence structure, syllabification and spelling (Directorate of National Examination and Assessment, 2007-2010). The causes of these low performance rates however, were not scientifically explored in this region. Therefore this study embarked on an investigation in order to identify the reasons behind the low performance rates of the grade 12 Oshiwambo speaking learners of English and to determine whether the impressionistic results from the Directorate’s report correlate with the present study’s findings. In order to understand the dynamic linguistic system of the learners, a contrastive analysis of Oshiwambo and English was done in order to investigate the potential origins of some of the errors. An error analysis approach was also used to identify, classify and interpret the non-standard forms produced by the learners in their written work. Based on the results obtained from this study, a more comprehensible assessment rubric was devised to help identify learners’ written errors. A group of 100 learners from five different schools in the Oshana region was asked to write an essay of 150 to 200 words in English. The essays were analysed using Corder’s (1967) conceptual framework which outlines the steps that a researcher uses when undertaking an error analysis study. The errors were categorised according to Keshavarz’s (2006) linguistic error taxonomy. Based on this taxonomy, the results revealed that learners largely made errors in the following categories: phonology/orthography, morpho-syntax, lexico-semantics, discourse and techniquepunctuation. The study concluded that these errors were most likely due to: first language interference, overgeneralisation, ignorance of rule restriction and carelessness. Other proposed probable causes were context of learning and lack of knowledge of English grammar. The study makes a significant contribution, in that the findings can be used as a guide for the Namibian Ministry of Education in improving the status quo at schools and informing the line Ministry on various methods of dealing with language difficulties faced by learners. The findings can also empower teachers to help learners with difficulties in English language learning, thereby enabling learners to improve their English language proficiency. The study has proposed methods of intervention in order to facilitate the teaching of English as a second language in the Oshana region. In addition, the study has devised an easily applied assessment rubric that will assist in identifying non-standard forms of language used by learners. The reason for designing a new rubric is because the rubric which is currently being used is believed to be subjective, inconsistent and lacks transparency. , Name in Graduation Programme as: Nghikembua, Anneli Ndapanda
- Full Text:
- Authors: Nghikembua, Annelie Ndapanda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Corpora (Linguistics) , Language and languages -- Study and teaching -- Error analysis , English language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia -- Oshana , Second language acquisition , Contrastive linguistics
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2386 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018911
- Description: High failure rates in English as a second language at secondary school level have become a concern in the Namibian education sector. From 2005 until 2013, the overall performance of the grade 12 learners in English as a second language on Ordinary level in the Oshana region was unsatisfactory. In fact, only a minority (18.52 percent) of the grade 12 learners obtained a grading in the range of A to D in comparison to the majority (81.48 percent) of learners who obtained a grading of E to U. The poor performance was attributed to: poor sentence structure, syllabification and spelling (Directorate of National Examination and Assessment, 2007-2010). The causes of these low performance rates however, were not scientifically explored in this region. Therefore this study embarked on an investigation in order to identify the reasons behind the low performance rates of the grade 12 Oshiwambo speaking learners of English and to determine whether the impressionistic results from the Directorate’s report correlate with the present study’s findings. In order to understand the dynamic linguistic system of the learners, a contrastive analysis of Oshiwambo and English was done in order to investigate the potential origins of some of the errors. An error analysis approach was also used to identify, classify and interpret the non-standard forms produced by the learners in their written work. Based on the results obtained from this study, a more comprehensible assessment rubric was devised to help identify learners’ written errors. A group of 100 learners from five different schools in the Oshana region was asked to write an essay of 150 to 200 words in English. The essays were analysed using Corder’s (1967) conceptual framework which outlines the steps that a researcher uses when undertaking an error analysis study. The errors were categorised according to Keshavarz’s (2006) linguistic error taxonomy. Based on this taxonomy, the results revealed that learners largely made errors in the following categories: phonology/orthography, morpho-syntax, lexico-semantics, discourse and techniquepunctuation. The study concluded that these errors were most likely due to: first language interference, overgeneralisation, ignorance of rule restriction and carelessness. Other proposed probable causes were context of learning and lack of knowledge of English grammar. The study makes a significant contribution, in that the findings can be used as a guide for the Namibian Ministry of Education in improving the status quo at schools and informing the line Ministry on various methods of dealing with language difficulties faced by learners. The findings can also empower teachers to help learners with difficulties in English language learning, thereby enabling learners to improve their English language proficiency. The study has proposed methods of intervention in order to facilitate the teaching of English as a second language in the Oshana region. In addition, the study has devised an easily applied assessment rubric that will assist in identifying non-standard forms of language used by learners. The reason for designing a new rubric is because the rubric which is currently being used is believed to be subjective, inconsistent and lacks transparency. , Name in Graduation Programme as: Nghikembua, Anneli Ndapanda
- Full Text:
Evaluating coverage of the environment: a comparative study of the observations of academics and journalists
- Authors: Koro, Emmanuel
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64888 , vital:28628
- Description: This study is a comparative analysis of the way that academics and journalists evaluate media coverage of news about the environment. The purpose is to gain insight into the kind of contributions that each of these groups can make to debates about the role that such coverage should play within processes of public deliberations about the environment. The dissertation begins by establishing theoretical terms of reference for assessing discussions of the journalistic coverage of the environment. It proposes that it is of value to consider the conceptualisation, within such discussions, of credible knowledge about the environment and, more particularly, to establish whether such conceptualisation is based within a positivist, interpretive, or critical realist paradigm. It is demonstrated that each of these epistemological traditions brings valuable perspectives to the discussion of journalism about the environment within such literature. It is, however, the positivist perspective that remains dominant, and this limits the extent to which the potential of the other two epistemological positions are fully realized. It is also demonstrated that there is a tendency, within this literature, to focus on the performance of individual journalists with minimal attention to the particularities of institutional and social context. It is proposed that this tendency results from the adherence to a positivist approach to the evaluation of journalism. The dissertation then describes the design and implementation of the empirical component of the study - dealing with decisions made about the overall methodological framing, the choice of method, the fieldwork plan and the approach to analysis. It is explained that the aim of the empirical component was to examine South African print journalists’ discussions of coverage of the environment in their own publications, and to compare such discussion to that which is represented in the academic literature. The dissertation then presents a summary of the themes that emerged from the analysis of the interview material that formed part of this empirical work. It is demonstrated that the evaluation of coverage of the environment, as articulated by the research participants, is informed by many of the assumptions and values that can be identified within academic literature. Such evaluation is, furthermore, similarly informed by a positivist, interpretive and critical treatment of knowledge - with, again, a tendency for the positivist position to dominate. One important difference is that the research participants include more references to institutional context. It is proposed, however, that the tendency to prioritise a positivist epistemological framing continues to place limitations on the extent to which the participants are able to fully articulate their knowledge about such context.
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- Authors: Koro, Emmanuel
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64888 , vital:28628
- Description: This study is a comparative analysis of the way that academics and journalists evaluate media coverage of news about the environment. The purpose is to gain insight into the kind of contributions that each of these groups can make to debates about the role that such coverage should play within processes of public deliberations about the environment. The dissertation begins by establishing theoretical terms of reference for assessing discussions of the journalistic coverage of the environment. It proposes that it is of value to consider the conceptualisation, within such discussions, of credible knowledge about the environment and, more particularly, to establish whether such conceptualisation is based within a positivist, interpretive, or critical realist paradigm. It is demonstrated that each of these epistemological traditions brings valuable perspectives to the discussion of journalism about the environment within such literature. It is, however, the positivist perspective that remains dominant, and this limits the extent to which the potential of the other two epistemological positions are fully realized. It is also demonstrated that there is a tendency, within this literature, to focus on the performance of individual journalists with minimal attention to the particularities of institutional and social context. It is proposed that this tendency results from the adherence to a positivist approach to the evaluation of journalism. The dissertation then describes the design and implementation of the empirical component of the study - dealing with decisions made about the overall methodological framing, the choice of method, the fieldwork plan and the approach to analysis. It is explained that the aim of the empirical component was to examine South African print journalists’ discussions of coverage of the environment in their own publications, and to compare such discussion to that which is represented in the academic literature. The dissertation then presents a summary of the themes that emerged from the analysis of the interview material that formed part of this empirical work. It is demonstrated that the evaluation of coverage of the environment, as articulated by the research participants, is informed by many of the assumptions and values that can be identified within academic literature. Such evaluation is, furthermore, similarly informed by a positivist, interpretive and critical treatment of knowledge - with, again, a tendency for the positivist position to dominate. One important difference is that the research participants include more references to institutional context. It is proposed, however, that the tendency to prioritise a positivist epistemological framing continues to place limitations on the extent to which the participants are able to fully articulate their knowledge about such context.
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Experiences of women recently diagnosed with HIV
- Authors: Jurie, Khuselwa
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: HIV-positive women -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Stigma (Social psychology) , HIV (Viruses) -- Diagnosis , AIDS (Disease) in women -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3259 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017882
- Description: The focus of this study is on the experiences of a small sample of local women who have been recently diagnosed with HIV. The aim of the research was to give these women an opportunity to express their first-hand, personal accounts of living with HIV. Five isiXhosa-speaking women were recruited and interviewed. These accounts were collected and analysed within in the methodological framework of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, a qualitative approach that is becoming increasingly popular in the broad fields of health and clinical psychology. Data was analysed for meaningful units, which were interpreted inductively and hermeneutically, and categorised into super-ordinate themes. Five themes within the participants’ experiences of living with HIV were identified: (1) experiences of diagnosis, (2) experiences of stigma, (3) social support, (4) coping strategies, and (5) HIV as one of many assaults to self. Implicated in these experiences are the ways in which these women have appraised themselves and their situation after an HIV-positive diagnosis, appraisals that are shaped by HIV-related stigma. A variety of negative emotional reactions are common following the diagnosis, often compounded by the direct experiences of HIV-related stigma. Women in the study adopted different kinds of coping strategies based on the resources and social support available to them. Also significant is that for these women who had typically endured a variety of traumatic life events, a positive diagnosis was simply one of many life challenges
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- Authors: Jurie, Khuselwa
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: HIV-positive women -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Stigma (Social psychology) , HIV (Viruses) -- Diagnosis , AIDS (Disease) in women -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3259 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017882
- Description: The focus of this study is on the experiences of a small sample of local women who have been recently diagnosed with HIV. The aim of the research was to give these women an opportunity to express their first-hand, personal accounts of living with HIV. Five isiXhosa-speaking women were recruited and interviewed. These accounts were collected and analysed within in the methodological framework of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, a qualitative approach that is becoming increasingly popular in the broad fields of health and clinical psychology. Data was analysed for meaningful units, which were interpreted inductively and hermeneutically, and categorised into super-ordinate themes. Five themes within the participants’ experiences of living with HIV were identified: (1) experiences of diagnosis, (2) experiences of stigma, (3) social support, (4) coping strategies, and (5) HIV as one of many assaults to self. Implicated in these experiences are the ways in which these women have appraised themselves and their situation after an HIV-positive diagnosis, appraisals that are shaped by HIV-related stigma. A variety of negative emotional reactions are common following the diagnosis, often compounded by the direct experiences of HIV-related stigma. Women in the study adopted different kinds of coping strategies based on the resources and social support available to them. Also significant is that for these women who had typically endured a variety of traumatic life events, a positive diagnosis was simply one of many life challenges
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Exploring problematic experiences : an IPA study of 'Internet Addiction'
- Authors: Allie, Naaheeda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Internet addiction , Compulsive behavior , Security (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3256 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016395
- Description: In the past two decades, a considerable amount of research has been carried out on the phenomenon of excessive Internet use, variously termed Internet addiction, Internet dependency and problematic Internet use. Despite this, there is still little agreement as to what constitutes this phenomenon, whether it should be considered a clinical disorder or not and what leads to this excessive or maladaptive use. The terminology used in this study is that of Problematic Internet Use (PIU). Several theoretical models have been proposed in the understanding of PIU including personality models, operant conditioning models, social cognitive and cognitive behavioural models (Davis, 2001; LaRose, lin & Eastin, 2003; Young, 1999). A proposed gap in the literature is the lack of studies exploring participant experiences of problematic Internet use. It is for this reason that this study aimed at exploring the experiences of a small sample of individuals with self-identified problematic Internet use. The implications of this phenomenological data for the above-mentioned theoretical models were then reviewed. This study used an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach in exploring these aims. A sample of four participants was selected through purposive sampling techniques. Four major themes emerged from the analysis namely: Escapism, Social Insecurity and Validation, Perfectionism and Control. These experiences of participants were also explored in terms of the conceptual models reviewed in order to compare how closely they related to participant experiences. A strong inter-relationship was found between the four themes mentioned above. The Internet appeared to provide a sense of control and validation to these individuals while simultaneously rendering them unable to maintain control of their Internet usage in relation to this. This sense of control was experienced through an escape from negative emotions, offline obligations and at times a dissatisfactory position in reality. Of the four models reviewed, the Social Cognitive model proposed by LaRose et al. (2003) appeared to offer the most relevant understanding of PIU to participant experiences. The presence of maladaptive cognitions also appeared to feature strongly as an underlying factor in participants' PIU, as theorised by cognitive behavioural models (Davis, 2001; Young, 1999) Finally recommendations are made for further more detailed exploration of PIU using interpretative, experiential methods.
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- Authors: Allie, Naaheeda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Internet addiction , Compulsive behavior , Security (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3256 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016395
- Description: In the past two decades, a considerable amount of research has been carried out on the phenomenon of excessive Internet use, variously termed Internet addiction, Internet dependency and problematic Internet use. Despite this, there is still little agreement as to what constitutes this phenomenon, whether it should be considered a clinical disorder or not and what leads to this excessive or maladaptive use. The terminology used in this study is that of Problematic Internet Use (PIU). Several theoretical models have been proposed in the understanding of PIU including personality models, operant conditioning models, social cognitive and cognitive behavioural models (Davis, 2001; LaRose, lin & Eastin, 2003; Young, 1999). A proposed gap in the literature is the lack of studies exploring participant experiences of problematic Internet use. It is for this reason that this study aimed at exploring the experiences of a small sample of individuals with self-identified problematic Internet use. The implications of this phenomenological data for the above-mentioned theoretical models were then reviewed. This study used an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach in exploring these aims. A sample of four participants was selected through purposive sampling techniques. Four major themes emerged from the analysis namely: Escapism, Social Insecurity and Validation, Perfectionism and Control. These experiences of participants were also explored in terms of the conceptual models reviewed in order to compare how closely they related to participant experiences. A strong inter-relationship was found between the four themes mentioned above. The Internet appeared to provide a sense of control and validation to these individuals while simultaneously rendering them unable to maintain control of their Internet usage in relation to this. This sense of control was experienced through an escape from negative emotions, offline obligations and at times a dissatisfactory position in reality. Of the four models reviewed, the Social Cognitive model proposed by LaRose et al. (2003) appeared to offer the most relevant understanding of PIU to participant experiences. The presence of maladaptive cognitions also appeared to feature strongly as an underlying factor in participants' PIU, as theorised by cognitive behavioural models (Davis, 2001; Young, 1999) Finally recommendations are made for further more detailed exploration of PIU using interpretative, experiential methods.
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Exploring the uses of mental skills by competitive road running athletes
- Ngobese, Khayelihle Mbongeleni Emmanuel
- Authors: Ngobese, Khayelihle Mbongeleni Emmanuel
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Long-distance runners -- Psychology , Long-distance running -- Psychological aspects , Competition (Psychology) , Long-distance running -- Training , Marathon running -- Psychological aspects , Goal (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3268 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020310
- Description: Research on athletes has shown that mental skills are an important component of being a successful athlete. The importance of these mental skills is seen in the number of athletes who have formally started training using mental skills training programmes (MST) according to the literature. The study of mental skills in South Africa lags behind other countries like USA, UK and Sweden. This particular study explored the use of mental skills by road running athletes. The study was conducted with six competitive marathon athletes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted as part of an elaborate qualitative methodology design. The data collected from these semi-structured interviews was analysed using thematic analysis. The results show that road running athletes use mental skills that include; mental rehearsal, planning, goal setting and self-talk. The athletes in this research showed the importance of mental skills and it is recommended that formal training in these mental skills will be highly beneficial not only to road running athletes but for all South African sports people in general
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- Authors: Ngobese, Khayelihle Mbongeleni Emmanuel
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Long-distance runners -- Psychology , Long-distance running -- Psychological aspects , Competition (Psychology) , Long-distance running -- Training , Marathon running -- Psychological aspects , Goal (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3268 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020310
- Description: Research on athletes has shown that mental skills are an important component of being a successful athlete. The importance of these mental skills is seen in the number of athletes who have formally started training using mental skills training programmes (MST) according to the literature. The study of mental skills in South Africa lags behind other countries like USA, UK and Sweden. This particular study explored the use of mental skills by road running athletes. The study was conducted with six competitive marathon athletes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted as part of an elaborate qualitative methodology design. The data collected from these semi-structured interviews was analysed using thematic analysis. The results show that road running athletes use mental skills that include; mental rehearsal, planning, goal setting and self-talk. The athletes in this research showed the importance of mental skills and it is recommended that formal training in these mental skills will be highly beneficial not only to road running athletes but for all South African sports people in general
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Female identity in the post-millennial Nigerian novel: a study of Adichie, Atta, and Unigwe
- Authors: Wambui, Mary Theru
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi, 1977- -- Criticism and interpretation , Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi, 1977-. Purple hibiscus , Atta, Sefi -- Criticism and interpretation , Atta, Sefi -- Everything good will come , Unigwe, Chika. Criticism and interpretation , Unigwe, Chika. Fata Morgana -- English , Nigerian fiction -- History and criticism , Women -- Identity , Women in literature , Feminism in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2330 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020013
- Description: This thesis project examines the work of three female Nigerian authors: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Sefi Atta and Chika Unigwe. They are part of a growing number of young African writers who are receiving international acclaim and challenging narratives that have long defined the continent in pejorative terms. They question what it means to be female and African in a transcultural, global world but counter discourses that are both restrictive and prescriptive. Their female characters are not imaged in binary terms as either victims or villains. For all three writers, the African story has to be told in its entirety incorporating what some may argue are negative stereotypes but doing so in a manner that examines and undermines those same stereotypes. For the purposes of the thesis, I focus on their first novels: Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, Atta’s Everything Good Will Come and Unigwe’s On Black Sisters’ Street. Chapter One examines Purple Hibiscus and argues that the novel is much more than a coming of age story or, as some critics have posited, an allegory of the postcolonial state. Chapter Two highlights Atta’s use of fairly familiar feminist theories but grounds them in the lived realities of the African city. All three authors are concerned with issues of violence and death. Unigwe’s novel, which forms the focus of Chapter Three, offers a critical perspective on how both of those themes intersect with the increasing commercialisation of global culture. Her characters are female sex workers whose lives are irrevocably altered by the murder of one of their colleagues. I conclude by arguing that the three novels offer a nuanced if not necessarily new understanding of the various social, economic and political forces that continue to shape the lives of women on the continent.
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- Authors: Wambui, Mary Theru
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi, 1977- -- Criticism and interpretation , Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi, 1977-. Purple hibiscus , Atta, Sefi -- Criticism and interpretation , Atta, Sefi -- Everything good will come , Unigwe, Chika. Criticism and interpretation , Unigwe, Chika. Fata Morgana -- English , Nigerian fiction -- History and criticism , Women -- Identity , Women in literature , Feminism in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2330 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020013
- Description: This thesis project examines the work of three female Nigerian authors: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Sefi Atta and Chika Unigwe. They are part of a growing number of young African writers who are receiving international acclaim and challenging narratives that have long defined the continent in pejorative terms. They question what it means to be female and African in a transcultural, global world but counter discourses that are both restrictive and prescriptive. Their female characters are not imaged in binary terms as either victims or villains. For all three writers, the African story has to be told in its entirety incorporating what some may argue are negative stereotypes but doing so in a manner that examines and undermines those same stereotypes. For the purposes of the thesis, I focus on their first novels: Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, Atta’s Everything Good Will Come and Unigwe’s On Black Sisters’ Street. Chapter One examines Purple Hibiscus and argues that the novel is much more than a coming of age story or, as some critics have posited, an allegory of the postcolonial state. Chapter Two highlights Atta’s use of fairly familiar feminist theories but grounds them in the lived realities of the African city. All three authors are concerned with issues of violence and death. Unigwe’s novel, which forms the focus of Chapter Three, offers a critical perspective on how both of those themes intersect with the increasing commercialisation of global culture. Her characters are female sex workers whose lives are irrevocably altered by the murder of one of their colleagues. I conclude by arguing that the three novels offer a nuanced if not necessarily new understanding of the various social, economic and political forces that continue to shape the lives of women on the continent.
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Implementation of multilingualism in South African higher education : exploring the use of isiXhosa in teaching and learning at Rhodes University
- Authors: Gambushe, Wanga
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Language and education -- South Africa , Multilingual education -- South Africa , Native language and education -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- South Africa , Language policy -- South Africa , Cytology -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa , Xhosa (African people) -- Education (Higher)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3649 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017890
- Description: This study explores the implementation of multilingualism at Rhodes University (RU), by examining the teaching and learning practices of lecturers, demonstrators and students within the Cell Biology module, offered by the Biological Sciences and Botany departments at RU. This examination is in line with RU’s Language Policy (2005/2014), which recognises multilingualism and the development of isiXhosa as an academic/scientific language. The study and the choice for the location of the study within RU was motivated by what seemed to be a pattern of under achievement of LOTE speaking students studying Cell Biology. This pattern necessitated a further inquiry into the language aspect of the teaching and learning of Cell Biology. The goals of this research were to investigate spaces where LOTE students use their home languages and the motivations behind their usage of those languages. Due to the varying proficiencies of LOTE students in their mother tongue, this study sought to investigate the language capabilities of LOTE students in their home languages. The perceptions of the main role players in the Cell Biology module were sought, in order to get an idea of what students, lecturers and demonstrators thought about multilingualism in teaching and learning practices in the Cell Biology module. This study has discovered that there is a disparity in achievement between LOTE and English speaking students, with English students outperforming LOTE students consistently in the period investigated. On the language capabilities of LOTE students in their mother tongue, it was discovered that they have enough linguistic capital for a mother tongue intervention to succeed. There were mixed views about the use of LOTE in HE, but students were mostly in favour of the use of LOTE. A number of recommendations are made as to how multilingualism can be implemented in Cell Biology. In this study I argue that there is a need to use the mother tongue of LOTE students in order to support learning, the mother tongue intervention is supported by scholars such as Paxton (2007, 2009; Madiba 2011, 2012, 2014). The use of the mother tongue to support learning should be a short-term measure while the process of the development of African languages is underway, because languages develop as they are used, and form follows function (Madiba 2008). Ultimately, African languages should be developed and use as academic languages in HE not only in order to fulfil the legislative imperatives such as the Constitution and the Language Policy Higher Education but also to increase access and success among LOTE students.
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- Authors: Gambushe, Wanga
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Language and education -- South Africa , Multilingual education -- South Africa , Native language and education -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- South Africa , Language policy -- South Africa , Cytology -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa , Xhosa (African people) -- Education (Higher)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3649 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017890
- Description: This study explores the implementation of multilingualism at Rhodes University (RU), by examining the teaching and learning practices of lecturers, demonstrators and students within the Cell Biology module, offered by the Biological Sciences and Botany departments at RU. This examination is in line with RU’s Language Policy (2005/2014), which recognises multilingualism and the development of isiXhosa as an academic/scientific language. The study and the choice for the location of the study within RU was motivated by what seemed to be a pattern of under achievement of LOTE speaking students studying Cell Biology. This pattern necessitated a further inquiry into the language aspect of the teaching and learning of Cell Biology. The goals of this research were to investigate spaces where LOTE students use their home languages and the motivations behind their usage of those languages. Due to the varying proficiencies of LOTE students in their mother tongue, this study sought to investigate the language capabilities of LOTE students in their home languages. The perceptions of the main role players in the Cell Biology module were sought, in order to get an idea of what students, lecturers and demonstrators thought about multilingualism in teaching and learning practices in the Cell Biology module. This study has discovered that there is a disparity in achievement between LOTE and English speaking students, with English students outperforming LOTE students consistently in the period investigated. On the language capabilities of LOTE students in their mother tongue, it was discovered that they have enough linguistic capital for a mother tongue intervention to succeed. There were mixed views about the use of LOTE in HE, but students were mostly in favour of the use of LOTE. A number of recommendations are made as to how multilingualism can be implemented in Cell Biology. In this study I argue that there is a need to use the mother tongue of LOTE students in order to support learning, the mother tongue intervention is supported by scholars such as Paxton (2007, 2009; Madiba 2011, 2012, 2014). The use of the mother tongue to support learning should be a short-term measure while the process of the development of African languages is underway, because languages develop as they are used, and form follows function (Madiba 2008). Ultimately, African languages should be developed and use as academic languages in HE not only in order to fulfil the legislative imperatives such as the Constitution and the Language Policy Higher Education but also to increase access and success among LOTE students.
- Full Text: