Decoding #BlackGirlMagic: an analysis of how Black women at a South African university construct and celebrate their identities through the hashtag
- Authors: Kayumba, Urielle Ngoie
- Date: 2025-04-25
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/478394 , vital:78183
- Description: The emergence of the Black Girl Magic hashtag in 2013 marked a pivotal moment in the realm of social media, igniting a powerful movement that resonated far beyond the digital sphere. This hashtag, which initially gained traction on platforms like X/Twitter and Instagram, served as a catalyst for celebrating the multifaceted achievements and resilience of Black women. The profound impact of this movement on an individual level became the focal point of my personal journey, delving into the transformative effects of #BlackGirlMagic within the context of a media landscape historically characterised by a lack of diverse representation. The study takes a closer look at the significance of the hashtag in fostering a sense of acceptance among Black women. In a world where mainstream media has perpetuated narrow beauty standards and marginalised narratives, #BlackGirlMagic emerged as a beacon of empowerment (Mason, 2021). This research does not shy away from acknowledging the complex and nuanced dimensions inherent in this movement. It explores how factors such as featurism, colourism, texturism, body types, and nationalities intersect with the celebration, recognising that while #BlackGirlMagic champions empowerment, it also grapples with inherent limitations that need to be addressed (Sinon, 2020). The study explores how Black women students at Rhodes University use and understand the hashtag #BlackGirlMagic in their lives. The research considers the experiences and cultural practices of Black women in online spaces (Bevins, 2020). By delving into the ways in which they engage with #BlackGirlMagic, the study explores the digital landscape as a dynamic and evolving arena where identity, empowerment, and representation intersect. This approach allows for a deeper comprehension of the lived experiences of Black women in the online realm, shedding light on how Black women students at Rhodes University use #BlackGirlMagic and the challenges they face in seeking to be included and represented. By focusing on the experiences of Black women students at Rhodes University, the research can contribute to the broader discourse on digital activism and the role of social media in shaping contemporary feminist movements. This localised perspective offers valuable insights into how global movements like #BlackGirlMagic are adapted and reinterpreted within specific cultural and institutional contexts, highlighting the importance of digital spaces as sites of both empowerment and contestation for Black women. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Journalism and Media Studies, 2025
- Full Text:
- Authors: Kayumba, Urielle Ngoie
- Date: 2025-04-25
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/478394 , vital:78183
- Description: The emergence of the Black Girl Magic hashtag in 2013 marked a pivotal moment in the realm of social media, igniting a powerful movement that resonated far beyond the digital sphere. This hashtag, which initially gained traction on platforms like X/Twitter and Instagram, served as a catalyst for celebrating the multifaceted achievements and resilience of Black women. The profound impact of this movement on an individual level became the focal point of my personal journey, delving into the transformative effects of #BlackGirlMagic within the context of a media landscape historically characterised by a lack of diverse representation. The study takes a closer look at the significance of the hashtag in fostering a sense of acceptance among Black women. In a world where mainstream media has perpetuated narrow beauty standards and marginalised narratives, #BlackGirlMagic emerged as a beacon of empowerment (Mason, 2021). This research does not shy away from acknowledging the complex and nuanced dimensions inherent in this movement. It explores how factors such as featurism, colourism, texturism, body types, and nationalities intersect with the celebration, recognising that while #BlackGirlMagic champions empowerment, it also grapples with inherent limitations that need to be addressed (Sinon, 2020). The study explores how Black women students at Rhodes University use and understand the hashtag #BlackGirlMagic in their lives. The research considers the experiences and cultural practices of Black women in online spaces (Bevins, 2020). By delving into the ways in which they engage with #BlackGirlMagic, the study explores the digital landscape as a dynamic and evolving arena where identity, empowerment, and representation intersect. This approach allows for a deeper comprehension of the lived experiences of Black women in the online realm, shedding light on how Black women students at Rhodes University use #BlackGirlMagic and the challenges they face in seeking to be included and represented. By focusing on the experiences of Black women students at Rhodes University, the research can contribute to the broader discourse on digital activism and the role of social media in shaping contemporary feminist movements. This localised perspective offers valuable insights into how global movements like #BlackGirlMagic are adapted and reinterpreted within specific cultural and institutional contexts, highlighting the importance of digital spaces as sites of both empowerment and contestation for Black women. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Journalism and Media Studies, 2025
- Full Text:
The emergence of classical worlds from a quantum universe
- Authors: Hjul, Karl Iver Hansen
- Date: 2025-04-02
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/479130 , vital:78263
- Description: How does a classical world emerge from a quantum world? Can this emergence occur without invoking non-unitary processes such as measurements? Recently, an approach that makes use of just a Hilbert space and the associated Hamiltonian to explain the emergence of a classical world has been proposed. To understand this approach, we will require a clear understanding of the nature of measurements in quantum theory and the different interpretations of it. We then progress onto discussions regarding quantum Darwinism and related _elds of knowledge and how they \bypass" the problem of measurement in quantum theory. Then, we discuss how, using the appropriate choice of factorization of a Hilbert space into a system and an environment and using an acceptable basis observable, we can obtain a quasi-classical state of a system. This approach has previously been applied to study one limit (when interactions dominate the Hamiltonian), but we generalize by applying it to the opposite limit (when interactions are minimal) and suggest a method for the general case (when interactions are neither minimal nor dominant). We then look at Hilbert space fundamentalism, which is the idea that a vector in Hilbert space is the fundamental nature of reality. Hilbert space fundamentalism is a generalized application that takes the idea of the emergence of a classical world from a quantum one and applies it to the Universe as a whole. This leads to the question: could Hilbert space fundamentalism be a candidate for the fundamental theory? Before we evaluate Hilbert space fundamentalism as a candidate fundamental theory, we analyze the theory and inquire as to what makes something a fundamental theory. To understand Hilbert space fundamentalism, we see what a model of the world it predicts looks like. This is done by proposing a mapping from a fundamental Hilbert space to emergent space times utilizing entanglement and the aforementioned recently proposed approach that makes use of Hilbert spaces and Hamiltonians to explain the emergence of classical worlds. To determine if Hilbert space fundamentalism could be a fundamental theory, a set of criteria (completeness in all domains, self-contained, and that speci_c theories emerge from it) is noted. We find that Hilbert space fundamentalism, when viewed through these criteria, cannot be the fundamental theory. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Physics and Electronics, 2025
- Full Text:
- Authors: Hjul, Karl Iver Hansen
- Date: 2025-04-02
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/479130 , vital:78263
- Description: How does a classical world emerge from a quantum world? Can this emergence occur without invoking non-unitary processes such as measurements? Recently, an approach that makes use of just a Hilbert space and the associated Hamiltonian to explain the emergence of a classical world has been proposed. To understand this approach, we will require a clear understanding of the nature of measurements in quantum theory and the different interpretations of it. We then progress onto discussions regarding quantum Darwinism and related _elds of knowledge and how they \bypass" the problem of measurement in quantum theory. Then, we discuss how, using the appropriate choice of factorization of a Hilbert space into a system and an environment and using an acceptable basis observable, we can obtain a quasi-classical state of a system. This approach has previously been applied to study one limit (when interactions dominate the Hamiltonian), but we generalize by applying it to the opposite limit (when interactions are minimal) and suggest a method for the general case (when interactions are neither minimal nor dominant). We then look at Hilbert space fundamentalism, which is the idea that a vector in Hilbert space is the fundamental nature of reality. Hilbert space fundamentalism is a generalized application that takes the idea of the emergence of a classical world from a quantum one and applies it to the Universe as a whole. This leads to the question: could Hilbert space fundamentalism be a candidate for the fundamental theory? Before we evaluate Hilbert space fundamentalism as a candidate fundamental theory, we analyze the theory and inquire as to what makes something a fundamental theory. To understand Hilbert space fundamentalism, we see what a model of the world it predicts looks like. This is done by proposing a mapping from a fundamental Hilbert space to emergent space times utilizing entanglement and the aforementioned recently proposed approach that makes use of Hilbert spaces and Hamiltonians to explain the emergence of classical worlds. To determine if Hilbert space fundamentalism could be a fundamental theory, a set of criteria (completeness in all domains, self-contained, and that speci_c theories emerge from it) is noted. We find that Hilbert space fundamentalism, when viewed through these criteria, cannot be the fundamental theory. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Physics and Electronics, 2025
- Full Text:
Church music as pedagogy: An investigation through digital storytelling into the role that Southern African Christian Church music praxis played in the musical development of five professional musicians
- Authors: Mathebula, Praise Ntsako
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Church music Africa, Southern , Indigenous music , Digital storytelling , Music of Southern Africa , Musicians Africa, Southern , Western education
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465975 , vital:76673
- Description: Using an ethnographic and autoethnographic approach, this study investigated how the church has influenced the development and practice of five professional musicians practicing in South Africa. This research resulted from discussions with numerous musicians who had their music genesis at church, some of them well-known professionals in the country. Reflecting on the history of church music education that can be traced back to the arrival of the missionaries on the African continent and the different types of music education settings that can be found in South Africa, this thesis analyses the approach and delivery of music pedagogy that exists in the South African church setting. Discussing the introduction of Western musical tools such as tonic-solfa, choral music and four-part singing, this research contextualises the historical effect of mission education of several South African composers, including Tiyo Soga, Enoch Sontonga and John Knox Bokwe. Thereafter, using Digital Storytelling (DS) as a methodology for data collection and Ethnographic Content Analysis (ECA) as an analytic tool, co-researchers were given the opportunity to create data or share their stories in a novel manner, which has proven to develop powerful, honest and self-reflexive results. Important pedagogic themes that emerged as being part of a shared church-led approach to music teaching and learning include practice and consistent performance; collaboration; imitation; embodied and experiential learning, rote learning, and memorisation. Central to using DS as a methodology, this study found that musical identity and early pedagogical approaches to learning music play an important factor in further musical development and education. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Music and Musicology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Authors: Mathebula, Praise Ntsako
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Church music Africa, Southern , Indigenous music , Digital storytelling , Music of Southern Africa , Musicians Africa, Southern , Western education
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465975 , vital:76673
- Description: Using an ethnographic and autoethnographic approach, this study investigated how the church has influenced the development and practice of five professional musicians practicing in South Africa. This research resulted from discussions with numerous musicians who had their music genesis at church, some of them well-known professionals in the country. Reflecting on the history of church music education that can be traced back to the arrival of the missionaries on the African continent and the different types of music education settings that can be found in South Africa, this thesis analyses the approach and delivery of music pedagogy that exists in the South African church setting. Discussing the introduction of Western musical tools such as tonic-solfa, choral music and four-part singing, this research contextualises the historical effect of mission education of several South African composers, including Tiyo Soga, Enoch Sontonga and John Knox Bokwe. Thereafter, using Digital Storytelling (DS) as a methodology for data collection and Ethnographic Content Analysis (ECA) as an analytic tool, co-researchers were given the opportunity to create data or share their stories in a novel manner, which has proven to develop powerful, honest and self-reflexive results. Important pedagogic themes that emerged as being part of a shared church-led approach to music teaching and learning include practice and consistent performance; collaboration; imitation; embodied and experiential learning, rote learning, and memorisation. Central to using DS as a methodology, this study found that musical identity and early pedagogical approaches to learning music play an important factor in further musical development and education. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Music and Musicology, 2024
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Application of the modified pitman and swat models for groundwater recharge estimation in the upstream area of the Uitenhage artesian basin, South Africa
- Authors: Wasswa, Peter
- Date: 2024-04-04
- Subjects: Hydrologic models , Groundwater recharge , Runoff Mathematical models , Rain and rainfall Mathematical models , Water-supply Management , Artesian basins South Africa Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/435400 , vital:73154
- Description: The world's most plentiful source of freshwater is thought to be groundwater. During extended dry times, it serves as an essential storage component and guards against environmental catastrophes. Despite its critical functions in the aforementioned scenarios, it is often insufficiently understood and inadequately managed. As a result, it calls for the adoption of integrated methods to comprehend the dynamics of groundwater recharge. Thus, the current study evaluated the applicability and suitability of the Modified Pitman and SWAT models for groundwater recharge estimation in the upstream area of UAB for the period that spanned from 1993 to 2021. It was achieved by using a qualitative conceptual-perceptual model to inform the two hydrological models, Modified Pitman, and SWAT. The developed qualitative conceptual-perceptual model depicted the dominancy of irregularly folded and fractured TMG rock outcrops coupled with fault systems in the upstream area. In the downward section, TMG is overlaid by the aquiclude from the Uitenhage Group which is responsible for the artesian conditions. Groundwater potential zones were classified as Poor, Fair, Good, and Excellent, with 65.4% and 8.7% of the upstream area attributed to Good and Excellent zones respectively. Both Modified Pitman and SWAT predicted decreasing rates of groundwater recharge in the upstream area over time, though Mann-Kendal trend tests done at 5% signifance level depicted significant decreasing rates in SWAT predicted recharge compared to Modified Pitman predicted recharge. The two models did also predict recharge and other water balance components with differing peaks, lows and timings. Modified Pitman predicted mean annual recharge of 63.3-92.8 mm where as SWAT predicted mean annual recharge of 14.4-182.8 mm. In reference to earlier findings within TMG areas, estimated percentages of groundwater recharge were close to those simulated by both Pitman and SWAT models. Modified Pitman and SWAT models appear to both be reasonable tools to estimate recharge in TMG setting, producing relatively similar results to one another and to other regional estimates. Since the current study estimated low recharge rates (Modified Pitman; ~9.3-13.6% MAP), (SWAT; ~2.1-26.7% MAP) which are close to those predicted in other TMG areas, the study recommends exercising caution when developing a water supply strategy in the current study area. The recharge rates within the pertinent recharging areas should be considered when designing and sitting abstraction points such as boreholes and a sustainable abstraction rate in any one borehole for improved sustainable management of groundwater resources. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Institute for Water Research, 2024
- Full Text:
- Authors: Wasswa, Peter
- Date: 2024-04-04
- Subjects: Hydrologic models , Groundwater recharge , Runoff Mathematical models , Rain and rainfall Mathematical models , Water-supply Management , Artesian basins South Africa Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/435400 , vital:73154
- Description: The world's most plentiful source of freshwater is thought to be groundwater. During extended dry times, it serves as an essential storage component and guards against environmental catastrophes. Despite its critical functions in the aforementioned scenarios, it is often insufficiently understood and inadequately managed. As a result, it calls for the adoption of integrated methods to comprehend the dynamics of groundwater recharge. Thus, the current study evaluated the applicability and suitability of the Modified Pitman and SWAT models for groundwater recharge estimation in the upstream area of UAB for the period that spanned from 1993 to 2021. It was achieved by using a qualitative conceptual-perceptual model to inform the two hydrological models, Modified Pitman, and SWAT. The developed qualitative conceptual-perceptual model depicted the dominancy of irregularly folded and fractured TMG rock outcrops coupled with fault systems in the upstream area. In the downward section, TMG is overlaid by the aquiclude from the Uitenhage Group which is responsible for the artesian conditions. Groundwater potential zones were classified as Poor, Fair, Good, and Excellent, with 65.4% and 8.7% of the upstream area attributed to Good and Excellent zones respectively. Both Modified Pitman and SWAT predicted decreasing rates of groundwater recharge in the upstream area over time, though Mann-Kendal trend tests done at 5% signifance level depicted significant decreasing rates in SWAT predicted recharge compared to Modified Pitman predicted recharge. The two models did also predict recharge and other water balance components with differing peaks, lows and timings. Modified Pitman predicted mean annual recharge of 63.3-92.8 mm where as SWAT predicted mean annual recharge of 14.4-182.8 mm. In reference to earlier findings within TMG areas, estimated percentages of groundwater recharge were close to those simulated by both Pitman and SWAT models. Modified Pitman and SWAT models appear to both be reasonable tools to estimate recharge in TMG setting, producing relatively similar results to one another and to other regional estimates. Since the current study estimated low recharge rates (Modified Pitman; ~9.3-13.6% MAP), (SWAT; ~2.1-26.7% MAP) which are close to those predicted in other TMG areas, the study recommends exercising caution when developing a water supply strategy in the current study area. The recharge rates within the pertinent recharging areas should be considered when designing and sitting abstraction points such as boreholes and a sustainable abstraction rate in any one borehole for improved sustainable management of groundwater resources. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Institute for Water Research, 2024
- Full Text:
A study on visual inspection of citrus sorters in a packhouse in the Eastern Cape of South Africa
- Authors: Maher, Christopher Richard
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: Citrus fruit industry South Africa Eastern Cape , Packing-house workers , Fatigue in the workplace , Drowsiness , Visual inspection , Employees Workload
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/424256 , vital:72137
- Description: Background and Purpose. The South African citrus industry is a major global producer of citrus as well as the second largest exporter of citrus fruit in the world. This industry provides employment to an estimated 112 000 workers in South Africa and is vital in providing economic opportunities to communities such as those in the Sunday’s River Valley in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa due to the low employment and education levels within this province. Citrus sorting is a visual inspection task that requires workers to sustain attention and remain vigilant for the duration of a working shift. Their role in the packhouse is to ensure that no defective products are packed for export or the local market and that the fruit meets the customers’ expectations. Since the demands of sorting citrus are poorly understood, this study attempted to assess the effect that sorting citrus has on vigilance performance as well as attempt to quantify perceived workload while taking into account different contextual factors that affect perceptions of this working task. Methods. This study was conducted within a citrus packhouse in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The sample was comprised of individuals employed by the packhouse as citrus sorters. In addition to a recruitment and information session, testing was conducted at three intervals during a working shift on four consecutive days. Each time, indicators of vigilance, such as correct responses, sensitivity, reaction time, false alarms and misses, were collected during a 5-minute computerised version of the Mackworth Clock-test, while perceived workload was assessed with the NASA-TLX scale, and sleepiness was recording using the WITS Sleepiness Scale. Furthermore, an open-ended question was asked to further understand factors affecting the ability of participants to concentrate during their task of sorting. Results. 18 participants consented to participate in this study. 16 of these individuals identified as female with an average age of 30 years (± 7). 83% of participants were of Black African descent and were isiXhosa speakers, while 17% of participants were of Coloured descent and Afrikaans speakers. This study found that performance, as measured by the percentage of correct responses, sensitivity and reaction time on the 5-minute long Mackworth Clock Test was not significantly affected as time-on-task for sorting citrus increased during a working shift, neither did performance on the vigilance test change as days of the week proceeded. However, ‘misses’ during the vigilance test were found to significantly decrease over the course of a working shift, thus contradicting the expected outcomes of this study. Perceived workload of sorting citrus, as well as perceived sleepiness, significantly increased with time-on-task during the course of a working shift. The major contributions for this increase in perceived workload while sorting citrus were derived from the Mental Demand and Physical Demand sub-scale for the NASA-TLX. However, responses from the open-ended question indicated that participants generally enjoyed their work, although there were factors, such as the nature of fruit and social set-up of work, that negatively affected this perception. Discussion. The results from this study contradicted the researcher’s expectations. It was anticipated that measures of correct responses and sensitivity would decrease and misses, and reaction time would increase with time-on-task for sorting citrus, yet vigilance indicators from the Mackworth Clock Test generally indicated no change in vigilance, and, according to “misses” even improved with time-on-task. A likely explanation for this is that the use of a 5-minute Mackworth Clock-test was unsuitable in this context, or rather, the time of this test was not long enough to induce a ‘vigilance decrement’. Furthermore, in order to administer this vigilance test, participants were taken off the production line and led to a testing room which most likely increased their levels of arousal, thus affecting performance on the vigilance test. However, even though perceived sleepiness was found to significantly increase over the course of a working shift, these data correlated poorly with the vigilance results, thus contradicting the expected outcomes of the study. Mental demand significantly increased, possibly due to the demand of attentional informational processing required for sorting, as well as various environmental factors present within the packhouse. Physical demand, too, significantly increased as workers were required to remain standing throughout their working task as well as to make use of their upper extremities to remove defective fruit. Correlation analyses showed significantly weak correlation for Mackworth Clock Test variables and sleepiness ratings to all other variables. NASA-TLX variables, however, generally showed significantly moderate correlations with one another. Conclusion. It remains unclear how vigilance changes and sustained attention while sorting citrus, since the experiment did not show changes in performance. This is largely attributed to the methodological set-up which could have increased arousal and therefore affected vigilance. It is recommended that future studies research vigilance and sustained attention during the sorting itself, rather than attempting to infer vigilance results from a computerised vigilance test. Perceived workload of sorting, however, increased over the course of a working shift due to significant increases in perceptions of the physical and mental demands of sorting. Future studies should address concerns relating to the physical demand of sorting. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to compare responses of day and night shift sorters to further understand how the relationship between these variables may change. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Human Kinetics and Ergonomics, 2023
- Full Text:
- Authors: Maher, Christopher Richard
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: Citrus fruit industry South Africa Eastern Cape , Packing-house workers , Fatigue in the workplace , Drowsiness , Visual inspection , Employees Workload
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/424256 , vital:72137
- Description: Background and Purpose. The South African citrus industry is a major global producer of citrus as well as the second largest exporter of citrus fruit in the world. This industry provides employment to an estimated 112 000 workers in South Africa and is vital in providing economic opportunities to communities such as those in the Sunday’s River Valley in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa due to the low employment and education levels within this province. Citrus sorting is a visual inspection task that requires workers to sustain attention and remain vigilant for the duration of a working shift. Their role in the packhouse is to ensure that no defective products are packed for export or the local market and that the fruit meets the customers’ expectations. Since the demands of sorting citrus are poorly understood, this study attempted to assess the effect that sorting citrus has on vigilance performance as well as attempt to quantify perceived workload while taking into account different contextual factors that affect perceptions of this working task. Methods. This study was conducted within a citrus packhouse in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The sample was comprised of individuals employed by the packhouse as citrus sorters. In addition to a recruitment and information session, testing was conducted at three intervals during a working shift on four consecutive days. Each time, indicators of vigilance, such as correct responses, sensitivity, reaction time, false alarms and misses, were collected during a 5-minute computerised version of the Mackworth Clock-test, while perceived workload was assessed with the NASA-TLX scale, and sleepiness was recording using the WITS Sleepiness Scale. Furthermore, an open-ended question was asked to further understand factors affecting the ability of participants to concentrate during their task of sorting. Results. 18 participants consented to participate in this study. 16 of these individuals identified as female with an average age of 30 years (± 7). 83% of participants were of Black African descent and were isiXhosa speakers, while 17% of participants were of Coloured descent and Afrikaans speakers. This study found that performance, as measured by the percentage of correct responses, sensitivity and reaction time on the 5-minute long Mackworth Clock Test was not significantly affected as time-on-task for sorting citrus increased during a working shift, neither did performance on the vigilance test change as days of the week proceeded. However, ‘misses’ during the vigilance test were found to significantly decrease over the course of a working shift, thus contradicting the expected outcomes of this study. Perceived workload of sorting citrus, as well as perceived sleepiness, significantly increased with time-on-task during the course of a working shift. The major contributions for this increase in perceived workload while sorting citrus were derived from the Mental Demand and Physical Demand sub-scale for the NASA-TLX. However, responses from the open-ended question indicated that participants generally enjoyed their work, although there were factors, such as the nature of fruit and social set-up of work, that negatively affected this perception. Discussion. The results from this study contradicted the researcher’s expectations. It was anticipated that measures of correct responses and sensitivity would decrease and misses, and reaction time would increase with time-on-task for sorting citrus, yet vigilance indicators from the Mackworth Clock Test generally indicated no change in vigilance, and, according to “misses” even improved with time-on-task. A likely explanation for this is that the use of a 5-minute Mackworth Clock-test was unsuitable in this context, or rather, the time of this test was not long enough to induce a ‘vigilance decrement’. Furthermore, in order to administer this vigilance test, participants were taken off the production line and led to a testing room which most likely increased their levels of arousal, thus affecting performance on the vigilance test. However, even though perceived sleepiness was found to significantly increase over the course of a working shift, these data correlated poorly with the vigilance results, thus contradicting the expected outcomes of the study. Mental demand significantly increased, possibly due to the demand of attentional informational processing required for sorting, as well as various environmental factors present within the packhouse. Physical demand, too, significantly increased as workers were required to remain standing throughout their working task as well as to make use of their upper extremities to remove defective fruit. Correlation analyses showed significantly weak correlation for Mackworth Clock Test variables and sleepiness ratings to all other variables. NASA-TLX variables, however, generally showed significantly moderate correlations with one another. Conclusion. It remains unclear how vigilance changes and sustained attention while sorting citrus, since the experiment did not show changes in performance. This is largely attributed to the methodological set-up which could have increased arousal and therefore affected vigilance. It is recommended that future studies research vigilance and sustained attention during the sorting itself, rather than attempting to infer vigilance results from a computerised vigilance test. Perceived workload of sorting, however, increased over the course of a working shift due to significant increases in perceptions of the physical and mental demands of sorting. Future studies should address concerns relating to the physical demand of sorting. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to compare responses of day and night shift sorters to further understand how the relationship between these variables may change. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Human Kinetics and Ergonomics, 2023
- Full Text:
Bioactivity evaluation of manno-oligosaccharides produced from spent coffee grounds using a Bacillus sp. derived endo-1,4-β-mannanase
- Authors: Magengelele, Mihle
- Date: 2022-10-14
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/365233 , vital:65719
- Description: Thesis embargoed. Possible release date set for early 2024. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Biochemistry and Microbiology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Authors: Magengelele, Mihle
- Date: 2022-10-14
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/365233 , vital:65719
- Description: Thesis embargoed. Possible release date set for early 2024. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Biochemistry and Microbiology, 2022
- Full Text:
The invisible teacher: The teacher envisaged in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) English First Additional Language (EFAL) Further Education and Training (FET) Phase
- Authors: Dowejko, Diane Agnieszka
- Date: 2022-10-14
- Subjects: Educational sociology South Africa , Systemic functional linguistics , Curriculum-based assessment South Africa , Linguistic analysis (Linguistics) , Educational evaluation South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/406714 , vital:70301
- Description: Educational policy documents, which are intended to enlighten teachers about what they should teach and how they should assess learners, contain both language and knowledge. How this knowledge is construed through language may reveal the kind of teacher envisaged by the document, and the assumptions made regarding the dispositions of these educators. There is a plethora of research on the relationship between the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement for English First Additional Language in the Further Education and Training Phase (CAPS-EFAL) and its impact on the learner in the classroom, but little evidence of research related to how curriculum documents envisage the teacher, and linguistic research pertaining to CAPS-EFAL. This research aims to use linguistic analysis to discover how the teacher is envisaged in this document, while speaking to the broader subject of the relationship between teacher and curriculum policy. This study adopts a framework which inspects this language using Systemic Functional Linguistics to analyse language in relation to its functions in social contexts, and the instructional knowledge built in CAPS-EFAL through applying elements of Legitimation Code Theory, analysing processes of knowledge production and recontextualisation. An investigation of the language revealed assumptions that the envisaged teacher is one who is already highly trained in aspects of language teaching and classroom methodology and pedagogy. While the analysis also revealed a high level of guidance for the teacher, there was a strong focus on the knowledge within the curriculum, and several assumptions made regarding the teacher’s prior knowledge before encountering or utilising the document. The analysis also revealed that CAPS-EFAL acknowledges that the teacher requires a sound knowledge of technical terminology related to language teaching, as well as general classroom pedagogies and routines. In addition, the document assumes that the disposition of the teacher is one who can make decisions without the need for absolute confirmation or authority from curriculum documentation. Overall, the analysis revealed an élite code in terms of Specialization; CAPS-EFAL is therefore based on the legitimacy of both specialised knowledge and the disposition of the teacher. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 2022
- Full Text:
- Authors: Dowejko, Diane Agnieszka
- Date: 2022-10-14
- Subjects: Educational sociology South Africa , Systemic functional linguistics , Curriculum-based assessment South Africa , Linguistic analysis (Linguistics) , Educational evaluation South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/406714 , vital:70301
- Description: Educational policy documents, which are intended to enlighten teachers about what they should teach and how they should assess learners, contain both language and knowledge. How this knowledge is construed through language may reveal the kind of teacher envisaged by the document, and the assumptions made regarding the dispositions of these educators. There is a plethora of research on the relationship between the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement for English First Additional Language in the Further Education and Training Phase (CAPS-EFAL) and its impact on the learner in the classroom, but little evidence of research related to how curriculum documents envisage the teacher, and linguistic research pertaining to CAPS-EFAL. This research aims to use linguistic analysis to discover how the teacher is envisaged in this document, while speaking to the broader subject of the relationship between teacher and curriculum policy. This study adopts a framework which inspects this language using Systemic Functional Linguistics to analyse language in relation to its functions in social contexts, and the instructional knowledge built in CAPS-EFAL through applying elements of Legitimation Code Theory, analysing processes of knowledge production and recontextualisation. An investigation of the language revealed assumptions that the envisaged teacher is one who is already highly trained in aspects of language teaching and classroom methodology and pedagogy. While the analysis also revealed a high level of guidance for the teacher, there was a strong focus on the knowledge within the curriculum, and several assumptions made regarding the teacher’s prior knowledge before encountering or utilising the document. The analysis also revealed that CAPS-EFAL acknowledges that the teacher requires a sound knowledge of technical terminology related to language teaching, as well as general classroom pedagogies and routines. In addition, the document assumes that the disposition of the teacher is one who can make decisions without the need for absolute confirmation or authority from curriculum documentation. Overall, the analysis revealed an élite code in terms of Specialization; CAPS-EFAL is therefore based on the legitimacy of both specialised knowledge and the disposition of the teacher. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 2022
- Full Text:
Alternative approach to controlling citrus black spot disease
- Authors: Thabede, Jahman Thabo
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: To be added
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178569 , vital:42951
- Description: Access restricted until April 2022. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Biochemistry and Microbiology, 2021
- Full Text:
- Authors: Thabede, Jahman Thabo
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: To be added
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178569 , vital:42951
- Description: Access restricted until April 2022. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Biochemistry and Microbiology, 2021
- Full Text:
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