Enhancing Grade 12 physical sciences teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge to teach work, energy, and power bilingually in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Mapfumo, Alfred Khumbulani
- Date: 2025-04-03
- Subjects: Science Study and teaching (Secondary) South Africa , Pedagogical content knowledge , Translanguaging (Linguistics) , Professional learning communities , Social learning
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/480073 , vital:78394 , DOI 10.21504/10962/480073
- Description: South Africa has been performing very poorly in consecutive Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in Science and Mathematics, where it has been ranked last among all participating countries. Similarly, in the recent National Senior Certificate examinations (2017–2023), the percentage of candidates who scored at least 40% in Physical Sciences ranged from 39% to 51%. This points to a possible problem in the teaching and learning of Physical Sciences in schools. On close analysis, the question on the topic of Work, Energy, and Power, in particular, is usually one of the most poorly answered in the Physics paper of the Physical Sciences examination. Some South African studies have concluded that there is poor mastery of the energy concept in the Further Education and Training Phase by both learners and teachers. Against this backdrop, this formative interventionist study sought to support Grade 12 Physical Sciences teachers in co-developing and enacting exemplar lessons on Work, Energy and Power that incorporate everyday and home language through pedagogical translanguaging and transknowledging. The five teachers from township and rural schools and I formed a Professional Learning Community (PLC) to co-develop lessons later enacted by the teachers. The study was underpinned by an interpretivist paradigm and complemented by the critical theory paradigm. A qualitative case study research design was employed. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews, document analysis, workshops, lesson observations and participant-teacher reflections. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory was my theoretical framework, while Mavhunga and Rollnick’s five components of Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge were used as an analytical lens. An inductive-deductive approach to data analysis was used. This study demonstrated how teachers in a PLC can work together to develop their individual pedagogical content knowledge in particular practice areas. The PLC created lesson plans that guided their use of pedagogical translanguaging techniques, such as code-switching, code-mixing, translation, and versioning of scientific terminology, to facilitate learning. In addition, the PLC created an IsiXhosa glossary for concepts related to Work, Energy, and Power. The study’s main contribution is that teachers involved in this study displayed transformative agency through co-constructing their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for pedagogical translanguaging. The study thus recommends that if the goal of improving epistemological access for learners who are learning Physical Sciences in a second language is to be realised, in-service teachers should be capacitated to apply pedagogical translanguaging, which brings about transknowledging using PLCs such as the one-formed for this study. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post School Education, 2025
- Full Text:
- Authors: Mapfumo, Alfred Khumbulani
- Date: 2025-04-03
- Subjects: Science Study and teaching (Secondary) South Africa , Pedagogical content knowledge , Translanguaging (Linguistics) , Professional learning communities , Social learning
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/480073 , vital:78394 , DOI 10.21504/10962/480073
- Description: South Africa has been performing very poorly in consecutive Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in Science and Mathematics, where it has been ranked last among all participating countries. Similarly, in the recent National Senior Certificate examinations (2017–2023), the percentage of candidates who scored at least 40% in Physical Sciences ranged from 39% to 51%. This points to a possible problem in the teaching and learning of Physical Sciences in schools. On close analysis, the question on the topic of Work, Energy, and Power, in particular, is usually one of the most poorly answered in the Physics paper of the Physical Sciences examination. Some South African studies have concluded that there is poor mastery of the energy concept in the Further Education and Training Phase by both learners and teachers. Against this backdrop, this formative interventionist study sought to support Grade 12 Physical Sciences teachers in co-developing and enacting exemplar lessons on Work, Energy and Power that incorporate everyday and home language through pedagogical translanguaging and transknowledging. The five teachers from township and rural schools and I formed a Professional Learning Community (PLC) to co-develop lessons later enacted by the teachers. The study was underpinned by an interpretivist paradigm and complemented by the critical theory paradigm. A qualitative case study research design was employed. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews, document analysis, workshops, lesson observations and participant-teacher reflections. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory was my theoretical framework, while Mavhunga and Rollnick’s five components of Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge were used as an analytical lens. An inductive-deductive approach to data analysis was used. This study demonstrated how teachers in a PLC can work together to develop their individual pedagogical content knowledge in particular practice areas. The PLC created lesson plans that guided their use of pedagogical translanguaging techniques, such as code-switching, code-mixing, translation, and versioning of scientific terminology, to facilitate learning. In addition, the PLC created an IsiXhosa glossary for concepts related to Work, Energy, and Power. The study’s main contribution is that teachers involved in this study displayed transformative agency through co-constructing their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for pedagogical translanguaging. The study thus recommends that if the goal of improving epistemological access for learners who are learning Physical Sciences in a second language is to be realised, in-service teachers should be capacitated to apply pedagogical translanguaging, which brings about transknowledging using PLCs such as the one-formed for this study. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post School Education, 2025
- Full Text:
A case study of GADRA’s community-engaged praxis for educational transformation
- Authors: Msomi, Nqobile Nomonde
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Non-governmental organizations South Africa , Community psychology , Afrocentrism , Foucauldian discourse analysis , Education South Africa , Transformative learning South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464864 , vital:76552 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/464864
- Description: Although South Africa has achieved considerable steps in development over the last thirty years, post-apartheid South Africa is characterised by widespread poverty, high unemployment and systemic inequality. According to the country’s National Planning Commission, education is central to achieving the overarching democratic goals of eliminating poverty and reducing inequality. This positions education as an important site for the liberation and well-being of our country’s majority. This case study takes a community psychology perspective on education; more specifically the education-development nexus wherein Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are centrally positioned. NGOs are contentiously positioned in the development discourse. Nonetheless, they have played a key role with regards to siding with the poor, the excluded, persistently marginalised and oppressed majority and to bringing about social justice, following South Africa’s colonial and apartheid histories, as well as in the current democratic dispensation. This study situates a local NGO, GADRA Education, within the country’s socio-political and educational landscape. Founded in the 1950s and located in Makhanda, it has been operating in the rural Eastern Cape province for more than sixty years. In the present-day, GADRA Education positions itself at the centre of a dense network of education institutions in Makhanda, including Rhodes University, and collaborates with a number of education stakeholders in the small city. The case study consisted of two consecutive phases: a Foucauldian discourse analysis of GADRA’s annual reports between 2012 and 2021, followed by individual narrative interviews with 13 organisational members. An Africa(n)-centred community psychology orientation, revealed counter-discourse to the national “crisis in education” discourse surrounding the NGO. The discourse of crisis produced the legitimation for GADRA Education’s continued existence, action and embeddedness in Makhanda. The discourse of transformation informed their modes of support across primary, secondary and higher education. The discourse of access and participation constructed the NGO as a bridge and link between phases of education. The discourse of collaborative partnerships enabled solidarity between state and non-state actors towards educational change. Finally, the discourse of development positioned development at a grassroots level. These constellations formed GADRA Education’s counter-discourse, which produced the Organisation’s apparatus of resistance, formulated as situated praxis. The 5 organisational members’ narratives revealed the apparatus’s impacts on the subjectivities of youth in Makhanda in engendering hope and driving educational change in the city. In contrast to conceptions of education NGOs who work in the public schooling sector making little progress in dismantling educational inequity, this study illustrates the techniques of resistance leveraged, in the context of collaborative partnerships, by the local NGO. These techniques have wider applicability for education-development practitioners concerned with transformative change in their educational locales. It illustrates the principles and modes by which NGOs can operate in solidarity with the persistently marginalised majority, and thus contribute to shaping our imagined educational futures. I argue that psychology is a useful site to think about justice. Critical psychological theory can enable a deeper understanding of practice that contributes to impactful community organisation, intervention and resistance in the country’s education sector. The operationalisation of the values and principles of community psychology can make important contributions at the nexus of theory and practice in working towards educational, and ultimately social, change. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Authors: Msomi, Nqobile Nomonde
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Non-governmental organizations South Africa , Community psychology , Afrocentrism , Foucauldian discourse analysis , Education South Africa , Transformative learning South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464864 , vital:76552 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/464864
- Description: Although South Africa has achieved considerable steps in development over the last thirty years, post-apartheid South Africa is characterised by widespread poverty, high unemployment and systemic inequality. According to the country’s National Planning Commission, education is central to achieving the overarching democratic goals of eliminating poverty and reducing inequality. This positions education as an important site for the liberation and well-being of our country’s majority. This case study takes a community psychology perspective on education; more specifically the education-development nexus wherein Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are centrally positioned. NGOs are contentiously positioned in the development discourse. Nonetheless, they have played a key role with regards to siding with the poor, the excluded, persistently marginalised and oppressed majority and to bringing about social justice, following South Africa’s colonial and apartheid histories, as well as in the current democratic dispensation. This study situates a local NGO, GADRA Education, within the country’s socio-political and educational landscape. Founded in the 1950s and located in Makhanda, it has been operating in the rural Eastern Cape province for more than sixty years. In the present-day, GADRA Education positions itself at the centre of a dense network of education institutions in Makhanda, including Rhodes University, and collaborates with a number of education stakeholders in the small city. The case study consisted of two consecutive phases: a Foucauldian discourse analysis of GADRA’s annual reports between 2012 and 2021, followed by individual narrative interviews with 13 organisational members. An Africa(n)-centred community psychology orientation, revealed counter-discourse to the national “crisis in education” discourse surrounding the NGO. The discourse of crisis produced the legitimation for GADRA Education’s continued existence, action and embeddedness in Makhanda. The discourse of transformation informed their modes of support across primary, secondary and higher education. The discourse of access and participation constructed the NGO as a bridge and link between phases of education. The discourse of collaborative partnerships enabled solidarity between state and non-state actors towards educational change. Finally, the discourse of development positioned development at a grassroots level. These constellations formed GADRA Education’s counter-discourse, which produced the Organisation’s apparatus of resistance, formulated as situated praxis. The 5 organisational members’ narratives revealed the apparatus’s impacts on the subjectivities of youth in Makhanda in engendering hope and driving educational change in the city. In contrast to conceptions of education NGOs who work in the public schooling sector making little progress in dismantling educational inequity, this study illustrates the techniques of resistance leveraged, in the context of collaborative partnerships, by the local NGO. These techniques have wider applicability for education-development practitioners concerned with transformative change in their educational locales. It illustrates the principles and modes by which NGOs can operate in solidarity with the persistently marginalised majority, and thus contribute to shaping our imagined educational futures. I argue that psychology is a useful site to think about justice. Critical psychological theory can enable a deeper understanding of practice that contributes to impactful community organisation, intervention and resistance in the country’s education sector. The operationalisation of the values and principles of community psychology can make important contributions at the nexus of theory and practice in working towards educational, and ultimately social, change. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
Social entrepreneurship and the tensions between social, environmental, and business goals: a case of Uganda
- Authors: Okello, Emmanuel
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: Social entrepreneurship Uganda , Climatic changes Uganda , Social responsibility of business Uganda , Sustainable development Uganda , Environmental responsibility Uganda
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/419662 , vital:71664
- Description: Climate change has resulted in a global environmental crisis, with deforestation, plastic pollution, soil degradation, and species extinction increasing. Businesses have contributed significantly to these issues through their manufacturing processes. While many companies have implemented sustainability initiatives, systemic environmental problems persist, and businesses continue to play a significant role. One reason for this is that profit often takes priority over environmental considerations, limiting the effectiveness of sustainability programs. In response, environmental social enterprises are gaining prominence as a potent alternative to conventional business models. These enterprises are commended for placing environmental value generation at their core. Nevertheless, the simultaneous pursuit of financial, socio-economic, and environmental goals can instigate conflicts, including those related to performing, organizing, belonging, learning, and those spanning various levels of analysis. These conflicts impede the intended outcomes of these enterprises. This challenge is particularly under-addressed within contexts distinct from North America and Europe, like Uganda, which possesses unique geographic, political, and cultural attributes. Investigating how environmental social enterprises in Uganda navigate goal-related contradictions is pivotal for comprehending their internal mechanisms and strategies for economic sustainability. This study adopted a qualitative research strategy grounded in the interpretivist paradigm. Employing multi-qualitative methods, including interviews with 20 key decision-makers from 4 environmental social enterprises, the study delved into their experiences and practices. The findings revealed that these enterprises grapple with tensions stemming from their endeavors to balance economic, environmental, and social objectives. These tensions manifest both anticipated and unanticipated effects on organizational performance. Strategies for managing these tensions encompass collaborations with other organizations, experimentation with diverse management approaches, and acknowledging tensions as inherent and potentially beneficial. Nevertheless, the efficacy of these strategies hinges on the organizational context and systemic factors such as government regulations. While facing similar tensions, environmental social enterprises also adopt varied tactics—proactive, defensive, or a combination thereof—to address conflicts rooted in their goals. The chosen response method holds implications for ecological outcomes, underscoring the importance of framing tensions appropriately. Nonetheless, persistent tensions that resurface due to their dynamic nature pose a challenge. Consequently, addressing such tensions necessitates an iterative approach, often entailing a fusion of strategies. To address tensions between social, environmental, and economic objectives in environmental social enterprises, policymakers, governments, and social entrepreneurs should collaborate to institute supportive policies, encourage partnerships, invest in education and capacity building, and establish evaluation frameworks. Implementing these recommendations can adeptly manage such conflicts, fostering sustainable development and success. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Rhodes Business School, 2023
- Full Text:
- Authors: Okello, Emmanuel
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: Social entrepreneurship Uganda , Climatic changes Uganda , Social responsibility of business Uganda , Sustainable development Uganda , Environmental responsibility Uganda
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/419662 , vital:71664
- Description: Climate change has resulted in a global environmental crisis, with deforestation, plastic pollution, soil degradation, and species extinction increasing. Businesses have contributed significantly to these issues through their manufacturing processes. While many companies have implemented sustainability initiatives, systemic environmental problems persist, and businesses continue to play a significant role. One reason for this is that profit often takes priority over environmental considerations, limiting the effectiveness of sustainability programs. In response, environmental social enterprises are gaining prominence as a potent alternative to conventional business models. These enterprises are commended for placing environmental value generation at their core. Nevertheless, the simultaneous pursuit of financial, socio-economic, and environmental goals can instigate conflicts, including those related to performing, organizing, belonging, learning, and those spanning various levels of analysis. These conflicts impede the intended outcomes of these enterprises. This challenge is particularly under-addressed within contexts distinct from North America and Europe, like Uganda, which possesses unique geographic, political, and cultural attributes. Investigating how environmental social enterprises in Uganda navigate goal-related contradictions is pivotal for comprehending their internal mechanisms and strategies for economic sustainability. This study adopted a qualitative research strategy grounded in the interpretivist paradigm. Employing multi-qualitative methods, including interviews with 20 key decision-makers from 4 environmental social enterprises, the study delved into their experiences and practices. The findings revealed that these enterprises grapple with tensions stemming from their endeavors to balance economic, environmental, and social objectives. These tensions manifest both anticipated and unanticipated effects on organizational performance. Strategies for managing these tensions encompass collaborations with other organizations, experimentation with diverse management approaches, and acknowledging tensions as inherent and potentially beneficial. Nevertheless, the efficacy of these strategies hinges on the organizational context and systemic factors such as government regulations. While facing similar tensions, environmental social enterprises also adopt varied tactics—proactive, defensive, or a combination thereof—to address conflicts rooted in their goals. The chosen response method holds implications for ecological outcomes, underscoring the importance of framing tensions appropriately. Nonetheless, persistent tensions that resurface due to their dynamic nature pose a challenge. Consequently, addressing such tensions necessitates an iterative approach, often entailing a fusion of strategies. To address tensions between social, environmental, and economic objectives in environmental social enterprises, policymakers, governments, and social entrepreneurs should collaborate to institute supportive policies, encourage partnerships, invest in education and capacity building, and establish evaluation frameworks. Implementing these recommendations can adeptly manage such conflicts, fostering sustainable development and success. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Rhodes Business School, 2023
- Full Text:
Investigating the use of nudging to dissuade online banking fraud
- Mutyavariri, Takudzwa Stanley
- Authors: Mutyavariri, Takudzwa Stanley
- Date: 2023-03-31
- Subjects: Electronic commerce Security measures , Bank fraud , Computer security , Behavioral cybersecurity , Decision making Data processing
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/419462 , vital:71646
- Description: Online banking is a service offered by most modern banks to provide their clients with a convenient means to access their bank accounts remotely. However, such convenience comes at a cost and has the potential to expose clients to online banking fraud. To mitigate such forms of fraud, banks make extensive use of traditional cybersecurity measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, as well as personal identification numbers (PINs) and passwords. However, despite the use of such traditional cybersecurity measures, online banking fraud still occurs. In particular, traditional cybersecurity measures have difficulties detecting the unauthorised use of a customer’s online banking credentials. For this reason, this study’s main objective was to investigate the effectiveness of nudges when used to dissuade the unauthorised use of clients’ online banking credentials. The study also had two secondary objectives: firstly, to identify where the deployment of nudges would be most effective; and secondly, to identify the rationalisations an individual may use to justify committing online banking fraud. Although previous research has sought to understand the use of nudges in various online contexts, none have done so within the context of online banking. Using a recontextualised version of the COM-B (capability, opportunity, motivation – behaviour) model of behaviour change, nudges were deployed in three versions of a fictitious online banking website. Following this, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted with online banking users from the United States of America to understand how a third party may behave and rationalise their choices when they have unauthorised access to a customer’s online banking credentials. The transcripts of these interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the most dissuasive nudges focused on encouraging individuals to empathise with the account holder. Nudges that increased the perception of an online banking website’s security were also particularly dissuasive. The findings also indicated that the most effective place to deploy these nudges was after a user had logged in. Several rationalisations that enabled individuals to commit online baking fraud were found. The three most common were crime of opportunity, down on their luck, and sunk cost fallacy and curiosity. Together, the findings provide evidence to suggest that, if used effectively, nudges could prove useful as a means of dissuading online banking fraud, and even more so when combined with traditional cybersecurity measures. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Information Systems, 2023
- Full Text:
- Authors: Mutyavariri, Takudzwa Stanley
- Date: 2023-03-31
- Subjects: Electronic commerce Security measures , Bank fraud , Computer security , Behavioral cybersecurity , Decision making Data processing
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/419462 , vital:71646
- Description: Online banking is a service offered by most modern banks to provide their clients with a convenient means to access their bank accounts remotely. However, such convenience comes at a cost and has the potential to expose clients to online banking fraud. To mitigate such forms of fraud, banks make extensive use of traditional cybersecurity measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, as well as personal identification numbers (PINs) and passwords. However, despite the use of such traditional cybersecurity measures, online banking fraud still occurs. In particular, traditional cybersecurity measures have difficulties detecting the unauthorised use of a customer’s online banking credentials. For this reason, this study’s main objective was to investigate the effectiveness of nudges when used to dissuade the unauthorised use of clients’ online banking credentials. The study also had two secondary objectives: firstly, to identify where the deployment of nudges would be most effective; and secondly, to identify the rationalisations an individual may use to justify committing online banking fraud. Although previous research has sought to understand the use of nudges in various online contexts, none have done so within the context of online banking. Using a recontextualised version of the COM-B (capability, opportunity, motivation – behaviour) model of behaviour change, nudges were deployed in three versions of a fictitious online banking website. Following this, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted with online banking users from the United States of America to understand how a third party may behave and rationalise their choices when they have unauthorised access to a customer’s online banking credentials. The transcripts of these interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the most dissuasive nudges focused on encouraging individuals to empathise with the account holder. Nudges that increased the perception of an online banking website’s security were also particularly dissuasive. The findings also indicated that the most effective place to deploy these nudges was after a user had logged in. Several rationalisations that enabled individuals to commit online baking fraud were found. The three most common were crime of opportunity, down on their luck, and sunk cost fallacy and curiosity. Together, the findings provide evidence to suggest that, if used effectively, nudges could prove useful as a means of dissuading online banking fraud, and even more so when combined with traditional cybersecurity measures. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Information Systems, 2023
- Full Text:
The moderating effect of socioeconomic factors on the relationship between financial inclusion and poverty among South African vulnerable households
- Authors: Khalane, Pontso Violet
- Date: 2023-03-31
- Subjects: Financial inclusion , Poverty South Africa , Socioeconomic status South Africa , Financial sector , South Africa. Financial Sector Regulation Act, 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/419451 , vital:71645
- Description: Vulnerable households are often excluded from the formal financial sector, subsequently experiencing more poverty. Vulnerable households are those that face higher chances of experiencing higher levels of poverty due to their socioeconomic factors. This study aimed to determine the moderating effect of socioeconomic factors on the relationship between financial inclusion and poverty among South African vulnerable households. Poverty is the involuntary lack of monetary and other resources that can afford households with basic human needs and a decent standard of living above a chosen poverty measure. This study measured poverty using a multidimensional measure that incorporated a household’s deprivation of health, education and a decent standard of living. Financial inclusion refers to a process of incorporating vulnerable households into the formal financial sector by ensuring that they receive timely and adequate access to regulated financial products at an affordable price, regardless of their socioeconomic status. This study measured financial inclusion multidimensionally using access to four basic regulated financial products. Socioeconomic factors included gender, race, first or home language, age, the highest level and many more factors. This study was supported by theoretical framework of the vulnerable group theory of financial inclusion, financial development theory, the credit rationing theory and the public goods theory of financial inclusion. The study adopted a quantitative research design. The study used existing data from the FinMark FinScope 2016 South Africa database, which collected data on households’ demographics and their ownership of financial products. Using a closed-ended questionnaire, FinMark FinScope collected the data across South Africa through a multi-probability sampling technique. The final database used in this study after data cleaning contained a sample of 2759 households. The study used descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product-moment correlation, ANOVA and Multiple regression to investigate the factors of the study. The results of the study found a statistically significant relationship between financial inclusion and vulnerable households. The results also found a statistically significant relationship between poverty and vulnerable households. The results further showed a statistically significant negative relationship between financial inclusion and poverty. Lastly, the study found that only socioeconomic factors such as marital status, age as it relates to children and old people moderating effect on the relationship between financial inclusion and poverty among South African vulnerable households. Subsequently, it was concluded that vulnerable households experienced higher levels of poverty in South Africa, and these vulnerable households were less financially included in South Africa. Additionally, it was found that increasing vulnerable households’ access to all regulated financial products could help decrease their poverty levels. The study made several recommendations, which included inter-alia that formal financial institutions design products that specifically meet the needs of vulnerable households. This study also recommended that banks play a central role in facilitating vulnerable households’ affordability of health in South Africa (e.g., offering affordable healthcare products to vulnerable households). Theoretically, this study contributed to the body of literature using multidimensional financial inclusion and poverty, as well as determining the moderating effect of socioeconomic factors. Practically, this study provided insights to the banks on how to develop their products to meet the needs of vulnerable households, help alleviate poverty, and increase the banks’ market into previously unbanked or underbanked segments of the population of South Africa. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Accounting, 2023
- Full Text:
- Authors: Khalane, Pontso Violet
- Date: 2023-03-31
- Subjects: Financial inclusion , Poverty South Africa , Socioeconomic status South Africa , Financial sector , South Africa. Financial Sector Regulation Act, 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/419451 , vital:71645
- Description: Vulnerable households are often excluded from the formal financial sector, subsequently experiencing more poverty. Vulnerable households are those that face higher chances of experiencing higher levels of poverty due to their socioeconomic factors. This study aimed to determine the moderating effect of socioeconomic factors on the relationship between financial inclusion and poverty among South African vulnerable households. Poverty is the involuntary lack of monetary and other resources that can afford households with basic human needs and a decent standard of living above a chosen poverty measure. This study measured poverty using a multidimensional measure that incorporated a household’s deprivation of health, education and a decent standard of living. Financial inclusion refers to a process of incorporating vulnerable households into the formal financial sector by ensuring that they receive timely and adequate access to regulated financial products at an affordable price, regardless of their socioeconomic status. This study measured financial inclusion multidimensionally using access to four basic regulated financial products. Socioeconomic factors included gender, race, first or home language, age, the highest level and many more factors. This study was supported by theoretical framework of the vulnerable group theory of financial inclusion, financial development theory, the credit rationing theory and the public goods theory of financial inclusion. The study adopted a quantitative research design. The study used existing data from the FinMark FinScope 2016 South Africa database, which collected data on households’ demographics and their ownership of financial products. Using a closed-ended questionnaire, FinMark FinScope collected the data across South Africa through a multi-probability sampling technique. The final database used in this study after data cleaning contained a sample of 2759 households. The study used descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product-moment correlation, ANOVA and Multiple regression to investigate the factors of the study. The results of the study found a statistically significant relationship between financial inclusion and vulnerable households. The results also found a statistically significant relationship between poverty and vulnerable households. The results further showed a statistically significant negative relationship between financial inclusion and poverty. Lastly, the study found that only socioeconomic factors such as marital status, age as it relates to children and old people moderating effect on the relationship between financial inclusion and poverty among South African vulnerable households. Subsequently, it was concluded that vulnerable households experienced higher levels of poverty in South Africa, and these vulnerable households were less financially included in South Africa. Additionally, it was found that increasing vulnerable households’ access to all regulated financial products could help decrease their poverty levels. The study made several recommendations, which included inter-alia that formal financial institutions design products that specifically meet the needs of vulnerable households. This study also recommended that banks play a central role in facilitating vulnerable households’ affordability of health in South Africa (e.g., offering affordable healthcare products to vulnerable households). Theoretically, this study contributed to the body of literature using multidimensional financial inclusion and poverty, as well as determining the moderating effect of socioeconomic factors. Practically, this study provided insights to the banks on how to develop their products to meet the needs of vulnerable households, help alleviate poverty, and increase the banks’ market into previously unbanked or underbanked segments of the population of South Africa. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Accounting, 2023
- Full Text:
Dynamics of charge movement in ∞-Al2O3:C,Mg using thermoluminescence phototransferred and optically stimulated luminescence
- Authors: Lontsi Sob, Aaron Joel
- Date: 2022-04-08
- Subjects: Thermoluminescence , Optically stimulated luminescence , Phototransfer , Deep traps , Phototransferred thermoluminescence (PTTL)
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/294607 , vital:57237 , DOI 10.21504/10962/294607
- Description: The dosimetric features of ∞-Al2O3:C,Mg have been investigated for unannealed and annealed samples. The unannealed sample is referred to as sample A whereas the samples annealed at 700, 900 and 1200°C for 15 minutes each are referred to as samples B, C and D respectively. A glow curve of unannealed ∞-Al2O3:C,Mg measured at 1°C/s after irradiation to 2.0 Gy consists of peaks at 43, 73, 164, 195, 246, 284, 336 and 374°C respectively. For sample B (annealed at 700°C), a glow curve measured at 1°C/s after irradiation to 3.0 Gy has peaks at 46, 76, 100, 170, 199, 290, 330 and 375°C whereas the glow curve of sample C (annealed at 900°C) recorded under the same conditions consists of peaks at 49, 80, 100, 174, 206, 235, 290, 335 and 375°C respectively. Sample D (annealed at 1200°C) is the most sensitive of the four samples. A glow curve of sample D measured at 1°C/s after irradiation to 0.2 Gy has peaks at 52, 82, 102, 174, 234, 288 and 384°C respectively. The peaks are labelled I-VIII in order of appearance. The 100°C peak, labelled IIa, is induced by annealing at or above 700°C. The dose response of these peaks was studied for doses within 0.1-8.2 Gy. The reported peaks follow first-order kinetics irrespective of annealing temperature. Peaks I-III of each sample are reproduced under phototransfer for preheating up to 400°C. For the unannealed sample, the reproduced peaks are labelled A1-A3 whereas for the annealed samples, they are labelled B1-B3, C1-C3 and D1-D3 respectively. The annealing-induced peak at 100°C is reproduced as B2a, C2a and D2a for samples B, C and D respectively. A PTTL peak labelled C2b or D2b is also observed near 140°C in samples C and D. In addition to these PTTL peaks, a PTTL peak corresponding to peak IV is also found for sample D and for the unannealed sample. As the corresponding conventional peaks, the PTTL peaks of each sample follow first-order kinetics. Peak I and its corresponding PTTL peak for each sample are unstable and fade to a minimal level after 300 s of storage time. On the other hand, peak II of each sample and its corresponding PTTL peak could still be observed with delay up to 5000 s. Peak III of the unannealed sample remains stable with storage time up to 48 hours. Irrespective of annealing, the trap corresponding to peak III is the most sensitive to optical stimulation. Time-dependent profiles of PTTL from unannealed and annealed ∞-Al2O3:C,Mg were also studied. The mathematical analysis of the PTTL time-response profiles is based on experimental results. The role of various electron traps in PTTL was determined by using pulse annealing and by monitoring the dependence of peak intensity on duration of illumination for peaks not removed by preheating. The presence and role of deep traps were further demonstrated with thermally assisted optically stimulated luminescence. For the unannealed sample, the activation energy for thermal assistance is 0.033 ± 0.001 eV and the activation energy for thermal i quenching is 1.043 ± 0.001 eV. For sample C, the activation energy for thermal assistance is 0.044 ± 0.003 eV whereas that for thermal quenching is 1.110 ± 0.006 eV. The values for the activation energy for thermal assistance are lower than those reported in literature. Only the values for the activation energy for thermal quenching are somewhat comparable to values reported elsewhere. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Physics and Electronics, 2022
- Full Text:
- Authors: Lontsi Sob, Aaron Joel
- Date: 2022-04-08
- Subjects: Thermoluminescence , Optically stimulated luminescence , Phototransfer , Deep traps , Phototransferred thermoluminescence (PTTL)
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/294607 , vital:57237 , DOI 10.21504/10962/294607
- Description: The dosimetric features of ∞-Al2O3:C,Mg have been investigated for unannealed and annealed samples. The unannealed sample is referred to as sample A whereas the samples annealed at 700, 900 and 1200°C for 15 minutes each are referred to as samples B, C and D respectively. A glow curve of unannealed ∞-Al2O3:C,Mg measured at 1°C/s after irradiation to 2.0 Gy consists of peaks at 43, 73, 164, 195, 246, 284, 336 and 374°C respectively. For sample B (annealed at 700°C), a glow curve measured at 1°C/s after irradiation to 3.0 Gy has peaks at 46, 76, 100, 170, 199, 290, 330 and 375°C whereas the glow curve of sample C (annealed at 900°C) recorded under the same conditions consists of peaks at 49, 80, 100, 174, 206, 235, 290, 335 and 375°C respectively. Sample D (annealed at 1200°C) is the most sensitive of the four samples. A glow curve of sample D measured at 1°C/s after irradiation to 0.2 Gy has peaks at 52, 82, 102, 174, 234, 288 and 384°C respectively. The peaks are labelled I-VIII in order of appearance. The 100°C peak, labelled IIa, is induced by annealing at or above 700°C. The dose response of these peaks was studied for doses within 0.1-8.2 Gy. The reported peaks follow first-order kinetics irrespective of annealing temperature. Peaks I-III of each sample are reproduced under phototransfer for preheating up to 400°C. For the unannealed sample, the reproduced peaks are labelled A1-A3 whereas for the annealed samples, they are labelled B1-B3, C1-C3 and D1-D3 respectively. The annealing-induced peak at 100°C is reproduced as B2a, C2a and D2a for samples B, C and D respectively. A PTTL peak labelled C2b or D2b is also observed near 140°C in samples C and D. In addition to these PTTL peaks, a PTTL peak corresponding to peak IV is also found for sample D and for the unannealed sample. As the corresponding conventional peaks, the PTTL peaks of each sample follow first-order kinetics. Peak I and its corresponding PTTL peak for each sample are unstable and fade to a minimal level after 300 s of storage time. On the other hand, peak II of each sample and its corresponding PTTL peak could still be observed with delay up to 5000 s. Peak III of the unannealed sample remains stable with storage time up to 48 hours. Irrespective of annealing, the trap corresponding to peak III is the most sensitive to optical stimulation. Time-dependent profiles of PTTL from unannealed and annealed ∞-Al2O3:C,Mg were also studied. The mathematical analysis of the PTTL time-response profiles is based on experimental results. The role of various electron traps in PTTL was determined by using pulse annealing and by monitoring the dependence of peak intensity on duration of illumination for peaks not removed by preheating. The presence and role of deep traps were further demonstrated with thermally assisted optically stimulated luminescence. For the unannealed sample, the activation energy for thermal assistance is 0.033 ± 0.001 eV and the activation energy for thermal i quenching is 1.043 ± 0.001 eV. For sample C, the activation energy for thermal assistance is 0.044 ± 0.003 eV whereas that for thermal quenching is 1.110 ± 0.006 eV. The values for the activation energy for thermal assistance are lower than those reported in literature. Only the values for the activation energy for thermal quenching are somewhat comparable to values reported elsewhere. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Physics and Electronics, 2022
- Full Text:
Unpacking the link between adaptive capacity, assets and responses of rural livelihoods facing multiple stressors in the Eastern Cape
- Dalu, Mwazvita Tapiwa Beatrice
- Authors: Dalu, Mwazvita Tapiwa Beatrice
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Doctoral , Ph.D
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147103 , vital:38593 , doi:10.21504/10962/147103
- Description: Southern Africa has been plagued by multiple interacting shocks and stressors in the past decades, which have rendered this region even more socially vulnerable, which in turn affects their adaptive capacity. The continuing perpetual state of lack of assets, compounded by high sensitivity to climate change driven shocks and stressors, such as food insecurity, therefore, leaves many households’ livelihoods vulnerable. Thus, there is a need to identify ways to implement adaptation initiatives; or to find means to improve the adaptive capacity of rural households and communities in Southern Africa, including those in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. However, despite recent work in other parts of the world regarding adaptive capacity, our understanding of adaptive capacity and adaptive needs in specific regions or communities is still limited. Furthermore, heterogeneity (inter- and intra-households), is often not accounted for in many studies, limiting our understanding on how differentiated household compositions affect and/or are affected by assets, agency and capabilities; and how this impacts upon adaptive capacity and responses of these households. Thus, greater attention needs to be paid to the social inequalities of vulnerability amidst multiple stressors. This study therefore explored; i) variations in vulnerability across heterogeneous household characteristics as influenced and reflected by assets and responses both at the single household and community levels; ii) how household and community level assets and responses interacted with institutions and organisations at various scales (as barriers and enablers (toadaptive responses which affect adaptive capacity)), and; Page ii iii) how pre-existing vulnerabilities in heterogeneous households influenced current adaptive capacities and how institutions and organisations influence current and future adaptive capacity. In addition to the conceptual framework used in this research, structural transformations, asset functions and multiple stressors, the Local Adaptive Capacity and the Sustainable Livelihood Frameworks were also considered. The main findings of this research showed a considerable prevalence of liquid asset poverty in rural households in the Eastern Cape, being more pronounced in female-headed households, households with an elderly head and in small sized households. Livestock were found to be the dominant asset type. However, as land management is under communal arrangement, issues of power, access and control need to be considered with respect to how they can better accommodate vulnerable societal groups. Findings revealed a prevalence of erosive coping strategies at the household levels. Collective responses were also found to be greatly affected by a lack of knowledge and conflicts, whilst also displaying exclusionary tendencies towards women. Overall, the adaptive capacity of households in the study area showed a need for better policy and contextspecific intervention in education, equal rights and opportunity creation. , Thesis (PhD.)--Rhodes University, Faculty of Science, Environmental Science, 2020.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Dalu, Mwazvita Tapiwa Beatrice
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Doctoral , Ph.D
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147103 , vital:38593 , doi:10.21504/10962/147103
- Description: Southern Africa has been plagued by multiple interacting shocks and stressors in the past decades, which have rendered this region even more socially vulnerable, which in turn affects their adaptive capacity. The continuing perpetual state of lack of assets, compounded by high sensitivity to climate change driven shocks and stressors, such as food insecurity, therefore, leaves many households’ livelihoods vulnerable. Thus, there is a need to identify ways to implement adaptation initiatives; or to find means to improve the adaptive capacity of rural households and communities in Southern Africa, including those in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. However, despite recent work in other parts of the world regarding adaptive capacity, our understanding of adaptive capacity and adaptive needs in specific regions or communities is still limited. Furthermore, heterogeneity (inter- and intra-households), is often not accounted for in many studies, limiting our understanding on how differentiated household compositions affect and/or are affected by assets, agency and capabilities; and how this impacts upon adaptive capacity and responses of these households. Thus, greater attention needs to be paid to the social inequalities of vulnerability amidst multiple stressors. This study therefore explored; i) variations in vulnerability across heterogeneous household characteristics as influenced and reflected by assets and responses both at the single household and community levels; ii) how household and community level assets and responses interacted with institutions and organisations at various scales (as barriers and enablers (toadaptive responses which affect adaptive capacity)), and; Page ii iii) how pre-existing vulnerabilities in heterogeneous households influenced current adaptive capacities and how institutions and organisations influence current and future adaptive capacity. In addition to the conceptual framework used in this research, structural transformations, asset functions and multiple stressors, the Local Adaptive Capacity and the Sustainable Livelihood Frameworks were also considered. The main findings of this research showed a considerable prevalence of liquid asset poverty in rural households in the Eastern Cape, being more pronounced in female-headed households, households with an elderly head and in small sized households. Livestock were found to be the dominant asset type. However, as land management is under communal arrangement, issues of power, access and control need to be considered with respect to how they can better accommodate vulnerable societal groups. Findings revealed a prevalence of erosive coping strategies at the household levels. Collective responses were also found to be greatly affected by a lack of knowledge and conflicts, whilst also displaying exclusionary tendencies towards women. Overall, the adaptive capacity of households in the study area showed a need for better policy and contextspecific intervention in education, equal rights and opportunity creation. , Thesis (PhD.)--Rhodes University, Faculty of Science, Environmental Science, 2020.
- Full Text:
- «
- ‹
- 1
- ›
- »