The potential of social learning to upscale the Community Based Water Quality Management (CBWQM) process: A case study of the Mpophomeni and Baynespruit Enviro Champs project
- Authors: Sithole, Nkosingithandile
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: Community of practice , Social learning , Water quality management South Africa Pietermaritzburg Citizen participation , Citizen science , Water quality South Africa Pietermaritzburg
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/402966 , vital:69910
- Description: Water is an essential component of human survival, with a wide variety of uses such as washing, cooking, drinking and growing food. Covering approximately 70% of the Earth’s surface, water is necessary for all human survival, and is a source of life for plants and animals. Only 0.036% of freshwater can be accessed and utilised by humans, which is not enough to support the rapidly growing population and economic development. This water is further exhausted by pollution caused by sewage leaks, littering, agricultural runoff and industry discharge which deteriorate water quality significantly. To exacerbate these water issues, the major issue of water accessibility is not directly linked to quantity but has been primarily attributed to poor water governance, at a global and local level (in South Africa). Poorly maintained water infrastructure and inadequate cooperative governance have resulted in the establishment of many Community Based Water Quality Management (CBWQM) projects in South Africa, to respond to water quality monitoring and management challenges. The aim of this study was firstly, to investigate how social learning was occurring within two CBWQM Communities of Practice (CoPs) located in KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, namely, the Baynespruit and the Mpophomeni Enviro Champs project (Case Study 1 and 2 respectively), and the potential of social learning to upscale CBWQM. Additionally, it sought to identify the type of support required for the scaling of social learning outcomes in CBWQM communities of practice, along two potential scaling pathways that were identified in a national study on scaling of CBWQM: Scaling Pathway 1(Policy engagement and support) and Scaling Pathway 2 (Capacity building). The research was undertaken as a qualitative case study approach, with data collected through semi-structured interviews, document, and questionnaire analysis to investigate social learning within the two selected case studies. The data was coded and indexed using a thematic analysis technique and an analytical framework as a tool to investigate how social learning was occurring in both case studies and explore the potential required to upscale it. The study found that there is an existing gap between policy and practice with regard to CBWQM support by government structures. Despite South African water policy advocating for public participation in water resource management, there has been limited support from government to support and resource CBWQM projects over a long period of time. To upscale the practice of CBWQM, the study found that capacity building and learning needs to be improved and better supported practically through models such as the 5Ts of learning, and through supporting CBWQM participants’ learning journey to establish learning pathways for them. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2023
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With dreams in our hands: Towards transgressive knowledge-making cultures
- Authors: Knowles, Corinne Ruth
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: African feminism , Pedagogy , Political sociology , Knowledge, Theory of Political aspects , Transformative learning
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/402955 , vital:69909 , DOI 10.21504/10962/402955
- Description: Knowledge-making in universities is not neutral and takes different forms. This thesis critically examines the politics of knowledge to propose and present a transgressive schema for knowledge-making that is co-created with students. It emerges from teaching and learning encounters in the Humanities Extended Studies (ES) Programme at Rhodes University, where for the past decade we have experimented with different ways of knowledge-making that run counter to conventional pedagogic practices. We set up a project for the thesis that allowed us to work with knowledge in ways that are Afrocentric, and that hold and nurture our dreams. The theory and methodology of the project are explained in the first academic paper for this PhD by publication. The project and its derivatives use an African Feminist framing, and centre the ontoepistemologies of African young people who find themselves alienated and marginalised by a western bias in university curricula. Former ES student volunteers came up with topics, responded to them, reviewed each other’s work, and co-wrote two academic papers that demonstrate a praxis of African Feminist research and pedagogic principles. Two further projects practise the principles that emerge from the primary project, and together they have tested knowledge-making cultures that inspire critical thinking and creative humanity. These are explained in two further academic papers. One is co-written with the copresenter of an online inter-continental short course for PhD students on African Feminist Research Methodology. The other is single authored, and introduces the third project, a Political and International Studies third-year course on African Feminist theory. The schema for knowledge-making uses the hand, which holds our dream, as a descriptive metaphor. Each of the five fingers of the hand represents an aspect of how we have collaborated on the projects and in lecture rooms, and what this has taught us about how to nurture and inspire the dreams of young African people through transgressive knowledgemaking cultures. The five aspects – framing, activating, seeing, creating, imagining – are mutually constitutive elements of knowledge-making that are introduced throughout the thesis, and explained in careful detail in the conclusion as a synthesis of the collaborations. , Siphethe amaphupha ezandleni zethu: ukwenza iinckubeko zolwazi ezigxile ekuphazamiseni isiqhelo Isishwankathelo Ukwenziwa kolwazi kwiiunivesithi asiyonto engathathi cala kwaye yenzeka ngeendlelangeendlela. Le thisisi iphonononga ipolitiki yolwazi ngenjongo yokucebisa nokuvelisa iindlela zokwenziwa kolwazi ezigxile ekuphazamiseni kwesiqhelo, ndlela leyo eyenziwa ngentsebenziswano nabafundi. Le Ndlela yokuphazamisa isiqhelo ivela kwindlela zokufunda nokufundisa kwinkqubo yeExtended Studies kwiUnivesithi iRhodes, apho kwiminyaka elishumi edlulileyo besisebenzisa amalinge ohlukileyo okwenza ulwazi ohlukileyo kwindlela zokufunda eziqhelekileyo. Siqulunqe inkqubo yale thisisi evumele ukuba sisebenze nolwazi ngendlela ekhokhelelisa ubuAfrika phambile, nkqubo leyo eyondla nebamba amaphupha ethu. Inkcazo-bungcali neendlela zokwenza uphando lwalo msebenzi zicacisiwe kwiphepha lokuqala lethisisi yePhD ezakupapashwa. Lo msebenzi neminye imisebenzi efana nawo isebenzisa iAfrikan Feminism ngenjongo yokubeka ngokusesikweni ndlela le ingxile kwindlela yokufundisa neengcambu zayo ezizinze eAfrika, kwaye ikhokhelisa imfundo yabantu abatsha abazifumana besenziwe amakheswa nabahlelelekileyo kunyenjwa kwasentshona kwizifundo zaseunivesithi. Abafundi ababefunda kwiES baze nezihloko, yangabo abaziphendulayo, bahlola imisebenzi yoogxa babo, kwaye bancedisa ekubhaleni amaphepha amabini abonakalisa indlela yokuphanda kusetyenziswa iziseko zokufunda zeAfrikan Feminism. Eminye imisebenzi isebenzise iziseko eziphuma kulo msebenzi wokuqala, kwaye yomibini le misebenzi iphonononga iinkcubeko zokwenza ulwazi ezikhuthaza ukuzikisa ukucinga nobuntu obunobuchule. Oku kucaciswa nzulu kumaphepha amabini. Omnye ubhalwe nomfundi kunye nombhali obefundisa kwikhosi emfutshane ebikwi-intanethi ephakathi kwamazwekazi eyenzelwe abafundi be- PhD kwiAfrican Feminist Research Methodology. Omnye umsebenzi ubhalwe ngumntu omnye, nothi wazise umsebenzi wesithathu, ikhosi yonyaka wesithathu yePolitical and International Studies yenkcazo-bungcali iAfrican Feminism. Icebo lokwenza ulwazi lisebenzisa isandla esibambe amaphupha ethu, njengesafobe esinika inkcazelo. Umnwe ngamnye umele indlela esisebenzisene ngayo kule misebenzi nakumagumbi okufundela, kunye nesikufundileyo ngokukhulisa nokukhuthaza amaphupha wabantu abasebatsha baseAfrika ngokusebenzisa imisebenzi egxile kwiinkcubeko zolwazi eziphazamisa ukwenziwa kolwazi ngendlela eqhelekileyo. Imiba emihlanu- ukwenza isakhelo, ukuqalisa, ukubona, ukudala, ukusebenzisa imifanekiso ntelekelelo- iyingqokelela yenxalenye yokwenza ulwazi ngendlela enentsebenziswano kwaye ezi ziseko zaziswa banzi kwithisisi, kwaye zicaciswe gabalala kwisishwankathelo njengengqokelela yentsebenziswano kulo msebenzi. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2023
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