The role of academic literacy courses in students’ disciplinary knowledge-building: a case study of a Namibian university
- Authors: Nekondo, Linus Vaakohambo
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Information literacy , Communication in learning and scholarship , Decolonization Namibia , Globalization , Education and globalization Namibia , Academic English , Academic language
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466383 , vital:76723 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/466383
- Description: This doctoral study investigated the role of academic literacy courses in shaping students’ disciplinary knowledge within the context of a Namibian university. Motivated by concerns surrounding persistently high attrition rates in higher education institutions globally, the research challenges the prevailing tendency to attribute poor student performance solely to individual factors, thus neglecting systemic issues whereby the higher education sector is absolved of responsibility. This absolution is often on the premise that the university has provided adequate support, such as through academic literacy courses, to equip students for success. However, despite the provision of such courses, high attrition rates persist. The study was guided by the following questions: 1. How is ‘academic literacy’ conceptualised in the UNAM English for Academic Purposes course curriculum? This question is further divided into two sub-questions: (a) How do the academics who teach the UNAM EAP course conceptualise ‘academic literacy’? and (b) How is knowledge structured in course documents and assessments? 2. How do academics who teach other courses conceptualise UNAM's EAP course and its relationship to the literacy practices expected in their courses? 3. How do students experience the EAP course at UNAM, and how do they understand the relationship between the content and activities of the EAP course and the academic literacy demands of their other courses? Data collection involved individual interviews with both English for Academic Purposes (EAP) lecturers and discipline-specific lecturers across three UNAM campuses, the Faculty of Education, Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Health Sciences. Additionally, focus group interviews were conducted with students from these same campuses. To ensure robustness, triangulation of interview data was achieved by complementing it with document analysis of EAP course materials and mainstream course documents. The goal was to identify instances of code-matches (where academic literacy practices align with the expectations of the disciplines) or code-clashes (where discrepancies emerge). The findings illuminated prevailing perceptions of academic literacy as a set of skills encompassing reading, writing, and related competencies. Implicit in this understanding was that these presumed academic skills are universally applicable across academic contexts and can be taught with equal effectiveness to students regardless of their chosen discipline. An analysis using Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) revealed that such conceptualisation of academic literacy as practices that are neutral and generic across the academy indicates weaker epistemic relations (ER-), and weaker social relations (SR-). That is, the understanding of academic literacy that dominated in the data legitimated neither specialist knowledge nor any specific disposition in the knower. This results in what is known in LCT as a relativist code. Moreover, the study identified a distinct emphasis on generic, skill-based instruction in the EAP course documents. The relativist code identified in the analysis of the interviews with EAP lecturers, and echoing concerns raised in academic literacy literature about add-on courses, was starkly evident in the EAP course content. A code-clash emerged between the skills and genres taught in the EAP course and those required for success in mainstream courses. Three focus areas of the EAP course, essay writing, report writing, and referencing, were analysed in some depth to ascertain the nature of the code-clash. The thesis presents a comprehensive examination of a specific course and its reflection of prevalent generic common-sense approaches observed in various contexts. While the study centred on UNAM's EAP course, its aim was not to critique a particular course or colleagues. Rather, many findings resonate with issues identified in academic literacy research globally, underscoring persistent challenges associated with generic approaches that often fall short of enhancing epistemic access. The study concludes that there is an urgent need to assess the efficacy of academic literacy courses in fostering students’ disciplinary knowledge-building at grassroot level i.e. at the level of HEIs or disciplines. Such an assessment should consider not only the complexities of acquisition of academic literacy but also the broader global elements with transboundary influences, such as neoliberalism, massification, and the globalisation of higher education. This comprehensive examination contributes to ongoing discussions regarding the enabling of epistemic access and epistemic justice within higher education contexts. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Centre for Higher Education Research, Teaching and Learning, 2024
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- Authors: Nekondo, Linus Vaakohambo
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Information literacy , Communication in learning and scholarship , Decolonization Namibia , Globalization , Education and globalization Namibia , Academic English , Academic language
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466383 , vital:76723 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/466383
- Description: This doctoral study investigated the role of academic literacy courses in shaping students’ disciplinary knowledge within the context of a Namibian university. Motivated by concerns surrounding persistently high attrition rates in higher education institutions globally, the research challenges the prevailing tendency to attribute poor student performance solely to individual factors, thus neglecting systemic issues whereby the higher education sector is absolved of responsibility. This absolution is often on the premise that the university has provided adequate support, such as through academic literacy courses, to equip students for success. However, despite the provision of such courses, high attrition rates persist. The study was guided by the following questions: 1. How is ‘academic literacy’ conceptualised in the UNAM English for Academic Purposes course curriculum? This question is further divided into two sub-questions: (a) How do the academics who teach the UNAM EAP course conceptualise ‘academic literacy’? and (b) How is knowledge structured in course documents and assessments? 2. How do academics who teach other courses conceptualise UNAM's EAP course and its relationship to the literacy practices expected in their courses? 3. How do students experience the EAP course at UNAM, and how do they understand the relationship between the content and activities of the EAP course and the academic literacy demands of their other courses? Data collection involved individual interviews with both English for Academic Purposes (EAP) lecturers and discipline-specific lecturers across three UNAM campuses, the Faculty of Education, Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Health Sciences. Additionally, focus group interviews were conducted with students from these same campuses. To ensure robustness, triangulation of interview data was achieved by complementing it with document analysis of EAP course materials and mainstream course documents. The goal was to identify instances of code-matches (where academic literacy practices align with the expectations of the disciplines) or code-clashes (where discrepancies emerge). The findings illuminated prevailing perceptions of academic literacy as a set of skills encompassing reading, writing, and related competencies. Implicit in this understanding was that these presumed academic skills are universally applicable across academic contexts and can be taught with equal effectiveness to students regardless of their chosen discipline. An analysis using Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) revealed that such conceptualisation of academic literacy as practices that are neutral and generic across the academy indicates weaker epistemic relations (ER-), and weaker social relations (SR-). That is, the understanding of academic literacy that dominated in the data legitimated neither specialist knowledge nor any specific disposition in the knower. This results in what is known in LCT as a relativist code. Moreover, the study identified a distinct emphasis on generic, skill-based instruction in the EAP course documents. The relativist code identified in the analysis of the interviews with EAP lecturers, and echoing concerns raised in academic literacy literature about add-on courses, was starkly evident in the EAP course content. A code-clash emerged between the skills and genres taught in the EAP course and those required for success in mainstream courses. Three focus areas of the EAP course, essay writing, report writing, and referencing, were analysed in some depth to ascertain the nature of the code-clash. The thesis presents a comprehensive examination of a specific course and its reflection of prevalent generic common-sense approaches observed in various contexts. While the study centred on UNAM's EAP course, its aim was not to critique a particular course or colleagues. Rather, many findings resonate with issues identified in academic literacy research globally, underscoring persistent challenges associated with generic approaches that often fall short of enhancing epistemic access. The study concludes that there is an urgent need to assess the efficacy of academic literacy courses in fostering students’ disciplinary knowledge-building at grassroot level i.e. at the level of HEIs or disciplines. Such an assessment should consider not only the complexities of acquisition of academic literacy but also the broader global elements with transboundary influences, such as neoliberalism, massification, and the globalisation of higher education. This comprehensive examination contributes to ongoing discussions regarding the enabling of epistemic access and epistemic justice within higher education contexts. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Centre for Higher Education Research, Teaching and Learning, 2024
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High road or common neoliberal trajectory? Collective bargaining, wage share, and varieties of capitalism
- Mpuku, Mutale Natasha Muchule
- Authors: Mpuku, Mutale Natasha Muchule
- Date: 2022-10-14
- Subjects: Collective bargaining , Globalization , Labor union members , Wages Statistics , Income distribution , Economic development , Neoliberalism , Capitalism
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/357611 , vital:64760
- Description: Wage shares have been falling since the 1980s across developing and developed countries. There has also been a downward trend with labour market institutions in these countries, with a few exceptions. This thesis analyzes these trends using firstly an extended literature review and secondly an econometrics analysis of a panel of 36 countries over 39 years. The extended literature review identified two broad competing narratives surrounding this topic: the mainstream and the alternative growth narratives. They both focus on two different growth regimes, the former, posits that growth is profit-led and the latter that growth is wage-led. Both are not ‘zero sum’ processes and seem to offer the same end result (growth and development). However, profit-led growth seems to have two problems. First, at least in the medium run, there is a trade-off between growth and income distribution. And secondly, profit-led growth is contradictory at the global level. Wage-led growth, which offers a ‘high road’ approach, seems far more appealing. Furthermore, several authors, including in South Africa, have claimed that regime-switching (to wage-led growth), is possible, and it seems that labour market institutions may play an important role in facilitating such a switch. However, the empirical literature, especially regarding middle- and low-income countries, is sparse and inconclusive. The panel data analysis provided by this thesis was not conclusive in establishing whether the wage-led, high road path is still viable for countries like South Africa. However, it did not find strong evidence of the contrary. The thesis concluded that there is scope for further research in this field and makes certain suggestions in this regard. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History, 2022
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- Authors: Mpuku, Mutale Natasha Muchule
- Date: 2022-10-14
- Subjects: Collective bargaining , Globalization , Labor union members , Wages Statistics , Income distribution , Economic development , Neoliberalism , Capitalism
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/357611 , vital:64760
- Description: Wage shares have been falling since the 1980s across developing and developed countries. There has also been a downward trend with labour market institutions in these countries, with a few exceptions. This thesis analyzes these trends using firstly an extended literature review and secondly an econometrics analysis of a panel of 36 countries over 39 years. The extended literature review identified two broad competing narratives surrounding this topic: the mainstream and the alternative growth narratives. They both focus on two different growth regimes, the former, posits that growth is profit-led and the latter that growth is wage-led. Both are not ‘zero sum’ processes and seem to offer the same end result (growth and development). However, profit-led growth seems to have two problems. First, at least in the medium run, there is a trade-off between growth and income distribution. And secondly, profit-led growth is contradictory at the global level. Wage-led growth, which offers a ‘high road’ approach, seems far more appealing. Furthermore, several authors, including in South Africa, have claimed that regime-switching (to wage-led growth), is possible, and it seems that labour market institutions may play an important role in facilitating such a switch. However, the empirical literature, especially regarding middle- and low-income countries, is sparse and inconclusive. The panel data analysis provided by this thesis was not conclusive in establishing whether the wage-led, high road path is still viable for countries like South Africa. However, it did not find strong evidence of the contrary. The thesis concluded that there is scope for further research in this field and makes certain suggestions in this regard. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History, 2022
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Bond market integration in the Common Monetary Area (CMA)
- Ramoriting, Retšelisitsoe Silvia
- Authors: Ramoriting, Retšelisitsoe Silvia
- Date: 2022-04-06
- Subjects: Globalization , Globalization Economic aspects , Bond market , Rand area , Africa, Southern Economic integration , Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/284592 , vital:56077
- Description: The study reviews the phenomenon of financial integration. During the late 1980s and 1990s, financial market integration around the world increased due to globalisation of investments and the need for higher returns and international risk diversification. The increase was accompanied by a significant increase in private capital flows into developing countries from developed countries. The main goal of the study is to examine bond market integration in the common monetary area The study therefore investigates the co-movement of government bond returns within the CMA using data from Eswatini, Namibia, and South Africa. The study attempts to find the short-run and long-run relationship of these government bond returns using the ARDL cointegration technique. The study uses daily data of 10-year government bond yields spanning from August 2014 to September 2019. The empirical results reveal that there exists a short-run and long-run relationship between South Africa and Eswatini. Between South Africa and Namibia, there only exist a short-run relationship. Just like the previously mentioned studies, the short-run relationship is a result of policy convergence. The lack of long-run relationship between South and Namibia was due to poor institutional developments and limited investment opportunities. In this case, policy measures (or reforms) and a review of the union are necessary to increase integration of these bond markets. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History, 2022
- Full Text:
- Authors: Ramoriting, Retšelisitsoe Silvia
- Date: 2022-04-06
- Subjects: Globalization , Globalization Economic aspects , Bond market , Rand area , Africa, Southern Economic integration , Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/284592 , vital:56077
- Description: The study reviews the phenomenon of financial integration. During the late 1980s and 1990s, financial market integration around the world increased due to globalisation of investments and the need for higher returns and international risk diversification. The increase was accompanied by a significant increase in private capital flows into developing countries from developed countries. The main goal of the study is to examine bond market integration in the common monetary area The study therefore investigates the co-movement of government bond returns within the CMA using data from Eswatini, Namibia, and South Africa. The study attempts to find the short-run and long-run relationship of these government bond returns using the ARDL cointegration technique. The study uses daily data of 10-year government bond yields spanning from August 2014 to September 2019. The empirical results reveal that there exists a short-run and long-run relationship between South Africa and Eswatini. Between South Africa and Namibia, there only exist a short-run relationship. Just like the previously mentioned studies, the short-run relationship is a result of policy convergence. The lack of long-run relationship between South and Namibia was due to poor institutional developments and limited investment opportunities. In this case, policy measures (or reforms) and a review of the union are necessary to increase integration of these bond markets. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History, 2022
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Is there an inverse-u relationship between financialisation and investment?: South Africa’s stock market capitalisation in comparative perspective
- Authors: Owen, Michael Robert
- Date: 2021-10
- Subjects: Monetary policy South Africa , Globalization , Economics South Africa , Capital movements South Africa , Stock exchanges South Africa , Investments South Africa , Economic development South Africa , South Africa Economic conditions 1991-
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191084 , vital:45058
- Description: In recent decades, the growth and fluctuations in the financial sector have become increasingly disjointed from events in the real economy. There has been a dramatic increase in global market integration and globalisation since the 2008 financial crisis. The argument presented in the thesis shows perspective from the two general debates in Economics. The Orthodox view, which suggests there is an efficient flow of resources between people and institutions over time, supports the argument that there is a positive relationship between financialisation and economic growth. Alternatively, the Heterodox view argues that financial liberalisation fails to anticipate market effects and requires intervention in order to limit negative consequences. More recent studies have proposed an inverse-U theory between financialisation and investment, which suggests that there is a threshold, above which further financial development and financial globalisation has detrimental effects on the real economy. With South Africa being a developing country that is highly reliant on capital inflows to finance the economy, there is space for more acute research to investigate whether South Africa has surpassed this threshold. This study focusses on one aspect of this relationship, namely the relationship between Stock Market Capitalisation and Investment. It uses panel data analysis and other methods to explore whether such an inverse-U relationship exists internationally, and whether South Africa is suffering from the effects of financialisation. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History, 2021
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- Authors: Owen, Michael Robert
- Date: 2021-10
- Subjects: Monetary policy South Africa , Globalization , Economics South Africa , Capital movements South Africa , Stock exchanges South Africa , Investments South Africa , Economic development South Africa , South Africa Economic conditions 1991-
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191084 , vital:45058
- Description: In recent decades, the growth and fluctuations in the financial sector have become increasingly disjointed from events in the real economy. There has been a dramatic increase in global market integration and globalisation since the 2008 financial crisis. The argument presented in the thesis shows perspective from the two general debates in Economics. The Orthodox view, which suggests there is an efficient flow of resources between people and institutions over time, supports the argument that there is a positive relationship between financialisation and economic growth. Alternatively, the Heterodox view argues that financial liberalisation fails to anticipate market effects and requires intervention in order to limit negative consequences. More recent studies have proposed an inverse-U theory between financialisation and investment, which suggests that there is a threshold, above which further financial development and financial globalisation has detrimental effects on the real economy. With South Africa being a developing country that is highly reliant on capital inflows to finance the economy, there is space for more acute research to investigate whether South Africa has surpassed this threshold. This study focusses on one aspect of this relationship, namely the relationship between Stock Market Capitalisation and Investment. It uses panel data analysis and other methods to explore whether such an inverse-U relationship exists internationally, and whether South Africa is suffering from the effects of financialisation. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History, 2021
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E-commerce: the challenge of virtual permanent establishments
- Adlkofer, Michelle Leigh, Venter, Michelle
- Authors: Adlkofer, Michelle Leigh , Venter, Michelle
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development , Electronic commerce , Electronic commerce -- Taxation , Double taxation -- Treaties , Globalization
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:921 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020057
- Description: The continued growth of world commerce has led to the advance of the permanent establishment principles. These principles are, however, constantly challenged by the developments of e-commerce. This thesis considers the taxing of a permanent establishment and the influence of e-commerce on the concept of a permanent establishment. In 2000, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) developed and introduced guidelines on how to deal with e-commerce in the context of a permanent establishment. Since the OECD guidelines on e-commerce were issued, the permanent establishment principles have come under further scrutiny. The latest development came about in 2013 with the release of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (“BEPS”) Action Plan. This Action Plan addresses the intention of the OECD to deal with the taxing of the digital economy. With the development of e-commerce and the result of e-commerce creating intangible boundaries between countries, the concept of a virtual permanent establishment has emerged. This has resulted in the need to tax a presence of an enterprise in a jurisdiction where no actual physical connection can be established. Various authors have made suggestions on how to ensure that an economy in which business is being carried on is correctly compensated for in the form of taxes. The source of income is the driving force for the imposition of taxation today. The main goal of this thesis was to explore the alignment of the concepts of a permanent establishment and e-commerce in the digital economy. This study therefore examined the concepts of both permanent establishments and e-commerce, and explored authors’ views and suggestions on how to deal with the inter-related effects of these two concepts. The relevant Action Points in the OECD Action Plan were also considered. , Maiden name: Venter, Michelle
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- Authors: Adlkofer, Michelle Leigh , Venter, Michelle
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development , Electronic commerce , Electronic commerce -- Taxation , Double taxation -- Treaties , Globalization
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:921 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020057
- Description: The continued growth of world commerce has led to the advance of the permanent establishment principles. These principles are, however, constantly challenged by the developments of e-commerce. This thesis considers the taxing of a permanent establishment and the influence of e-commerce on the concept of a permanent establishment. In 2000, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) developed and introduced guidelines on how to deal with e-commerce in the context of a permanent establishment. Since the OECD guidelines on e-commerce were issued, the permanent establishment principles have come under further scrutiny. The latest development came about in 2013 with the release of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (“BEPS”) Action Plan. This Action Plan addresses the intention of the OECD to deal with the taxing of the digital economy. With the development of e-commerce and the result of e-commerce creating intangible boundaries between countries, the concept of a virtual permanent establishment has emerged. This has resulted in the need to tax a presence of an enterprise in a jurisdiction where no actual physical connection can be established. Various authors have made suggestions on how to ensure that an economy in which business is being carried on is correctly compensated for in the form of taxes. The source of income is the driving force for the imposition of taxation today. The main goal of this thesis was to explore the alignment of the concepts of a permanent establishment and e-commerce in the digital economy. This study therefore examined the concepts of both permanent establishments and e-commerce, and explored authors’ views and suggestions on how to deal with the inter-related effects of these two concepts. The relevant Action Points in the OECD Action Plan were also considered. , Maiden name: Venter, Michelle
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