South African supratidal microbialites: prokaryote communities, metabolic capabilities, and biogeochemical processes
- Authors: Isemonger, Eric William
- Date: 2023-03-31
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/422641 , vital:71964
- Description: Access restricted. Embargoed until 2025. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Biochemistry and Microbiology, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023-03-31
- Authors: Isemonger, Eric William
- Date: 2023-03-31
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/422641 , vital:71964
- Description: Access restricted. Embargoed until 2025. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Biochemistry and Microbiology, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023-03-31
Exploring aspects of Community of Inquiry (CoI) in Afrophilia learning processes for transformative education using an Afrophilic ‘Philosophy for Children’ approach: a case of Sebakwe resettlement primary schools in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe
- Authors: Bhurekeni, John
- Date: 2023-03-29
- Subjects: Culturally relevant pedagogy Zimbabwe , Curriculum change Zimbabwe , Philosophy Study and teaching (Elementary) Zimbabwe , Critical thinking , Decolonization Zimbabwe , Technology Political aspects , Representation (Philosophy)
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/366178 , vital:65840 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/366178
- Description: This study focused on investigating and developing an Afrophilic orientation to a sociocultural approach to philosophy for children. The main aim was to foster a critical and generative approach to considering the heritage-based curriculum foundations of Zimbabwean primary schools, focusing on Sebakwe resettlement primary schools (the case study area). Afrophilia foundations in the study are regarded as “the discourses that are the medium of philosophical reflexion” (Rettova, 2004, p. 4) in each African society. As articulated in the study, such discourses include African proverbs, poems, stories, music, and folktales which are useful in the initiation of philosophical engagements with children in a community of inquiry approach. A community of inquiry is a framework that reflects a collaborative-dialogical approach to teaching and learning. Curriculum reviews in postcolonial Zimbabwe have revealed an unconscious misalignment of the Zimbabwean education system's philosophical underpinnings because it has continued to align itself with imperial British colonial philosophy, which contradicts the country's developmental needs (Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Education and Training [CIET], 1999, Zimbabwe Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education [MoPSE], 2014). The philosophical misalignment is an extension of the colonial history of Zimbabwe showing that vestiges of colonial rule still shape the education sector. This leaves the education system focusing mainly on abstracted concepts with continued marginalisation of local cultures, discourses, and knowledge. Consequently, it leaves Zimbabwe together with other postcolonial education systems with the task of dealing with the phenomenon of colonial continuity. One implication of these colonial continuities, is learner disinterest in learning, which affects the educational process negatively, affecting the learning of critical reflexive thinking, an issue which I have observed in the Sebakwe resettlement schools involved in this study where I have been teaching for 15 years. To address, this, the study sought to answer the following questions: What historical and contemporary barriers are affecting the promotion of a culture of learning in Zimbabwean resettlement primary schools, particularly as they relate to learners' underdevelopment of critical reflexive thinking skills? In addition, How can the Philosophy for Children Afrophilia curriculum intervention promote a culture of learning in Sebakwe resettlement primary schools that is oriented toward the development of critical reflexive thinking skills in children? In approaching the research questions, I applied postcolonial and decolonisation theory, sociocultural learning theory and curriculum theory aimed at transformative change, that is oriented towards achieving a more contextually oriented approach to teaching and learning, and a paradigm of ‘learning as connection’ (Lotz-Sisitka & Lupele, 2017; Shumba, 2017). This has been identified as a ‘missing’ discourse in mainstream educational quality discourses in southern Africa (Lotz-Sisitka & Lupele, 2017). Furthermore, to create space for curriculum development using multi-actor groups in a community of inquiry, I used decolonial research methodologies in the data generation process. The study is constituted as an interventionist case study, and I applied a four-stage process comprising document analysis, workshops, participant observations involving children between 8-11 years, and reflective interviews with parents, educators and children as instruments for data gathering. I also used process-based analytical tools developed in Philosophy of Children research to analyse the processes of critical reflexive thinking development that emerged from the Philosophy for Children pedagogy involving ten lessons which I facilitated, and videorecorded. Moreover, I used postcolonial and decolonial discourse analysis to provide the broader analytical insights that informed the interpretations of the lesson analysis data from the perspective of the research problem that I address across the research project. This PhD is produced as a PhD by publication, which involves publishing of papers, and orientation to, and interpretation of the papers. The main findings of this study are reported in articles that I prepared for publication, three of which have already been published (see Appendices A1, A4 and A5), and four which have been submitted for publication (A2, A3, A6, A7) with some already at an advanced stage of finalisation via review. The conceptual paper (A1) that served as the foundation for the publication journey revealed that, in addition to the weight of cultural technologies of domination, the curriculum is shaped by the paradox of a superficial interpretation of unhu/ubuntu educational philosophy. As a result, the curriculum becomes disconnected from the learners' real-world experiences. The second paper (A2), which focuses on why Zimbabwe needs the Philosophy for Children approach with a sociocultural medley, unveils Zimbabwe's complex decolonial curriculum reforms and their many contradictions and paradoxes. However, it also emerged that the approach used in this study empowers teachers, is relevant to the emerging constellation of practices in the Sebakwe resettlement, and influences power sharing beyond teacher-child relationships. The third paper (A3), based on children’s philosophy for children practice, defends the study’s decision to bring children’s heritage and cultural lens to bear on curriculum and pedagogical praxis. In essence, the article explores a synergy between philosophy for children and the Zimbabwean heritage-based educational curriculum, serving to enrich both. The fourth paper (A4) makes the case that philosophy for children could be a viable pedagogy for transformative education, and it provides evidence-based implementation of a context-based philosophy for children. According to this paper, the approach is effective in strengthening strong community relationships, instilling pride in local heritage, and advancing curriculum transformation. The fifth paper (A5) focusses on the approach's implications for teachers' roles, practices, and competencies. Six dimensions of teacher roles, practices, and competences surfaced, including the role of the teacher as a decoloniser and pedagogical innovator, among others. The sixth paper (A6), influenced by the previous papers' findings, focused on decolonisation and improving learning opportunities for children in the Sebakwe area using the philosophy for children approach. This paper's data depicts a ‘third space’ in which learners consolidate their cultural capital and curriculum content into their own meaning construction. The implication is that schools become neutral sites that improve learners' interdependence and inclusivity while also taking contextual realities into account. The findings of the seventh and final paper (A7) presented in this write-up advance the idea that a Philosophy for Children approach with a sociocultural medley influences an ethics of care by demonstrating how Afrophilia experiences influence a new path to wildlife conservation and sustainability. The study highlights that integrating Philosophy for Children and Afrophilia foundations of knowledge into the school curriculum promotes critical reflexive thinking skills, helps to address real-life problems and adds relevance to the curriculum. The study further shows that the integration of philosophy for children in the advancement of curriculum transformation in Zimbabwe is a successful formative interventionist approach in the resettlement schools that are characterised by a critical shortage of teaching and learning resources. In essence, the research opens an understanding that curriculum transformation and decolonisation are context-based and multi-actor processes, as showcased in the experiences of parents, teachers, education inspectors, and children in this study. Furthermore, this study posits that situating curriculum decolonization and transformation within unhu/ubuntu dialectical rationality and advancing diversity in reasoning necessitates deeper engagement with heritage-based curriculum and provides teachers with appropriate agency to modify and adapt their pedagogies in alignment with the learners' life world. According to the study, this emerged as a rational possible solution to the problem of curriculum decontextualisation. Curriculum decontextualisation as highlighted in the study via the problem of colonial continuity mentioned above, appears to be further influenced by the emphasis on examination assessment scores which seem to widen the gap between the adult and child worlds, as well as the gap between contextual realities and [curriculum] examination content. Overall, the study offers an approach that can deepen an unhu/ubuntu foundation for the heritage-based curriculum reform in Zimbabwe, and strengthen the learning of children in the resettlement schools, where the case was explored. Implications for further research are elaborated, as are possible implications for policy and practice. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023-03-29
- Authors: Bhurekeni, John
- Date: 2023-03-29
- Subjects: Culturally relevant pedagogy Zimbabwe , Curriculum change Zimbabwe , Philosophy Study and teaching (Elementary) Zimbabwe , Critical thinking , Decolonization Zimbabwe , Technology Political aspects , Representation (Philosophy)
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/366178 , vital:65840 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/366178
- Description: This study focused on investigating and developing an Afrophilic orientation to a sociocultural approach to philosophy for children. The main aim was to foster a critical and generative approach to considering the heritage-based curriculum foundations of Zimbabwean primary schools, focusing on Sebakwe resettlement primary schools (the case study area). Afrophilia foundations in the study are regarded as “the discourses that are the medium of philosophical reflexion” (Rettova, 2004, p. 4) in each African society. As articulated in the study, such discourses include African proverbs, poems, stories, music, and folktales which are useful in the initiation of philosophical engagements with children in a community of inquiry approach. A community of inquiry is a framework that reflects a collaborative-dialogical approach to teaching and learning. Curriculum reviews in postcolonial Zimbabwe have revealed an unconscious misalignment of the Zimbabwean education system's philosophical underpinnings because it has continued to align itself with imperial British colonial philosophy, which contradicts the country's developmental needs (Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Education and Training [CIET], 1999, Zimbabwe Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education [MoPSE], 2014). The philosophical misalignment is an extension of the colonial history of Zimbabwe showing that vestiges of colonial rule still shape the education sector. This leaves the education system focusing mainly on abstracted concepts with continued marginalisation of local cultures, discourses, and knowledge. Consequently, it leaves Zimbabwe together with other postcolonial education systems with the task of dealing with the phenomenon of colonial continuity. One implication of these colonial continuities, is learner disinterest in learning, which affects the educational process negatively, affecting the learning of critical reflexive thinking, an issue which I have observed in the Sebakwe resettlement schools involved in this study where I have been teaching for 15 years. To address, this, the study sought to answer the following questions: What historical and contemporary barriers are affecting the promotion of a culture of learning in Zimbabwean resettlement primary schools, particularly as they relate to learners' underdevelopment of critical reflexive thinking skills? In addition, How can the Philosophy for Children Afrophilia curriculum intervention promote a culture of learning in Sebakwe resettlement primary schools that is oriented toward the development of critical reflexive thinking skills in children? In approaching the research questions, I applied postcolonial and decolonisation theory, sociocultural learning theory and curriculum theory aimed at transformative change, that is oriented towards achieving a more contextually oriented approach to teaching and learning, and a paradigm of ‘learning as connection’ (Lotz-Sisitka & Lupele, 2017; Shumba, 2017). This has been identified as a ‘missing’ discourse in mainstream educational quality discourses in southern Africa (Lotz-Sisitka & Lupele, 2017). Furthermore, to create space for curriculum development using multi-actor groups in a community of inquiry, I used decolonial research methodologies in the data generation process. The study is constituted as an interventionist case study, and I applied a four-stage process comprising document analysis, workshops, participant observations involving children between 8-11 years, and reflective interviews with parents, educators and children as instruments for data gathering. I also used process-based analytical tools developed in Philosophy of Children research to analyse the processes of critical reflexive thinking development that emerged from the Philosophy for Children pedagogy involving ten lessons which I facilitated, and videorecorded. Moreover, I used postcolonial and decolonial discourse analysis to provide the broader analytical insights that informed the interpretations of the lesson analysis data from the perspective of the research problem that I address across the research project. This PhD is produced as a PhD by publication, which involves publishing of papers, and orientation to, and interpretation of the papers. The main findings of this study are reported in articles that I prepared for publication, three of which have already been published (see Appendices A1, A4 and A5), and four which have been submitted for publication (A2, A3, A6, A7) with some already at an advanced stage of finalisation via review. The conceptual paper (A1) that served as the foundation for the publication journey revealed that, in addition to the weight of cultural technologies of domination, the curriculum is shaped by the paradox of a superficial interpretation of unhu/ubuntu educational philosophy. As a result, the curriculum becomes disconnected from the learners' real-world experiences. The second paper (A2), which focuses on why Zimbabwe needs the Philosophy for Children approach with a sociocultural medley, unveils Zimbabwe's complex decolonial curriculum reforms and their many contradictions and paradoxes. However, it also emerged that the approach used in this study empowers teachers, is relevant to the emerging constellation of practices in the Sebakwe resettlement, and influences power sharing beyond teacher-child relationships. The third paper (A3), based on children’s philosophy for children practice, defends the study’s decision to bring children’s heritage and cultural lens to bear on curriculum and pedagogical praxis. In essence, the article explores a synergy between philosophy for children and the Zimbabwean heritage-based educational curriculum, serving to enrich both. The fourth paper (A4) makes the case that philosophy for children could be a viable pedagogy for transformative education, and it provides evidence-based implementation of a context-based philosophy for children. According to this paper, the approach is effective in strengthening strong community relationships, instilling pride in local heritage, and advancing curriculum transformation. The fifth paper (A5) focusses on the approach's implications for teachers' roles, practices, and competencies. Six dimensions of teacher roles, practices, and competences surfaced, including the role of the teacher as a decoloniser and pedagogical innovator, among others. The sixth paper (A6), influenced by the previous papers' findings, focused on decolonisation and improving learning opportunities for children in the Sebakwe area using the philosophy for children approach. This paper's data depicts a ‘third space’ in which learners consolidate their cultural capital and curriculum content into their own meaning construction. The implication is that schools become neutral sites that improve learners' interdependence and inclusivity while also taking contextual realities into account. The findings of the seventh and final paper (A7) presented in this write-up advance the idea that a Philosophy for Children approach with a sociocultural medley influences an ethics of care by demonstrating how Afrophilia experiences influence a new path to wildlife conservation and sustainability. The study highlights that integrating Philosophy for Children and Afrophilia foundations of knowledge into the school curriculum promotes critical reflexive thinking skills, helps to address real-life problems and adds relevance to the curriculum. The study further shows that the integration of philosophy for children in the advancement of curriculum transformation in Zimbabwe is a successful formative interventionist approach in the resettlement schools that are characterised by a critical shortage of teaching and learning resources. In essence, the research opens an understanding that curriculum transformation and decolonisation are context-based and multi-actor processes, as showcased in the experiences of parents, teachers, education inspectors, and children in this study. Furthermore, this study posits that situating curriculum decolonization and transformation within unhu/ubuntu dialectical rationality and advancing diversity in reasoning necessitates deeper engagement with heritage-based curriculum and provides teachers with appropriate agency to modify and adapt their pedagogies in alignment with the learners' life world. According to the study, this emerged as a rational possible solution to the problem of curriculum decontextualisation. Curriculum decontextualisation as highlighted in the study via the problem of colonial continuity mentioned above, appears to be further influenced by the emphasis on examination assessment scores which seem to widen the gap between the adult and child worlds, as well as the gap between contextual realities and [curriculum] examination content. Overall, the study offers an approach that can deepen an unhu/ubuntu foundation for the heritage-based curriculum reform in Zimbabwe, and strengthen the learning of children in the resettlement schools, where the case was explored. Implications for further research are elaborated, as are possible implications for policy and practice. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023-03-29
Understanding resource partitioning in three species of Gobiidae living in the warm-temperate Sundays Estuary
- Authors: Ndaleni, Phumza Malibongwe
- Date: 2022-10-14
- Subjects: Gobiidae South Africa Sundays Estuary (Eastern Cape) , Gobiidae Reproduction , Gobiidae Food , Gobiidae Geographical distribution , Gobiidae Morphology , Resource partitioning (Ecology)
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/365655 , vital:65773 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/365655
- Description: Estuaries represent a transition zone where saline water combines with freshwater, and this results in temporal and spatial variability in both biotic and abiotic parameters. Because the environmental gradient changes so rapidly in areas and the estuarine environment is harsh, fish need to either be able to specialise to one particular suite of abiotic contexts or have the physiological mechanisms to allow them to move throughout the gradient of the estuary. Apart from this, other factors such as climate change, habitat degradation, over exploitation of resources and the introduction of alien species also negatively influence fish species living in estuaries. These anthropogenic stressors can cause species exclusion in areas which were previously suitable for species with particular suites of traits. Measuring resource partitioning within functional groups not only helps in determining the functional structure of communities but also explains how organisms use resources in a community. Resource partitioning studies provide a useful conceptual framework to understand species interactions in a community and identify major resource dimensions along which species segregate. This study aimed to describe resource partitioning among the Gobiidae species, as the family is well represented in South African estuaries (24 species), is highly abundant and has several species which co-exist in individual estuaries. To accomplish this, different forms of resource partitioning that promote the coexistence of the three most abundant species found in warm-temperate South African estuaries; the Knysna sand goby Psammogobius knysnaensis (Smith, 1935), Prison goby Caffrogobius gilchristi (Boulenger, 1898) and River goby Glossogobius callidus (Smith, 1937) were investigated in the Sundays Estuary. This was accomplished by determining the reproductive biology, interspecific differences in feeding morphology, feeding ecology and habitat partitioning among the three species. The distribution and abundance of potential prey in the estuary (mesozooplankton and macrozoobenthic communities) were investigated, with both mesozooplankton and macrozoobenthic communities grouping into three distinct communities along the environmental gradient. Feeding morphological traits responsible for prey location, chasing, capture, mastication, ingestion and digestion were investigated. Little morphological overlap was observed between P. knysnaensis and C. gilchristi, indicating little dietary overlap between these two species. In contrast, the feeding morphology of Glossogobius callidus overlapped with both P. knysnaensis and C. gilchristi, indicating the potential to compete with both species for food. The trophic ecology of the three species was investigated using stomach content analysis, whereby prey abundance, frequency of occurrence and percentage of volume were determined. For P. knysnaensis, the incorporation of cyclopoids and ostracods decreased with fish size and that of bivalves and amphipods increased. Caffrogobius gilchristi was found to be a specialist feeder on cyclopoids but as the species increased in size the incorporation of amphipods, mysids, brachyurans and gastropods increased. Glossogobius callidus was found to be a generalist feeder, feeding on cyclopoids, amphipods and chironomids. The incorporation of cyclopoids decreased with fish size and the consumption of large sized amphipods and chironomids increased with fish size. To assess their reproductive biology, gonadosomatic index (GSI) was used to study the breeding season. In all three species, reproduction peaked in spring and summer, and this is associated with peak phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass in estuaries. Length at 50% maturity and fecundity were also determined. The three species predominated in different locations in the estuary, which explains why they were able to use similar resources and reproduce at the same time. Psammogobius knysnaensis was abundant in the sandy mouth region, with sediment type and prey (bivalves and mysids) availability affecting its distribution. Caffrogobius gilchristi was abundant in the muddy lower reaches of the estuary, with its distribution influenced by sediment composition and temperature. Glossogobius callidus was abundant in the turbid upper reaches, with its distribution influenced by prey (amphipods) availability and turbidity. Different habitat preferences and diet among the specific size ranges enabled coexistence among the species. This explains the high abundances and coexistence of gobies in South African estuaries. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-10-14
- Authors: Ndaleni, Phumza Malibongwe
- Date: 2022-10-14
- Subjects: Gobiidae South Africa Sundays Estuary (Eastern Cape) , Gobiidae Reproduction , Gobiidae Food , Gobiidae Geographical distribution , Gobiidae Morphology , Resource partitioning (Ecology)
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/365655 , vital:65773 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/365655
- Description: Estuaries represent a transition zone where saline water combines with freshwater, and this results in temporal and spatial variability in both biotic and abiotic parameters. Because the environmental gradient changes so rapidly in areas and the estuarine environment is harsh, fish need to either be able to specialise to one particular suite of abiotic contexts or have the physiological mechanisms to allow them to move throughout the gradient of the estuary. Apart from this, other factors such as climate change, habitat degradation, over exploitation of resources and the introduction of alien species also negatively influence fish species living in estuaries. These anthropogenic stressors can cause species exclusion in areas which were previously suitable for species with particular suites of traits. Measuring resource partitioning within functional groups not only helps in determining the functional structure of communities but also explains how organisms use resources in a community. Resource partitioning studies provide a useful conceptual framework to understand species interactions in a community and identify major resource dimensions along which species segregate. This study aimed to describe resource partitioning among the Gobiidae species, as the family is well represented in South African estuaries (24 species), is highly abundant and has several species which co-exist in individual estuaries. To accomplish this, different forms of resource partitioning that promote the coexistence of the three most abundant species found in warm-temperate South African estuaries; the Knysna sand goby Psammogobius knysnaensis (Smith, 1935), Prison goby Caffrogobius gilchristi (Boulenger, 1898) and River goby Glossogobius callidus (Smith, 1937) were investigated in the Sundays Estuary. This was accomplished by determining the reproductive biology, interspecific differences in feeding morphology, feeding ecology and habitat partitioning among the three species. The distribution and abundance of potential prey in the estuary (mesozooplankton and macrozoobenthic communities) were investigated, with both mesozooplankton and macrozoobenthic communities grouping into three distinct communities along the environmental gradient. Feeding morphological traits responsible for prey location, chasing, capture, mastication, ingestion and digestion were investigated. Little morphological overlap was observed between P. knysnaensis and C. gilchristi, indicating little dietary overlap between these two species. In contrast, the feeding morphology of Glossogobius callidus overlapped with both P. knysnaensis and C. gilchristi, indicating the potential to compete with both species for food. The trophic ecology of the three species was investigated using stomach content analysis, whereby prey abundance, frequency of occurrence and percentage of volume were determined. For P. knysnaensis, the incorporation of cyclopoids and ostracods decreased with fish size and that of bivalves and amphipods increased. Caffrogobius gilchristi was found to be a specialist feeder on cyclopoids but as the species increased in size the incorporation of amphipods, mysids, brachyurans and gastropods increased. Glossogobius callidus was found to be a generalist feeder, feeding on cyclopoids, amphipods and chironomids. The incorporation of cyclopoids decreased with fish size and the consumption of large sized amphipods and chironomids increased with fish size. To assess their reproductive biology, gonadosomatic index (GSI) was used to study the breeding season. In all three species, reproduction peaked in spring and summer, and this is associated with peak phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass in estuaries. Length at 50% maturity and fecundity were also determined. The three species predominated in different locations in the estuary, which explains why they were able to use similar resources and reproduce at the same time. Psammogobius knysnaensis was abundant in the sandy mouth region, with sediment type and prey (bivalves and mysids) availability affecting its distribution. Caffrogobius gilchristi was abundant in the muddy lower reaches of the estuary, with its distribution influenced by sediment composition and temperature. Glossogobius callidus was abundant in the turbid upper reaches, with its distribution influenced by prey (amphipods) availability and turbidity. Different habitat preferences and diet among the specific size ranges enabled coexistence among the species. This explains the high abundances and coexistence of gobies in South African estuaries. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-10-14
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