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Knowledge and knower structures in relation to reproductive and sexual health in school curricula of Kenya and South Africa

  • Authors: Chemwor, Ezekiel Kiplimo
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Curriculum planning -- Kenya , Curriculum planning -- South Africa Education -- Study and teaching Reproductive health -- Study and teaching -- Kenya Reproductive health -- Study and teaching -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14884 , vital:27893
  • Description: This study investigates the Reproductive and Sexual Health (RSH) knowledge as recontextualised in the school curricula of Kenya and South Africa. It sets to provide a holistic view of RSH by bringing to the fore the underlying principles structuring the legitimation of RSH knowledge and knowing in both curricula. More importantly, it provides a deeper understanding of what RSH concepts have to be known and what kind of ideal learner is being projected in the two curricula. The study sets out to answer the following two research questions: How is knowledge related to RSH legitimated in the South African and Kenyan school curricula? How are knowers related to RSH legitimated in the South African and Kenyan school curricula? Being located in the Official Recontextualisation Field of Bernstein’s pedagogic device, this study uses Bernstein’s knowledge structure approach and Legitimation Code Theory: Specialisation as theoretical framework. LCT: Specialisation codes provided a means of developing external languages of description or translation devices to build a requisite analytical framework for revealing the knowledge-knower structures legitimated in the two curricula. The study employs a multi-site case study research design with RSH knowledge and knowers in school curriculum being the case, and Kenya and South Africa as the two sites in the case study. The purpose of looking at the curricula from both countries was not specifically to compare the contents of the curricula documents, but rather to enable broader consideration of the ways in which they position RSH knowledge. The study found that RSH, as an interdisciplinary concept, is faced by a tension in its knowledge-knower structure across the curriculum levels. The biological component of the RSH concepts, has a hierarchical knowledge structure with a knowledge code that exhibited a purist insight as well as a horizontal knower structure that embodied a trained gaze, while the psychological component has a horizontal knowledge structure with a hierarchical knower structure that embodied a cultivated gaze.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Knowledge and practice of radiographers regarding infection control in radiology department in Malawi

  • Authors: Nyirenda, Denis Charles Glad
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Radiologic technologists , Radiography, Medical -- Practice Cross infection -- Prevention
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/47848 , vital:40387
  • Description: Infection control is an essential cornerstone of clinical care at all healthcare settings. The changing pattern of infections emphasises the need for all healthcare workers, including radiographers, to implement and strictly adhere to standard infection control precautions (SICP) that will protect both patients and healthcare workers from healthcare associated infections (HAIs). However, implementing SICP can be difficult, especially if radiographers do not have adequate knowledge, and skilled practices, in infection control. As a practicing radiographer and a health educator, the researcher observed that there were discrepancies regarding implementation of SICP by radiographers in Malawi. No study has been conducted to explore and describe the knowledge and practices of radiographers regarding infection control in radiology departments in Malawi. There are also no infection control guidelines. These gaps led to this study being conducted. The aim of the study was to explore, and describe, knowledge and practices of radiographers regarding infection control in radiology departments in government referral hospitals in Malawi in order to develop a draft guideline for infection control to facilitate sound knowledge and practices of radiographers regarding infection control in these departments. The study took place in four government referral hospitals and followed a quantitative, exploratory, and descriptive design that was contextual in nature. The study was conducted in two phases. In the first one a self-administered questionnaire was used to explore and describe the knowledge and practices of radiographers regarding infection control in government referral hospitals in Malawi. The second one included the development of a draft guideline for infection control in order to facilitate sound knowledge and practices of radiographers regarding infection control in government referral hospitals in Malawi. In phase one, the research population consisted of 80 permanently employed radiographers. A census sampling method was used to select 62 respondents. The data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire that was developed based on a literature review. Some questions were adapted from an existing questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of questions and statements. It had four parts: demographic information (Part A), knowledge regarding infection control (Part B), practices regarding infection control (Part C), and additional relevant information (Part D). Descriptive and inferential statistics, with the help of a statistician, were used to analyse the data. The results of the study revealed that radiographers had average knowledge and practice in terms of infection control. The results revealed a significant association between age and knowledge (P<0.05). In phase two, a draft guideline was developed. The guideline’s content is based on 20 gaps identified in phase one of the study, as well as literature. The draft guideline consists of seven sets of recommendations: hand hygiene, personal hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), safe handling of sharps and sharp containers, decontamination and cleaning, housekeeping, and routine infection control practices. Reliability and validity were ensured. Ethical considerations were considered throughout the study. Respect for persons, beneficence and justice were adhered to. The study is the first in the field of radiography in Malawi. Results of this study should contribute to the body of knowledge of radiography practice. The results are to be used to inform practicing radiographers, heads of departments, the Ministry of Health and Population, and other health practitioners about the current practices and knowledge of radiographers in government referral hospitals in Malawi. The draft guideline should facilitate sound knowledge and practices regarding infection control among practicing radiographers in these departments. Recommendations include further development and implementation of the draft guideline, and radiography education and development of further research on infection control in the radiography profession, specifically in the African context.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Knowledge of midwives at Community Health Centres and Midwife Obstetrics Units in the Nelson Mandela Bay regarding the use of the Road-to-Health Chart

  • Authors: Dumisani-Ndlovu, Sidumisile Charity , Sonti, Balandeli S I , James, S
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Children -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality -- Growth , Midwifery -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCur
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21692 , vital:29733
  • Description: The challenge of child mortality between the ages of 0 and 5 years has extensively increased over the past few years. Furthermore, the ever-evolving and complex consequences of ineffective monitoring of children’s growth and development have been identified as one of the reasons for this increase in child mortality. The Road-to-Health Chart was developed and redesigned for use by child nurses and midwives to monitor children’s growth and development. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the midwives at community healthcare centres in the Nelson Mandela Bay area had the necessary knowledge to utilise the Road-to-Health Chart effectively. Permission to conduct the study was sought from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, the Department of Health and the participants. A quantitative, non-experimental descriptive survey was used in this research. The population consisted of all the midwives working in the Midwife Obstetric Unit and community healthcare centres within the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal area. The sample was extracted from the targeted population but from willing participants that met the inclusion criteria. The research data-collection method was a self-developed questionnaire with closed-ended statements to measure the knowledge of how effectively the midwives in the Nelson Mandela Bay area were using the RTHC. The researcher ensured the validity of the questionnaire by focusing on the instrument’s validity, construct validity, content validity and face validity. Ethical considerations, including permission, informed consent, confidentiality and anonymity, were adhered to. The most significant findings showed that midwives at CHCs and MOUs in the Nelson Mandel Bay area were knowledgeable about the importance of the RTHC to the mother and child and the use of the RTHC. These findings may assist in the identification of measures to enhance the knowledge of midwives about the use of the RTHC thus ultimately facilitating the use of the RTHC by mothers as intended.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of adolescents regarding contraceptives in the Maluti sub-district

  • Authors: Cingo, Andiswa Linda
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Contraceptives -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Teenagers -- Sexual behavior -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Teenagers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Attitudes Adolescence -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCur
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/15302 , vital:28217
  • Description: The researcher observed a high incidence of pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and abortions, including illegal abortions among adolescents in the Maluti Sub-District in the Eastern Cape Province. The researcher noted when speaking to the adolescents about contraceptives that they appeared to have a lack of knowledge as well as some misconceptions about contraceptives. The study therefore explores the knowledge, attitudes and practices of adolescents regarding contraceptives. To achieve the purpose of this study, a quantitative, explorative and descriptive survey was used to conduct this study. The research population in this study comprised all Grade 11 and 12 female adolescents enrolled at the selected senior secondary schools in the Maluti Sub-District. Simple random sampling was used to select the research sample. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used with the help of a statistician to analyse the data. A pilot study was conducted prior to the actual study being conducted, using the same design and research methods. The study findings revealed that participants had a low level of knowledge about contraceptive methods and there were some misconceptions regarding contraceptives prevailing among the participants. More than half (54%) of the participants are currently sexually active and less than a third of the participants indicated that they were using contraceptives The study concludes with recommendations for nursing practice, education and research. Ethical principles have been maintained throughout the study.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Land cover models to predict non-point nutrient inputs for selected biomes in South Africa

  • Authors: Slaughter, Andrew R , Mantel, Sukhmani K
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , report
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/438152 , vital:73439 , ISBN 1816-7950 , https://wrcwebsite.azurewebsites.net/wp-content/uploads/mdocs/3390.pdf
  • Description: WQSAM is a practical water quality model for use in guiding southern African water quality management. However, the estimation of non-point nutrient inputs within WQSAM is uncertain, as it is achieved through a combination of calibration and expert knowledge. Non-point source loads can be correlated to particular land cover types. Although observed water quality data through which non-point source loads can be estimated are scarce, land cover databases exist covering the entire area of South Africa. To reduce the uncertainty associated with estimat-ing non-point source loads, this study describes a formal model to link the nutrient signatures of incremental flow to land cover. Study catch-ments incorporating the fynbos, grassland, savanna and thicket biomes were identified. Instream nutrients of 25 sites were modelled using WQSAM and calibrated against observed data. Multiple regression was used to investigate the relationships between the calibrated nutrient signatures of incremental flow from WQSAM and land cover within study sites. The regression models reflected greater non-point loads from cultivation-and urban-related land cover categories. The nutrient signatures of incremental flow obtained through the multiple regres-sions were consistent with those obtained through calibration of the WQSAM model at higher signature values, whereas discrepancies were evident at lower values. It is argued that this formal modelling ap-proach for linking land cover to nutrient signatures of incremental flow can be implemented for situations where it is known that there are strong non-point inputs of nutrients into a river reach. The statistical model presented in the current study could potentially be applied as an alternative to the water quality model as a relatively simple method to estimate non-point source loads of nutrients from tributary catchments in South Africa.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Land reform and rural livelihoods of evicted farm workers: a case study of Radway Green Farm Project

  • Authors: Zishiri, Kudzanai
  • Date: 2017
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/44377 , vital:25402
  • Description: The land issue has remained a contentious one more than two decades into a democratic South Africa. With the dispossession of the indigenous people from their land stretching back as far as 1913, eviction of farm workers and farm dwellers has increased tremendously even in the post-Apartheid era. Thus, the main goal of this study is to analyse the impact of the eviction on the Radway Green farm workers’ community and to examine the factors affecting the generation of livelihood activities in their new settlement. In doing so, I used the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Approach (SRLA) as my theoretical framework as it conceptually grounds my area of study. It was employed to analyse data gathered from the field through in-depth interviews, focus groups, key informant interviews and descriptive observation of the case study. The centrality of the SRLA concept is on rural development, poverty eradication and the ability or sustainability of the vulnerable and poor to cope with stresses and shocks as they make a living (Scoones, 1998: 5). In that regard, the theoretical framework became an important cornerstone in analysing the impact of eviction of the Radway Green farm workers’ community and examining the factors affecting the generation of livelihoods activities in their new settlement. To analyse the research findings, various themes were utilised Forced Evictions and Resettlement; Eviction or Displacement; The Struggles of Recreating Livelihoods; The Need for Security of Land Tenure and Access to Infrastructure. Under these themes, the study revealed how the eviction was detrimental to the livelihoods of the farm workers and farm dwellers as they lost the land that was a primary source for the construction of their livelihoods. They lost employment, homes, agricultural land for food security and natural resources, social and family structures and most importantly cultural disruption. It is well documented that the rural poor who constitute the farm workers and the farm dwellers are some of the vulnerable people who need constant governmental support through the promulgation of laws that protect them and assist in livelihood construction. Thus, this study also served to examine how the evicted workers and their families have settled into their new homes and how they, in conjunction with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and any other government agencies are faring in terms of the establishment of income generating projects for their livelihoods at the new settlement.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Land restitution policy in old West Bank location, East London

  • Authors: Bhe, Ntomboxolo Grace
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Land tenure -- Political aspects -- South Africa -- East London Land titles -- South Africa -- East London , Land tenure -- South Africa -- East London Land titles -- South Africa -- East London
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14620 , vital:27804
  • Description: This thesis summarises research on the implementation of land restitution policy in the old West Bank Location, in East London. Apartheid legislation dispossessed many Black people of their land. After 1994, the new democratic government implemented a land reform programme, land policy was reviewed, and people were compensated for the loss of land either financially or through restoration of their land. The original cut-off date for claims was 1998, but the window for claims was reopened in July 2014 because of difficulties in implementation. The period for the lodging of claims was extended to end June 2019 to allow people who had not yet been able to do so to participate in the process. In case of the old West Bank Location claims, compensation was in the form of land restoration, including houses which would be built for the claimants. This study documents the successes and challenges encountered in the implementation of land policy in the old West Bank Location. Triangulation of methods was used: data were collected from documents, interviews with claimants, interviews with government officials, and observation of meetings. Recommendations with regard to land policy are made on the basis of the research findings.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Land, Church, Forced Removals and Community on Klipfontein Farm in the District of Alexandria, Eastern Cape c. 1872 - 1979

  • Authors: Bezuidenhout, GJW
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Janse van Rensburg family , Klipfontein Farm (Alexandria, South Africa) , Alexandria (South Africa) -- History , Colored people (South Africa) -- History , Colored people (South Africa) -- Religion , Colored people (South Africa) -- Relocation , Black people -- Relocation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Family farms -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Church history -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Land tenure -- Law and legilstion -- South Africa , Land reform -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/161315 , vital:40615
  • Description: This thesis is a case study of how church, land and dispossession of land has influenced identity formation of a coloured community in the Eastern Province, namely the Klipfontein community. Coloured history in the Eastern Province has largely been neglected. This study attempts to rectify such a lack of in-depth enquiry as it may lead to misinterpretations that may influence contemporary politics and identity formation. Through research based on primary sources, it is evident that the social landscape of Klipfontein Farm and the relationships between that community and surrounding black African and white communities have largely been shaped by the stipulations contained in the joint will of the community’s ancestors: Dirk and Sarah Janse van Rensburg. The land devolved into a trust and has been administered by trustees since the death of the first spouse in 1877. By keeping the land in a trust, it enabled the descendants to continue to live on the farm in perpetuity, without the risk of being forced off the land via financial restraints or racially-based legislation. But the usufructuaries could also never fully utilise Klipfontein as an agricultural concern due to a combination of a lack of equipment and skill, and the provisions of the will. These complications inevitably led to inter-familial disputes and tension. Before 1939 there had already been three court cases dealing with the interpretations of the Will. In that same year the Supreme Court ordered that tracts of the land, including a part of Boesmansriviermond village, be sold in order to pay off arrear rates and taxes. Although the responsibility for these sales lay with the trustees, the community has been suspicious of the usufructuaries ever since. A key element of the Klipfontein identity is their religion. The church legitimises their right to the farm - against those who wish to take that right away. Their claim to occupation is couched in scriptural discourse, viewing Klipfontein as 'their Garden of Eden' that God gave to the stamvader, Dirk Janse van Rensburg. This seemed to have been partially successful for the Klipfontein community in staving off harassment by authorities. It also caused friction between the community and the black African residents. Some usufructuaries and family members felt that such right was exclusively given to the coloured community and so they became increasingly annoyed by the black Africans who settled there. Other usufructuaries did not share this feeling. They allowed evicted black African farm labourers to settle on certain portions of Klipfontein until the late 1970s. The black African population rapidly increased due to misinformation and evictions from neighbouring farms. This only further exacerbated the inter-familial conflict between usufructuaries, flaring tensions between the black Africans and their reluctant hosts as well as animosity from the white community towards Klipfontein. In 1979, after a series of court cases, a decision was made to remove all the African settlers by force and relocate most of them to the ‘homeland’ of Ciskei. The rest, who were of ‘working-age’ were left behind in a ‘temporary emergency camp’ on the outskirts of Kenton-on-Sea. The effects of these removals still impact the relationships between the different racial groups in the area to this day.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Language and access in the public healthcare system in South Africa with a particular focus on primary public health facilities in Grahamstown and Cofimvaba in the Eastern Cape

  • Authors: Mhlauli, Nonceba
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Health literacy -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Patient education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Communication in medicine -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Health literacy -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Poor -- Medical care -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/56692 , vital:26817
  • Description: The right to language and the right to healthcare services are human rights which are enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Section 6 (5) of the Constitution and Section 1.3 (b) and (e) of the Eastern Cape Provincial Language Policy provide protection against unfair discrimination on the grounds of language; while sections 30 and 31 (1) of the Constitution refer to people’s rights in terms of cultural, religious and linguistic participation. Section 27 (a) states that ‘everyone has the right to access to healthcare services’. In accordance with the Constitution, in 2011 the National Department of Health passed a Policy on Language Services. This policy aims to facilitate equitable access to government services and information, as well as respect for language rights as spelled out in the Constitution. The Policy on Language Services further aims to promote multilingualism in the National Department of Health and to allow people to access information in a language of their choice, understand important messages and the language necessary for informed and participatory decision making (Department of Health 2011:1). Given the above policy and Constitutional provisions as far as policy commitment is concerned, the crucial issue remains the implementation of such policy to ensure that the right to access to health and language are realised. The study provides an analysis of the Policy on Language Services 2011 as it relates to language rights and the delivery of health services, focusing on the roll out and implementation process and the public awareness of the policy. This study primarily focuses on the role language plays in accessing public healthcare in primary healthcare facilities in the Grahamstown and Cofimvaba. The study looked at communication between patient and healthcare providers and whether healthcare services were provided in the language of the patient or the language the patient knows best. This study further assessed indications of patients’ comprehension of information such as medical instructions on packaged medicine, comprehension of posters, pamphlets and health education sessions in order to fully participate in the process of their health status. The data of this research was collected from healthcare providers and patients in primary healthcare facilities in Grahamstown and Cofimvaba in the Eastern Cape. The research methods used was in-depth interviews, non-participant observations as well as content analysis such as sign/direction posts, medical labels and information boards. These methods were used to determine whether language plays a role in accessing quality healthcare services in these facilities. The research found that the lack of implementation of language and health policy resulted in the perpetuation of language barriers in the healthcare sector. The study therefore argues that adequate healthcare can only be provided if and when healthcare providers and patients are able to communicate with each other in the language they know best or feel most comfortable in. Thus meaning the implementation of the current Constitutional and policy provisions is crucial to language and access to healthcare services.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Language and literacy development for a Grade 10 English first additional language classroom: a reading to learn case study

  • Authors: Mataka, Tawanda Wallace
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: English language -- Study and teching (Secondary) -- South Africa Reading -- Study and teching (Secondary) -- South Africa Literacy -- Study and teching (Secondary) -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/249 , vital:19941
  • Description: The problem of poor reading skills is a serious one in South Africa, with negative implications for learners’ educational achievement. The failure of learners to read at age- and grade-appropriate levels presents a major challenge to the teaching of reading in South African schools. It is against this background that this study aimed at ascertaining the positive impact of the Reading to Learn methodology in improving the literacy levels of learners in a Grade 10 English First Additional Language classroom in a township school. Reading ability levels were established via a passage extracted from a Grade Platinum English First Additional Learner’s book. Pronunciation and word recognition formed the basis of the reading assessment. Reading translates into writing, so the learners were also assessed in comprehension and creative writing. The results indicated that the learners’ reading abilities were weak, the methodology used to teach reading led to research findings that caused the study to yield findings that suggest that RtL may be the solution to reading problems in the classroom. In addition the study revealed that the ability to read corresponds with cognitive development. The study therefore calls for the adoption of RtL to assist in alleviating reading problems in the classroom.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Laser induced photodegradation of Orange G using phthalocyanine–cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticle conjugates electrospun in polystyrene nanofibers

  • Authors: Mapukata, Sivuyisiwe , Chindeka, Francis , Sekhosana, Kutloano E , Nyokong, Tebello
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/188617 , vital:44769 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcat.2017.06.028"
  • Description: Conjugates of zinc tetracarboxyphenoxy phthalocyanine (ZnTCPPc) and zinc tetraaminophenoxy phthalocyanine (ZnTAPPc) with amine and carboxyl functionalised cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles (CoFe2O4 MNPs), respectively were electrospun into polystyrene (PS) fibers. The resulting composites; ZnTCPPc-CoFe2O4/PS and ZnTAPPc-CoFe2O4/PS were compared based on their photophysical properties and photocatalytic efficiencies in degrading Orange G (OG) using laser as the photoexcitation source. The photocatalytic efficiencies of ZnTCPPc-CoFe2O4/PS and ZnTAPPc-CoFe2O4/PS were compared based on them having different lengths in the linkage chains between the Pcs and CoFe2O4 MNPs and different sizes. Covalent linkage of the Pcs to the CoFe2O4 MNPs enhanced the singlet oxygen and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production of the Pcs and CoFe2O4, respectively hence ZnTCPPc-CoFe2O4/PS and ZnTAPPc-CoFe2O4/PS were found to be more effective photocatalysts than their respective Pcs and CoFe2O4 MNPs. Moreover, the kinetic analyses of the photodecomposition of OG showed that the degradation was in agreement with both pseudo-first order kinetics and followed the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Leadership development in a Representative Council of Learners (RCL) in a secondary school in the Eastern Cape

  • Authors: Strydom, Monica Petro
  • Date: 2017
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/43054 , vital:25261
  • Description: The purpose of this study was to answer two main research questions: How is leadership promoted on a Representative Council of Learners (RCL) and What leadership roles do learners on the council play in schools? Recent research suggests that although the democratisation of school governance has given all stakeholders a voice in how schools are being governed, it seems that learner voice is still largely silenced. Literature on this issue paints an uninspiring picture of learner under-involvement and marginalisation. In seeking underlying causes for this, this study is informed by notions of leadership for social justice. The study investigated the RCL at a public, fee-paying school in the Makana district of the Eastern Cape. By observing the daily functioning of the council, engaging with the learner leaders as well as teachers, parents and other role players, I developed a better understanding of the challenges the RCL faced as well as factors which promoted their role as learner leaders. This aided in answering the first key research question of how the RCL promotes leadership development. To answer the second key question, I needed to consider the perceptions of stakeholders concerned and how they saw the operation of the RCL. This study is situated in the interpretive research tradition and uses critical realism as its under-labourer. To support this study and to answer some of the aims of this research, Leontiev’s second generation Cultural Historical Activity Theory was used. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, questionnaires an observation and document analysis. Data analysis took the form of identifying themes which emerged from the data. These formed the basis of my discussion and I was thus able to address the main research questions. Data revealed that learner leaders in schools are mainly managers and not really leaders; that learners are still very much marginalised as leaders and that they subsequently do not have a lot of say when it comes to how their schools are governed. It further emerged that despite formal legislation and guidelines which are in place to allow for the democratic rights of learners’ opinions to be heard in schools, historical and cultural forces account for parents and other role players’reluctance to allow learners to have too much of a say. I trust that the findings from this research will strengthen learner leadership structures in schools and perhaps provide guidelines on how learner leadership could be developed and managed.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Leadership style and organisational culture's effect on employee organisational commitment at Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority

  • Authors: Garande, Bertha
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Corporate culture Organizational commitment Employee motivation
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MAdmin
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/8429 , vital:32787
  • Description: Orientation: “Any company can become a great place to work for”. This is an appealing statement but how are great places to work characterised? In an era characterised by turbulent changes in business environment due to elements like globalisation, organisations are trying their best to attain competitive advantage. Organisational commitment has been pointed by most researchers as a survival aspect for most organisations. However, internal organisational aspects such as leadership style and organisational culture needs to be closely looked at as they influence the level of commitment employees will have to an organisation. Research purpose: The objective of this study was to explore the effect of leadership style and organisational culture on employee organisational commitment. Motivation for the study: Employee organisational commitment is becoming a challenge for organisations regardless of the type or field of operation. Factors like leadership style and organisational culture needs to be closely scrutinised if organisations are to be successful as they are constantly affected by drastic changes facing organisations in today’s world. Research design, approach and method: A questionnaire was used as a method for data collection and it was administered to a sample of 250 respondents at Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority in Zimbabwe. Random sampling was used to select respondents. Main findings: Chi-square tests and multiple regression analysis were applied in testing the statistical significance of the relationship among variables. The results indicated that leadership style and organisational culture had a significant positive relationship on organisational commitment. Practical implications: The results of this study showed that managers should strategise or develop programmes that enhances employee retention so as to overcome labour turnover problems due to lack of employee commitment. The study also clearly indicated that better leadership style and organisational culture is fundamental in enhancing employee commitment in an organisation. Contribution: The findings of this study showed that leadership style and organisational culture have a positive significant effect on employee commitment.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Learners' experiences of school violence in Sarah Baartman District Municipality, Eastern Cape

  • Authors: Hendricks, Eleanor Alvira
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: School violence -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Violence in children -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/7841 , vital:30769
  • Description: School-based violence amongst students in South Africa is a growing concern. Such violence is a great concern to all stakeholders involved in the school system. The more violence escalates; the more students are less likely to concentrate on their academic activities which then reduces their chances of success. There are weekly report broadcasts on the media on the death of students across the globe due school-based violence. School-based violence needs to be curbed and schools should be a safe environment where learning and teaching takes place not a battlefield where students live in fear of being the next victim. The aim of this study was to examine students’ experiences of school violence in Sarah Baartman District Municipality, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. A qualitative approach and an exploratory research design were used in conducting this study as these approached allowed participants to share first hand experiences regarding the issue under investigation. A purposive sample was employed to select participants for the study. This technique allowed the researcher to select participants who displayed most of the characteristics of the larger population and who had sufficient knowledge on the issue under investigation. Forty participants were selected for the study as follows: 25 learners; 5 social Workers; 5 educators; and 5 members of the Representative Council of Learners from schools mostly affected by school-based violence. Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews; focus group discussions with students, social workers and educators; and observations. Data was analysed thematically and supported by the relevant literature. The findings revealed that there are high levels of school-based violence in Sarah Baartman District Municipality, however, the whole-school approach as a measure of combatting school violence, has proved to work in some parts of the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape and Kwazulu Natal provinces. Also, retributive forms of punishment show more positive results against corrective /corporal punishment. It is, therefore, recommended that the state should employ school and place social workers in schools in order to assist in addressing social issues within the school system. Stamping out inequalities among students will ultimately decrease school violence.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Learning affordances and participation enablers within a primary mathematics in-service community of practice:

  • Authors: Graven, Mellony , Pausigere, Peter
  • Date: 2017
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144622 , vital:38363 , https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/551
  • Description: This article investigates the participation enablers and learning affordances identified by teachers through participation within an in-service community of practice (CoP) of primary teachers called the Numeracy Inquiry Community of Leader Educators (NICLE) in the Eastern Cape. The article draws on three qualitative sources of data: the annual teacher questionnaires of 42 participating teachers, interview data from 8 of the 42 sampled teachers and reflective journal entries of these 8 teachers over the first 2 years of NICLE. All three data sets point to teachers foregrounding the affordances and enablers of NICLE participation across the fundamental elements of a CoP, namely domain, community and practice. We illuminate the way in which teachers' identification of learning affordances relates to these three structural features of a CoP. In concluding, we argue that explicit consideration of these structural elements, and their interrelationship in the design of in-service programmes, could enable clearer articulation of programme aspects and support reflection on the coherence between teacher feedback on these as programmes evolve.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Learning pathways and articulation: Early conceptual explorations and implications for research design (s)

  • Authors: Lotz-Sisitka, Heila , Ramsarup, Preesha
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , bulletin
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/436388 , vital:73268 , ISBN bulletin , https://www.saqa.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/SAQA-Bulletin-2017-1.pdf#page=37
  • Description: This paper is an introductory, exploratory paper which opened up the ter-rain for a second phase of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)-Rhodes University research partnership focusing on change-oriented workplace learning and sustainability practices, with an emphasis on learning pathways (the main period being 2011-2013, ongoing until 2016). The paper reviews early conceptual explorations of learning path-ways and articulation questions, as these relate to a transversal issue8 in the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), namely environment and sustainable development.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Learning to teach in higher education in South Africa

  • Authors: Council on Higher Education (South Africa) , Leibowitz, Brenda , Bozalek, Vivienne , Garraway, James , Herman, Nicoline , Jawitz, Jeff , Muhuro, Patricia , Ndebele, Clever , Quinn, Lynn , Van Schalkwyk, Susan , Vorster, Jo-Anne , Winberg, Chris
  • Date: 2017
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , book
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/66524 , vital:28958
  • Description: publisher version , Preface by Prof Narend Baijnath: “Teaching and learning are never neutral. Every aspect is ideological in nature: from the admission of students, to the selection of curriculum content, to the adoption of learning materials, to the pedagogical approach, to the mode of assessment and the quality of the feedback. The form of disciplinary knowledge may vary from the more subjective and contentious to the more objective and broadly accepted, but teaching and learning remain highly political acts across all institutions, faculties and disciplines. So it is unsurprising that when a country undergoes major social change, ideological demands are placed on teaching and learning.” (HE Reviewed, CHE 2016 p.143). There are many and diverse influences on teaching and learning as a political act, from broad social movements that challenge what is taught, to the ways in which resources have historically been allocated, to the values and goals of different disciplines, and the more immediate institutional and faculty contexts in which they take place. Learning to teach in higher education in South Africa is a timely and well-researched contribution to understanding the influences of that more immediate layer, that is, of institutional contexts, on the professional learning of academics in their roles as teachers. It explores questions of whether it matters to the professional learning process whether one is teaching in a context in which resources are scarce, or whether the departmental leadership style is authoritarian, or whether an institution has a strong drive to increase research output. And if it matters, what are the implications for facilitating opportunities for academics to ‘learn to teach’ in higher education? Undertaken by a team of academic staff developers across eight institutional contexts, this research report offers a comprehensive, nuanced and theorised set of insights into the role that context plays in the ways in which academics learn to teach. Such insights can inform the development of professional learning initiatives at both the institutional and national policy levels. The report is one of the outcomes of a large-scale study carried out between 2011 and 2016, made possible by funding from the National Research Foundation. It has spawned many research articles, books and PhD studies (see Appendix One) and has thus in itself provided a vehicle for the development of further research and researchers on the subject. The team chose to work collaboratively, with all the possibilities and difficulties that that entails, as reflected on in Chapter 7. Thereby, it also offers an illuminating reflection and insights into such research methodology. While the report does not specifically set out to offer anything new or surprising about the cultural and contextual differences between institutions, it does offer a coherent interpretation of such complex and intersecting conditions examined through a single theoretical lens. Indeed, the concepts of ‘structure, culture and agency’ as developed in the work of the social realist, Margaret Archer, formed the theoretical canvas for the study. The theory allows for the analytical separation of different domains for the purposes of understanding the interplay of relations, but it also offers a hope of bringing about social transformation through exercising particular modes of reflexivity. As the report argues, quoting Archer, transforming our positions in society is possible, but “their transformation depends partly on the subjective reflexivity of primary agents in seeking to play an active part in reshaping society’s resource distribution”. The researchers may not always have found it easy to apply a single theoretical lens, but the theory based study provides a coherent representation of the differences and similarities between the institutional contexts of the eight universities, throwing into relief their different influences on professional learning, and points to pathways towards the improvement of teaching and learning in South African higher education. A major contribution of this report that is likely to influence the discourse on teaching and learning significantly, is the conceptual shift from ‘professional development’ to ‘professional learning’. As an external reviewer noted, “in the context of the decolonization debate, [this shift] has the potential to offer a more flexible continuum in which to position different learning opportunities”. It also recognises the importance of group and individual agency and the importance of informal contexts in learning to teach. 12 | Monitor 14 | Learning to Teach in Higher Education in South Africa The publication of this research report takes forward the CHE’s ongoing endeavours to improve and enhance the quality of teaching and learning in higher education. It serves to complement the more practical implementation of quality assurance in higher education, which for the CHE has largely entailed a focus on teaching and learning, whether in accreditation, audits or the Quality Enhancement Project (QEP) that began in 2014 in which one of the four focus areas that universities were asked to engage with was “enhancing academics as teachers”. Participation in the QEP over the past three years has contributed to a heightened awareness across the sector of the importance of academics developing competence in university teaching, particularly given the increased emphasis being placed on student success by both the government and higher education institutions themselves. As a result, universities are becoming more intentional in their efforts to help academics develop this competence. The release of the study is therefore timely, as not only will it add to our collective understanding of the complexities and nuances in the interrelationships between structure, culture and agency that inform and influence academics in their roles as teachers, but it will serve as a useful resource for institutions in their efforts to enhance university teachers and teaching. The Higher Education Monitor series, as was elaborated in the first issue in 2003, “aims to stimulate research and the production of knowledge and interpretive frameworks that could contribute to better theorisation of higher education, more rigorous analysis of higher education complexities and more effective strategies for change and progress”. It is our hope that this report will do exactly that. , We thank the National Research Foundation for funding the project that made the study and the ensuing report possible, Professor Brenda Leibowitz for leading the team of researchers, our external reviewers, and the individual authors who took the time to present drafts of their chapters to Dr Webbstock of the CHE at a workshop in May 2016.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Learning Zulu: a secret history of language in South Africa

  • Authors: Wylie, Dan
  • Date: 2017
  • Language: English
  • Type: book review , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61255 , vital:27997 , https://www.ajol.info/index.php/tvl/article/view/160848
  • Description: Taking a leaf from the book under review, I’ll start by injecting an autobiographical element. Much of what Sanders examines here echoes my own experience, after Zimbabwe’s independence, of heading to a remote mission school to teach for two years. Part of my purpose was to learn better Shona, the majority language from which I had been systematically discouraged by my colonial education. It was, in a way, a gesture of reparation, or addressing a nagging “white guilt”, or at least of assuaging a sense of fruitless loss and exclusion. I was nowhere near as successful in attaining fluency as Sanders seems have been in learning Zulu; and now that I live in the Eastern Cape, my efforts to learn Xhosa have been similarly patchy and faltering. One thing is evident throughout Sanders’s dense discussions: long-term, assiduous application and pe¬riods of total immersion are vital—and as he points out, few whites in South Africa have carved out the time and energy to do so, while willy-nilly expecting the black majority to learn their language. (An endnote does aver that, according to census figures, a surprising 16,000-plus whites, and a similar number of Indians, in KwaZulu-Natal, list Zulu as their first language.)
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Legislative prescriptions affecting persons with disabilities: a comparison of selected commonwealth countries

  • Authors: Pillay, Sareesha
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: People with disabilities People with disabilities -- Government policy , Commonwealth countries -- Government policy
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14510 , vital:27670
  • Description: Among the diverse citizenry that comprise Commonwealth countries are persons affected by disabilities and who remain vulnerable and under-represented. In light of the challenges of under-representation and the stigmatisation of persons with disabilities globally, the democratic principles of the Commonwealth of Nations have been placed under scrutiny. Thus the constitutionality and fairness of governmental policies and national legislation are criticised for their degree of reflection and representation of the social and political rights of persons with disabilities. This thesis will critically analyse the national legislative and policy frameworks affecting persons with disabilities in selected Commonwealth countries. Comparisons will be made between these selected countries, namely Canada, India, Kenya and South Africa. The Commonwealth and subscription to the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will serve as a standardised platform for comparisons. Comparisons of the legislative prescriptions of the respective countries will be instrumental highlighting the challenges in the representation of the rights and freedoms of persons with disabilities globally and in improving and strengthening legislative prescription affecting persons with disabilities. The varying levels of development amongst countries and the lack of appropriate infrastructure continue to be detrimental to the effective representation of persons with disabilities and the ability of national governments to develop strong and effective legislative and policy frameworks remains compromised. It is thus essential that attention is directed to the challenges facing countries so that appropriate actions and remediation can improve the vulnerabilities linked to persons with disabilities. This study adopts a theoretical and case law approach. It firstly provides a conceptual framework for disability. The conceptual framework comprises the perspectives on disability that have justified the approaches to persons with disabilities. Theories and values and the international legal framework relevant to persons with disabilities will be provided. The theories and values provide a traditional framework and play an instrumental role in guiding actions toward the effective development of public policy and prescription of legislation. The selected countries will be analysed as separate cases. The countries will be analysed individually prior to the comparative component to acknowledge the strengths, weaknesses and challenges facing each country in relation to its own structure and level of development. The findings are based on themes which emerge from the analysis of the legislation and policies affecting persons with disabilities in the selected countries. The findings are presented in a comparative format owing to the comparative nature of the study. Recommendations that flow from the comparative analysis and findings are proposed in the final chapter. The adoption of the proposed recommendations can strengthen legislative prescriptions affecting persons with disabilities both nationally and internationally and improve the representation of the rights and freedom of persons with disabilities in the global context.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Life-histories explain the conservation status of two estuary-associated pipefishes

  • Authors: Whitfield, Alan K , Mkare, Thomas K , Teske, Peter R , James, Nicola C , Cowley, Paul D
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/445087 , vital:74346 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.06.024
  • Description: Two endemic southern African pipefish species (Teleostei: Syngnathidae) co-occur in estuaries on the southeast coast of South Africa. The larger longsnout pipefish, Syngnathus temminckii, is abundant and has a wide range that comprises coastal and estuarine habitats in all three of the region's marine biogeographic provinces. In contrast, the smaller estuarine pipefish S. watermeyeri is critically endangered, and confined to a few warm-temperate estuaries. Here, we explore reasons for these considerable differences in conservation status.
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  • Date Issued: 2017
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