Showing items 241 - 260 of 830

Your selections:

Compositional varition of the Essential Oils of Artemisia afra Jacq. from three Provinces in South Africa- A Case Study of its safety

  • Authors: Oyedeji, O A , Afolayan, A J , Hutchings, A
  • Date: 2009
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/748 , vital:29679
  • Description: In South Africa, Centella asiatica. (L.) Urb is used traditionally for the treatment of various diseases. Analyses of the essential oil of this medicinal plant revealed 11 monoterpenoid hydrocarbons (20.20%), nine oxygenated monoterpenoids (5.46%), 14 sesquiterpenoid hydrocarbons (68.80%), five oxygenated sesquiterpenoids (3.90%), and one sulfide sesquiterpenoid (0.76%). α.-Humulene (21.06%), β.-caryophyllene (19.08%), bicyclogermacrene (11.22%), germacrene B (6.29%), and myrcene (6.55%) were the predominant constitutes. The essential oil extract exhibited a broad spectrum of antibacterial activities against Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus.) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella sonnei.) organisms.
  • Full Text: false
  • Date Issued: 2009

Conceptualising the more knowledgeable other within a multi-directional ZPD:

  • Authors: Graven, Mellony
  • Date: 2009
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69519 , vital:29545 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-017-9768-1
  • Description: From a Marxian/Vygotskian perspective, learning is social in origin and it happens in the presence of others that are more knowledgeable. Extending this view to the learning of mathematics, such learning also becomes inseparable from the presence of others (people and artefacts). Researchers over decades have studied different interactions to see how such learning with others occurs, what is the role of the (more knowledgeable) other, and if at all this role alternates between the participants. In this paper, we looked at a 5-year-old’s (Lila) interaction with her mother (Mellony) and a television remote control as Lila attempted to count in threes using the three by three physical layout of the numbered buttons 1–9 on the remote control. We specifically looked at the emergence of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) as Lila’s attention was caught by the properties of the remote control and by her mother’s questions. We also pay attention to how the role of the more knowledgeable other alternates among the participants. Our findings suggest that Lila, at times, used resources provided by the physical properties of the remote control and sometimes, used resources provided by Mellony to think about the task of counting in threes. In Lila’s interaction, we interpreted a multi-directional ZPD as the role of the more knowledgeable other alternated between Mellony, Lila and the remote control.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Condom influence strategies among university students

  • Authors: Majara, Tsepang David
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Condom use -- South Africa , Seduction -- South Africa , Birth control -- South Africa , Risk communication -- South Africa , College students -- Sexual behavior , Sexually transmitted diseases , HIV-positive persons -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) in adolescence -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (C Psy)
  • Identifier: vital:11857 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/235 , Condom use -- South Africa , Seduction -- South Africa , Birth control -- South Africa , Risk communication -- South Africa , College students -- Sexual behavior , Sexually transmitted diseases , HIV-positive persons -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) in adolescence -- South Africa
  • Description: This study investigated influence strategies used by university students to negotiate condom use. The study examined the seven condom influence strategies (CISs) -withholding sex, direct request, seduction, relationship conceptualizing, risk information, deception, and pregnancy prevention- used by heterosexually active male and female students. The sample comprised of 156 first year students (male=44 and female=112). Statistically significant correlations were found among all the condom influence strategies subscales. Results suggest that the university students influence their partners in all identified condom influence strategies and the risk information strategy holds the most promise of all the strategies.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Conflict, contradiction and crisis: an analysis of the politics of AIDS policy in post-Apartheid South Africa

  • Authors: Fletcher, Haley Kim
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: AIDS (Disease) -- Political aspects -- Africa, Southern AIDS (Disease) -- Political aspects -- South Africa AIDS (Disease) -- Government policy -- South Africa Africa -- Politics and government
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:2775 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002985
  • Description: Despite the profound impacts of HIV and AIDS on all sectors of South African society, governmental responses to the AIDS epidemic have been inundated with contradiction, conflict and contestation. Though governmental leaders have justified not funding HIV treatment programs because they believe that poverty needs to be dealt with first, social spending has been slashed as part of an adherence to a neo-liberal economic model. Though it would seem that the government would seem to have everything to gain by establishing a cooperative relationship with non-governmental actors regarding the epidemic, the relationship between the government and non-governmental actors has instead been described as nothing short of hostile. Though the government enthusiastically backed Virodene, a supposed treatment for AIDS that turned out to be no more than an industrial solvent, other ‘scientifically backed’ AIDS treatments have been treated with caution and skepticism – to the point where the government even refused to provide funding for programs to prevent mother to child transmission of the virus. And perhaps the most perplexing is that although widely respected for his intellect and cool demeanor, former President Mbeki chose to risk his political career on the AIDS issue by shunning away from the mainstream consensus on the biomedical causes of the epidemic and instead surrounded himself and sought advice from AIDS ‘dissidents’ This thesis will seek explanations for these apparent contradictions. Using Bourdieu’s (1986) typology of capitals, it will build on an argument put forward by Helen Schneider (2002): from the South African government’s perspective, the contestation regarding HIV and AIDS policy and implementation is over symbolic capital, or the right to legitimately hold and exercise political power regarding the epidemic. Though this argument helps explain the conflictual relationship between the government and non-governmental actors regarding the AIDS crisis, in order to understand the perplexing contradictions within the governmental policy response, the political context of policy formation must first be taken into consideration.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Conservation, commercialisation and confusion: Harvesting of Ischyrolepis in a coastal forest, South Africa

  • Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M , Parkin, Fiona , Chauke, Maphambe I , Downsborough, Linda , Olsen, Ashleigh , Brill, Greg , Weideman, Craig I
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/181169 , vital:43704 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-007-9106-3"
  • Description: Harvesting of non-timber forest products is an integral component of rural livelihoods throughout the developing world. At times this is at odds with conservation objectives. Reconciliation of the two requires examination of local level contexts and needs. This paper reports on the harvesting needs for Ischyrolepis by a rural community in South Africa, against the setting that they had recently been prohibited from harvesting by the local conservation officials. Interviews were conducted with conservation officials to understand the reasoning for the prohibition. Local demand for Ischyrolepis was assessed by household surveys, as well as in-depth interviews with traders. The density and size class distribution of Ischyrolepis was determined using transects. The total annual demand for Ischyrolepis was determined to be approximately only 2.7% of the standing crop. The bulk of the annual demand was for small-scale trade, the income from which was a primary source of income for the few harvesters. Very little evidence could be found indicating that harvesting was damaging the resource or its habitat, and local knowledge suggested that the abundance of the species was stimulated by harvesting. Even if market demand were to increase, the size of the shoots required means that less than 20% of the standing crop could be harvested annually. Current regulations around harvesting are in a state of revision, and hence confusion prevails regarding if harvesting is permissible, and if so, under what conditions, which is detrimental to both conservation and livelihoods.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Constructing the intellectually disabled person as a subject of education: a discourse analysis using Q-methodology

  • Authors: McKenzie, Judith Anne
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Foucault, Michel, 1926-1984 Learning disabled -- Education -- South Africa Discourse analysis -- Methodology Discourse analysis Children with mental disabilities -- Education -- South Africa Q technique Special education -- South Africa Children with disabilities -- Education -- South Africa Right to education Intelligence tests -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: vital:3017 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002526
  • Description: The education of intellectually disabled (ID) people is constructed within mass education systems as a problem requiring specialised intervention, separation from “normal” school contexts and the application of professional expertise. A social model of disability resists these practices from a human rights perspective and underpins an inclusive education approach. In this study, a post-structuralist disability studies theoretical framework, drawing particularly on the work of Foucault, was used to examine discourses that construct the intellectually disabled person as a subject of education. The study was conducted in Buffalo City, South Africa at a time when an inclusive education policy is being implemented in the country. The research questions were: What discourses are deployed in the representation and educational practices of those identified as ID? What are the effects of these discourses in constructing the ID subject and associated educational practice? The study utilises Q-methodology, a factor analytic method that yields whole patterns of responses for analysis. A process of sorting selected statements along the dimension of agree to disagree was completed by three groups of participants, namely adults with ID, parents of people with ID and professionals working with ID. Discourses of representation and of educational practice were identified through statistical and interpretive analysis, following the discourse analysis school of Q-methodology. The findings of this study reveal the operation of power in a medico-psychological gaze that makes ID visible and supervises disability expertise within education. Representations of ID suffused with religious notions support the exercise of pastoral power by disability experts. Human rights discourses in education can marginalise ID people if applied uncritically. Fixed notions of impairment constrain an intellectually disabled subject who is vulnerable and incompetent. This study argues instead for a theory of (poss)ability, underpinned by an understanding of the situational and shared nature of competence and a fluid conception of impairment. Human rights should be supplemented by an ethics of care and belonging in the community (ubuntu). A research agenda supporting this effort would examine the ways in which ID people work on themselves as subjects (subjectivisation) and explore the potential for resistance in this process.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Constructions of masculinity in young men's talk on domesticity

  • Authors: Winnaar, Lucille
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Home , Home economics , Sex role , Identity (Psychology) , Masculinity
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (C Psy)
  • Identifier: vital:11848 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1001261 , Home , Home economics , Sex role , Identity (Psychology) , Masculinity
  • Description: The purpose of this study was to elucidate participant’s understandings of the notion of masculinity and the implications thereof for their gendered identities. The study was approached from a, broadly speaking, social constructionsist paradigm following an inductive theme of nquiry. This study looked at masculinities (plural) rather than masculinity (singular) and the way in which these masculinities are constructed in participants talk about chores within the homespace. Consistent with this approach, data was collected by means of personal semi-structured, face-toface interviews with nine young adult male participants. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and data was therefore in the form of text. The interview texts were analyzed using Parker's criteria for a discourse analysis. Discourse analysis was the chosen method of analysis as it is an appropriate method for identifying and analysing constructs of masculinity in young men's talk on domesticity. There were three main themes identified in this study namely that of the traditional notions of masculinity, new age constructions and the gendered constructions of chores. This study implicitly shows that though masculinity was overwhelmingly constructed within the traditional notions of masculinity, with respect to the performance of chores within the home-space however, the men in this study report negotiations of their gendered identities within their heterosexual relationships. Furthermore, these negotiations do not seem to trouble the notion of masculinity as it is normalised by the participants in recognition of their performances of traditional female chores within the home-space.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Contextualizing the NCS through the use of school gardens in the Butterworth area

  • Authors: Rasi, Nandi
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: South African National Biodiversity Institute , Environmental education -- South Africa , School gardens -- South Africa -- Butterworth , Gardening -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa -- Butterworth , Environmental education -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa -- Butterworth , Teacher participation in curriculum planning -- South Africa -- Butterworth
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1464 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003345
  • Description: The research focuses on how teachers can use school gardens sponsored by South African National Biodiversity Institute as resource materials for teaching and learning. The study also focused on how teachers can integrate local knowledge into the school curriculum. The setting of the research is Zizamele Senior Primary School situated in Zizamele community in Butterworth in the Eastern Cape. The study is designed in portfolio format. It consists of three separate studies: a contextual profile; a stakeholder analysis; and a small-scale action research project, which build on each other. By developing a contextual profile of the research site, and the school community and school gardens project, I was able to collect information that informed the stakeholder analysis and the action research study. Data for the contextual profile was gathered by using a variety of data gathering techniques like questionnaires and interviews. The findings were that: the study area is characterized by socio-economic issues like poverty, unemployment, drug abuse and crime. This requires that the people of the area take responsibility in addressing some of the problems by being involved and knowing where to report issues. The second study, which is the stakeholder analysis, was done to mobilize stakeholders’ contributions to the gardens project in Zizamele School, sponsored by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. Data was collected at meetings and workshops in the schools through interviews. Findings indicated that different stakeholders had various contributions to make and that they were prepared to work with the school and with each other to develop the school garden and the learning potential of the school garden. This paved the way for the small scale action research case study that would follow. The last study, the small scale action research, was undertaken in the same school, Zizamele School, and focused on investigating ways of integrating local knowledge into the curriculum and how teachers use the gardens as resource for teaching and learning, with reference to Life Orientation Learning Area. Data was collected by interviews, questionnaires and worksheets. The study involved two teachers who worked with me on the action research and Grade 5 and 6 learners, as well as some of the community stakeholders. The main finding of the action researched showed the potential for involving community members in the process of integrating local knowledge as a way of implementing aspects of the Life Orientation curriculum requirements. The three studies link with each other, and show that to start with an action research project, one needs to understand the context, and the roles of different stakeholders, and how they might contribute to the programmes in the school. Findings showed that teachers could use gardens as resource materials for teaching and learning, and that they could bring in local knowledge to the school curriculum.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Continuous assessment in Oshikwanyama: a case study

  • Authors: Nghiueuelekuah, Soini Tuhafeni
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Educational tests and measurements -- Namibia -- Case studies Kuanyama language -- Namibia -- Case studies Kuanyama language -- Study and teaching -- Namibia -- Case studies Language and education -- Namibia -- Case studies
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1465 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003346
  • Description: This study is about Continuous Assessment (CA) in teaching and learning, a new concept and approach in independent Namibia. The country's education system was reformed shortly after independence in 1990 to fulfill the intention for Education for All. The Namibian education system then moved from a behaviorist to constructivist philosophy of education. The move made from one philosophy to another resulted in many changes in teaching and learning including changes in assessment in education. CA is born out of a constructivist philosophy. It is believed to facilitate learning with understanding. In this study I explored the understanding of Oshikwanyama teachers and their practice of CA in teaching and learning. Interviews, classroom observations and document analysis were used. The research focused on 10 participants in the Ohangwena and Oshana regions. The participants ranged from a Head of Department to members of the curriculum panel, subject advisors and Oshikwanyama subject facilitators as well as teachers at the classroom level. It was revealed that generally speaking, CA as a term is understood, but the practice is not well implemented. In the practice of CA, instead of learners being assessed for further learning, the emphasis is on scored marks without further assistance in learning. Further, the collection of marks during CA is often seen as largely for the purpose of contributing to the marks for summative final marks. Informal assessment which is part of CA was not given attention, which is a key factor preventing the effective use of CA in teaching and learning. Methods such as marking grids that are provided in the syllabus, as well as portfolios and learners' profiles, were not mentioned in the interviews nor observed as being in use. Participants in the study did acknowledge that they did not fully understand how best to implement CA. Overall, the evidence pointed to a conclusion that the identified shortcomings in the implementation of formative assessment is limiting the realization of the rich potential for CA as a day-to-day tool to facilitate learning for understanding in the observed classes.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Contributions to the study of a class of optimal control problems on the matrix lie group SO(3)

  • Authors: Rodgerson, Joanne Kelly
  • Date: 2009 , 2013-07-12
  • Subjects: Matrix groups , Lie groups , Maximum principles (Mathematics) , Elliptic functions , Extremal problems (Mathematics)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:5421 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007199 , Matrix groups , Lie groups , Maximum principles (Mathematics) , Elliptic functions , Extremal problems (Mathematics)
  • Description: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate a class of four left-invariant optimal control problems on the special orthogonal group SO(3). The set of all control-affine left-invariant control systems on SO(3) can, without loss, be reduced to a class of four typical controllable left-invariant control systems on SO(3) . The left-invariant optimal control problem on SO(3) involves finding a trajectory-control pair on SO (3), which minimizes a cost functional, and satisfies the given dynamical constraints and boundary conditions in a fixed time. The problem is lifted to the cotangent bundle T*SO(3) = SO(3) x so (3)* using the optimal Hamiltonian on so(3)*, where the maximum principle yields the optimal control. In a contribution to the study of this class of optimal control problems on SO(3), the extremal equations on so(3)* (ident ified with JR3) are integrated via elliptic functions to obtain explicit expressions for the solution curves in each typical case. The energy-Casimir method is used to give sufficient conditions for non-linear stability of the equilibrium states. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Coping strategies of African women middle managers in the manufacturing industry

  • Authors: Mayeko, Ncedisa
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Women executives -- South Africa , Stress management
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:9901 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1071 , Women executives -- South Africa , Stress management
  • Description: African women in South Africa have for decades, if not centuries, been marginalized in the workplace. With the dawn of the new South Africa came Affirmative Action and subsequently, the Employment Equity Act. These policies offered African women opportunities to enter the workplace. The review of the literature shows that the psychological functioning of African women managers has received minimal research attention. In addition, the literature review on coping focused on the individual and communal coping strategies which indicated that individual and systemic strategies have been neglected in both the theories of coping and extant empirical literature. The current study addresses this through the conceptualisation of coping from a systemic perspective. The current study aimed to explore and describe the coping strategies of African women middle managers in the manufacturing industry in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan area. The study was conducted within a qualitative research paradigm and took the form of exploratory research. Non-probability snowball sampling was utilized to identify participants for the study. The sample consisted of three African women managers who held middle management positions in the manufacturing industry in the Nelson Mandela metropolitan area. Semi-structured interviewing was utilised to collect the data. In order to analyse the data, Tesch’s (1990) qualitative analysis steps were utilised. The study showed that African women middle managers relied on individual strategies such as assertiveness, spirituality and, positive attitude to cope. These individual strategies were not used in isolation, as the participants relied on various subsystems within which they were embedded to cope with the demands they faced.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Coping with xenophobia : Senegalese migrants in Port Elizabeth

  • Authors: Barbali, Silvana Claudia
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Xenophobia -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth Migrant labor -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth Immigrants -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth Foreign workers -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth Aliens -- South Africa -- Social conditions Immigrants -- Africa -- Social conditions
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:2102 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002665
  • Description: This thesis seeks to investigate Senegalese migrants' experiences of xenophobia in South Africa. It explores prevailing theories used to explain the phenomenon of xenophobia and uses data collected via anthropological fieldwork to support arguments made. It is argued that a culture of migration in Senegal and the significance of migration as a rite of passage in Senegalese masculinity assists migrants to orientate themselves in host countries, and influences the way Senegalese are „received‟ by South Africans. In addition, Senegalese Islam (Sufi Orientation), which organises its members into brotherhoods, assists in the social integration of Senegalese men in Port Elizabeth. The men belong to the Mouride Brotherhood and the thesis shows how membership to the brotherhood provides a strong network of support for migrant men without resulting in the enclaving of the men in the broader social and economic context of Port Elizabeth. This has important implications for the individual and collective migration experience of Senegalese and influences the men's creation of meaning in their experiences as migrants. The thesis makes use of the concept of transnationalism to analyse the complex and multifaceted nature of transnational migration, arguing that migration experiences are influenced by a range of transnational factors and is deeply culturally influenced. The research suggests that migration experts and government departments in South Africa should take these complexities into account when formulating new programmes and policies for migrants.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Correction, addition and deletion : memory and its function in creating "visual narratives" (and identity) in photographic art

  • Authors: Geyer, Xanthe Amanda
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Botha, Lien, 1961- Photography -- Social aspects Memory in art Photography -- Philosophy Identity (Philosophical concept)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MFA
  • Identifier: vital:2402 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002198
  • Description: With this dissertation I propose to investigate critical theories dealing with memory and its role in photography. The function of memory is a well discussed and analysed topic within the ambit of historical research. Drawing from theoretical texts by critical theorists, namely, Roland Barthes, Annette Kuhn and Marianne Hirsch, I will critically address the function of memory in the understanding of photography; particularly how photographs have the ability to construct our identity in terms of history and narrative. I will study the content of memory in relation to visual images, focusing on what is remembered, what is suppressed, and finally, what is transformed when viewing an image. By doing so, I will consider whether or not still photographs have the ability to construct the past in a narrative form that is intrinsic to its medium. This consideration will be undertaken with specific reference to the works of contemporary South African artist Lien Botha. Special attention will be directed to her series of work entitled Amendment (2006), a series which permits me in turn, to deal with issues pertaining to memory and “visual narrative” which I have explored in my own professional art practice namely, Memory Boxes, Back Stories, Faces of You and Me, Memories Re-layered and Ghostly Remnants.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Corruption and its effects on the development of the construction industry in Malawi

  • Authors: Chiocha, Charles Injess Martin
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Contruction industry -- Corrupt practices -- Malawi
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:9692 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/933 , Contruction industry -- Corrupt practices -- Malawi
  • Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate corruption and its effects on the development of the construction industry in Malawi. The major causes were identified and probable solutions as well as preventive measures suggested for all stakeholders in the construction industry in Malawi and neighbouring countries to follow in order to combat bribery and corruption. This treatise consisted of a literature review for the causes of bribery, fraud and corruption, effects of corruption on the construction industry, preventive measures, probable solutions to corruption and a descriptive survey involving responses from building and civil engineering contractors, the built environment professionals, home owners, developers, public works officers amongst others from the construction industry in Malawi. According to the literature study, the construction industry is one of the most corrupt industries in the world, which is a huge concern and threat both to governments, investors and humanity at large. This must be addressed by all the official players in the construction industry, from the innovator of a project to the tradesmen employed on that site. The research showed that all players in the construction industry are aware of the impact of corruption on the development of the construction industry in Malawi. Furthermore, there is room for improvement as far as prevention, reduction and elimination of corruption is concerned.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Cost and reward as motivating factors in distributed collaborative learning assignments : a grounded theory analasis

  • Authors: Van Niekerk, Johanna Cornelia
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Group work in education -- South Africa , Team learning approach in education -- South Africa , Education -- Experimental methods
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
  • Identifier: vital:9764 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1103 , Group work in education -- South Africa , Team learning approach in education -- South Africa , Education -- Experimental methods
  • Description: The objective of this research study was to obtain a better understanding of the factors that affect lecturer and student participation in distributed collaborative learning assignments (DCLAs). A substantial number of courses worldwide have included DCLAs in their curricula in an attempt to teach students virtual communication and teaming skills, and to allow distributed students to learn course content collaboratively in a virtual environment. The execution and management of these assignments have proven to be more challenging that expected. Several attempts reported on in the literature had to be abandoned when cost exceeded the rewards for both lecturers and students. In a fouryear cyclical action research project carried out at the PETech (Port Elizabeth Technikon, currently part of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa), ICT students at several of the PETech campuses were required to complete a DCLA in virtual teams. This project also had to be terminated when it was realised that virtual team learning was minimal and the time investment unacceptably high. For the research study reported on in this thesis the data collected during the four “preresearch” cycles and the experiences reported in the literature were analysed. The lessons learnt were applied to a new additional DCLA cycle which formed part of an ICT course, although this execution still showed room for improvement. A second additional cycle was then executed which had a high participation rate and was overwhelmingly labelled by the participating students as a valuable and enjoyable learning experience. Analysis of the factors affecting participation in DCLAs shows that they are numerous and tightly interlinked, and that each factor is able to take on a wide range of values. This complicates descriptive reporting as each of the DCLAs was unique with unique outcomes and would have to be reported as such in order to iii ABSTRACT iv gain an understanding of the factors. Hence, a level of abstraction was needed, which was accomplished by applying the traditional Glaserian grounded theory method to the data collected during the four “preresearch” and the two additional cycles, and from the literature on the topic. The outcome is a perceived costs and rewards (PCR) theory for participation in DCLAs. As participation is crucial for the learning experience of each student as well as his/her team members in an action learning environment, deciding on participation by continually calculating the costs versus rewards became the focal point of the theory. To the best of the author’s knowledge this research study makes a theoretical contribution to the existing body of ICT educational knowledge in the form of a perceived costs and rewards theory for DCLA participation and a practical contribution in that it provides a theory that can be used to explain, understand, interpret and predict participation in DCLAs. This research study provides guidance for future research in both of these areas.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Creating a virtual classroom: evaluating the use of online discussion forums to increase teaching and learning activities

  • Authors: Bezuidenhout, L Peta
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: Conference paper
  • Identifier: vital:6070 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004635
  • Description: In teaching large classes, the educationally beneficial informal interaction between students and between lecturer and students is generally reduced, while effective use of both students’ and lecturer’s time is often a challenge. During student consultations, especially over the already stressful test and examination periods, many of the questions asked by the students are the same or similar. The lecturer needs to respond to each query by providing the same detailed explanation for the problem, resulting in ineffective use of time for the lecturer, while students waste time waiting for an appointment, or more often, simply don’t bother to follow up on any queries they may have. Having a social presence is important for students’ cognitive development, but in a large class posing questions or interrogating issues during a lecture appears to be challenging for many students. It is often not easy for students to initiate discussions or establish relationships with peers or the lecturer due to feelings of vulnerability and due to the size and impersonal atmosphere of the lecture theatre. This paper deals with the introduction of online discussion forums in an introductory accounting course and the benefits and problems experienced by the students, tutors and lecturer as a result thereof. Feedback received from these participants is discussed. The introduction and use of these forums resulted in a virtual classroom being created, where significantly more teaching and learning activities took place, to the benefit of all participants. Participation could have been peripheral -in the form of simply reading discussions; or active – through posting questions, or responding to questions.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Cretaceous erosion in central South Africa: evidence from upper-crustal xenoliths in kimberlite diatremes

  • Authors: Hanson, E Kelsey , Moore, John M , Bordy, Emese M , Marsh, Julian S , Howarth, Geoffrey H , Robey, Julian van Aardt
  • Date: 2009
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144978 , vital:38397 , https://doi.org/10.2113/gssajg.112.2.125
  • Description: Twelve Group II and fourteen Group I kimberlite diatremes in central South Africa were examined for upper crustal xenoliths in order to estimate the extent of various lithological units of the Karoo Supergroup in the main Karoo basin at times of kimberlite eruption, the Cretaceous erosional history of the area, and the approximate vertical extent of the kimberlite diatremes prior to erosion. Sandstone and amygdaloidal basaltic lava xenoliths from the Karoo Supergroup were specifically selected as their modal mineralogies and geochemical compositions respectively can be attributed to specific stratigraphic positions within the Karoo Supergroup. Results indicated that, at the time of Group II kimberlite eruption (120 Ma), basaltic lavas of the Drakensberg Group covered the entire area, but by the time of Group I kimberlite eruption (85 Ma), they were restricted to the south-eastern half of the study area.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Critical analysis of the 2007 public service strike and its impact on the evolution of formalised collective bargaining in South Africa

  • Authors: Bhe, Vuyisile
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Collective bargaining -- South Africa , Dispute resolution (Law) -- South Africa , Strikes and lockouts -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa , Industrial relations -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
  • Identifier: vital:10192 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1043 , Collective bargaining -- South Africa , Dispute resolution (Law) -- South Africa , Strikes and lockouts -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa , Industrial relations -- South Africa
  • Description: Section 213 of the Labour Relations Act defines ’strike’ as the partial or complete concerted refusal to work, or the retardation or obstruction of work, by persons who are or have been employed by the same employer or by different employers, for the purpose of remedying a grievance or resolving a dispute in respect of any matter of mutual interest between the employer and employee, and any reference to “work” this definition includes overtime work, whether it is voluntary or compulsory. According to Mcllroy: “As long as our society is divided between those who own and control the means of production and those who only have the ability to work, strikes will be inevitable because they are the ultimate means workers have of protecting themselves.” 1 The Constitutional Court justified the exclusion of a constitutional right to lock out and the inclusion of a constitutional right to strike by indicating that the right to strike is not equivalent to a right to lock out and is essential for workplace democracy. 2 The right to strike is essential to bolster collective bargaining and thereby to give employees the power to bargain effectively with employers. The employers on the According to the Constitutional Court employers enjoy greater social and economic power compared to individual workers and may exercise a wide range of power against workers through a range of weapons, such as dismissal, the employment of alternative or replacement labour, the unilateral implementation of new terms and conditions of employment, and the exclusion of workers from the workplace. To combat this and have a say in the workplace, the Constitutional Court held that “employees need to act in concert to provide them collectively with sufficient power to bargain effectively with employers and exercise collective power primarily through the mechanism of strike action”. The importance of the right to strike in creating workplace democracy is also reflected in a number of Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court judgments. other hand have economic strength that is used to bargain effectively. That is why the strike enjoys constitutional protection, whereas the lock-out does not. , Abstract
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Critical analysis of the impact of the common law on African indigenous law of inheritance a case study of post colonial legislation in Zimbabwe

  • Authors: Gwarinda, Tafira Albert
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Inheritance and succession -- Zimbabwe -- Law and legislation , Tribal government -- Zimbabwe , Customary law -- Zimbabwe , Zimbabwe -- Law and legislation
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
  • Identifier: vital:11110 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/161 , Inheritance and succession -- Zimbabwe -- Law and legislation , Tribal government -- Zimbabwe , Customary law -- Zimbabwe , Zimbabwe -- Law and legislation
  • Description: The study looks at the main features of African indigenous law of succession and inheritance in Zimbabwe. It draws a distinction between the forms of inheritance practised between the two major ethnic groups, the Shona and the Ndebele. Whilst the research was mainly aimed at these two groups an investigation into inheritance practice by the South African Zulu and Xhosa counterparts was also made. An investigation into the impact of western influence on succession and inheritance was made taking a look at colonial legislation and case law, the general deduction being that it was a vehicle for attaching customary law to a western type law. After independence there was the issue of the impact of constitutionalism and international human rights law on succession in post colonial Zimbabwe. These were tools for change by bringing in notions of equality between men and women, issues that were highlighted in the cornerstone case of Magaya v Magaya, which was in turn discussed in the light of the Mthemu v Letsela and Bhe trilogy of cases in South Africa. In the final chapter there is a discussion of possibilities of reform and the future of customary law in Zimbabwe the highlight here being conducting proper legal research to ascertain the true purpose of custom.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009

Critical reflective teaching practice in three mathematics teachers

  • Authors: Luwango, Luiya
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Education (Secondary) -- Namibia Mathematics teachers -- Training of - -Namibia Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1485 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003366
  • Description: This qualitative study reports on critical reflective teaching by three mathematics teachers and how it shapes their classroom practice. The study was carried out in three secondary schools in Rundu in northern Namibia. The study employed a case study method. The selection of teachers was based on their rich practical professional knowledge and exemplary teaching practices. Data collection and analysis was done through an interpretive approach. Interviews and document analyses were the two research tools used, not only for the collection of data but for triangulation also. Interpretations of the findings were validated through member checking. Critical reflective teaching involves thought and action, and it raises teachers’ consciousness of what they do. Through critical reflective practice, teachers scrutinize their beliefs and knowledge of the subject and their practice. Furthermore critical reflective practice may get teachers into a disposition to find alternatives to improve their teaching. In this study, the findings are that participants reflect extensively on their classroom practice. The teachers pointed out that reflection on practice enables them to analyse and evaluate their teaching in line with effective mathematics teaching. They emphasised that critical reflection leads to the identification of weaknesses in teachers’ classroom practice. This culminates in better planning whereby alternative approaches to teaching are exercised. Because of its potential to improve teaching and enhance professional development it is therefore recommended that mathematics teachers be exposed to skills that enhance critical reflective teaching practice. Teachers need to familiarise themselves with the concept of critical reflective teaching in mathematics to meet the demands of superior quality teaching.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2009
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Contact