Factors associated with successful talent development in South African soccer players
- Authors: Mudege, Solomon Mufudzi
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Soccer -- Training -- South Africa , Ability , Soccer -- Coaching -- South Africa , Professionalism in sports -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10103 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1015713
- Description: In recent times, the performances of the South African senior national team (“Bafana Bafana”) have not matched the impressive off-field advancements in South African professional soccer. At the historic 2010 FIFA World CupTM held in South Africa, Bafana Bafana became the first host nation to be eliminated in the first round of the competition. Such disappointments have compelled stakeholders in South African soccer to call for a re-assessment of all structures and programmes which have an impact on the playing abilities of South African players. Of prime importance is the need to obtain a better understanding of talent development in South African soccer. The aim of this research study was to determine the relevance of selected factors associated with successful talent development in South African male professional soccer players competing in the 2008-2009 ABSA PSL season. In order to accomplish the research aims, the literature relating to talent development concepts and models was examined. The literature review identified seven factors which are relevant to talent development in soccer. The empirical study was exploratory, and it utilized a descriptive, non-experimental approach. Data were collected via a 53-item questionnaire, which was designed to evaluate the identified seven factors. The questionnaire was administered to a sample of 56 South African professional soccer players who played for clubs participating in the 2008-2009 season of the ABSA Premier Soccer League. The results obtained from the sample were analysed in terms of their descriptive statistics and confirmatory factor analysis was performed. The following six factors were statistically confirmed as being associated with the successful talent development of the sample: Training Environment, Motivation and Ambitions, Personal Development, Family Support, Cultural Factors and Coaching. These six factors accounted for 58 percent of the overall variance. The questionnaire had a reliability of 0.84, as measured by the Cronbach alpha coefficient. The study concludes that talent development in South African soccer is a multifactorial and complex process. Although the sample size was not suitable for discriminant analysis, theories such as the relative age effect and the „10-year rule‟ may be applicable to South African soccer. This study also adds to the limited body of knowledge on South African soccer, by identifying and scientifically analysing those factors which are associated with successful talent development. As success on the international stage becomes a priority in South African soccer, the identified factors serve as a sound scientific basis in the formulation of improved structures and strategies for perfecting the abilities of young soccer players, and increasing the competitiveness of Bafana Bafana.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Factors influencing expatriates' ability to cross-culturally adjust
- Authors: Hesse, Anjuli
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Aliens -- Psychological aspects , Adjustment (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9424 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1589 , Aliens -- Psychological aspects , Adjustment (Psychology)
- Description: Globalisation has led to an increasing growth of world trade which has directed business all over the world to become increasingly international and increased the number and power of multinational companies. These expatriates are confronted with societal norms different from their home cultures. This study investigated which factors influence cross-cultural adjustment the most and which factors are perceived by the expatriates to influence cross-cultural adjustment. Based on the literature review four different categories of factors influencing cross-cultural adjustment were identified (Individual, organisational, work-related and non-work related factors) A self-administered online questionnaire, based on existing questionnaires (Black’s (1988) cross-cultural adjustment questionnaire) and literature research, was developed in order to detect a relationship between factors and one of the three adjustment types (general, interaction and work) and to reveal the perceived importance of the factors. In this study all identified factors were perceived to be important for cross-cultural adjustment. However, language skills and spousal adjustment were perceived to be the most important factors and had indeed the strongest correlation towards cross-cultural adjustment. Based on the findings of this research project, recommendations for organisations and expatriates have been provided.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Factors influencing university students' use of HIV voluntary counselling and testing services : an analysis using the health belief model
- Authors: Musemwa, Shingisai
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Health Belief Model , AIDS (Disease) , College students
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9867 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1448 , Health Belief Model , AIDS (Disease) , College students
- Description: Human Immune Virus (HI)V /Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has emerged as the most devastating epidemic that the world has experienced. Voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) has proven to be an effective way of preventing and controlling HIV. South African universities provide free VCT services on their campuses; however, these facilities are underused. The study’s objectives were to use the components of the health belief model (HBM) to explore and describe the factors that influenced the decision made by university students who have gone for VCT. The sample consisted of five male students. Data was collected through one-on-one in depth interviews, which were recorded. Data was analysed using thematic analysis, and the components of the HBM were used as codes for the data. Themes were generated for each component. The results indicated that perceived severity, perceived benefits and cues to action played a role in influencing the participants’ decision to go for VCT. In addition, results show that perceived susceptibility had little influence on their decision to go for VCT. Even though participants acknowledged barriers to VCT, they reported that the perceived benefits for VCT outweighed the barriers, and the decision to go for VCT was made. Participants suggested that to increase uptake of VCT on their campus, the university could improve current VCT campaigns, introduce rewards for VCT and introduce couples VCT.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Factors limiting township learners from discovering and developing their talents
- Authors: McKeown, Jim
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Education -- Economic aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9108 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1014323
- Description: Discovering and developing one’s talents significantly increases the likelihood of one leading a meaningful and fulfilling life, realising success in the world, and breaking out of the cycle of poverty. It should be the responsibility of schools to provide opportunities for learners to discover and develop talents that they are passionate about. This passion will then create a self-reinforcing cycle in which learners are more motivated to work hard in school and further develop their talents. Therefore, discovering and developing one’s talents should be seen as both a means to improved education and an end of education itself. This research paper sought to identify the factors limiting township learners from discovering and developing their talents and to make recommendations as to how to mitigate these factors. The researcher used the partnership between the Masinyusane Development Organisation, a local education non-profit organisation, and School A, a secondary school in the township of New Brighton, Port Elizabeth as a case study. Data from the study were carefully analysed and it was concluded that the township learners are not being provided the opportunities necessary, particularly in the schools, to discover and develop their talents. This has resulted in poor academic performance, high drop-out rates, low levels of motivation, confusion with regards to career development, and missed opportunities to break out of the cycle of poverty. The researcher believes this research sheds light on the issue and lays a foundation from which to provide South African township learners with greater opportunities to discover and develop their talents. These opportunities will assist learners in improving their school performance, ensuring that they embark on career paths they will realize success in, and ultimately, in breaking out of the cycle of poverty that traps so many of them.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Feminist appropriations of Hans Christian Andersen's "The little mermaid" and the ways in which stereotypes of women are subverted or sustained in selected works
- Authors: Mostert, Linda Ann
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: English literature -- Criticism, Textual , Feminism and literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8451 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1371 , English literature -- Criticism, Textual , Feminism and literature
- Description: According to Lewis Seifert, “Fairy tales are obsessed with femininity … These narratives are concerned above all else with defining what makes women different from men and, more precisely, what is and is not acceptable feminine behaviour” (1996: 175). This study, then, will demonstrate how certain patriarchal ideas associated with fairy tales are disseminated when fairy tale elements are reworked in film, visual art and the novel. The aim of this project, more specifically, is to show how certain stereotypical representations of women endure in works that could be read as feminist appropriations of Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Little Mermaid’. Stereotypical representations of women are numerous and may include: depicting females as fitting neatly into what is often called the virgin/whore or Madonna/whore binary opposition; depicting women as being caring and kind, but also passive, submissive and weak; and depicting older women as being sexually unattractive and evil (Goodwin and Fiske 2001:358; Sullivan 2010: 4). It must be said that the list of stereotypes relating to women given here is far from exhaustive.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Fictional representations of trauma in Elias Canetti’s novel Auto-da-Fé
- Authors: Buczynski, Jennifer Ann
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Violence in literature , Literature and society , Fictitious characters
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8447 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008062 , Violence in literature , Literature and society , Fictitious characters
- Description: This dissertation examines Elias Canetti‟s novel, Auto-da Fé, in an attempt to show how it depicts the manifestations of violence and the effects of traumaon the individual and on modernist society. This analysis of Auto-da Fé concentrates on the representation of trauma on a fictional level at a time when Europe was experiencing political, social and economic upheaval after the First World War. Auto-da Fé provides an intense emphasis on the psychological effects of trauma on the characters; thereby reflecting the turmoil of this period. An analysis of Canetti‟s novel, in the light of trauma, reveals an enigmatic testimony not only to the nature of violent events, but of the way trauma resists simple comprehension. I argue that this gives rise to complexities within the narration by tracing the insistently recurring words and symbols which point to an interpretation beyond the thematic content of the text, namely one which repetitively bears witness to hidden wounds within individual consciousness. The titles of the three parts of Auto-da-Fé reflect a condition of somatic and sychosomatic dislocation: “A Head without a World”, “Headless World”, and “The World in the Head”. My argument is that the fictional trauma in Canetti‟s novel contains several characters who suffer from a breach of the self and the inability to comprehend society. The inability to fit into society results in the protagonist creating an isolated refuge in order to protect himself from the outer world. However, his alienation exacerbates his physical and emotional dislocations and ultimately leads to his destruction.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Gender oppression and possibilities of empowerment: images of women in African literature with specific reference to Mariama Ba's So long a letter, Buchi Emecheta's The Joys of motherhood and Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous conditions
- Authors: Nyanhongo, Mazvita Mollin
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Women and literature -- Africa Women and literature -- Africa Women and literature -- Africa Women and literature -- Africa Women and literature -- Africa African literature -- Women authors Women -- Africa -- Literary collections
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/6411 , vital:29659
- Description: This study consists of a comparative analysis of three novels by three prominent African women writers which cast light on the ways in which women are oppressed by traditional and cultural norms in three different African countries. These three primary texts also explore the ways in which African women‟s lives are affected by other issues, such as colonialism and economic factors, and this study discusses this. An analysis of these novels reveals that the interconnectedness of racial, class and gender issues exacerbates the oppression of many African women, thereby lessening the opportunities for them to attain self-realization. This study goes on to investigate whether there are possibilities of empowerment for the women in the primary texts, and examining the reasons why some women fail to transcend their situations of oppression. The primary novels will be discussed in different chapters, which explore the problems with which various women are beset, and discuss the extent to which the various women in the novels manage to attain empowerment. In conclusion, this study compares and contrasts the ways in which the women in the primary texts are oppressed and highlights the reasons why some women are able to attain empowerment, whilst others are unable to do so. It also shows that many women are beset with comparable forms of oppression, but they may choose to react to these situations differently. Over and above these issues, the study seeks to draw attention to the fact that women need to come together and contribute to the ways in which they can attain various forms ofempowerment.
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- Date Issued: 2011
GIS implementation as a decision support tool for planning and managing development interventions
- Authors: Jong, Yungong Theophilus
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Geographic information systems , Decision support systems , Enterprise resource planning , Spatial systems
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9257 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021227
- Description: The aim of this study is to examine key implementation and managerial issues surrounding the use of a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a Decisions Support Tool (DST) for planning and managing development interventions. Ever since the emergence of GIS as a powerful analytical tool in almost all spheres of human endeavour, many organisations involved in development work have adopted its use. But the challenges of conceiving and implementing a GIS in ways that are more responsive to the problems that trigger its purchase remains a daunting task to many development organisations; even those with a wealth of experience in GIS. This is one of the motivating factors for this study. In this research, some relevant themes in GIS implementation and GIS management as a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) were examined in the literature review. A case study research strategy was used focusing on the experience of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Enterprise GIS (EGIS). The study examined how the system is been ran and what other development organisations can learn from this experience. Data was collected and analysed using a mixed research methods approach. The findings show a good level of GIS acceptance among municipality staff. However, running the system is not hitch free. A couple of problems and challenges were identified on the field. It is recommended that the municipality like most development organisations seeking GIS solutions should put the user at the centre of every technical innovation in GIS as a DST.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Heroes at the gates appeal and value in the Homeric epics from the archaic through the classical period
- Authors: Fox, Peta Ann
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Homer. Iliad Homer. Odyssey Homer Criticism and interpretation Homer Influence Epic poetry, Greek -- History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3593 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002168
- Description: This thesis raises and explores questions concerning the popularity of the Homeric poems in ancient Greece. It asks why the Iliad and Odyssey held such continuing appeal among the Greeks of the Archaic and Classical age. Cultural products such as poetry cannot be separated from the sociopolitical conditions in which and for which they were originally composed and received. Working on the basis that the extent of Homer’s appeal was inspired and sustained by the peculiar and determining historical circumstances, I set out to explore the relation of the social, political and ethical conditions and values of Archaic and Classical Greece to those portrayed in the Homeric poems. The Greeks, at the time during which Homer was composing his poems, had begun to establish a new form of social organisation: the polis. By examining historical, literary and philosophical texts from the Archaic and Classical age, I explore the manner in which Greek society attempted to reorganise and reconstitute itself in a different way, developing original modes of social and political activity which the new needs and goals of their new social reality demanded. I then turn to examine Homer’s treatment of and response to this social context, and explore the various ways in which Homer was able to reinterpret and reinvent the inherited stories of adventure and warfare in order to compose poetry that not only looks back to the highly centralised and bureaucratic society of the Mycenaean world, but also looks forward, insistently so, to the urban reality of the present. I argue that Homer’s conflation of a remembered mythical age with the contemporary conditions and values of Archaic and Classical Greece aroused in his audiences a new perception and understanding of human existence in the altered sociopolitical conditions of the polis and, in so doing, ultimately contributed to the development of new ideas on the manner in which the Greeks could best live together in their new social world.
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- Date Issued: 2011
HIV-related stigma amongst service staff in Grahamstown: a comparison of Hi-Tec security guards and Rhodes catering in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Mazorodze, Tasara
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: AIDS phobia -- Research -- South Africa -- Grahamstown HIV infections -- Employees -- Research -- South Africa AIDS (Disease) -- Employees -- Research -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3016 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002525
- Description: Despite the acknowledged reality that HIV-related stigma is a major barrier to effective HIV prevention and treatment, and perhaps because it is complex in nature, few local empirical scales have been developed to measure stigma and to be able evaluate the impact of anti-stigma interventions. Whilst the development of two recent South African HIV-related stigma scales can be celebrated as a major breakthrough, the reliability and validity of these scales across contexts remains largely unknown. This research project employs these two local, and competing, HIV-related personal stigma scales - the first developed by Kalichman et al. (2005) and the second developed by Visser, Kershaw, Makin and Forsyth (2008)-to compare the psychometric properties of the scales and to obtain a measure of HIV-related stigma with a sample of 246 service staff employed at either Rhodes University Catering Division or the Hi-Tec Security company, both organisations located in Grahamstown, a small town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Both organisations are major employers of semi-skilled workers in this local context. The results suggest that the Visser et al. scale (2008) reports slightly better psychometric properties than the Kalichman et al. (2005) scale for this sample. Furthermore, the security guards appear to be more stigmatising than the caterers, and it is suggested that this might be a consequence of the combined influences of normative occupational roles and workplace context. Results also show that participants who practices safe sex, know someone with HIV and/or who have been tested for HIV show lower levels of HIV-related stigma. Finally, personal stigma scores are generally lower than attributed stigma scores, which might offer a useful point of intervention.
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- Date Issued: 2011
How has the South African government conceptualised gender?: an evaluation of the draft strategic framework on gender and women's empowerment
- Authors: Ndlovu, Innocencia Sithandazile
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Sex discrimination against women -- South Africa , Women in development -- South Africa , Equality -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9097 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011856 , Sex discrimination against women -- South Africa , Women in development -- South Africa , Equality -- South Africa
- Description: The research seeks to evaluate how the South African government has conceptualised gender through the use of the concepts of WID and GAD. This research has been conducted through the analysis of the Draft Strategic Framework on Gender and Women's Empowerment a document of the Department of Trade and Industry that was formulated to address and redress the issues of gender equality. It has some sound suggestions that seek to identify strategies to improve women empowerment through financial independence. As a result they have used various approaches in order to provide strategies that are mindful of the „needs‟ of the women. Accordingly they have formulated a policy that understands who these women are and have made recommendations of strategies that different groups of women can identify with. They have included the marginalised rural and disabled women and even gone as far as catering for younger women still at school. However there has been concern at the impact that the exclusion of men has contributed, therefore it is important to find ways in which to make men more involved.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Human figure drawings and the general mental development of South African children
- Authors: Burger, Reinhart
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9869 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008068
- Description: This quantitative exploratory-descriptive study investigated the value of human figure drawing (HFD) tests for developmental testing in the South African context. Due to their characteristics such tests may be particularly suitable to screen for developmental delays in the local South African context. The objectives of the research were to explore and describe the standardized HFD scores and Griffiths Mental Development Scales – Extended Revised (GMDS-ER) general quotients (GQ) of the sample; to investigate whether a relationship exists between the standardized HFD scores and GQs; and to investigate the strength and directionality of this relationship if it was found to exist in the sample. Relevant literature was discussed and an integration of key constructs was provided. The research sample consisted of 30 GMDS-ER protocols collected at a University Psychology Clinic in the Nelson Mandela metropol, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The HFDs of the Draw-a-person items of the GMDS-ER protocols were scored according to the scoring criteria of the Draw-a-Person Intellectual Ability Test for Children, Adolescents, and Adults (DAP: IQ). Key findings included the following: a statistically significant large positive correlation indicative of a marked relationship existed between standardized HFD scores and GQs. The DAP: IQ might provide a better indication of mental development than intellectual ability. A statistically significant medium positive correlation indicative of a small but definite relationship existed between chronological age and HFD raw scores. In conclusion, the findings suggest that HFDs follow a developmental progression and that HFD tests may be useful in developmental testing.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Ill at ease in our translated world ecocriticism, language, and the natural environment in the fiction of Michael Ondaatje, Amitav Ghosh, David Malouf and Wilma Stockenström
- Authors: Johnson, Eleanore
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Ondaatje, Michael, 1943- The English patient Ghosh, Amitav. The hungry tide Malouf, David, 1934- An imaginary life Stockenström, Wilma. The expedition to the Baobab tree Ecocriticism Human ecology in literature Nature in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2234 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002277
- Description: This thesis explores the thematic desire to establish an ecological human bond with nature in four contemporary novels: The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje, The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh, An Imaginary Life by David Malouf, and The Expedition to The Baobab Tree by Wilma Stockenström. These authors share a concern with the influence that language has on human perception, and one of the most significant ways they attempt to connect with the natural world is through somehow escaping, or transcending, what they perceive to be the divisive tendencies of language. They all suggest that human perception is not steered entirely by a disembodied mind, which constructs reality through linguistic and cultural lenses, but is equally influenced by physical circumstances and embodied experiences. They explore the potential of corporeal reciprocity and empathy as that which enables understanding across cultural barriers, and a sense of ecologically intertwined kinship with nature. They all struggle to reconcile their awareness of the potential danger of relating to nature exclusively through language, with a desire to speak for the natural world in literature. I have examined whether they succeed in doing so, or whether they contradict their thematic suspicion of language with their literary medium. I have prioritised a close ecocritical reading of the novels and loosely situated the authors’ approach to nature and language within the broad theoretical frameworks of radical ecology, structuralism and poststructuralism. I suggest that these novels are best analysed in the context of an ecocritical mediation between poststructuralist conceptions of nature as inaccessible cultural construct, and the naïve conception of unmediated, pre-reflective interaction with the natural world. I draw especially on the phenomenological theories of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, whose insistence that perception is always both embodied and culturally mediated truly renders culture and nature irreducible, intertwined categories. By challenging historical dualisms like mind/body and culture/nature, the selected novels suggest a more fluid and discursive understanding of the perceived conflict between language and nature, whilst problematizing the perception of language as merely a cultural artefact. Moreover, they are examples of the kind of literature that has the potential to positively influence our human conception of nature, and adapt us better to our ecological context on a planet struggling for survival.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Improving governance to foster economic development: a case study of Nairobi City
- Authors: Makena, Njeru Sharon
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Decentralization in government -- Kenya -- Nairobi , Public administration -- Kenya -- Nairobi , Economic development -- Kenya -- Nairobi
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9117 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1015679
- Description: Good governance is a critical element to economic development both at the local and national level. Devolution, which is a form of decentralization, is a means of achieving good governance if implemented appropriately. Government plays a pivotal role in the governance framework of a country. This study aimed at exploring how governance of Nairobi City can be improved under a devolved system of government to foster economic development. The study specifically looked at government effectiveness which is one of the Worldwide Governance Indicators. Through a literature review, the study looks at how devolution can improve governance, and what government effectiveness entails, not only from the World Bank perspective but also from other related literature. The major assumption of this study is that improved governance consequently leads to enhanced economic development, as argued by numerous scholars and practitioners in previous studies (Todaro and Smith, (2009) Mcneil and Malena, (2010) and UNDESA 2007). Furthermore, this study assumed that despite only focusing on one of the six indicators, an idea of good governance as a whole will be obtained. The study used a mix of qualitative and quantitative approach of a case study of Nairobi City. Nairobi City is not only a unit of devolution under the new constitution, but will also host the national government. Furthermore, it is also the financial stronghold of the country. Data was collected from two sets of respondents using two different instruments. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the citizenry, and face to face interviews were used to collect data from government officials. The questionnaire focused on capturing citizen perceptions on government effectiveness. Respondents were selected through convenient sampling at pre-determined service delivery points within Nairobi City. The face-to-face semi-structured interview gauged the level of government effectiveness of selected government institutions within Nairobi City. For the former instrument, the data was analyzed through SPSS and Microsoft Excel; and presented in tables, charts and graphs. For the latter, a descriptive discussion has been used to illustrate findings. The study found that government institutions within Nairobi to an extent have established mechanisms and systems to improve service delivery, and consequently promote government effectiveness. It is observable from the study that, the systems in place do not respond to the citizen needs and expectations as illustrated by a satisfaction index of 54 percent.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Improving socio-ecological resilience strategies of climate change in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole
- Authors: Nzante, Ekiyie
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Forest resilience -- Climatic factors -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality , Global warming -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9145 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018823
- Description: The Kyoto Protocol of UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) postulated that anthropogenic causes are the main drivers of global climate change. This Kyoto Protocol was ratified by South Africa, with South Africa accepting all the binding commitments. Since then South Africa has promulgated legislations which cater for the environment and the reduction of the greenhouse gases respectively, with the aim of promoting sustainable development. The South African constitution has recognised the environment in Section 24. This is the birth place of the “Environmental Clauses” which do not only speak to the national government but are also broken down to the provincial and local government. This study was grounded within the field of Development studies and undertook a case study of improving the socio-ecological resilience strategies of climate changes in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole (NMBM). The study employed the use of semi-structure interviews whereby a questionnaire was used to guide the researcher in the interview process. A total of 23 officials were interviewed, ranging from governmental departments (municipality) through civil societies to private consultants, in order to avoid the generation of biases. The data obtained from respondents were presented, analysed, and discussed. From the data collected, it was possible to single out certain barriers to climate change resilience initiative in NMBM. Some of these barriers include the lack of awareness of climate change resilience issues, lack of political will, lack of funding, and the poor concern given to climate change issues since the municipality does not consider it a core issue. Based on the study findings, the main recommendation offered to NMBM was the creation of a Sustainable Development Framework, which will provide a perfect platform for development, acknowledge the threat posed by the negative effects of climate change, and enhance opportunities to execute climate change projects in NMBM.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Incidence and mechanism of injuries occurring over season among premier and president league hockey teams of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Authors: Walker, Rostin
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Field hockey injuries -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10091 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1577 , Field hockey injuries -- South Africa
- Description: The aim of the study was twofold namely (1) to describe and compare the incidence and mechanism of injuries that occurred in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University hockey teams that play in the Premier and President Leagues; and (2) to determine the relationships between the level of physical preparation of the relevant players and injury occurrence. The study utilised an exploratory-descriptive epidemiological approach, implementing a cohort study design and was conducted over a period of six months. Data collection was done by means of two physical tests, one to assess the players’ endurance and the other to assess their anaerobic fitness. This was performed twice on the participants during the study. Data collection also utilised four questionnaires to determine the following: the players’ personal information and medical history, the preparation and training the players did for hockey, the incidence and mechanism of the injury the players have incurred and the follow-up of the injury to describe the type of injury and the rehabilitation process. The study included 42 participants with 25 from the two Premier League Teams and 17 from the President League Team. The results were placed into table and graph format and elucidated by means of descriptive statistics. Furthermore inferential statistics and Cohen’s d were utilised to determine both statistical and practical significances of differences between groups mean values respectively. The statistical significance of differences between the frequency distributions of the two sample groups was determined by means of Chi2 tests of independence. Cramér’s V statistic was used when there were statistically significant Chi2 tests results to determine the practical significance of the two sample group’s differences. The variable of highest level of play showed the only significant difference with regards to screening statistics as the Premier League Participants had a higher number of years participating at a provincial level. The injury statistics revealed that the incidence of injury in the Premier League was 4.08 injuries per 1000 athlete-exposures (A-E), while there was a significantly higher incidence for the President League of 14.71 injuries per 1000 A-E. Matches showed a significantly higher incidence of injuries (8.18 injuries per 1000 A-E) than xiv practices (2.42 injuries per 1000 A-E) which follows previous research. Goalkeepers and halves showed the highest occurrence of injuries (36 percent each) and are supported by 59 percent of the injuries occurring on the defensive side of the 23 metre line. Contact injuries (collision 6 percent, hit by stick 17 percent and hit by ball 33 percent) accounted for 56 percent of all the injuries. No significant differences were found between the two leagues with regards to preparation, the Multi Stage Shuttle Run Test (MSSRT) and the Repeated Sprint Test (RST), except for one period each for technical skills and aerobic training. The relationship between injuries and training showed no significances with regards to preparation, MSSRT and RST, although there was minimal balance and proprioceptive training performed. Thus the lower league showed a significantly higher incidence of injury with preparation not being a mechanism for injuries.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Information and communication technology (ICT) and enhanced learning at Pearson High School
- Authors: Mdlongwa, Edward Thabani
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Educational technology -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Information technology -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Computer-assisted instruction -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9092 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011595 , Educational technology -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Information technology -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Computer-assisted instruction -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Description: The advent of the 21st Century has seen a number of technological developments which affect almost every spectrum or aspect of our lives. Castells (2001) likens the power of ICT to the impact that access to electricity and clean running water in a community have had on human development. In the field of educational, information and communication technology (ICT) has become a core part in helping to improve the efficiency and productivity of both teaching and learning of any particular subject (Fallows and Bhanot, 2002).The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent ICT had enhanced learning at Pearson High School in the Summerstrand area of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM). The results of the study were compared with similar studies in other schools in NMBM conducted at the same time. The study was qualitative and methods of data collection used were key informant interviews and focus group discussions.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Intimate masculinities in the work of Paul Emmanuel
- Authors: Bronner, Irene Enslé
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Emmanuel, Paul, 1969- Masculinity in art Identity (Psychology) in art Gender identity in art Art, South African -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2397 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002193
- Description: Paul Emmanuel is a South African artist who produces incised drawings, outdoor installations and prints (particularly intaglio etchings and manière noire lithographs). These focus on the representation of male bodies and experience. Having begun his career as a collaborative printmaker, since 2002, his work has become more ambitious as well as critically acclaimed. In 2010, his most recent body of work, Transitions, was exhibited at the Smithsonian Museum of African Art in Washington D.C. I propose that Emmanuel represents the male body as a presence that either is not easily seen or that actively disappears or erases itself. Its subjectivity, and the viewer’s engagement with it, may be characterised as one of intimacy, exposure, loss and vulnerability. Emmanuel’s work may be said to question conventions and ideals of masculinity while, at the same time, refusing any prescriptive interpretation. To develop this proposition, I examine specifically Emmanuel’s incising drawing technique that ‘holds open’ transitions in male lives. In these liminal moments, Emmanuel represents men as ‘seen’ to change state or status, thereby exposing the ongoing process of building masculine identities. Equally elucidatory is Emmanuel’s imprinting of his own body, which, in his use of “traces” that reveal the vacillation between presence and absence, makes contingently ‘visible’ this gendering process, and has particular implications for the expression of subjectivity in a contemporary South African context.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Investigating at the grassroots: exploring the origins, purposes journalistic practices and outcomes in two award-winning Daily Dispatch editorial projects
- Authors: Lunga, Carolyne Mande
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Investigative reporting -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Citizen journalism -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Reporters and reporting -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Journalism -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Journalism -- Political aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3452 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002906
- Description: This thesis explores the origins, purposes, journalistic practices and outcomes of two award-winning projects namely Broken Homes and Slumlords done by Daily Dispatch's Gcina Ntsaluba in 2009. The projects were described by the paper as investigative journalism but interestingly the original idea came from grassroots driven strategies and they were done by adopting alternative news gathering strategies and immersion in the ordinary people, inspired by public journalism. This thesis follows Christians et al's (2009) normative theoretical framework of press roles summarised as the monitorial, facilitative, collaborative and radical roles. It provides normative prescriptions of public and investigative journalism, development and radical journalism. It then draws on sociological theoretical critiques in order to provide an analytical overview of the complex matrix of political, economic and media contexts which influenced the origins, purposes, journalistic practices and outcomes of the two projects. Drawing on a critical realist case study design, the thesis goes on to provide a narrative account of the two projects based on the in-depth interviews exploring the editorial staffs ideas on the origins, purposes, journalistic practices and outcomes of the projects and a qualitative content/thematic analysis of the journalistic texts related to the projects. This primary data is then critically evaluated against normative theories of press performance, especially Nip's (2008) key practices and Haas's (2007) 'public philosophy' of public journalism. It is also evaluated against a normative framework of what constitutes "good investigative journalism" based on Ettema and Glasser (1998), Waisbord (2000) among others. Protess et al 1991's classic mobilisation model is used to interrogate the projects' outcomes. The thesis established that there was a close connection of the monitorial (investigative journalism), facilitative (public journalism) and radical (tabloid journalism) roles at the paper which shows that the roles are not mutually exclusive. The two projects however fell short of the collaborative role (development journalism) which can, partly, be attributed to the adversarial nature of the relationship between the state and the media. The Daily Dispatch also failed to activate a platform for deliberation and public problem solving. There might thus be more scope in adopting a 'facilitative monitorial role' which would not only expose those who violate other people's human rights, corrupt people and institutions that are not performing well. Instead it will also activate civic life and facilitate 'collaboration' between government and the publics in problem solving.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Investigating the implication of agricultural projects in Ngqushwa local municipality in the province of the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Sinuka, M
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8175 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1586
- Description: The Department of Social Development, in collaboration with Ngqushwa Local Municipality, administers many community development projects in this local municipality. These projects aim to help local communities alleviate poverty. Scholars of community development advocate for people-centred approach to successful and sustainable community development, thus promoting community participation. Some Department officials have to ensure that community development projects are implemented in needy communities in accordance with development principles. Despite the advantages of these projects, there are challenges that confront their implementation. These projects are too formalised and too discrete, thus curtailing their chances of success and sustainability. Also, due to the complex nature of some of these projects, they are often poorly run, and do not achieve their intended objectives. Consequently, project membership is constantly decreasing. The aim of this study was to investigate the implementation of agricultural projects in Ngqushwa Local Municipality. In investigating these projects, the objectives of the study were to explore the extent of community participation and challenges in the implementation of these projects. In addition, this study sought to provide an understanding into inherent factors that have an impact on the implementation of these agricultural projects. The ultimate aim was to share with community development agents where outdated paradigm regarding implementation of projects is still prevailing and the lessons learnt about holistic and integrated strategies in order to alleviate poverty and improve the quality of life. This study used a qualitative approach in gathering data. It combined the survey of literature and administration of questionnaires in gathering of empirical data. The sampling method used to select participants was purposive, which is the most important non-probability sampling. In this type of sampling, researchers rely on their experience, ingenuity, previous research experience and findings to deliberately obtain units of analysis in such a way that the sample researchers obtain may be regarded as being representative of the relevant population. This iv iv type of sample is based entirely on the judgment of the researcher in that the sample is composed of elements that contain the most characteristics, representative or typical attributes of the population that serve the purpose of the study best. The researcher personally administered the questionnaires to four project members who were unable to read and write. The rest of sixteen project members, three officials who are directly involved in the implementation of agricultural projects in the Department of Social Development and an Office Manager, were given questionnaires to complete. This study revealed that in most instances, decisions have been taken unilaterally by the officials of the Department of Social Development. All the planning for the implementation of agricultural projects is the prerogative of Department officials. The high level of dissatisfaction among project members is likely a direct result of this approach by the Department. Inviting community members to participate in projects when decisions have already been taken, or where there is no meaningful issue to decide on, results in community members losing their interest in projects. It also emerged from the study that the Department of Social Development does not have criteria to select who should be the members of a particular project. This potentially results in deserving community members being excluded. There is a strong sense among project members that poverty alleviation energy is focused on one type of project, rather than looking at other ways to ensure that those who are not interested in food gardens are given alternative opportunities. The findings have also shown that lack of capacity is considered critical in explaining reasons for the failure in the implementation of these agricultural projects. This research has also shown that there is some degree of uncertainty about the role that can be played by the Department officials who are directly involved in the implementation of agricultural projects to ensure active and meaningful participation of communities. Moreover, this study has established that support is lacking from Department officials. Their inability to support project members may be attributed to their lack of experience in their work as their profiles pointed to this. During the conduct of the survey, it has also emerged that educational qualifications of two Department officials who are directly involved in the implementation of projects do not tally with their actual work. This is likely to minimise their capacity to drive the implementation of agricultural projects in Ngqushwa Local Municipality. It also emerged during the conduct of this study that there were no indicators in place to measure the success and impact of agricultural projects on improving lives of communities.
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- Date Issued: 2011