Using the indigenous technology of organic crop farming to mediate learning in Grade 12 Agricultural Science classes
- Authors: Sheehama, Lydia Ndapandula
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Agricultural science , Ethnoscience , Traditional knowledge , Organic farming , Pedagogical content knowledge
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/463614 , vital:76425
- Description: The Namibian Curriculum for Basic Education states clearly that Indigenous Knowledge (IK) should be integrated into science teaching. However, the irony is that it does not give clear pedagogical guidelines on how it should be integrated. The implication is that the curriculum assumes that all teachers are aware of how to integrate IK into their teaching. This assumption has therefore led to little or no integration of IK in many classrooms in Namibia, something which could be in part a contributing factor to poor learners’ academic performance in science subjects and Agricultural Science in particular. This tension in the curriculum plus the apparent gap in the literature regarding the integration of IK has triggered my interest to conduct this interventionist qualitative case study. Essentially, this study aimed to explore affordances and/or hindrances when using the indigenous technology of organic crop farming to mediate learning in Grade 12 Agricultural Science classes in peri-urban schools in the Oshana region in Namibia. The study was underpinned by the interpretivist and Ubuntu paradigms. Vygotsky’s (1978) socio-cultural theory and Shulman’s (1986) pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) framework were used as lenses to analyse my data. Within PCK, I also used Mavhunga and Rollnick’s (2013) Topic-Specific PCK as an analytical framework. The findings of the study revealed that the integration of Indigenous knowledge in Agricultural Science education has great potential in improving both the teaching and learnng of science. It also revealed that the Agricultural Science teachers were positive towards the integration of IK in their lessons. However, they conceded that they lacked pedagogical insights on how to integrate IK as they were never trained on how to integrate it. As a result, they found the presentations by the Indigenous Knowledge Custodians (IKCs) informative and shed light on how they could integrate IK during teaching and learning. That is, they became cultural knowledge brokers making science relevant and accessible to their learners. The study thus recommends that teacher training institutions should modify the curriculum to include a pedagogy course module on IK to equip students with the essential PCK on IK integration in science teaching. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post-School Education, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Sheehama, Lydia Ndapandula
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Agricultural science , Ethnoscience , Traditional knowledge , Organic farming , Pedagogical content knowledge
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/463614 , vital:76425
- Description: The Namibian Curriculum for Basic Education states clearly that Indigenous Knowledge (IK) should be integrated into science teaching. However, the irony is that it does not give clear pedagogical guidelines on how it should be integrated. The implication is that the curriculum assumes that all teachers are aware of how to integrate IK into their teaching. This assumption has therefore led to little or no integration of IK in many classrooms in Namibia, something which could be in part a contributing factor to poor learners’ academic performance in science subjects and Agricultural Science in particular. This tension in the curriculum plus the apparent gap in the literature regarding the integration of IK has triggered my interest to conduct this interventionist qualitative case study. Essentially, this study aimed to explore affordances and/or hindrances when using the indigenous technology of organic crop farming to mediate learning in Grade 12 Agricultural Science classes in peri-urban schools in the Oshana region in Namibia. The study was underpinned by the interpretivist and Ubuntu paradigms. Vygotsky’s (1978) socio-cultural theory and Shulman’s (1986) pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) framework were used as lenses to analyse my data. Within PCK, I also used Mavhunga and Rollnick’s (2013) Topic-Specific PCK as an analytical framework. The findings of the study revealed that the integration of Indigenous knowledge in Agricultural Science education has great potential in improving both the teaching and learnng of science. It also revealed that the Agricultural Science teachers were positive towards the integration of IK in their lessons. However, they conceded that they lacked pedagogical insights on how to integrate IK as they were never trained on how to integrate it. As a result, they found the presentations by the Indigenous Knowledge Custodians (IKCs) informative and shed light on how they could integrate IK during teaching and learning. That is, they became cultural knowledge brokers making science relevant and accessible to their learners. The study thus recommends that teacher training institutions should modify the curriculum to include a pedagogy course module on IK to equip students with the essential PCK on IK integration in science teaching. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post-School Education, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
Teacher professional development as a mechanism to advance education for sustainable development (ESD) integration in Namibia: a senior primary English language case study
- Shangheta, Miryam Keshityeni
- Authors: Shangheta, Miryam Keshityeni
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Career development , Teachers In-service training , Education for sustainable development , English language Study and teaching Namibia , Pedagogical content knowledge
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/463603 , vital:76424
- Description: Namibia is a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030 and responds to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development by incorporating Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into its education curriculum and policies. In 2020, Namibia launched its National Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development Policy. Despite these policy commitments, research indicates that most teachers continue to struggle with integrating ESD into their teaching practices. The integration of ESD in English language teaching classrooms is no exception. This qualitative case study is an attempt to understand how a Teacher Professional Development programme named Teach for ESD offered by NaDEET, a non-governmental organisation in Namibia, aided three Senior Primary Phase English Language teachers to integrate ESD into their teaching practice. The study also aims to unveil the teaching practice of the selected English Language teachers in the Otjozondjupa region who participated in the Teach for ESD programme. Data was gathered using semi-structured interviews (three interviews per teacher), document review, and lesson observation (one per teacher). Theoretically, the study is framed by socio-cultural learning theory after the work of Lev Vygotsky, supplemented by Mavhunga and Rollnick’s (2013) account of Topic Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TSPCK). The qualitative data was analysed inductively to identify themes and sub-themes relevant to the research questions. The study findings might be of value to NaDEET as they implement future TPD courses in ESD, and they may also be of interest to English Language Teaching stakeholders as Namibia implements the EE and ESD Policy in the national school curriculum. The findings showed that the English Language teachers need ESD training; ESD-oriented teaching and learning materials; continuing support for monitoring and evaluation of their ESD practices; and more time allocated to English Language teaching in the timetable so that the environmental / sustainability content can be explored in more depth alongside the development of English Language skills. The study recommends that further research be conducted into effective ways of teaching English Language skills through environmental themes (developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge); and exploring up-scalable models of teacher professional development so that more English Language teachers can receive ESD training. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post-School Education, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Shangheta, Miryam Keshityeni
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Career development , Teachers In-service training , Education for sustainable development , English language Study and teaching Namibia , Pedagogical content knowledge
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/463603 , vital:76424
- Description: Namibia is a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030 and responds to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development by incorporating Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into its education curriculum and policies. In 2020, Namibia launched its National Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development Policy. Despite these policy commitments, research indicates that most teachers continue to struggle with integrating ESD into their teaching practices. The integration of ESD in English language teaching classrooms is no exception. This qualitative case study is an attempt to understand how a Teacher Professional Development programme named Teach for ESD offered by NaDEET, a non-governmental organisation in Namibia, aided three Senior Primary Phase English Language teachers to integrate ESD into their teaching practice. The study also aims to unveil the teaching practice of the selected English Language teachers in the Otjozondjupa region who participated in the Teach for ESD programme. Data was gathered using semi-structured interviews (three interviews per teacher), document review, and lesson observation (one per teacher). Theoretically, the study is framed by socio-cultural learning theory after the work of Lev Vygotsky, supplemented by Mavhunga and Rollnick’s (2013) account of Topic Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TSPCK). The qualitative data was analysed inductively to identify themes and sub-themes relevant to the research questions. The study findings might be of value to NaDEET as they implement future TPD courses in ESD, and they may also be of interest to English Language Teaching stakeholders as Namibia implements the EE and ESD Policy in the national school curriculum. The findings showed that the English Language teachers need ESD training; ESD-oriented teaching and learning materials; continuing support for monitoring and evaluation of their ESD practices; and more time allocated to English Language teaching in the timetable so that the environmental / sustainability content can be explored in more depth alongside the development of English Language skills. The study recommends that further research be conducted into effective ways of teaching English Language skills through environmental themes (developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge); and exploring up-scalable models of teacher professional development so that more English Language teachers can receive ESD training. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post-School Education, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
Connecting culture and science: Utilising Oshikundu and Ombidi in biology lessons on diffusion and osmosis
- Shilomboleni, Helena Ilena Ndilimeke
- Authors: Shilomboleni, Helena Ilena Ndilimeke
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Ethnoscience , Traditional knowledge , Biology Study and teaching (Secondary) Namibia , Oshikundu , Osmosis , Diffusion , Contiguity (psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/463636 , vital:76427
- Description: Various science curricula including that of Namibia recommend that teaching and learning should start with the knowledge and experiences of learners from their homes and communities. These experiences are the learners’ Indigenous Knowledge (IK) which should be integrated to make science accessible and relevant to learners from diverse sociocultural backgrounds. This suggests that science teachers are encouraged to integrate IK into their teaching to help learners grasp abstract concepts and construct their own understanding of phenomena. However, much literature has revealed that many teachers find it difficult to integrate IK into their science teaching. Some scholars further argue that teachers lack the pedagogical content knowledge to effectively integrate IK. I assume this could be because the science curriculum is not explicit on how IK should be integrated into science teaching. It is against this backdrop that in this study I mobilised the Indigenous technologies of making oshikundu and preserving ombidi to support Grade 10 Biology learners in talking and making sense of diffusion and osmosis. This study was underpinned by the interpretivist and Indigenous research paradigms. Within the Indigenous research paradigm, I focused on Ubuntu as a perspective. A qualitative case study was employed and conducted at a certain school in the northern part of Namibia, in the Ohangwena region. I worked with a group of 35 Grade 10 learners, two Indigenous Knowledge Custodians (KCs) who are the custodians of cultural heritage and one Biology teacher (critical friend) as participants in this study. Qualitative data were collected using a focus group interview (sharing circle), group activity, participatory observation, and learners’ journal reflections. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory together with Ogunniyi’s Contiguity Argumentative Theory were used as lenses to analyse data. The findings of the study revealed that during the IKCs’ practical demonstrations learners were able to identify science concepts embedded in the cultural practices of making oshikundu and preserving ombidi. The findings further revealed that the practical demonstrations enhanced active participation and interactions among learners. I thus recommend that teachers should tap into IKCs’ cultural heritage by inviting them into their classrooms to make science relevant, accessible and meaningful to learners. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post-School Education, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Shilomboleni, Helena Ilena Ndilimeke
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Ethnoscience , Traditional knowledge , Biology Study and teaching (Secondary) Namibia , Oshikundu , Osmosis , Diffusion , Contiguity (psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/463636 , vital:76427
- Description: Various science curricula including that of Namibia recommend that teaching and learning should start with the knowledge and experiences of learners from their homes and communities. These experiences are the learners’ Indigenous Knowledge (IK) which should be integrated to make science accessible and relevant to learners from diverse sociocultural backgrounds. This suggests that science teachers are encouraged to integrate IK into their teaching to help learners grasp abstract concepts and construct their own understanding of phenomena. However, much literature has revealed that many teachers find it difficult to integrate IK into their science teaching. Some scholars further argue that teachers lack the pedagogical content knowledge to effectively integrate IK. I assume this could be because the science curriculum is not explicit on how IK should be integrated into science teaching. It is against this backdrop that in this study I mobilised the Indigenous technologies of making oshikundu and preserving ombidi to support Grade 10 Biology learners in talking and making sense of diffusion and osmosis. This study was underpinned by the interpretivist and Indigenous research paradigms. Within the Indigenous research paradigm, I focused on Ubuntu as a perspective. A qualitative case study was employed and conducted at a certain school in the northern part of Namibia, in the Ohangwena region. I worked with a group of 35 Grade 10 learners, two Indigenous Knowledge Custodians (KCs) who are the custodians of cultural heritage and one Biology teacher (critical friend) as participants in this study. Qualitative data were collected using a focus group interview (sharing circle), group activity, participatory observation, and learners’ journal reflections. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory together with Ogunniyi’s Contiguity Argumentative Theory were used as lenses to analyse data. The findings of the study revealed that during the IKCs’ practical demonstrations learners were able to identify science concepts embedded in the cultural practices of making oshikundu and preserving ombidi. The findings further revealed that the practical demonstrations enhanced active participation and interactions among learners. I thus recommend that teachers should tap into IKCs’ cultural heritage by inviting them into their classrooms to make science relevant, accessible and meaningful to learners. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post-School Education, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A content analysis of the framing and representation of Black Lives Matter protests by South African mainstream media
- Authors: Manyike, Lerato Gladys
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Black lives matter movement , Social movements South Africa , Race in mass media South Africa , Frames (Sociology) , Race discrimination South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465799 , vital:76654
- Description: This study conducted a detailed analysis of 277 headlines using content analysis, focusing on how News24 portrays racial protests, particularly within the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. It explored News24's coverage of BLM protests from March to December 2020, uncovering various framing strategies and language nuances in news headlines. The research aimed to identify thematic frames, linguistic patterns, and overall media framing of BLM protests. The findings highlighted different framing strategies, including legitimising, conflict, and delegitimizing frames, along with the impact of descriptive language on audience perceptions. The study concluded that media framing is dynamic, responding to evolving events and public discourse, and provided recommendations for media transparency, diversity in newsrooms, media literacy, and ethical reporting. Future research suggestions include comparative analyses, audience reception studies, and policy impact assessments to deepen understanding and inform strategic interventions in media representations and public discourse on racial justice. Overall, the study contributes valuable insights into media framing practices and their impact on societal perceptions of racial justice issues. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Manyike, Lerato Gladys
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Black lives matter movement , Social movements South Africa , Race in mass media South Africa , Frames (Sociology) , Race discrimination South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465799 , vital:76654
- Description: This study conducted a detailed analysis of 277 headlines using content analysis, focusing on how News24 portrays racial protests, particularly within the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. It explored News24's coverage of BLM protests from March to December 2020, uncovering various framing strategies and language nuances in news headlines. The research aimed to identify thematic frames, linguistic patterns, and overall media framing of BLM protests. The findings highlighted different framing strategies, including legitimising, conflict, and delegitimizing frames, along with the impact of descriptive language on audience perceptions. The study concluded that media framing is dynamic, responding to evolving events and public discourse, and provided recommendations for media transparency, diversity in newsrooms, media literacy, and ethical reporting. Future research suggestions include comparative analyses, audience reception studies, and policy impact assessments to deepen understanding and inform strategic interventions in media representations and public discourse on racial justice. Overall, the study contributes valuable insights into media framing practices and their impact on societal perceptions of racial justice issues. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
Carnivory submerged: aspects of the ecology and ecophysiology of the aquatic Utricularia stellaris L. fil. (Lentibulariaceae) in South Africa
- Authors: Marais, Alice-Jane
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Submerged aquatic vegetation , Bladderworts South Africa , Carnivorous plants , Bladderworts Ecology , Bladderworts Ecophysiology , Plant-microbe relationships
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464473 , vital:76514
- Description: The trapping structures produced by aquatic species of Utricularia have traditionally been interpreted to function as adaptations to capture and break down zooplankton prey, as in other carnivorous plants, to overcome nutrient limitations. However, an increasing number of studies have found that these plants may also rely on benefits derived from living mutualistic microbial communities contained within traps. This study documents aspects of the environmental, growth and physiological characteristics of U. stellaris to inform and to form a basis for future investigation into the plant-microbe interaction. The environmental conditions in which U. stellaris grows were documented to identify potential adverse conditions plants are subject to in situ, from which nutrient limitation was identified as a primary limitation. Plant growth and trapping structures were then assessed to identify possible adaptations of plants to overcome these limitations. The production of trapping structures likely constitutes an adaptive trait, with 30% of total biomass per node allocated to the production of these structures. Based on their capture function, traps may aid plants based on their contents, possibly supplementing plants with nutrients. Although assessments of the habitats of U. stellaris indicate that dissolved CO₂ concentrations in the ambient water are high, CO₂ may still be limiting to the photosynthetic rates of these plants due to viscous water resisting the diffusion of CO₂. The primary site of photosynthesis in U. stellaris is leaves and trap tissue’s contribution to photosynthetic output is negligible. U. stellaris plants are subject to CO₂ limitations in natural pond conditions, making the substantial allocation of resources to non-photosynthetic trapping tissue even more costly. Therefore, benefits gained from trapping structures are likely to be derived from trap contents; having ruled out the possibility that the trap tissue itself is photosynthetic. Trap contents of U. stellaris were assessed. The proportion of traps containing living microbial communities greatly exceeded the proportion containing zooplankton prey. In addition, these communities were found to be diverse, stable, and self-sustaining. These results suggest that trapping structures may be beneficial for both the carnivorous capture of prey and the housing of living microbial communities. These results indicate the plantmicrobe interaction in U. stellaris warrants further study. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Botany, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Marais, Alice-Jane
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Submerged aquatic vegetation , Bladderworts South Africa , Carnivorous plants , Bladderworts Ecology , Bladderworts Ecophysiology , Plant-microbe relationships
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464473 , vital:76514
- Description: The trapping structures produced by aquatic species of Utricularia have traditionally been interpreted to function as adaptations to capture and break down zooplankton prey, as in other carnivorous plants, to overcome nutrient limitations. However, an increasing number of studies have found that these plants may also rely on benefits derived from living mutualistic microbial communities contained within traps. This study documents aspects of the environmental, growth and physiological characteristics of U. stellaris to inform and to form a basis for future investigation into the plant-microbe interaction. The environmental conditions in which U. stellaris grows were documented to identify potential adverse conditions plants are subject to in situ, from which nutrient limitation was identified as a primary limitation. Plant growth and trapping structures were then assessed to identify possible adaptations of plants to overcome these limitations. The production of trapping structures likely constitutes an adaptive trait, with 30% of total biomass per node allocated to the production of these structures. Based on their capture function, traps may aid plants based on their contents, possibly supplementing plants with nutrients. Although assessments of the habitats of U. stellaris indicate that dissolved CO₂ concentrations in the ambient water are high, CO₂ may still be limiting to the photosynthetic rates of these plants due to viscous water resisting the diffusion of CO₂. The primary site of photosynthesis in U. stellaris is leaves and trap tissue’s contribution to photosynthetic output is negligible. U. stellaris plants are subject to CO₂ limitations in natural pond conditions, making the substantial allocation of resources to non-photosynthetic trapping tissue even more costly. Therefore, benefits gained from trapping structures are likely to be derived from trap contents; having ruled out the possibility that the trap tissue itself is photosynthetic. Trap contents of U. stellaris were assessed. The proportion of traps containing living microbial communities greatly exceeded the proportion containing zooplankton prey. In addition, these communities were found to be diverse, stable, and self-sustaining. These results suggest that trapping structures may be beneficial for both the carnivorous capture of prey and the housing of living microbial communities. These results indicate the plantmicrobe interaction in U. stellaris warrants further study. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Botany, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
Carbonylation of cyclohexene with carbon dioxide (CO2) using transition metals as heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts
- Authors: Sekaleli, Bafokeng Thabelo
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Carbonylation , Carbon dioxide , Catalysts , Transition metals , Cyclohexene
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464565 , vital:76522
- Description: From a green chemistry perspective, carbon dioxide (CO2) emerges as an appealing C1 synthon, given its abundance in the atmosphere and cost-effectiveness. Many essential chemicals for daily life are derived from fossilized carbon sources like coal, petroleum, and natural gas. However, the by-product of these processes, CO2, poses environmental risks when excessively emitted as a greenhouse gas. Achieving a balance between carbon emissions and removal is crucial to address environmental concerns surrounding CO2. Utilizing CO2 as a C1 source in organic synthesis holds promise for mitigating this balance in the long term. Combining CO2 with other underutilized fine chemicals, such as alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes, to produce more valuable platform chemicals presents an economically viable strategy due to carbon dioxide’s abundance, low cost, and recyclability. Despite its simplicity, CO2's high thermodynamic stability and low kinetic reactivity, owing to its highly oxidized state, pose challenges to its use as a feedstock. Overcoming these hurdles requires catalysts to enhance CO2 reactivity. Our work focuses on developing and employing catalytic systems capable of activating CO2 as a C1 synthon in reactions with cyclohexene and a reducing agent to yield carboxylic acids or esters. In one approach, we have developed heterogeneous catalyst systems comprising transition metals (Au, Fe, Ni, Ru) supported on metal oxide (TiO2). Characterization techniques such as TEM, EDX, UV-Vis, BET, and XRD were used to study the properties of these materials. The catalysts were evaluated in a reaction involving cyclohexene, CO2, and H2O. In another approach, we explored the use of cyclo-tris(tetracarbonylruthenium) [Ru3(CO)12] as a homogeneous catalyst in a reaction involving cyclohexene, methanol, and CO2 in the presence of an ionic liquid, 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]+Cl-). 1H NMR and ATR-FT-IR were utilized to characterize [BMIM]+Cl-. The reaction product was characterised utilizing GC-MS. Upon seeing that Ru3(CO)12 changes color from orange to black when exposed to heat, an investigation was undertaken on the kind of transformations that the catalyst undergoes. This investigation was carried out with the hopes of finding the structures that could be resulting from Ru3(CO)12 during the reaction and their significance to it. The orange and black Ru complexes were characterized utilizing DSC, TGA, ATR-FT-IR and PXRD. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Chemistry, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Sekaleli, Bafokeng Thabelo
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Carbonylation , Carbon dioxide , Catalysts , Transition metals , Cyclohexene
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464565 , vital:76522
- Description: From a green chemistry perspective, carbon dioxide (CO2) emerges as an appealing C1 synthon, given its abundance in the atmosphere and cost-effectiveness. Many essential chemicals for daily life are derived from fossilized carbon sources like coal, petroleum, and natural gas. However, the by-product of these processes, CO2, poses environmental risks when excessively emitted as a greenhouse gas. Achieving a balance between carbon emissions and removal is crucial to address environmental concerns surrounding CO2. Utilizing CO2 as a C1 source in organic synthesis holds promise for mitigating this balance in the long term. Combining CO2 with other underutilized fine chemicals, such as alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes, to produce more valuable platform chemicals presents an economically viable strategy due to carbon dioxide’s abundance, low cost, and recyclability. Despite its simplicity, CO2's high thermodynamic stability and low kinetic reactivity, owing to its highly oxidized state, pose challenges to its use as a feedstock. Overcoming these hurdles requires catalysts to enhance CO2 reactivity. Our work focuses on developing and employing catalytic systems capable of activating CO2 as a C1 synthon in reactions with cyclohexene and a reducing agent to yield carboxylic acids or esters. In one approach, we have developed heterogeneous catalyst systems comprising transition metals (Au, Fe, Ni, Ru) supported on metal oxide (TiO2). Characterization techniques such as TEM, EDX, UV-Vis, BET, and XRD were used to study the properties of these materials. The catalysts were evaluated in a reaction involving cyclohexene, CO2, and H2O. In another approach, we explored the use of cyclo-tris(tetracarbonylruthenium) [Ru3(CO)12] as a homogeneous catalyst in a reaction involving cyclohexene, methanol, and CO2 in the presence of an ionic liquid, 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]+Cl-). 1H NMR and ATR-FT-IR were utilized to characterize [BMIM]+Cl-. The reaction product was characterised utilizing GC-MS. Upon seeing that Ru3(CO)12 changes color from orange to black when exposed to heat, an investigation was undertaken on the kind of transformations that the catalyst undergoes. This investigation was carried out with the hopes of finding the structures that could be resulting from Ru3(CO)12 during the reaction and their significance to it. The orange and black Ru complexes were characterized utilizing DSC, TGA, ATR-FT-IR and PXRD. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Chemistry, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
The reproductive biology of warty sea cucumber, Neostichopus grammatus Clark (Holothuroidea: Echinodermata) under natural and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) conditions in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- Authors: Senekal, Heleen Ester
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Sea cucumbers South Africa Eastern Cape , Sea cucumbers Reproduction , Gonads , Gonadosomatic Index , Integrated aquaculture , Abalone culture , Sea cucumbers Effect of temperature on , Marine sediments
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464451 , vital:76512
- Description: This study investigated the reproductive cycle of the warty sea cucumber, Neostichopus grammatus, in the wild and in a farming environment, to test its suitability for co-culture with abalone Haliotis midae in an IMTA system. The research formed part of a broader EU H2020 program, Aquavitae, and was conducted at Wild Coast Abalone in South Africa. The study investigated several environmental parameters, such as temperature, day length, and substrate, to determine if these have any effects on the gonadal development and reproductive cycle. The natural gametogenic cycle of wild warty sea cucumbers was determined by monitoring the Gonadosomatic Index (GI) values monthly for a period of 16 months. The GI index was validated by means of other maturity assessment techniques including measurement of the size and colour of the gonads, oocyte diameter measurements and gonad histology sections. Wild collected sea cucumbers were maintained in abalone farm rearing tanks on a diet of abalone feed and faecal waste for a period of 10 months, with GI values being determined monthly. The wild and farmed sea cucumber GI data was correlated with environmental parameters. Seasonal water temperature was strongly correlated with the GI values of wild warty sea cucumbers, suggesting that water temperature likely influences gonadal development. Sea cucumbers matured sexually during colder months (May to September) and spawned from September to February, during summer. The results of oocyte measurements, macroscopic and microscopic analyses, and histological analyses in combination with the GI values, provides a practical indicator of sexual maturity for captive breeding purposes. Farmed warty sea cucumbers followed the same annual reproductive cycle as wild sea cucumbers, however they came into spawning condition approximately one month later than wild conspecifics. As the farm water temperature was significantly higher than the ambient ocean water temperature, it was hypothesised that this may have affected the gonadal development of the farmed sea cucumbers. Furthermore, the farm-reared sea cucumbers lost weight and condition, indicating a nutritional deficiency. Previous studies indicated that the presence of a sand sediment facilitated the assimilation of organic detrital matter by sea cucumbers. An additional trial was thus set up to determine the effect of a sand sediment and cooler ambient temperature on the growth and gonadal development of the warty sea cucumbers. The growth and GI values of sea cucumbers in the cool water treatment did not differ significantly from the ambient temperature control groups. However, the addition of a sand substrate to the sea cucumber tanks had a significant positive growth effect on sea cucumber body mass and GI values. Sea cucumbers fed a diet of abalone waste material on the sand substrate exhibited final average GI values of 2.99 % (SE ±0.56). In contrast, sea cucumbers kept in bare tanks and only received abalone waste as food had significantly lower average GI values of 1.36 % (SE±0.2). This suggests that the provision of a sand sustrate in sea cucumber rearing containers is essential for the adequate nutrition and gonadal development. The results of this study indicate that the warty sea cucumber is a promising candidate for inlcusion in an IMTA system with South African perlemoen abalone. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Senekal, Heleen Ester
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Sea cucumbers South Africa Eastern Cape , Sea cucumbers Reproduction , Gonads , Gonadosomatic Index , Integrated aquaculture , Abalone culture , Sea cucumbers Effect of temperature on , Marine sediments
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464451 , vital:76512
- Description: This study investigated the reproductive cycle of the warty sea cucumber, Neostichopus grammatus, in the wild and in a farming environment, to test its suitability for co-culture with abalone Haliotis midae in an IMTA system. The research formed part of a broader EU H2020 program, Aquavitae, and was conducted at Wild Coast Abalone in South Africa. The study investigated several environmental parameters, such as temperature, day length, and substrate, to determine if these have any effects on the gonadal development and reproductive cycle. The natural gametogenic cycle of wild warty sea cucumbers was determined by monitoring the Gonadosomatic Index (GI) values monthly for a period of 16 months. The GI index was validated by means of other maturity assessment techniques including measurement of the size and colour of the gonads, oocyte diameter measurements and gonad histology sections. Wild collected sea cucumbers were maintained in abalone farm rearing tanks on a diet of abalone feed and faecal waste for a period of 10 months, with GI values being determined monthly. The wild and farmed sea cucumber GI data was correlated with environmental parameters. Seasonal water temperature was strongly correlated with the GI values of wild warty sea cucumbers, suggesting that water temperature likely influences gonadal development. Sea cucumbers matured sexually during colder months (May to September) and spawned from September to February, during summer. The results of oocyte measurements, macroscopic and microscopic analyses, and histological analyses in combination with the GI values, provides a practical indicator of sexual maturity for captive breeding purposes. Farmed warty sea cucumbers followed the same annual reproductive cycle as wild sea cucumbers, however they came into spawning condition approximately one month later than wild conspecifics. As the farm water temperature was significantly higher than the ambient ocean water temperature, it was hypothesised that this may have affected the gonadal development of the farmed sea cucumbers. Furthermore, the farm-reared sea cucumbers lost weight and condition, indicating a nutritional deficiency. Previous studies indicated that the presence of a sand sediment facilitated the assimilation of organic detrital matter by sea cucumbers. An additional trial was thus set up to determine the effect of a sand sediment and cooler ambient temperature on the growth and gonadal development of the warty sea cucumbers. The growth and GI values of sea cucumbers in the cool water treatment did not differ significantly from the ambient temperature control groups. However, the addition of a sand substrate to the sea cucumber tanks had a significant positive growth effect on sea cucumber body mass and GI values. Sea cucumbers fed a diet of abalone waste material on the sand substrate exhibited final average GI values of 2.99 % (SE ±0.56). In contrast, sea cucumbers kept in bare tanks and only received abalone waste as food had significantly lower average GI values of 1.36 % (SE±0.2). This suggests that the provision of a sand sustrate in sea cucumber rearing containers is essential for the adequate nutrition and gonadal development. The results of this study indicate that the warty sea cucumber is a promising candidate for inlcusion in an IMTA system with South African perlemoen abalone. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
Post migration factors associated with elevated symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety, among refugees in Cape Town
- Authors: Mujuru, Agnes
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Post-traumatic stress disorder , Refugees South Africa Cape Town , Social work with refugees , Anxiety , Depression, Mental , Refugees Counseling of
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465810 , vital:76655
- Description: There has been a heavy influx of refugees in South Africa due to wars, conflicts, political persecution, and economic recessions around the world. As a result, South Africa hosts the highest number of African refugees, who are susceptible to mental health problems because of their exposure to war, violence, and post migration stressors. The current study assessed post migration predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety symptoms among refugees in Cape Town South Africa. A cross-sectional survey of refugees from war- and conflict-torn countries settled in Cape Town was conducted between February and May 2023. Study participants (N = 147) were selected using respondent driven sampling technique. Data were collected using a questionnaire made up of the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and the Post- Migration Difficulties Checklist (PMLDs), to assess PTSD, depression, anxiety and PMLDs, respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the questionnaire data. The prevalence of PTSD, anxiety and depression symptoms was 26.5%, 33.3% and 33.3%, respectively. Regression analyses identified discrimination, poor access to health services, and poor access to food as the major predictors of common mental disorders among refugees. The document-seeking process, unemployment stress, language difficulties, not getting help with welfare, fears of being sent home and isolation, were also associated with symptoms of mental health conditions. These results suggest that psychological distress symptoms are highly elevated among refugees and are associated with post-migration stressors. Mental health interventions for refugees should not only address psychological difficulties but also consider the socio-economic needs of refugees. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Mujuru, Agnes
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Post-traumatic stress disorder , Refugees South Africa Cape Town , Social work with refugees , Anxiety , Depression, Mental , Refugees Counseling of
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465810 , vital:76655
- Description: There has been a heavy influx of refugees in South Africa due to wars, conflicts, political persecution, and economic recessions around the world. As a result, South Africa hosts the highest number of African refugees, who are susceptible to mental health problems because of their exposure to war, violence, and post migration stressors. The current study assessed post migration predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety symptoms among refugees in Cape Town South Africa. A cross-sectional survey of refugees from war- and conflict-torn countries settled in Cape Town was conducted between February and May 2023. Study participants (N = 147) were selected using respondent driven sampling technique. Data were collected using a questionnaire made up of the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and the Post- Migration Difficulties Checklist (PMLDs), to assess PTSD, depression, anxiety and PMLDs, respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the questionnaire data. The prevalence of PTSD, anxiety and depression symptoms was 26.5%, 33.3% and 33.3%, respectively. Regression analyses identified discrimination, poor access to health services, and poor access to food as the major predictors of common mental disorders among refugees. The document-seeking process, unemployment stress, language difficulties, not getting help with welfare, fears of being sent home and isolation, were also associated with symptoms of mental health conditions. These results suggest that psychological distress symptoms are highly elevated among refugees and are associated with post-migration stressors. Mental health interventions for refugees should not only address psychological difficulties but also consider the socio-economic needs of refugees. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
Platform food delivery: a study on the labour process and emotional labour experienced by gig workers in the Eastern Cape food delivery sector
- Authors: Mutshewa, Taboka Botsang
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Food delivery services South Africa Makhanda , Gig worker , Gig economy , Labor process theory , Emotional labor
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466221 , vital:76708
- Description: As central to the gig economy, digital platforms are transforming the character of the modern economy. South Africa has seen the increased use of technology and the integration of technological changes into the labour market and labour process, including via digital platforms. The gig economy has entered a range of economic sectors in South Africa and elsewhere, including the service sector. Examples of digital platforms in this specific sector include Uber and Bolt for transportation, Sweep South for domestic help, and Mr D Food for food delivery. Undoubtedly, by inhibiting and sanctioning movements globally and locally, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the expansion of the gig economy in the service sector, as it restricted walk-in customers. The digital platform mediates the relationship between service sector workers and their clients and between workers and the companies operating the platforms. In this way, these technological platforms act as an ‘extra hand’ by, for example, hiring delivery workers in the first instance and then facilitating the delivery of products to customers. This thesis examines the food delivery sector in the gig economy in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The digital platforms in the food sector allow consumers to place food orders at a restaurant of choice and deliver them to their doorstep in less than an hour, ensuring convenience, reliability and efficiency for restaurants and customers. However, understanding the gig economy involves identifying and unpacking the experiences and perspectives of the gig workers. In doing so, this thesis examines food delivery workers labouring for two different companies (Uber East and Mr D Foods) in two sites (Makhanda and Gqeberha). The main aim is to analyse how the digital platforms restructure the labour process in the gig economy and the emotional labour enacted by the delivery workers. The thesis draws upon labour process and emotional labour theory to pursue this primary aim. Research findings highlight a high level of precariousness and stress amongst food delivery workers as they work under algorithmic systems of labour control marked by surveillance and are constantly required to perform emotionally to maximise income. , Thesis (MSocSci) -- Faculty of Humanities, Sociology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Mutshewa, Taboka Botsang
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Food delivery services South Africa Makhanda , Gig worker , Gig economy , Labor process theory , Emotional labor
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466221 , vital:76708
- Description: As central to the gig economy, digital platforms are transforming the character of the modern economy. South Africa has seen the increased use of technology and the integration of technological changes into the labour market and labour process, including via digital platforms. The gig economy has entered a range of economic sectors in South Africa and elsewhere, including the service sector. Examples of digital platforms in this specific sector include Uber and Bolt for transportation, Sweep South for domestic help, and Mr D Food for food delivery. Undoubtedly, by inhibiting and sanctioning movements globally and locally, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the expansion of the gig economy in the service sector, as it restricted walk-in customers. The digital platform mediates the relationship between service sector workers and their clients and between workers and the companies operating the platforms. In this way, these technological platforms act as an ‘extra hand’ by, for example, hiring delivery workers in the first instance and then facilitating the delivery of products to customers. This thesis examines the food delivery sector in the gig economy in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The digital platforms in the food sector allow consumers to place food orders at a restaurant of choice and deliver them to their doorstep in less than an hour, ensuring convenience, reliability and efficiency for restaurants and customers. However, understanding the gig economy involves identifying and unpacking the experiences and perspectives of the gig workers. In doing so, this thesis examines food delivery workers labouring for two different companies (Uber East and Mr D Foods) in two sites (Makhanda and Gqeberha). The main aim is to analyse how the digital platforms restructure the labour process in the gig economy and the emotional labour enacted by the delivery workers. The thesis draws upon labour process and emotional labour theory to pursue this primary aim. Research findings highlight a high level of precariousness and stress amongst food delivery workers as they work under algorithmic systems of labour control marked by surveillance and are constantly required to perform emotionally to maximise income. , Thesis (MSocSci) -- Faculty of Humanities, Sociology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
An analysis of tax incentives offered for investments by individuals in South Africa and the United Kingdom
- Authors: Muzenda, Nokuthula Tafadzwa
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Investments Taxation South Africa , Investments Taxation Great Britain , Tax incentives , Venture capital , Pensions , Life insurance endowment policies , Annuities , Savings bonds
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/463516 , vital:76416
- Description: This research analysed the tax incentives available for investments by individuals in South Africa and compared them to investments in the United Kingdom. It answered the question whether, based on incentives provided in the United Kingdom, recommendations can be made for investment incentives to be implemented in South Africa. The type of investments described were venture capital schemes, tax-free investments, retirement savings, endowment policies, purchased annuities, workplace investment schemes, and fixed interest bonds. These classes of investments were discussed together with the tax incentives offered for them in South Africa and the United Kingdom. An interpretative paradigm was adopted for this research, together with a doctrinal methodology and a qualitative method. This research analysed the legislative provisions in South Africa and the United Kingdom. Information was also collected from secondary sources such as textbooks and articles written on investments and taxes. There were no ethical considerations in this research as the data that was used are publicly available. The tax incentive provisions in South Africa have not proven to be effective in increasing household savings, which remain low. The comparison of the taxes and incentives in South Africa and the United Kingdom indicated that there are some similarities on how certain investments are taxed, but for most types of investments, the United Kingdom provided more favourable tax incentives than South Africa. Recommendations were made for the venture capital company incentive previously applying to be reinstated, or to introduce some form of income tax and capital gains tax relief for direct investment into venture capital companies. The removal of the penalty for tax-free investments in excess of the maximum permitted was recommended, and to charge income tax according to the tax tables on contributions exceeding the limit. With regard to purchased annuities, it was recommended that no income tax should apply to annuities received in the case of disability, sickness, and similar circumstances. For the section 8B Broad-Based Share Incentive Scheme recommendations were made to not levy dividends tax on cash dividends retained for reinvestment into the scheme, and for employees not to be liable for income tax when shares are disposed of, where they are no longer in the relevant employment due to circumstances beyond their control. A recommendation was also made to consider introducing workplace savings schemes similar to the savings schemes applying in the United Kingdom. An education campaign by the South African Revenue Service was recommended, to inform the public of investment incentives. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Accounting, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Muzenda, Nokuthula Tafadzwa
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Investments Taxation South Africa , Investments Taxation Great Britain , Tax incentives , Venture capital , Pensions , Life insurance endowment policies , Annuities , Savings bonds
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/463516 , vital:76416
- Description: This research analysed the tax incentives available for investments by individuals in South Africa and compared them to investments in the United Kingdom. It answered the question whether, based on incentives provided in the United Kingdom, recommendations can be made for investment incentives to be implemented in South Africa. The type of investments described were venture capital schemes, tax-free investments, retirement savings, endowment policies, purchased annuities, workplace investment schemes, and fixed interest bonds. These classes of investments were discussed together with the tax incentives offered for them in South Africa and the United Kingdom. An interpretative paradigm was adopted for this research, together with a doctrinal methodology and a qualitative method. This research analysed the legislative provisions in South Africa and the United Kingdom. Information was also collected from secondary sources such as textbooks and articles written on investments and taxes. There were no ethical considerations in this research as the data that was used are publicly available. The tax incentive provisions in South Africa have not proven to be effective in increasing household savings, which remain low. The comparison of the taxes and incentives in South Africa and the United Kingdom indicated that there are some similarities on how certain investments are taxed, but for most types of investments, the United Kingdom provided more favourable tax incentives than South Africa. Recommendations were made for the venture capital company incentive previously applying to be reinstated, or to introduce some form of income tax and capital gains tax relief for direct investment into venture capital companies. The removal of the penalty for tax-free investments in excess of the maximum permitted was recommended, and to charge income tax according to the tax tables on contributions exceeding the limit. With regard to purchased annuities, it was recommended that no income tax should apply to annuities received in the case of disability, sickness, and similar circumstances. For the section 8B Broad-Based Share Incentive Scheme recommendations were made to not levy dividends tax on cash dividends retained for reinvestment into the scheme, and for employees not to be liable for income tax when shares are disposed of, where they are no longer in the relevant employment due to circumstances beyond their control. A recommendation was also made to consider introducing workplace savings schemes similar to the savings schemes applying in the United Kingdom. An education campaign by the South African Revenue Service was recommended, to inform the public of investment incentives. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Accounting, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
Aspects of the water use of Cannabis sativa L. under dryland cultivation in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Zenani, Kamva Trevor Songo
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Cannabis , Water consumption , Large aperture scintillometer , Cannabis Water requirements , Dry farming South Africa Eastern Cape , Evapotranspiration
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465035 , vital:76567
- Description: Cannabis spp is one of the oldest cultivated plants, with its origin in Asia. It has two species, namely C. indica and C. sativa. This research focuses on C. sativa, which is widely cultivated locally and globally. C. sativa has a wide range of uses, including industrial, medicinal, religious, and recreational. This study will be focusing on the water use of medicinal and recreational C. sativa grown under dryland conditions. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in increasing its cultivation, but there are reports of it having high water usage. The global interest has led many governments to review the laws governing this plant as it is a controlled substance in many countries. Due to its legal status, there is a dearth of knowledge about its growth and water use. It is against this backdrop that the Water Research Commission (WRC) commissioned this study into the water use of this plant. This will provide evidence-based support for the issuing of water use licenses by the Department of Water and Sanitation. The Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal have many small-scale legacy farmers who have been growing C. sativa illegally for decades. The findings of this research will seek to fill some of these knowledge gaps and assist legacy farmers in the cultivation of this plant. This research had four approaches, which include 1) planting the crop in a dryland location that will mimic the conditions experienced by legacy growers, 2) the collection of plant biophysical variables in the study site in order to gain a better understanding of the plant’s health, growth, progress, and to use these variables to parameterize a mechanistic eco-physiological model, 3) the installing of a large aperture scintillometer (LAS) together with a micro-meteorological station to measure the evapotranspiration (ET) and meteorological parameters over a crop cycle, 4) to use MEDRUSH evapotranspiration model to predict the ET and compare these results against that of the LAS. The results show that water provision had a significant impact on plant biophysical variables and water use. The plants received 154 mm (2 mm day-1) of rain during the crop cycle. The large aperture scintillometer recorded a total ET of 126.8 mm (1.76 mm day-1) during the same period. The MEDRUSH model (2.5 mm day-1) overestimated the LAS ET (1.79 mm day-1), and the results from the daily ET revealed that C. sativa had higher daily ET when compared to the local grass Eragrostis plana. These results confirm that at this location in the Eastern Cape, C. sativa requires regular irrigation during the growing season to grow and secure a crop. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Institute for Water Research, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Zenani, Kamva Trevor Songo
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Cannabis , Water consumption , Large aperture scintillometer , Cannabis Water requirements , Dry farming South Africa Eastern Cape , Evapotranspiration
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465035 , vital:76567
- Description: Cannabis spp is one of the oldest cultivated plants, with its origin in Asia. It has two species, namely C. indica and C. sativa. This research focuses on C. sativa, which is widely cultivated locally and globally. C. sativa has a wide range of uses, including industrial, medicinal, religious, and recreational. This study will be focusing on the water use of medicinal and recreational C. sativa grown under dryland conditions. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in increasing its cultivation, but there are reports of it having high water usage. The global interest has led many governments to review the laws governing this plant as it is a controlled substance in many countries. Due to its legal status, there is a dearth of knowledge about its growth and water use. It is against this backdrop that the Water Research Commission (WRC) commissioned this study into the water use of this plant. This will provide evidence-based support for the issuing of water use licenses by the Department of Water and Sanitation. The Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal have many small-scale legacy farmers who have been growing C. sativa illegally for decades. The findings of this research will seek to fill some of these knowledge gaps and assist legacy farmers in the cultivation of this plant. This research had four approaches, which include 1) planting the crop in a dryland location that will mimic the conditions experienced by legacy growers, 2) the collection of plant biophysical variables in the study site in order to gain a better understanding of the plant’s health, growth, progress, and to use these variables to parameterize a mechanistic eco-physiological model, 3) the installing of a large aperture scintillometer (LAS) together with a micro-meteorological station to measure the evapotranspiration (ET) and meteorological parameters over a crop cycle, 4) to use MEDRUSH evapotranspiration model to predict the ET and compare these results against that of the LAS. The results show that water provision had a significant impact on plant biophysical variables and water use. The plants received 154 mm (2 mm day-1) of rain during the crop cycle. The large aperture scintillometer recorded a total ET of 126.8 mm (1.76 mm day-1) during the same period. The MEDRUSH model (2.5 mm day-1) overestimated the LAS ET (1.79 mm day-1), and the results from the daily ET revealed that C. sativa had higher daily ET when compared to the local grass Eragrostis plana. These results confirm that at this location in the Eastern Cape, C. sativa requires regular irrigation during the growing season to grow and secure a crop. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Institute for Water Research, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
Determining the relationship between perceptions of HIV susceptibility and HIV status of women who have sex with women
- Authors: Zuccarini, Aimee Frances
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Teenage girls Attitudes , Young women Attitudes , Women who have sex with women , Stigma (Social psychology) , Informed consent (Medical law) , HIV infections Susceptibility
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465859 , vital:76660
- Description: Background: Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) who have sex with women (WSW) are at potential risk for HIV, contradicting the common belief that WSW have low HIV susceptibility, a misperception persists despite evidence to refute it. Objective: This study examined the relationship between perceived HIV susceptibility and actual HIV status among South African AGYW WSW, focusing on those reporting at least one same-sex sexual experience, using data from the DREAMS Evaluation survey. Methods/Design: An archival study employing the Expanded Health Beliefs Model (EHBM) analysed secondary de-identified data from the DREAMS Evaluation Survey with a multistage stratified cluster sampling design. The sample comprised 18,296 AGYW aged 12-24 across four districts in South Africa, including 1,362 identified as WSW. ANOVA was conducted using SPSS 28 to explore the relationship between perceived HIV susceptibility and actual HIV status. Results: WSW’s perceived HIV susceptibility was low (38.5%) to very low (25%), while HIV prevalence in this sample/group was 15.9%. No significant relationship was found between perceived HIV susceptibility and actual HIV status (p = 0.126). Conclusions: WSW do not perceive themselves as being susceptible to contracting HIV despite the high prevalence of the virus in this group. Public health interventions should focus on raising awareness about risk factors, such as low use of barrier protection, substance use, and other behaviours highlighted in the literature, to better inform and protect this population. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Zuccarini, Aimee Frances
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Teenage girls Attitudes , Young women Attitudes , Women who have sex with women , Stigma (Social psychology) , Informed consent (Medical law) , HIV infections Susceptibility
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465859 , vital:76660
- Description: Background: Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) who have sex with women (WSW) are at potential risk for HIV, contradicting the common belief that WSW have low HIV susceptibility, a misperception persists despite evidence to refute it. Objective: This study examined the relationship between perceived HIV susceptibility and actual HIV status among South African AGYW WSW, focusing on those reporting at least one same-sex sexual experience, using data from the DREAMS Evaluation survey. Methods/Design: An archival study employing the Expanded Health Beliefs Model (EHBM) analysed secondary de-identified data from the DREAMS Evaluation Survey with a multistage stratified cluster sampling design. The sample comprised 18,296 AGYW aged 12-24 across four districts in South Africa, including 1,362 identified as WSW. ANOVA was conducted using SPSS 28 to explore the relationship between perceived HIV susceptibility and actual HIV status. Results: WSW’s perceived HIV susceptibility was low (38.5%) to very low (25%), while HIV prevalence in this sample/group was 15.9%. No significant relationship was found between perceived HIV susceptibility and actual HIV status (p = 0.126). Conclusions: WSW do not perceive themselves as being susceptible to contracting HIV despite the high prevalence of the virus in this group. Public health interventions should focus on raising awareness about risk factors, such as low use of barrier protection, substance use, and other behaviours highlighted in the literature, to better inform and protect this population. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
Analysis of saprolite-hosted Rutile-Graphite deposit: a case study of Malingunde saprolite-hosted Rutile-Graphite project in Central Malawi
- Authors: Zabula, Ansel Aliko
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Rutile , Graphite , Saprolites , Geophysical surveys Malawi , Vanadium pentoxide , Geophysical surveys Economic aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464970 , vital:76562
- Description: The Malingunde graphite project, owned by Sovereign Metals Ltd (SML), has revealed significant potential for rutile and high-grade graphite in saprolite. This study addresses the complexity of mineral assemblages in the Malingunde area, emphasizing the coexistence of graphite and rutile. SML's exploration activities, including extensive drilling and soil sampling, have uncovered variations in associated minerals, such as muscovite, kyanite, garnets, and ilmenite. Rutile, initially discovered incidentally, has prompted further investigation, impacting the financial model of the project. This research aims to analyse the Malingunde deposit, focusing on understanding its mineralogy, formation, and potential for elements like vanadium. Geological surveys reveal the distribution of graphite in the Precambrian to lower Palaeozoic age basement complex, hosted in saprolite resulting from tropical weathering of graphitic gneisses. Exploration techniques, including remote sensing, and geophysics, are crucial in targeting graphite and rutile deposits. Ground electromagnetic surveys, airborne electromagnetic data, and GIS applications aid in identifying and quantifying mineralised areas. Geochemical analysis and metallurgical tests further contribute to understanding the ore body and processing methods. Results indicate an inverse relationship between graphite and rutile concentrations, influencing the economic viability of different regions within the project area. Correlation matrices and regression analyses reveal distinct geological conditions influencing the association of vanadium and graphite in Lifidzi and Malingunde. The study concludes with exploration potential outside the Malingunde project, highlighting regional prospects and potential byproducts like vanadium pentoxide. The ongoing metallurgical tests and pilot plant design signify the project's evolution toward production. Additionally, neighbouring licenses show potential, emphasizing the need for comprehensive research to define and quantify resources in the region. This research provides valuable insights for the mining industry, informing strategies for exploration, resource assessment, and potential byproduct utilization in similar geological settings. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Geology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Zabula, Ansel Aliko
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Rutile , Graphite , Saprolites , Geophysical surveys Malawi , Vanadium pentoxide , Geophysical surveys Economic aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464970 , vital:76562
- Description: The Malingunde graphite project, owned by Sovereign Metals Ltd (SML), has revealed significant potential for rutile and high-grade graphite in saprolite. This study addresses the complexity of mineral assemblages in the Malingunde area, emphasizing the coexistence of graphite and rutile. SML's exploration activities, including extensive drilling and soil sampling, have uncovered variations in associated minerals, such as muscovite, kyanite, garnets, and ilmenite. Rutile, initially discovered incidentally, has prompted further investigation, impacting the financial model of the project. This research aims to analyse the Malingunde deposit, focusing on understanding its mineralogy, formation, and potential for elements like vanadium. Geological surveys reveal the distribution of graphite in the Precambrian to lower Palaeozoic age basement complex, hosted in saprolite resulting from tropical weathering of graphitic gneisses. Exploration techniques, including remote sensing, and geophysics, are crucial in targeting graphite and rutile deposits. Ground electromagnetic surveys, airborne electromagnetic data, and GIS applications aid in identifying and quantifying mineralised areas. Geochemical analysis and metallurgical tests further contribute to understanding the ore body and processing methods. Results indicate an inverse relationship between graphite and rutile concentrations, influencing the economic viability of different regions within the project area. Correlation matrices and regression analyses reveal distinct geological conditions influencing the association of vanadium and graphite in Lifidzi and Malingunde. The study concludes with exploration potential outside the Malingunde project, highlighting regional prospects and potential byproducts like vanadium pentoxide. The ongoing metallurgical tests and pilot plant design signify the project's evolution toward production. Additionally, neighbouring licenses show potential, emphasizing the need for comprehensive research to define and quantify resources in the region. This research provides valuable insights for the mining industry, informing strategies for exploration, resource assessment, and potential byproduct utilization in similar geological settings. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Geology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
Exploring the experiences of female nurses on emotional labour and the labour process in the public healthcare sector in eThekwini municipality, KwaZulu-Natal
- Authors: Plaatjies, Kinnie
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Nurses Employment South Africa KwaZulu-Natal , Work environment Psychological aspects , Emotional labor , Public health nursing South Africa KwaZulu-Natal , Labor policy South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466165 , vital:76703
- Description: The dissertation explores female nurses’ experiences of emotional labour and labour process concerning their interactions and relationships with management, doctors, and patients at their workplace. This paper introduces some key concepts of the labour process theory in exploring emotional labour in the workplace contributing to the emotional labour process. Moreover, the study was conducted in KwaZulu-Natal’s public healthcare sector, focusing on female nurses with a working experience of four years and above. The dissertation used a qualitative method, semi-structured in-depth interviews, and a schedule technique to gather data. The research was analysed using thematic analysis and was assessed in line with the objectives of the dissertation. The nursing profession requires positive displays of emotions and characteristics such as smiling, compassion, being kind and caring. The findings show that gender plays a role in the nurse-patient interaction and nurses feel undermined by some professional doctors and respected by student doctors. Whilst the nurse-nurse manager relationship is viewed positively. Further findings show that nurses experience harsh working conditions such as long working hours and low wages that leave them dissatisfied. However, nurses are motivated by their contribution to improving their patients’ health, which keeps them committed to their jobs and produces good performance. In addition, nurses experience managerial control and concerns of power dynamics are revealed but they have also had agency to resist through strikes and individually. Although emotional labour is a requirement in the nursing profession, nurses are found to experience consequences such as stress and anxiety. , Thesis (MSocSci) -- Faculty of Humanities, Sociology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Plaatjies, Kinnie
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Nurses Employment South Africa KwaZulu-Natal , Work environment Psychological aspects , Emotional labor , Public health nursing South Africa KwaZulu-Natal , Labor policy South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466165 , vital:76703
- Description: The dissertation explores female nurses’ experiences of emotional labour and labour process concerning their interactions and relationships with management, doctors, and patients at their workplace. This paper introduces some key concepts of the labour process theory in exploring emotional labour in the workplace contributing to the emotional labour process. Moreover, the study was conducted in KwaZulu-Natal’s public healthcare sector, focusing on female nurses with a working experience of four years and above. The dissertation used a qualitative method, semi-structured in-depth interviews, and a schedule technique to gather data. The research was analysed using thematic analysis and was assessed in line with the objectives of the dissertation. The nursing profession requires positive displays of emotions and characteristics such as smiling, compassion, being kind and caring. The findings show that gender plays a role in the nurse-patient interaction and nurses feel undermined by some professional doctors and respected by student doctors. Whilst the nurse-nurse manager relationship is viewed positively. Further findings show that nurses experience harsh working conditions such as long working hours and low wages that leave them dissatisfied. However, nurses are motivated by their contribution to improving their patients’ health, which keeps them committed to their jobs and produces good performance. In addition, nurses experience managerial control and concerns of power dynamics are revealed but they have also had agency to resist through strikes and individually. Although emotional labour is a requirement in the nursing profession, nurses are found to experience consequences such as stress and anxiety. , Thesis (MSocSci) -- Faculty of Humanities, Sociology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A decision support tool for equitable and sustainable water management in the Koue Bokkeveld
- Authors: Tholanah, Rodney Simbarashe
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Water-supply Management Mathematical models , Multiagent systems , Discrete modelling , Software quality engineering , Verification and validation , Agriculture Mathematical models
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464344 , vital:76503
- Description: Water is an important natural resource with multiple domestic and industrial uses. South Africa has a water scarcity problem, with domestic and industrial demand projected to increase due to population growth. One affected area is the Koue Bokkeveld (KBV), an agricultural catchment in the Western Cape. Water scarcity, especially in the summer, can cause conflicts among the farmers. This study sought to determine the extent to which Agent-Based (AB) modelling could be used to model the KBV catchment area and simulate future climate and usage scenarios. The study used the ComMod methodology as it allows stakeholders to be involved at each step of the modelling process, thus improving the model’s credibility as a decision-support tool (DST). The model was implemented using Cormas, an Agent-Based Model (ABM) implementation framework built with the Smalltalk language. The model was verified and validated through consultations with the catchment coordinator and through workshops with stakeholders. The ABM reflected the catchment characteristics. Farms known to have water shortages had water shortages in the ABM. However, there was one that did not have shortages, which is attributed to land use change. The ABM was used to run multiple simulation scenarios, and it provides simulation results at the crop field, farm and catchment levels, which allows the ABM to be used as a bottom-up DST. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Computer Science, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Tholanah, Rodney Simbarashe
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Water-supply Management Mathematical models , Multiagent systems , Discrete modelling , Software quality engineering , Verification and validation , Agriculture Mathematical models
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464344 , vital:76503
- Description: Water is an important natural resource with multiple domestic and industrial uses. South Africa has a water scarcity problem, with domestic and industrial demand projected to increase due to population growth. One affected area is the Koue Bokkeveld (KBV), an agricultural catchment in the Western Cape. Water scarcity, especially in the summer, can cause conflicts among the farmers. This study sought to determine the extent to which Agent-Based (AB) modelling could be used to model the KBV catchment area and simulate future climate and usage scenarios. The study used the ComMod methodology as it allows stakeholders to be involved at each step of the modelling process, thus improving the model’s credibility as a decision-support tool (DST). The model was implemented using Cormas, an Agent-Based Model (ABM) implementation framework built with the Smalltalk language. The model was verified and validated through consultations with the catchment coordinator and through workshops with stakeholders. The ABM reflected the catchment characteristics. Farms known to have water shortages had water shortages in the ABM. However, there was one that did not have shortages, which is attributed to land use change. The ABM was used to run multiple simulation scenarios, and it provides simulation results at the crop field, farm and catchment levels, which allows the ABM to be used as a bottom-up DST. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Computer Science, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
The spatial extent, practices, and impacts of illegal solid waste dumping across an income gradient in Makhanda and Knysna, South Africa
- Authors: Tombe, Yumuna Chenjerai
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Refuse and refuse disposal South Africa Makhada , Refuse and refuse disposal South Africa Knysna , Refuse and refuse disposal Law and legislation , Illegal dumping , South Africa Social conditions , Pollution South Africa , Municipal services South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464875 , vital:76553
- Description: The disposal of household solid waste (HSW) through illegal dumping has become a widespread issue globally, especially in developing countries. The problem has been exacerbated by several factors such as rapid population growth, urbanization, poor infrastructure, poor enforcement of bylaws, mismanagement, poor municipal service delivery, and lack of funding, resulting in most urban residents resorting to illegal solid waste dumping (ISWD). Illegal solid waste dumping by urban residents in most developing countries is becoming a standard occurrence particularly along roadsides, vacant plots, riverbanks, forests edges, and in commonages near and within human settlements. In most South African towns and cities, the practice of ISWD is an immense social, economic, and environmental problem. The practice has led to nationwide environmental pollution and has posed significant socio-economic and health risks to urban residents particularly the urban poor, who reside in areas where ISWD is more pronounced. Studies on ISWD in South Africa are mostly within metropolitans and cities neglecting medium-sized towns like Makhanda and Knysna where such information is needed to improve municipal household solid waste (HSW) management plans and policies. Using street surveys, illegal dumpsite mapping, waste categorization templates, and household survey interviews the study examined the spatial extent, composition, dumpsite sizes, as well as residents’ practices and perceived causes and impacts of ISWD across different income groups in two medium-sized towns of Makhanda and Knysna, South Africa. The results showed that more dumpsites were enumerated in Makhanda (155) than in Knysna (60), however, the occurrence, size and prevalence of illegal dumpsites were unevenly distributed, with most dumpsites being in low-income compared to high-income neighbourhoods. In both towns, most of the dumpsites were within open access areas such as roadsides, vacant plots, and commonages. The composition of waste within dumpsites consisted mostly of household waste (Makhanda = 42% and Knysna = 49%), garden waste (Makhanda = 37% and Knysna = 30%), and construction waste (Makhanda = 21% and Knysna = 21%). More residents in low-income than in high-income neighbourhoods reported dumping, attributing it primarily to poor municipal services (Makhanda= 59% and Knysna= 54%). Within both towns, environmental impacts of ISWD were experienced by residents from both income groups, with over 50% of the respondents citing visual pollution as the most serious impact. The health impacts of ISWD were exclusively reported by low-income residents with over 30% reporting TB and Rashes as the key health impacts. Overall, the research concluded that ISWD distribution, prevalence, dumpsite sizes and impacts were unevenly distributed across low-income and high-income neighbourhoods with the former disproportionately facing v an overall higher occurrence of illegal dumpsites and subsequent health risks. The occurrence of more dumpsites in low-income areas seem to suggest that factors like socio-economic inequalities, historical legacies, lack of education and awareness, and poor municipal services in these areas are at play and need to be addressed to mitigate ISWD. To tackle the problem of ISWD a collaborative approach is recommended, one that incorporates stakeholders, households and municipal efforts and improvements. Such solutions could include improved municipal funding to develop an efficient service delivery system, solid waste awareness campaigns in communities, and provisioning of bins along open access areas. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Environmental Science, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Tombe, Yumuna Chenjerai
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Refuse and refuse disposal South Africa Makhada , Refuse and refuse disposal South Africa Knysna , Refuse and refuse disposal Law and legislation , Illegal dumping , South Africa Social conditions , Pollution South Africa , Municipal services South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464875 , vital:76553
- Description: The disposal of household solid waste (HSW) through illegal dumping has become a widespread issue globally, especially in developing countries. The problem has been exacerbated by several factors such as rapid population growth, urbanization, poor infrastructure, poor enforcement of bylaws, mismanagement, poor municipal service delivery, and lack of funding, resulting in most urban residents resorting to illegal solid waste dumping (ISWD). Illegal solid waste dumping by urban residents in most developing countries is becoming a standard occurrence particularly along roadsides, vacant plots, riverbanks, forests edges, and in commonages near and within human settlements. In most South African towns and cities, the practice of ISWD is an immense social, economic, and environmental problem. The practice has led to nationwide environmental pollution and has posed significant socio-economic and health risks to urban residents particularly the urban poor, who reside in areas where ISWD is more pronounced. Studies on ISWD in South Africa are mostly within metropolitans and cities neglecting medium-sized towns like Makhanda and Knysna where such information is needed to improve municipal household solid waste (HSW) management plans and policies. Using street surveys, illegal dumpsite mapping, waste categorization templates, and household survey interviews the study examined the spatial extent, composition, dumpsite sizes, as well as residents’ practices and perceived causes and impacts of ISWD across different income groups in two medium-sized towns of Makhanda and Knysna, South Africa. The results showed that more dumpsites were enumerated in Makhanda (155) than in Knysna (60), however, the occurrence, size and prevalence of illegal dumpsites were unevenly distributed, with most dumpsites being in low-income compared to high-income neighbourhoods. In both towns, most of the dumpsites were within open access areas such as roadsides, vacant plots, and commonages. The composition of waste within dumpsites consisted mostly of household waste (Makhanda = 42% and Knysna = 49%), garden waste (Makhanda = 37% and Knysna = 30%), and construction waste (Makhanda = 21% and Knysna = 21%). More residents in low-income than in high-income neighbourhoods reported dumping, attributing it primarily to poor municipal services (Makhanda= 59% and Knysna= 54%). Within both towns, environmental impacts of ISWD were experienced by residents from both income groups, with over 50% of the respondents citing visual pollution as the most serious impact. The health impacts of ISWD were exclusively reported by low-income residents with over 30% reporting TB and Rashes as the key health impacts. Overall, the research concluded that ISWD distribution, prevalence, dumpsite sizes and impacts were unevenly distributed across low-income and high-income neighbourhoods with the former disproportionately facing v an overall higher occurrence of illegal dumpsites and subsequent health risks. The occurrence of more dumpsites in low-income areas seem to suggest that factors like socio-economic inequalities, historical legacies, lack of education and awareness, and poor municipal services in these areas are at play and need to be addressed to mitigate ISWD. To tackle the problem of ISWD a collaborative approach is recommended, one that incorporates stakeholders, households and municipal efforts and improvements. Such solutions could include improved municipal funding to develop an efficient service delivery system, solid waste awareness campaigns in communities, and provisioning of bins along open access areas. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Environmental Science, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
Evaluation of traditional and residual momentum strategies during the Covid period on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
- Authors: Yengwa, Mphathi Lubabalo
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Efficient market theory , Residual momentum , Economic crisis , Johannesburg Stock Exchange , COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2023 Influence
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/462834 , vital:76339
- Description: Traditional momentum is a concept which was first discovered by Jegadeesh and Titman (1993), defined as a tendency of stocks to experience a continuation in their relative performance. A stock that performed relatively well will continue to perform relatively well, and vice versa. It has been observed by other researchers that during market crises, traditional momentum tends to produce large negative returns for investors, defined as a momentum crash. To mitigate momentum crashes, many researchers have developed new momentum strategies which have better performance than traditional momentum during market crises; such strategies include residual momentum. While both residual and traditional momentum have been studied in international markets and locally, the performance of both the residual and traditional momentum strategies have not been examined in the most recent Covid-fuelled financial crisis on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The study compares the performance of hypothetical long-only winner traditional and residual momentum portfolios (from 2018–2022) using various risk metrics, which include the tracking error, Sharpe ratio, Jensen’s alpha and information ratio. To compare the statistical significance of the difference in mean returns of residual and traditional momentum strategies to the benchmark (FTSE/Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Top 40) the study uses Welch’s t-test. The study uses an Auto regressive distributed lag (ARDL) regression to examine the effect that various market conditions (bull market, bear market and extreme volatility) have on the returns of residual and traditional momentum strategies. Given the limited period examined in this study, the Monte Carlo simulation was used to extrapolate potential outcomes of how the momentum strategies might perform under different market conditions (as mentioned) in 1 000 iterations of each condition. The simple return analysis undertaken in this research revealed that traditional momentum outperformed residual momentum both before and throughout the COVID period. In the risk-adjusted performance measures, traditional momentum outperformed at all four risk indicators during the 2020 COVID year. The statistical significance tests, which compared the strategies' mean returns to the benchmark, demonstrated no statistically significant difference in returns over the COVID year. Furthermore, when evaluating the strategies over a five-year period (2018-2022), the difference in mean returns was shown to be statistically insignificant. However, statistical significance in returns was shown in some individual years. The ARDL regression findings show that bull, bear, and volatility factors explain relatively little of the returns for both momentum strategies, which is consistent with previous research. The Monte Carlo simulation, using the bear variable, forecasted that traditional momentum would result in negative returns during market declines, but residual momentum would provide positive returns and surpass traditional momentum with a probability of 26%. When using the bull variable, the simulation discovered that both traditional and residual momentum strategies resulted in positive returns. However, the residual momentum strategy outperformed in terms of returns and had an 84% likelihood of outperforming the traditional momentum strategy across 1,000 iterations. Nevertheless, when the simulation included the volatility variable, it projected negative returns for residual momentum and positive returns for traditional momentum. Additionally, it estimated a 14% probability of residual momentum surpassing traditional momentum under volatile market circumstances. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Yengwa, Mphathi Lubabalo
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Efficient market theory , Residual momentum , Economic crisis , Johannesburg Stock Exchange , COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2023 Influence
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/462834 , vital:76339
- Description: Traditional momentum is a concept which was first discovered by Jegadeesh and Titman (1993), defined as a tendency of stocks to experience a continuation in their relative performance. A stock that performed relatively well will continue to perform relatively well, and vice versa. It has been observed by other researchers that during market crises, traditional momentum tends to produce large negative returns for investors, defined as a momentum crash. To mitigate momentum crashes, many researchers have developed new momentum strategies which have better performance than traditional momentum during market crises; such strategies include residual momentum. While both residual and traditional momentum have been studied in international markets and locally, the performance of both the residual and traditional momentum strategies have not been examined in the most recent Covid-fuelled financial crisis on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The study compares the performance of hypothetical long-only winner traditional and residual momentum portfolios (from 2018–2022) using various risk metrics, which include the tracking error, Sharpe ratio, Jensen’s alpha and information ratio. To compare the statistical significance of the difference in mean returns of residual and traditional momentum strategies to the benchmark (FTSE/Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Top 40) the study uses Welch’s t-test. The study uses an Auto regressive distributed lag (ARDL) regression to examine the effect that various market conditions (bull market, bear market and extreme volatility) have on the returns of residual and traditional momentum strategies. Given the limited period examined in this study, the Monte Carlo simulation was used to extrapolate potential outcomes of how the momentum strategies might perform under different market conditions (as mentioned) in 1 000 iterations of each condition. The simple return analysis undertaken in this research revealed that traditional momentum outperformed residual momentum both before and throughout the COVID period. In the risk-adjusted performance measures, traditional momentum outperformed at all four risk indicators during the 2020 COVID year. The statistical significance tests, which compared the strategies' mean returns to the benchmark, demonstrated no statistically significant difference in returns over the COVID year. Furthermore, when evaluating the strategies over a five-year period (2018-2022), the difference in mean returns was shown to be statistically insignificant. However, statistical significance in returns was shown in some individual years. The ARDL regression findings show that bull, bear, and volatility factors explain relatively little of the returns for both momentum strategies, which is consistent with previous research. The Monte Carlo simulation, using the bear variable, forecasted that traditional momentum would result in negative returns during market declines, but residual momentum would provide positive returns and surpass traditional momentum with a probability of 26%. When using the bull variable, the simulation discovered that both traditional and residual momentum strategies resulted in positive returns. However, the residual momentum strategy outperformed in terms of returns and had an 84% likelihood of outperforming the traditional momentum strategy across 1,000 iterations. Nevertheless, when the simulation included the volatility variable, it projected negative returns for residual momentum and positive returns for traditional momentum. Additionally, it estimated a 14% probability of residual momentum surpassing traditional momentum under volatile market circumstances. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
RU sleepy? - sleep/wake characteristics and sleep quality among undergraduate students attending Rhodes University
- Authors: Young, Celine Brittany
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Undergraduates South Africa Makhanda , Sleep quality , Sleep-wake cycle , Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index , College students Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464776 , vital:76544
- Description: Background: University students, specifically older adolescents and young adults, are at high risk of insufficient and poor-quality sleep due to age-related biological changes converging with several systemic factors unique to the university context. These include but are not limited to freedom and independence, communal living environments, academic demands and associated stress, erratic schedules, and high technology use. While there has been extensive research on sleep quality in students in other parts of the world, there has been comparatively less in South Africa, which may present unique contextual influencing factors. Thus, this study aimed to characterise sleep/wake characteristics and sleep quality in a sample of undergraduate students attending a South African University. Additionally, the study aimed to determine the impact of certain demographic factors on sleep quality in the students. Lastly, the current study aimed to determine what factors may influence the students' sleep quality. Method: This study adopted a cross-sectional design and explored sleep quality and sleep/wake characteristics (e.g., bedtimes, rise times, sleep duration, sleep latency, etc.) through an online survey circulated amongst undergraduate students via Rhodes university email platforms and student social media pages. The testing period started on 15 August 2022 and continued until 8 October 2022. The survey consisted of three main sections: (1) socio-demographic factors; (2) the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); (3) an open-ended question that asked students to comment on the factors which they felt may be influencing their sleep over the previous month. Results: 393 students participated in this study, which corresponds to a response rate of 6.30%. The results revealed notable levels of poor sleep quality (mean global score of 9.79 (±3.36)) and a high prevalence of poor sleepers within the whole sample (over 90%), as well as across different demographic groups. Analysis indicated poor overall sleep quality, and concerning sleep/wake characteristics, such as, bedtimes, rise times, sleep latency, time in bed, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep duration, etc. Additionally, participants reported extended sleep latencies and difficulties initiating sleep within 30 minutes. Daytime dysfunction was prominent, indicating challenges in daily functioning. Demographic comparisons revealed that male students generally reported better subjective sleep quality and lower global PSQI scores than female students, with 2 females presenting with poorer sleep quality overall. Students living in university residences reported significantly later bedtimes and shorter sleep durations than off- campus students. Regarding year of study, third-year students reported better subjective sleep quality, longer times in bed, longer sleep durations and overall better sleep quality than first- and second-year students. Regarding funding mechanisms, students on the National Students Financial Aid Scheme had significantly higher subjective sleep quality scores but later bedtimes than students in the "other" funding groups. Thematic analysis revealed that several self-reported factors impacted student sleep negatively. Mental health issues were the most commonly cited theme (26.72% of students), which included anxiety, stress, worry, and overthinking. University-related factors were the second most frequently cited theme (25.49% encompassing academics, funding, and navigating university life). Environmental influences comprised of issues with noise, particularly in university residences, weather, and lighting. Discussion: In sum, the results of this study indicate that in this sample, the drivers of poor sleep quality seemed to be late bedtimes, early rise times, prolonged sleep latency, frequent night awakenings, and overall short sleep duration, all of which were driven by several systemic factors. These findings underscore the importance of assessing sleep health beyond just sleep duration and indicate compromised sleep health within this population, evidenced by high levels of daytime dysfunction due to inadequate and poor-quality sleep. The challenges faced by university students extend across various aspects of their lives, including sleep health, with poor sleep quality and insufficient sleep having significant implications for academic performance, mental health, and overall well-being as they transition into adulthood. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Human Kinetics and Ergonomics, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Young, Celine Brittany
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Undergraduates South Africa Makhanda , Sleep quality , Sleep-wake cycle , Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index , College students Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464776 , vital:76544
- Description: Background: University students, specifically older adolescents and young adults, are at high risk of insufficient and poor-quality sleep due to age-related biological changes converging with several systemic factors unique to the university context. These include but are not limited to freedom and independence, communal living environments, academic demands and associated stress, erratic schedules, and high technology use. While there has been extensive research on sleep quality in students in other parts of the world, there has been comparatively less in South Africa, which may present unique contextual influencing factors. Thus, this study aimed to characterise sleep/wake characteristics and sleep quality in a sample of undergraduate students attending a South African University. Additionally, the study aimed to determine the impact of certain demographic factors on sleep quality in the students. Lastly, the current study aimed to determine what factors may influence the students' sleep quality. Method: This study adopted a cross-sectional design and explored sleep quality and sleep/wake characteristics (e.g., bedtimes, rise times, sleep duration, sleep latency, etc.) through an online survey circulated amongst undergraduate students via Rhodes university email platforms and student social media pages. The testing period started on 15 August 2022 and continued until 8 October 2022. The survey consisted of three main sections: (1) socio-demographic factors; (2) the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); (3) an open-ended question that asked students to comment on the factors which they felt may be influencing their sleep over the previous month. Results: 393 students participated in this study, which corresponds to a response rate of 6.30%. The results revealed notable levels of poor sleep quality (mean global score of 9.79 (±3.36)) and a high prevalence of poor sleepers within the whole sample (over 90%), as well as across different demographic groups. Analysis indicated poor overall sleep quality, and concerning sleep/wake characteristics, such as, bedtimes, rise times, sleep latency, time in bed, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep duration, etc. Additionally, participants reported extended sleep latencies and difficulties initiating sleep within 30 minutes. Daytime dysfunction was prominent, indicating challenges in daily functioning. Demographic comparisons revealed that male students generally reported better subjective sleep quality and lower global PSQI scores than female students, with 2 females presenting with poorer sleep quality overall. Students living in university residences reported significantly later bedtimes and shorter sleep durations than off- campus students. Regarding year of study, third-year students reported better subjective sleep quality, longer times in bed, longer sleep durations and overall better sleep quality than first- and second-year students. Regarding funding mechanisms, students on the National Students Financial Aid Scheme had significantly higher subjective sleep quality scores but later bedtimes than students in the "other" funding groups. Thematic analysis revealed that several self-reported factors impacted student sleep negatively. Mental health issues were the most commonly cited theme (26.72% of students), which included anxiety, stress, worry, and overthinking. University-related factors were the second most frequently cited theme (25.49% encompassing academics, funding, and navigating university life). Environmental influences comprised of issues with noise, particularly in university residences, weather, and lighting. Discussion: In sum, the results of this study indicate that in this sample, the drivers of poor sleep quality seemed to be late bedtimes, early rise times, prolonged sleep latency, frequent night awakenings, and overall short sleep duration, all of which were driven by several systemic factors. These findings underscore the importance of assessing sleep health beyond just sleep duration and indicate compromised sleep health within this population, evidenced by high levels of daytime dysfunction due to inadequate and poor-quality sleep. The challenges faced by university students extend across various aspects of their lives, including sleep health, with poor sleep quality and insufficient sleep having significant implications for academic performance, mental health, and overall well-being as they transition into adulthood. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Human Kinetics and Ergonomics, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
“I pulled it out”: a discursive exploration of narrated accounts on decision-making and power differentials in the prescription and use of long-acting reversible contraceptives
- Authors: Ndabula, Yanela
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Contraception Social aspects South Africa , Decision making , Long-acting reversible contraception , Reproductive rights South Africa , Control (Psychology) , Feminism
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/467017 , vital:76807 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/467017
- Description: Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC), viz., intrauterine devices, subdermal implants, and injectable contraceptives, are highly effective, long-term birth control methods that limit user action. Alongside the decrease in fertility rates achieved through their mass provision has been their coerced or non-consented administration to marginalised women. These highly effective yet provider-controlled and thus imposable contraceptives have been associated with problematic classed, raced, ageist, and ableist promotions. A critical lens that inquires into their endorsement within clinical practice is thus necessary. The bulk of literature evidencing reproductive injustices in relation to fertility control through LARC technologies emanates from the US and UK contexts. Not much research on the South African context has explored how contraceptive decision-making within clinical interactions shapes LARC uptake despite usage increasing through the years. Using a poststructural, postcolonial feminist framework alongside a reproductive justice stance, this study explores health providers’ and contraceptive users’ narrations of the prescription and usage of LARC technologies alongside how such talk emplots women who use, continue, or discontinue using these contraceptive technologies. In addition, the power relations (re)produced in the participants’ talk that maintain or constrain coloniality and reproductive justice with implications for certain people’s reproductive choices/rights were explored. To do so, I used data from 72 semi-structured interviews with contraceptive users (51) and healthcare providers (21). A combination of stratified purposive, convenient, and snowball sampling was used to sample the providers and users of LARC recruited within a city, town, and village. To elicit stories about healthcare providers’ and LARC users’ narrative emplotments in the prescription and usage decisions about LARC, semi-structured interviewing was used. The questions asked were open-ended and loosely structured around LARC technologies, the decisions that cohere around them, and the makers of those decisions. In analysing the data, I fused Parker's (1992) criteria for locating discourses with Barker’s (2017) method for determining the potential for emplotment into narratives. Findings suggest that participants framed contraceptive usage as either a personal, imposed, or shared decision. In personal decisions, the feminisation of contraceptive use emerged, with study, work, and relationship stability statuses requiring participants to solely and prudently self-discipline towards contraceptive uptake so as to match usage with reproduction desire. When decisions were imposed (subtly or openly), a passive role was assumed as female guardians (mothers, grandmothers, or aunts) recommended, pushed, and coerced health users (particularly young women) towards uptake. While the contraceptive users themselves were placed on the margins in decision-making, resisting the imposed decisions was difficult since participants’ “risk” of pregnancy was reportedly foregrounded. Shared decisions pointed to less one-sided accounts of decision-making. These decisions were enacted in relationships and were neither siloed nor imposed. Here, sexual partners, parents, or healthcare providers dialogically negotiated contraceptive uptake, and the possibilities for non-use were availed. Data from healthcare providers showed that non-use for young and postpartum women was not an option. In addition, healthcare providers either formed alliances with the LARC users themselves or concerned parents to support or push for contraceptive provision. Supportive alliances enabled secret uptake or ongoing contraceptive usage among some contraceptive users, thus resisting pronatalism or one-sided intentions for childbearing within intimate partnerships. These healthcare providers emplotted themselves as empowering contraceptive users. Alliances that pushed for contraceptive uptake were formed with guardians/parents upon menarche or in case the of rape. In overriding consent within these alliances, healthcare providers avoided being rendered responsible or blameworthy for early pregnancies in the face of the constructed risk used to emplot young women. This over-commitment to providing contraceptives has differing implications for women’s sexual agency and sexual health interventions. The data also describe decisions to use contraception as expert-led, patient-led, or collaborative decisions between health users and healthcare providers. Through the information and decision-making was expert-led micro-narrative, a medical discourse constituting use as a necessity and non-use as a risk emerged. A patient autonomy and a my body, my choice discourse informed the information and decision-making was patient-led micro-narrative; here, healthcare providers were either detached or excluded from decision-making as health users assumed more active roles in their own contraceptive care decisions. In collaborative decisions, both parties negotiated (non)use, with LARC users providing their embodied experiences and healthcare providers availing medical knowledge in reaching decisions. The study argues for a reproductive justice framework to underpin the signifier “fertility control”, showing how the threat of degeneration informs responses to reproduction by iii identifying and amplifying deficiency and negative outcomes while masking positive outcomes among certain women. It then creates a fertile ground for the re-engineering and recentring of colonialist thinking and its product, the restraining of the agency of fertile beings it renders “less developed”. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Ndabula, Yanela
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Contraception Social aspects South Africa , Decision making , Long-acting reversible contraception , Reproductive rights South Africa , Control (Psychology) , Feminism
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/467017 , vital:76807 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/467017
- Description: Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC), viz., intrauterine devices, subdermal implants, and injectable contraceptives, are highly effective, long-term birth control methods that limit user action. Alongside the decrease in fertility rates achieved through their mass provision has been their coerced or non-consented administration to marginalised women. These highly effective yet provider-controlled and thus imposable contraceptives have been associated with problematic classed, raced, ageist, and ableist promotions. A critical lens that inquires into their endorsement within clinical practice is thus necessary. The bulk of literature evidencing reproductive injustices in relation to fertility control through LARC technologies emanates from the US and UK contexts. Not much research on the South African context has explored how contraceptive decision-making within clinical interactions shapes LARC uptake despite usage increasing through the years. Using a poststructural, postcolonial feminist framework alongside a reproductive justice stance, this study explores health providers’ and contraceptive users’ narrations of the prescription and usage of LARC technologies alongside how such talk emplots women who use, continue, or discontinue using these contraceptive technologies. In addition, the power relations (re)produced in the participants’ talk that maintain or constrain coloniality and reproductive justice with implications for certain people’s reproductive choices/rights were explored. To do so, I used data from 72 semi-structured interviews with contraceptive users (51) and healthcare providers (21). A combination of stratified purposive, convenient, and snowball sampling was used to sample the providers and users of LARC recruited within a city, town, and village. To elicit stories about healthcare providers’ and LARC users’ narrative emplotments in the prescription and usage decisions about LARC, semi-structured interviewing was used. The questions asked were open-ended and loosely structured around LARC technologies, the decisions that cohere around them, and the makers of those decisions. In analysing the data, I fused Parker's (1992) criteria for locating discourses with Barker’s (2017) method for determining the potential for emplotment into narratives. Findings suggest that participants framed contraceptive usage as either a personal, imposed, or shared decision. In personal decisions, the feminisation of contraceptive use emerged, with study, work, and relationship stability statuses requiring participants to solely and prudently self-discipline towards contraceptive uptake so as to match usage with reproduction desire. When decisions were imposed (subtly or openly), a passive role was assumed as female guardians (mothers, grandmothers, or aunts) recommended, pushed, and coerced health users (particularly young women) towards uptake. While the contraceptive users themselves were placed on the margins in decision-making, resisting the imposed decisions was difficult since participants’ “risk” of pregnancy was reportedly foregrounded. Shared decisions pointed to less one-sided accounts of decision-making. These decisions were enacted in relationships and were neither siloed nor imposed. Here, sexual partners, parents, or healthcare providers dialogically negotiated contraceptive uptake, and the possibilities for non-use were availed. Data from healthcare providers showed that non-use for young and postpartum women was not an option. In addition, healthcare providers either formed alliances with the LARC users themselves or concerned parents to support or push for contraceptive provision. Supportive alliances enabled secret uptake or ongoing contraceptive usage among some contraceptive users, thus resisting pronatalism or one-sided intentions for childbearing within intimate partnerships. These healthcare providers emplotted themselves as empowering contraceptive users. Alliances that pushed for contraceptive uptake were formed with guardians/parents upon menarche or in case the of rape. In overriding consent within these alliances, healthcare providers avoided being rendered responsible or blameworthy for early pregnancies in the face of the constructed risk used to emplot young women. This over-commitment to providing contraceptives has differing implications for women’s sexual agency and sexual health interventions. The data also describe decisions to use contraception as expert-led, patient-led, or collaborative decisions between health users and healthcare providers. Through the information and decision-making was expert-led micro-narrative, a medical discourse constituting use as a necessity and non-use as a risk emerged. A patient autonomy and a my body, my choice discourse informed the information and decision-making was patient-led micro-narrative; here, healthcare providers were either detached or excluded from decision-making as health users assumed more active roles in their own contraceptive care decisions. In collaborative decisions, both parties negotiated (non)use, with LARC users providing their embodied experiences and healthcare providers availing medical knowledge in reaching decisions. The study argues for a reproductive justice framework to underpin the signifier “fertility control”, showing how the threat of degeneration informs responses to reproduction by iii identifying and amplifying deficiency and negative outcomes while masking positive outcomes among certain women. It then creates a fertile ground for the re-engineering and recentring of colonialist thinking and its product, the restraining of the agency of fertile beings it renders “less developed”. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
Examining the direct and indirect effect that individual and contextual risk factors have in predicting substance abuse
- Authors: Fouten, Elron Steve
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Structural equation modeling , Substance abuse South Africa , Ecological Systems Theory , Path analysis (Statistics) , Personality , Confirmatory factor analysis
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/467006 , vital:76806 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/467006
- Description: Substance abuse levels in South Africa have continued to rise, with the age of first experimentation with drugs reported as being 10 years. Several studies have shown that substance abuse has an adverse impact on users, their families and their communities, resulting in a number of social, psychological and economic struggles. Moreover, substance abuse places an increased psychological, social and financial burden on the individual and the family, as it has been related to the destabilisation of the nuclear and extended family units, permeating every area of life and affecting the very social fabric of society. This study therefore endeavoured to determine which of the individual and contextual risk factors measured by the South African Substance Use Contextual Risk Instrument (SASUCRI) best predicts substance abuse in a sample of self-identified substance abusers. Additionally, the study sought to determine the magnitude, strength and direction of the interaction of the individual and contextual risk factors in predicting substance abuse. The specific aims of the study were: 1) to build a theoretical model that best approximates the identified and measured individual and contextual factors associated with substance abuse, 2) to use structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the adequacy of the model’s fit to the data that have been collected, 3) to use SEM to statistically determine which of the perceived individual or contextual factors best predict substance abuse, and 4) to use SEM to statistically determine which combination of perceived individual and contextual factors best predict substance abuse. To achieve these aims, the study applied SEM to data collected from individuals seeking either inpatient or outpatient treatment for substance abuse in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape Provinces of South Africa, respectively. The purpose of SEM is to a priori specify a theoretical causal model consisting of a set of predicted covariances between variables, and then test whether it is plausible when compared to the observed data. The appropriateness of performing SEM exists in its ability and suitability to examine the nature and magnitude of postulated dependence relationships, while simultaneously assessing the direct and indirect relations of the variables. The theoretical causal model that was tested contained latent and manifest variables that were identified as risk factors for substance abuse. The causal model was informed by Bronfenbrenner’s (1977a, 1986) ecological systems theory (EST) and was specified to approximate the different systems of the theory. Data for the study were collected using the relatively newly developed and validated SASUCRI. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that the SASUCRI was a reliable and valid instrument to use with this population, and that the results of the structural model can be interpreted with confidence. The fit statistics, for the normal theory and related bootstrap latent path SEM, all indicate that the model is an excellent fit to the data CMIN/DF = 2.82, NFI = .946, CFI = .97, RMSEA = .04., thus achieving the study’s objective. The normal theory analysis of the paths in the diagram identified the microsystem, “Access/proximity to drugs” (APTD) and “Concerns for future” (CFF) as significant predictors of substance abuse, whereas the bootstrap analysis of the paths identified the macrosystem, APTD and CFF as significant predictors of substance abuse. This study identified 10 risk profiles that interact in the prediction of substance abuse; these are: individuals with low self-efficacy (SE) who perceive their family as lacking or having low intra-family communication, who lack positive peer support, who perceive criminal behaviours as normal, who feel a strong need to fit in, who are less religious, who have easy access to drugs, who lack a sense of community traditions and belonging, who see public displays of substance use (SU) as normal, and who lack concern for the future, are at 59% greater risk of substance abuse. Though micro level factors (low SE, lack of or low intra-family communication, and a lack of positive peer support) and meso-level factors (normalisation of criminal activity, a strong need to fit in, and being less religious) does not significantly predict abuse, they significantly interact with external factors in predicting substance abuse. Thus, it is only when they interact with factors located in the other systems (exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem) that they become significant predictors of substance abuse. Conversely, exosystem (easy access to drugs), macrosystem (lack of a sense of community traditions and belonging, commonplace public displays of SU), and chronosystem factors (lack of concern for the future), independently are significant predictors of substance abuse. These findings carry significant public health implications by challenging the prevailing focus on individual-based interventions. Recognising that the drivers of substance abuse extend beyond individual factors, this study therefore advocates for interventions that address the broader systems contributing to the issue. This has the potential to inform more effective and holistic public health strategies. Finally, this study emphasises the need for comprehensive strategies that span different systems, acknowledging the role of family, community and societal factors. This call for complex interventions aligns with the ecological systems perspective, advocating for a paradigm shift in how we address SU by considering the broader environmental influences that contribute to the problem. In summary, this study not only contributes to the academic understanding of SU, but also has practical implications for public health policies and interventions. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Fouten, Elron Steve
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Structural equation modeling , Substance abuse South Africa , Ecological Systems Theory , Path analysis (Statistics) , Personality , Confirmatory factor analysis
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/467006 , vital:76806 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/467006
- Description: Substance abuse levels in South Africa have continued to rise, with the age of first experimentation with drugs reported as being 10 years. Several studies have shown that substance abuse has an adverse impact on users, their families and their communities, resulting in a number of social, psychological and economic struggles. Moreover, substance abuse places an increased psychological, social and financial burden on the individual and the family, as it has been related to the destabilisation of the nuclear and extended family units, permeating every area of life and affecting the very social fabric of society. This study therefore endeavoured to determine which of the individual and contextual risk factors measured by the South African Substance Use Contextual Risk Instrument (SASUCRI) best predicts substance abuse in a sample of self-identified substance abusers. Additionally, the study sought to determine the magnitude, strength and direction of the interaction of the individual and contextual risk factors in predicting substance abuse. The specific aims of the study were: 1) to build a theoretical model that best approximates the identified and measured individual and contextual factors associated with substance abuse, 2) to use structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the adequacy of the model’s fit to the data that have been collected, 3) to use SEM to statistically determine which of the perceived individual or contextual factors best predict substance abuse, and 4) to use SEM to statistically determine which combination of perceived individual and contextual factors best predict substance abuse. To achieve these aims, the study applied SEM to data collected from individuals seeking either inpatient or outpatient treatment for substance abuse in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape Provinces of South Africa, respectively. The purpose of SEM is to a priori specify a theoretical causal model consisting of a set of predicted covariances between variables, and then test whether it is plausible when compared to the observed data. The appropriateness of performing SEM exists in its ability and suitability to examine the nature and magnitude of postulated dependence relationships, while simultaneously assessing the direct and indirect relations of the variables. The theoretical causal model that was tested contained latent and manifest variables that were identified as risk factors for substance abuse. The causal model was informed by Bronfenbrenner’s (1977a, 1986) ecological systems theory (EST) and was specified to approximate the different systems of the theory. Data for the study were collected using the relatively newly developed and validated SASUCRI. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that the SASUCRI was a reliable and valid instrument to use with this population, and that the results of the structural model can be interpreted with confidence. The fit statistics, for the normal theory and related bootstrap latent path SEM, all indicate that the model is an excellent fit to the data CMIN/DF = 2.82, NFI = .946, CFI = .97, RMSEA = .04., thus achieving the study’s objective. The normal theory analysis of the paths in the diagram identified the microsystem, “Access/proximity to drugs” (APTD) and “Concerns for future” (CFF) as significant predictors of substance abuse, whereas the bootstrap analysis of the paths identified the macrosystem, APTD and CFF as significant predictors of substance abuse. This study identified 10 risk profiles that interact in the prediction of substance abuse; these are: individuals with low self-efficacy (SE) who perceive their family as lacking or having low intra-family communication, who lack positive peer support, who perceive criminal behaviours as normal, who feel a strong need to fit in, who are less religious, who have easy access to drugs, who lack a sense of community traditions and belonging, who see public displays of substance use (SU) as normal, and who lack concern for the future, are at 59% greater risk of substance abuse. Though micro level factors (low SE, lack of or low intra-family communication, and a lack of positive peer support) and meso-level factors (normalisation of criminal activity, a strong need to fit in, and being less religious) does not significantly predict abuse, they significantly interact with external factors in predicting substance abuse. Thus, it is only when they interact with factors located in the other systems (exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem) that they become significant predictors of substance abuse. Conversely, exosystem (easy access to drugs), macrosystem (lack of a sense of community traditions and belonging, commonplace public displays of SU), and chronosystem factors (lack of concern for the future), independently are significant predictors of substance abuse. These findings carry significant public health implications by challenging the prevailing focus on individual-based interventions. Recognising that the drivers of substance abuse extend beyond individual factors, this study therefore advocates for interventions that address the broader systems contributing to the issue. This has the potential to inform more effective and holistic public health strategies. Finally, this study emphasises the need for comprehensive strategies that span different systems, acknowledging the role of family, community and societal factors. This call for complex interventions aligns with the ecological systems perspective, advocating for a paradigm shift in how we address SU by considering the broader environmental influences that contribute to the problem. In summary, this study not only contributes to the academic understanding of SU, but also has practical implications for public health policies and interventions. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11