Experiences of R425 newly qualified professional Nurses during their first year of practice in 3 selected hospitals in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Qwaqwa, Nomathamsanqa P
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Student nurses practice -- Hospitals
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Cur
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/677 , vital:27767
- Description: Transition of the newly qualified nurses from an educational focus to professional practitioner has long been identified as a conflicted time of critical personal and professional adjustment and staggering reality shock. This study explored the experiences of newly qualified R425 professional nurses during their first year of practice in the Eastern Cape Province at three selected hospitals. The study followed a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive design using a phenomenological approach. The sample included newly qualified professional nurses in their first year of employment. Convenience sampling was used to select the participants. Data collection was conducted by means of semi-structured interviews from ten (n=10) participants. Each interview took about 45 minutes. Ethical codes of research were followed. Data was coded manually and analyzed using content analysis Four themes and seven subthemes emerged from the data collected The findings revealed positive experiences such as sense of belonging and feelings of independence; negative experiences such as feelings of rejection, as well as management challenges The study identified challenges which impacted on the performance of new nurses, namely shortage of human and material resources and inadequate support in the working environment Recommendation: Introducing mandatory education by service institutions on transition as well as extended, sequential and structured orientation and mentoring programs for newly qualified professional nurses as this will assist them in their career development Managers to use different strategies in enhancing quality environments in order to reduce frustration for these newly qualified nurses.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Experiences of university students with symptoms of depression and anxiety in a mindfulness-based intervention
- Authors: Buhrmann, Mimmie Petronella
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy , Stress (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/3705 , vital:20456
- Description: This study explored and described the experiences of students with self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression who participated in a mindfulness-based intervention. The study was conducted in collaboration with the Student Counselling Career and Development Centre (SCCDC) at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU). The study utilised a qualitative research approach and nine participants were selected through purposive, non-probability sampling. The data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews and participants‟ brief written reflections of their individual experiences. Content analysis produced ten themes categorised according to the components of the biopsychosocial/spiritual (BPSS) model. The most prevalent theme identified, describing participants‟ experience of the mindfulness-based intervention, was an enhanced perception of emotional regulation. This finding confirmed the outcomes of previous studies that also found an increase in emotional regulation related to mindfulness-based interventions. Results also shed new light on the perceived personal changes participants experienced in relation to body awareness, increased attentional regulation, social interactions, and spiritual experiences. In addition, participants verbalised present moment awareness and an accepting non-judgmental attitude as central to the biopsychosocial/spiritual changes and benefits they experienced. Recommendations for further research include investigating the impact of mindfulness-based interventions on attentional control and social interactions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Experiences of women who gave birth before arrival at a midwife obstetric unit
- Authors: Fouché, Moira Sandy
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Midwifery -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality , Pregnant women -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality , Maternity nursing -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCur
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7176 , vital:21290
- Description: Pregnant women expect to give birth in a safe environment conducive to a safe delivery such as the hospital. In some cases the birth does not always work out as planned as labour is unpredictable and circumstances may lead to the woman giving birth before arriving at the hospital. For some women the outcome of the experience could have a positive effect while most of the time it is a negative effect such as embarrassment and disappointment. The researcher, an experienced midwife, observed in the unit where she works of the steady increase in women who were admitted as experiencing birth before arrival. The women will at times be reluctant to respond to questions on admission regarding their labour process and also tend not to focus on the needs of the baby. When the mother is discharged, one is left wondering what will happen to the infant at home. Hence, this study had the following objectives: to explore and describe the women’s experiences of giving birth before arrival at a midwife obstetric unit in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal area and secondly, to use the findings of the study to make recommendations to assist midwives to support women who have experienced birth before arrival at a midwife obstetric unit. This study was a qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research study. The research population included all the women who had birth-before-arrival deliveries at the midwife obstetric unit in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal area. The criteria for inclusion were women who had experienced birth before arrival between October 2014 and December 2014; women who had been admitted to an midwife obstetric unit and not referred to a tertiary level of care, but discharged home; women whose babies were still alive; women who had spent at least eight hours and not more than twelve hours in the midwife obstetric unit and women older than 18 years of age. Purposive sampling was used. The researcher conducted semi-structured one-on-one interviews which were captured by means of an audio-tape recorder to collect data. Taking field notes was part of the interview session. Analysis of data was done according to Tesch’s method of data analysis. The supervisor and an independent coder assisted with the analysis to confirm the data and help develop themes. To ensure rigour in the study, the Lincoln and Guba model of trustworthiness was used, which encompasses truth value, applicability, consistency and neutrality. The research was done in an ethical manner whereby autonomy and respect, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice were maintained by the researcher. The researcher maintained privacy and confidentiality by numbering the interviews and not revealing the participant’s identity. The collected data was kept under lock and key and was only discussed with the research supervisor and the independent coder. The interviews were conducted in a private and safe place without any interruptions. Two main themes emerged from the data analysis. Theme one – A birth before arrival at the midwifery facility is an emotional experience for the mother. Theme two - Mothers described diverse experiences related to emergency childbirth care. Based on the findings of the study, the relevant recommendations were made to improve the overall management of women who experience birth before arrival. The recommendations will be utilised by the midwives in maternity units and primary health-care practitioners in the clinics attending to pregnant women.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploration of Nahoon beach milieu for lignocellulose degrading bacteria and optimizing fermentation conditions for holocellulase production by selected strains
- Authors: Fatokun, Evelyn
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Lignocellulose Lignocellulose -- Biodegradation Water -- Purification -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1529 , vital:27413
- Description: A significant trend in the modern day industrial biotechnology is the utilization and application of renewable resources, and ecofriendly approach to industrial processes and waste management. As a consequence thereof, the biotechnology of holocellulases: cellulase and xylanase and, enzymatic hydrolysis of renewable and abundant lignocellulosic biomass to energy and value added products are rapidly increasing; hence, cost effective enzyme system is imperative. In that context, exploration of microbiota for strains and enzymes with novel industrial properties is vital for efficient and commercially viable enzyme biotechnology. Consequent on the complex characteristics of high salinity, variable pressure, temperature and nutritional conditions, bacterial strains from the marine environment are equipped with enzyme machinery of industrial importance for adaptation and survival. In this study, bacterial strains were isolated form Nahoon beach and optimized for holocellulase production. Three isolates selected for lignocellulolytic potential were identified by 16S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) sequence analysis. Isolate FS1k had 98 percent similarity with Streptomyces albidoflavus strain AIH12, was designated as Streptomyces albidoflavus strain SAMRC-UFH5 and deposited in the GenBank with accession number KU171373. Similarly, isolates CS14b and CS22d with respective percentage similarity of 98 and 99 (percent) with Bacillus cereus strains and Streptomyces sp. strain WMMB251 were named Bacillus cereus strain SAMRC-UFH9 and Streptomyces sp. strain SAMRC-UFH6; and were deposited in the GenBank with accession number KX524510 and KU171374 respectively. Optimal pH, temperature and agitation speed for cellulase production by S. albidoflavus strain SAMRC-UFH5, and B. cereus strain SAMRC-UFH9 were 6 and 7; 40 and 30 (°C); and 100 and 150 (rpm) respectively; while xylanase production was optimal at pH, temperature and agitation speed of 8 and 7; 40 and 30 (°C); and 150 and 50 (rpm) respectively. Maximum cellulase activity of 0.26 and 0.061(U/mL) by S. albidoflavus strain SAMRC-UFH5 and B. cereus strain SAMRC-UFH9 were attained at 60 h respectively, while maximal xylanase activity of 18.54 and 16.6 (U/mL) was produced by S. albidoflavus strain SAMRC-UFH5 and B. cereus strain SAMRC-UFH9 at 48 h and 60 h respectively. Furthermore, xylanase production by S. albidoflavus strain SAMRC-UFH5 and B. cereus strain SAMRC-UFH9 was maximally induced by wheat straw and xylan respectively, while cellulase production was best induced by mannose and carboxymethyl cellulose respectively. On the other hand, cellulase and xylanase production by Streptomyces sp. strain SAMRC-UFH6 was optimal at pH, temperature and agitation speed of 7 and 8, 40 °C and 100 rpm, respectively. Highest production of cellulase and xylanase was attained at 84 and 60 h with respective activity of 0.065 and 6.34 (U/mL). In addition, cellulase and xylanase production by the strain was best induced by beechwood xylan. Moreover, xylanase produced by Streptomyces sp. strain SAMRC-UFH6 at optimal conditions was characterized by optimal pH and temperature of 8 and 80-90 °C respectively; retaining over 70 percent activity at pH 5-10 after 1 h and 60 percent of initial activity at 90 °C after 90 min of incubation. In all, optimization improved cellulase and xylanase production yields, being 40 and 95.5, 10.89 and 72.17, and 10 and 115- fold increase by S. albidoflavus strain SAMRC-UFH5, B. cereus strain SAMRC-UFH9 and Streptomyces sp. SAMRC-UFH6 respectively. The results of this study suggest that the marine bacterial strains are resource for holocellulase with industrial applications.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploration, monetization, disillusion: a history of upstream oil development in the onshore Algoa basin
- Authors: James, Jonathan Scott
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3870 , vital:20551
- Description: The onshore Algoa basin has, since the mid-1960s, been an area of interest for oil and gas exploration. Despite the general lack of knowledge and publicly available information on the topic, a large amount of geological and geophysical data has been collected on the region owing to the oil and gas exploration. The intended aim of this thesis is to compile and construct a historical narrative of the oil and gas exploration that took place within the onshore Algoa basin, and to then contextualize that localized narrative within the greater macro-narrative of the global oil and gas industry. This thesis is primarily concerned with the time period beginning in the early 1960s up to mid-2014, however reference is also made to events pre-1960. For the purposes of compartmentalizing the various areas of research covered, the thesis has been divided into three broad areas of interest: the geology of the onshore Algoa basin, the global oil market and its impact on exploration therein, and the attempts to monetize the leases that came to be purchased post-exploration. The narrative on the geology of the onshore Algoa basin is aimed at providing a summarized account of the most important details pertaining to the search for petroleum systems in simplified, yet accurate, language. The aspects of the geology which command the most attention are those which are necessary in functioning petroleum systems such as suitable permeabilities, porosities, reservoir rocks, trapping mechanisms and cap rocks. The global oil and gas market is also used to contextualize the search for oil and gas within the onshore Algoa basin and is explained against the backdrop of the global oil trade and the sanctions imposed on the apartheid state. Furthermore, the analysis of the attempts to monetize leases within the onshore Algoa basin will provide a financial reference point to the shortcomings of the exploration and monetization efforts. The purpose of this thesis is to construct a historical narrative of the onshore Algoa basin which not only gives an accurate portrayal of the exploration efforts that have taken place thus far, but to also provide a enough detail of those exploration efforts to indicate the future of the onshore Algoa basin as an exploration play.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploring fathers’ reading involvement in a grade 4 classroom
- Authors: Nel, Chantel Eve
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Reading (Elementary) -- South Africa Reading -- Remedial teaching Effective teaching
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/12505 , vital:27077
- Description: The state of education in South Africa is of nationwide concern and primary school learners are at serious risk of not learning to read. The lack of parental involvement in children's reading development is one of the main barriers to quality education. Mothers are customarily the parent who is most often involved in the reading development of children but there has been an increased interest in asserting more about how fathers are taking on the reading tasks of children. The focus of the study is on the involvement of fathers in the reading development of their children and aims to determine the fathers’ perceptions regarding their roles in the reading development of their children, the barriers that hinder their involvement as well as the benefits of their involvement. The literature review was done using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as theoretical framework. A qualitative research design was employed using phenomenology as a research strategy. The research is underpinned by the interpretive paradigm and involved the fathers of grade 4 learners at a primary school in the Northern Areas of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Data was collected from these fathers by means of questionnaires, group and semi-structured interviews and narratives. The main findings that emerged from the study revealed that fathers’ lack of support in reading development was embedded in the fact that they perceived their role as provider who underestimated their individual contribution. They acknowledged their participation in uncoordinated reading efforts whilst engagement with teacher and policy document were also findings that emerged from this study.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploring functionings and conversion factors in biodiversity teacher professional learning communities
- Authors: Tshiningayamwe, Sirkka Alina Nambashun
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2080 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021313
- Description: The study explores the conversion factors, functionings (valued beings and doings), agency and structures in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) for Life Sciences teachers’ biodiversity knowledge. The teachers’ valued beings and doings as well as conversion factors associated with these beings and doings were discussed within the conceptual framework of the capability approach using three PLCs in South Africa. Two PLCs were in the Eastern Cape Province (Grahamstown and Idutywa district), and one PLC was in the Western Cape (Cape Town) province. The PLCs involved in this study were course initiated and were positioned in the Fundisa for Change national teacher education programme. Fundisa for Change is a partnership programme that aims to enhance transformative environmental learning through teacher education. To illuminate constrained capabilities and how and to what extent the Life Sciences teachers’ empirical actions are related to these, the concepts of the capability approach were underlaboured with critical realism’s causal view of human action. A critical realist theory of causation was useful in explaining how the teachers’ valued beings and doings, conversion factors and capability sets can be partly accounted for via an understanding of underlying mechanisms that are generative of events and empirical experience. The study used a qualitative case study research methodology. Interviews, questionnaires, observations (of PLC activities), document reviews (of teachers’ portfolios of evidence, Fundisa for Change implementation plan, evaluation forms and resources materials, and policy documents) and reflection tools were used to collect data. Using the critical realism modes of inference (induction, abduction and retroduction), the data was analysed in two phases. Phase one analysis was primarily inductive and used thick descriptions (mainly in the form of quotes) to present and discuss the teachers’ valued beings and doings and associated conversion factors in the PLCs. This phase of analysis was abductive. The study reported four main functionings valued by teachers: subject content knowledge, teaching practices, assessment practices, and use of teaching and learning support materials. These valued functionings were discussed in light of the beings and doings in the PLCs and the underlying mechanisms related to teachers’ biodiversity teaching. Conversion factors that were associated with the teachers’ valued beings and doings in the PLCs were discussed in line with capability approach’s environmental, social and personal conversion factors. The study found that most of the conversion factors within the PLCs and the Fundisa for Change professional development programme (good facilitation, collaborative learning space, site where PLC activities happened, individual teachers’ capabilities, teaching and learning support materials and policy documents) were enablers to the teachers’ capabilities for biodiversity teaching, and thus enhanced teachers’ knowledge for biodiversity teaching. The study further found that teachers realised some of their achieved functionings in their actual teaching of biodiversity content in the Life Sciences curriculum, and that factors such as lack of resources, large class sizes, learners’ abilities and lack of interest among some teachers were amongst the factors that constrained teachers’ realisation of their achieved functionings in the PLCs. The study therefore revealed that if professional development programmes take account of underlying mechanisms and respond to teachers’ capabilities i.e. their valued functionings for biodiversity teaching in the Life Sciences curriculum, the professional development programmes can be an important conversion factor that enables the expansion of teachers’ capabilities (especially their biodiversity knowledge, pedagogical and assessment practice but also other capabilities) in ways that have the potential to reshape teachers’ classroom practices related to the teaching of biodiversity.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploring how grade 12 Physical Sciences learners make sense of the concepts of work and energy
- Authors: Mapfumo, Alfred Khumbulani
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1363 , vital:20050
- Description: Physical Sciences is one of the subjects in which students perform most poorly in the National Senior Certificate examinations. For example, in the Eastern Cape in 2013, a mere 29.9% of the candidates who sat for the Physical Sciences National Senior Certificate examination managed to achieve a mark of 40% or above (Department of Basic Education, 2014). According to the Chief Markers’ reports (ibid), questions on the topic of Work, Energy and Power are amongst the most poorly answered in the National Senior Certificate examinations. This fact triggered my interest to explore how grade 12 Physical Sciences learners make sense of the concepts of Work and Energy with particular emphasis on the work-energy theorem and its application in problem solving. I carried out the study in a village school in the Queenstown district. The study adopted an interpretive paradigm in which the case study approach was used. Data were generated using a diagnostic test, focus group interviews, video-recorded lessons, analysis of learner journals and a summative test. Analysis of the qualitative data involved identifying themes from the data and using analytical statements that answered the research questions. The study was informed by Vygotsky’s (1978) social constructivism theory, and in particular, the notions of the mediation of learning and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Learners were given tasks on the work-energy theorem and related concepts and these were designed in such a way that they were situated in the learners’ ZPD, since this is where most powerful learning takes place (Thompson, 2013). The findings of the study revealed that grade 12 Physical Sciences learners do not have sufficient prior knowledge on concepts related to the work-energy theory to successfully make sense of the work-energy theorem. The other finding is that learners construct knowledge of the work-energy theorem and its application collaboratively through group work. In the group discussions learners used isiXhosa and this enhanced their sense making. A number of challenges that make it difficult for learners to solve problems using the work-energy theorem were identified.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploring perceptions on aesthetics and emotional labour experienced by women working in two different clothing retail shops in Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown
- Authors: Dalikeni, Tawonga
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3750 , vital:20541
- Description: The retail industry is the fastest growing sector in the economy contributing trillions towards the global revenue. In a post-apartheid South African economy that is experiencing increased buying power, the clothing retail sector to be specific is consequently flourishing. However, the economy is faced by structural adjustments; an accompanying concern is how foreign direct investments and pressures of globalization impact the operation of clothing retail shops. The main focus of this thesis based on the qualitative research methodology is emotional and aesthetic labour being experienced by women working in two clothing retail shops in Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown. Empirical data shows that emotional labour is a dominant form of labour in the clothing retail shops under investigation. The women working as sales assistants are trained to exude a certain emotional aura when dealing with customers to build a relationship that will encourage the customer to purchase from the shop. Aesthetic labour on the other hand is an important public relations strategy used as sales assistants dress in a way that represents their company brand. Edgars employees dress elegantly because they focus more on formal dressing whilst Mr Price employees dress more casually because they focus on casual and relaxed fashion. Besides these external attributes, the study showed that certain aspects of the job are fairly similar. With codes of happiness and strings of dissatisfaction towards their job requirements, the women’s social lives suffer the atrocities of their long working hours and limited off-duty days.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploring teacher leadership: A case study at a senior secondary school in the Ohangwena region, Namibia
- Authors: Hamatwi, Isak
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1275 , vital:20042
- Description: Leadership has been for long thought to centre on the actions of a positional head of the organisation crafting the vision and influencing followers’ behaviour based on his/her charisma and legal authority in a quest to achieve the set goals (Christie, 2010). However, contemporary views “emphasise leadership as relational” (Van der Mescht & Tyala, 2008, p. 226) and focuses more on the practice while taking form “in the interactions between leaders and followers” (Spillane, 2005, p. 146). Looking through the lens of distributed leadership and using the Grant’s (2008; 2012) model of teacher leadership as a data analytical tool, this research study aimed to explore the enactment of teacher leadership at a secondary school in the Ohangwena region, Namibia. The motivation of this research study was twofold; one, it was due to my personal interest in getting a deeper understanding of what constituted teacher leadership as a concept which is gaining momentum in the educational leadership discipline; two, it was due to the evident knowledge gap existing on the concept of teacher leadership as there seemed to be very less research done on the concept. Using observation schedules, survey questionnaires, semi-structured interview schedules and analysing documents as data collecting tools, the study was geared towards answering four research questions which were driving the study, namely; i) In what ways do teachers participate in the leadership activities of the school? ii) What is the nature of the relations of these leadership activities? iii) What factors that may constrain the leadership activities of these teachers? iv) How do the principal and the School Management Team (SMT) encourage teacher leadership at the school? The study was of a qualitative nature located in the interpretive paradigm. A purposive sampling method was used to select research participants The findings of the study indicated that the research participants had a general understanding of what teacher leadership entails. Teachers enacted leadership across the four zones of Grant’s (2008; 2012) model of teacher leadership, though with very limited teacher leadership enactment in zone four. Zones one, two and three proved to be the popular media of teacher leadership enactment wherein teachers led in their classrooms enforcing discipline, serving as guides and caregivers to their learners (zone one). Teachers then extended their leadership outside their classrooms where they served as decision makers, curriculum developers for knowledge enhancement through reflective teaching and sport coaches (zone two). In Zone three, teachers led in committees’ structures, as mentors of learners, policy makers and as models of good practice. Zone four was the least media of teacher leadership. The data pointed to a host of factors that prevented teachers to assume leadership at the case study school, namely; ignorance and fear for accountability, policy and regulatory limitations, time limitations, limited skills and teachers as barriers to teacher leadership in terms of apathy, lack of confidence, negative attitude and anti-social behaviours as well as professional jealous. Nevertheless, the principal and the SMT emerged as catalysts for teacher leadership at the school as they enabled teacher leadership in a number of ways, namely, through delegation, motivation, free choice, open engagement, moral support and interdependence leadership practices. In the final analysis, the findings revealed that, leadership at the case study school was manifested as spontaneous collaborated leadership practices through institutionalised practices embarked upon with intuitive working relationships.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploring the course-led development of a learning network as a community of practice around a shared interest of rainwater harvesting and conservation agricultural practices: a case study in the Amathole District in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Weaver, Kim Nichole
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1184 , vital:20032
- Description: South Africa has water and food security challenges, especially the Eastern Cape Province where there is a high level of poverty. These challenges place heavy pressure on the agricultural sector as it is the main user of the allocated water in the country. Rainwater harvesting and conservation (RWH&C) practices are explored as a response to these challenges, however information on these practices is not readily available to rural farmers. Agricultural extension has been moving from a top down approach towards a more participatory, collaborative process where what farmers need and want is considered. These participatory approaches need to be explored to enable change in farmer’s practice. This research forms part of a Water Resource Commission (WRC) project, Amanzi for Food. (Project K5/2277). The project has the explicit intention of supporting the use of two sets of WRC materials on RWH&C and expanding the learning of these practices through a courseled process within a learning network structure centred around an agricultural college. The network was established with a participatory, applied training of trainer’s course that supports and expands knowledge of RWH&C practices amongst network members from different groups within the sector; farmers, trainers, researchers and educators. My main research question was to investigate the process of cultivating a learning network amongst different agricultural actors through a course-led initiative to strengthen the engagement with RWH&C practices. To address this research I used focus group discussions, course observations, participant interviews, participant questionnaires and participant assignment progress to generate data. These data were analysed using Wenger’s theory of communities of practice to gauge levels of engagement, participation and learning. Main findings of the study are that the course-led activation of the learning network supported the community of practice members to share their personal experience and achieve social competence in the learning of RWH&C agricultural practices in their context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploring the influence of learners’ participation in an after-school science enrichment programme on their disposition towards science: a case study of Khanya Maths and Science Club
- Authors: Agunbiade, Esther Arinola
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching Science -- Study and teaching After-school programs Academic achievement
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/334 , vital:19949
- Description: The ongoing advancement of science and technology is creating an increasing need for more entrants into science oriented careers. However, numerous studies have fueled growing concerns regarding the poor achievement of learners in science. Over the years, science education researchers have emphasized the importance of the affective domain of learning as a central component of strategies used to address learners’ lack of interest and poor achievement in science. In the literature, the affective domain is characterized by constructs such as disposition, attitude, interest, and motivation. Studies showing a correlation between the affective domain and academic achievement suggest that nurturing a positive disposition towards science is an antecedent to learners’ improved science achievement and entering science fields. This study focuses on the ‘disposition’ aspect of the affective domain, and follows in the path of earlier studies which use the term interchangeably with ‘attitude’. Learners’ experiences in a particular science education environment influence the development of a positive or negative disposition towards science. However, there is a need to explore the factors in the learning environments which influence learners’ disposition towards science. Previous studies have shown that the informal science environment may influence learners’ disposition towards science. One example of an informal science environment is the Khanya Maths and Science Club, which is an after-school science and mathematics enrichment programme in Grahamstown, South Africa. This study explores the influence of learners’ participation in an informal science education environment on their dispositions towards science, using the case of the Khanya Maths and Science Club. This study views disposition through the constructivist-developmental lens. The community of practice elements from situated learning theory is drawn on to explore how learners’ disposition can be influenced by their interactions in the context of the Khanya Maths and Science Club. The pragmatic paradigm is adopted, which considers how well the research tools work to provide answers to the research questions. This thus, provides an avenue for exploring how learners’ disposition towards science is influenced and what factors influenced their shift in disposition through their participation in the club. A mixed-methods approach is employed when focusing on the affective domain sub-constructs of: enjoyment of science, interest in science and perception of science. These are sub-scales in the test of science related attitude (TOSRA) questionnaire which was adapted for use in measuring learners’ attitude before and after 16 weeks of participating in the science club. The particular mixed-methods approach selected can be summarized as quan QUAL since the method is primarily qualitative, but sequential with the quantitative phase preceding the qualitative phase. The TOSRA questionnaire was used as the quantitative data collection instrument while semi-structured interviews and learners’ journal entries were the qualitative data collection instruments. The results revealed significant shifts in learners’ perception of, interest in science and enjoyment of science though interest in science and enjoyment of science shifted appreciably in a positive direction more than the perception of science. It was also found that learners’ attitude towards science was influenced by; instructional characteristics, facilitators/environmental characteristics, learners making connection between science and everyday life and learners’ perceived difficulty of science. These factors variably influenced their attitude towards science in the club, corroborating what had been found in similar studies. This study corroborates what the literature offers for achieving effective outcomes in Afterschool science enrichment programmes. It contributes to the growing body of literature on features for quality outcomes in Afterschool science enrichment programmes. This study also makes a theoretical contribution to science education research particularly with regard to how the emergence of a community of practice framework in the club activities provide useful information for planning club activities and the analysis of learners’ evolving disposition towards science. Key words: Khanya Maths and Science Club, disposition, attitude, after-school enrichment programmes, constructivist-developmental approach, situated learning theory, community of practice, Test of Science Related Attitude (TOSRA).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploring the nature of disciplinary teaching and learning using Legitimation Code Theory Semantics
- Authors: Clarence, Sherran
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: article , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61314 , vital:28014 , https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2015.1115972
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploring the potential impacts of tourism development on social and ecological change in the Solomon Islands
- Authors: Diedrich, Amy , Aswani, Shankar
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67335 , vital:29074 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-016-0781-x
- Description: publisher version , Pacific Island communities may be vulnerable to negative impacts of economic development, which is often considered a strategy for reducing vulnerability to environmental change. Studies that evaluate potential impacts of economic development in isolated communities may be inaccurate to only focus on asking people to anticipate impacts of phenomena they have had minimal exposure to. We used an open-ended approach to evaluate how communities in the Solomon Islands perceived change, and used this information to anticipate potential impacts of the government’s plans to develop tourism. Our results showed mostly negative expectations of change, particularly socio-cultural, which was perceived as being driven by diminishing social capital, foreign influence, and economic development. Despite minimal exposure, locals supported tourism and had more positive expectations of change associated with this activity. Our findings emphasize the need for locally appropriate planning to ensure intended positive impacts of tourism and other forms of economic development.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploring the relationship between leadership styles and quality of work life: a case study of a Chinese- South African joint venture
- Authors: Handley, Rayne Cyla
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4058 , vital:20597
- Description: This thesis employs a phenomenological qualitative research methodology to explore its research aims and objectives. It focuses on describing the various leadership styles and quality of work life (QWL) levels with reference to the Chinese-South African intercultural context. By doing so, it answers a primary exploratory research question; how does a particular leadership style influence QWL. By answering this question, this study will contribute to the understanding of the dynamics of Chinese organisations in South Africa. Furthermore, it will assist in creating greater intercultural synergy within the respective organisation. In order to explore the research question related to leadership and QWL, the thesis will begin by defining and describing the two concepts indigenously. In light of the research gap pertaining to African intercultural managerial contexts, as well as the rising Chinese and South Africa intercultural business environments, this case study demonstrates how leadership style is an important determining factor in QWL levels, both of the leaders as well as leader-raters within an intercultural context. China is South Africa’s largest trading partner and the signing of new agreements in 2015 will lead to enhanced China-Africa engagement at the macro and organisational level. China’s increasing engagement in both Africa and South Africa has been widely covered, but non-pejorative empirical research is needed to shed light on the organisational manifestations of China’s engagement. The study was conducted within the mining sector which is a key component of Chinese investment in, and trade with, South Africa. Through an in-depth content analysis which draws on coding and thematic concerns, quantification and description, this study finds that leaders directly influence QWL through relationships with their followers. Moreover, leaders indirectly have a bearing on QWL through the influence they have on organisational and work environment factors. Another finding is that leaders are inclined to describing higher levels of QWL and more transformational leadership styles. In addition, it is shown that executives (irrespective of leader or leader-rater status) were more likely to describe a high level of QWL and transformational leadership behaviours when compared to skilled level participants while the semi-skilled participants where least likely of all. Finally, it was found that the nature of the relationship between a leader and a follower is influenced by whether the said leader is a direct supervisor or if there is a large organisational level ‘gap’ between a leader and a leader- rater. It can also be said that leaders at higher organisational levels are expected to exhibit different leadership behaviours and meet different needs. Overall this study suggests that leaders need to be aware of the way in which the intercultural context can influence perceptions of subjective phenomena such as leadership effectiveness and QWL. The study concludes that leaders directly and indirectly play a key role in determining need satisfaction and QWL levels. To that extent, they ought to strategically adopt leadership practices that enhance need satisfaction and wellbeing in the workplace. Wellbeing and employee satisfaction are increasingly gaining importance within theory and literature related to QWL and has, importantly, also been shown to influence workplace attitudes and behaviours.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploring the role of corrective feedback in helping Grade 8 learners to improve the accuracy of their written English: an action research case study
- Authors: Miranda, Zoachina Nangobe
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2072 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021167
- Description: This action research study explored and analysed the role of teacher corrective feedback in helping Grade 8 learners to improve the accuracy of their written English as their second language. Therefore, the goals of this study were to examine the kind of language errors my grade 8 learners’ made in their writing, to find out whether these errors could be categorized linguistically, and to determine if they were errors, mistakes or lapses. The study further analysed how learners responded to my feedback, and also determined which feedback strategies worked best to help my learners deal with their errors, mistakes or lapses. This study set out to look at six learners from one Grade 8 class of 40 learners. The data were gathered from six written essay scripts, and each learner wrote four essay draft revisions. The learners’ written essays were analysed by means of checklists in order to identify the types and patterns of errors made. Errors such as punctuation, past tense verbs, spelling and vocabulary were identified, analysed and categorized to provide insights into reasons underlying the instances in which they were committed. The findings of this study showed that factors underlying learners’ written errors included mother-tongue interference, overgeneralization, fossilization, translation, lack of concentration, and carelessness. The findings further showed that corrective feedback on learners’ draft revisions provided them with extensive exposure and practice in English, enabled them to internalize language rules, and reduced the tendency to commit errors in their writing. The findings further suggest that procedures such as multiple-draft activities, indirect feedback, direct feedback, focused corrective feedback, error correction and written feedback with explicit corrective comments improved their levels of writing. Furthermore, putting these procedures into practice and reflecting critically on how to apply them helped enrich my own teaching practices and development in relation to the provision of corrective feedback to improve accuracy in learners’ writing. The findings are discussed in the context of the related literature. This study should be read by ESL teacher-trainers, ESL teachers, ESL student-teachers and ESL learners/students in general.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
EXPLORING THE SUPPORT PROVIDED TO SCHOOL PRINCIPALS BY CIRCUIT MANAGERS IN THE NGCOBO DISTRICT IN THE EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA
- Authors: SAKHIWO TOLBERT MPOPOSHE
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Education Management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis, Doctoral, PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/2165 , vital:40908
- Full Text: false
Exploring the unfair labour practice relating to promotion in the education sector
- Authors: Moela, Matlose Phineas
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Unfair labor practices -- South Africa Discrimination in employment -- South Africa Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/12209 , vital:27044
- Description: This research paper explores the means at the disposal of employers and employees to address the phenomenon of unfair labour practice relating to promotion in the workplace. Furthermore the paper endeavours to illustrate that there are aspects of South African law that provide a framework within which unfair labour practices can be addressed in the workplace. As I explore these fundamental issues of the law, the fairness relating to recruitment and selection practices will be examined. Some recommendations are also made as to how departments and organisations must address promotion issues at the workplace. There are often perceptions of alleged unfairness committed by employers in the workplace. These perceptions emanate from a number of allegations. The allegations include but are not limited to past practices, policy considerations, acting in higher positions, prior promises, being better qualified, receiving higher marks in the interviews, irregular conduct by the interviewing panel, unfair decisions by appointing authority or their failure to apply their minds, affirmative action or equity considerations. The study seeks to explore some of these allegations and further provide certainty as to what the legal recourse is under those circumstances. The research further seeks to provide the legal certainty pertaining to issues of promotion in the workplace. The study commences on a general approach to the principles of law relating to unfair labour practice in the public sector. Further developments of the law relating to promotion as it applies to the education sector are explored. The study culminates with possible remedies available to instances where an unfair conduct has been found to be committed by the employer during the promotion process. There is sufficient case law which covers the promotion processes. The study also exposes forms of relief which can be awarded to applicants who had lodged disputes in which it is found that indeed the employer had committed unfair labour practice relating to promotion. The study further aims to explore both procedural and substantive fairness with regard to appointment and promotion processes. Issues which are dealt with concerning fairness in promotion disputes include polygraph tests, whether there are hard and fast rules to the process, whether employees have the general right to promotion, what the requirements for fair appointment or promotion are, the law on substantive fairness, affirmative action and promotion, the consequences of failure to appoint the most suitable candidate, dealing with candidates who obtained higher scores in the interviews, promoting a candidate who had not met minimum requirements and promoting candidates based on flawed scores. The research also deals with frivolous referrals of disputes and costs which can be awarded against such applicants. Further issues which are dealt with in this research include the concept of “joinder” which is critical where there is an incumbent in the post which is disputed and the relief sought is that such post must be set aside. Further clarity is given on who is supposed to be joined in a dispute which is referred in the education sector. The CCMA rules on joinder are also clarified. The consequences of failure to join the incumbent are also dealt with. The research is also clarifying the concept of prematurity or ripeness in promotion disputes and its consequent lack of jurisdiction if such is referred.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploring the use and relevance of narrative approaches to psycho-social interventions in the south African context : a mixed methods content analysis
- Authors: Smit, Christelle
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Narrative therapy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSoc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/6432 , vital:29684
- Description: This study aims to explore the use and relevance of Narrative approaches to psycho-social interventions in the South African context. The profession of psychology in South Africa has been in a state of discontentment since the country’s turn to democracy in 1994 which has been voiced from both those within the profession and those it aims to assist. The loudest call is for a psychology that is relevant to the South African context – culturally, socially, and politically. Narrative approaches to psychotherapy and psycho-social intervention are grounded in post-modern and social-constructionist thought and offer an alternative to mainstream psychological theory. Narrative practice aims to promote social justice and views therapy as a political act. It is also an approach that values local knowledges and sees all therapeutic engagements as cross-cultural encounters which are approached with curiosity and a not-knowing stance, rather than an interpretive, analytical lens. This study has investigated what the existing literature has produced regarding the use and relevance of Narrative approaches in South Africa context. The research process was implemented using a mixed methods research methodology whereby a sample of 58 journal articles (n=58) were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative content analysis. The common themes that emerged from the articles were ‘viewing people in context’, ‘listening to the telling of stories’, ‘theoretical constructs of a narrative approach’, and ‘social phenomena’.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
External financial flows, domestic savings and economic growth in the Southern African development community (SADC)(1980-2013)
- Authors: kapingura, Forget Mingri
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: International finance Saving and investment -- South Africa Capital movements
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , Degree
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/5198 , vital:29100
- Description: .Most countries in the SADC region experience low levels of domestic savings. This calls for the need to explore other sources of financial flows to bridge the gap between domestic capital demand and supply, and one such source is external financial flows. It is with this background that this study examined the relationship between the different forms of external financial flows, domestic savings and economic growth in the SADC region for the period from 1980 to 2013. Firstly the study examined the impact of the different forms of external financial flows on economic growth in the region. The empirical results revealed that FDI, CBF and remittances have a significant impact on economic growth in the SADC region. ODA was however found to be insignificant. When the different types of external financial flows were interacted with institutions they all became significant in explaining economic growth in the region. The second aspect was to examine the extent to which external financial flows complement or displace domestic saving. The empirical results revealed that external financial flows with the exception of ODA complement domestic savings in the region. In addition, there is evidence of investment generating additional savings in the region, which is likely to be through the economic growth channel. The last objective of the study was to examine the determinants of external financial flows to the SADC region. The empirical results revealed that both push and pull factors are important in determining external financial flows in the region. Of great importance was the observation that events in the source country determine financial flows to the region. Proxy for financial integration was found to be positive though insignificant, pointing out that the region may not be benefiting from cross-border bank flows due to the region being disintegrated. This suggests that the region may benefit from increased cross-border bank flows if the region is integrated. Overall, the results from the study suggest that external financial flows are important to the region in providing the much needed development finance. However this also suggests that the foreign capital channel is another source in which a crisis from a developed country can be transmitted to the SADC region.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016