The National Wellbeing Index in the isiXhosa translation: focus group discussions on how South Africans view the quality of their society
- Moller, Valerie, Roberts, Benjamin J, Zani, Dalindyebo
- Authors: Moller, Valerie , Roberts, Benjamin J , Zani, Dalindyebo
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67135 , vital:29035 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-016-1481-4
- Description: publisher version , The International Wellbeing Index covers two complementary measures, the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) and the National Wellbeing Index (NWI). The focus group study reported here tested the understanding of the NWI when translated into isiXhosa, a language spoken by 6 million South Africans, or 16% of the country’s population. A challenge for the NWI in measuring national well-being is the tendency for meaning to get ‘lost in translation’ in the wording of the instrument, owing to the disparities that exist between levels of living in developed and developing nations. The focussed discussions with native isiXhosa speakers conveyed the different shades of meaning associated with the six domains that make up the NWI. The isiXhosa keywords for the domains of social conditions, the natural environment, national security, and management of the country’s affairs (government) were readily understood, but discussants asked for further clarification of keywords for the domains relating to the economy and business. Conversations showed up the close link between personal and national well-being: discussants drew upon their personal and parochial life experiences along with their knowledge of current affairs to evaluate the nation’s quality of life. They described the social contract between citizens and their government to create a ‘caring society’ that promotes well-being across key domains of national life. Many of the reference standards used to evaluate national well-being were ones postulated to influence personal well-being (Michalos A.C, Social Indicators Research 16(4): 347–413 1985 ). The study also pointed to a potential problem for longitudinal studies if the bipolar satisfaction scale, formerly used to measure the International Wellbeing Index’s PWI and NWI, is changed to a unipolar one. Findings from this pilot study confirm the potential of the NWI as a tool for measuring national well-being cross-culturally.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Moller, Valerie , Roberts, Benjamin J , Zani, Dalindyebo
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67135 , vital:29035 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-016-1481-4
- Description: publisher version , The International Wellbeing Index covers two complementary measures, the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) and the National Wellbeing Index (NWI). The focus group study reported here tested the understanding of the NWI when translated into isiXhosa, a language spoken by 6 million South Africans, or 16% of the country’s population. A challenge for the NWI in measuring national well-being is the tendency for meaning to get ‘lost in translation’ in the wording of the instrument, owing to the disparities that exist between levels of living in developed and developing nations. The focussed discussions with native isiXhosa speakers conveyed the different shades of meaning associated with the six domains that make up the NWI. The isiXhosa keywords for the domains of social conditions, the natural environment, national security, and management of the country’s affairs (government) were readily understood, but discussants asked for further clarification of keywords for the domains relating to the economy and business. Conversations showed up the close link between personal and national well-being: discussants drew upon their personal and parochial life experiences along with their knowledge of current affairs to evaluate the nation’s quality of life. They described the social contract between citizens and their government to create a ‘caring society’ that promotes well-being across key domains of national life. Many of the reference standards used to evaluate national well-being were ones postulated to influence personal well-being (Michalos A.C, Social Indicators Research 16(4): 347–413 1985 ). The study also pointed to a potential problem for longitudinal studies if the bipolar satisfaction scale, formerly used to measure the International Wellbeing Index’s PWI and NWI, is changed to a unipolar one. Findings from this pilot study confirm the potential of the NWI as a tool for measuring national well-being cross-culturally.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2018
Exploring the potential impacts of tourism development on social and ecological change in the Solomon Islands
- Diedrich, Amy, Aswani, Shankar
- 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
- 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
Linking the ‘know-that’ and ‘know-how’ knowledge through games: a quest to evolve the future for science and engineering education
- Vahed, Anisa, McKenna, Sioux, Singh, S
- Authors: Vahed, Anisa , McKenna, Sioux , Singh, S
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/66785 , vital:28993 , ISSN 1573-174X , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9956-9
- Description: Publisher version , This paper responds to Muller’s notions of ‘knowing-that’ and ‘knowing how’. The paper addresses how educational interventions that are designed in line with targeted discipline-specific subjects can enhance the balance between professional practice and disciplinary knowledge in professionally accredited programmes at universities of technology. The context is a Dental Technology programme at a University of Technology in South Africa. Teaching through discipline-specific games, conceptualised from a game literacies perspective, is proposed as an engaging, interactive pedagogy for learning disciplinary knowledge that potentially encourages access to a particular affinity group. The authors use concepts from Bernstein and Maton to investigate whether epistemic relations or social relations are emphasised through board and digital games designed for two Dental Technology subjects. This paper offers valuable insight into alternative pedagogies that can be adopted into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education with the aim of paving a pathway towards Muller’s Scenario 3.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Vahed, Anisa , McKenna, Sioux , Singh, S
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/66785 , vital:28993 , ISSN 1573-174X , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9956-9
- Description: Publisher version , This paper responds to Muller’s notions of ‘knowing-that’ and ‘knowing how’. The paper addresses how educational interventions that are designed in line with targeted discipline-specific subjects can enhance the balance between professional practice and disciplinary knowledge in professionally accredited programmes at universities of technology. The context is a Dental Technology programme at a University of Technology in South Africa. Teaching through discipline-specific games, conceptualised from a game literacies perspective, is proposed as an engaging, interactive pedagogy for learning disciplinary knowledge that potentially encourages access to a particular affinity group. The authors use concepts from Bernstein and Maton to investigate whether epistemic relations or social relations are emphasised through board and digital games designed for two Dental Technology subjects. This paper offers valuable insight into alternative pedagogies that can be adopted into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education with the aim of paving a pathway towards Muller’s Scenario 3.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2016
Possible futures for science and engineering education
- Blackie, Margaret, Le Roux, Kate, McKenna, Sioux
- Authors: Blackie, Margaret , Le Roux, Kate , McKenna, Sioux
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/66796 , vital:28994 , ISSN 1573-174X , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9962-y
- Description: Publisher version , From Introduction: The understanding that the science, engineering, technology and mathematics disciplines (STEM) have a significant and directly causal role to play in economic productivity and innovation has driven an increased focus on these fields in higher education. Innovation in this context is a shorthand for the harnessing of the knowledge economy and the provision of products with novel significant ‘added value’. The assumption in both developed and developing economies alike is that STEM will drive national growth (World Bank 2002; UNESCO 2009), and this impacts on demands that universities provide competent graduates in sufficient numbers. However, exactly what ‘competency’ might mean in this context is open to debate.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Blackie, Margaret , Le Roux, Kate , McKenna, Sioux
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/66796 , vital:28994 , ISSN 1573-174X , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9962-y
- Description: Publisher version , From Introduction: The understanding that the science, engineering, technology and mathematics disciplines (STEM) have a significant and directly causal role to play in economic productivity and innovation has driven an increased focus on these fields in higher education. Innovation in this context is a shorthand for the harnessing of the knowledge economy and the provision of products with novel significant ‘added value’. The assumption in both developed and developing economies alike is that STEM will drive national growth (World Bank 2002; UNESCO 2009), and this impacts on demands that universities provide competent graduates in sufficient numbers. However, exactly what ‘competency’ might mean in this context is open to debate.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2016
South African perceptions of the good life twenty years into democracy
- Authors: Moller, Valerie
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67215 , vital:29060 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20568-7_15
- Description: publisher version , South Africa celebrated 20 years of democracy in 2014. In 1994, life satisfaction among all South Africans peaked following the first open non-racial elections. Since that time, only some 45–55 % of the total population, on average, state that they are satisfied. Drawing on Alex Michalos’ classic Multiple Discrepancy Theory (MDT), this chapter explores the needs, expectations, aspirations and perceptions of progress among black South Africans, who were promised a better life under democracy by the new government they voted for in 1994. Findings suggest that expectations raised by the new government in the early years of democracy, coupled with a strong sense of entitlement to state services and welfare in later years, are among the strongest drivers of life satisfaction 20 years into democracy. South Africa’s democracy project is still a work in progress and black South Africans continue to hope for a better life in the future.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Moller, Valerie
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67215 , vital:29060 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20568-7_15
- Description: publisher version , South Africa celebrated 20 years of democracy in 2014. In 1994, life satisfaction among all South Africans peaked following the first open non-racial elections. Since that time, only some 45–55 % of the total population, on average, state that they are satisfied. Drawing on Alex Michalos’ classic Multiple Discrepancy Theory (MDT), this chapter explores the needs, expectations, aspirations and perceptions of progress among black South Africans, who were promised a better life under democracy by the new government they voted for in 1994. Findings suggest that expectations raised by the new government in the early years of democracy, coupled with a strong sense of entitlement to state services and welfare in later years, are among the strongest drivers of life satisfaction 20 years into democracy. South Africa’s democracy project is still a work in progress and black South Africans continue to hope for a better life in the future.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2016
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