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An investigation of how natural sciences teachers mediate learning of chemical reactions in Grade 9: a case study

  • Authors: Xipu, Bukelwa
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Chemical reactions Science teachers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Science teachers -- Rating of -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1631 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003513
  • Description: This research study involves two Grade 9 Natural Sciences teachers from two schools in the Lady Frere District of the Eastern Cape. The reason for selecting these two teachers is that in 2009 they, like me, obtained an Advanced Certificate in Education (Science and Maths) from Rhodes University. As a result, we have a good working relationship. Furthermore, both teachers are actively involved in the Natural Sciences curriculum in the District and their schools are not far from the District Office where I work. The principal objective of this study was to investigate how Natural Sciences teachers mediated learning in order to enhance conceptual development and understanding of chemical reactions in Grade 9. It was triggered by the transformation in curriculum in South Africa as well as by my experience of working with Natural Sciences teachers in our rural district. The study is informed by an interpretive paradigm using a qualitative case study approach. The data was gathered by administering analysis of documents, semi-structured interviews, observations, field notes and journals. During the data analysis process, patterns and themes were illuminated using the inductive analysis method. Rich data sets in relation to the main research question on how Natural Sciences teachers mediated learning in order to enhance conceptual development and understanding of chemical reactions in Grade 9 emerged from the analysed data. The conclusions that can be drawn from the study indicate that when teaching chemical reactions, teachers should have adequate content knowledge as well as pedagogical content knowledge. It is thus recommended that teachers consider the prior knowledge of learners, use a variety of teaching and learning approaches including practical activities, to make learning meaningful. The major limitation of this study is that the two selected teachers do not represent the whole population of Grade 9 teachers in the Lady Frere District. Therefore, the findings cannot be generalized to represent the larger population. It is recognised, however, that within the qualitative inquiry, reliability and generalizability play a minor role.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

An investigation of instructional leadership in a Namibian rural school

  • Authors: Namukwambi, Nahum
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: Educational leadership -- Namibia -- Omusati Rural schools -- Namibia -- Omusati School management and organization -- Namibia -- Omusati Teachers -- Namibia -- Omusati Effective teaching -- Namibia -- Omusati Learning -- Namibia -- Omusati
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1633 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003515
  • Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate how instructional leadership manifests itself and can be strengthened in a Namibian rural school. As a teacher, head of department and later an education officer, I have long held the view that committed school leadership is essential for the school’s instructional and academic success. Equally, I have always been aware of the impact of the past segregation and the unequal education provided by the colonial government in South Africa and South West Africa/Namibia. The inferior education provided to Africans posed a serious challenge to the leadership and management of schools, as would be principals were not adequately trained to provide the necessary “ingredients” relevant for instructional success. Given this background, I attempted, using a case study of one secondary school, to investigate how instructional leadership is manifesting itself and could be strengthened in a rural school in the Omusati region of Namibia. Research questions that framed the study were: firstly, how does the leadership approach in the school promote teaching and learning; secondly, what is the role of external players in enhancing instructional leadership and thirdly, what are the strengthening and inhibiting factors of instructional leadership. The population of the study was composed of an Inspector of Education, a school principal, a head of department (HOD) and four teachers from a secondary school, located in the Omusati region in Namibia. Data were collected through interviews, document analysis and observation. With regard to data analysis, I first immersed myself in the data. I developed themes that formed the basis of my discussion with my research questions in mind. The analysis revealed that instructional leadership is strongly evidenced at the case study school. However, it emerged that despite the existence of strong instructional leadership at the school, as with all other organisations, there are several challenges that limit the effective implementation of the teaching and learning programme. These challenges vary from indiscipline, poor time management, to lack of teaching and learning resources. Participants also provided a number of possible solutions to the problems identified, including that the principal should be a good role model for the staff and that an enabling environment for both teaching and learning should be created. The study also strongly suggested that participative leadership and management is a cornerstone to the academic success of the school.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

An investigation of local economic development and income security in the Eastern Cape : the case of Amathole District Municipality

An investigation of media representation of the complexities confronting the concept of the 'Rainbow Nation' as a South African social reality: an analysis of the works of Trevor Noah

  • Authors: Magwaza, Isheunesu
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: Noah, Trevor , Mass media -- South Africa , Stand-up comedy -- South Africa , South Africa -- Humor
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:8421 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1015711
  • Description: This study is an investigation into the representation of complexities confronting the concept of the Rainbow Nation as a South African social reality. The study is based on the works of Trevor Noah, one of post-Apartheid South Africa‘s eminent stand-up comedians whose two media works, The Day Walker and Crazy Normal, tackle issues pertaining to the socio-political and economic realities that are prevailing in South Africa. The mass media products continue to receive wide acclaim from both, media circles and audiences from racially diversified societies. They are delivered in a mimetic stereotypical manner that cuts across the length and breadth of the South African society. Trevor Noah‘s comedy uses humour to provide the South African society with an opportunity ―[for brutal honesty] to explore, affirm, deny, and ultimately to change its structure and its values‖ (Turner, 1977:33). Representations made in his comedy, more than providing people with a tonic for laughter, also create for the society momentary instances of thought which transcend the theatre stage in which the humour is delivered. Courtesy of these representations, his comedy infiltrates the people‘s sub-consciousness and engages them on those issues pertaining to race-relations and multicultural tolerance which are more often than not trivialised but are influential in shaping the status quo.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

An investigation of persistence of rural poverty in South Africa: the case of O.R. Tambo district municipality

  • Authors: Kongwa, Kekelwa Samuele
  • Date: 2012
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Social Science Dev)
  • Identifier: vital:11443 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1007577
  • Description: The purpose of this study was an investigation of the reasons for persistent poverty and low level of economic growth and development in the OR Tambo district municipality of the Eastern Cape Province since the advent of democracy in South Africa. To accomplish this objective, a case study of the OR Tambo district municipality was undertaken within the concept of development, seeking to answer three research questions: What are the factors that explain the persistence of poverty in the OR Tambo district municipality? Why is the OR Tambo district municipality the most exposed to poverty in relative and absolute terms? What have state poverty intervention strategies done to alleviate poverty in the OR Tambo district since the advent of democracy in South Africa? Mainly qualitative data collection methods, involving in-depth semi-structured interviews, textual and document analyses, focus group discussions and observations were employed to answer the research questions. A purposive sampling of nineteen participants, supplemented by three focus groups, was selected. The macro-level case study design was supplemented by micro-level documentary evidence on poverty and development. From the synthesised findings of the investigation, twelve causal factors were identified as responsible for persistent poverty and low level of economic growth and development in the OR Tambo district. These included political neglect, agricultural neglect, poor infrastructure, corruption, poor service delivery, poor quality of natural resources, brain drain, migrant labour system, culture of tolerance and conservatism, culture of dependence, no long-term development strategy and globalisation.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

An investigation of strategies used by Ndebele translators in Zimbabwe in translating HIV/AIDS texts: a corpus-based approach

  • Authors: Ndhlovu, Ketiwe
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: Translating and interpreting -- Zimbabwe , Corpora (Linguistics) , Culture -- Study and teaching -- Zimbabwe , Translators -- Zimbabwe , HIV infections -- Zimbabwe , AIDS (Disease) -- Zimbabwe , Taboo, Linguistic , Ndebele (African people) -- Social life and customs
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (African Languages)
  • Identifier: vital:11149 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/524 , Translating and interpreting -- Zimbabwe , Corpora (Linguistics) , Culture -- Study and teaching -- Zimbabwe , Translators -- Zimbabwe , HIV infections -- Zimbabwe , AIDS (Disease) -- Zimbabwe , Taboo, Linguistic , Ndebele (African people) -- Social life and customs
  • Description: In Zimbabwe, translation studies is yet to be recognized as a discipline worthy of study in its own right, hence, not much research has been carried out into the theory and practice of translation. Furthermore, there is no tertiary institution that offers professional translation courses. In light of this information most translations are carried out by untrained/partially trained translators with only a few translators who have gained experience over time. The aim of this study was to investigate strategies used by Ndebele translators in the translation of specialized terms and cultural taboos in selected HIV/AIDS texts, as well as factors that can be used to improve the translation situation of Zimbabwe. Three main theoretical approaches were used in a complementary fashion, namely Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS), Cultural Studies and Corpus-based Translation Studies (CTS). DTS provided the researcher with a theory to understand the Ndebele translations in their wider environment; Cultural Studies provided the researcher with the means by which to understand Ndebele culture and taboos; Corpus-based Translation Studies (CTS) provided the researcher with the methodological tools and analytical techniques to analyse the corpus of texts. An English-Ndebele Parallel Corpus (ENPC) was created using fourteen English source texts and their corresponding Ndebele translations. The ENPC was interrogated by means of ParaConc, a parallel concordancing program. The study found that when translating specialised terms, Ndebele translators used strategies such as a general or neutral word, cultural substitution, paraphrasing and omission. The strategy of omission was misused in most cases because Ndebele translators omitted valuable information which did not reach the target readers. With regards to translation strategies that contributed to term creation, it was found that Ndebele translators relied on external as well as internal resources. The translators used strategies such as pure loan words; pure loan words preceeded by an explanation and indigenised loan words. From the Ndebele language itself, the translators resorted to semantic shift, compounding, coinage and paraphrasing, among others. From the ENPC it is clear that Ndebele translators did manage to transfer the message from English to Ndebele to an extent. However, the ENPC has to be used with caution by other researchers since the translations included in the corpus are full of errors such as misinterpretations of the source texts, mistranslations, incorrect terms and incorrect orthography. This factor points to a dire need to establish translation as an academic discipline and profession in Zimbabwe so as to elevate the quality of translations and offer better translation services to all users.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

An investigation of strategies used by school principals in promoting professional development among teaching staff in the Keiskammahoek area

  • Authors: Kebeni, Mputumi
  • Date: 2012
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , M Ed
  • Identifier: vital:16217 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1018603
  • Description: The fusion of the different Departments of Education after 1994 resulted in many changes in the education system of South Africa, which created confusion and uncertainty among educators. Among the changes was the introduction of the National Curriculum Statement and Outcomes-Based Education that was intended to transform teaching and learning in schools. To prepare educators for the myriad of changes, short courses were conducted via the cascade model, but these proved largely ineffective and educators have been crying out for proper Professional Development programmes to better prepare them for their crucial roles in the new South Africa. Amongst the many challenges in rural areas, multi-grade and multi-phase teaching is prevalent. Most educators were not adequately prepared for these during teacher training. The poor quality of training and lack of professional development have resulted in feelings of frustration and inadequacy among educators. To ameliorate the situation, the Department of Education instituted the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS), aimed at improving the quality of learning and teaching by empowering, motivating and training educators. However, professional development has remained elusive as the IQMS is not properly used since it has been characterised by political interference, and seems almost exclusively focused on salary progression. At the end of the day, it is often the overworked and over-burdened school principal who is attempting to provide professional development for staff, with little or no help from outside sources. Very little research that has been undertaken into what it is that rural school principals actually do to develop staff. The researcher has attempted to understand how principals undertake the professional development of educators, given that many are in remote and resource-poor areas, which makes development very difficult. Added to this is the heavy workload and burden of classroom teaching which many of the principals face, especially those in remote areas, where smaller schools are the norm. The researcher explored different strategies which school principals can use for the professional development of their staff before going to the field to see what it is that principals are actually doing. School principals are strategically situated to play a significant role in improving the quality of teaching and learning, as the success and failure of their schools rest on their shoulders. Every study is located within a paradigm. The paradigm used in this study is the interpretivist one, as it allowed the researcher to investigate the meanings and the interpretation of the social actors in a particular situation. Hermeneutic theory within a qualitative research approach was used, as its main concern is an understanding of the way in which individuals construct, modify and interpret the world in which they find themselves. The research design used was semi-structured interviews, chosen to elicit information from the participants about professional development in their schools. Interview questions were prepared that emanated from the main research question. Through fieldwork, the researcher developed an understanding of the challenges that face the principals, and of the strategies they use to promote professional growth and development. It was discovered that principals in smaller rural schools in Keiskammahoek make extensive use of delegation as a developmental tool, but that while there are other attempts to develop staff, there seems to be very little comprehensive planning or execution of professional development. Recommendations made are that school principals should use workshops regularly, encourage educators to plan together and monitor such planning, delegate duties, encourage group and team work among the teachers, implement the IQMS and encourage mentoring and coaching for development purposes. School principals should jointly form forums and clusters that are aimed at professional growth and development. Principals should also take initiative in professional development, even if they are faced with difficult situations and conditions. The Department of Education should invest in education by ensuring that all educators, no matter where they teach, should enjoy continuous professional development to improve the quality of learning and teaching in schools.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

An investigation of teacher participation in decision -making, curriculum and management issues: a case study of four secondary schools in the Fort Beaufort District, Eastern Cape Province

  • Authors: Latsha, Xolisa Noluvo
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Teacher participation in administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Teacher participation in curriculum planning -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape High school teachers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Decision making
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , M Ed
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1851 , vital:27567
  • Description: The birth of democracy in 1994 in South Africa moved away from the authoritarian leadership style of the Apartheid era to a democratic style where accountability , democracy, transformational and distributed leadership style was encouraged at school. Leadership was not deemed to be the duty of the principal alone but leadership is shared among all the stakeholders at school. The above assertion prompted the researcher to engage in this study whose purpose was to investigate the extent of teacher participation in decision making in curriculum and management issues at schools. The study sought to assess:(i)To identify the categories of teachers who participated in decision making at school level (ii) To find out the areas in which teachers are involved in decision making at school (iii) To identify the strategies used by principals/ school management in involving the teachers in decision making (iv) To find out the views of principals and teachers regarding their involvement regarding their participation in decision making in curriculum and management issues. To achieve these objectives the researcher opted for the qualitative approach which is embedded in the interpretivist paradigm. The qualitative approach typically studies people by interacting and observing the participants in their natural setting and focusing on their meanings and interpretations. This methodology was relevant because it produced the desired results and gathered information directly from the respondents through interviews, observation, and document analysis. This methodology assisted the researcher to find out the extent of teacher participation in decision making. The data revealed that all teachers are expected to be involved in decision making but that depends on the nature of the issue. The study revealed that all teachers were involved in decisions concerning disciplinary, curriculum, sport as major school activities but some teachers were not involved in financial matters. The data also found out that male teachers feel that there is imbalance of contribution in staff meetings since female teachers are more than male teachers. Furthermore , the study showed that school principals used various strategies to involve teachers in decision making such as consultation on individual basis, group or at committee level. The study also revealed that the principals and teachers felt that when they work together as the school community all organizational goals and objectives will be achieved and owned by all teachers. Teachers also viewed non involvement as what resulted in the negative impact of the activities including high teacher absenteeism and demotivation.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

An investigation of teachers', learners' and parents' understanding and perceptions of a whole school approach to environmental learning in selected schools in the Oshana Region, Namibia

  • Authors: Nashilongo, Onesmus
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: Environmental education -- Namibia -- Oshana Environmental education -- Curricula -- Namibia -- Oshana Environmental education -- Parent participation -- Namibia -- Oshana Environmental education -- Study and teaching -- Namibia -- Oshana Supporting Environmental Education in Namibia (SEEN) Sustainable development -- Study and teaching -- Namibia -- Oshana
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1646 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003528
  • Description: This study sought to investigate teacher, learner and parental perceptions and understanding of a whole school approach in environmental education (EE). There were five schools piloting environmental education through a whole school development approach in the Oshana Region of Namibia. The study was conducted in two rural schools in the Oshana Region. The schools were selected because they participated and piloted the infusion of environmental education themes in the curriculum through the whole school approach during the Supporting Environmental Education in Namibia (SEEN) project piloting phase from 2001 to 2005. This study was shaped and informed by international theories, practices and perspectives of a whole school approach as cited in chapter two of this study. In other words a whole school approach has provided theoretical background information and a practical framework on which this study was built. A whole school approach provides a theoretical understanding of how the school community, the biophysical environment, as well as the curriculum can benefit from EE projects through a whole school development approach. The whole school approach, discussed in this study, provides an opportunity to see the link between the whole school approach and ESD in order to understand the role a whole school approach plays in the implementation of ESD in Namibia. The research took the form of an interpretive case study focusing on a study of two teachers, two learners, and two members of the community. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, document analysis and site observations. This study was undertaken two years later after the Supporting Environmental Education Namibia (SEEN) pilot project phased out. The findings indicate that despite the training and support received by the schools during the operation of the Supporting Environmental Education Namibia (SEEN) pilot project, schools are still experiencing problems with the application of a whole school approach. The findings revealed that the curriculum should provide guidelines and examples to support teachers on how to integrate environmental education in the teaching and learning process. The results of the study indicate that teachers, learners and members of the community have a limited understanding about how a whole school development approach in environmental education is linked to Education Sustainable Development (ESD) and the four dimensions of the environment.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

An investigation of the impact of intrinsic motivation and job involvement on employee retention: a case of selected departments within the Eastern Cape Provincial Government

  • Authors: Mgedezi, Sipho
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: Intrinsic motivation , Motivation (Psychology) , Employee retention -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Labor turnover -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Employee empowerment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Organizational commitment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Performance -- Management , Employee loyalty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Employee motivation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Industrial Psychology)
  • Identifier: vital:11554 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1007094 , Intrinsic motivation , Motivation (Psychology) , Employee retention -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Labor turnover -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Employee empowerment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Organizational commitment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Performance -- Management , Employee loyalty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Employee motivation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Description: This study investigated the impact of intrinsic motivation and job involvement, with employee retention acting as a mediating variable. As most organisations want to retain their best employees and sustain their organisational performance, this study strives to add to the body of knowledge on motivation, job involvement and employee retention, with specific reference to selected departments within the Eastern Cape Provincial Government in the South African context. Intrinsic motivation and job involvement were used as the independent variables. Employee retention is the dependent variable, which was measured using the cumulative Michigan Organisational Assessment Two-item Questionnaire (Camman, Fichman & Klesh, 1979) and a third assessment item from Landau & Hammer (1986). A quantitative relational design was employed to investigate the degree to which intrinsic motivation and job involvement predict an employee’s intention to quit their job. The data were collected through a self administered questionnaire from a convenience sample of 160 employees within the selected government departments in the study. The empirical results obtained from the data; using the Pearson correlation coefficients, indicated significant relationships between intrinsic motivation, job involvement and employee retention. Evidence was further found that employees’ intrinsic motivation and job involvement influenced the extent of employees’ intention to quit. Furthermore, a multiple regression analysis of the data indicated that intrinsic motivation is the strongest predictor of employee retention, followed by job involvement.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

An investigation of the learning processes that take place during practical work activities when using electrical circuit boards in grade: a case study

  • Authors: Accom, Gerald Charles
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: Competency-based education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies Education -- Evaluation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1961 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1009687
  • Description: Since the introduction of Outcomes Based Education (OBE) as a preferred method of teaching and learning with Curriculum 2005 in 1997, its existence has come under continuous threat for the past thirteen years. Its teething experiences included a revision in 2004 which saw the introduction of the Revised National Curriculum Statements (RNCS) and most recently, we are now standing on the threshold of the implementation of the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) in 2012. Throughout the turbulent educational milieu, social constructivism has always been upheld as the preferred teaching and learning methodology and millions of rands have been invested in this regard. This study is thus premised on the concern that now after all the years of actively promoting social constructivist methodologies, the implementation of the CAPS could seriously negate reasonable strides made in this regard. Triggered by these curricular issues, a qualitative case study was conducted at a school in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, investigating the learning processes occurring in group work sessions during lessons involving practical work in electricity using circuit boards in grade 8. Underpinned by an interpretivist paradigm, the study took place in two phases. The data was mainly generated through audio and video recording of two focus groups. An open coding system was employed to derive analytical categories and frequency tables were used to establish trends. In order to validate the data, two observer teachers were involved throughout the research process and this was followed up with semistructured interviews after the second phase. The two case studies, involving learners fitting a similar profile in respect of mother-tongue and age group, were engaged in a similar activity for almost a year apart. This study anticipated the revelation of the extent to which group practical activities in electricity promoted learning, how knowledge is constructed in group-settings and whether practical activities involving electrical circuit boards in grade 8 enhance learning? The main findings of my study revealed that these practical activities can promote learning and therefore should remain a preferred method of teaching.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

An investigation of the role of physical manipulatives in the teaching and learning of measurement in Grade 8 : a case study using surface area and volume

  • Authors: Chiphambo, Shakespear M E K
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: Measurement -- Study and teaching -- Research Mathematics -- Education (Secondary) -- Study and teaching Teaching -- Aids and devices -- Research
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1657 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003540
  • Description: The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of physical manipulatives in the teaching and learning of measurement in Grade 8. The study focuses on how the use of physical manipulatives promotes learners' mathematical proficiency in relation to the five strands of Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell (2001). The basis of the research is a case study in the interpretive paradigm involving 18 out of a cohort of 270 Grade 8 learners in the school where I teach. The data was collected using a range of methods including: (i) baseline assessment tasks, first piloted using 7 Grade 8 learners and then given to the target group; (ii) an intervention programme with intervention tasks; (iii) a post-intervention task; (iv) observations during the intervention; and (v) individual interviews. The results of the baseline assessment and the post-intervention tasks were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. My research findings indicate an overall improvement of the performance after learners engaged in using physical manipulatives. The average mark of the learners in the baseline assessment task was 23% and after the intervention programme the average mark was 31 %. The responses from the learners interviewed showed that they were motivated and that the use of physical manipulatives assisted them in understanding the concepts of measurement, in particular surface area and volume. The results of my study thus reveal that the use of physical manipulatives in teaching and learning mathematics has a positive role to play in learners' understanding of surface area and volume at the Grade 8 level. The fmdings of this case study support other research regarding the importance of using physical manipulatives in teaching and learning mathematics. They align with other findings that assert that manipulatives are essential mediating tools in the development of the conceptual and procedural understanding of mathematical concepts, clarifying and helping learners to visualize abstract mathematical concepts.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

An investigation of the role of the ward councillors in relation to the National Urban Renewal Programme : a case study of the Motherwell, Nelson Mandela Bay

  • Authors: Mbusi, Pamela Boniwe
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: Public administration -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Local government -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
  • Identifier: vital:8300 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1019706
  • Description: This study sought to investigate the extent to which Ward Councillors executed their Constitutional and developmental mandate to enhance basic service delivery in relation to the National Urban Renewal Programme (NURP). For practical purposes, a case study approach was chosen, using Motherwell in Nelson Mandela Bay as the specific area of focus. Motherwell was declared by the national government as one of eight nodal zones for urban renewal in South Africa. The Preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, states that the injustices of the past have to be addressed and those who suffered for justice and freedom in the country should be honoured. The results of the 1994 national and 1995 local government elections marked a political breakthrough in South African politics. The new democratic and social reconstruction agenda necessitated the transformation of the legislative framework in various areas. In this study, the role of Ward Councillors was interrogated and investigated to establish whether the Urban Renewal Programme had benefited the Motherwell community in Nelson Mandela Bay in accessing basic services. In this regard, a legislative framework regulates and guides municipal Councillors in performing their developmental duties to achieve local government developmental outcomes. The legislative prescriptions that underpin the operations and activities of municipal Councillors in delivering public services to citizens and in ensuring the effective and efficient implementation of government policies generally, and the Motherwell Urban Renewal Programme in particular, were examined and interrogated. An overview of the National Urban Renewal Programme was presented. The legislative framework underpinning the Urban Renewal Programme was also reviewed. The study concluded with a number of recommendations based on the findings of the literature, legislative reviews and an empirical survey.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

An ion-imprinted polymer for the selective extraction of mercury(II) ions in aqueous media

  • Authors: Batlokwa, Bareki Shima , Chimuka, Luke , Tshentu, Zenixole , Cukrowska, Ewa , Torto, Nelson
  • Date: 2012
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: vital:6566 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004125
  • Description: A double-imprinted polymer exhibiting high sensitivity for mercury(II) in aqueous solution is presented. Polymer particles imprinted with mercury(II) were synthesised by copolymerising the functional and cross-linking monomers, N’–[3– (Trimethoxysilyl)–propyl]diethylenetriamine (TPET) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS). A double-imprinting procedure employing hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), as a second template to improve the efficiency of the polymer, was adopted. The imprinted polymer was characterised by FTIR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the average size determined by screen analysis using standard test sieves. Relative selective coefficients (k`) of the imprinted polymer evaluated from selective binding studies between Hg2+ and Cu2+ or Hg2+ and Cd2+ were 10 588 and 3 147, respectively. These values indicated highly-favoured Hg2+ extractions over the 2 competing ions. The results of spiked and real water samples showed high extraction efficiencies of Hg2+ ions, (over 84%) as evaluated from the detected unextracted Hg2+ ions by ICP-OES. The method exhibited a dynamic response concentration range for Hg2+ between 0.01 and 20 μg/mℓ, with a detection limit (LOD, 3σ) of 0.000036 μg/mℓ (36 ng/ℓ) that meets the monitoring requirements for the USA EPA of 2 000 ng/ℓ for Hg2+ in drinking water. Generally, the data (n=10) had percentage relative standard deviations (%RSD) of less than 4%. Satisfactory results were also obtained when the prepared sorbent was applied for the pre-concentration of Hg2+ from an aqueous certified reference material. These findings indicate that the double-imprinted polymer has potential to be used as an efficient extraction material for the selective pre–concentration of mercury(II) ions in aqueous environments.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

An RTSP proxy for implementing the IPTV media function using a streaming server

  • Authors: Shibeshi, Zelalem S , Terzoli, Alfredo , Bradshaw, Karen L
  • Date: 2012
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/429136 , vital:72562 , https://www.informatica.si/index.php/informatica/article/view/383
  • Description: Multimedia content delivery in IMS, including IPTV, is handled by a separate unit, the Media Function (MF), made up of media control and media delivery units, which in the case of IPTV are the Media Control Function (MCF) and Media Delivery Function (MDF), respectively. According to the different specifications of an IMS based IPTV architecture, the User Equipment (UE) is expected to use the RTSP protocol as a media control protocol to interact with the MCF, and obtains delivery of media from the MDF using the RTP protocol. This also means that the streaming session needs to be initiated from the media controller on behalf of the user but the delivery of media is sent to the UE from the media deliverer (media server). Due both to the lack of free and open source Media Servers and the availability of free and open source Streaming Servers, the ideal choice for the delivery of multimedia services, including IPTV, by the research community is Streaming Servers. Nevertheless, because of denial of service attacks and other issues, most streaming servers do not allow a different location for the session setup request and the delivery of media in the streaming session. In other words, most streaming servers are not designed to be controlled by some other entity other than the RTSP client that consumes the media. This makes it difficult to have a separate media control unit for IPTV service in IMS if one wanted to use a streaming server as an MDF unit. So, while waiting for streaming servers to work in this manner, it is better to find a work around in order to use streaming servers to develop and test IPTV services in IMS environments. For this purpose we propose another component (an RTSP proxy and relay unit) as part of the IPTV MF and to mediate between the MCF and MDF. This unit correctly relays media control commands from the MCF to the MDF and RTP packets from the MDF to the UE. It also helps in the implementation of other streaming functionalities that are required for IPTV service delivery, but which are not implemented in the current open source streaming servers. Additional services can also be easily implemented with the help of this unit. This will facilitate the development of an IPTV service using readily available open source streaming servers and help researchers to evaluate their proposals on new services they would like to develop. In this paper we show how this RTSP proxy unit can be integrated into the Media Function of the IPTV architecture to ease the media delivery process of an IMS based IPTV service.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

An understanding of corporate social investment within the Kenya Pipeline Company and how it can be used to promote development

  • Authors: Mulindi, Belinda Ong'asia
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: Investments -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Kenya , Sustainable development -- Kenya
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:9164 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020043
  • Description: Development and all issues that pertain to it, has been a hot topic since the turn of the century. Governments have set up programs and agendas that they would like to follow to implement development in areas such as social, education, health and environment. Traditionally developing of communities has always been a government’s mandate. Corporate society established that to live in harmony with its neighbours, it was better to plough back into the community. That said it was paramount to see how the both development and CSI/R can be intertwined reasons behind this qualitative research were to establish if the Kenya Pipeline Company CSI initiatives can be used to promote development. The research methodology used was interviews, distribution of questionnaire and document review. These methods were settled on since they allowed the researcher to gain more knowledge and a greater understanding of the data collected and in it’s the natural setting. Kenya Pipeline Company’s CSI/R policy is not quite in place and development could be pegged to the ethnic group or geographical region that the Managing Director comes from. Stakeholders do not quite contribute and are seldom involved in the decision making process. The first benefactors are the communities that fall by the way- leave of the pipeline moving out. A conclusive policy document needs to be put in place to curb the powers given to a single individual and to be able to involve the various stakeholders so as to ensure sustainable development initiatives.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

Analysis of leadership and management challenges facing school principals in Circuit no. 12 of the King William's Town District of the Eastern Cape Province

  • Authors: Ngangelizwe, Nomakaya Orrienda
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School principals -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Education and state -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Educational leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , King William's Town (South Africa)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
  • Identifier: vital:11653 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1006981 , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School principals -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Education and state -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Educational leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , King William's Town (South Africa)
  • Description: Within the South African context, because of political and social changes and the influence caused by these changes on educational structures, the new and high demands are required from school principals. Principals now find it necessary to make choices and take decisions .Unfortunately they are not equipped sufficiently to make careful decisions in meeting constitutional demands (Niehaus & Myburgh, 1999). According to Evans (1997:20) (as cited by Schoeman, 2006) the establishment of suitable institutions is sufficient in keeping a free and democratic society, world events (fascism in Japan, Italy, Germany,1920s-1930s;cold war in Europe, 1940s-1980s are there to remind us that even the best –designed institutions are not sufficient. A free and democratic society is dependent on knowledge, skills and virtues of its citizens (IDASA 1999:2). Brown and Duku, 2008 contend that when SASA was introduced, it was of the idea that it would create a new school governance landscape (Naidoo, 2005). Criticisms are blaming the SASA for the tensions that exist in school governance. SASA is viewed as steeply middle- class in identity and is accused of normalising parental participation in school governance in middle-class terms. Another criticism is on the assumption that parents should have the resources and time to spend on school activities (Dyer &Rose, 2005; Fakir, 2003; Sayed & Soudien, 2005). When criticisms against this Act were taken stock of in the context of socio-economic realities of many communities in rural locations in SA, it is difficult to disagree. The report of the Ministerial Review Committee cited socio-economic related difficulties as paralysing how parents participate in school governance in rural communities (Ministerial Review Study, 2004).
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  • Date Issued: 2012

Analysis of models of development in Ethiopia on ADLI policy after Ethio-Eritrean war of 1998-2000

  • Authors: Masomelele, Mviko
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: Economic development -- Developing countries , Postwar reconstruction -- Ethiopia , Agriculture -- Ethiopia , Eritrean-Ethiopian War, 1998- -- Ethiopia
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:9109 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1014623
  • Description: In this research, the researcher is analysing the models of development in Ethiopia on ADLI policy after the Ethio-Eritrean War of 1998-2000. As a post- conflict country it is always important to know how a country reconstructs its economy after the war. The researcher will give a brief background of Ethiopia with her different regime changes. Ethiopia is a landlocked country and is found in the Horn of Africa. Her boarders are Eritrea on the north and north east, and Djibouti and Somalia on the East, Kenya on the south, on the west and south west by Sudan. (BCC) Ethiopia has been under three remarkably different political regimes; the feudal imperial era under Emperor Haile Selassie; the socialist military dictatorship of Colonel Mangistu’s Derg; and the marketoriented Western aligned democracy of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.(Devereux et al,2005:121 ) Each regime had applied different policies on agriculture which employs 80 percent of the population. Feudal policies where the land was in the hands of the landlords failed during Selassie’s regime and this was proved by the famine of 1974. He was overthrown by Derg in a coup in 1974. Derg introduced a “radical agrarian transformation based on land redistribution. His policies on agriculture were based on the Marxist egalitarian ideology and by conviction that feudal relations in agriculture had exposed millions of highland Ethiopians to intolerable levels of poverty and vulnerability.” (Devereux et al, 2005:121-122). According to Derg’s agricultural policy land was confiscated from the landlords and was redistributed to the rural farmers and it was trying to break inequalities over land control and it aimed at achieving agricultural productivity and rural incomes. Derg’s regime was overthrown by Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) in 1991. EPRDF further continued with land redistribution in the wake of 1990s and it gave farmlands to demobilised soldiers and tried to correct the inequalities that emerged with time as farming families were growing. (Devereux et al, 2005:122) In all these regimes, land was owned by the state. Ethiopian economy is based on agriculture which contributes 47 percent to GNP and more than 80 percent of exports, and employs 85 percent of the population. Ethiopia’s agriculture is plagued by periodic droughts, soil degradation emanating from poor agricultural practices and overgrazing, deforestation, high population density, underdeveloped water resources and poor transport infrastructure which makes extremely difficult and expensive to get goods to the market. (BCC, 07) The EPRDF came up with the new agricultural policy in the beginning of 1991 and it was known as Agriculture Development Led Industrialisation (ADLI). ADLI is the policy that emphasised on modernising smallholder agriculture and intensifying yield productivity through the supply of appropriate technology, certified seeds, fertilizers, rural credit facilities and technical assistance. (Getachew, 2003:9) This policy introduced some reforms in agriculture as it introduced a nationwide agricultural extension program, the propagation of laws that liberalised the purchasing and distribution of inputs and to increase and to make credit facilities available to rural farmers. In 1995 Minister of Agriculture (MoA) introduced a vehicle to drive the policy, which was called the Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty (PADETES). The PADETES started with 32047 farmers on board. The aim was to educate farmers in new farming methods which will increase productivity and make farmers self sufficient. Agriculture Sample Survey 2009/10 states that ‘country’s experience showed that farmers’ attitude and tendency to adapt and accept new innovations, modern agricultural techniques and technologies, such as use of fertilizers, irrigation, improved seeds and pesticides that help to improve their living standards through attaining enhanced productivity, do have positive impact on the development on the agricultural sector as a whole.’(Central Statistical Agency, 2010: i) Teshome (2006:1) shows complexity of Ethiopian agriculture when he says that it largest contributor to the GDP, exports and foreign earnings and it employs almost 85 percent of the population. On the contrary, despite its socio-economic importance its performance continues to be low due to many natural and manmade factors which will be discussed in this research.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

Anatomy of a pottery bonfiring in the Port St Johns region, Eastern Cape, South Africa

  • Authors: Steele, John
  • Date: 2012
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/1034 , vital:30232
  • Description: This paper seeks to document and contextualise the unique bonfiring methods of octogenarian potter Alice Gqa Nongebeza, who works from her homestead at Nkonxeni village in the Tombo area near Port St Johns. Her firing technique is compared with those of fellow local potters Debora Nomathamsanqa Ntloya and Nontwazana Dunjana. These three Mpondo potters, and their understudies, create ceramic utilityware and other items for a mainly local market that sometimes also appeals to collectors and tourists. Although they are aware of each other, they use their own clay sources and clayworking methods, and have evolved very different firing techniques. This paper, with reference also to potters in KwaZulu-Natal, shows that Nongebeza, in particular, has developed a rare approach to firing, and calls for the inclusion of her type of firing technique in African firing lexicons. It also calls for greater attention to sequential firing detail as practised by individual potters, in forthcoming reports that add to knowledge about zeroelectricity- usage ceramics production in southern Africa, and elsewhere.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

Anthropogenic threats to resident and dispersing African wild dogs west and south of the Kruger National Park, South Africa

  • Authors: Watermeyer, Jessica Patricia
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: African wild dog -- South Africa -- Kruger National Park , African wild dog -- Effect of human beings on -- South Africa -- Kruger National Park , African wild dog -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Kruger National Park , Endangered species -- South Africa -- Kruger National Park , African wild dog -- Dispersal -- South Africa -- Kruger National Park , African wild dog -- Conservation -- South Africa -- Kruger National Park , Animal populations -- Estimates -- South Africa -- Kruger National Park
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:5636 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005318 , African wild dog -- South Africa -- Kruger National Park , African wild dog -- Effect of human beings on -- South Africa -- Kruger National Park , African wild dog -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Kruger National Park , Endangered species -- South Africa -- Kruger National Park , African wild dog -- Dispersal -- South Africa -- Kruger National Park , African wild dog -- Conservation -- South Africa -- Kruger National Park , Animal populations -- Estimates -- South Africa -- Kruger National Park
  • Description: African wild dog Lycaon pictus populations are declining and the species is listed as Endangered by the IUCN. The Kruger National Park (KNP) is home to the only viable population of wild dogs in South Africa, but census results reveal consistently low numbers since the late 1990s. Wild dogs display wide-ranging behaviour and it is possible that the species might frequently use unprotected lands adjacent to the KNP. However, very little is known about wild dog movements beyond the boundaries of the KNP, and whether or not adjacent land owners are tolerant of the species. Significantly, threats along the boundaries may have negative consequences for the KNP population. This research investigated the dispersal habits of wild dogs beyond the western and southern boundaries of the KNP, and gathered information on human tolerance, and anthropogenic threats in an area of mixed land use. The land west of the KNP presented the best prospect for wild dog range expansion. The wild dog packs operating outside the KNP had smaller home ranges and less home range overlap than the packs operating within the KNP. In addition, my data suggested that the development of conservancies and the formation of ecotourism-based land use practices would be beneficial for wild dog conservation. Failed wild dog dispersals due to snaring and human persecution could threaten the genetic stability and persistence of the KNP population. Therefore, raising awareness and an understanding of the plight of wild dogs is important for improving land owner perception and tolerance outside of protected areas. The rapidly increasing human population continues to infringe on protected lands and fragment landscapes, thus cooperation from individual land owners is vital for the conservation of free-ranging large carnivores.
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  • Date Issued: 2012
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