A social realist study of employability development in engineering education
- Authors: Nudelman, Gabrielle Reeve
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Critical realism , Electrical engineering -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa -- Cape Town , Employability , Career education -- South Africa -- Cape Town , School-to-work transition -- South Africa -- Cape Town
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62884 , vital:28307
- Description: This qualitative case study of a course pairing offered to final-year electrical engineering students at the University of Cape Town in 2015 was undertaken in order to better understand the ways in which participation in undergraduate courses can prepare engineering students for the workplace. The course pairing consisted of New Venture Planning and Professional Communication Studies. While the former aimed to expose students to the knowledge relating to starting a new business, the latter focused on teaching students how to create written and oral texts to support such an endeavour. Using Roy Bhaskar’s critical realism as a theoretical underlabourer, the study develops understandings regarding the generative mechanisms at work during the two courses. In support of this, the study posits an understanding of employability that moves beyond the acquisition of discrete workplace skills. Rather, employability is conceptualised as discursive transformation, with students being deemed “work-ready” when they develop discursive identities as engineers. Data generation took place by means of focus group and individual interviews, ethnographic observation and documentary research. Margaret Archer’s social realist tools – in particular, analytical dualism and the morphogenetic framework were used to trace the students’ transformations over the course pairing. It was argued that those students who developed discursive identities of engineers were those who, in Archer’s terms, emerged as social actors at the end of the course pairing. Two characteristics of the courses were found to enable this transformation: those parts that promoted deepened understanding of what the role of “engineer” entailed and the parts that provided spaces for students to develop their own personal identities. The findings of the study indicated that discursive identities as engineers were more likely to be developed through the group work and spaces for reflection engendered by the courses than as a result of the formal curriculum. The implications of the research are that, while a focus on employability in engineering education is valid and productive, this needs to be supported by opportunities for authentic learning experiences which afford students the opportunity to engage in learning that promotes real-life application of knowledge. , Thesis (PhD)--Rhodes University, Faculty of Education, Education, 2018
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- Date Issued: 2018
Exploration of challenges in bringing traditional medicine into SA’s healthcare system, using medicinal plants for treatment of waterborne diarrhoeal diseases as a case study
- Authors: Keche, Priscilla
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Traditional medicine -- South Africa , Waterborne infection -- South Africa , Diarrhea -- South Africa , Healers -- South Africa , Medical care -- Quality control , Medicinal plants -- South Africa , Diarrhea in children -- South Africa , World Health Organization
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/118035 , vital:34588
- Description: Thesis (MSc)--Rhodes University, Faculty of Science, Biotechnology Innovation Centre (RUBIC), 2019.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Assessment of the microbial quality of various domestic rainwater harvesting systems and the suitability of a nano based treatment method
- Authors: Malema, Mokaba Shirley
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/110218 , vital:33249 , https://dx.doi.org/10.21504/10962/110218
- Description: Thesis (PhD)--Rhodes University, Faculty of Science, Chemistry, 2020.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Productive Heterotopias as a Conceptual Basis for the Design of Sustainable Low-Income Housing within the Cape Town Inner-City
- Authors: Van Niekerk, Neil
- Date: 2020-04
- Subjects: Productive life span , Low-income housing -- Cape town -- City
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58805 , vital:60123
- Description: Lasting colonial and patriarchal spatial strategies have resulted in South African cities characterised by vast inequalities and unsustainable patterns of development. These include explosive low-density sprawl, fragmentation, separation and a city-wide pattern of core and periphery. Housing justice for the urban poor is a critical component in addressing this, however, numerous studies have found that low-income housing projects have in the majority of cases ended up perpetuating these socially, economically and environmentally unsustainable patterns of development and reinforcing existing spatial injustices. For this reason, design research into more sustainable and productive architectural design strategies for low-income housing appropriate to the South African urban context is particularly important and forms the central concern of this treatise. To be more specific, this study questions how the theoretical idea of productive heterotopias and reimagining the role of the architect as that of a spatial agent could be used to generate a practical low-income housing strategy for a site in the Cape Town inner-city – one that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. To achieve this, a critical theoretical lens was adopted in conducting the research and a range of open-ended qualitative research methods were employed to gather, analyse and synthesise data. Because of its particular appropriateness to design research, data analysis primarily relied on abductive reasoning. This study is valuable in that it provides an exploration into the application of critical theory to low-income housing design in South African cities and demonstrates the architectural understandings gained within a set of design scenarios and architectural prototypes. This study argues that any low-income housing strategy in South Africa needs to recognise the complexities of the housing process, make use of time as an important building material and advance the right to the city of the urban poor, i.e. finding a balance between structure and agency that allows greater freedom for ordinary people to have a hand in co-creating the city through spontaneity, improvisation and incremental development, for that strategy to be truly sustainable and productive, as well as to assist in cultivating positively performing and equitable urban environments. In particular, this study rejects the top-down housing methods employed within mainstream development practice in favour of finding an alternative approach that will result in a more supportive housing project. Finding this new supportive approach involved investigating co-operative forms of organisation, methods for allowing community participation, sustainable building materials, simple construction methods and incorporating urban farming as a strategy for supplementing income. Additionally, this study argues that the chosen site for the design, namely Harrington Square, functions as a public urban square at the centre of a larger shared space while simultaneously supporting the proposed housing intervention. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty - School of of Architecture, 2020
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- Date Issued: 2020-04
The design of a hydrotherapy facility in Mangolds pool resort: biophilic principles in the design of therapeutic environments
- Authors: Vos, Charne’
- Date: 2020-04
- Subjects: Hydrotherapy , Therapeutic communities
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58761 , vital:60092
- Description: Abstract In the quest for achieving a modern civilization, the interconnected relationship between man and nature has changed to one of disconnection. This disconnection between built and natural environments leads to the deterioration of the physiological and psychological health and well-being of man. (Spaargaren & Mol, 1992) By analyzing healing environments over a lifetime, a better understanding can be formed as to what the ideal relationship should be for stimulating well-being in an ever changing modern society. Based on this, an attempt will be made to redefine this relationship. Since early antiquity water has been considered vital for both sustenance as well as the birth and development of civilizations. Man soon discovered its importance and beneficial properties in terms of healing and prevention. (Juuti et al. 2012). Such ancient wisdom can be adopted today and help improve our level of public health. For this reason, the proposed program is a hydrotherapy facility that focuses on the relation between the natural and built environment. The aim of this treatise is to examine how architecture can be a device that heals humans who have been compromised by their environment. The idea that a building can induce healing derives from the concept of Therapeutic Architecture, which explores various theories and principles such as Biophilic design, salutogenic design and Phenomenology. These concepts focus on the therapeutic qualities of the environment, which will be investigated to create a basis for the theoretical framework and play an integral part in design. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty - School of Architecture, 2020
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- Date Issued: 2020-04
The design of a waste recycling facility for the waste pickers of Arlington landfill, Port Elizabeth: recognising the needs of unacknowledged stakeholders in the circular waste economy
- Authors: Smit, Blake Sean
- Date: 2020-04
- Subjects: Recycling (Waste, etc.)--Arlington landfill -- Port Elizabeth , stakeholder management
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58609 , vital:59958
- Description: At this very moment, this very second, in the backstreets and upon high, vast wastelands, something is in motion. Often on the periphery of our daily thoughts, or not at all, this very motion never ceases to exist- it simply cannot afford to. Waste, our modern-day global issue, has reached a critical point, causing us to now venture into uncharted territories. We produce unspeakable amounts of waste per annum creating compounding social and environmental problems, and in the process we create a partic - ular physical object, an altered landscape known as a landfill. The landfill environment is where this treatise chooses to position itself but looks further into the existing community of individuals who perform the task of recycling. Waste pickers, an unmatched motion and dynamic within our broad waste landscape, remain largely unacknowledged in the role they play in the circular waste economy, subsequently creating the core concern for this treatise. Hence, the building type responsible, a waste recycling facility, that looks to identify and address the needs that these individuals require to safely carry out their pivotal role within the setting of Arlington Landfill in Port Elizabeth. Therefore, this treatise looks to uncover and bring to light a day in the life of a waste picker, through an architectural intervention seeking to become more than an object on the landscape. The treatise looks to break away from a static architectural object by applying the overall lens guided by ‘Anti-Object’ writ - ten by Kengo Kuma, therefore concerning itself with an overarching process of creating an emerging anti-object architecture, embodying the subtitles and characteristics of the waste pickers of Arlington Landfill. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty - School of Architecture, 2020
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- Date Issued: 2020-04
Inclusivity and access to amenity in the urban environment: the design of a student resource centre in central, Port Elizabeth
- Authors: Tshelametsi, Gorata
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Urban ecology (Sociology) , Students -- Education
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58639 , vital:59976
- Description: The increasing concern for sustainability in the 21st century has brought about new meanings for city processes, relations and the built environment. Typically, the environmental and economic aspects of the issue have received the most attention, leaving social sustainability largely neglected within the discourse. It could be argued however, that social sustainability is the key to many of the challenges faced by the South African post-apartheid cities. Using primary and secondary research method composed of a qualitative approach, involving site visits, photography and closed interviews, this study examines the nature of spatial segregation in the South African post-apartheid city in relation to Lefevbre’s ideas. Focusing on segregation, this investigation will discuss the forced removals that occurred in South Africa from the mid-1800s, through to the Apartheid Era in the late 1900s, and seek to gain insight into the manner in which these events have shaped the urban landscape of the South African cities. Port Elizabeth, known during apartheid as the Cradle of Black Resistance, was at the forefront of the political struggle in South Africa. For this reason, Port Elizabeth has been chosen for analysis. The site for intervention is the cities’ primary public transport interchange; the gateway into the wealthy southern suburbs from the northern township settlements. This is the point of connection between the divides of the city but is itself a highly disconnected environment. The findings indicate the integration of the existing on-site activities with the new proposed Student Resource Centre functions creates a mixed-use ribbon of activity. These connections facilitate the interaction between students living in the inner city. Through a holistic approach, the intervention seeks to bridge both physical and social barriers, towards a more integrated lived experience and socially sustainable future for Port Elizabeth. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty - School of Architecture, 2020
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- Date Issued: 2020-09
The State of Social Media Policy Awareness and Compliance at the Nelson Mandela University
- Authors: Ngcama, Lwando
- Date: 2020-12
- Subjects: Social Media , Awareness , Compliance -- Nelson Mandela University
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/49550 , vital:41735
- Description: The use of social media in higher education has both benefits and pitfalls. Higher education institutions are concerned about their staff and students’ use of social media and have thus resorted to implementing social media policies and guidelines. The Nelson Mandela University has implemented a social media policy and guidelines to inform and enforce the acceptable use of social media by its staff and students. In order to know whether staff and students of the Nelson Mandela University are aware of and compliant with its policy and guidelines, it is necessary to measure their level of awareness and compliance. Within this context, the primary objective of this study is to describe the state of awareness and compliance of staff and students at the Nelson Mandela University towards its social media policy and social media guidelines. In order to address the primary objective, the uses, benefits and risks of social media in higher education were identified through a literature review. The literature review revealed that social media is used in higher education to support and manage teaching and learning, marketing and crisis management, and for other purposes which may be specific to higher education stakeholders (both staff and students). The risks of social media use in higher education were revealed to be associated with institutional reputation, online content, privacy, intellectual property and the types of media shared by the stakeholders. The role of social media policies and guidelines in higher education was then described, based on a preliminary literature study which reviewed social media policies and guidelines implemented in higher education. Furthermore, the aspects of awareness and compliance towards social media policies and ii guidelines in higher education were also discussed. A general guide for the creation of social media policies and guidelines was identified and used to compare the nature and content of South African public universities’ social media policies and guidelines. Through comparative content analysis, the content of the universities’ social media policy and guidelines was compared, similarities and variances between were drawn, and the role of social media policies and guidelines was further explored. Finally, the knowledge of staff and students at the Nelson Mandela University in respect to the university’s social media policy and guidelines was measured and described through the use of a survey questionnaire and statistical analysis of the data collected. The results of the analysis indicated an overall medium level of awareness for both staff and students, with a mean average score of 3.2; while both groups demonstrated an overall high level of compliance towards the social media policy and guidelines, with a mean average score of 4.3. By addressing the primary objective, the contribution made by this study thus informs the Nelson Mandela University of the extent to which its social media policy and guidelines align with those of other South African public universities, and it indicates where the Nelson Mandela University should look to improve its staff and students’ awareness of and compliance with its social media policy and guidelines. , Thesis (MIT) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Technology, 2020
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- Date Issued: 2020-12
Ultraprecision Diamond Turning of Monocrystalline Germanium
- Authors: Adeleke, Adeniyi Kehinde
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Precision , Diamond Turning
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44453 , vital:37835
- Description: Infrared lens production demands a surface with a high degree of accuracy and integrity. Surface roughness is a critical index of the measure of any product’s surface integrity. As a result of this, ultra-high machining technology has enjoyed extensive application, due to the continuous request for components within the range of 1 – 10nm roughness value. This technology has brought about the increased productivity and manufacture of quality products with a top-notch surface finish. Brittle materials such as germanium are hard to machine through the conventional processes such as lapping and polishing. Hence, the ultra-precision machining technology based on single point diamond turning (SPDT), is now been applied to machine germanium in the ductile mode, where material chip removal occurs by plastic deformation instead of a brittle fracture. During machining, selecting the optimal cutting conditions which includes cutting parameters and tool geometry, will not only improve productivity but ensure the minimisation of operating cost. In this research work, SPDT operation was used to conduct two experiments on a (monocrystalline germanium) workpiece. The first experiment was carried out using a diamond tool with a 1.5 mm nose radius, while the second experiment employed the use of a tool having a nose radius of 1.0 mm. A combination of machining parameters for each of the experimental runs were derived from a Box-Behnken method of design and the surface roughness was measured at each interval for both experiments with the aid of a Taylor Hopson PGI Dimension XL profilometer. Acoustic emission (AE) was also used as a quality sensing and tool-monitoring technique, to acquire signals and give indications of the expected surface roughness. Predictive models based on response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural networks (ANN), were developed for determining surface roughness. Optimisation was performed using RSM to determine the optimal set of machining factors, which results in optimal condition of the output response. Further investigations on the acquired signals were carried out using signal-processing techniques. Time-domain and time-frequency domain features acquired from the AE signals, together with the process parameters, were employed as input variables in the neural network design, having shown a good association with the surface roughness. ix Conclusively, it can be observed that the predictive model results and the experimental roughness measurements are in good agreement with each other. For accuracy and cost of computation, the RSM and ANN developed models for single-crystal germanium are compared using mean absolute error (MAE). , Thesis (M.Eng) -- Faculty of Engineering, the built environment & Information Technology, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-04
Integration of clinical legal education with procedural law modules
- Authors: Welgemoed, Marc
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Law -- Study and teaching (Clinical education) , Procedure law
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/56123 , vital:55571
- Description: This research evaluates the role that Clinical Legal Education (CLE) can and should play in the teaching and learning of procedural law modules, ie Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure and the Law of Evidence. It is argued that the doctrine of transformative constitutionalism provides a sound theoretical basis for the integration of CLE in the teaching and learning of procedural law modules in that there is a constitutional imperative on law schools to train law graduates, who are ready for entry into legal practice, as far as adequate theoretical knowledge and practical skills are concerned. This research provides an indication of how the integration of CLE with procedural law modules can improve the appreciation of the values of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 108 of 1996 by law graduates. Graduates will learn the importance of advancing social and procedural justice when rendering legal services to members of the public. Furthermore, graduates will be equipped with valuable graduate attributes required for legal practice. The conclusion of this research is that an integrated teaching and learning methodology, in relation to procedural law modules, will result in producing better law graduates for legal practice. The result of this will be that future legal practitioners, who can serve the public in a professional, ethical and accountable manner as envisaged by the Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014, immediately after graduating from law schools, will be produced. , Thesis (LLD) -- Faculty of Law, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-12
Exploring the adaptation challenges faced by novice foundation phase teachers in the Nelson Mandela Metropole
- Authors: Grimbeek, Michelle Louise
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: First year teachers , Teachers -- Training of – South Africa – Nelson Mandela Municipality , Education, Primary -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Municipality
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/56034 , vital:54941
- Description: The challenges faced by novice teachers have been widely discussed in the last decade (Caspersen & Raaen, 2014; Burkman, 2012). It is believed that the first year of teaching is found to be exceedingly challenging to the novice teacher due to the complex demands of the profession, as well as a result of a lack of training and induction into the work environment (Burkman, 2012). Researchers highlight that some of the many challenges that novice teachers experience are shortcomings in curricular planning, classroom management and discipline, instructional techniques, access to materials, and dealing with parents (Burkman, 2012). These challenges, along with feelings of inadequacy due to lack of experience in the working world, often have a negative effect on novice teachers and their ability to cope, subsequently resulting in high stress levels and burnout (Caspersen & Raaen, 2014). This qualitative study incorporated an interpretivist paradigm and used both semistructured interviews and a focus group discussion to explore the adaptation challenges experienced by novice Foundation Phase teachers in the Nelson Mandela Metropole. Grossman‟s Teacher Knowledge Theory and Vygotsky‟s Social Constructivist Theory were used to frame and make meaning of the findings of this study. The findings of this study indicate that novice teachers experience a range of challenges upon entering the working world. The numerous factors influencing these challenges experienced by novices include: the work environment; prior training and education; personal knowledge, values and attitudes toward teaching; and professional and social support received within the workplace. These findings were used to formulate guidelines to help support novice teachers in their adaptation from university to the professional work environment. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04
Industrial attachment and graduate employability in technical vocational education and training: a case of agriculture education in Zimbabwe
- Authors: Edziwa, Xavier
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Vocational education -- Zimbabwe , College graduates -- Employment , Technical education -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/56022 , vital:54939
- Description: Institutions of higher learning, the world over, have adopted means of producing graduates that are work-ready and Zimbabwe is no exception. In Zimbabwe, a Commission of Inquiry into Education and Training recommended the introduction of vocational education and the introduction of a programme that improves the work-readiness of higher education graduates. This culminated in the institutions of higher education introducing industrial attachments in their curricular. This study was designed to explore the nature and implementation of industrial attachment by agricultural technical and vocational education and training institutions in Zimbabwe, as a way of enhancing students’ graduate attributes. It was done to hopefully improve policy and practice in the use of industrial attachment in imparting skills among college students. The research presented in this thesis, focuses on three case studies that were eclectically sampled, and data collected through focus group discussion with students and face-to-face individual interviews with college academia and workplace mentors. The study commenced by first establishing what stakeholders perceived as the employability skills expected of a graduate who has gone through an agricultural technical and vocational and training programme, and then explored how the IA programmes have been operationalised. Kolb’s experiential learning theory was used in the designing of research instruments and answering the research questions. The study established that the students generally perceived graduate attributes differently from academia and industry personnel. It was also established that current industrial attachment practices in agricultural training appear to favour production of graduates that are geared towards looking for employment, as opposed to the students’ perceptions that the 21st higher education institutions should produce graduates who create employment. While industrial attachment has been adopted by the institutions, this study identified a myriad of challenges that call for vii improvement in the practice if students are to benefit from the industrial attachment endeavours. The study ends by proposing a model that embraces students’ voice and is deemed to produce agricultural technical and vocational education and training graduates who are employment creators. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04
Rethinking our understanding of career decision making: the views of students at a selected South African TVET colleges on what influences their career decisions
- Authors: Maluleke, Lucky
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Career -- Decision making , Postsecondary education -- South Africa , Career development
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral thesis , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/56044 , vital:54946
- Description: In South Africa, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) has been identified as a potential solution to the triple challenge of inequality, poverty and unemployment. The 2013 White Paper for Post-School Education and Training: Building on Expanded, Effective and Integrated Post-School Education (DHET, 2013) identifies TVET colleges as an area of great expansion. Although such an expansion is important and necessary, it is unfortunate that in South Africa, research has paid little to no attention to what influences TVET college students' career decision making. Concerning this, the study reported in this dissertation aimed to investigate what influences the career decision making of TVET college students in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Eastern Cape, South Africa. This qualitative study, located within the subjectivist ontology and interpretivist epistemology, contributes to understanding what influences the career decision making of TVET college students in a developing context of South Africa. Drawing on qualitative (individual and group) interviews with students, it examined the career decisions of a small sample of students enrolled at one South African public TVET college in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. In so doing, the study brings four elements to the study of career decision making. Firstly, empirically, it brings a fresh and subjective perspective of what 'TVET' and 'career' means to TVET students. Secondly, it brings to the literature on TVET, an analysis of the Careership Theory that draws from the TVET college students' experiences. Thirdly, it brings to our understanding of career decision making, the role of structure and agency from a Bourdieusian2 perspective. Fourthly, it transcends the heavily critiqued Bourdieusian model to encompass the notion of capacity to aspire, borrowed from Arjun Appadurai, to better explain the role of culture in social action. Data were collected using individual and group interview methods, which were later transcribed and analysed thematically. The findings show that career decision making is dependent on the perceptions of the primary decision makers and other social agents that learners interacted with in the field. Career decision making is situated in the vast social inequalities and unequal power relations shaped by unequal access to cultural, economic and social capital. However, as much as social structures influence career decision making, the role of agency must not be underestimated. The findings further reveal that career decisions are located in the objective and social structures, and these are influenced by capital (cultural, economic and social). Furthermore, career decisions are influenced by the capacity of the individuals to choose, to know what to choose, as well as structural enablers like finance. In short, the findings reveal that inequalities matter, for example, socio-economic and gender disparities. , Thesis (DEd) -- Faculty of Education, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04
The impact of leadership styles used by college heads on the functioning of TVET colleges in Limpopo
- Authors: Peter, Bandile
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Management -- College heads , Decision-making -- post-secondary Education -- Limpopo
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/56091 , vital:55321
- Description: This study sought to examine the impact of leadership styles used by college heads on the functioning of TVET colleges in Limpopo. The purpose of the study was to better understand the prevailing path-goal leadership styles among college heads, the development and communication of college’s goals, vision and mission, involvement of lecturers and students in decision-making processes, motivation of students and lecturers, and continuous monitoring in the TVET colleges. The key research question that this study was based on was: What is the impact of the leadership styles used by college heads on the functioning of Limpopo TVET colleges? A mixed methods approach was adopted with questionnaires, interviews, observations and document review as a means of data collection. College heads (campus managers and HODs), lecturers and students were participants in this study. The participants were purposefully selected in three of the seven TVET colleges in the Limpopo Province. The findings indicated that all the four path-goal leadership styles were prevalent in the college heads. However, there was poor communication of the colleges’ goals, vision and mission. The study further found that lecturers and students were not on many occasions involved in the decision-making processes. Poor monitoring by college heads was also discovered by the study. Moreover, the study uncovered that lecturers and students were not properly rewarded for good performance. The subsequent recommendations include, among others, that as in-service training, DHET should provide the opportunity for college heads to take guided leadership courses that promote path-goal leadership styles. DHET should also provide college heads with the opportunity to study and enhance their qualifications in the areas of educational management and leadership. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04
The perception of school management teams and Teachers about their role to implement the national school nutrition programme in the Sisonke District in KwaZulu-Natal
- Authors: Zulu, Xolani Wycliff
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: School management teams , nutrition -- Study and teaching -- KwaZulu-Natal
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral's theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/56102 , vital:55420
- Description: This study focused on the perception of School Management Teams and Teachers about their role to implement the national school nutrition programme in the Sisonke District in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa). The national school nutrition programme like any other projects in the country, faces some changes in the District which seem to interfere with the role of stakeholders in implementing the programme. This study explored the following research question with the set of secondary research questions: What are the perceptions of School Management Teams and Teachers in the Sisonke District of KwaZulu-Natal about their role in National School Nutrition Programme? • What perceptions do teachers and school managers have on the implementation of National School Nutrition Programme? • What challenges do Teachers and School Managers have to enhance the objectives of the National School Nutrition Programme? Both Teachers and School Managers were conveniently and purposively selected. For the generation of data, semi-structured interviews were used which were tape-recorded which were followed by transcription of data with interim analysis. Data was also generated through the use document analysis. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, which was theoretically framed by Maslow’s theory of motivation, Hertzberg two-factor motivation theory, Lawler and Porter’s Expectancy theory of motivation and the Situational theory of Hersey and Blanchard through which, I lens the study and managed to explain the findings. The study findings revealed that most Teachers and School Managers perceived national school nutrition programme as an important programme in the context of Umzimkhulu as it isa deep rural area. Despite the positive perceptions of Teachers and School Managers about their role, the study findings further revealed that they are facing some challenges in the implementation of the programme. The findings have several implications for poverty alleviation in the Sisonke District, job creation and improved learner’s attendance, improved health conditions of learners. They also highlighted the weaknesses of the DBE official’s nutrition sub-directorate about role players of the programme. Both stakeholders in fulfilling their role, should take into consideration the constitutional rights of learners as some of them are in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04
Developing metacognition through the use of Technology in self-organised learning environments in grade 11 Physical Sciences
- Authors: Tsamago, Hodi Elias
- Date: 2022-06
- Subjects: Metacognition , Technology
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral's theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59910 , vital:62687
- Description: The study was carried out to investigate the effect of the use of technology in self-organised learning environments (SOLEs) (in Physical Sciences classrooms) on learners’ metacognitive skills. The study contributes by identifying a technology-enhanced pedagogy that can effectively equip learners with metacognitive skills, which many studies have reported as having an effect on Physical Sciences learners’ conceptual understanding. The study followed an experimental (control group quasi-experimental) methods design, in which both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed. A multistep stratified sampling method (which caters for both quantitative and qualitative facets) was employed to choose four schools (two rural and two urban) to participate in the study. These schools were randomly chosen from the population of all schools offering Physical Sciences in Grade 11 in the Capricorn District of Limpopo Province, South Africa were assigned to urban experimental group and rural experimental group (UEG and REG) and urban control group and rural control group (UCG and RCG) using geographical demographics. The participants were selected using both simple random sampling (for quantitative methods) and purposive sampling (for qualitative methods). The experimental groups were taught by the researcher using self-organised learning environments (SOLEs) pedagogy, while control groups were taught (also by the researcher of the study) using a traditional chalk-and-talk approach. A Physical Sciences concepts pre-/post-test and the Metacognitive Self-Assessment Scale (MSAS) questionnaire were used to glean the quantitative data, while focus group interviews (FGIs) were used to obtain the qualitative data. The analysis of the quantitative data employed both descriptive (mean, standard deviation and graphs) and inferential (both parametric t-test and non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests) statistics computed using the SPSS package version 22, while qualitative data were analysed thematically using coding techniques (applied on a sentence-by-sentence basis) after the transcription of the recorded FGIs. The study found that SOLEs pedagogy improves learners’ metacognitive skills, leading to better Physical Sciences conceptual understanding. In addition, the results indicate that all v aspects of metacognitive skills improved in experimental groups; however, certain aspects exhibited outstanding improvement such as “Respect shown to myself”; “Respect shown to others”; “Respect shown for empathy towards others” and “Respect shown towards problem solving”. Furthermore, the results of the FGIs revealed that a plausible explanation for the ability of SOLEs pedagogy to enhance metacognitive skills lies in its effortlessness to enable learners to link their classroom experiences to real-life experiences; simulate practical work; adapt to collaborative learning; use multiple channels for receiving information; and reducing learners’ reliance on the teacher. Hence, this study recommends the implementation of SOLEs pedagogy in the Physical Sciences classroom to improve learners’ metacognitive skills and conceptual understanding. However, the study had limitations, some of which included the sample size (which has an effect on the degree of generalisability of the research findings) and the period during which SOLEs pedagogy was implemented which might not have been long enough to exhaust its effect on metacognitive skills. Accordingly, further studies employing a longitudinal study design with a sample size bigger than 350 participants would be useful in understanding the effects of SOLEs pedagogy on metacognitive skills and improving the generalisability of research findings. , Thesis (PHD) -- Faculty of Education, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-06
The regulation of communications surveillance in Nigeria
- Authors: Osuntogun, Tope Adefemi
- Date: 2022-08
- Subjects: Social Communication , Electronic surveillance --Nigeria
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral's theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/60885 , vital:69011
- Description: This study examines the manner in which communications surveillance is regulated in Nigeria, with the aim of providing recommendations to ensure a new surveillance regime that provides adequate safeguards for human rights, particularly the right to privacy. The rapid innovation in ICT has brought new challenges to the right to privacy, among which is communications surveillance. Communications surveillance is an important tool of law enforcement as it enables remote gathering of evidence through interception of communication and acquisition of the metadata of electronic communications. Communications surveillance could therefore be an egregious intrusion on a person’s intimate private sphere and should only be permitted only when necessary. The clandestine nature of communications surveillance, however, increases the risk of unlawfulness as a person under surveillance will be unable to challenge the process unless they are notified. The benchmark in international law is that laws regulating communications surveillance must be lawful, non-arbitrary and provide adequate safeguards for the right to privacy. This study establishes that the legal framework on communications surveillance in Nigeria does not meet this standard. Using the South African legal framework as a comparator and drawing on relevant international and regional law on the right to privacy and communications surveillance, this study recommends reforms for the current legal framework on communications surveillance in Nigeria. , Thesis (LLD) -- Faculty of Law, School of Private Law, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-08
A stakeholder framework for sustainable Supply chain management in the Zimbabwean food industry
- Authors: Munuhwa,Shakerod
- Date: 2022-12
- Subjects: Stakeholder , Supply chain management , Food industry -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral's theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/60315 , vital:64397
- Description: The food supply chain plays an important role in the Zimbabwean food industry. More so sustainable food supply chain management (SFSCM) is a subject that has not received much attention, and yet it is so pertinent in determining food security in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has faced episodes of inadequate grain/cereal food reserves, hence the urgent need to develop a stakeholder framework for sustainable food supply chain management. The main objective of the study was to develop a stakeholder framework for SFSCM in the food industry. To accomplish the main objective, the research intended to achieve the following sub-objectives, namely to: establish the drivers for SFSCM; identify SFSCM practices within the food industry; identify the key stakeholders’ dynamic capabilities (SDCs) in the food industry and identify challenges faced by stakeholders in implementing SFSCM. The study also sought to establish the influence of: SFSCM drivers on implementing SFSCM practices; SFSCM drivers on SDCs; SFSCM practices on SDCs; SFSCM practices on SFSCM performance; SFSCM drivers on SFSCM performance; and SDCs on SFSCM performance. This study further sought to assess the mediation effect of: SFSCM drivers on the relationship between SFSCM practices and SDCs; SDCs on the relationship between SFSCM practices and SFSCM performance; SFSCM drivers on the relationship between SDCs and SFSCM performance and finally to assess the mediation effect of SDCs on the relationship between SFSCM drivers and SFSCM performance. This study employed a pragmatic philosophy that allowed for the collection of primary data using a fixed concurrent mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) approach. The data analysis for this research included qualitative data from 22 participants and quantitative data from 292 respondents, all of whom were recruited through nine gatekeepers (Grain Marketing Board, Consumer Council of Zimbabwe, Food and Nutrition Association of Zimbabwe, Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe, Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement, Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, Food and Agriculture Organization in Zimbabwe, Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers and Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce). A thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. For the quantitative data, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27 package was used to perform descriptive analysis, and principal component analysis for factor reduction and dimensional groups. Analysis of a Moment Structures (AMOS 26) program was used viii to perform structural equation modelling (SEM) for model fit evaluations and hypothesis tests. The mixed methods approach (both qualitative and quantitative) results identified regulatory pressure, market pressure, societal pressure, availability of resources, organisational culture and corporate objectives as some of the key SFSCM drivers. Additionally, the results identified the following as the key SFSCM practices: waste management, carbon emission reduction, logistics optimisation, water conservation, energy conservation, cost reduction and price efficiency, employment of competent people, cultivation of profitable grain crops, corporate social responsibility, fair distribution of food, human development on nutritious food consumption, food donations and continuously conducting consumer tastes surveys. Further, the mixed methods approach results cited the following key SDCs: sensing, seizing, reconfiguration, reflexive control, partner development, co-evolving and supply chain integration capabilities. Major challenges faced by stakeholders when implementing SFSCM were also identified and these involved lack of resources, lack of top management commitment, poor information sharing, lack of mutual trust amongst stakeholders, unmotivated employees, lack of government support, ever-changing food regulations, poor customer demand for sustainable and healthy foods, corruption and economic hardship challenges. The study also sought to establish relationships amongst variables. The mixed methods approach results revealed that SFSCM drivers have a positive influence on SFSCM practices, SDCs and SFSCM performance. The results also report a positive and significant influence of SFSCM practices on SDCs. The results further indicate that SDCs have a positive and significant influence on SFSCM performance. Although the qualitative findings reported a positive influence of SFSCM practices on SFSCM performance, the quantitative results from the SEM path analysis reported a very weak positive and insignificant influence of SFSCM practices on SFSCM performance. Mediation analysis was also performed using the quantitative data analysis only, and the results revealed that SFSCM drivers have significant partial mediation effect on the relationship between SFSCM practices and SDCs. The results also report that SDCs have a significant full mediation effect on the relationship between SFSCM practices and SFSCM performance. SFSCM drivers were found to have a significant ix partial mediation influence on the relationship between SDCs and SFSCM performance. Lastly, SDCs have a significant partial mediation effect on the relationship between SFSCM drivers and SFSCM performance. Based on the empirical results, conclusions were drawn, and recommendations were made. The research proposes a new stakeholder framework for SFSCM in the food industry. The study recommends that stakeholders consider providing training and education to all employees about the critical role of SFSCM in ensuring Zimbabwe's food security. Additionally, policymakers are urged to implement supply chain anticorruption and fair-trading policies in order to boost SFSCM performance. Stakeholder institutions are also urged to reward internal stakeholders who perform exceptionally well in terms of SFSCM in order to positively motivate all staff, and ultimately improve SFSCM. , Thesis (PHD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Business School, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-12
An assessment of broadband infrastructure investment as a primer for inclusive growth in South Africa
- Authors: Dhlamini, Tapiwa James
- Date: 2022-12
- Subjects: Broadband , Economic growth -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59566 , vital:62172
- Description: This study investigated the impact of investment in the telecommunication and broadband sectors on growth, employment creation, and poverty alleviation. It employs micro-simulation techniques and an economy-wide Leontief-based social accounting matrix multiplier model to assess empirically the influence that fiscal injection into these sectors has in achieving South Africa’s macroeconomic objectives. The study found positive but declining trends in output multipliers in the telecommunication sector over the post-recession period (2009-18), signifying the enervation of the intersectoral multiplier effect over the post-recession period. Fiscal injection into the telecommunication and broadband sectors led to poverty reduction and to job creation in South Africa. However, the overall findings of this study highlight gender biases, spatial imbalances between urban and non-urban, an age gulf between young people and adults and further imbalances between formal and informal employment. The study commends that the government follow a priorities-weighted state spending policy which concurrently targets projects generating high GVA and employment multipliers and with high capacity to address the disparity caused by the legacy of Apartheid. , Thesis (MEcon) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Science, School of Applied Accounting, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-12
An exploration of the benefits of information and communications technology for SMMEs in the Construction Industry in Gauteng Province, South Africa
- Authors: Klassie, Unathi
- Date: 2022-12
- Subjects: information technology , Small business , Construction industry, Gauteng Province -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59726 , vital:62386
- Description: This paper explores the beneficial impact of ICT adoption on the performance of Small, Micro to Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa, specifically in the construction sector. The population of the study comprises construction SMME owners and managers in Gauteng, South Africa. The objectives of this study are fourfold as follows. Firstly, it aims to determine the benefits of ICT for SMMEs in the construction industry in South Africa. Secondly, it aims to establish the challenges SMMEs face in ICT infrastructure systems. The third aim is to determine the barriers that impede SMMEs from adopting ICT. And fourthly it aims to recommend an ICT framework for the effectiveness and success of ICT infrastructure systems for SMMEs. The research consisted of data collection from 15 SMMEs in the construction industry in Gauteng Province, South Africa through the means of interviews. The study employed an interpretivist paradigm which necessitated a qualitative approach. The data was then analysed thematically. The study was motivated by a Technology-OrganisationEnvironment (TOE) framework. The study findings show that SMMEs profit greatly from the adoption of ICT in their battle for survival and expansion. ICT is one of the main resources that may be employed by organisations in this digital age, according to the Resource-Based Theory. The majority of respondents stated that ICT has improved performance and that tasks are completed more efficiently than before. According to the findings, sustained government help to extend broadband access for underprivileged groups, particularly in places underserved by private sector activities, is suggested. Government funding should be made available to assist SMMEs in developing ICT skills. This financing might be linked to organisations like SEDA to guarantee that new SMMEs are ascertained of the importance of ICT skills that will benefit their enterprises. To improve awareness of the benefits of ICT in the construction industry, training providers, NGOs, and government agencies must collaborate more closely. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Science, Business School, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-12