"Speak American"! or language, power and education in Dearborn, Michigan: a case study of Arabic heritage learners and their community
- Authors: Ayouby, Kenneth Kahtan
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Arabic language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Michigan -- Dearborn , Education and language -- Michigan -- Dearborn
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11015 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/369 , Arabic language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Michigan -- Dearborn , Education and language -- Michigan -- Dearborn
- Description: This study examines the history and development of the “Arabic as a foreign language” (AFL) programme in Dearborn Public Schools (in Michigan, the United States) in its socio-cultural and political context. More specifically, this study examines the significance of Arabic to the Arab immigrant and ethnic community in Dearborn in particular, but with reference to meanings generated and associated to Arabic by non- Arabs in the same locale. Although this study addresses questions similar to research conducted on Arab Americans in light of anthropological and sociological theoretical constructs, it is, however, unique in examining education and Arabic pedagogy in Dearborn from an Arab American studies and an educational multi-cultural perspective, predicated on/and drawing from Edward Said’s critique of Orientalism, Paulo Freire’s ideas about education, and Henry Giroux’s concern with critical pedagogy. In the American mindscape, the "East" has been the theatre of the exotic, the setting of the Other from colonial times to the present. The Arab and Muslim East have been constructed to represent an opposite of American culture, values and life. Through the agency of conflation, Arab (and Muslim) Americans are accordingly lumped together with people from abroad, making for their status as permanent outsiders. Thus, if the American Self represents an ideal, the inhabitants of this oppositional world of Arabs and Islam (an Anti-world) represent an Anti-self. A source of fear and object of hate and prejudice, this Anti-self is the object of derision and anything connected with it (e.g. language, customs, religion, etc.) becomes suspect and is devalued by association. This document has two objectives: First, to present an historical account of this context, and, secondly, to shed light on how and why things that are associated with Arab Americans in Dearborn are devalued. This is achieved by addressing the developments of meanings (of actions and symbols) in their American context, and how they have shaped (and still shape) the local culture's depiction of and understanding of Arab (and Muslim) Americans. Therefore, Arab American issues of language, culture and societal interactions should be understood as constituting a stream of American life, which represent a dimension of the total American experience, past and present, that is best understood through the paradigm of American studies. Viewing this experience as a cultural whole rather than as a series of unrelated fragments (e.g. immigration waves and settlement patterns, religious and state affiliations, assimilation and preservation debates), Arab American culture and issues begin to shine through as an organic and holistic experience whose characteristics are shared with other groups, suggesting research on this community is equally generalisable to others. ii As an academic work, this document promotes an understanding of the Arab American experience from an interdisciplinary point of view through focusing on the phenomenon of language in the community with emphasis placed on the AFL experience at school. Therefore, it is a broadly-framed outlook that permits, in an introductory way, a view of the richness of the Arab American experience, particularly in Dearborn, Michigan, as part of the American experience. Data were collected using two surveys, one for AFL students at a high school, and another was administered to adults in the community—in Dearborn. In addition, an action-research-based effort, individual personal interviews and focus groups were conducted with stakeholders in the community: parents/community members, teachers/school personnel and students, utilising personal involvement in understanding and analysing the data. Also, the study referred to archival and documentary evidence available in the school system. Four hypotheses regarding importance/significance and utility of Arabic were offered and tested by means of qualitative, interpretive analysis. Findings included: (1) Arab Americans valued Arabic as an emblem of their community in Dearborn, suggesting its employment as an indicator of political empowerment. (2) Conversely, in the non-Arab community Arabic was observed as a mark of the Other, and an artefact of ethnic retrenchment and rejection of assimilation. (3) Interestingly, however, development of English language competence emerged as a major concern in the community, outweighing Arabic language preservation. (4) While, language maintenance efforts in the community were observed as minimal, especially at the organisational level, and support for such programmes was marginal to nil. (5) Additionally, Arabic, while not the object of a desire to master as a medium of communication, was observed to signify a special symbol of heritage for Arab American youth in the Dearborn community, who may have rejected their parents’ ideas about learning Arabic, but had developed their own. (6) What is more, Arab American youth were observed developing a viable hybridised identity, whose mainstay is being “Arabic”, despite the dominance of English and Euro-Anglo cultural norms. (7) At the institutional level, Arabic was observed devalued in the school setting due to its association with Arabs, Islam, Arab Americans, and immigration. (8) Moreover, relations between Arab Americans and non-Arab Americans in the school system seems to have been equally impacted by this process of devaluation, furthering the cause of stigmatisation, prejudice and racism.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Ayouby, Kenneth Kahtan
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Arabic language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Michigan -- Dearborn , Education and language -- Michigan -- Dearborn
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11015 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/369 , Arabic language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Michigan -- Dearborn , Education and language -- Michigan -- Dearborn
- Description: This study examines the history and development of the “Arabic as a foreign language” (AFL) programme in Dearborn Public Schools (in Michigan, the United States) in its socio-cultural and political context. More specifically, this study examines the significance of Arabic to the Arab immigrant and ethnic community in Dearborn in particular, but with reference to meanings generated and associated to Arabic by non- Arabs in the same locale. Although this study addresses questions similar to research conducted on Arab Americans in light of anthropological and sociological theoretical constructs, it is, however, unique in examining education and Arabic pedagogy in Dearborn from an Arab American studies and an educational multi-cultural perspective, predicated on/and drawing from Edward Said’s critique of Orientalism, Paulo Freire’s ideas about education, and Henry Giroux’s concern with critical pedagogy. In the American mindscape, the "East" has been the theatre of the exotic, the setting of the Other from colonial times to the present. The Arab and Muslim East have been constructed to represent an opposite of American culture, values and life. Through the agency of conflation, Arab (and Muslim) Americans are accordingly lumped together with people from abroad, making for their status as permanent outsiders. Thus, if the American Self represents an ideal, the inhabitants of this oppositional world of Arabs and Islam (an Anti-world) represent an Anti-self. A source of fear and object of hate and prejudice, this Anti-self is the object of derision and anything connected with it (e.g. language, customs, religion, etc.) becomes suspect and is devalued by association. This document has two objectives: First, to present an historical account of this context, and, secondly, to shed light on how and why things that are associated with Arab Americans in Dearborn are devalued. This is achieved by addressing the developments of meanings (of actions and symbols) in their American context, and how they have shaped (and still shape) the local culture's depiction of and understanding of Arab (and Muslim) Americans. Therefore, Arab American issues of language, culture and societal interactions should be understood as constituting a stream of American life, which represent a dimension of the total American experience, past and present, that is best understood through the paradigm of American studies. Viewing this experience as a cultural whole rather than as a series of unrelated fragments (e.g. immigration waves and settlement patterns, religious and state affiliations, assimilation and preservation debates), Arab American culture and issues begin to shine through as an organic and holistic experience whose characteristics are shared with other groups, suggesting research on this community is equally generalisable to others. ii As an academic work, this document promotes an understanding of the Arab American experience from an interdisciplinary point of view through focusing on the phenomenon of language in the community with emphasis placed on the AFL experience at school. Therefore, it is a broadly-framed outlook that permits, in an introductory way, a view of the richness of the Arab American experience, particularly in Dearborn, Michigan, as part of the American experience. Data were collected using two surveys, one for AFL students at a high school, and another was administered to adults in the community—in Dearborn. In addition, an action-research-based effort, individual personal interviews and focus groups were conducted with stakeholders in the community: parents/community members, teachers/school personnel and students, utilising personal involvement in understanding and analysing the data. Also, the study referred to archival and documentary evidence available in the school system. Four hypotheses regarding importance/significance and utility of Arabic were offered and tested by means of qualitative, interpretive analysis. Findings included: (1) Arab Americans valued Arabic as an emblem of their community in Dearborn, suggesting its employment as an indicator of political empowerment. (2) Conversely, in the non-Arab community Arabic was observed as a mark of the Other, and an artefact of ethnic retrenchment and rejection of assimilation. (3) Interestingly, however, development of English language competence emerged as a major concern in the community, outweighing Arabic language preservation. (4) While, language maintenance efforts in the community were observed as minimal, especially at the organisational level, and support for such programmes was marginal to nil. (5) Additionally, Arabic, while not the object of a desire to master as a medium of communication, was observed to signify a special symbol of heritage for Arab American youth in the Dearborn community, who may have rejected their parents’ ideas about learning Arabic, but had developed their own. (6) What is more, Arab American youth were observed developing a viable hybridised identity, whose mainstay is being “Arabic”, despite the dominance of English and Euro-Anglo cultural norms. (7) At the institutional level, Arabic was observed devalued in the school setting due to its association with Arabs, Islam, Arab Americans, and immigration. (8) Moreover, relations between Arab Americans and non-Arab Americans in the school system seems to have been equally impacted by this process of devaluation, furthering the cause of stigmatisation, prejudice and racism.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
A comparative study of employment discrimination in South Africa and Canada
- Authors: Dlamini, David Vusi
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Discrimination in employment -- Law and Legislation -- South Africa , Discrimination in employment -- Law and legislation -- Canada
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:11039 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/330 , Discrimination in employment -- Law and Legislation -- South Africa , Discrimination in employment -- Law and legislation -- Canada
- Description: South Africa and Canada have emerged from a history fraught of inequalities, which were characterised by segregationist practices. Such inequalities have served as an epitome of discrimination taking place in the society and the workplace in both countries. Both South Africa and Canada had their discrimination affecting black peoples (Africans, Indians and Coloureds) and Aboriginal peoples (Indians, Inuits or Métis) respectively, women and people with disabilities. In both countries discrimination has polarised society. It is against this backdrop that both countries have attempted to eliminate unfair discrimination through the promulgation of relevant legislation that seeks to, inter alia, provide the regulatory framework in respect of employment discrimination. With the foregoing in mind, the purpose of this work is the provision of a selection of comparable aspects of employment discrimination in Canada and South Africa. This selection comprises discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sex, pregnancy, age and HIV/AIDS. The study uses, as its departure point, both countries’ constitutional framework to elicit the extent to which protection against unfair discrimination is extended to the workforce. Apart from looking at the constitutional provisions towards the elimination of unfair discrimination, reference is made to specific employment statutory provisions in order to provide a comprehensive and explicit picture of how workplace discrimination in both countries is regulated. The study focuses on substantive law from both countries about the above -mentioned aspects of discrimination. This is informed by the very nature and scope of the study because any concentration on procedural and evidentiary aspects of discrimination could lead to failure to achieve the objectives of the study. It also looks at specific Canadian and South African case law, judgments of the courts and jurisprudence in the field of employment discrimination in order that the reader is presented with a clearer picture of recent developments in addressing workplace inequalities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Dlamini, David Vusi
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Discrimination in employment -- Law and Legislation -- South Africa , Discrimination in employment -- Law and legislation -- Canada
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:11039 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/330 , Discrimination in employment -- Law and Legislation -- South Africa , Discrimination in employment -- Law and legislation -- Canada
- Description: South Africa and Canada have emerged from a history fraught of inequalities, which were characterised by segregationist practices. Such inequalities have served as an epitome of discrimination taking place in the society and the workplace in both countries. Both South Africa and Canada had their discrimination affecting black peoples (Africans, Indians and Coloureds) and Aboriginal peoples (Indians, Inuits or Métis) respectively, women and people with disabilities. In both countries discrimination has polarised society. It is against this backdrop that both countries have attempted to eliminate unfair discrimination through the promulgation of relevant legislation that seeks to, inter alia, provide the regulatory framework in respect of employment discrimination. With the foregoing in mind, the purpose of this work is the provision of a selection of comparable aspects of employment discrimination in Canada and South Africa. This selection comprises discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sex, pregnancy, age and HIV/AIDS. The study uses, as its departure point, both countries’ constitutional framework to elicit the extent to which protection against unfair discrimination is extended to the workforce. Apart from looking at the constitutional provisions towards the elimination of unfair discrimination, reference is made to specific employment statutory provisions in order to provide a comprehensive and explicit picture of how workplace discrimination in both countries is regulated. The study focuses on substantive law from both countries about the above -mentioned aspects of discrimination. This is informed by the very nature and scope of the study because any concentration on procedural and evidentiary aspects of discrimination could lead to failure to achieve the objectives of the study. It also looks at specific Canadian and South African case law, judgments of the courts and jurisprudence in the field of employment discrimination in order that the reader is presented with a clearer picture of recent developments in addressing workplace inequalities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
A comparison of programming notations for a tertiary level introductory programming course
- Authors: Cilliers, Charmain Barbara
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Computer programming -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa , Computer programmers -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:11093 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1019679
- Description: Increasing pressure from national government to improve throughput at South African tertiary education institutions presents challenges to educators of introductory programming courses. In response, educators must adopt effective methods and strategies that encourage novice programmers to be successful in such courses. An approach that seeks to increase and maintain satisfactory throughput is the modification of the teaching model in these courses by adjusting presentation techniques. This thesis investigates the effect of integrating an experimental iconic programming notation and associated development environment with existing conventional textual technological support in the teaching model of a tertiary level introductory programming course. The investigation compares the performance achievement of novice programmers using only conventional textual technological support with that of novice programmers using the integrated iconic and conventional textual technological support. In preparation for the investigation, interpretation of existing knowledge on the behaviour of novice programmers while learning to program results in a novel framework of eight novice programmer requirements for technological support in an introductory programming course. This framework is applied in the examination of existing categories of technological support as well as in the design of new technological support for novice programmers learning to program. It thus provides information for the selection of existing and the design of new introductory programming technological support. The findings of the investigation suggest strong evidence that performance achievement of novice programmers in a tertiary level introductory programming course improves significantly with the inclusion of iconic technological support in the teaching model. The benefits are particularly evident in the portion of the novice programmer population who have been identified as being at risk of being successful in the course. Novice programmers identified as being at risk perform substantially better when using iconic technological support concurrently with conventional textual technological support than their equals who use only the latter form. Considerably more at risk novice programmers using the integrated form of technological support are in fact successful in the introductory programming course when compared with their counterparts who use conventional textual technological support only. The contributions of this thesis address deficiencies existing in current documented research. These contributions are primarily apparent in a number of distinct areas, namely: • formalisation of a novel framework of novice programmer requirements for technological support in an introductory programming course; • application of the framework as a formal evaluation technique; • application of the framework in the design of a visual iconic programming notation and development environment; • enhancement of existing empirical evidence and experimental research methodology typically applied to studies in programming; as well as • a proposal for a modified introductory programming course teaching model. The thesis has effectively applied substantial existing research on the cognitive model of the novice programmer as well as that on experimental technological support. The increase of throughput to a recommended rate of 75 percent in the tertiary level introductory programming course at the University of Port Elizabeth is attributed solely to the incorporation of iconic technological support in the teaching model of the course.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Cilliers, Charmain Barbara
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Computer programming -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa , Computer programmers -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:11093 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1019679
- Description: Increasing pressure from national government to improve throughput at South African tertiary education institutions presents challenges to educators of introductory programming courses. In response, educators must adopt effective methods and strategies that encourage novice programmers to be successful in such courses. An approach that seeks to increase and maintain satisfactory throughput is the modification of the teaching model in these courses by adjusting presentation techniques. This thesis investigates the effect of integrating an experimental iconic programming notation and associated development environment with existing conventional textual technological support in the teaching model of a tertiary level introductory programming course. The investigation compares the performance achievement of novice programmers using only conventional textual technological support with that of novice programmers using the integrated iconic and conventional textual technological support. In preparation for the investigation, interpretation of existing knowledge on the behaviour of novice programmers while learning to program results in a novel framework of eight novice programmer requirements for technological support in an introductory programming course. This framework is applied in the examination of existing categories of technological support as well as in the design of new technological support for novice programmers learning to program. It thus provides information for the selection of existing and the design of new introductory programming technological support. The findings of the investigation suggest strong evidence that performance achievement of novice programmers in a tertiary level introductory programming course improves significantly with the inclusion of iconic technological support in the teaching model. The benefits are particularly evident in the portion of the novice programmer population who have been identified as being at risk of being successful in the course. Novice programmers identified as being at risk perform substantially better when using iconic technological support concurrently with conventional textual technological support than their equals who use only the latter form. Considerably more at risk novice programmers using the integrated form of technological support are in fact successful in the introductory programming course when compared with their counterparts who use conventional textual technological support only. The contributions of this thesis address deficiencies existing in current documented research. These contributions are primarily apparent in a number of distinct areas, namely: • formalisation of a novel framework of novice programmer requirements for technological support in an introductory programming course; • application of the framework as a formal evaluation technique; • application of the framework in the design of a visual iconic programming notation and development environment; • enhancement of existing empirical evidence and experimental research methodology typically applied to studies in programming; as well as • a proposal for a modified introductory programming course teaching model. The thesis has effectively applied substantial existing research on the cognitive model of the novice programmer as well as that on experimental technological support. The increase of throughput to a recommended rate of 75 percent in the tertiary level introductory programming course at the University of Port Elizabeth is attributed solely to the incorporation of iconic technological support in the teaching model of the course.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
A critical analysis of the influence of the "Prevention of the illegal eviction from and unlawful occupation of Land Act 19 of 1998" on investment in residential income-producing property
- Authors: Botha, Brink
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Rental housing -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Eviction -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Occupancy (Law) -- South Africa , Real estate investment -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:11005 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/321 , Rental housing -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Eviction -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Occupancy (Law) -- South Africa , Real estate investment -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Description: This research will focus on the influence of legislation (as indicated in this research) on the investment decision in residential income-producing property. Assumptions, as recorded in the hypothesis of this study, indicate that the legislation had a changing influence on the investment decision in residential income-producing property in comparison to the time period prior to the promulgation of the legislation. The research methodology will be based on a comparative analysis of the current legislation and the proposed Draft Amendment Bill. This analysis will be tested by means of a case study analysis incorporating a phenomenological study based on written data. The problems, sub-problems and hypothesis will be addressed and tested in this research in conjunction with the prescribed research methodology. This research is concluded by means of a synopsis and recommendations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Botha, Brink
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Rental housing -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Eviction -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Occupancy (Law) -- South Africa , Real estate investment -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:11005 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/321 , Rental housing -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Eviction -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Occupancy (Law) -- South Africa , Real estate investment -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Description: This research will focus on the influence of legislation (as indicated in this research) on the investment decision in residential income-producing property. Assumptions, as recorded in the hypothesis of this study, indicate that the legislation had a changing influence on the investment decision in residential income-producing property in comparison to the time period prior to the promulgation of the legislation. The research methodology will be based on a comparative analysis of the current legislation and the proposed Draft Amendment Bill. This analysis will be tested by means of a case study analysis incorporating a phenomenological study based on written data. The problems, sub-problems and hypothesis will be addressed and tested in this research in conjunction with the prescribed research methodology. This research is concluded by means of a synopsis and recommendations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Affirmative action in terms of the Empolyment Equity Act
- Authors: Mgcodo, Yolanda Thandile
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Affirmative action programs -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Discrimination in employment -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , South Africa. Employment Equity Act -- 1998
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:11048 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/356 , Affirmative action programs -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Discrimination in employment -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , South Africa. Employment Equity Act -- 1998
- Description: The term affirmative action originated in the United States some 30 years ago to describe a process of liberating minority groups. The objective of affirmative action within an organisational context, is to democratise the workplace by enabling members of previously disadvantaged groups to progress higher up the ranks of the corporate world. The affirmative action drive only took off in South Africa when it became part of the democratisation process and the focus was directed towards liberating the historically disadvantaged black majority. Prior to 1994, the reasons for implementing affirmative action programmes were largely political because of the race-based discrimination. Historically disadvantaged people were a minority in senior positions, the reason being that although the blacks were given a chance to compete with their white counterparts, due to their poor education standards and lack of experience only a few was appointed. The Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 aims to correct the demographic imbalances in the nation’s workforce by compelling employers to remove barriers to advancement of blacks, coloureds, Indians, women and disabled, and actively to advance them in all categories of employment by affirmative action. The Employment Equity Act consists of two main sections. The first replaces and refines the prohibition on unfair discrimination in item 2(1)(a) of Schedule 7 of the Labour Relations Act. The second aspect deals with imposing a duty to the employers to adopt affirmative action programmes. The Employment Equity Act places a positive obligation on all employers “to promote equal opportunity in the workplace by eliminating unfair discrimination in any employment policy or practice”. Where unfair discrimination is alleged, the onus of proving that discrimination is fair, or practice is not discriminatory at all, rests upon the employer. Disputes about unfair discrimination must be referred to the CCMA, and if not settled by conciliation, to the Labour Court, which has the power to order compensation or the payment iv of damages, or to direct the employer to take steps to prevent the same unfair discrimination or similar practice occurring in the future in respect of other employees. The second section of the Employment Equity Act deals with the imposition of the duty to designated employers to adopt affirmative action programmes. All employers with more than 50 employees, or which have annual turnovers equal to or above the annual turnovers for small businesses of their class, municipalities, organs of state, and those designated as such by collective agreement, must implement affirmative action measures for people from designated groups. This entails consulting with employers, conducting an analysis of employment policies, practices, procedures and the working environment to identify barriers, drawing up employment equity plans and reporting thereafter to the Director-General of the Department of Labour on progress made in implementing the plan. Any employee may bring alleged contraventions of the Act to the attention of the employer, another employee, or any trade union, workplace forum, labour inspector or the Director- General of the Employment Equity Commission. Labour inspectors appointed under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act may enter and inspect employer’s properties and documents, and are responsible for ensuring that the employer has consulted with employees as required, conducted the pre-equity plan analysis prepared its plan and is implementing it, submitted and published its reports, set up the necessary managerial infrastructure, and informed its employees of progress. Should employers be found not to have complied with these requirements, labour inspectors must request a written undertaking that they will do so. If an employer fails to give such an undertaking, the labour inspector can issue a compliance order setting out inter alia what steps the employer must take and when, and the maximum fine, if any, that can be imposed if the employer fails to comply. If the employer does not pay attention to the compliance order within the prescribed period, the Director-General may apply to have it made an order of the Labour Court. The Director-General may also conduct independent ad hoc reviews of selected designated employers. Failure by an employer to comply with the provision of the Act lead to the employer being liable for the contravention of the Act.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Mgcodo, Yolanda Thandile
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Affirmative action programs -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Discrimination in employment -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , South Africa. Employment Equity Act -- 1998
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:11048 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/356 , Affirmative action programs -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Discrimination in employment -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , South Africa. Employment Equity Act -- 1998
- Description: The term affirmative action originated in the United States some 30 years ago to describe a process of liberating minority groups. The objective of affirmative action within an organisational context, is to democratise the workplace by enabling members of previously disadvantaged groups to progress higher up the ranks of the corporate world. The affirmative action drive only took off in South Africa when it became part of the democratisation process and the focus was directed towards liberating the historically disadvantaged black majority. Prior to 1994, the reasons for implementing affirmative action programmes were largely political because of the race-based discrimination. Historically disadvantaged people were a minority in senior positions, the reason being that although the blacks were given a chance to compete with their white counterparts, due to their poor education standards and lack of experience only a few was appointed. The Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 aims to correct the demographic imbalances in the nation’s workforce by compelling employers to remove barriers to advancement of blacks, coloureds, Indians, women and disabled, and actively to advance them in all categories of employment by affirmative action. The Employment Equity Act consists of two main sections. The first replaces and refines the prohibition on unfair discrimination in item 2(1)(a) of Schedule 7 of the Labour Relations Act. The second aspect deals with imposing a duty to the employers to adopt affirmative action programmes. The Employment Equity Act places a positive obligation on all employers “to promote equal opportunity in the workplace by eliminating unfair discrimination in any employment policy or practice”. Where unfair discrimination is alleged, the onus of proving that discrimination is fair, or practice is not discriminatory at all, rests upon the employer. Disputes about unfair discrimination must be referred to the CCMA, and if not settled by conciliation, to the Labour Court, which has the power to order compensation or the payment iv of damages, or to direct the employer to take steps to prevent the same unfair discrimination or similar practice occurring in the future in respect of other employees. The second section of the Employment Equity Act deals with the imposition of the duty to designated employers to adopt affirmative action programmes. All employers with more than 50 employees, or which have annual turnovers equal to or above the annual turnovers for small businesses of their class, municipalities, organs of state, and those designated as such by collective agreement, must implement affirmative action measures for people from designated groups. This entails consulting with employers, conducting an analysis of employment policies, practices, procedures and the working environment to identify barriers, drawing up employment equity plans and reporting thereafter to the Director-General of the Department of Labour on progress made in implementing the plan. Any employee may bring alleged contraventions of the Act to the attention of the employer, another employee, or any trade union, workplace forum, labour inspector or the Director- General of the Employment Equity Commission. Labour inspectors appointed under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act may enter and inspect employer’s properties and documents, and are responsible for ensuring that the employer has consulted with employees as required, conducted the pre-equity plan analysis prepared its plan and is implementing it, submitted and published its reports, set up the necessary managerial infrastructure, and informed its employees of progress. Should employers be found not to have complied with these requirements, labour inspectors must request a written undertaking that they will do so. If an employer fails to give such an undertaking, the labour inspector can issue a compliance order setting out inter alia what steps the employer must take and when, and the maximum fine, if any, that can be imposed if the employer fails to comply. If the employer does not pay attention to the compliance order within the prescribed period, the Director-General may apply to have it made an order of the Labour Court. The Director-General may also conduct independent ad hoc reviews of selected designated employers. Failure by an employer to comply with the provision of the Act lead to the employer being liable for the contravention of the Act.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Algorithms for the solution of the quadratic programming problem
- Authors: Vankova, Martina
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Quadratic programming , Nonlinear programming , Algorithms
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:11086 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/348 , Quadratic programming , Nonlinear programming , Algorithms
- Description: The purpose of this dissertation was to provide a review of the theory of Optimization, in particular quadratic programming, and the algorithms suitable for solving both convex and non-convex quadratic programming problems. Optimization problems arise in a wide variety of fields and many can be effectively modeled with linear equations. However, there are problems for which linear models are not sufficient thus creating a need for non-linear systems. This dissertation includes a literature study of the formal theory necessary for understanding optimization and an investigation of the algorithms available for solving a special class of the non-linear programming problem, namely the quadratic programming problem. It was not the intention of this dissertation to discuss all possible algorithms for solving the quadratic programming problem, therefore certain algorithms for convex and non-convex quadratic programming problems were selected for a detailed discussion in the dissertation. Some of the algorithms were selected arbitrarily, because limited information was available comparing the efficiency of the various algorithms. Algorithms available for solving general non-linear programming problems were also included and briefly discussed as they can be used to solve quadratic programming problems. A number of algorithms were then selected for evaluation, depending on the frequency of use in practice and the availability of software implementing these algorithms. The evaluation included a theoretical and quantitative comparison of the algorithms. The quantitative results were analyzed and discussed and it was shown that the results supported the theoretical comparison. It was also shown that it is difficult to conclude that one algorithm is better than another as the efficiency of an algorithm greatly depends on the size of the problem, the complexity of an algorithm and many other implementation issues. Optimization problems arise continuously in a wide range of fields and thus create the need for effective methods of solving them. This dissertation provides the fundamental theory necessary for the understanding of optimization problems, with particular reference to quadratic programming problems and the algorithms that solve such problems. Keywords: Quadratic Programming, Quadratic Programming Algorithms, Optimization, Non-linear Programming, Convex, Non-convex.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Vankova, Martina
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Quadratic programming , Nonlinear programming , Algorithms
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:11086 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/348 , Quadratic programming , Nonlinear programming , Algorithms
- Description: The purpose of this dissertation was to provide a review of the theory of Optimization, in particular quadratic programming, and the algorithms suitable for solving both convex and non-convex quadratic programming problems. Optimization problems arise in a wide variety of fields and many can be effectively modeled with linear equations. However, there are problems for which linear models are not sufficient thus creating a need for non-linear systems. This dissertation includes a literature study of the formal theory necessary for understanding optimization and an investigation of the algorithms available for solving a special class of the non-linear programming problem, namely the quadratic programming problem. It was not the intention of this dissertation to discuss all possible algorithms for solving the quadratic programming problem, therefore certain algorithms for convex and non-convex quadratic programming problems were selected for a detailed discussion in the dissertation. Some of the algorithms were selected arbitrarily, because limited information was available comparing the efficiency of the various algorithms. Algorithms available for solving general non-linear programming problems were also included and briefly discussed as they can be used to solve quadratic programming problems. A number of algorithms were then selected for evaluation, depending on the frequency of use in practice and the availability of software implementing these algorithms. The evaluation included a theoretical and quantitative comparison of the algorithms. The quantitative results were analyzed and discussed and it was shown that the results supported the theoretical comparison. It was also shown that it is difficult to conclude that one algorithm is better than another as the efficiency of an algorithm greatly depends on the size of the problem, the complexity of an algorithm and many other implementation issues. Optimization problems arise continuously in a wide range of fields and thus create the need for effective methods of solving them. This dissertation provides the fundamental theory necessary for the understanding of optimization problems, with particular reference to quadratic programming problems and the algorithms that solve such problems. Keywords: Quadratic Programming, Quadratic Programming Algorithms, Optimization, Non-linear Programming, Convex, Non-convex.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
An analysis of group adverse impact in selection strategies of a communications company
- Authors: Bradfield, Claire Caroline
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Telecommunication -- Employees -- Selection and appointment -- South Africa , Employee selection -- South Africa , Discrimination in employment -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10993 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/361 , Telecommunication -- Employees -- Selection and appointment -- South Africa , Employee selection -- South Africa , Discrimination in employment -- South Africa
- Description: An overview of the literature indicates that there is a real and pressing need to explore the concept of adverse impact in more detail. The Employment Equity Act of 1998 prioritises the issue of group representivity in staff selection and although there are merits in enforcing an Affirmative Action policy, an objective assessment of the inherent requirements of job applicants is still a constitutional and procedural outcome. There is no simple mechanism that can be used to determine the manifestation of adverse impact. However, evidence thereof can be most useful in securing fairness in selection and employment decisions. There is a distinct need to examine the matter of adverse impact and its implications in the South African context. South Africa is confronted with a labour force that is growing dramatically and changing significantly. The demographic trends in our dynamically changing labour markets are likely to amplify skill and ability differences between the resulting contradictory goals of equal opportunity based on individual merit and equal employment results for subgroups of populations. Three selection strategies of a communications company were used as a basis for the assessment of adverse impact. The total population of the Call Centre selection strategy was 150. Seven instruments and measures were utilised in the study, namely, a job analysis, pre-screening exercise, psychometric ability tests, role-play simulation, structured interview, job compatibility questionnaire and a performance evaluation. The total population of the Operator Services selection strategy was 139. Five psychometric instruments were utilised in the study. The total population of the Female Leadership Development Programme selection strategy was 471. Three psychometric instruments were utilised in the study. The Adverse Impact Model was applied to each of the aforementioned strategies. In terms of the definition, adverse impact exists if the selection ratio associated with a particular passing score on a test for one sub-group of job applicants is less than 4/5th’s or 80% of the selection ration for the largest sub-group of applicants. 13 The results of the study indicate that adverse impact occurred in the following instances. In the Call Centre selection strategy, there was evidence of adverse impact in the racial analysis in the ability testing stage. There was also evidence of adverse impact in the gender analysis during this stage. There was no evidence of adverse impact in either the racial or gender analyses during the interview stage. There was no evidence of adverse impact in the racial analysis during the appointment stage. There was however evidence of adverse impact in the gender analysis during the appointment stage. The Female Leadership Development Programme selection strategy revealed evidence of adverse impact in the racial analysis during the appointment stage. The Operator Services selection strategy revealed an adverse impact in both the racial and gender analyses during the testing stage. The issue of adverse impact is obviously controversial. However, data obtained from this process will provide for informative analysis.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Bradfield, Claire Caroline
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Telecommunication -- Employees -- Selection and appointment -- South Africa , Employee selection -- South Africa , Discrimination in employment -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10993 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/361 , Telecommunication -- Employees -- Selection and appointment -- South Africa , Employee selection -- South Africa , Discrimination in employment -- South Africa
- Description: An overview of the literature indicates that there is a real and pressing need to explore the concept of adverse impact in more detail. The Employment Equity Act of 1998 prioritises the issue of group representivity in staff selection and although there are merits in enforcing an Affirmative Action policy, an objective assessment of the inherent requirements of job applicants is still a constitutional and procedural outcome. There is no simple mechanism that can be used to determine the manifestation of adverse impact. However, evidence thereof can be most useful in securing fairness in selection and employment decisions. There is a distinct need to examine the matter of adverse impact and its implications in the South African context. South Africa is confronted with a labour force that is growing dramatically and changing significantly. The demographic trends in our dynamically changing labour markets are likely to amplify skill and ability differences between the resulting contradictory goals of equal opportunity based on individual merit and equal employment results for subgroups of populations. Three selection strategies of a communications company were used as a basis for the assessment of adverse impact. The total population of the Call Centre selection strategy was 150. Seven instruments and measures were utilised in the study, namely, a job analysis, pre-screening exercise, psychometric ability tests, role-play simulation, structured interview, job compatibility questionnaire and a performance evaluation. The total population of the Operator Services selection strategy was 139. Five psychometric instruments were utilised in the study. The total population of the Female Leadership Development Programme selection strategy was 471. Three psychometric instruments were utilised in the study. The Adverse Impact Model was applied to each of the aforementioned strategies. In terms of the definition, adverse impact exists if the selection ratio associated with a particular passing score on a test for one sub-group of job applicants is less than 4/5th’s or 80% of the selection ration for the largest sub-group of applicants. 13 The results of the study indicate that adverse impact occurred in the following instances. In the Call Centre selection strategy, there was evidence of adverse impact in the racial analysis in the ability testing stage. There was also evidence of adverse impact in the gender analysis during this stage. There was no evidence of adverse impact in either the racial or gender analyses during the interview stage. There was no evidence of adverse impact in the racial analysis during the appointment stage. There was however evidence of adverse impact in the gender analysis during the appointment stage. The Female Leadership Development Programme selection strategy revealed evidence of adverse impact in the racial analysis during the appointment stage. The Operator Services selection strategy revealed an adverse impact in both the racial and gender analyses during the testing stage. The issue of adverse impact is obviously controversial. However, data obtained from this process will provide for informative analysis.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
An evaluation of paired comparison models
- Venter, Daniel Jacobus Lodewyk
- Authors: Venter, Daniel Jacobus Lodewyk
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Paired comparisons (Statistics) , Mathematical statistics
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:11087 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/364 , Paired comparisons (Statistics) , Mathematical statistics
- Description: Introduction: A typical task in quantitative data analysis is to derive estimates of population parameters based on sample statistics. For manifest variables this is usually a straightforward process utilising suitable measurement instruments and standard statistics such the mean, median and standard deviation. Latent variables on the other hand are typically more elusive, making it difficult to obtain valid and reliable measurements. One of the most widely used methods of estimating the parameter value of a latent variable is to use a summated score derived from a set of individual scores for each of the various attributes of the latent variable. A serious limitation of this method and other similar methods is that the validity and reliability of measurements depend on whether the statements included in the questionnaire cover all characteristics of the variable being measured and also on respondents’ ability to correctly indicate their perceived assessment of the characteristics on the scale provided. Methods without this limitation and that are especially useful where a set of objects/entities must be ranked based on the parameter values of one or more latent variables, are methods of paired comparisons. Although the underlying assumptions and algorithms of these methods often differ dramatically, they all rely on data derived from a series of comparisons, each consisting of a pair of specimens selected from the set of objects/entities being investigated. Typical examples of the comparison process are: subjects (judges) who have to indicate for each pair of objects which of the two they prefer; sport teams that compete against each other in matches that involve two teams at a time. The resultant data of each comparison range from a simple dichotomy to indicate which of the two objects are preferred/better, to an interval or ratio scale score for e d Bradley-Terry models, and were based on statistical theory assuming that the variable(s) being measured is either normally (Thurstone-Mosteller) or exponentially (Bradley-Terry) distributed. For many years researchers had to rely on these PCM’s when analysing paired comparison data without any idea about the implications if the distribution of the data from which their sample were obtained differed from the assumed distribution for the applicable PCM being utilised. To address this problem, PCM’s were subsequently developed to cater for discrete variables and variables with distributions that are neither normal or exponential. A question that remained unanswered is how the performance, as measured by the accuracy of parameter estimates, of PCM's are affected if they are applied to data from a range of discrete and continuous distribution that violates the assumptions on which the applicable paired comparison algorithm is based. This study is an attempt to answer this question by applying the most popular PCM's to a range of randomly derived data sets that spans typical continuous and discrete data distributions. It is hoped that the results of this study will assist researchers when selecting the most appropriate PCM to obtain accurate estimates of the parameters of the variables in their data sets.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Venter, Daniel Jacobus Lodewyk
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Paired comparisons (Statistics) , Mathematical statistics
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:11087 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/364 , Paired comparisons (Statistics) , Mathematical statistics
- Description: Introduction: A typical task in quantitative data analysis is to derive estimates of population parameters based on sample statistics. For manifest variables this is usually a straightforward process utilising suitable measurement instruments and standard statistics such the mean, median and standard deviation. Latent variables on the other hand are typically more elusive, making it difficult to obtain valid and reliable measurements. One of the most widely used methods of estimating the parameter value of a latent variable is to use a summated score derived from a set of individual scores for each of the various attributes of the latent variable. A serious limitation of this method and other similar methods is that the validity and reliability of measurements depend on whether the statements included in the questionnaire cover all characteristics of the variable being measured and also on respondents’ ability to correctly indicate their perceived assessment of the characteristics on the scale provided. Methods without this limitation and that are especially useful where a set of objects/entities must be ranked based on the parameter values of one or more latent variables, are methods of paired comparisons. Although the underlying assumptions and algorithms of these methods often differ dramatically, they all rely on data derived from a series of comparisons, each consisting of a pair of specimens selected from the set of objects/entities being investigated. Typical examples of the comparison process are: subjects (judges) who have to indicate for each pair of objects which of the two they prefer; sport teams that compete against each other in matches that involve two teams at a time. The resultant data of each comparison range from a simple dichotomy to indicate which of the two objects are preferred/better, to an interval or ratio scale score for e d Bradley-Terry models, and were based on statistical theory assuming that the variable(s) being measured is either normally (Thurstone-Mosteller) or exponentially (Bradley-Terry) distributed. For many years researchers had to rely on these PCM’s when analysing paired comparison data without any idea about the implications if the distribution of the data from which their sample were obtained differed from the assumed distribution for the applicable PCM being utilised. To address this problem, PCM’s were subsequently developed to cater for discrete variables and variables with distributions that are neither normal or exponential. A question that remained unanswered is how the performance, as measured by the accuracy of parameter estimates, of PCM's are affected if they are applied to data from a range of discrete and continuous distribution that violates the assumptions on which the applicable paired comparison algorithm is based. This study is an attempt to answer this question by applying the most popular PCM's to a range of randomly derived data sets that spans typical continuous and discrete data distributions. It is hoped that the results of this study will assist researchers when selecting the most appropriate PCM to obtain accurate estimates of the parameters of the variables in their data sets.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
An investigation into the attitudes of teachers in Port Elizabeth to the inplementation of computer assisted learning
- Authors: Harvey, Paul David
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Computer-assisted instruction -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Teachers -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10996 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/384 , Computer-assisted instruction -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Teachers -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Attitudes
- Description: In general, insufficient research has been done to validate the usefulness and relevance of computers in educational settings (Hitchcock, 2000; Robinson et al., 2003; Baillie et al., 2000; Housego et al., 2000; Valdez et al., 2004). Schools therefore tend to adopt educational technologies before determining whether and how the technology will be used to its full capacity, or what the human and educational impact would be on learners and teachers (Hobson et al., 1998; McCabe et al., 2003; Hugo, 2002). In South Africa the eEducation policy, scripted by the Department of Education (DOE), has been created as an implementation and integration plan for educational technologies in South African schools, where all South African learners at schools are to be functionally computer literate by the year 2013 (DOE, 2003c). However, a limited amount of research has been performed investigating the educational relevance or optimal method for Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) implementation in South African schools. The purpose of the undertaken research study is to create an understanding of teachers’ attitudes toward CAL implementation and integration, as well as to provide insight into the optimal CAL implementation and integration methods in South African schools. The research problem under study therefore is: What are teachers’ attitudes toward the implementation and integration of CAL systems in South African schools? The research study is performed within the quantitative research paradigm and can be described as both exploratory and descriptive in orientation. In the context of this research the population under study is Grade 10 Mathematics teachers that teach in the city of Port Elizabeth. Out of a total of 153 teachers who form part of the study population, 78 successfully completed survey instruments, returning a high yield of 51% of the total study population. The analysis of the total teacher sample group provides the most statistically robust analysis breakdown of the study, and therefore can be reported with a high level of confidence. However, as the study is exploratory in nature, the analysis of various subject breakdowns have been included and iii reported in the study to provide anecdotal insight across diverse variable groups. Subject breakdowns include gender, demographic groups, and age groups, levels of qualifications and level of computer use experience. The findings indicate that teachers in general feel very positive about the use of computers in schools, specifically for teaching purposes, and believe the use of computers in education is inevitable but provides value in the educational context. Though teachers demonstrate high levels of access to computers and fairly capable computer abilities, they demonstrate low levels of awareness of available computer facilities, as well as low levels of computer use. The findings therefore indicate a need for greater integration of CAL systems into the curricula and greater training opportunities. However, teachers show that they have a preference for traditional teaching methods to CAL instructional methods, demonstrating a specific preference for traditional chalk and whiteboard media. The findings suggest that teachers do not value computers for their instructional purposes, but rather for their practical educational related activities. The findings also suggest that the use of computers to teach is not a priority of education related computer use. Teachers indicate that a variety of both traditional and modern media is best suited to various educational activities. With regard to CAL instruction, teachers demonstrate a preference for a teaching scenario where teachers use computers to prepare and teach lessons, but learners only perform exercises on computers under teacher supervision. Teachers demonstrate greater aversion to teaching situations where learners learn independently off computers. Teachers therefore indicate that Drill and Practice and Testing software are the most suitable for general CAL implementation and use, in support of previous studies in South Africa. Finally, from a developmental perspective in the context of South Africa, teachers overwhelmingly indicate that the widespread implementation of CAL systems should not occur before all schools have their basic needs of water, sanitation, electricity and human resources fulfilled.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Harvey, Paul David
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Computer-assisted instruction -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Teachers -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10996 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/384 , Computer-assisted instruction -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Teachers -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Attitudes
- Description: In general, insufficient research has been done to validate the usefulness and relevance of computers in educational settings (Hitchcock, 2000; Robinson et al., 2003; Baillie et al., 2000; Housego et al., 2000; Valdez et al., 2004). Schools therefore tend to adopt educational technologies before determining whether and how the technology will be used to its full capacity, or what the human and educational impact would be on learners and teachers (Hobson et al., 1998; McCabe et al., 2003; Hugo, 2002). In South Africa the eEducation policy, scripted by the Department of Education (DOE), has been created as an implementation and integration plan for educational technologies in South African schools, where all South African learners at schools are to be functionally computer literate by the year 2013 (DOE, 2003c). However, a limited amount of research has been performed investigating the educational relevance or optimal method for Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) implementation in South African schools. The purpose of the undertaken research study is to create an understanding of teachers’ attitudes toward CAL implementation and integration, as well as to provide insight into the optimal CAL implementation and integration methods in South African schools. The research problem under study therefore is: What are teachers’ attitudes toward the implementation and integration of CAL systems in South African schools? The research study is performed within the quantitative research paradigm and can be described as both exploratory and descriptive in orientation. In the context of this research the population under study is Grade 10 Mathematics teachers that teach in the city of Port Elizabeth. Out of a total of 153 teachers who form part of the study population, 78 successfully completed survey instruments, returning a high yield of 51% of the total study population. The analysis of the total teacher sample group provides the most statistically robust analysis breakdown of the study, and therefore can be reported with a high level of confidence. However, as the study is exploratory in nature, the analysis of various subject breakdowns have been included and iii reported in the study to provide anecdotal insight across diverse variable groups. Subject breakdowns include gender, demographic groups, and age groups, levels of qualifications and level of computer use experience. The findings indicate that teachers in general feel very positive about the use of computers in schools, specifically for teaching purposes, and believe the use of computers in education is inevitable but provides value in the educational context. Though teachers demonstrate high levels of access to computers and fairly capable computer abilities, they demonstrate low levels of awareness of available computer facilities, as well as low levels of computer use. The findings therefore indicate a need for greater integration of CAL systems into the curricula and greater training opportunities. However, teachers show that they have a preference for traditional teaching methods to CAL instructional methods, demonstrating a specific preference for traditional chalk and whiteboard media. The findings suggest that teachers do not value computers for their instructional purposes, but rather for their practical educational related activities. The findings also suggest that the use of computers to teach is not a priority of education related computer use. Teachers indicate that a variety of both traditional and modern media is best suited to various educational activities. With regard to CAL instruction, teachers demonstrate a preference for a teaching scenario where teachers use computers to prepare and teach lessons, but learners only perform exercises on computers under teacher supervision. Teachers demonstrate greater aversion to teaching situations where learners learn independently off computers. Teachers therefore indicate that Drill and Practice and Testing software are the most suitable for general CAL implementation and use, in support of previous studies in South Africa. Finally, from a developmental perspective in the context of South Africa, teachers overwhelmingly indicate that the widespread implementation of CAL systems should not occur before all schools have their basic needs of water, sanitation, electricity and human resources fulfilled.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
An investigation into the coverage of diverse forms of tourism in South African travel magazines
- Authors: Kotzé, Louis Jacobus Daniël
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Tourism -- South Africa , South Africa -- Description and travel Periodicals -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10992 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/339 , Tourism -- South Africa , South Africa -- Description and travel Periodicals -- Research
- Description: There have been several changes in tourism in South Africa since 1994. During apartheid, black people were not allowed to become involved in important aspects of tourism, particularly at management level. However, this situation is changing and all cultures are gradually becoming engaged in th e tourism industry. The economic progress of the black community has resulted in the materialization of cultural villages, tourism projects to give rural people jobs, and an increase in township tourist attractions, heritage tours, etc. These initiatives have led to the establishment of certain types of tourism such as cultural tourism, urban tourism and community-based tourism. It could be said without hesitation, at the prescientific level, that the diversity in cultures, for one, is a major attraction of this country. Another change has been the increase in tourism from countries which have been excluded from South Africa in the past. Examples of these are African countries such as Kenya and Nigeria, as well as countries on other continents, including India, Bangladesh and the East-European bloc. Up to 2003/4, South Africa experienced the longest uninterrupted period of economic growth in its history. This resulted in people being able to afford a higher standard of living and therefore having more money to spend on travelling. as the economic growth stimulated the growth of tourism, both local and foreign, in the country. Seen from the perspective of the tourism industry, it is important to keep the public informed and up to date about what a country has to offer in order to maintain the increase in tourism. The media assist in this process. The travelling public is informed by word of mouth, but also through newspapers, magazines, television and radio. Information about the different attractions, whether cultures, wildlife or sport, et cetera, would not always be easy to find, were it not for the media. As tourism grows, more tourist attractions will develop, with a bigger need for tourists to be informed as an immediate result. The role of the media in this information giving is th erefore constantly on the increase.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Kotzé, Louis Jacobus Daniël
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Tourism -- South Africa , South Africa -- Description and travel Periodicals -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10992 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/339 , Tourism -- South Africa , South Africa -- Description and travel Periodicals -- Research
- Description: There have been several changes in tourism in South Africa since 1994. During apartheid, black people were not allowed to become involved in important aspects of tourism, particularly at management level. However, this situation is changing and all cultures are gradually becoming engaged in th e tourism industry. The economic progress of the black community has resulted in the materialization of cultural villages, tourism projects to give rural people jobs, and an increase in township tourist attractions, heritage tours, etc. These initiatives have led to the establishment of certain types of tourism such as cultural tourism, urban tourism and community-based tourism. It could be said without hesitation, at the prescientific level, that the diversity in cultures, for one, is a major attraction of this country. Another change has been the increase in tourism from countries which have been excluded from South Africa in the past. Examples of these are African countries such as Kenya and Nigeria, as well as countries on other continents, including India, Bangladesh and the East-European bloc. Up to 2003/4, South Africa experienced the longest uninterrupted period of economic growth in its history. This resulted in people being able to afford a higher standard of living and therefore having more money to spend on travelling. as the economic growth stimulated the growth of tourism, both local and foreign, in the country. Seen from the perspective of the tourism industry, it is important to keep the public informed and up to date about what a country has to offer in order to maintain the increase in tourism. The media assist in this process. The travelling public is informed by word of mouth, but also through newspapers, magazines, television and radio. Information about the different attractions, whether cultures, wildlife or sport, et cetera, would not always be easy to find, were it not for the media. As tourism grows, more tourist attractions will develop, with a bigger need for tourists to be informed as an immediate result. The role of the media in this information giving is th erefore constantly on the increase.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Burial practices, African women, and Islam in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa
- Authors: Sesanti, Simphiwe Olicius
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Islamic funeral rites and ceremonies -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Muslim women -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mourning custom -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10998 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/346 , Islamic funeral rites and ceremonies -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Muslim women -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mourning custom -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Early in 2003, African Muslims in Uitenhage’s township, Kwa-Nobuhle, learnt that Muslim women, led by Sheikh Nceba Salamntu, in South Africa’s Port Elizabeth New Brighton township, were allowed, contrary to previous practice, to follow a funeral procession right up to the graveyard. The resultant discomfort on the one hand, and excitement on the other caused by this event among Muslims in the township, forms the basis of this research. It gives focus to Muslim women, the ones most affected by their customary restriction from the gravesites. The researchi exposes the basis for women’s exclusion from funeral processions in the Muslim community. It was established that many of these Muslim women who challenged the practice were converts from Christianity to Islam. One of the bases for their action was that they were passive recipients of Islam. Furthermore, it was found that the exclusion of women from the funeral procession has no basis in Islamic writings.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Sesanti, Simphiwe Olicius
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Islamic funeral rites and ceremonies -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Muslim women -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mourning custom -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10998 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/346 , Islamic funeral rites and ceremonies -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Muslim women -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mourning custom -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Early in 2003, African Muslims in Uitenhage’s township, Kwa-Nobuhle, learnt that Muslim women, led by Sheikh Nceba Salamntu, in South Africa’s Port Elizabeth New Brighton township, were allowed, contrary to previous practice, to follow a funeral procession right up to the graveyard. The resultant discomfort on the one hand, and excitement on the other caused by this event among Muslims in the township, forms the basis of this research. It gives focus to Muslim women, the ones most affected by their customary restriction from the gravesites. The researchi exposes the basis for women’s exclusion from funeral processions in the Muslim community. It was established that many of these Muslim women who challenged the practice were converts from Christianity to Islam. One of the bases for their action was that they were passive recipients of Islam. Furthermore, it was found that the exclusion of women from the funeral procession has no basis in Islamic writings.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Coping and satisfaction with life of retired elderly females in a residence for the aged
- Authors: Yerushalmi, Orit
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Older women -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Attitudes , Old age homes -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:11027 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/383 , Older women -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Attitudes , Old age homes -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Description: Demographically the aged are the fastest growing group both world-wide and in South Africa but despite this, psychologists have neglected psycho-geriatric research and its importance. In the past, old age has been studied by psychologists as a deviation from the norm of youth. The primary focus has been on the rate of cognitive decline, the process of social withdrawal and the etiology of dementia. Although these issues are of significant importance, the positive aspects of aging should also be considered; thereby challenging the stereotype that old age means disengagement, decline and degeneration. This study aimed to explore and describe the coping and life satisfaction of the retired elderly females in a residence for the aged. A quantitative exploratory descriptive research design was employed, making use of non-probability convenience sampling. The sample consisted of 40 retired females who have been living in a residence for the aged for at least 12 months. Further inclusion criterions were that the participants should have a relatively "sound/stable" neuropsychological status (i.e., they should not be suffering from any clinically diagnosed disorders, for example, dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease). The Coping Resources Inventory (CRI) was utilized to identify the coping resources used by the participants; the Orientation to Life Questionnaire (SOC-29) was utilised as a measure of the participants' sense of coherence; the Life Satisfaction in the Elderly Scale (LSES) was employed to measure the global life satisfaction of the participants, namely on the cognitive level. A biographical questionnaire collated important demographic and background information. The data was analysed through computing descriptive statistics. Following this a Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was utilised to inter-correlate the total score of the SOC-29 and the total score of the LSES with the individual subscales of the CRI. The results of the present study indicated the following: the SOC-29 revealed a relatively high mean score for the current sample. Results of the CRI revealed relatively high mean scores for the total scale as well as the five different subscales. The highest scores were obtained for the Spiritual/Philosophical and Physical Resources Subscales, while the lowest score was obtained for the Cognitive Resource Subscale. Results from the LSES indicated relatively high mean scores for both the total and all eight subscales. The highest scores were obtained for the Mood and xii Social contacts Subscales, while the lowest scores were obtained for the Health and Finance Subscales. Significant positive correlation was evident between the total scores of the CRI, the SOC-29 and the LSES. With regard to the individual subscales of the CRI, the results indicated significant moderate relationships between the SOC- 29 total raw score, the LSES total raw score and the Cognitive, Social and Physical Subscales scores of the CRI. However, the SOC-29 and LSES total raw scores did not correlate with the Emotional and Spiritual/Philosophical subscales of the CRI.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Yerushalmi, Orit
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Older women -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Attitudes , Old age homes -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:11027 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/383 , Older women -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Attitudes , Old age homes -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Description: Demographically the aged are the fastest growing group both world-wide and in South Africa but despite this, psychologists have neglected psycho-geriatric research and its importance. In the past, old age has been studied by psychologists as a deviation from the norm of youth. The primary focus has been on the rate of cognitive decline, the process of social withdrawal and the etiology of dementia. Although these issues are of significant importance, the positive aspects of aging should also be considered; thereby challenging the stereotype that old age means disengagement, decline and degeneration. This study aimed to explore and describe the coping and life satisfaction of the retired elderly females in a residence for the aged. A quantitative exploratory descriptive research design was employed, making use of non-probability convenience sampling. The sample consisted of 40 retired females who have been living in a residence for the aged for at least 12 months. Further inclusion criterions were that the participants should have a relatively "sound/stable" neuropsychological status (i.e., they should not be suffering from any clinically diagnosed disorders, for example, dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease). The Coping Resources Inventory (CRI) was utilized to identify the coping resources used by the participants; the Orientation to Life Questionnaire (SOC-29) was utilised as a measure of the participants' sense of coherence; the Life Satisfaction in the Elderly Scale (LSES) was employed to measure the global life satisfaction of the participants, namely on the cognitive level. A biographical questionnaire collated important demographic and background information. The data was analysed through computing descriptive statistics. Following this a Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was utilised to inter-correlate the total score of the SOC-29 and the total score of the LSES with the individual subscales of the CRI. The results of the present study indicated the following: the SOC-29 revealed a relatively high mean score for the current sample. Results of the CRI revealed relatively high mean scores for the total scale as well as the five different subscales. The highest scores were obtained for the Spiritual/Philosophical and Physical Resources Subscales, while the lowest score was obtained for the Cognitive Resource Subscale. Results from the LSES indicated relatively high mean scores for both the total and all eight subscales. The highest scores were obtained for the Mood and xii Social contacts Subscales, while the lowest scores were obtained for the Health and Finance Subscales. Significant positive correlation was evident between the total scores of the CRI, the SOC-29 and the LSES. With regard to the individual subscales of the CRI, the results indicated significant moderate relationships between the SOC- 29 total raw score, the LSES total raw score and the Cognitive, Social and Physical Subscales scores of the CRI. However, the SOC-29 and LSES total raw scores did not correlate with the Emotional and Spiritual/Philosophical subscales of the CRI.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Coping resources and sense of coherence of male police officers in the South African Police Services
- Authors: Kayal, Mohammed
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Police -- Job stress -- South Africa , South African Police Service , Coping Responses Inventory -- South Africa , Adjustment (Psychology) -- South Africa -- Testing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:11018 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/345 , Police -- Job stress -- South Africa , South African Police Service , Coping Responses Inventory -- South Africa , Adjustment (Psychology) -- South Africa -- Testing
- Description: In South Africa the extraordinary high levels of violence and crime, escalating execution and killings of police officers, large number of murders, hijacking, robberies and shootings have created an unusually dangerous and stressful working environment for the members of the South African Police Services (SAPS). An overview of the literature on the nature of work in the SAPS indicates that these working conditions might have a detrimental effect on the coping resources and sense of coherence of police officers. This study aimed to explore and describe the coping resources and sense of coherence of male police officers in the SAPS. It employed a quantitative exploratory descriptive research design, making use of non-probability convenience sampling. The sample consisted of 70 male police officers who have been in the service of the SAPS for at least two years. All police officers that were included in the sample were also shift workers defined by the SAPS as police officers who work unsociable hours and who are likely to be exposed to violence, risks, danger, and traumatic situations. A further inclusion criterion was that the police officers must not be subjected to possible relocation or transfer as stipulated in Resolution 7/2002. The Coping Resources Inventory (CRI) was employed to identify the coping resources used by the participants and the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SOC- 29) was utilised as a measure of the participants’ sense of coherence. A biographical questionnaire collated important demographic and background information. The data was analysed by computing descriptive statistics. To examine the relationship between the sense of coherence and coping resources of the participants, a multiple correlation xv between the total score of the SOC-29 and the subscales of the CRI was conducted. Following this, a Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was utilised to intercorrelate the total score of the SOC-29 and the individual subscales of the CRI. The results of the present study indicated the followings: The SOC-29 revealed relatively low scores for the current sample. Results on the CRI revealed low average scores for both the total and all five scales. The correlational analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between the two measures for the current sample.
- Full Text:
Coping resources and sense of coherence of male police officers in the South African Police Services
- Authors: Kayal, Mohammed
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Police -- Job stress -- South Africa , South African Police Service , Coping Responses Inventory -- South Africa , Adjustment (Psychology) -- South Africa -- Testing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:11018 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/345 , Police -- Job stress -- South Africa , South African Police Service , Coping Responses Inventory -- South Africa , Adjustment (Psychology) -- South Africa -- Testing
- Description: In South Africa the extraordinary high levels of violence and crime, escalating execution and killings of police officers, large number of murders, hijacking, robberies and shootings have created an unusually dangerous and stressful working environment for the members of the South African Police Services (SAPS). An overview of the literature on the nature of work in the SAPS indicates that these working conditions might have a detrimental effect on the coping resources and sense of coherence of police officers. This study aimed to explore and describe the coping resources and sense of coherence of male police officers in the SAPS. It employed a quantitative exploratory descriptive research design, making use of non-probability convenience sampling. The sample consisted of 70 male police officers who have been in the service of the SAPS for at least two years. All police officers that were included in the sample were also shift workers defined by the SAPS as police officers who work unsociable hours and who are likely to be exposed to violence, risks, danger, and traumatic situations. A further inclusion criterion was that the police officers must not be subjected to possible relocation or transfer as stipulated in Resolution 7/2002. The Coping Resources Inventory (CRI) was employed to identify the coping resources used by the participants and the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SOC- 29) was utilised as a measure of the participants’ sense of coherence. A biographical questionnaire collated important demographic and background information. The data was analysed by computing descriptive statistics. To examine the relationship between the sense of coherence and coping resources of the participants, a multiple correlation xv between the total score of the SOC-29 and the subscales of the CRI was conducted. Following this, a Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was utilised to intercorrelate the total score of the SOC-29 and the individual subscales of the CRI. The results of the present study indicated the followings: The SOC-29 revealed relatively low scores for the current sample. Results on the CRI revealed low average scores for both the total and all five scales. The correlational analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between the two measures for the current sample.
- Full Text:
Coping with change: an investigation into language policy and practice in three Port Elizabeth primary schools
- Authors: Foli, Cordelia Nokuthula
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Language policy -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Education, Primary -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Multicultural education -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10995 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/327 , Language policy -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Education, Primary -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Multicultural education -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Description: This is a qualitative case study of three Primary, schools in Port Elizabeth District.They are an ex -White, ex-Coloured and ex-Indian schools. These schools have become desegregated and are multicultural and multilingual. The medium of instruction in the schools is English. The study aims to show: Adaptations that teachers are making to make the curriculum accessible to children from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds; coping strategies that learners have needed to adapt when learning in a language that is not their mother tongue; attitudes of parents, teachers and pupils to the use of English and to the level at which the other home languages are offered as subjects. Another aim of the study is to document strategies and adaptations that teachers and learners have had to make in teaching and learning in multicultural and multilingual environments. Data was gathered through questionnaires, classroom observation, discussions with teachers, interviews with principals, parents and learners. The study concludes that two of the schools that were investigated have attempted to change school language policy. They have done this by introducing isiXhosa as one of the subjects in the curriculum. Contrary to the language policy which encourages maintenance of primary language, these learning contexts encourage the development of English to the detriment of isiXhosa. The issue that still needs to be addressed is the level at which isiXhosa primary language speakers are offered the language at school. This study further concludes that isiXhosa and Afrikaans speaking parents and learners in the English environments, value their primary languages for communicative purposes only in informal situations. English is valued as a language of access and for use as a language of learning and teaching. Finally, it is teachers in the Foundation Phase who seem to have needed to make a lot of adaptations and adjustments to accommodate non- native speakers of English in the classrooms.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Foli, Cordelia Nokuthula
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Language policy -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Education, Primary -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Multicultural education -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10995 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/327 , Language policy -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Education, Primary -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Multicultural education -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Description: This is a qualitative case study of three Primary, schools in Port Elizabeth District.They are an ex -White, ex-Coloured and ex-Indian schools. These schools have become desegregated and are multicultural and multilingual. The medium of instruction in the schools is English. The study aims to show: Adaptations that teachers are making to make the curriculum accessible to children from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds; coping strategies that learners have needed to adapt when learning in a language that is not their mother tongue; attitudes of parents, teachers and pupils to the use of English and to the level at which the other home languages are offered as subjects. Another aim of the study is to document strategies and adaptations that teachers and learners have had to make in teaching and learning in multicultural and multilingual environments. Data was gathered through questionnaires, classroom observation, discussions with teachers, interviews with principals, parents and learners. The study concludes that two of the schools that were investigated have attempted to change school language policy. They have done this by introducing isiXhosa as one of the subjects in the curriculum. Contrary to the language policy which encourages maintenance of primary language, these learning contexts encourage the development of English to the detriment of isiXhosa. The issue that still needs to be addressed is the level at which isiXhosa primary language speakers are offered the language at school. This study further concludes that isiXhosa and Afrikaans speaking parents and learners in the English environments, value their primary languages for communicative purposes only in informal situations. English is valued as a language of access and for use as a language of learning and teaching. Finally, it is teachers in the Foundation Phase who seem to have needed to make a lot of adaptations and adjustments to accommodate non- native speakers of English in the classrooms.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Designing an evaluation instrument for South African intermediate phase school textbooks
- Authors: Vosloo, Barend Jacobus
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Textbooks -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Curriculum change -- South Africa -- Evaluation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11014 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/324 , Textbooks -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Curriculum change -- South Africa -- Evaluation
- Description: No coherent theory about the practice of South African intermediate phase school textbook evaluation has been forthcoming since the advent of a new South African school curriculum in 1998. This deficiency has had an adverse effect on the quality of intermediate phase school textbooks, as well as on the capacity to assess their value. This research project, therefore, had two aims. The first was to articulate a theory about the practice of textbook evaluation. The second was to develop a procedure for evaluating South African intermediate phase school textbooks in terms of the theory. The research method was underpinned by the interpretive research paradigm in terms of which relevant data were analysed and interpreted. The data emanated from a literature review, an analysis of the national Department of Education’s Revised National Curriculum Statement and its draft policy for the evaluation of learning support material, and two surveys. The first survey comprised a sample of intermediate phase teachers and the second a sample of intermediate phase textbook authors. Sufficient evidence was found to conclude that the capabilities of the authoring team, the authors’ rationale and their observance of the process of learning and instruction, the accessibility of the textbook, the availability of teacher support, meeting the requirements of the Revised National Curriculum Statement, and certain key notions about textbook evaluation play a role in articulating a theory about textbook evaluation in order to guide the process of determining the effectiveness of South African intermediate phase school textbooks. Based on the above-mentioned theory, this study proposes a procedure to assist teachers and textbook evaluators to assess the worth of South African intermediate phase school textbooks in a brief, systematic, thorough, rigorous, and practical manner.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Vosloo, Barend Jacobus
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Textbooks -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Curriculum change -- South Africa -- Evaluation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11014 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/324 , Textbooks -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Curriculum change -- South Africa -- Evaluation
- Description: No coherent theory about the practice of South African intermediate phase school textbook evaluation has been forthcoming since the advent of a new South African school curriculum in 1998. This deficiency has had an adverse effect on the quality of intermediate phase school textbooks, as well as on the capacity to assess their value. This research project, therefore, had two aims. The first was to articulate a theory about the practice of textbook evaluation. The second was to develop a procedure for evaluating South African intermediate phase school textbooks in terms of the theory. The research method was underpinned by the interpretive research paradigm in terms of which relevant data were analysed and interpreted. The data emanated from a literature review, an analysis of the national Department of Education’s Revised National Curriculum Statement and its draft policy for the evaluation of learning support material, and two surveys. The first survey comprised a sample of intermediate phase teachers and the second a sample of intermediate phase textbook authors. Sufficient evidence was found to conclude that the capabilities of the authoring team, the authors’ rationale and their observance of the process of learning and instruction, the accessibility of the textbook, the availability of teacher support, meeting the requirements of the Revised National Curriculum Statement, and certain key notions about textbook evaluation play a role in articulating a theory about textbook evaluation in order to guide the process of determining the effectiveness of South African intermediate phase school textbooks. Based on the above-mentioned theory, this study proposes a procedure to assist teachers and textbook evaluators to assess the worth of South African intermediate phase school textbooks in a brief, systematic, thorough, rigorous, and practical manner.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Die bestuursrol van die skoolhoof in die implementering van 'n nuwe kurrikulum
- Authors: Mey, Hermanus Pieter
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: School principals -- South Africa , Educational leadership -- South Africa , Curriculum change -- South Africa
- Language: Afrikaans
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPhil
- Identifier: vital:11010 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/367 , School principals -- South Africa , Educational leadership -- South Africa , Curriculum change -- South Africa
- Description: The implementation of a new curriculum has become a very relevant issue in South Africa with the implementation of Curriculum 2005 (C 2005) since 1998. The school principal plays a very important role at school level in the implementation of change in general and a new curriculum in particular. The aim of this study was to have a closer look at this role. It is a qualitative study executed in six schools in the Port Elizabeth area. It investigates the problems school principals experienced with the implementation of C 2005 with the objective of identifying guidelines for the role of the principal in the implementation of a new curriculum The most important findings include the importance of equipping the principal to provide guidance with the implementation of a new curriculum. This equipping refers to the principal’s knowledge of the new curriculum, the ability to employ various leadership styles, as well as the maintenance of a certain balance between supporting and putting pressure on the staff. Other findings refer to the importance of well-trained and prepared facilitators of workshops, as well as the role the Department of Education needs to play in the training and preparation of these facilitators. The ongoing support of schools in the implementation process also needs to be emphasized. The principal should play a key role with respect to this last role of the Department. The study also emphasizes the principal’s responsibility to bind the educators together in building a shared vision, so that their focus will remain on the curriculum implementation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Mey, Hermanus Pieter
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: School principals -- South Africa , Educational leadership -- South Africa , Curriculum change -- South Africa
- Language: Afrikaans
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPhil
- Identifier: vital:11010 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/367 , School principals -- South Africa , Educational leadership -- South Africa , Curriculum change -- South Africa
- Description: The implementation of a new curriculum has become a very relevant issue in South Africa with the implementation of Curriculum 2005 (C 2005) since 1998. The school principal plays a very important role at school level in the implementation of change in general and a new curriculum in particular. The aim of this study was to have a closer look at this role. It is a qualitative study executed in six schools in the Port Elizabeth area. It investigates the problems school principals experienced with the implementation of C 2005 with the objective of identifying guidelines for the role of the principal in the implementation of a new curriculum The most important findings include the importance of equipping the principal to provide guidance with the implementation of a new curriculum. This equipping refers to the principal’s knowledge of the new curriculum, the ability to employ various leadership styles, as well as the maintenance of a certain balance between supporting and putting pressure on the staff. Other findings refer to the importance of well-trained and prepared facilitators of workshops, as well as the role the Department of Education needs to play in the training and preparation of these facilitators. The ongoing support of schools in the implementation process also needs to be emphasized. The principal should play a key role with respect to this last role of the Department. The study also emphasizes the principal’s responsibility to bind the educators together in building a shared vision, so that their focus will remain on the curriculum implementation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Dismissal for medical incapacity
- Authors: Boy, Anthony Albert
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Employees -- Dismissal of -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Capacity and disability -- South Africa , Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:11047 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/316 , Employees -- Dismissal of -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Capacity and disability -- South Africa , Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa
- Description: Labour law in South Africa has evolved over the past century at an ever increasing pace. The establishment of a democratic government in 1995 has been the trigger for a large number of labour law statutes being promulgated, particularly with reference to the laws governing the employment relationship and dismissal. From very humble and employer biased dispute resolution application under the common law of contract, labour law in this country has evolved through the various acts culminating in a labour law system which is highly regulated and codified. Dismissal for medical incapacity in this treatise is reviewed with regard to the applicable statutes and the various codes of good practice as the law has evolved and developed from the period covered by the common law through that covered by the 1995 LRA up to and including the current period. Particular attention is paid to both substantive and procedural requirements as well as the remedies applicable under the different legal regimes and the pertinent tribunals and courts. Regard is also given to the duration and causes of incapacity and the effect this may have on the applicable remedy applied by these tribunals. It will become apparant that the medically incapacitated employee occupied a relatively weak and vulnerable position under the common law as opposed to the current position under the 1995 LRA. The influence of the remedies applied by the tribunals under the 1956 LRA are clearly evident in the current regulations and codes under the 1995 LRA which contain specific statutory provisions for employees not to be unfairly dismissed. Distinctions are drawn between permissible and impermissible dismissals, with medical incapacity falling under the former. v Furthermore, a distinction is drawn statutorily between permanent and temporary illhealth/ injury incapacity with detailed guidelines for substantive and procedural fairness requirements to be met by employers. The powers of the specialist tribunals (CCMA, Bargaining Councils and Labour Courts) are regulated by statutory provisions and deal with appropriate remedies (reinstatement and/or compensation) a wardable in appropriate circumstances. Certain specific areas nonetheless still remain problematic for these tribunals and hence questions that require clear direction from the drafters of our law are: 1. How to distinguish misconduct in alcohol and drug abuse cases? 2. What degree of intermittent absenteeism is required before dismissal would be warranted? In certain other areas the tribunals have been fairly consistent and prescriptive in their approach and remedies awarded. Included here would be permanent incapacity, HIV cases and misconduct. It will emerge, however, that under the 1995 LRA the position of employees and the protections afforded them have been greatly increased.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Boy, Anthony Albert
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Employees -- Dismissal of -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Capacity and disability -- South Africa , Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:11047 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/316 , Employees -- Dismissal of -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Capacity and disability -- South Africa , Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa
- Description: Labour law in South Africa has evolved over the past century at an ever increasing pace. The establishment of a democratic government in 1995 has been the trigger for a large number of labour law statutes being promulgated, particularly with reference to the laws governing the employment relationship and dismissal. From very humble and employer biased dispute resolution application under the common law of contract, labour law in this country has evolved through the various acts culminating in a labour law system which is highly regulated and codified. Dismissal for medical incapacity in this treatise is reviewed with regard to the applicable statutes and the various codes of good practice as the law has evolved and developed from the period covered by the common law through that covered by the 1995 LRA up to and including the current period. Particular attention is paid to both substantive and procedural requirements as well as the remedies applicable under the different legal regimes and the pertinent tribunals and courts. Regard is also given to the duration and causes of incapacity and the effect this may have on the applicable remedy applied by these tribunals. It will become apparant that the medically incapacitated employee occupied a relatively weak and vulnerable position under the common law as opposed to the current position under the 1995 LRA. The influence of the remedies applied by the tribunals under the 1956 LRA are clearly evident in the current regulations and codes under the 1995 LRA which contain specific statutory provisions for employees not to be unfairly dismissed. Distinctions are drawn between permissible and impermissible dismissals, with medical incapacity falling under the former. v Furthermore, a distinction is drawn statutorily between permanent and temporary illhealth/ injury incapacity with detailed guidelines for substantive and procedural fairness requirements to be met by employers. The powers of the specialist tribunals (CCMA, Bargaining Councils and Labour Courts) are regulated by statutory provisions and deal with appropriate remedies (reinstatement and/or compensation) a wardable in appropriate circumstances. Certain specific areas nonetheless still remain problematic for these tribunals and hence questions that require clear direction from the drafters of our law are: 1. How to distinguish misconduct in alcohol and drug abuse cases? 2. What degree of intermittent absenteeism is required before dismissal would be warranted? In certain other areas the tribunals have been fairly consistent and prescriptive in their approach and remedies awarded. Included here would be permanent incapacity, HIV cases and misconduct. It will emerge, however, that under the 1995 LRA the position of employees and the protections afforded them have been greatly increased.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Emotions, social transformation and education
- Authors: Delport, Aletta Catherine
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Educational sociology -- South Africa , Education -- Philosophy , Emotions (Philosophy)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11009 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/318 , Educational sociology -- South Africa , Education -- Philosophy , Emotions (Philosophy)
- Description: This thesis addresses the topic of the education of the emotions in the context of a rapidly transforming South African society. It attempts to reconfigure the conceptual landscape in terms of which we think about rationality, social transformation and education, and contests the intellectual and instrumental prejudice in the currently dominant ways of thinking about education. It reclaims a sense of what it would be to think of education in terms of cultivating humanity, as a key to the profound transformation of the South African society. It argues that the emotions should be relocated in our conception of transformation and education, because without it, education will fail to assist South African society to transform into a society where most people are able to live improved quality lives. The thesis comprises three distinct parts. The first part consists of an account of a particular cognitive theory of the emotions, as developed by Martha Nussbaum in her book, Upheavals of thought. The Intelligence of Emotions (2001). This theory is then applied in Part 2 to examine the complexities of social transformation in South Africa at the more profound, personal level. This investigation is presented as a narrative and comprises the perspectives of the author, who is a white Afrikaner female, who grew up in South Africa in the heyday of Apartheid. In the final part, the concept of ‘education for transformation’ is discussed. It is argued that, in order for education to enhance the social transformation of South Africa, social transformation should be conceived according to a fundamental aspect of Rousseau’s political philosophy, namely that the ideal society comprises two reciprocally related spheres, the political and the personal sphere. Part 3 argues that ‘education for transformation’ should be conceived according to a conception of transformation, which acknowledges this double-layered texture. It further argues that ‘education for transformation’ should primarily be concerned with transformation at the personal level, since, according to Rousseau’s philosophy, this dimension is fundamental to ensuring the stability and legitimacy of the political order. However, built on the main insights of Part 2, this thesis also argues that personal transformation is only possible within a framework of rationality, which acknowledges the emotions as constitutive elements of rationality itself. Essentially, this thesis is about the conception of human being, which should be esteemed as the most fundamental and crucial element of successful social transformation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Delport, Aletta Catherine
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Educational sociology -- South Africa , Education -- Philosophy , Emotions (Philosophy)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DEd
- Identifier: vital:11009 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/318 , Educational sociology -- South Africa , Education -- Philosophy , Emotions (Philosophy)
- Description: This thesis addresses the topic of the education of the emotions in the context of a rapidly transforming South African society. It attempts to reconfigure the conceptual landscape in terms of which we think about rationality, social transformation and education, and contests the intellectual and instrumental prejudice in the currently dominant ways of thinking about education. It reclaims a sense of what it would be to think of education in terms of cultivating humanity, as a key to the profound transformation of the South African society. It argues that the emotions should be relocated in our conception of transformation and education, because without it, education will fail to assist South African society to transform into a society where most people are able to live improved quality lives. The thesis comprises three distinct parts. The first part consists of an account of a particular cognitive theory of the emotions, as developed by Martha Nussbaum in her book, Upheavals of thought. The Intelligence of Emotions (2001). This theory is then applied in Part 2 to examine the complexities of social transformation in South Africa at the more profound, personal level. This investigation is presented as a narrative and comprises the perspectives of the author, who is a white Afrikaner female, who grew up in South Africa in the heyday of Apartheid. In the final part, the concept of ‘education for transformation’ is discussed. It is argued that, in order for education to enhance the social transformation of South Africa, social transformation should be conceived according to a fundamental aspect of Rousseau’s political philosophy, namely that the ideal society comprises two reciprocally related spheres, the political and the personal sphere. Part 3 argues that ‘education for transformation’ should be conceived according to a conception of transformation, which acknowledges this double-layered texture. It further argues that ‘education for transformation’ should primarily be concerned with transformation at the personal level, since, according to Rousseau’s philosophy, this dimension is fundamental to ensuring the stability and legitimacy of the political order. However, built on the main insights of Part 2, this thesis also argues that personal transformation is only possible within a framework of rationality, which acknowledges the emotions as constitutive elements of rationality itself. Essentially, this thesis is about the conception of human being, which should be esteemed as the most fundamental and crucial element of successful social transformation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Family needs following adult traumatic brain injury
- Authors: Van der Merwe, Jó-Marié
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Brain damage -- Patients -- Family relationships -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Brain damage -- Patients -- Rehabilitation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:11033 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/335 , Brain damage -- Patients -- Family relationships -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Brain damage -- Patients -- Rehabilitation
- Description: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a significant and growing type of disability in South Africa. Coping with the impact of traumatic brain injury is one of the most difficult tasks that can confront a family, and family members experience a wide range of needs as the injured person progresses through rehabilitation. In South Africa, research on family needs following traumatic brain injury has thus far been neglected and rehabilitation resources are sadly lacking. For this reason it is necessary to accumulate knowledge about these families’ needs so as to assist with the planning of future rehabilitation programmes. The study aimed to explore and describe the needs of a sample of families with adult traumatic brain injury individuals in the Eastern Cape utilizing the Family Needs Questionnaire (FNQ). The research approach followed could be described as descriptive and exploratory in nature and was conducted within a quantitative framework. A biographical questionnaire and the FNQ were administered to a heterogeneous sample of 32 family members, including significant others and primary caregivers, of 16 adult traumatically brain-injured individuals, who sustained the TBI one to three years previously, and who underwent rehabilitation treatment at a private rehabilitation hospital in Port Elizabeth. A non-probability, purposive, and convenient sampling method was used. Descriptive statistics were computed to determine the importance and the perceived fulfillment of the needs. The results of the present study indicated that all 40 needs were endorsed by at least half the sample as being important to very important. Furthermore, 52.50% of the needs were endorsed by more than two-thirds of the sample as being important to very important. The needs were rank-ordered according to their importance ratings and the 10 mostly rated as important or very important were identified. These 10 needs were endorsed by between 84.38% and 93.75% of the family members as being important to very important. Six of the important or very important needs related to health information, two to professional support, one to community support, and one to emotional support. The relation between various participant, traumatically brain-injured individual and brain injury characteristics and the 10 important or very important needs, as well as the 10 needs more frequently rated as met were investigated and found to either have a limited or varied relationship. The 10 needs most often rated as met were endorsed by between 43.75% and 56.25% of the family members. Six of the met needs related to health information, two to community support, one to instrumental support, and one to treatment decisions. The highest unmet need was endorsed by 46.88% of the participants and related to the need to discuss their feelings with someone who has gone through the same experience. Based on the findings of the present study, further research on family needs following traumatic brain injury is suggested. It is also recommended that the Family Needs Questionnaire be used to evaluate existing rehabilitation programmes so as to make suggestions as to how to improve them. The results of this study suggested that family members would benefit from receiving educational information material, as well as referrals to professionals for advice and support.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Van der Merwe, Jó-Marié
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Brain damage -- Patients -- Family relationships -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Brain damage -- Patients -- Rehabilitation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:11033 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/335 , Brain damage -- Patients -- Family relationships -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Brain damage -- Patients -- Rehabilitation
- Description: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a significant and growing type of disability in South Africa. Coping with the impact of traumatic brain injury is one of the most difficult tasks that can confront a family, and family members experience a wide range of needs as the injured person progresses through rehabilitation. In South Africa, research on family needs following traumatic brain injury has thus far been neglected and rehabilitation resources are sadly lacking. For this reason it is necessary to accumulate knowledge about these families’ needs so as to assist with the planning of future rehabilitation programmes. The study aimed to explore and describe the needs of a sample of families with adult traumatic brain injury individuals in the Eastern Cape utilizing the Family Needs Questionnaire (FNQ). The research approach followed could be described as descriptive and exploratory in nature and was conducted within a quantitative framework. A biographical questionnaire and the FNQ were administered to a heterogeneous sample of 32 family members, including significant others and primary caregivers, of 16 adult traumatically brain-injured individuals, who sustained the TBI one to three years previously, and who underwent rehabilitation treatment at a private rehabilitation hospital in Port Elizabeth. A non-probability, purposive, and convenient sampling method was used. Descriptive statistics were computed to determine the importance and the perceived fulfillment of the needs. The results of the present study indicated that all 40 needs were endorsed by at least half the sample as being important to very important. Furthermore, 52.50% of the needs were endorsed by more than two-thirds of the sample as being important to very important. The needs were rank-ordered according to their importance ratings and the 10 mostly rated as important or very important were identified. These 10 needs were endorsed by between 84.38% and 93.75% of the family members as being important to very important. Six of the important or very important needs related to health information, two to professional support, one to community support, and one to emotional support. The relation between various participant, traumatically brain-injured individual and brain injury characteristics and the 10 important or very important needs, as well as the 10 needs more frequently rated as met were investigated and found to either have a limited or varied relationship. The 10 needs most often rated as met were endorsed by between 43.75% and 56.25% of the family members. Six of the met needs related to health information, two to community support, one to instrumental support, and one to treatment decisions. The highest unmet need was endorsed by 46.88% of the participants and related to the need to discuss their feelings with someone who has gone through the same experience. Based on the findings of the present study, further research on family needs following traumatic brain injury is suggested. It is also recommended that the Family Needs Questionnaire be used to evaluate existing rehabilitation programmes so as to make suggestions as to how to improve them. The results of this study suggested that family members would benefit from receiving educational information material, as well as referrals to professionals for advice and support.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
In vitro anti-HIV activities of Sutherlandia frutescens and Lobostemon trigonum extracts
- Authors: Harnett, Siobhán Margaret
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Medicinal plants -- South Africa , Materia medica, Vegetable -- South Africa , HIV infections -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:11072 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/347 , Medicinal plants -- South Africa , Materia medica, Vegetable -- South Africa , HIV infections -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa
- Description: Currently, the approved anti-HIV drugs on the market only target the three HIV enzymes: reverse transcriptase, protease and more recently, integrase. Due to the limited nature of the current therapy, it is possible that a multi-drug resistant virus can emerge. The main concerns in developing countries however, are the expense and availability of the drugs and because of this, it is essential to investigate all alternatives. Traditional medicine offers many advantages as compared to allopathic treatment in so far as being relatively cheaper, accessible and it is broadly accepted in the population groups of the developing countries. Little is known though, of the exact efficacy and toxicity of these remedies so it is vital that these possible leads be investigated thoroughly. For the purpose of this study, two plants, Sutherlandia frutescens and Lobostemon trigonum were studied to ascertain their potential anti-HIV activity. Sutherlandia has received international attention as a possible cheap herbal remedy to improve the health of AIDS sufferers. Anecdotal evidence from health workers claim that HIV- infected patients on Sutherlandia treatment have shown improved CD4 counts, decreased viral loads and a general improvement in well-being. Extracts were prepared from dried leaves and flowers in methanol, ethanol, acetone, methylene dichloride or distilled water. Sulphated polysaccharides have been described extensively in literature with regards to their anti-HIV activity, so as a form of dereplication; an ethanol precipitation was performed on the aqueous extracts to remove sulphated polysaccharides. A toxicity study was performed on all crude extracts using uninfected peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMCs) isolated from whole blood. To measure anti-HIV activity, HIV-infected PBMCs were cultured with each of the crude extracts and cell viability measured using the tetrazolium salt, XTT. HIV-infected CEM-NKR-CCR5 cells were also used and supernatant from the viral studies was tested for the HIV antigen p24. xii Results varied greatly between assays but with the inclusion of a point-scale system to evaluate the extracts it was clear that overall the organic extracts of the Sutherlandia flowers, especially the acetone extract (SFA), showed great anti-HIV potential. SFA in every case decreased p24 levels and in the toxicity study did not decrease cell proliferation. With the HIV-infected PBMCs SFA actually helped improve cell proliferation despite the infection. To determine the specific anti- HIV activity, all crude extracts were tested for inhibition of HIV-I reverse transcriptase, the glycohydrolase enzymes: a-glucosidase, ß-glucosidase, ßglucuronidase, HIV-I integrase and HIV-II protease. No significant inhibition was seen with these experiments except for the HIV-I RT assay. The aqueous extract of the Lobostemon leaves produced an inhibitor of HIV-RT with a very low IC50 value of 0.049mg/ml. Some inhibitory effect was lost with the removal of the sulphated polysaccharides and the addition of BSA to the assay, but still 64% inhibition of the HIVRT remained, which confirmed that the inhibitor could be something novel, and not of the polysaccharide or tannin compounds.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Harnett, Siobhán Margaret
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Medicinal plants -- South Africa , Materia medica, Vegetable -- South Africa , HIV infections -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:11072 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/347 , Medicinal plants -- South Africa , Materia medica, Vegetable -- South Africa , HIV infections -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa
- Description: Currently, the approved anti-HIV drugs on the market only target the three HIV enzymes: reverse transcriptase, protease and more recently, integrase. Due to the limited nature of the current therapy, it is possible that a multi-drug resistant virus can emerge. The main concerns in developing countries however, are the expense and availability of the drugs and because of this, it is essential to investigate all alternatives. Traditional medicine offers many advantages as compared to allopathic treatment in so far as being relatively cheaper, accessible and it is broadly accepted in the population groups of the developing countries. Little is known though, of the exact efficacy and toxicity of these remedies so it is vital that these possible leads be investigated thoroughly. For the purpose of this study, two plants, Sutherlandia frutescens and Lobostemon trigonum were studied to ascertain their potential anti-HIV activity. Sutherlandia has received international attention as a possible cheap herbal remedy to improve the health of AIDS sufferers. Anecdotal evidence from health workers claim that HIV- infected patients on Sutherlandia treatment have shown improved CD4 counts, decreased viral loads and a general improvement in well-being. Extracts were prepared from dried leaves and flowers in methanol, ethanol, acetone, methylene dichloride or distilled water. Sulphated polysaccharides have been described extensively in literature with regards to their anti-HIV activity, so as a form of dereplication; an ethanol precipitation was performed on the aqueous extracts to remove sulphated polysaccharides. A toxicity study was performed on all crude extracts using uninfected peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMCs) isolated from whole blood. To measure anti-HIV activity, HIV-infected PBMCs were cultured with each of the crude extracts and cell viability measured using the tetrazolium salt, XTT. HIV-infected CEM-NKR-CCR5 cells were also used and supernatant from the viral studies was tested for the HIV antigen p24. xii Results varied greatly between assays but with the inclusion of a point-scale system to evaluate the extracts it was clear that overall the organic extracts of the Sutherlandia flowers, especially the acetone extract (SFA), showed great anti-HIV potential. SFA in every case decreased p24 levels and in the toxicity study did not decrease cell proliferation. With the HIV-infected PBMCs SFA actually helped improve cell proliferation despite the infection. To determine the specific anti- HIV activity, all crude extracts were tested for inhibition of HIV-I reverse transcriptase, the glycohydrolase enzymes: a-glucosidase, ß-glucosidase, ßglucuronidase, HIV-I integrase and HIV-II protease. No significant inhibition was seen with these experiments except for the HIV-I RT assay. The aqueous extract of the Lobostemon leaves produced an inhibitor of HIV-RT with a very low IC50 value of 0.049mg/ml. Some inhibitory effect was lost with the removal of the sulphated polysaccharides and the addition of BSA to the assay, but still 64% inhibition of the HIVRT remained, which confirmed that the inhibitor could be something novel, and not of the polysaccharide or tannin compounds.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004