Unisa Press Journals (University of South Africa)
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Refusing Change Invites Failure: The Most Stubborn Figures in Biblical History and Their Implications for Contemporary Christian Thought and Practice
No full textThe scholarly scrutinisation of stubbornness in biblical narratives offers profound perspectives into the intricacies of human nature and its intersection with religious faith and spirituality. This article explores the subject of stubbornness as (re)produced by the biblical experiences of Pharaoh and King Nebuchadnezzar. Psychoanalytical and cognitive dissonance theories are applied to these two biblical figures. As a result, three notable findings emerge. First, a spectrum of stubbornness within biblical narratives is uncovered, ranging from defiant resistance to unwavering commitment. Second, the enduring relevance of these biblical narratives for contemporary Christianity is underscored, buttressing the ongoing tensions between conviction and openness, and their implications for ethical decision-making, social justice advocacy, and interfaith dialogues. Third, this article suggests that the scrutinisation of stubbornness in biblical history could inform contemporary understandings of subtle church dynamics, particularly regarding leadership, conflict resolution, and community cohesion. In addition, this article underlines the significance of humility, discernment, and sensitivity in addressing challenges of spiritual obstinacy within Christian communities, promoting a balanced approach to contextualisation and application of biblical dogmas
Curriculum Inquiry as a Contextualised Social Practice within an Activity System: Reintegration after Disruption
No full textIn educational literature, ample curriculum models adopt product-oriented approaches based on linear, sequential design, review and renewal processes. Correspondingly, managerialism perspectives imposed by external and internal stakeholders, national policy frameworks and quality assurance mechanisms emphasise the technicalities of curriculum inquiry within a bureaucratic system as a means to an end. This paper aims to reposition curriculum inquiry as a contextualised social practice within an activity system. To this end, the six core elements of Engeström’s second-generation Activity Theory were used as an analytic lens to examine the activity system of a coursework-based master’s degree programme in a specialised field of study. This academic programme is a unique offering at a large research-intensive university, contributing to the ‘green’ economy in South Africa. Within this activity system, the existing curriculum of this academic programme constituted the unit of analysis. Curriculum documentation was used as the primary data source. The curriculum data was analysed using the semantics dimension of Maton’s Legitimation Code Theory (LCT). The results and findings of this analysis revealed tensions and contradictions within the activity system of this coursework-based master’s degree programme that constrain its inherent potential to equip students with professional expertise in climate change and sustainable development
Exploring Trauma-Related Social Work Practice in a Resource-Limited Context: Insights from Social Workers in the Waterberg District, South Africa
No full textThis qualitative study explored the challenges faced by social workers delivering trauma-related services (TRS) in the resource-limited Waterberg District, Limpopo, South Africa. Using a phenomenological design guided by the ecosystem and trauma-informed perspectives, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 experienced social workers. Data analysis followed Tesch’s eight steps, with data verification per Lincoln and Guba’s model. The findings highlighted the need for trauma-informed organisational structures and workforce support in the Waterberg District, advocating for integrating trauma-informed principles into policies and procedures to enhance professional effectiveness and capacity for service delivery to trauma victims. The findings further underscored the urgent necessity for improved training and education for social workers to tackle issues related to trauma adeptly
Burnout amongst Generalist and Forensic Social Workers: A Comparative Study
No full textForensic social work poses obstacles that can increase the risk of burnout among practitioners. Prior research studies have explored burnout among generalist social workers; however, there is a noticeable deficiency in the literature regarding burnout among forensic social workers, as well as the absence of comparisons between these two professions to discern variations in burnout patterns. The aim of this study was to compare burnout patterns among generalist and forensic social workers using a quantitative approach and a comparison group design. Qualified generalist and forensic social workers from an accredited South African university participated in an all-inclusive willing participation sample approach. The study found that, while both groups had moderate degrees of emotional exhaustion, forensic social workers experienced higher levels. There were also significant disparities in depersonalisation, with forensic social workers suggesting higher levels. This study contributes to understanding burnout patterns in forensic social workers, highlighting the need for targeted efforts to mitigate their effects
Menstrual Rite of Passage: Implications for HIV Prevention:
No full textIndigenous knowledge ingrained in rites of passage associated with birth, puberty, marriage, and death is often blamed for exacerbating HIV and AIDS prevalence rates in African societies. Against this backdrop, this study utilises the hermeneutic phenomenology of religion to explore the potential role of the Shona-Manyika menstrual rite of passage in complementing or impeding modern biomedical HIV prevention strategies. Given that there is limited research on the menstrual rite of passage among the Shona dialects, the Manyika included, data were qualitatively gathered through purposively selected individual interviews with key participants and focus group discussions in the Shona-Manyika Gandanzara community. The study finds that the menstrual rite of passage or some of its aspects have manifest and latent functions that can promote or impede the use of modern biomedical HIV prevention strategies such as condom use, abstinence, faithfulness, and delayed coital debut. Thus, the role of the menstrual rite of passage as a cultural approach in mitigating HIV transmission is ambivalent. This implies that the cultural approach to HIV prevention can be an important mitigatory strategy if interventionists can capitalise on aspects of rituals that are useful
Autocratic Democracy and the Deficit of Human Rights in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic
No full textThis article reviews secondary data on Nigeria’s Fourth Republic and finds that successive administrations in the Republic have not fared better in safeguarding human rights than the military regimes that ruled the country in the pre-1999 period. It ascribes the reason for the human rights situation in the country to the autocratic nature of democracy in the Republic. It further locates autocracy in the Republic to flaws in the 1999 Constitution, flawed electoral processes, and elitism. The article recommends constitutional amendment and strict adherence to the principle of the rule of law to promote human rights in the Republic
Interventions at the Local Spheres of Government in South Africa: An Assessment of Monitoring and Evaluation
No full textThe post-1994 landscape in South Africa presented millions of individuals—especially the majority Black population who had been subjected to many apartheid policies—with renewed hope for better and improved development opportunities. This stemmed from the fact that the first democratically elected administration of the African National Congress (ANC) promised immense socioeconomic change when they assumed office. These promises became evident from the many socioeconomic policies and Chapter 9 institutions that came to the fore over the last two decades, as well as the mapping of new legislation and policies for local government as enshrined in the Constitution of 1996. These actions were viewed to further the envisioned development trajectories of government, especially as the local government is the government closest to the people. However, post-1994, some municipalities in South Africa have endured massive challenges that have needed numerous involvements from the government through various interventions. This has been a continuous phenomenon, irrespective of the many policies at play to oversee the smooth operation of municipalities. This article delves into the failure of some municipalities in South Africa and interventions of local government in post-apartheid South Africa by scrutinising what drives this phenomenon. Furthermore, it dwells on the impact and challenges of effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) policies at the local government level
Main Predictor(s) of Good Corporate Governance in National Government Departments: A Decision-tree Classification and Prediction Analyses
No full textPurpose: Good public sector corporate governance leads to good management, stewardship of public wealth, public engagement, and ultimately, better outcomes for citizens. As South Africa has one of the worst Gini coefficients in the world, its public sector should effectively address the challenges of inequality, poverty, and unemployment. Yet, almost 30% of national and provincial government departments obtain unfavourable audit outcomes.
Methodology: Supporting the drive for clean audit outcomes that equate to good corporate governance, the research objective was to determine the predictors of national government departments’ corporate governance success. The study used CHAID (chi-squared automatic interaction detection) analyses, a decision-tree technique based on information reported over a 13-year period.
Findings: The CHAID analyses indicated that national government departments’ corporate governance success is primarily explained by three factors, namely: a quality internal audit function (main predictor), the number of fraud incidents, and the number of internal control weaknesses.
Implication: Even though all the variables in this study receive attention in literature and regulation, the problem of unfavourable audit outcomes persists. The question is where to focus on resolving the problem. Regulators may take note of where to focus their efforts in strengthening elements of good corporate governance
Analysis of Sleep Quality and Positive and Negative Emotions among Trainee Nursing Students
No full textObjective: To investigate the current situation of sleep quality and may analyse the correlation between sleep quality and positive and negative emotions. Methods Using the convenient sampling method, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality (PSQI) scale and the positive and negative emotion scale, we selected the nursing students who worked in a Grade A hospital in Beijing from July 2022 to January 2023. Results PSQI score (8.63 ± 4.06), factors score subjective sleep quality (1.49 ± 0.99), time to sleep (1.54 ± 0.9), sleep time (1.23 ± 0.93), sleep efficiency (1.27 ± 1.07), sleep disorder (1.02 ± 0.7), hypno-drugs (0.37 ± 0.81), daytime dysfunction (1.44 ± 0.8). Positive emotions (26.8 ± 5.61) and negative emotions (27.4 ± 2.74), Pearson correlation analysis found that except for "sleep time", positive emotions of trainee nursing students showed a significantly negative correlation with PSQI total score, subjective sleep quality, sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep disorder, hypnotic medication, and daytime dysfunction; negative emotions positively correlated with seven factors and total PSQI score. Conclusion The sleep quality of nursing students is generally poor. Expressing positive emotions is conducive to improving the sleep quality of nursing students, and negative emotions reduce the sleep quality of nursing students