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The burden of cyberbullying on teachers
Get PDFJournal article published in African Perspectives of Research in Teaching & Learning (APORTAL) Vol 7 (2) (2023)This article explores the challenges teachers face in dealing with cyberbullying from the perspective of behavior management theory. We argue that dealing with cyberbullying places an additional burden on teachers. The research is based on narrative inquiry and focuses on the experiences of a participant named Amanda who works in a primary school. Amanda embodies the complexity of everyday life for teachers in a South African school. The analysis shows that teachers like Amanda are exposed to high levels of stress and burnout due to the administrative demands of dealing with bullying on social media, which distracts them from their actual pedagogical tasks. The inadequate institutional support has a negative impact on both their professional efficiency and their personal lives. The findings show that a holistic approach, including policy reforms, psychological support, and specialized training is needed to mitigate these effects
A cross-country analysis of small and medium-sized enterprise owners' perspectives of factors affecting business performance: a case of South Africa and China
Get PDFThesis (MBA) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a key driver of global economic
growth, which implies that they are critical to national economic growth. As a
result, they are priorities in most governments' development agendas. Thus, it is
critical for SME owners and managers to be aware of the factors influencing their
companies' performance and to be able to act when necessary.
Although scholars have conducted research on SME performance and growth
factors for more than two decades, we still have a limited understanding of this
type of research. This cross-sectional quantitative exploratory study examined
SME owner-managers perspectives on factors influencing SME performance in
South Africa and China. The Tshwane University of Technology provided
secondary data for the study. The dataset included 401 participants, of whom
approximately 66% (266) were South African and 34% (135) Chinese.
Proportions and count were used to summarize all categorical information, and
Pearson's chi-square test was used to test for association between each pair of
categorical variables. Pearson's chi-squared test, with a 0.05 error rate, revealed
that the factors d4 (contribution of networking towards SME success), d5 (quality
services and products determine entrepreneur success), e8 (high rental costs),
and f7 (innovation and creativity) were insignificantly associated with the country
(South Africa and China). Otherwise, participants in the two countries had very
different perspectives on the latent constructs under investigation. In other
words, the study reported that the Chinese and South African SME owners had
different perceptions of the factors that influenced SME performance or success.
The exception was observed in terms of innovation and creativity, where they
perceived this aspect to be important in overcoming SMEs' challenges.
The study concluded that SME performance and, as a result, SME growth rate,
may be influenced by managerial traits, internal factors, and external factors. If
visual analogue scale data had been used instead of Likert-scale data, either the
same or different results would have been obtained. Furthermore, the results of
the study that employed multivariate data analysis would be more trustworthy
because the model would have considered a large number of covariates
The impact of managerial challenges on organisational performance :a case study of selected secondary schools on Mopani West Education District, Limpopo Province, South Africa
Get PDFThesis (MPAM.) -- University of Limpopo, 2023The motivation for this study was to assess managerial threats that hinder the attainment of organisational goals in schools from the point of view of the school management teams. A qualitative study was conducted to assess the impact of managerial challenges on school performance. Data was collected through a standardised open-ended questionnaire using an in-depth interview technique and a focus group discussion. Two groups of respondents participated in the project. In-depth interviews were held with the first group of principals and a focus group discussion with the second group of deputy principals and departmental heads. The findings revealed that SMT members struggle with goal-setting and sometimes lack the innovation, capacity and understanding to set realistic and smart goals. There is a need for the empowerment of SMT’s to develop the requisite capacity to achieve at a higher level
Improvement of gas sensing selectivity of vanadium pentoxide nano-structures towards sulphur dioxide by gold doping
Get PDFThesis (M.Sc. (Physics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023A facile reflux method was used to synthesise undoped and Au-doped V2O5
nanoparticles powder samples at concentrations ranging from 1 wt% to 5 wt%. The
prepared samples’ structural and optical properties were examined using x-ray
diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray
spectroscopy (EDS),Brunuaer-Emmett-Teller (BET),ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy
(UV-Vis) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The XRD
diffractograms confirmed that the prepared samples have an orthorhombic crystal
structure. The lattice parameters of undoped and Au-doped V2O5 samples were
determined and found to match with those of bulk V2O5. The average crystallite size
of the undoped and Au-doped V2O5 was found to increase at low Au concentrations
(1 wt% - 3 wt%) and decrease at high Au concentrations (4 wt% - 5 wt%) due to an
increased number of nucleation sites. The SEM images showed morphological
changes from spherical to nanorods for undoped and doped V2O5 respectively. The
elemental composition of the undoped and Au-doped V2O5 nanoparticles were
confirmed using EDS. The same was done for the 2 wt% Au-doped V2O5 sample
that was contaminated by mercury (Hg). BET was used to probe the surface area
of the undoped and Au-doped V2O5 while also confirming that all the samples were
mesoporous. The band gap of the undoped and Au-doped V2O5 samples were
determined from the UV-Vis absorption spectra and found to increase at high Au
concentrations. The functional groups present in all prepared samples were
investigated using FTIR spectroscopy.Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR
The determinants of malnutrition in children below five years at Seshego District Hospital, Capricorn District, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Get PDF(M.P.H. (Health Sciences)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023.Background
Malnutrition is one of the big problems of public health in developing countries. It is
still a persistent public health issue particularly among the poorest and vulnerable
groups. Malnutrition of children below the age of 5 put more burden on health systems
of most countries. It accounts for high morbidity and mortality in children below the
age of five years. The nutritional status of children below five years can also be used
to measure the outcome for children’s health. It is therefore important to provide good
nutrition to children as an important factor of general well-being.
Methods
The study was quantitative and retrospective in nature. The prevalence of malnutrition
and the factors that contribute to malnutrition was quantified. The researcher has no
control over the exposure. Population was the existing records of children below five
years admitted at Seshego district hospital with malnutrition between January 2017
and December 2021. The study was probable, simple random sampling method was
used whereby files was selected randomly from the patient filing register. The data
collecting tool was developed and it was divided into three sections: the immediate
factor questions, intermediate factor questions and distal factor questions. Descriptive
statistical analysis was undertaken using the STATA statistical software version 6A for
Windows (STATA Corporation, College Station, Texas) in order to identify frequencies
and percentages of answers to the research questions. The statistical significance of
the relationships between the selected variables was determined using the t-test. The
level of significance was set at 0.05.
Findings
The results showed that most of the children were in the age group 1year-1year 11
months at 46.5%. The prevalence showed that SAM was high at 59.5% and MAM
was low at 40,9%. The prevalence of MAM and SAM stratified by the age of the child
showed that children below 1 year, 41.9% of them have MAM and 41,1% have SAM.
The severity of malnutrition decreased with the increase of the age of the child. The
current study showed that statistically there is no significance among the variables in
terms of the determinants. The P-values are above 0.05.
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Conclusion
The study had showed high rate of MAM and SAM. This will urge the public health
sector to put the interventions in place to prevent malnutrition from primary stage. In
the future a further study with primary data should be done to examine the
determinants of malnutrition among children below 5 years
In search of regimes of regulation and accountability for Artificial Intelligence (AI) the era of fourth industrial revolution (4IR) in South Africa
Get PDFThesis (LLM. (Development and Management Law)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023While the deployment and use of Artificial Intelligence Systems (AIS) have
continued to grow at an exponential rate in the world, it is assumed that
while they have contributed immensely to the economy and society, there
is still the problem on how to hold the AIS legally liable and responsible
just like a juristic person. The corporate sector in South Africa has
intensified the deployment and usage of AIS for their operations. In the
process, these systems are susceptible to commits errors and harms thus making it eligible for accountability. It is against this backdrop of this accountability gap for AIS in the
corporate sector that this study explores existing legislative frameworks
and other laws to seek to hold AIS accountable. The paper stressed that
for there to be a holistic accountability, fragmented legislation for holding
AIS accountable should be harmonised for purposes of effective
accountability. Especially when it relates to decision-making by both
executive management and board of directors. The study has also
explored liability and accountability obligations within the entire value
chain involved in the creation of artificial intelligence systems as the 4IR occupies a central place in full swing in our lives.
The situation in South Africa is precarious because, presently, the AIS
have not been granted clear legal status in any South African statutes. It is pertinent to point out that while there is no legislative framework dealing specifically with AIS and related legal issues in the financial sector such as the banking industry, a raft of legislation is in place to regulate potential risks posed by the use of AIS in the sector in South Africa. The problem is the fragmented way the regulations and legislation have been approached. To curb the lack of accountability by using AIS in the financial sector, this paper broadly accentuates that to bridge the accountability gap, germane provisions of the Constitution, fragmented legislation, and the jurisprudence from the other jurisdictions where AIS accountability is well developed and have the potential to hold AIS responsible for their omissions or commission was explored and useful lessons drawn accordingly
Teaching and learning for library and information studies during the Covid-19 lockdown at the University of Limpopo, South Africa
Get PDFThesis (M. INF.) -- University of Limpopo, 2023The World Health Organization declared Covid-19 as a pandemic that posed a
contemporary threat to humanity. This pandemic forced a global shutdown of several
activities, including educational activities, and this resulted in tremendous crisis-response
migration of universities with online learning serving as the educational platform. Many
venue-based institutions such as the University of Limpopo approved the shift of their
traditional pedagogical approach to entirely online teaching and learning.
The aim of this study was to investigate teaching and learning for Library and Information
Studies during the Covid-19 lockdown at the University of Limpopo, South Africa. The
study adopted quantitative approach and a self-administered questionnaire was the main
instrument used to collect data from fourth-level students registered for a Bachelor of
Information Studies at University of Limpopo. Forty-one questionnaires were returned,
and the study used descriptive analysis to analyse quantitative data.
The study found that library and information studies (LIS) students had a negative
perception towards online teaching and learning. The study also found that a lack of
technical skills, loadshedding and an unconducive learning environment are major
challenges for students to accept online teaching and learning. Furthermore, the study
established that the university management does not provide adequate support for
students to cope with online teaching and learning. Based on these findings, the study
recommended training for students to have the required technical skills to use for online
learning. The study further recommended that online classes should always be recorded
for students who missed online classes due to loadshedding to catch up. The university
management should confirm that all students are in an environment that is conducive to
online learning
Towards an explanatory model of mental health ethics by Northern Sotho traditional health practitioners of Capricorn District, Limpopo Province, South Africa
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D. (Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Traditional health practitioners are the first to be contacted for mental illness in many
parts of Africa. The literature shows that there are more traditional health practitioners
(THPs) than western-trained mental health care practitioners in many African
communities. Whilst there are calls for the recognition of traditional health
practitioners, little is known about the processes that inform the traditional health
practitioners’ ethical practices when dealing with patients with mental health issues.
The aim of the study was to develop an explanatory ethical framework that informs
traditional health practitioners in the management of mental health cases. Specifically,
the objectives of the study were to: explore notions of mental health ethics as
perceived by THPs; describe what THPs understand to be ethics in the management
of mental health conditions; determine THP views regarding what is considered good
ethical behaviour in the treatment of mental health conditions; and based on the THPs’
representations, develop an explanatory ethical framework informing THP’s
management of mental health cases. Using the grounded theory approach, twenty traditional health practitioners were theoretically sampled for the study. The process of data collection and analysis was done simultaneously. Ten well-integrated concepts providing a thorough theoretical explanation of ethics informing the traditional health practitioner’s management of mental health cases emerged. The concepts included ethics, botho, ancestral guidance, consultations, admissions, referrals, treatment, remuneration, healing progress, and wrath of the ancestors. Five categories accounting for those concepts emerged from the study. An ethical framework informing the traditional health practitioner’s management of mental health cases is also presented. The study
concludes by recommending that an ethical code of practice for THPs should be
documented
Prevalence of substance use among patients with mental illness at Mankweng Hospital, Limpopo Province
Get PDFThesis (M.Med. (Psychiatry)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Background: Substance use among mentally ill patients remains a major public health
concern worldwide. In recent years there has been growing awareness that patients
with mental illness have a higher risk of developing substance use than the general
population. Substance use among these individuals often compromises the therapeutic
effects of medications, leading to multiple relapses, hospital admissions, poor quality of
life and an increased burden of care on limited state resources
Aim: To determine the prevalence of substance use with its associated factors among
patients with mental illness admitted to Mankweng Hospital, Limpopo Province.
Method: A retrospective, quantitative and descriptive study has been conducted. This
study is a clinical record review of patients admitted to Mankweng Hospital from June 1,
2016, to May 31, 2017. Data collection was carried out over a period of one month
(October 2019) by the researcher. A structured data collection tool was used to collect
the data. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS
version 22). Frequencies, percentage and mean and standard deviation were used to
interpret the data. For continuous and categorical variables, student t-test and Pearson
Chi-square were used to test for associations between substance use and different
mental disorders. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Two hundred and ten psychiatric patients participated in this study. Of these,
most (66%) were male and only 34% were female. The most common mental disorders
were schizophrenia (25%), substance induced psychotic disorder (19%), bipolar disorder
(18%), schizoaffective disorder (13%) and psychotic disorder due to another medical
condition (8%). Slightly more than half (53%) (n=112) of the patients had a history of
substance use. More non-Christians, than Christians, used substances (69% versus
44%, p<0.05). Seventy-five percent of males and 11% females had a history of using
substances of abuse. There was no statistically significant association between age, marital status, employment status, level of education and use of the substances
(p>0.05).
Conclusion: There was a significantly high prevalence of substance use among the
male gender. This study shows a higher prevalence of substance use among individuals
diagnosed with substance induced psychotic disorders than other disorders. The
findings of this study correlate with many studies, both globally and locally. The
differences lie in the exact percentages; however, the high prevalence is a common
factor. Patients with mental illness need to be actively screened for substance use; early
intervention for co-morbid substance use will help reduce morbidit
The relationship between alcohol abuse and attachment styles among undergraduate students studying psychology at the University of Limpopo, South Africa
Get PDFThesis (M.A. (Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Background: Literature suggests that alcohol abuse is widespread among university
students globally, including in South Africa. While extensive research indicates the
impact of socio-economic factors on alcohol abuse, there is lack of research to show
the impact of interpersonal attachments on alcohol abuse. Previous research has
indicated that attachment styles can predict problematic alcohol use; however, few
studies have examined this relationship among university students. Therefore, the
principal objective of this study was to explore the relationship between alcohol abuse
and attachment styles among undergraduate psychology students at the University of
Limpopo, thus filling this gap.
Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was undertaken to explore the potential
relationship between alcohol abuse and attachment styles among students. A
convenience sample of 272 students completed self-report measures of alcohol (the
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and attachment (the Experience in Close
Relationships-Revised). Descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation rank test, and
Mann-Whitney U test analyses were conducted. Results: A statistical analysis of the findings of the study showed that anxious attachment was significantly and positively correlated to higher alcohol use levels (p = 0.006), whereas avoidant attachment was significantly and negatively correlated to higher alcohol use levels. Furthermore, the findings of the study revealed that male students reported higher rates of alcohol use, and thus expressed both anxiousattachment and avoidant attachment than female students.
Conclusion: This study recommended that future research should use longitudinal designs to offer extensive insights into the relationship between alcohol abuse and
attachment styles