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The development and implementation of coping strategies for people living with diabetes mellitus to adapt to changing temperatures at health centres of Limpopo province,South Africa
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D. (Nursing Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Introduction: Several parts of South Africa, including Limpopo Province, have been
experiencing high temperatures with limited rainfall and desertification. The effects of both cold
and hot temperatures have been noticed with higher susceptibility among People Living with
Diabetes Mellitus (PLDM). The heat weakens their thermoregulatory and orthostatic responses
because they respond to high temperatures. During cold periods the apparent loss of efferent
vasomotor control during diabetes neuropathy was particularly evident.
Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study was to develop and implement the coping
strategies for PLDM to adapt to changing temperatures at the health care centres of Limpopo
Province.
Methods: A mixed method exploratory sequential research design was used, which is
collecting and analyzing qualitative data, based on qualitative results. A questionnaire was
developed for qualitative data collection. The study population consisted of all PLDM for more
than a year who come for treatment at the health care centres of Limpopo Province. Purposive
sampling and simple random sampling methods were used to select 185 participants for the
research study. Data were analyzed by Tesch’s open-coding method and the Statistical
Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS Version 25) with the assistance of the university
Biostatistician.
Results: PLDM experiences many challenges with regard to the impact of changing
temperatures. PLDM have expressed different coping strategies to adopt to changing
temperatures, perceived learning needs on coping strategies during changing temperatures,
and the description of available services to address challenges related to changing
temperatures.
Conclusion: To assist PLDM to adapt to changing temperatures, ongoing implementation of
coping strategies should be instituted. The Limpopo Province Department of Health has to offer
scheduled continuous in-service training sessions about the impact of changing temperatures
on PLDM for all categories of nurses
An exploration of ace teaching cycle in improving grade 12 learners' understanding of quadratic functions
Get PDFThesis (M.Ed. (Mathematical Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023The knowledge of quadratic functions is essential in improving learners' conceptual understanding of algebraic and geometric concepts. Hence, such knowledge is attained when learners understand quadratic functions' multiple representations. Therefore, the focus of the study was to explore the role of the Activities, Classroom discussions, and Exercises [ACE] teaching cycle in improving Grade 12 learners‟ conceptual understanding of quadratic functions. I adopted the APOS theory as a lens to improve learners' conceptual understanding of quadratic functions. Additionally, I used Merriam‟s case study design which incorporated the ACE teaching cycle as an instructional style for data collection with 30 criterion sampled learners. Subsequently, learners posit various conceptual obstacles after implementing the ACE cycle. Firstly, they seem to grapple at the action level relating to the knowledge of the properties of quadratic functions. Secondly, they posed conceptual obstacles to quadratics while interacting with quadratic functions. Thirdly, learners posed difficulties transitioning from one form to another, posing pitfalls to conceptual understanding quadratic functions. Lastly, they faced difficulty making connections between the forms of quadratic functions due to a deficiency in solving techniques. However, through the intervention of the exercise, learners' conceptual obstacles seem to be remedied. Yet, some conceptual obstacles appeared to be persistent: failure to correctly translate quadratics, confusion about the -intercept of the function and the -coordinate of the vertex, and difficulty linking the connection between the range and vertex of a function. Therefore, I recommend that future studies be broadened on learners understanding of the vertex and the -intercept of quadratic functions
The impact of local economic development on livelihood strategies in communities of Botlokwa Village, Molemole Local Municipality, Limpopo Province
Get PDFThesis (M.Dev. (Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Local economic development was instituted as a strategy by the new democratic
government to boost employment, local economic growth and reduce poverty at local
level. This research investigated the impact of LED towards livelihood strategies in the
communities of Botlokwa , Molemole Local Municipality. A normative and correlation
research design was used in this study. Utilizing surveys, interviews, observation and a
literature study, data was gathered. Three key informants and 97 community members
in total took part in the research.
The results showed that the LED has been used by Molemole Local Municipality. For
the municipality, local economic development is crucial for several reasons, including
tackling the local economic growth backlog, reducing unemployment and poverty,
fostering community involvement in setting needs and goals, and enhancing integration
and coordination. However, the execution of the LED ran into some difficulties,
including, among others: a bad resource scarcity, unfinished projects, a poor level of
community involvement and political interference.
Additional verdict demonstrates that local government has improved the quality of
amenities provided to recipient households and community members, particularly the
provision of electricity, but that additional amenities, such as the delivery of water,
creation of jobs, better living conditions, sanitary conditions and refuse removal are still
insufficient. However, the community members evolved various coping mechanisms
because of high prevalence of poverty and unemployment cut-off. The majority of
community members voiced their displeasure with the delivery of programs intended to
improve their living conditions. Respondents emphasized that municipality organized
ward council meetings, IDP forums and consultation sessions to include communities in
service delivery. Communities are still unhappy with their level of participation, though.
Notwithstanding that municipality's general successes in providing basic amenities,
there is still a backlog in service delivery and LED initiatives because of corrupt
practices, a lack of resources, a capacity issue and incorrect project targeting.
The results also demonstrate that the municipality's local economic growth has been
greatly boosted by the adoption of the LED. All of the municipality's development
planning and programs begin with the LED and IDP; as a result, municipality is able to
develop and execute in agreement with planned requirements of the population. The
municipality has been helped to offer essential services including water, electricity and
sanitation thanks to the services and infrastructure projects that have been
implemented. Additionally, the municipality has built roads and other infrastructure for
the community's benefit. However, outstanding of inadequate execution of the LED,
which was brought on by capability issues, limited public involvement and resource
shortages, the municipality has not entirely completed the delivery of essential
amenities. The report suggests that the municipality prioritize enhancing the supply of
LED programs aimed at the community members' modes of subsistence as a cure.
Additionally, it is advised that the municipality focus on enhancing community
involvement, making effective usage of MIG and strengthening its ability for the
development and execution of the LED
Assessment of the effectiveness of public participation in environmental impact assessment: a case study of Matseke filling station development
Get PDFThesis (M.Sc. (Geography)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023The process of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) aims at identifying the significant
environmental, social, and economic impacts of a proposed project before a decision is
made of whether a project should commence. The Public Participation Process (PPP)
should occur throughout all phases of an EIA process and forms an integral part of
successful EIAs. It allows for input from stakeholders and subsequently contributes to
sustainable development. This process is however often viewed as a “box-ticking” exercise
negatively impacting the intended effectiveness thereof. This study therefore aimed to
assess the perceived effectiveness of public participation in EIA processes of the Matseke
filling station project in the Capricorn District of Limpopo from the perspective of various key
stakeholders. The study was descriptive and exploratory in nature and a qualitative research
approach was considered pragmatic. Two key informant interviews were undertaken with
the environmental assessment practitioner (EAP) and government official that was involved
in the EIA processes. Furthermore, a total of 16 Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs)
were identified to participate in the study. Different methods of qualitative analyses were
used to analyse the objectives of this study. The methods include thematic analysis and
descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequencies. The Statistical Package for
Social Science (SPSS) version 24.0 software was used to analyse the data. The study
findings show that the identified I&APs indicated that they were not involved in project
planning and design. It further shows that only one I&AP commented during the process.
Education, language, gender and methods of communication were identified as key factors
in determining level and effectiveness of public participation processes. The study
recommends that potential I&APs need to be educated by EAPs and government officials
as to the role they play in ensuring effective public participatio
An exploratory study on the challenges faced by orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in the schools of Maleboho East Circuit of the Capricorn District of Limpopo Province to develop a multi-disciplinary model
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D. (Social work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Society faces the serious challenges of having to find solutions to look after orphaned
and vulnerable children (OVC), who often survive against all odds, and are exposed to
more threatening or challenging environments than other children. Although this is a
widespread and global problem, in sub-Saharan Africa it is exacerbated by other
precarious social conditions such as poverty, unemployment, inequality and domestic
violence, among other factors. South Africa is no exception to these challenges. Being a
developing country, it is still faced with an escalating problem of vulnerable children. This
scenario is complicated by the fact that the scope of vulnerable children is vast and
complex, but OVCs form the most vulnerable group, as they experience multiple
dimensions of vulnerabilities. The South African Government took a positive step and
responded with a series of legislations, policies and programmes to mitigate the
vulnerability of children. However, despite these responses, the issue of vulnerability
continues to grow. In schools, vulnerability makes it extremely difficult for OVC to cope
with the demands of academic work and causes them to repeat their grades several
times.
The present study explored the challenges facing OVC in schools of the Maleboho East
Circuit. The communities around the Maleboho East Circuit are termed multi-risks
communities, where social issues such as poverty, unemployment, inequality and
substance abuse are prevalent. The study anchored itself on ecosystem theory,
emphasising the importance of a person in context, strength-based, which was a shift
from deficiencies to strengths and resilience theory. This approach provided a lens and
mind map that guided the study. This was paramount for a study of this nature, as the
problems experienced by the child at home will eventually cascade into the school
environment, where academic performance is needed. The three theories were
complementary to each other, as they were used to compensate each other’s
deficiencies.
The study followed an interpretive paradigm, which placed emphasis on the participants’
lived experiences. In a study such as this one, where in-depth data was required; this
paradigm allowed the researcher to enter the participants’ lived world through a focus
group discussion and personal interviews. From the interviews, themes and sub-themes
were generated that were informed by the participants’ responses.
Findings indicated that the OVC face many challenges both in school and in their homes
as well as their communities. In their homes, they are heavily burdened with household
chores that consume most of their time, making it difficult for OVC to juggle both
household duties and academic work, causing serious barriers that hinder their academic
progress, and results in them often failing and repeating their grades multiple times. They
are also challenged by other psychosocial issues such as anger and frustration, and
emotional difficulties caused by their lack of basic and school necessities.
Though faced with these challenges, they developed their own coping strategies to
manage their situation. However, the researcher concluded that the OVC’s challenges
made them feel and become educationally excluded. As most OVC are coming from
impoverished homes, they will fail to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty they are
subjected to. Therefore, the researcher recommended that the government as a
custodian of children’s welfare should create an environment that is more conducive for
the policy for inclusive education to be implemented. Schools should adopt a
responsibility, where the focus is not only on education, but on creating an environment
where all learners will be catered for holistically, irrespective of their background, thereby
enabling them to become better citizens of tomorrow. This is in line with the spirit of the
Constitution of South Africa, 1996
Reading comprehension competencies of first entering English language students at historically black universities in South Africa : an exploratory study
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.(English Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Reading Comprehension (RC) is a challenge faced by many first entering English
language students at Historically Black Universities (HBUs) in South Africa (SA),
especially those who went to public schools. RC appears not to be given adequate
attention at basic school level, and as such, the learners carry this problem with them
from primary school to secondary school, and eventually to university level. However,
at tertiary level, RC is vitally significant for academic success, which is why Reading
Comprehension Competencies (RCCs) of students who come from a unique schooling
background warrant an exploration. The aim of this study was to explore RC
competencies of first entering English language students at HBUs. Thus, the study
design was exploratory, and a combination of quantitative and qualitative approach
was followed. The study also adopted metacognitive and schema theories. The
research sample was made up of first entering English language students who first
filled in a questionnaire during their first term at university and then sat for a criterion referenced RC test as well as English language lecturers who were interviewed about
RCCs. The participants collectively came from five HBUs in different provinces of SA.
The data collected were analysed quantitatively as well as qualitatively. The students
underperformed in the test and their responses from the questionnaire revealed that
they struggled with RC. Additionally, lecturers’ responses indicated that the students
struggled with the RC of academic texts. Several factors such as inadequate reading
resources, language policy issues faced by public schools and RC teacher
competency tend to compound the situation. Thus, the results corroborate the RC
plight of the HBU English language students at the threshold of university study in SADSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Developmen
An evaluation of the challenges faced by Mankweng Thuthuzela Care Centre in dealing with victims of sexual offences
Get PDFThesis (M.A. (Criminology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Sexual offences has persisted to be a serious criminal phenomenon worldwide and also in South Africa. The challenges and consequences associated with sexual offences demand that effective prevention programmes be developed to target and deter future sexual offences and recidivism. Sexual violence is the intention by the perpetrator to commit an offence at the absence of consent from the complainant or victim. The perpetrator is causing or attempting to coerce an individual to engage involuntarily in any sexual act by force, threat of duress or without the individual’s consent. Different communities across all different cultures and traditions understand sexual violence as an individual crime, which is rape. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to evaluate the challenges faced by the Mankweng Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) when dealing with victims of sexual offences. The TCC is an organisation that aims to empower victims of sexual crimes to become survivors through learning to accept and understand what happened to them as victims of sexual violence.
Utilising qualitative and evaluative research design lenses, this study purposively selected 10 participants to gain an insight into their thoughts, attitudes, behaviour, values systems, and motivations on this subject. They were all subjected to the semi-structured key informative interview (KII) method. Based on the transcribed data, various study themes and sub-themes were extracted as study findings that were then analysed using the inductive Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) – Multidisciplinary centre; secondary victimisation and revictimisation; alcohol abuse and substance abuse; poverty; hesitance to report; lack of resources; awareness of campaign; psycho-social support; and failure to administer post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
It was recommended that a monthly staff workshop and training should be developed for the TCC, so that the value derived from standard protocol or trained personnel in relation to victims of sexual violence can become significant. Such training will also include meeting expectations for sensitivity and professionalism around the issues of sexual offences. In turn, this will help put the investigatory process into context for the initiated investigations
Prevalence of conscientious objection to termination of pregnancy among health professionals in the Capricorn District of the Limpopo Province
Get PDFThesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Introduction: Women in South Africa have access to abortion services on demand thanks to the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act (CTOPA) 92 of 1996. The right to conscientious objection is one of the principal barriers to exercising this human right, which is protected by the constitution. In sub-Saharan African countries, there are little and questionable data on the prevalence of conscientious objection. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of conscientious objections to the termination of pregnancy among healthcare professionals in the Capricorn District of Limpopo Province to ascertain the frequency of ethical objections to pregnancy termination among healthcare workers.
Methodology: A quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional research design was used to collect data from healthcare professionals at the healthcare facilities of the Capricorn District of Limpopo Province. The researcher used statistical software for Windows, such as Statistical Data Analysis version 15 (STATA, corporation, USA), and a p-value of less than 0.05 will be considered statistically significant.
Results: The overall prevalence of conscientious objection to termination of pregnancy was 55.4%. Conscientious objection to abortion was more common overall among both males and females as they aged. The healthcare professionals in the current study received were trained in a variety of methods to terminate a pregnancy, including manual vacuum aspiration, medical abortion, and dilatation and curettage. This study highlights the increasing rate of conscientious objection in the healthcare sector.
Discussion: The current study revealed that conscientious objection to termination of pregnancy is not unique to Capricorn District of Limpopo Province in South Africa. The current study found that conscientious objection to abortion was common. Contrary to other studies, religion was found not to be significantly associated with a conscientious objection to termination of pregnancy in the current study
Learner nurses' perspectives regarding classroom and clinical learning for the regulation 425 program at the University of Limpopo
Get PDFThesis (M.A. (Nursing)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Background:
Graduate professional nurses from universities continuously face intellectual scrutiny
from nurses who graduated from college, because of the nature of the training
programme within the University of Limpopo. Most of the registered nurses perceive
learner nurses and community service nurses from universities as those who do not
know anything, yet very little is known about the perceptions of learner nurses regarding
their training program.
Purpose:
To investigate how learner nurses in the R425 program perceive their classroom and
practical learning.
Study method:
A quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional method was employed in this study. Data was
collected via an online questionnaire from 129 learner nurses with the response rate of
100%, at the University of Limpopo. Data was collected under ten criterion of program
review. The data was analyzed using the descriptive statistics from the SPSS tool with
the assistance of a statistician.
Results:
The results of the study showed that the learner nurses had a positive perception on
their studies, both theoretical and practical on the seven criterion of program review.
However, the criterion on infrastructure and resources, program coordination and
learner assessment demonstrated negative perceptions by learner nurses. There was
no association between the learner nurses’ choice of study and the outcome of learner
nurses performance.
Recommendations:
vi
The researcher recommends adequate staff of theoretical and clinical learning, a
balanced program co-ordination on theoretical and practical learning, a better-structured
skills lab and enough resources for the learners, and a yearly program review.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that, the learner nurses enrolled in the
nursing department’s R425 program positively perceive their clinical and classroom
learning. The study was limited to the university of Limpopo learner nurses, program
R425 and cannot be generalized. The study found a few factors that hinder the learner
nurses’ learning perspectives, such as lack of support and limited time to clinical areas
Relationship between sales budget and profitability at Clicks retail pharmacies limited
Get PDFThesis (MBA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Refer to documen