Walter Sisulu University
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Teachers Expiriences on Stress During COVID-19: A South African Case Study
Get PDFCOVID-19 posed an obstacle to many teachers as they tried to master online teaching.This study sought to investigate teachers stress experiences in primary schools in South Africa during COVID-19. The study adopted the interpretivism paradigm in which thematically analysed data was collected through interviews. Fifteen(15) participants were selected purposely from primary schools of Chris Hani East District in South Africa for the interview. In the study, teachers attributed their stress to the lack of protective resources, lack of proper plans for remote teaching, and lack of skills. Students were not co-operating with the teachers during online lessons. The study recommends that the necessary protective resources be provided by the Department of Education to protect teachers from being infected with Covid-19 and provide teaching assistants so that teachers can find it easier to teach with less burden. Schools must be equipped with digital technology and train teachers on how to use digital technology to ease the burden on them. It is important for teachers and motivational speakers to meet with students to raise students interest and curiosity about learning and in the same vein boosting the students self-confidence
Teacher's perspectives on the implementation of HIV/AIDS policy in OR Tambo Inland Education District: A case study of five selected schools
Get PDFThis thesis explored teachers’ perspectives in implementing HIV/AIDS policy in the O. R. Tambo Inland Education District. HIV/AIDS is one of the greatest challenges in the world and is crippling almost every aspect of society (politically, socially, financially, and educationally). In the education sector, it affects teachers, learners, their families, and the communities at large. Governments everywhere, especially Education Ministries, developed policies to combat the pandemic. In South Africa, the National Policy on HIV/AIDS for learners and teachers for public schools and students in Further Education and Training Institutions was published in 1999. The Department of Education also developed guidelines for teachers, to assist them in managing HIV/AIDS issues in Public Schools. Theoretically, this study was informed by the implementation theory of Pressman and Wildavsky (1973) who view policy implementation as a procedure of collaboration between the establishments of objectives, and Elite/Mass theory which implore that the key people in authority, who are considered as the elite group, determine policy without considering its implementation on the ground. This is a qualitative case study based on interpretivism, which strives to comprehend how individuals in everyday settings construct meaning and explain the events of their world. Purposive sampling was employed to identify twelve rich informants (teachers) from five purposively selected primary schools. Data were collected through document analysis, semi-structured interviews, and field notes. Findings reveal that teachers have insufficient knowledge about HIV/AIDS policy which they are expected to implement, they were insufficiently trained, lacked support, and encountered some barriers towards the implementation of HIV/AIDS policy. The study recommends that that professional in-service development programme should be developed by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) for all qualified Life Orientation (LO) teachers since HIV/AIDS is an aspect of the LO subject and DBE should increase school-based support visits by subject specialists to ensure that there is proper monitoring. It further recommends that policy formulators should engage the implementers in policy dissemination through meetings, newsletters, conferences, debates, circulars and networks like cluster and circuit networks to eradicate distortion of crucial policy information for implementation. It is further recommended based on the findings and informed by the two theoretical frameworks of Implementation and Elites/Mass theories, Tebekana Collaborative Policy Formulation, and Implementation model for the benefit of the schools is proposed.Thesis (D.Ed) -- Faculty of Education Sciences, 202
Maintaining Critical Road Infrastructure as a Catalytic Project in Mthatha: A Case Study of King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality
Get PDFThis research focused on Mthatha, within the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality (KSDLM) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This study examined road infrastructure in Mthatha as a key project for socio-economic advancement, aligning with KSDLM's objectives and constitutional requirements. It explored policies governing essential road infrastructure projects and reviewed existing initiatives, frameworks, and regulations aimed at fostering economic growth within local municipalities. The literature review provided an extensive examination of concepts pertinent to the preservation of essential road infrastructure, alongside various ideas and research that underpin the study. It included an analysis of the regulations, policies, and frameworks that regulate road infrastructure. The review also explored South African road infrastructure and its historical context, focusing on the implications for social and economic development within local government. Furthermore, the management of road infrastructure was addressed from a policy-oriented viewpoint. The research selected a mixed-methods approach as its chosen methodology. It specifically concentrated on Ward 8 with the aim of assessing road quality, necessitating the collection of scientific evidence. To achieve this, interviews and online surveys utilizing questionnaires were carried out, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative research components...Degree: M. Public Administratio
Technology Adoption Readiness in Disadvantaged Universities during COVID 19 Pandemic in South Africa
Get PDFThe Covid 19 pandemic has affected hundreds of million lives and taken over four million lives to date. As a result, governments and policymakers see the need for emergency action to reduce the spread of the virus. In an attempt to contain the virus, governments and policymakers worldwide introduced a different range of prote ction measures and interventions to change their citizen's behaviours , primarily through social distancing, interprovince lockdown, stay at home strategies, and quarantines. The different lockdown measures have created unique and challenging conditions wit h no documented equivalent in the education sector. A significant effect was that many Higher Education institutions worldwide were not ready to switch to online teaching and learning when the governments announced the sudden lockdown. This study discusses the effect s of the Covid 19 pandemic on South Africa Higher Education Institution s , focusing on the historically disadvantaged universities. The study went further to evaluate the readiness of lecturers from selected disadvantaged universities to adopting online teaching and learning by applying the Technology Readiness Acceptance Model (TRAM). Quantitative data was collected through an online questionnaire. Results show that the higher the average of optimism and innovativeness among the respondents' poin t towards the readiness of adopting technology. On the other hand, higher the average insecurity and discomfort show the uneasiness of adopting technologies by the respondents
The Impact of Direct Marketing on Consumer Buying Decisions in Mthatha’s Cosmetic Industry
Get PDFThis study aimed to investigate the impact of direct marketing on consumer buying decisions in Mthatha’s cosmetic industry. Direct marketing was measured by four dimensions, namely telemarketing, magazine advertisement, door-to-door selling and television home shopping. To achieve the aim, the research study adopted a positivist paradigm which was motivated by the quantitative approach using the explanatory research design. A self-administered questionnaire was issued to 300 respondents using the snowball sampling technique. The respondents were consumers that purchase cosmetic products sold through direct marketing channels in Mthatha. The key findings of the study, under the simple linear regression, revealed that telemarketing, magazine advertisements, and television home shopping influence consumer buying decisions in Mthatha’s cosmetic industry respectively. However, door-to-door selling does not influence consumer buying decisions in Mthatha’s cosmetic industry. Under the hierarchal regression analysis, the findings revealed that direct marketing influences consumer buying decisions after controlling for the respondents’ demographic variables (educational level, age, gender, marital status, and income level) in Mthatha’s cosmetic industry respectively. Based on the findings, policymakers should assist cosmetic organisations to progress from the manufacturing stage to the commercialisation stage. They should also provide capital and resources to small businesses to up-scale the size of the organisation. Based on the findings, this study will assist direct marketers to gain more understanding of how consumers think and the stages they undergo before making a purchase of a cosmetic product. Key words: Telemarketing, door-to-door selling, consumer buying decisions, television home shopping, magazine advertisements and direct marketing.Thesis (Masters) -- Faculty of Commerce and Administration, 202
Health Expenditure and Economic Performance in Selected Southern African Development Community (SADC) Countries
Get PDFThe study examined the relationship between health expenditure and economic performance in 14 Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries using annual panel data for the period of 15 years (2005-2019). Economic performance was the dependent variable with gross domestic product (GDP) per capita used as the proxy for economic performance. The other determinants of economic performance used in this study include labour force participation rate, institutional quality, and trade openness. All variables were examined logged to eliminate possibility of outliers. To test for stationarity of the series, the study employed two panel unit root tests which are the Levin, Lien and Chu (2002) commonly known as LLC, and also Im, Pesaran and Shin (2003) popularly known as IPS. The finding revealed that the series were integrated of different orders including I(0) and I(1) but not I(2). To test for a long-run relationship, Pedroni and Kao panel cointegration tests were carried out. The findings revealed there was cointegration. Based on these findings, panel auto regressive sistributed lag (ARDL), using Pooled Mean Group analysis as the best estimator for the model, was chosen to test for both long-run and short-run relationships. The empirical findings showed that there was a negative and significant relationship between health expenditure and economic performance in the 14 selected SADC countries. Governments in the SADC region should enact and enforce laws that deal with leakages in the health sector to ensure that health expenditure improves economic performance.Thesis (Masters) -- Faculty of Economics and Finacial Sciences, 202
Primordial risk factors and primary prevention framework for overweight and obesity among children of the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study participants in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
Get PDFThesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, 202
perception of male university students regarding the relationshinship between masculinity and gender based violence: A health promotion enquiry
Get PDFGlobally, Gender Based Violence (GBV) refers to harmful act directed at an individual based on their gender, power and positions within a given society. According to Statistics South Africa report 2021, one in five women (21%) had experienced physical violence by a partner. GBV is rooted in gender disparities, the abuse of power and harmful norms. Both men and women to some extent experience GBV and suffer from discrimination if they deviate from societal expectations of masculinities. Men’s violence, whether directed at women, people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities or other men, is inextricably linked to hegemonic and toxic masculinity. The aim of the study was to investigate perception of male university students regarding the relationship between masculinity and gender-based violence. This study adopted qualitative phenomenological approach. The research was conducted at WSU, Mthatha campus, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Purposive sampling was used to select 24 participants. Semi-structured, in-depth, face to face interviews were used to gather data. The collected qualitative data was analysed utilizing thematic analysis method with the assistance of NVIVO software. Ten overarching themes were identified using thematic method and reported and categorised as factors associated with GBV and suggested action plans to fight against GBV and these includes: (1) Gender discrimination as a contributing factor towards GBV; (2) Impact of association on GBV; (3) Perception of males on how the law handles GBV cases; (4) Dark figures and unreported cases escalate GBV (5) Influence of materialistic things on “blesser/blesse” relationship; (6) Social norms or community common practices misconception that still promote gender differences; (7) Poor decision making based on wrong assumptions about what other people thinks or do (8) Sexual education gaps on deciding when to start sex in a relationship; (9) Suggested preventative actions to prevent GBV. This study concluded with discussion and recommendations of further study to support participants recommendations for continuous health education and strengthen increase on youth friendly GBV programs to empower males in the university and further suggested development of comprehensive health promotion strategies to reduce gender-based violence. This study concluded with discussions and recommendations of the required comprehensive health promotion program to curb GBV and as well suggestions for further research studies to focus on developing health promotion intervention to prevent causes of GBV.Thesis (Masters) -- Faculty of medicine and Health Sciences, 202
Workaholism and Work-Family Enrichment: The Role of Work-Life Balance Strategies
Get PDFOrganisational competitiveness and the changing structure of work have brought the issue of workaholism to the front burner in academic discourse. This study investigated the role of work-life balance strategies on the interplay between workaholism and work-family enrichment. A purposive sampling technique was found appropriate to select top management of two manufacturing firms in Lagos, Nigeria to participate in this study. An in-depth interview was employed for data collection. NVivo 12 software was adopted for thematic analysis. Content analysis was used to interpret the interview texts. The finding revealed that the work-life balance strategies of the firms surveyed were not appropriate in addressing the effect of workaholism. The managerial relevance of the study is derived from the outcome of the analysed qualitative data
Information and Communication Technology in The Delivery of Accounting Lessons in Secondary Schools at OR Tambo District in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
Get PDFThis study investigated the influence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on the delivery of Accounting lessons in secondary schools in OR Tambo Inland District. The literature contextualises the study by exploring the role of ICT, educator attitudes towards ICT, the effect of lack of ICT provision at schools, the importance of ICT to secondary school Accounting educators, discussion on various approaches to implementing digital education in the teaching and learning of Accounting at selected secondary schools. The study employs a mixed-method approach to define, describe, interpret, and understand the behaviour of the participants using ICT in the teaching and learning of Accounting in selected urban and rural schools in the OR Tambo Inland District