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The forgotten pursuit: a carpentry centre in Karatara welfare settlement forged from the memories of woodcutters
No full textDissertation (M.Arch.(Architecture))--University of the Free State, 2023This project embarks on an exploration and interpretation of the memories and narratives carved by the woodcutters and plantation laborers of Knysna. These memories serve as the foundation for the design of a carpentry centre, intended as a means for the upliftment of the welfare settlement, Karatara situated in the Western Cape. Many settlements near Knysna were established to address the forestry and welfare needs of the timber industry. The resulting question of this thesis: How can the creation of a Carpentry centre in Karatara be approached through the lens of recalling memories, archetypal references, and their integration within the existing community? This methodology seeks to delve deeper into the essence of place by investigating its historical underpinnings, with the aim of not only enriching the collective memory of Karatara but also anchoring this transformation through archetypal associations. This endeavour aspires to restore a sense of pride and ownership in a settlement that stands as a remnant of large industrial exploitation. In order to grasp the essence of Karatara, this research includes investigative approaches such as; personal stories, interviews, books and contemporary interpretations informed by the visual cues derived from collective memories of Karatara
The management of development support mechanisms to nurture the new Generation of Academic Programme (nGAP) of black female academics into leadership positions
No full textThesis (Ph.D.(Education Studies))--University of the Free State, 2023This study aimed to examine how talent management, as a management concept, can be infused into the nGAP initiative as a driving force towards developing and mentoring black female academics. The study explored talent management's theoretical framework and functions for acquiring, assessing, developing, and deploying talent of early career academics. The talent management strategies implemented by companies in South Africa and internationally have been extensively explored. The study aimed to determine whether talent management could be incorporated into higher education during the development programme. Despite its successful implementation in the business environment and universities in Europe, talent management in African universities still needs to improve. The study presented essential lessons African universities could adopt to incorporate talent management in their development programmes for early career academics. As universities aim to attain a competitive advantage in their environment, they require the development of a talent pool of high-potential academics to take over from retiring academics and go through a rigorous mentoring support structure. To fully understand the success of talent management, an overview of talent management practices was done, followed by a discussion on the current possible challenges that could affect implementing successful talent management practices meant to retain talented academics. In order to understand the incorporation of talent management in various universities, this interpretative-qualitative phenomenological study analysed the lived experiences of black female academics in the new Generation Academic programme. It employed semi-structured interviews, document analysis and thematic analysis to generate data from the interviews with five (5) female academics i.e four black females and one coloured female. The interview participants' data revealed that universities still need an official and structured talent management programme, which is crucial in attracting, developing and retaining academics. Participants revealed other aspects that necessitated incorporating talent management in universities. The study concludes by presenting findings and recommendations which identified induction as a pertinent differentiator whether the nGAP lecturers felt "empowered" or not. Furthermore, a credible evaluation process of the nGAP lecturers was recommended. Some credible evaluation tools, such as CIPP, were recommended to benefit early career academics during the nGAP training. A recommended guiding policy for mentors and nGAP lecturers has been suggested to add more significance and depth to the nGAP training program
Changes in the food security status during the Covid-19 pandemic among the elderly within the Bethal District, Mpumalanga, South Africa
No full textDissertation (M.Sc.(Consumer Science))--University of the Free State, 2023South African households were established to be food insecure prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, hunger in Africa has only increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, due to its effects on economies and job losses. Moreover, the food security status of the elderly in the Bethal district, Mpumalanga, remained unknown for the time period prior to and during COVID-19. Therefore, this study focused on determining the food security status of the elderly with the use of HFIAS (Household Food Insecurity Access Scale) and HDDS (Household Dietary Diversity Score), also including food access and availability, health effects of COVID-19 and consumer food behaviour amongst the elderly in the Bethal district in Mpumalanga prior to and during COVID-19.
A mixed-method study with a total sample of 112 people, between the ages of 60 and 100 years, who live in the Bethal district (including: Amersfoort, Bethal, Ermelo, Kriel, Middelburg, Morgenzon, Secunda, Volksrust, Wakkerstroom, Witbank/eMalahleni, Devon, Brakpan, Lothair, and Perdekop). A structured questionnaire in the form of a survey was employed to obtain quantitative data. The qualitative component utilised semi-structured interviews that were conducted in person with the researcher in order to gain information of the participant’s experience on the COVID-19 lockdown and it’s effects on food security. Descriptive and inferential analysis to determine significance was done with SPSS version 26.
Only 21.6% of elderly respondents reported various levels of food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, no significant differences were observed in the number of respondents that were severely food insecure prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, more than half (54.1%) respondents reported taking part in physical activity during lockdown; even though, the majority of the respondents did not meet the recommended physical activity guidelines of exercising at least 30 minutes per day. Very few (20.5%) of respondents reported weight gain during the COVID-19 lockdown period, as very few also reported being an emotional eater. A few participants (n=16) reported experiencing mental health difficulties due to social media content received during lockdown. More than half (69.9%) of respondents reported being diagnosed with a chronic illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. The HDDS indicated that the elderly consumed more healthy foods during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to prior the pandemic, as very few respondents reported consuming more snacks during the lockdown, and very few reported lockdown as stressful or affecting their sleep negatively.
The findings suggest that food security prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic remained high amongst the sampled population. However, mild to severe food insecurity percentages increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic was observed to increase health difficulties experienced, which include chronic illnesses and mental health. No significant differences were reported in the elderly’s physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of the elderly did not experience a change in income during the COVID-19 pandemic. For future research, more in-depth studies are necessary to explore the elderly’s consumer behaviour, how provinces within South Africa’s elderly food security differ after the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically focussing on the low-income elderly within South Africa and how food price increases since the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the elderly’s food security
Assessment of broad-based black economic empowerment compliance in enterprise and supplier development through the capability approach
No full textThesis(Ph.D.(Development Studies))--University of the Free State, 2023Since the advent of democracy, the South African government has held transformation and empowerment at the helm of its objectives. The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B−BBEE) policy has been instrumental in the drive towards the transformation and empowerment of black people, particularly in business. The introduction of the B−BBEE Codes of Good Practice in 2007 was set to deliver on the key areas of the economy that the government had prioritised for transformation and empowerment. Government amended the BBBEE Codes of Good Practice in 2013 to strengthen implementation and fast-track transformation and empowerment. Although the small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) have always been regarded as instrumental to economic growth, the 2013 Codes placed emphasis on the support and inclusion of black-owned SMMEs through the enterprise and supplier development code. Enterprise and supplier development requires collaboration between the government, corporates and SMMEs because they are the key role players. This study focused on the amended 2013 B−BBEE Codes of Good Practice, specifically the enterprise and supplier development code that came into effect in May 2015. The study analysed the implementation of enterprise and supplier development through the capability approach to understand the challenges and the perceptions of the government, corporates and SMMEs regarding enterprise and supplier development. The capability approach of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum presents ideas that expand beyond traditional economic thinking and focuses on what human beings can achieve. The capability approach was found suitable for exploring whether B−BBEE enterprise and supplier development can and would potentially increase capabilities among corporates and SMMEs, in particular black-owned SMMEs.
Existing literature in B−BBEE emphasises that the intentions of B−BBEE as a transformation and empowerment policy are to broaden empowerment and ensure economic inclusiveness. However, B−BBEE is faced with many challenges. The study applied mixed methods research; qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews, whereas quantitative research employed a survey. Data was collected in South Africa. Qualitative data was collected from two different population groups: the government and corporates. Semi-structured interviews were held with two government officials from Gauteng, whereas 20 corporates in the manufacturing sector were interviewed from Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape province. The survey was issued to SMMEs operating in the manufacturing sector in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North-West, Western Cape, Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape provinces. Non-probability sampling was used for the qualitative research, whereas respondents for the quantitative research were selected using simple random sampling. Qualitative research findings from the government indicated that government was cognisant that implementing B−BBEE, particularly enterprise and supplier development, would not be easy because corporates must use their resources in the implementation, and SMMEs need to be well positioned to benefit meaningfully. Qualitative findings from corporates indicated that there was a high B−BBEE compliance with enterprise and supplier development and that corporates aimed at maintaining their level of B−BBEE compliance. In contradiction to the high levels of compliance depicted by corporates, quantitative research findings from SMMEs indicated that the majority of SMMEs had not benefited from enterprise and supplier development. This depicts that the status quo for black-owned SMMEs has not improved; SMMEs still face many of the operational challenges that enterprise and supplier development intends to address
Exploring place-attentive education and decoloniality in the English Home Language Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement
No full textDissertation (M.Ed.(Education Foundations))--University of the Free State, 2023In my study I undertook to explore place-attentive education and decoloniality in the (2011), with the overarching aim of the study being to explore how place-based education and Ingold’s (2017) concept of attention can be read together to create the concept of place-attentive education. This was achieved by garnering a better understanding of concepts such as place and attention and place-based education. Moreover, a thorough understanding of Ingold’s principles of attention, namely the principle of habit, volition and correspondence as well as coloniality and decoloniality and the intersection of place-attentive education and decoloniality also proved seminal to my study. In that understanding how Ingold’s concept of attention intersects with decoloniality through the concepts of grounded normativity and grounded relationality enabled my analysis to be informed by these critical concepts. I sought to address the aim of the study through conducting an analysis of policy and education related documents, namely, the (1996); the 1 ( 10-12) (2011). I found that the policy and documents achieve alignment, the White Paper 1 (1996) and the ( 10-12) (2011) essentially echo the Constitution (1996) which is befitting since it is the supreme law of the land. Place-based education is premised as central throughout the documents as the importance of environmental education is emphasised, a factor which I contend is essential for the promotion of place-attentive education in order to promote decoloniality
Impact of money supply in different states of inflation and economic growth in South Africa
No full textThis paper investigates the impact of the money supply in different states of inflation and economic growth in South Africa from 1990 to 2021. The term “states” defines periods of low and high rates of economic variables of interest. Markov-switching dynamic regression (MSDRM) and time-varying parameter structural vector autoregression (TVP-VAR) are used in this paper. The contribution of this paper is not only based on the long run but also on the examination of the impact of the money supply in different states of inflation and economic growth. Moreover, the use of shock accounts for time-varying elasticity. It is found that there is a 0.70% decrease in the gross domestic product for a 1% increase in money supply in state 1, while in state 2, the money supply was insignificant. The money supply had a negative and a positive impact on inflation in states 1 and 2, with rates of 0.05% and 0.35% in the respective states. The money supply had a high multiplier effect on gross domestic product and inflation. More than 5 years were spent in each state for both gross domestic product and inflation, while the transition probability of moving and returning to each state is significant. The trade-off of using the money supply for economic growth and inflation is evident in South Africa. It is recommended that the state of the economy be considered when using the money supply in an effort to stimulate economic growth or stabilise inflation.Publisher's versio
A strategy to teach business opportunities creation skills using information and communication technology
No full textThesis (Ph.D.(Curriculum Studies))--University of the Free State, 2023This study aimed at designing a real-life-situation strategy of teaching business opportunities creation skills (BOCS), using information and communication technology (ICT). The strategy is developed against the background of several challenges impeding the teaching of BOCS using ICT in Amajuba District in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). BOCS is one of the six purposes of Grade 12 Business Studies’ learning content which students must comprehend and apply in their real-life situations during and after exiting matric. When demonstrating BOCS, teachers should utilise strategies that empower students to see how to learn; look for new data; use new data; assess the significance of data; and tackle novel and non-course reading proficient issues, utilising ICT. This was discovered to be trying for most teachers, as they actually present exercises that show BOCS in a theoretical structure, which is taken out from their (students) application to information. This makes it hard for students to move and apply the information and their abilities to real-life circumstances due to for, example brief (short) class period which deny the infusion of theory and practice in the teaching of BOCS, particularly the entrepreneurial skills using ICT. Besides, ICT applications and portrayals during BOCS exercises are generally used to computerise conventional techniques for teaching and learning by teachers , as opposed to displaying and implementing the multifaceted nature of ICT. Because of these and different other issues, this exploration proposes a genuine circumstantial technique that will guarantee the implantation of a theory and practice that eventually empower students to apply the information and abilities procured in the homeroom to their genuine circumstance. The strategy further seeks to involve other external stakeholders aiming at forming an inter-sectoral and collaborative team with multiple and diverse entrepreneurial skills and knowledge required during the current Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) paradigm. It is undeniable that the 4IR has restructured the way we live, work, and interact with one another. This has led to radical changes in all the spheres of life including political, economic, social, education and social sectors (Elheddad, Benjasak, Deljavan, Alharthi, & Almabrok, 2021).
It emerges on the previous digital revolution and capitalises on the synergistic effects of various advanced technologies (Jin & Shin, 2021), which includes the artificial intelligence, robotics, the internet of things, 3D printing, virtual and augmented reality. In the current study, the use of the 4IR enables teachers and students to use these technologies in the teaching of BOCS, the entrepreneurial skills in live share trading (Jin & Shin, 2021). For example, the use of robotics to execute trades. The investigation is grounded on bricolage, a hypothetical structure that was first and foremost presented by the French anthropologist, Levi-Strauss in the Savage Mind (1966). Bricolage identifies with the irregular and relates to the game as an erratic, accidental and additionally arbitrary outcome and is related with other objects, where different accessible materials, when recombined and additionally applied with new capacities, as well as different organisations, rediscovers another article (Campos & Ribeiro, 2016; Rogers, 2012). Additionally, participatory action research (PAR) has been applied to create information with the co-researchers. This standard was applied for its emancipatory propensities and in light of it relating with bricolage, as the two of them avow a variety of voices in the research. The researcher worked with a team of two Adult Education and Training (AET) teachers, four Grade 12 Business Studies learners, who are normally called Grade 13, as most of them repeat Grade 12, an Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) subject advisor, two entrepreneurs, a local economic development (LED) manager and two National African Federated Chamber of Commerce (NAFCOC) representatives. The study identified the challenges, strategies, conditions, threats and indicators, regarding the formulation of the real-life-situation strategy in the teaching and learning of BOCS, using ICT. Thereafter, we conducted a strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis amongst ourselves to determine our academic and personal identities. We also conducted a political, economic,social, technological, legal and environmental PESTLE analysis to awaken ourselves in terms of the macro-environments elements in which the study was conducted. The trading environments pertained the political, economic, social technological, legal and environmental elements learners were to analyse before executing the trade. The group's shared vision was to build a methodology that reacts to the difficulties impeding the teaching of BOCS utilising ICT in Amajuba District. The group held conversations in , workshops, and class perceptions (observations) with the aim of producing information that reacted to the goals of the examination (research). After multiple conversations, the research team agreed to single out one sub-topic from Investmrnt Securities, which was the live share trading using ICT. Fairclough's critical discourse analysis (CDA) was utilised to break down the desultory information. Information was dissected through three focal points, specifically the textual, discourse and social practice level
Teachers’ lived experiences of school violence: a phenomenological case study
No full textDissertation (M.Ed.(Psychology of Education))--University of the Free State, 2023School violence is becoming a global scourge and teachers seem to be helpless in tackling the challenging violent behaviour of learners in classrooms. Teachers are expected to apply alternatives to corporal punishment, even as violence increases, making these attempts at discipline futile. This study explored teachers’ lived experiences of school violence at one high school in the Xhariep District of the Free State province. The aim of the study was to make positive contributions to the creation of safe and healthy school environments for teachers by formulating new coping and intervention strategies that can help curb school violence, thus aiding teachers and managers with tools to manage school violence. The study adopted a qualitative research approach with a phenomenological case study research design to describe how school violence related to the lived experiences of teachers. A purposive sample of eight teachers from one high school participated in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured and face-to-face audio-recorded interviews. The data were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis as outlined by Braune and Clarke (2012) to identify themes and sub-themes. Findings from the study show that school violence remains a concern in South African schools. Teachers experience school violence in various forms, and it is detrimental to their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. It has significant implications for teachers’ professional motivation, satisfaction, job retention and efficacy. Teachers resorted to different strategies to deal with violence, such as reporting and campaigning against school violence; peer communication; self-check and avoidance; temporary removal of learners from school; motivation and coping training skills; and recreational activities, taking time-off, and medication. However, none of these coping strategies were adequate by itself, so teachers recommended multiple intervention strategies to assist teachers, including debriefing sessions and mentoring; parental involvement; counselling and psychological support; support from school stakeholders; conflict management training and workshops; and amendment of policies and laws
Active learning pedagogy for enriching economics students' higher order thinking skills
No full textThis paper advances active learning as a pedagogic praxis in Economics education to enrich students’ critical and higher order thinking skills (i.e., analysis, evaluation, and synthesis). The paper is grounded within Critical Theory (CT) as a theoretical lens, which gives this intellectual piece an impetus to propagate empowerment and transformation as guiding principles. The paper adopted Participatory Action Research (PAR) as a methodological approach to generating data. The two overarching research questions that developed the intellectual elements of this paper are: what are the challenges faced by Economics students in responding to higher order questions? How can active learning pedagogy be used to enrich Economics students’ critical and higher order thinking skills? A thematic analysis technique was used to analyse the discourses generated. Research shows that students find it challenging to respond to higher order questions and that Economics teaching is predominantly skewed towards the conventional lecture approach or the teacher-centred method, which often does not create opportunities for students to be actively engaged in the teaching and learning process, thus leaving them as passive recipients of knowledge. Based on the findings, this paper argues for active learning as a more unconventional pedagogy in Economics teaching to empower students to respond to higher order questions.Publisher's versio
Entering the dragon’s den: contemporary risks and opportunities of China’s belt and road initiative for Africa
No full textDissertation(M.A. (Political Science))--University of the Free State, 2023China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched in 2013, has emerged as a prominent driver of Sino-African relations, with the potential to significantly impact Africa's economy. This study critically examines the contemporary risks and opportunities of the BRI for Africa, aiming to contribute to the academic discourse on the effects of this initiative in the region. This investigation sheds light on the complex dynamics at play by exploring the potential implications for economic growth, development strategies, and long-term engagements. Through an in-depth analysis of the opportunities offered by the BRI, including infrastructure development, industrialisation, and digital development, as well as an examination of the associated risks related to debt sustainability, security, and dependency, this research provides valuable insights into the BRI's impact on African nations. The findings emphasise the need for African stakeholders and decision-makers to carefully assess the trade-offs between opportunities and risks. Employing a qualitative methodological approach grounded in various international political economy theories, this study offers nuanced analysis and recommendations. Ultimately, this research underscores that while the BRI holds immense potential for Africa, strategic risk management and tailored approaches are essential to maximise the benefits and navigate the challenges in this multifaceted landscape.
___________________________________________________________________China se gordel-en-pad-initiatief (GPI), soos geloods in 2013, is 'n prominente drywer van Sino-Afrika betrekkinge, met die potensiaal om ‘n aansienlike impak op Afrika se ekonomie te hê. Hierdie studie ondersoek krities die kontemporêre risiko's en geleenthede van die GPI vir Afrika en dra daarmee by tot die akademiese diskoers oor die effekte van hierdie inisiatief in die streek. Hierdie ondersoek werp lig op die komplekse dinamika wat betrokke is deur 'n omvattende ondersoek van die moontlike implikasies vir ekonomiese groei, ontwikkelingsstrategieë en langtermynbetrokkenheid. Deur 'n deeglike analise van die geleenthede wat deur die BPI gebied word, insluitende infrastruktuurontwikkeling, industrialisering en digitale vooruitgang, tesame met 'n grondige ondersoek van geassosieerde risiko's soos skuldvolhoubaarheid, sekuriteit en afhanklikheid, bied hierdie navorsing waardevolle insigte in die impak van die GPI op Afrikalande. Die bevindinge beklemtoon die noodsaaklikheid van noukeurige assessering en oorweging van die ooreenkoms tussen geleenthede en risiko's vir Afrika-insethouers en besluitnemers. Deur 'n kwalitatiewe metodologiese benadering te gebruik wat gewortel is in verskeie internasionale politieke ekonomiese teorieë, bied hierdie studie goed deurdagte analise en waardevolle aanbevelings. Uiteindelik beklemtoon hierdie navorsing dat, terwyl die GPI groot potensiaal vir Afrika inhou, dit noodsaaklik is om strategiese risikobestuur en pasgemaakte benaderings te volg om maksimum voordeel te behaal en die uitdagings in hierdie veelsydige landskap te hanteer.
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