11613 research outputs found
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Exploring strategies of teaching History in English to non-English speaking intermediate phase learners in Xhariep
No full textDissertation (M.Ed.(Psychology))--University of the Free State, 2023English is the salient Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) in South Africa from Grade 4 to Grade 12. Scholars have shown that English is one of the factors that have a negative impact on the effective learning and teaching of History, since History is regarded to be demanding linguistically. It requires learners to have acquired a specific language and an academic language demand that are both passive and active. This empirical study sought to explore strategies of teaching non- English speaking Intermediate Phase learners History in English in Xhariep. This study was informed by the social constructivism framework along with the interpretivism paradigm, which guided the qualitative approach. Purposive sampling was adopted to enable collection of relevant data, from which I used 2 teachers and 10 learners altogether, 5 from each of the two schools. Data collection was made through focus group interviews for learners, semi-structured interviews for teachers, participant observation and document analysis for both learners and teachers – where I analysed documents like Learning and Teaching Support Materials, activities and assessments. The findings of this study divulge challenges learners experience, from both the learners’ and teachers’ points of view, by virtue of not understanding the teachers’ talk, not clearly understanding the instructions given in activities and assessments, being unable to understand what they are reading, and finding it difficult to formulate appropriate written and viva-voce responses. Also, it looked at strategies that could be used to mitigate the aforementioned challenges and also recommended, inter-alia, the use of moderate pace to teach, appropriate pronunciation of words, familiar vocabulary to learners and moderate projection. In essence, this study intended to add a new body of knowledge to the existing scholarship on effective learning and teaching of History
Assessing the level of governance on the intergovernmental relations forums in the Free State
No full textDissertation(M.A.(Governance and Political Transformation))--University of the Free State, 2023The study focused on assessing the level of governance in the Intergovernmental Relations Forums in the Free State. The study investigated whether the Intergovernmental Relations Policy and Planning was effected in the Free State; determined whether the Intergovernmental Relations Forums in the Free State delivered on their mandate; evaluated whether the Intergovernmental Relations Forums in the Free State monitored, supported and developed interventions to municipalities; evaluated the role of the Intergovernmental Relations Forums in the Free State in the decision making and management of service delivery; gauged whether the Intergovernmental Relations Forums in the Free State contributed towards the development of a national report on Intergovernmental Relations; and assessed Intergovernmental Relations Forums in the Free State’s practice of good governance.
A qualitative methodology was employed in the study to describe and understand, rather than explain, human behaviour. The study was conducted using desktop research, documents, articles, journals, the Internet, and observations. The data for this study was sourced from the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996); the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act 13 (2005); the Practitioner’s Guide to Intergovernmental Relations Systems in South Africa (2012); and the Annual Performance Plans and Annual Reports of government departments and District Municipalities in the Free State.
The population for this study was the Premier’s Intergovernmental Forum, the four District Intergovernmental Forums, and the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality. The information was analysed to draw unbiased inferences and provide honest and accurate analysis, which was consistently good in quality and cogent. Lastly, the study proposed recommendations, which could improve good governance and afford assurance and confidence to the Free State government, policy makers and public officials
The apartheid and racism campaigns - the NGO contribution to antisemitism
No full textUnder the headings of promoting human rights and international law, the influential network of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has been a central actor in the political war targeting Israel though allegations of apartheid and racism. In applying these slanders, the NGOs systematically erase the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, including decades of warfare and terrorism, and join in the attempt to delegitimize the nation-state of the Jewish people, regardless of borders, and as distinct from criticism of Israeli policies regarding territory occupied in the 1967 war. This process constitutes the essence of post-Holocaust or ‘new antisemitism’, as included in the consensus working definition published by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. The NGO campaigns are constructed on the foundations established by the Soviet and Islamic blocs culminating in the 1975 UN ‘Zionism is racism’ resolution. This theme was revived in the NGO Forum of the 2001 Durban Conference, led by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Palestinian groups such as Al-Haq, and used to justify appropriating the methods of the South African anti-apartheid campaign, including boycotts and lawfare. After the Durban conference and for 20 years since, this NGO network continued and expanded the campaign based on the apartheid and racism allegations. Their claims were amplified in media platforms, international bodies, anti-Israel church groups and on university campuses in the form of ‘Israel apartheid weeks’. European governments enabled activities of the Palestinian and Israeli NGOs through substantial funding, estimated at 120 million Euros annually. In 2020 and 2021, the NGO emphasis on these themes increased, led by HRW, and supporting the decision of the ICC prosecutor to accept jurisdiction over Palestinian claims and to open investigations against Israel. This context amplified the potency of the allegations of apartheid and racism in attempts to demonise Israel.Publisher's versio
Developmental governance: accountability and participatory governance at SOEs in South Africa
No full textDissertation(MGT (Governance and Political Transformation))--University of the Free State, 2023The topic of this research is on Developmental Governance focusing on accountability and participatory governance at SOEs in South Africa This study highlights the problems South African SOEs face in relation to governance challenges that impede their ability to operate effectively, create value and contribute to economic development. Most entities report to different political principles, i.e. to more than one state departments. Authorities have not yet been responsible for the reactions of the people and stakeholders. Public participation in these entities' decision making, transparency, feedback and accountability is not an open process. The continued low participation and lack of accountability will continue to bring down SOEs and other state agencies, eventually collapse and increase poverty and unemployment. High. The objective of this study was to investigate why SOEs in South Africa are not achieving socioeconomic growth and service delivery, and whether they contribute to the state development agenda, or not. The study also seeks to determine whether these entities recognize and adopt the principles of development and participatory governance in the management and operation of these entities and explore why. accountability gaps lie within them. The research applied the desktop study methodology. This study reveals that cadre deployment has greatly contributed to the destruction of most SOEs in South Africa and is a real obstacle to achieving competent open governance, as it prioritizes the reliability of appointed officials over the legitimacy and ability of these individuals to carry out the responsibilities entrusted to them. This is why public services have fallen into the trap of inefficiencies by various government institutions. State Owned Enterprises in South Africa face performance challenges as a direct result of the ANC's operating culture. The research reveals that SOEs in South Africa do not adhere to business ethics, principles and values of an ethical culture, transparency, good practice, effective monitoring and accountability, equity, as part of a corporate governance protocol that echoes the principles of the King's Code of Good Corporate Governance and the King's Report on Good Corporate Governance for South Africa and, there are currently no punitive consequences for non-compliance as there is no legal obligation on public companies to comply with the provisions of the King and Code Report. This study also reveals that State-Owned Enterprises in South Africa have become debt traps and fall into deeper financial problems, due to mismanagement and hopeless balance sheets, with oversight executive weakness. The research also found that there are limited opportunities available for citizens to receive feedback or information, and the policy-making process is perceived by the public as being driven by the elite, which excludes and demobilises them. Furthermore, it has been determined that despite applicable and available legal provisions for participatory procedures, civil society does not have the opportunity to engage in meaningful participation activities. means. Communication channels are inadequate, inaccessible, and crippled, and new methods are needed to engage citizens in policymaking. This research also found that mutual trust, honesty, transparency, equity and respect for opposing viewpoints for stakeholder cooperation within the practical and legal constraints of decision makers was violated. Furthermore, this research has shown that state agencies cannot function effectively because their mandates overlap to some extent, thus, they cannot fight or prevent corruption; activities of anti-corruption agencies have not been closely coordinated; and there is no cooperation between them to maximise efficiency. The study also revealed that the absence of a national anti-corruption charter, or enforceable code of conduct, has allowed corruption to pervade key institutions in the public as well as private sectors, and become a threat to national security. Additionally, the research has determined that the growth of good governance as a concept has given way to technocratic notions of good governance, disregarding autonomy in the civil service, and has led to governance failures, lack of accountability, lack of transparency, looting, cronyism, corruption, wasteful spending, mismanagement of funds and state holdings. Inadequate application of good governance transcends traditional ideals and practices of democracy and critical activism and prevents social actors from challenging oppression, corruption, and violations of human right
PAReTT: a Python package for the automated retrieval and management of divergence time data from the TimeTree resource for downstream analyses
No full textEvolutionary processes happen gradually over time and are, thus, considered time dependent. In addition, several evolutionary processes are either adaptations to local habitats or changing habitats, otherwise restricted thereby. Since evolutionary processes driving speciation take place within the landscape of environmental and temporal bounds, several published studies have aimed at providing accurate, fossil-calibrated, estimates of the divergence times of both extant and extinct species. Correct calibration is critical towards attributing evolutionary adaptations and speciation both to the time and paleogeography that contributed to it. Data from more than 4000 studies and nearly 1,50,000 species are available from a central TimeTree resource and provide opportunities of retrieving divergence times, evolutionary timelines, and time trees in various formats for most vertebrates. These data greatly enhance the ability of researchers to investigate evolution. However, there is limited functionality when studying lists of species that require batch retrieval. To overcome this, a PYTHON package termed Python-Automated Retrieval of TimeTree data (PAReTT) was created to facilitate a biologist-friendly interaction with the TimeTree resource. Here, we illustrate the use of the package through three examples that includes the use of timeline data, time tree data, and divergence time data. Furthermore, PAReTT was previously used in a meta-analysis of candidate genes to illustrate the relationship between divergence times and candidate genes of migration. The PAReTT package is available for download from GitHub or as a pre-compiled Windows executable, with extensive documentation on the package available on GitHub wiki pages regarding dependencies, installation, and implementation of the various functions
Moringa oleifera: a review on the antiproliferative potential in breast cancer cells
No full textThe global burden of female breast cancer and associated deaths has become a major concern. Many chemotherapeutic agents, such as doxorubicin, have been shown to have adverse side effects. The development of multi-drug resistance is a common occurrence, contributing to chemotherapeutic failure. The resistance of breast cancer cells to drug treatment leads to a decline in the treatment efficacy and an increase in cancer recurrence. Therefore, action is required to produce alternative drug therapies, such as herbal drugs. Herbal drugs have been proven to be beneficial in treating illnesses, including cancer. This review aims to highlight the antiproliferative potential of Moringa oleifera (MO), a medicinal tree native to India and indigenous to Africa, in breast cancer cells. Although MO is not yet considered a commercial chemopreventive drug, previous studies have indicated that it could become a chemotherapeutic agent. The possible antiproliferative potential of MO aqueous leaf extract has been previously proven through its antioxidant potential as well as its ability to induce apoptosis. This review will provide an increased understanding of the effect that MO aqueous leaf extract could potentially have against breast cancer.Publisher's versio
Prevalence and occupational exposure to zoonotic diseases in high-risk populations in the Free State Province, South Africa
No full text: Zoonotic diseases are responsible for 2.5 billion human cases globally and approximately 2.7 million deaths annually. Surveillance of animal handlers and livestock for zoonotic pathogens contributes to understanding the true disease burden and risk factors within a community. This study investigated the prevalence of selected zoonoses in cattle, farm workers and occupational exposure to endemic zoonotic diseases and their associated risk factors.
: Sputum samples from farmworkers were screened for Mycobacterium bovis. Blood specimens from farmworkers and archived sera were tested for serological evidence of Brucella sp., hantaviruses, and Leptospira sp. Communal and commercial cattle herds were tested for bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis.
: Mycobacterium bovis was not isolated from human samples. A total of 327 human sera were screened, and 35/327 (10.7%) were Brucella sp. IgG positive, 17/327 (5.2%) Leptospira sp. IgM positive, and 38/327 (11.6%) hantavirus IgG positive (95% CI). A higher proportion of Brucella sp. IgG-positive samples were detected among veterinarians (value of p = 0.0006). Additionally, two cattle from a commercial dairy farm were bovine tuberculosis (bTB) positive using the bTB skin test and confirmatory interferon-gamma assay. A higher percentage of confirmed brucellosis-positive animals were from communal herds (8.7%) compared to commercial herds (1.1%).
: These findings highlight the brucellosis and M. bovis prevalence in commercial and communal herds, the zoonotic disease risk in commercial and subsistence farming in developing countries, and the occupational and rural exposure risk to zoonotic pathogens.Publisher's versio
Leadership roles of school administrators in teachers’ professional development in Nigeria
No full textThesis (Ph.D.(Education Management and Leadership))--University of the Free State, 2023There is a growing body of knowledge that focuses on effective teacher professional development (TPD) with a consensus that skews in favour of decentralised, school-based and teacher-centred approach to TPD as opposed to the centralised, traditional and top-down approach. On the contrary, developing countries such as Nigeria still practise a centralised education system where traditional top-down TPD remains the norm with the attendant consequence of professionally-deficient teachers in the classroom. This situation has left a lacuna vis a vis the leadership roles of school administrators in teacher development. Hence, the study investigated the leadership roles of school administrators in teachers' professional development in Nigeria. The study was a qualitative multiple-case study research informed by interpretivist paradigm. The study was lensed with two complementary theories, namely, Distributed Leadership Theory (DLT) and adult learning theory (ALT). Three schools were selected using a combination of purposive and snowball techniques was used to select four participants from each school. The participants comprised one school administrator and three teachers in each school, totalling twelve participants. The main data-generating instrument was a semi-structured interview supported by document analysis. The data was analysed using thematic analysis (TA). The findings showed that school leadership was perceived as a delegation of responsibilities by super-ordinate to sub-ordinate. It was also discovered that participants' perception of TPD is limited to the traditional centralised models. School administrators' support for TPD was also discovered to be limited by policy. The result further indicated that the Ministry of Education was responsible for TPD. Unfortunately, such training does not cater to teachers’ professional needs. The study proposed a data-informed model for the execution of school-based TPD. Recommendations were made based on the findings
Lived experiences of pregnant adolescents within a district of the Northern Cape
No full textDissertation (M.Sc.(Nursing))--University of the Free State, 2023Adolescent pregnancy is a significant issue in the world. According to the WHO (2020), globally, approximately 21 million adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 in developing regions become pregnant annually, and 12 million of those adolescents give birth. Furthermore, 777 000 births occur among adolescents younger than 15 years from developing countries. The rate of adolescent pregnancy remains high in developing countries. In South Africa, birth rates among adolescents remain high in some of the provinces. Gaining insight into adolescents’ experiences may clarify the escalation of adolescent pregnancy and other related factors in the Northern Cape. It is against this background that the purpose of the study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of pregnant adolescents within a district of the Northern Cape.
The study opted for a qualitative research approach to explore and describe the lived experiences of pregnant adolescents within a district of the Northern Cape. This study was further guided by an interpretivist paradigm, where phenomenology was chosen as tradition of inquiry. Unstructured in-depth interviews were conducted to gather data from nine purposively sampled pregnant adolescents who met the inclusion criteria. Empirical data were thematically analysed to construct comprehensible categories of meanings in relation to both the investigated problem and main purpose of the study.
The results of the study reveal that participants were confronted with myriads of challenges, such as psychosocial challenges, impressions of being pregnant and emotions incurred. Social support (family and partner) was viewed as a fundamental instrument which aided participants to pull through with their pregnancy.
As such, the key recommendation of the study addresses nursing education and practice, as well as future research
Informal economy in promoting local economic development: the case of Mangaung central business district
No full textDissertation(MDS (Development Studies))--University of the Free State, 2023The number of people who are unemployed and living in poverty in South Africa has significantly increased, while inequality remains a pressing challenge. These challenges are exacerbated by the inability to create sustainable jobs in the formal economy. In contrast, the informal economy has been a sector where people have opened their businesses, and others have found employment. This study investigates how the informal economy can promote local economic development. In addition, the study aims to assess the approach of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality towards the informal economy and how this has impacted on the livelihoods of those making a living in this sector. The researcher employed a qualitative approach to understanding the phenomenon of the informal economy. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, and the respondents in the study were purposefully selected. The selected sample for the study comprised 23 participants and included municipal and government officials, informal traders operating in the Central Business District of Mangaung, and those in the Batho location. The interviews with all respondents were audio taped, and a thematic analysis strategy was used to identify and organise themes and identify mistakes in the collected data. The study found that although the informal economy can contribute towards sustainable and inclusive LED in Mangaung, the sector's development needs to be supported. In addition, the information economy should be included in integrated development and budgeted for in the LED strategy. Furthermore, the approach of the Mangaung Metro needs to be more balanced and focused on the informal traders operating in the CBD and in the location. As a result, this has negatively impacted on the livelihoods of informal traders and highlighted separate development. The study recommends that the Municipality creates an environment that is conducive for informal businesses and that informal businesses operate as industrial clusters that can help create jobs and reduce poverty and inequality, in line with the goals of LED