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Exploring the significance of using translanguaging as a teaching strategy in isiZulu second language teaching at University of KwaZulu-Natal.
No full textSouth Africa is a multicultural society with twelve official languages. Many South Africans are bilingual, and some are multilingual because of their interest in learning additional languages. South African official languages are taught as home languages (HL) for mother tongue speakers, first additional (FAL), or second languages (L2) for non-mother tongue speakers. This study contributes to the broader L2 teaching and learning field by emphasizing the importance of employing translanguaging as a teaching approach in isiZulu L2 teaching across the different campuses at the University of KwaZulu- Natal (UKZN). Extensive research on translanguaging has been conducted in teaching foreign and second languages. However, minimal research has been conducted on the L2 African language exploring translanguaging as a teaching strategy, especially teaching an agglutinative Nguni language (isiZulu).
Furthermore, research on translanguaging as a teaching approach to teaching a second language that promotes engagement, motivation, and learning performance is also expanding. However, this is an unchartered research area in the teaching and learning of isiZulu L2. Hence, this study explores the significance of translanguaging as a strategy in isiZulu second language teaching.
The following research questions are addressed in this study:
What are the experiences of lecturers and tutors using translanguaging as a teaching strategy in IsiZulu second language teaching?
Why is translanguaging considered beneficial as a teaching strategy when teaching isiZulu as a second language?
This study adopts a mixed-methods approach. The qualitative data is based on interviews and an online questionnaire, while the quantitative data extracted from the questionnaire provides statistical information. The study also includes a review of relevant literature and policy reviews. Employing translanguaging to teach isiZulu L2 emphasizes language competencies, such as fluency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking the new language taught (isiZulu L2). Translanguaging is a promising teaching method with the potential to restructure the educational setting significantly. Moreover, this study contributes to the advancement of L2 teaching of South African languages. Translanguaging can be used to promote all indigenous South African languages.
In conclusion, this study emphasizes the necessity of employing translanguaging as a teaching technique in isiZulu L2 teaching. Exploring translanguaging in teaching isiZulu L2 demonstrates that translanguaging is an excellent technique since it allows all students to learn isiZulu L2 while still using their mother tongue languages
School principals' perceptions and experiences of managing diversity among learners and educators in primary schools.
No full textMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The study explored school principals’ perceptions and experiences in managing diversity among learners and educators in primary schools, aiming to address the knowledge gap on how principals can leverage diversity to improve performance and achieve organisational goals. Data were collected from four purposively selected participants through semistructured interviews, with Downton’s (1973) Transformational Leadership theory and Levin’s (1947) Theory of Change serving as the study’s theoretical framework. These theories helped illustrate how principals can implement strategies that not only accommodate diversity but also foster acceptance and engagement among all stakeholders. Findings revealed that principals prioritised harmony and inclusivity, demonstrating a strong commitment to cultivating a positive school culture. However, they faced challenges such as cultural differences, discrimination, and communication barriers. Some successfully navigated these issues by integrating diversity into policies, employing transformational leadership, adapting teaching strategies, and collaborating with community stakeholders tocreate more inclusive school environments
Homophobic hatred and violence in Pietermaritzburg: drawing on faith to establish counter communities of care for black Izitabane women.
No full textDoctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal. Pietermaritzburg.The challenges faced by black Izitabane women, especially in relation to their sexual orientation and their religious beliefs, are significant. The compatibility of Ubutabane and Christianity has been a topic of debate, with some Christians advocating for coexistence while others view it as contradictory to core Christian principles. Black Izitabane women often experience marginalization and discrimination in various aspects of society. This autoethnographic research, which drew on queer theology and used a qualitative approach, aimed to explore the individual experiences, perspectives, and beliefs of nine black Izitabane women regarding their sexuality and faith. All participants identified as Isitabane and considered themselves devout Christians. The study used purposive sampling to select and invite participants and gathered data through a focus group discussion and individual interviews focusing mainly on the faith, violence, culture, and sexual experiences of black Izitabane women in Pietermaritzburg. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. The findings revealed that the women who were part of this exploration perceived the church as unwelcoming and fellow Christians as judgmental. They faced rejection and isolation in the very place where they expected to be supported. The study suggests that, in post-apartheid South Africa, the church should take a proactive role in advocating for social justice and combatting homophobic hatred and violence, which continues to marginalize black Izitabane
women
Enhancing the provision of learners’ psychosocial support services in selected public schools in Umlazi District.
No full textMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The high prevalence of psychosocial challenges among learners in public schools negatively impacts their psychosocial well-being. Given that the South African
Department of Education provides relevant policies on support services, the teachers’ lack of effective intervention strategies and skills to effectively implement relevant psychosocial support services is concerning. Thus, it is imperative to understand the forms of psychosocial support services provided for learners and how these are facilitated in public primary schools in the Umlazi district. This qualitative case study sought to understand the forms of psychosocial support services provided to learners in two selected public primary schools in the Umlazi district. The study was underpinned by an interpretive paradigm and framed by the theory of Community of Practice, drawing also on the concept of ‘assets’ from the Asset-Based Approach. The data generation methods comprised semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with six (6) selected teachers, including class teachers, Life Orientation teachers, and Departmental Heads. A thematic analysis method and procedures were used to analyse data. Findings indicated a need for psychosocial support interventions from interdisciplinary stakeholders in the school community to address many learners’ contextual challenges in public primary schools. These include but are not limited to professional psychosocial support for learners, formal capacitation of in-service teachers, developing communities of practice (CoPs), and networking with other professionals who work with those from DBE. The study concludes that such interventions should be a collaborative effort with all stakeholders in the community and that communities should be capacitated to identify and mobilize available and relevant assets to their school and the needs of the school and learners. Therefore, the study concludes that enhancing the psychosocial support services and
addressing the psychosocial challenges learners face in public schools is necessary and can be achieved
Retention challenges of medical specialists and medical officers in the KwaZulu-Natal, Department of Health: the case of Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital.
No full textMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.In the Department of Health, the roles of medical specialists and medical officers are crucial in delivering of healthcare services. The Department needs to employ and retain these employees to fulfill the mission of providing the communities with quality health care. This study, therefore, investigates the retention challenges of medical specialists and medical officers in the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health. The study used the case study of Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital. A qualitative research design was employed in this study. A non-probability sampling was chosen, where open-ended questionnaires were designed for three categories of participants: medical supervisors, medical specialists and medical officers, and human resource practitioners. Each of these categories had a separate questionnaire. Fifty (50) questionnaires were distributed, but only 30 responses were received from the participants. The questionnaires aimed to find out if there were retention challenges and any strategies in place to resolve these challenges. The results of the study showed that there are retention challenges and a shortage of medical employees in the Department of Health. Some of the reasons for these shortages are economic and human resources challenges. This has a negative impact on service delivery as the current employees are overworked and the quality of care is compromised. Although there are strategies in place to retain medical employees as implemented by the Department of Health, the study showed that these strategies are not effective in retaining medical employees in the Department. Therefore, to address this, the study recommends that the management must review the current strategies and that salary reviews are crucial as most employees opt to work in the private sector
Statistical and machine learning methods of online behaviours analysis.
No full textDoctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The success of corporates is highly influenced by the effectiveness and appeal of each corporate’s website. This study was conducted on TEKmation, a South African corporate, whose board of directors lacked insight regarding the website’s usage. The study aimed to quantify the web-traffic flow, detect the underlying browsing patterns, and validate the web-design effectiveness. The website experienced 7,935 visits and 57,154 page views from 1 June 2021 to 30 June 2023 (data sourced by Google Analytics). Grubb’s test has identified outliers in visit frequency, the pageviews per visit, and the visit duration per visit. A small degree of missingness was observed on the mobile device branding (1.24%) and operating system (0.03%) features which were imputed using a Bayesian network model. To address a data-shift detected, an artificial neural network (ANN) was proposed to flag future data-shifts with important predictors being the period of year and volume of sessions. Prior to clustering, feature selection methods assessed the feature variability and feature association. Results indicated that low-incidence webpages and features with natural relationships should be omitted. The K-means, DBScan and hierarchical unsupervised machine learning methods were employed to identify the visit personas, labelled get-in-touch (12%), accidentals (11%), dropoffs (30%), engrossed (38%) and seekers (9%). It was evident that the premature drop-offs needed further exploration. The Cox proportional hazards survival model and the random survival forest (RSF) model have identified that the web browser, visit frequency, device category, distance, certain webpages, volume of hits, and organic searches proved to be drop-offs hazards. A tiered Markov chain model was developed to compute the transition probabilities of dropping-off. The contact (63%) and clients (50%) states recorded a high likelihood to drop-off early within the visit. In conclusion, using statistical methods, the study informed the board on of its audience, the flaws of the website and proposed recommendations to address concerns.
Iqoqa.
Impumelelo yamabhizinisi amakhulu ikhuthazwa kakhulu ukusebenza kahle kanye nokubukeka kwewebhusayithi yawo. Lolu cwaningo lwenziwe ngeTEKmation, okuyinkampani enkulu yaseNingizimu Afrika, abaqondisi bayo besigungu ababebonakala bengaenalo ulwazi ngokusetshenziswa kwewebhusayithi. Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukuqopha izikhawu zokugcwala kwabantu kuleyo webhusayithi, ukubheka izindlela zokwenza futhi kubhekwe ukusebenza kahle kwayo. Iwebhusayithi kwangenwa kuyona izikhawu eziyiziyi-7,935 kuya kweziyi-57,154 kusukela zi-1 Nhlangulana 2021 kuze kube zingama-30 Nhlangulana 2023 (imininingo inikezwe nguGoogle Analytics). Ukuhlola ngeGrubb kwaveza okuhlukile ngokungena nokuphuma kanye nesikhathi umuntu asichithayo uma esengenile kuwebhusayithi. Kukhona ulwazi oluncane olushodayo mayelana nokungena kumawebhusayithi kusetshenziswa omakhalekhukhwini (1.24%) nokusetshenziswa kwezindlela zakhona (0.03%) kusetshenziswa indlela iBayesian network. Ukubhekana nesimo sokushintsha kwemininingo, kwaphakanyiswa i-artificial neural network (ANN) ukuhlonza izindlela zokushintshashintsha kwemininingo esikhathini esingangonyaka noma izikhawu eziningi ezahlukene. Ngaphambi kokuhlanganiswa, izinhlobo zezisetshenziswa zakwazi ukuhlohla izisetshenziswa ezahlukene nokuhlobana kwazo. Imiphumela yocwaningo yayiveza ukuthi ukungena ngokugqoza kumawebhusayithi kanye nezisetshenziswa ezijwayelekile kumele kuphele. I-K-means, i-DBScan nezindlela ezahlukene zokufunda ngemishini zasetshenziswa ukubheka ukungena kumawebhusayithi, ngoba befuna ukuthintwa ngabathize (12%), umculo (11%), ukushiya okuthize (30%), nokuthatheka (38%) nababheka okuthize (9%). Kwakucaca ukuthi abafisa ukushiya okuthize kudinga ukuchazwa kangcono. Indlela yokukwazi ukuphila iCox proportional hazards nerandom survival forest (RSF) kwaveza ukuthi ukusebenza kwewebhusayithi, ukungena nokuphuma kuyona, izinhlobo zezobuchwepheshe ezisetshenziswayo, ubude, izinhlobo zamawebhusayithi, izinga lomsindo, nezindlela zokubheka ulwazi, konke kwakhomisa ukuba nobungozi. Indlela yokwenza, itiered Markov chain yaqanjwa ukugcina ulwazi ngokwekhompyutha ukuthi izinto zingehla nini. Ukuxhumana (63%) amakhasimende (50%) kwakuveza ukuthi kunokwehla kwezinombolo zokungena kumawebhusayithi. Uma sekuphethwa, ngokusebenzisa ulwazi lwezinombolo, lolu cwaningo lwazisa ibhodi mayelana nabangenayo, nezinkinga ngamawebhusayithi lwabe seluphakamisa nezincomo okumele zisukunyelwe
Adsorption of pharmaceuticals by nano-molecularly imprinted polymers (nano-MIPs) from wastewater: kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics studies.
No full textDoctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.It has been reported that pharmaceuticals are not entirely removed or broken down during the wastewater treatment process, allowing them to escape into effluent water. This stems from the pharmaceuticals widespread use and the inefficient wastewater treatment methods. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop more effective methods for removing pharmaceuticals from wastewater systems. Adsorption-based pharmaceutical removal is one of the most promising approaches because it is easily incorporated into current water treatment systems. The first part of this work reports on literature studies for recent advancements in the adsorption process involving the incorporation of an artificial molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), that is an effective molecular receptor that can selectively recognize and remove pollutants. In magnetic solid-phase extraction, dispersive solid-phase microextraction, and solid-phase extraction, MIPs can be used as a selective adsorbent for analyte cleanup and preconcentration. Moreover, MIPs can be produced by combining nanoparticles to develop composite nanomaterials (nanoMIPs). In comparison to conventional bulk adsorbents, the enhanced selective adsorption capacity and kinetics are attributed to the large surface area per unit volume and specific functionality of nanomaterials. Nonetheless, some significant barriers to the application of nanomaterials are their dispersive qualities, difficulty in cycling, and secondary pollution from the loss of adsorbent during treatment. Another way to use nanoparticles for detectability enhancement is to modify the molecularly imprinted polymers chemical or physical characteristics. The nanoparticles' embedding in the MIP enhances the material's surface area or gives the adsorbent new features. This study describes a method for creating reusable, economical, and effective polymer-based silver nanoparticles-adsorbents. Notably, silver nanoparticles have a wide range of applications due to their unique properties which include their large surface area, shape and size. Plant-mediated synthesis plays a significant role in their synthesis. Remarkably, the synthesis of silver nanoparticles from plant extracts is inexpensive, easily scalable, and harmless for the environment. Plant extracts can be used to produce nanoparticles with controlled sizes and shapes. The molecular imprinting technique was used to create species-specific functionalities like carboxylic acid (-COOH) on a polymer surface. MIPs offer several advantages, including large surface area, targeted functionalities for high reactivity, and the ability to minimise nanoparticles from leaking into the surrounding environment when MIP-based adsorbents are being handled. To further comprehend the behaviour of adsorbents and the adsorption process, kinetics, thermodynamics, and isotherm models were explored. The second part of the work involved synthesizing the MIPs for efficient and selective removal of pharmaceuticals from specific groups. All target compounds were employed as multiple templates in a bulk polymerization process carried out at 70 °C to synthesize MIPs. Additional reagents utilized in the synthesis included toluene as a porogenic solvent, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker, 1,1'-azobis-(cyclohexane carbonitrile) as an initiator and 2- vinyl pyridine as functional monomer, respectively. The synthesis of a non-imprinted polymer (NIP) was conducted without templates, using reaction conditions similar to those of MIP. Furthermore, following the synthesis, the polymers were characterized using X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was successfully used to develop an analytical method for detection and quantification of the target pharmaceuticals. The method yielded quantification limits of 0.42 to 0.75 mg L-1 and detection limits of 0.14 to 0.25 mg L-1 for the target pharmaceuticals. The synthesized polymer attained maximum matrix-matched adsorption capacities of 3.89, 4.97 and 3.40 mg g-1 for sulfamethoxazole, nevirapine and ibuprofen, respectively within 10 minutes. Competitive adsorption of the target pharmaceuticals demonstrated a link between adsorption and the pharmaceuticals pKa, log Kow, and molecular size. Studies on batch adsorption and kinetics revealed that the binding of pharmaceuticals to the MIP particles suited the pseudo-second order kinetics, leading to various interactions through chemisorption. The data also fitted well in Langmuir isotherm which meant that the target pharmaceuticals adsorption occurred on the homogeneous binding sites of the MIP. Furthermore, the thermodynamic data demonstrated the adsorption process's endothermic and spontaneous nature. Notably, the synthesized MIP was highly selective and its application in environmental studies led to the development of a less expensive analytical method. Moreover, the MIP particles that had been generated were recovered to be reusable up to five cycles with removal efficiency >90%. The third part involved incorporating silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into MIPs using ibuprofen, nevirapine, and sulfamethoxazole as templates. In this part, starch (St) and macadamia nutshells (MCD) were employed in the synthesis of AgNPs as reducing and stabilizing agents. Following that, each of these AgNPs was incorporated with MIP, and the most effective combination was identified through comparison. The synthesized adsorbents were further optimized for the adsorptive removal of selected target pharmaceuticals. The % removal efficiencies were greater than 70%, indicating that the adsorbents are suitable for use in water treatment processes. The material's adsorption mechanisms and performance were examined through the application of various kinetics and isotherm models. Both the St and MCD-AgNPs experimental data fit to Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms. However, based on the somewhat higher correlation coefficients, the Langmuir isotherm model provided a better fit. The St/MCD nanoMIPs best suited the Freundlich model, indicating that the adsorption occurred on the multilayer heterogeneous surface. Further, both the St/MCD nanoMIP adsorbents underwent spontaneous, endothermic adsorption, as demonstrated by the thermodynamic data, whereas the behaviour of the kinetics was effectively anticipated by pseudo-second order model, which suggested adsorption through chemisorption. Accordingly, large internal surface area, greater loading capacity, thermal stability, and reusability were among the advantageous properties of the nanoMIPs adsorbent materials. Moreover, both adsorbents showed improved qualities and were highly selective and effective in removing the selected pharmaceuticals in wastewater. As a result, during the course of five adsorption/desorption cycles, the St/MCD nanoMIPs show a removal efficiency of more than 90%. As a result, they demonstrated proficiency in efficient application. The fourth part involved the incorporation of MIP with Platanus acerifolia and Moringa oleifera silver nanoparticles. Using plants to synthesize AgNPs is a more cost-effective and lowmaintenance method; in contrast, using other organisms requires a particular medium and a specific amount of time. Therefore, the leaves of both the platanus acerifolia (PL) and moringa oleifera (MO) served as stabilizing and reducing agents during the synthesis of AgNPs. Each optimized parameter that could influence the adsorption potential, such as temperature, adsorbate concentration, pH, adsorbent dose, and contact time, was examined in relation to the removal effectiveness of the MO/PL nanoMIP adsorbents. These evaluated parameters were optimum at pH 7, concentration of 0.2 mg/L and contact time of 10 minutes for both MO and PL-nanoMIPs, mass dosage of 30 mg and 20 mg, and temperature of 40 and 30 °C for MO and PL-nanoMIP, respectively. Further, the maximum removal efficiencies obtained at these optimum conditions were >97% for both MO-nanoMIP and PL-nanoMIP. The adsorption experimental data for both MO/PL-AgNPs and MO/PL-nanoMIPs nano-adsorbents fitted with the linear Langmuir model which suggests that the binding took place on the homogenous monolayer surface. Additionally, compared to MO/PL-AgNPs, the MO/PL-nanoMIPs adsorption capacities for the target pharmaceuticals were higher, suggesting that the nanoMIPs larger surface areas contribute to their enhanced adsorption capacity. The linear pseudo-second order kinetic model best fitted on MO/PL-nanoMIPs which implied adsorption through chemisorption, whereas the thermodynamic data demonstrated that the adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous. Moreover, the values of ΔH° for the MO/AgNPs were less than 40 kJ/mol and more than 40 kJ/mol for the MO/PL-nanoMIPs. This therefore confirmed that the MO/AgNPs was dominated by physical adsorption whereas the MP/PL-nanoMIPs was dominated by chemical adsorption. The MO/PL-nanoMIPs confirmed the high efficiency for the removal of target pharmaceuticals in wastewater. Upon recycling the adsorbents for five cycles, it was noted that the MO-nanoMIP adsorbent was effective continued to remove 86.7- 88.8% and 97-98% for PL-nanoMIP even in the fifth cycle. Indeed, the removal of sulfamethoxazole, nevirapine, and ibuprofen by nanoMIP adsorbents has demonstrated the importance of the surface area, structural stability, pore size and the electrostatic interactions brought about by the charges on the nanoMIPs surface. Consequently, among the investigated nanoMIP adsorbents, PL-nanoMIP demonstrated strong adsorption capacities for the targeted pharmaceuticals due to it large surface area and narrow size distribution as compared to the other nanoMIP adsorbents. The usability of plant leaves as a reducing and capping agent for nanoparticles as well as the recycling of nanoMIPs has the potential to transform waste that is no longer useful into valuable pollutants adsorbents. This would solve the problem of waste disposal and have beneficial impacts on the environment pollution and the economy. Notably, the nanoMIPs synthesized in this study are highly selective, reusable adsorbents that are cost effective and environmentally friendly. In contrast, as a substitute for more costly synthetic materials, these nanoMIPs are a promising material for the removal of different classes of pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment plants and they can possibly be applied on a large scale.
Iqoqa.
Kuye kwabikwa ukuthi imithi ayisuki ngokuphelele noma ihlakazeke ngesikhathi kuqhutshwa inqubo yokuhlanza amanzi angcolile, okuyivumela ukuba ihambe namanzi angcolile. Lokhu kuvela ekusetshenzisweni kwemithi okusabalele kanye nezindlela zokuhlanza amanzi angcolile ezingasebenzi kahle. Ukususwa kwemithi okusekelwe ku-Adsorption kungenye yezindlela ezithembisayo kakhulu ngoba ifakwa kalula ezinhlelweni zamanje zokuhlanzwa kwamanzi. Ukukhethwa okukhethekile kokuqashelwa kwamananoparticles asekelwe kupolymer (nanoMIP) anezinto ezibophezela ngokwezifiso ezihambisana namamolekhyuli okuqondiwe kuye kwavusa isithakazelo esijulile socwaningo ekutholeni kwezinto ezingcolisa imvelo. Ngakho-ke, inhloso yalolu cwaningo wukwenza inanoparticles esekelwe kupolymer egcizelelwe ngemolekhyuli yokususa izinhlobo eziningi zemithi kusuka ezinhlelweni zamanzi angcolile. Ukufakwa kwenanoparticles kupolymer egcizelelwe ngemolekhyuli kwenza ukulawula okungcono kokuma, ubungako, kanye nemofoloji yezinhlayiyana. Ngaphezu kwalokho, abahlaziyi abahlosiwe babebandakanywe ngokuqondile namananoMIPs, okwabonisa ukukhetha okuhle kanye nezinye izimfanelo ezithile ezifana nokuzinza kwethermochemical, ukusebenziseka kabusha, nokuzwela. I-adsorption isotherms, ikinetics kanye nezifundo zethermodynamic zibonise amandla aphezulu okuhlukana, izinga lokuhlukana okusheshayo kanye nokuzenzekelayo kwenanoMIPs ekususeni imithi ehlosiwe. Ngokuphawulekayo, amananoMIP ayengama-adsorbent asebenzayo okususwa kwezigaba ezahlukene zemithi emanzini angcolile. Ngakho-ke, amananoMIP athuthukisa izindlela zokuhlaziya zokukhishwa kwemithi ezinhlelweni zamanzi angcolile futhi angaba yinto engaba khona yokulungisa amanzi angcolile
Women’s experiences of learning financial and business skills in the informal street trade in the greater Durban area of KwaZulu-Natal = Abahlangabezana nakho abesifazane ngenkathi befunda amakhono okuphatha izimali namabhizinisi kwezohwebo lwasemigwaqeni endaweni yaseThekwini esifundazweni saKwaZulu-Natali.
No full textDoctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Research on opportunity-based entrepreneurship has been dominated by male-centred, Western-centric studies, resulting in knowledge gaps on female necessity entrepreneurs/survivalists in the informal street trade, particularly in Africa. As in other developing countries, in South Africa, women are crucial in fostering economic growth and development through their involvement in informal street trade. However, structural and gender inequalities predispose them to high levels of poverty. This necessitates the generation of relevant, inclusive, and empowering knowledge regarding African women in this neglected sector. This study therefore aimed to understand how women in the informal street trade learn financial and business skills and to gain their perspectives on learning interventions that could enhance and sustain their businesses. This qualitative study subscribed to a critical feminist paradigm, employed a feminist phenomenological design, and drew on African feminisms, resilience theory, and informal learning theories. Purposive sampling was used to select 12 female informal street traders in the greater Durban area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Primary data was generated from face-to-face phenomenological interviews and observations/ phenomenological walks with participants. NVivo software was used for the initial data coding to identify emblematic typologies, from which a whole-part-whole analytical strategy allowed themes to emerge inductively. The findings indicated that participants faced complex, gendered challenges as street traders. They were unable to access formal business-education programmes and resources; relied on informal and incidental learning to acquire basic financial and business skills. This adversely affected their capacity to make sound business decisions and increase profitability. However, through this study, a deeper understanding of their lived business contexts afforded valuable feedback on the training programmes needed to support them. The findings highlighted the need for targeted, accessible and relevant training interventions that foster more inclusive and equitable opportunities for growth and sustainability of this sector by focusing on crucial financial and business skills, like product pricing, inventory management, and profit calculation. However, the effectiveness of these interventions is contingent upon establishing an entrepreneurial ecosystem that includes the adequate provision of resources and infrastructure, assistance with obtaining permits, and access to municipal.
Iqoqa.
Ucwaningo lwezamabhizinisi ancike emathubeni belulokhu lugcwele izifundo ezigxile kwabesilisa, zasemazweni aseNtshonalanga, okuholela ekutheni kube negebe olwazini losomabhizinisi besifazane nabazama ukuhweba emgaqweni ikakhulukazi e-Afrika. Njengakwamanye amazwe asathuthuka, eNingizimu Afrika, abesifazane babaluleke kakhulu ekukhuthazeni ukukhula komnotho nentuthuko ngokuzibandakanya kwabo kwezohwebo lwasemigaqweni lwabangenazo izinkampani ezibhalisiwe. Nokho, ukungalingani okukhona phakathi kobulili kubenza babhekane namazinga aphezulu okuhlupheka. Lokhu kuphakamisa isidingo sokusatshalaliswa kolwazi oluwusizo, olubandakanyayo noluthuthukisa abesifazane base-Afrika kulo mkhakha onganakiwe. Ngakho-ke, lolu cwaningo luhlose ukuqonda ukuthi abesifazane abahweba emigaqweni bawafunda kanjani amakhono okuphathwa kwezimali nawebhizinisi kanye nokuthola imibono yabo mayelana nezinyathelo zokungenelela ezingathathwa zokufunda ezingathuthukisa amabhizinisi abo futhi ziwasimamise. Lolu cwaningo oluyikhwalithethivu lugxile kwabesifazane, indlela yokwenza efukula abesifazane nokulwelwa kwamalungelo abesifazane base-Afrika, inkolelo yokubekezela kuhlanganise nemibono yokufunda ngokuzifundisa. Kwaqokwa ngokukhethekile abahwebi besifazane abayi-12 basemgaqweni eThekwini esifundazweni saKwaZulu-Natali, eNingizimu Afrika. Imininingo yatholakala ezingxoxweni ezisakuhleleka, kodwa ezijulile, ezenziwe ubuso nobuso nasekubukeni abaqokiwe besebenza. Kwasetshenziswa uhlelo lwekhompyutha i-NVivo ekuhlanganisweni kwemininingo ukuze kuhlonzwe izigaba zezimpawu, okwenza ukuba isu lokuhlaziya ngokubheka okuphelele nengxenye kuvumele ukuba izihloko zicace kahle. Ucwaningo luveze ukuthi ababambiqhaza babhekana nezinselelo eziyinkimbinkimbi ezibangelwa ukungafani kobulili njengabahwebi basemgaqweni. Babengakwazi ukuthola izinhlelo ezihleliwe zemfundo yebhizinisi nezinsiza; bathembela kulokho abazifundisa kona nolwazi abathuke beluthola ukuze bathole amakhono ayisisekelo ezezimali nawamabhizinisi. Lokhu kubakhinyabezile ekwenzeni izinqumo eziphusile kwezebhizinisi nasekwandiseni inzuzo. Nokho, ngalolu cwaningo, ukuqonda ngokujulile izimo zabo zebhizinisi ezingokoqobo kuveze imininingwane ebalulekile ngezinhlelo zokuqeqesha ezidingekayo ukuze basekelwe. Okutholakele kwaphakamisa isidingo sokuqeqeshwa okwenzelwe bona, abazokwazi ukufinyelela kukona nokuthinta ngokuthe ngqo izidingo zabo okukhuthaza ukubandakanywa kukawonkewonke namathuba amahle entuthuko nokusimama kwalo mkhakha ngokugxila emakhonweni abucayi okuphathwa kwezimali nawamabhizinisi, njengokubeka amanani entengo, ukulawula isitokwe nokubala inzuzo eyenziwe. Nokho, ukusebenza ngempumelelo kwalezi zinhlelo kuncike ekusungulweni kohlelo lwezamabhizinisi oluhlanganisa ukuhlinzekwa okwanele kwezinsiza nezingqalasizinda, usizo lokuthola izimvume kanye nokufinyelela ezinsizeni zikamasipala
Exploring learning styles, instructional preferences, and mathematics achievement among secondary school students in delta north senatorial district, Nigeria.
No full textDoctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Countries across the world have embarked on curriculum revision in efforts to try and improve the teaching and learning of mathematics. There has been much interest in Africa,
particularly in how mathematics could be made more accessible and understandable to learners, so that the countries could benefit from a more highly skilled workforce. One aspect that has received interest is that of learning styles and whether learners who express preferences for certain learning styles perform better than some others who have different learning style preferences. In this study, I set out to investigate the relationship between learning style preferences and the mathematics achievement of senior high school graduates in Nigeria. Furthermore, the study looks at the extent to which gender and age are related to learning styles and mathematics achievement. In trying to get a more in-depth picture. I further looked at students’ and teachers’ views of the relationship between learning style preferences and mathematics achievement as well as instructional styles and achievement.
The study used a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design approach, where the quantitative data was obtained first, and then the qualitative data. The participants in the study
were 171 graduating senior secondary school learners and three mathematics teachers from Delta State in Nigeria, from three schools. The learners completed Kolb’s learning style
inventory as well as a mathematics achievement test comprising both multiple-choice and open-ended items. Sixteen of the learner participants were selected for interviews, by trying to get a distribution across the different learning styles, genders, and levels of achievement. The study complied with all the ethical protocols of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and I was granted ethical clearance to conduct the research. The interviews were semi-structured and probed their learners about their preferred learning styles in learning mathematics as well as the teacher’s instructional styles that they preferred and how these influenced their achievement in mathematics. Similarly, the teachers were probed about the differences in learning styles that they may have noticed and achieved, as well as the instructional styles they preferred and why they did so. The quantitative data generated from the learning styles inventory as well as the mathematics achievement was transcribed into Excel. The inventory was analyzed as directed by the Kolb’s learning style studies. This allowed me to characterize each student in terms of four learning styles- Accommodators; Divergers; Assimilators and Convergers. The achievement test was marked by an expert in mathematics. The qualitative data generated by the teacher and learner participants was transcribed and then coded using inductive techniques. The emerged codes were then refined and summarized in terms of the focus of the last two research questions. The quantitative results showed that the dominant learning style preference according to the learning style inventory was the Diverger learning style which was endorsed by over 80% of the participants. The results provided no significant association regarding the relationship between learning style preferences and mathematics achievement of graduating senior secondary school learners, and neither gender nor age were significantly associated with mathematics achievement.
The qualitative analysis identified many themes related to learning styles. The participants identified that asking questions enhanced learning; sharing ideas and collaboration was an essential part of learning; and listening and reflecting contributed to effective learning practices. In terms of instructional styles, the participants identified teacher questioning
practices ad active listening as important strategies. The study has implications for learning and teaching mathematics in that teachers need to know more about learners’ preferences for learning, and what they perceive as effective teaching strategies. It is important for teachers to extend their repertoire of teaching strategies so as to meet their learners’ learning needs
Technology use in the English classroom: high school teachers’ attitudes and experiences.
No full textMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.This interpretive qualitative study aimed to understand high school teachers’ attitudes and experiences when integrating technology in their English classrooms. Seventeen English teachers from three public high schools participated in the study. Data was generated from the participants using an open-ended questionnaire, individual interviews, and focus-group interviews, and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Theory of Experience were used for the theoretical framework to understand the reasons for teachers’ attitudes and experiences for technology integration. Findings of the study indicate that the participating high school English teachers support the integration of technology in their lessons. However, they face various challenges and barriers with technological integration, and therefore choose to resort to traditional methods of teaching. The attitudes and experiences of teachers were identified by the contributing factors which impacted their integration of technology in their classroom teaching. These factors include the lack/limited access to technology, lack of proper training, overcrowded classrooms, lack of technical support, time constraints, loadshedding, poor internet connection, lack of funds to support the integration of technology, and poor implementation of policies. Lastly, the study found that although teachers were not fully integrating technology into their pedagogies, they demonstrated a positive attitude towards technology by highlighting its benefits for both teachers and learners. Overall, the results indicated that if the barriers that teachers face are addressed and if schools are adequately resourced, then teachers would embrace technology and ensure its successful integration in their classroom pedagogies. It becomes clear that the Department of Basic Education needs to address the implications of investing in infrastructure, resources, and policy implementation in schools to enable the successful integration of technology in schools. Addressing challenges and implementing recommended strategies will
maximise the benefits of technology integration and prepare teachers and learners for success in the digital era