KovsieJournals - University of the Free State (UFS)
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User satisfaction in temporary housing units: The case of Diyarbakir container city, Turkey
Full text linkThe evaluation of user satisfaction in temporary housing units, particularly in the container city established in Diyarbakir following the Kahramnmaras earthquake on 6 February 2023, presents a critical area of study in post-disaster recovery efforts. The aftermath of natural disasters often necessitates the rapid deployment of temporary housing solutions such as container cities. However, there is a significant gap in the comprehensive and timely evaluation of user satisfaction in these newly established settlement, particularly in the context of the recent Kahramanmaras earthquake in Turkey. This research aims to address this knowledge gap, by assessing user satisfaction levels across various aspects of the container city in Diyarbakir, including social amenities, technical infrastructure, housing units, and sociocultural relations. By examining these factors, the study seeks to provide valuable insights for disaster management authorities, urban planners, and policymakers involved in post-disaster recovery. The study seeks to identify specific areas of high and low satisfaction among residents, analyse the relationship between physical design elements and user satisfaction and explore the sociocultural factors influencing residents’ experiences. The findings of this research are expected to contribute to the improvement of future temporary housing solutions, emphasising the importance of considering both physical and sociocultural aspects in disaster recovery planning. Through this comprehensive evaluation, the study aims to enhance the overall effectiveness and user experience of temporary housing initiatives in post-disaster scenarios
Artificial intelligence and smart cities in India: A conceptual and policy review
Full text linkIndia’s urban landscape is undergoing significant transformation driven by demographic shifts and the growing demand for inclusive, efficient urban systems. The Smart City Mission, launched in 2015, seeks to develop 100 model cities leveraging technology to improve infrastructure, governance, and quality of life. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly recognised as a critical enabler in this mission, facilitating data-driven decision-making, efficient service delivery, and adaptive urban management. While global research has explored the integration of AI in smart cities, academic engagement with the Indian context remains limited. This study conducts a conceptual literature review and narrative analysis to examine the intersection of urban governance, smart cities, and AI. It investigates how AI is being integrated into smart city initiatives globally and in India, and identifies key implementation challenges, including digital inequality, ethical concerns, infrastructural gaps, and policy limitations. The study argues that the success of India’s urban future depends on the responsible adoption of AI, underpinned by inclusive policies, robust digital infrastructure, public accountability, and human-centric design
Just urban transitions on trust lands: Bridging informality and formal planning in rural and peri-urban South Africa
Full text linkIn many developing economies, rural and peri-urban communities frequently experience exclusion from formal development, raising questions as to pathways to equitable and inclusive municipal transitions. This article examines a ‘just urban transition’ within informal settlements on the Hlanganani Trust lands in Daggakraal, South Africa, with particular attention to residents’ lack of secure tenure. A qualitative research design was adopted, combining focus group interviews with community members and key stakeholders, alongside a review of relevant national statutes and municipal planning documents. Data were analysed thematically to identify patterns in socio-spatial inequalities, planning practices, and participatory gaps. Findings reveal that existing municipal interventions, ranging from limited service provision to delayed formalisation, reinforce marginalisation, reflecting top-down planning approaches that overlook the needs of residents and result in the growth of informal settlements. The study highlights power dynamics in planning and the participatory deficits that impede inclusive development. Based on these insights, a framework is proposed for transforming planning practice through in-situ upgrading, alternative tenure recognition, and meaningful community participation. This approach emphasises social justice and collaborative governance, demonstrating how South Africa’s planning institutions can be restructured to facilitate equitable urban transitions in rural and peri-urban contexts
Frankfurt School - the musical!: Shock Treatment and the Eros of online civilisation
Full text linkThis paper explores philosophical themes present in the film Shock Treatment (1981), a musical comedy written by Jim Sharman and Richard O\u27Brien. The film, which serves as a partial sequel to the better-known Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), was a critical and commercial failure at the time and has been largely overlooked subsequently. This paper offers a philosophical reconsideration of Shock Treatment. It argues that there are a number of themes developed within the film\u27s narrative that correspond closely to the central concerns of the Frankfurt School, particularly those developed by Herbert Marcuse. It further argues that the film provides a way to explicate and critically reflect upon those themes in relation to contemporary online civilisation, with particular regard to the commodification and subversion of Eros within the capitalist system. As a result the film holds considerable potential as a teaching resource for courses on Frankfurt School critical theory
Class contexts in popular drama and horror cinema and TV
Full text linkThis study aims to critically approach representations of class in specific recent popular drama/horror films and TV series, notably Parasite, Joker, Squid Games (Season 1) and The Menu, which achieved worldwide popularity and success over the last few years. Produced in times of various global crises, such as economic recession, environmental catastrophes, pandemics, and war, these productions reflect the current, critical historical conjuncture. Class is a central denominator of crisis symptomatic of late capitalist reproduction processes. Drawing on narrative analysis, class constructions are theorised through the psychoanalytical notion of the abject (Kristeva 1982). The ridiculed, feared, and loathed working-class is abjected; simultaneously though, the upper class also emerges as abject, demystified and represented as mediocre, and sinister. A political understanding of class struggle, however, remains absent in these productions. This is connected to the material and structural limitations of popular culture
Reconfiguring a theological-spiritual vocabulary about death: Mysticism, “magic” and the case of Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore
Full text linkEven to the most casual reader, J.K. Rowling’s overarching story about the “Boy who lived” is about death. Since the publication of the first book of the Harry Potter series in 1997, theologians and scholars of philosophy of religion have explored this theme within the story, as well as other eschatological related themes in the series. This article explores the topic of death in the Harry Potter series within the fields of Christian spirituality and eschatology and builds on previous research in this regard. The article focuses on the nature of Christian religious language about death, using Evelyn Underhill’s approach to mysticism and Jurgen Moltmann’s “personal eschatology”. The purpose is to indicate how the approaches to death of two main characters – Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore – could contribute to a theological-spiritual vocabulary about death, and therefore to a Christian eschatology
Unfreedoms of isiXhosa learners in Afrikaans Grade 10 classrooms: A capability perspective
Full text linkThis study explored the unfreedom of Grade 10 isiXhosa learners, highlighting the complex language, teaching, and assessment dynamics in Afrikaans classrooms. The study draws on them Capability Approach (CA) of Sen (1999) to assess the unfreedoms of learners in Afrikaans Grade 10 classrooms. It underscores the experiences of isiXhosa learners and the limitations imposed on them. Unfreedoms in CA are those hindrances to people’s or institutions’ capacity or ability to achieve. Although multilingualism is acknowledged globally and in South Africa as an inevitable reality, the limitations for isiXhosa learners in Afrikaans classrooms contradict the opportunities and possibilities in a limited educational space. A qualitative approach and case study design were used, and two Grade 10 classes were used to illustrate the case. The study conducted individual, focused group interviews and questionnaires to explore the experiences and views of isiXhosa learners placed in Grade 10 Afrikaans classrooms. The study revealed unfreedoms (limitations for isiXhosa learners enrolled in Afrikaans classrooms and the contributing factors that compound these unfreedoms to the learners’ ability to achieve educational objectives. Factors such as teachers’ frustrations with isiXhosa learners, lack of support, and teachers’ negative attitudes towards accommodating isiXhosa learners in the classroom were highlighted. Not limited to parental perceptions about the Afrikaans language as a language of opportunity, further constraints the learner’s enrolment choice. The lack of available space in public schools also forces parents to enrol students where there is available space, even if it means putting isiXhosa learners in Afrikaans home language classrooms to achieve access to education. The research recommends a translanguaging intervention model as it presents a promising avenue to address underperformance
Exploring effect variables on learning first-year mathematics in a context specific blended learning environment: lessons following the pandemic
Full text linkThis paper reports lessons learnt following the pandemic, particularly the effect of key variables on learning mathematics in a context-specific blended learning environment, such as the availability and accessibility of technological resources and students’ self-directed learning. The pandemic (COVID-19) caused unprecedented disruptions in education in 2020 and 2021, with a ripple effect in the years following the pandemic. Lockdowns forced students and university teachers (lecturers) worldwide into an online learning environment, influencing performance. By 2022, with partial restrictions still in place, students and teachers could adjust and advance. To optimise the learning experience, we developed and implemented a blended learning environment suitable for the context: a first-year mathematics class at a large public university in South Africa. Ninety-nine student experiences were explored using a self-designed questionnaire. Additionally, the relationship between variables and performance was examined using the Chisquare test of independence. We identified several variables that influenced student performance relating to their background and self-directed learning habits. There was no statistical evidence that the type of technological access affected student success in this study. Ways to navigate around these variables should be considered when teaching in disruptive situations
A systematic literature review of the latest instructional models for teaching English writing
Full text linkConsidering the universality of writing struggles faced by both the students and teachers, it is an unexpected observation to find that there are most likely only a dozen or so systematic reviews on the topic. Among these reviews, none so far have focused on identifying and discussing English writing instructional models. This paper systematically reviewed original research papers on English writing instructional models that were published from 2020 to 2024. Using tools such as Publish and Perish, R Studio and NVivo to review the eligible 86 studies, this study identified 60 instructional models for teaching English writing, 25 of them having been newly developed and proposed in the last five years. The names of every instruction or teaching models that were identified are organized based on ten commonalities that several models share: template-based (6), genre-specific (6), discussion-based (8), ICT-based (10), feedback-based (3), focused on lesson plan (10), integration (5), insight (3), collaboration (6), and country-specific (3). A novelty of this systematic review is that it focused on discussing the writing instructional models and presented them by themes that make them easily comparable and easy-to-use for teachers who are aiming to change and improve the way they teach English writing
Exploring water conservation strategies in housing construction projects in Cape Town, South Africa
Full text linkSouth Africa faces a persistent water shortage crisis, with the City of Cape Town severely affected between 2015 and 2018. Construction projects, particularly housing developments, are known for their intensive water consumption; yet water conservation practices during the construction phase remain underexplored. Despite the recognition of limitations in sustainable construction knowledge and practices, inefficiencies in water usage persist in the low-cost housing sector. This article investigates water-conservation methods during housing construction in Cape Town, aiming to identify sources of water use, assess current conservation practices, and propose actionable solutions to optimise water efficiency. A mixed-methods research approach was employed, integrating both qualitative and quantitative methods for a holistic analysis. Data was collected through a self-designed questionnaire distributed to 104 construction personnel, including private contractors and government project managers. Responses were analysed using IBM SPSS, employing descriptive statistics. The findings highlight a notable deficiency in current water-conservation practices during construction, highlighting the necessity for stricter monitoring, the adoption of innovative technologies such as closed-loop water systems, and increased awareness among site personnel. The analysis identified strong support for rainwater collection, leak detection systems, and the adoption of pre-mixed materials to reduce water use. These findings highlight the urgent need to integrate water-efficient policies and practices within the construction sector. This article contributes to understanding sustainable water use in housing construction, offering insights that can inform policymakers, construction firms, and researchers. The findings provide a foundation for future studies and strategies to mitigate water-scarcity challenges in the construction industry