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Mechanics of Machines III: MECA3/0
No full textExamination of Mechanics of Machines III: MECA3/0, Supp June 201
Analytical Chemistry III paper 1: ACH31P4
No full textExamination on Analytical Chemistry III paper 1: ACH31P4, Nov 201
Analytical Chemistry II: ACH21P4
No full textExamination on Analytical Chemistry II: ACH21P4, Nov 201
Understanding how Grade 11 Biology teachers mediate learning of respiration: A Namibian case study
No full textThe new curriculum in Namibia has introduced a new approach to teaching and learning requiring teachers to make use of learners’ prior everyday knowledge (PEK) including indigenous knowledge (IK) and practical work/activities. It further emphasizes some variations in teaching methods such as; the use of analogies, the use of mind maps, and so forth with the aim to actively involve learners in the learning process and develop skills to solve global challenges. The emphasis is on understanding of knowledge, skills and the will to use them appropriately throughout their lives.
The main aim of this study was to understand and document how Biology teachers mediate learning of the topic respiration. Informed by an interpretive paradigm, a qualitative case study was conducted at two secondary schools in the Kunene region. The participants were selected using a convenience sampling. Data were gathered using three main sources, namely, documents, semi-structured interview questions which culminated into a questionnaire and observations. Triangulation was thus used to give credibility, objectivity and validity to the interpretation of the data.
Data analysis in this case study involved a multi-stage process of organizing, coding and categorizing, synthesizing and summarizing. The audio recorded lessons were transcribed into text and I analyzed data using a colour coding technique by segmenting and labelling text to identify descriptions and broad themes in the data.
Vygotsky’s Mediation of Learning and Social Constructivism in conjunction with Shulman’s Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) informed the data analysis process. Teacher-learner interactions were the main theme for mediation of learning (social constructivist perspective), hence during analysis I paid more attention to moments where interactions evolved and I used PCK to gain insights in teaching and instructional strategies used by teachers.
The findings of this study revealed that: 1) teachers endeavor to use a variety of teaching methods such as the use of a mind maps and question and answer method. Learners were keen to ask questions in order to understand this topic. 2) The study also revealed that a lack of practical activities is one of the challenges teachers are faced with. Based on my research findings, I therefore suggest that there is a need for continuous professional development of
biology teachers and capacity building in order to improve both their content and pedagogical content knowledge
A comparison of Grade 10 Mathematics classroom-based test items and the end-of-year national examinations, using Stein's framework of cognitive demands : a Namibian case study
No full textThis study researched the nature of tasks used in Grade 10 mathematics tests and end-of-year
national examinations. The study was carried out in three, purposively selected, Grade 10 schools
in the Ohangwena region in Northern Namibia.
For the purpose of this study, a mixed method approach was employed to analyse a combination
of both quantitative and qualitative data. A sample of three tests per mathematics teacher from the
three participating schools and national examinations question papers for the past three
consecutive years (2011-2013) were analysed using Stein, Smith, Henningsen, & Silver’s (2000)
framework of cognitive demand. The study was divided into two phases. Phase 1 was the analysis
of teacher test items and national examination items in terms of their cognitive demand. Phase 2
involved semi-structured interviews with three selected teachers to probe their views and find out
their basis for selecting test items.
The findings of this study revealed that there was no substantial difference in the distribution of
the levels of cognitive demand in both tests and national examinations items. The study, however,
showed that mainly tasks requiring only procedures without connections dominated the tests and
the examinations. The number of higher level tasks in both tests and examinations analysed was
low. There was no single task coded at level 4 in any of the teachers’ tests. Only 2% of tasks could
be classified at level 4 in the examination items. The study also revealed that since tests and
examinations assess the same learning objectives from the syllabus, most of the test items set by
teachers were extracted from the national examinations question papers.
The paper recommends that more tasks at a higher level category need to be included in assessment
tasks to promote critical thinking amongst learners
An investigation into how two Natural Science teachers in the Khomas region mediate learning of the topic of atoms and molecules in Grade 7 : a case study
No full textThe teaching of abstract concepts requires higher cognitive thinking skills and thus presents a
challenge for most subjects in the curriculum, in particular, science subjects. Teachers often
complain that they struggle to develop higher cognitive skills in learners in such topics. As a
result, learners fail to understand science concepts and then complain that science is boring and
hence lose interest in the subject.
The main reason for this study was to investigate how Grade 7 Natural Science teachers mediate
the learning of abstract topics, in particular, atoms and molecules which are regarded as the
building blocks in chemistry. This study further sought to develop a teaching unit of work on
atoms, molecules and the Periodic Table in partnership with the participating teachers, in order to
help improve teaching and learning of the topic.
The study is located within an interpretive paradigm. Within this paradigm, a qualitative case
study approach was adopted whereby two Grade 7 Natural Science teachers in the Khomas
Region were the research participants. This approach enabled me to seek for answers beyond the
obvious classroom experiences by using document analysis, semi-structured interviews and
classroom observation (which were video-taped and transcribed).
The theoretical frameworks underpinning this study focused on mediation of learning and social
constructivism as expounded by Vygotsky, in conjunction with Shulman’s pedagogical content
knowledge. Hence, emphasis was placed on the teaching strategies used by teachers, such as
elicitation of prior knowledge during the lessons, language used, interaction of learners and ways
how teachers deal with the challenges faced by them in the mediation of learning. An inductive
analysis to discover patterns and themes was applied during the data analysis process. The
themes were further turned into analytical statements to interpret the data.
The validation process was achieved by using a variety of data gathering techniques. I watched
the videotaped lessons with the observed teachers and I made use of member checking in the
form of stimulated recall interviews and transcripts of the interviews. Thus, a summary of
discussions were given back to the respondents to verify their responses and check for any
misinterpretations. Different chapters of my study were given to colleagues to read through as a means of the validation process. Herein lies the importance of a critical friend in qualitative
research.
The findings of the study revealed that concepts of high cognitive demand should not be
oversimplified when introduced to learners, as learners might find it difficult to define and
conceptualise concepts as they do not have proper insights into the concepts. The findings further
illuminated that teachers should develop a strong subject content knowledge as well as
pedagogical content knowledge to have the best strategies in place to mediate learning of this
topic. The study concludes, with Phase 2, that the exposure of and cooperation between teachers
plays an indispensable role in their professional development. Essentially, this enables teachers
to make use of different teaching styles as they scaffold learners in the process of making sense
of, in particular, abstract science concepts.
Finally, this study recommends that teachers need to engage in on-going professional
development opportunities and be equipped with suitable learning support and other necessary
physical resources, as a way of motivation and to be in a position to deal with all the many
challenges they have to face during the mediation of learning
The impact of job redesign on employee job outcomes : the case of the implementation of a private-public partnership model at a hospital
No full textIt has been widely reported that despite high health expenditure and a myriad of policies in place, South Africa’s health outcomes are worse than those in many lower income countries. The adverse health outcomes are even more pronounced in a rural province such as the Eastern Cape Province. Consequently, the Eastern Cape Department of Health (ECDOH) had turned to Private Public Partnerships (PPP) with the hope of mitigating some of the challenges beleaguering the health system in the province.
This study evaluated the impact of the implementation of one of the PPP models at an Eastern Cape Hospital on key employee job outcomes. This is crucial as there had not yet, been this type of scientific assessment of the impact of the PPP model since the inception of the PPP about half a decade ago.
Theoretical guidance of the study was provided by the Job Characteristics Theory (JCT) of Oldham and Hackman (1975), which predicted that changes in five core characteristics of a job will affect three critical psychological states which will in turn impact on key employee job outcomes. Uniquely, this study veered away from the traditional quantitative approach to the application of the JCT but rather adopted a qualitative case study approach. There is historical evidence that cross cultural validation of a theory in a new setting (a South African PPP hospital in this instance) benefits from an initial qualitative study. Data collection and analysis were guided by the JCT. Primary data collection was by semi-structured, face to face, one on one interviews. The analyses of the data specifically employed pattern matching and explanation building techniques, all underpinned by the JCT. Validity of interview data was strongly contributed to by available relevant case study documents.
This study found that indeed, the implementation of this PPP model brought about changes in all five (JCT) core job characteristics of clinical staff, but to varying degrees in the three unique shared service areas. Interestingly, the three psychological states were found to have been impacted upon by changes in the JCT core job characteristics but also by factors related to the context of the job, such as quality of supervision and co-worker relationship. In contrast to the predictions of the JCT, this study also found that the key job outcomes were impacted directly by such contextual factors as the recent availability of specialists and staff shortages, among others. It also emerged that the PPP implementation has directly evoked a perception of inequity and breach of psychological contract among clinical staff working at the shared service areas. Among the three shared areas, the accident and emergency unit was discovered to have had the worst overall impact.
Due to the importance of contextual factors at this PPP setting, key recommendations were directed towards improved management of the jobs. It is also recommended that a follow-up quantitative study be commissioned to further explore the main themes that emerged from this study.
This research report is presented in three sections. Section 1 is the evaluative report itself, structured as an academic paper. Section 2 expands on the literature that was briefly reviewed in Section 1 while Section 3 outlines, in greater details, the research methods followed during the conduct of the research and the justifications thereof
Negotiating historical continuities in contested terrain : a narrative-based reflection on the post-apartheid psychosocial legacies of conscription into the South African Defence Force
No full textAlso known as: Edlmann, TheresaFor a 25-year period during the apartheid era in South Africa, all school-leaving white men were issued with a compulsory call-up to national military service in the South African Defence Force. It is estimated that 600 000 men were conscripted between 1968 and 1993, undergoing military training and being deployed in Namibia, Angola and South Africa. The purpose of this system of military conscription was to support both the apartheid state’s role in the “Border War” in Namibia and Angola and the suppression of anti-apartheid resistance within South Africa. It formed part of the National Party’s strategy of a “total response” to what it perceived as the “total onslaught” of communism and African nationalism. While recruiting and training young white men was the focus of the apartheid government’s strategy, all of white South African society was caught up in supporting, contesting, avoiding and resisting this system in one way or another. Rather than being a purely military endeavour, conscription into the SADF therefore comprised a social and political system with wide-ranging ramifications.
The 1994 democratic elections in South Africa heralded the advent of a very different political, social and economic system to what had gone before. The focus of this research is SADF conscripts’ narrations of identity in the contested narrative terrain of post-apartheid South Africa.
The thesis begins with a contextual framing of the historical, social and political systems of which conscription was a part. Drawing on narrative psychology as a theoretical framework, the thesis explores discursive resources of whiteness, masculinities and perceptions of threat in conscripts’ narrations of identity, the construction of memory fields in narrating memories of war and possible trauma, and the notions of moral injury and moral repair in dealing with legacies of war. Using a narrative discursive approach, the thesis then reflects on historical temporal threads, and narrative patterns that emerge when analysing a range of texts about the psychosocial legacies of conscription, including interviews, research, memoirs, plays, media reports, video documentaries, blogs and photographic exhibitions.
Throughout the thesis, conscripts’ and others’ accounts of conscription and its legacies are regarded as cultural texts. This serves as a means to highlight both contextual narrative negotiations and the narrative-discursive patterns of conscripts’ personal accounts of their identities in the post-apartheid narrative terrain.
The original contribution of this research is the development of conceptual and theoretical framings of the post-apartheid legacies of conscription. Key to this has been the use of narrative-based approaches to highlight the narrative-discursive patterns, memory fields and negotiations of narrative terrains at work in texts that focus on various aspects of conscription and its ongoing aftereffects. The concept of temporal threads has been developed to account for the emergence and shifts in these patterns over time. Existing narrative-discursive theory has formed the basis for conscripts’ negotiations of identity being identified as acts of narrative reinforcement and narrative repair.
The thesis concludes with reflections on the future possibilities for articulating and supporting narrative repair that enables a shift away from historical discursive laagers and a reconfiguration of the narrative terrain within which conscripts narrate their identities
Developing and using an assessment instrument for spatial skills in Grade 10 geometry learners
No full textThis qualitative investigation took the form of a case study and fell within the interpretive research paradigm. The Mathematics Chair at the Education Department of Rhodes University launched the Mathematics Teacher Enrichment Programme (MTEP) in 2010 in order to combat poor Mathematics performance of learners in the lower Albany district of the Eastern Cape. The challenge that the participating MTEP teachers faced was a lack of time available to implement new teaching ideas. This was because most of their time was spent catching up “lost” or untaught concepts in the classroom.
To address this problem, the Catch-Up Project was launched, whereby selected Mathematics teachers in the area taught lost concepts to Grade Ten learners during afternoon classes in an attempt to improve their fundamental Mathematics knowledge. In order to establish which sections of Mathematics were more difficult for the learners in this programme, bench mark tests were administered biannually. Whilst these tests certainly identified deficient areas within their Mathematics knowledge, the poorest performance areas were the sections of the syllabus which were spatial in nature, such as Space and Shape and Geometry. However, a more in depth assessment tool was required to establish which specific spatial skills the learners were not able to employ when doing these Geometry tasks.
To this end, the Spatial Skills Assessment Tasks (SSAT) was developed. It consisted of traditional text book type Geometry tasks and real-world context tasks, both of which were used to assess six spatial skills deemed crucial to successfully facilitate learning Geometry. The case study took place in two of the schools which participated in the Grade Ten Catch-Up project. The case was focused on Grade Ten learners and the unit of analysis was their responses to the SSAT instrument. The learners that participated all did so on a strictly voluntary basis and great care was taken to protect their wellbeing and anonymity at all times.
The results of the SSAT instrument revealed that the real world context tasks were in general far more successfully answered than the traditional text book type questions. Important trends in learner responses were noted and highlighted. For example, geometric terminology remains a huge challenge for learners, especially as they study Mathematics in their second language. The ability of the learners to differentiate between such concepts as congruency and similarity is severely compromised, partly due to a lack of terminological understanding but also due to a perceived lack of exposure to the material. Concepts such as verticality and horizontality also remain a huge challenge, possibly for the same reasons. They are poorly understood and yet vital to achievement in Geometry.
Recommendations for the development and strengthening of spatial skills support the constructivist approach to learning. Hands on activities and intensive sustained practice over a period of a few months, in which both teachers and learners are actively involved in the learning process, would be considered most beneficial to the long term enhancement of these vital spatial skills and to the learning of Geometry in general
Formulating an IT governance framework
No full textModern organisations make substantial investments in Information Technology (IT). Corporate
governance practices can no longer ignore the importance of effectively governing IT. Consequently,
the third King Report on Corporate Governance (King III) makes specific provision for IT
governance, which is implemented through the establishment of an IT governance framework. The
purpose of this research is to develop a generic IT governance framework, suitable to any large South
African organisation in the public or private sector.
The literature considered for this research confirmed the extent of standards and practices available in
support of IT governance, together with the roles and structures required to implement them. These
included well-known publications such as COBIT, Prince2, ITIL and ISO/IEC27000. Based on the
literature review, a theoretical Processes, Enablers and Structures (PES) IT Governance Framework
was formulated. The framework was further explored by means of a survey of and structured
interview with ten Chief Information Officers (CIOs) of South African organisations with a turnover
in excess of R1bn per annum.
The final PES IT Governance Framework comprises three dimensions, each of which contains a set of
constituent components:
• Processes: Strategic Alignment, Value Delivery, Resource Management, Risk Management and
Performance Measurement.
• Enablers: IT Sub Processes, Supporting Documentation, IT Control Framework, Technology
Architecture, Desirable Practice, IT Portfolio Management and Regulation.
• Structures: The Board, Office of the CIO, IT Steering Committee, Technology Architecture
Forum, IT Programme Management Office and Information Security Organisation.
As the number of regulatory requirements and associated compliance pressures grow, the importance
of an effective IT governance framework also becomes more prominent. The PES IT Governance
Framework offers a uniquely practical approach to addressing IT governance principles that are often
regarded as abstract.
The final PES IT Governance Framework provides clear guidance on how organisations could
implement an IT governance framework, which addresses the strategic alignment of IT to business,
value delivery by IT investments, IT risk management, IT resource management and IT performance
measurement