SEALS Digital commons
Not a member yet
7805 research outputs found
Sort by
An investigation of socio-ecological issues and risks and capabilities in the 'my future is my choice' HIV and AIDS programme : a case in northern Namibia
No full textThe HIV and AIDS crisis can be presented as a socio-ecological issue, with an ever-increasing impact on both human beings and the environment. Teaching about socio-ecological issues and the consideration of individual capabilities has become crucial within HIV and AIDS education programmes. Issues of deforestation, land degradation and other environmental problems have worsened since the advent of HIV and AIDS, especially in developing countries. The My Future is My Choice (MFMC) programme has been identified as an important HIV and AIDS education initiative that caters for young people in Namibian secondary schools (Grades 8-12). One of the themes within the programme (Facing HIV and AIDS) is highlighted in this study.
This study was constituted as a case study of one school in rural Omuthiya, in the Oshikoto region. The study investigated the opportunities for the integration of a focus on socio-ecological issues and risks, within the MFMC education programme. The study also investigated the way in which the program develops learners‟ capabilities to respond to HIV and AIDS related socio-ecological issues and risks/vulnerabilities. The study also presents the constraints and enabling factors influencing the implementation of the programme.
This study used a qualitative, interpretive case study methodology. The research methods included the analysis of eight documents and nineteen semi-structured interviews, with the Programme Coordinator, the Programme Facilitator, the School Principal and with the programme participants. The analysis also included two focus group discussions with a group of learners; and two classroom observations; and the learners' submissions (reflection sheets). Convenience sampling was used, and ethical issues were taken into consideration throughout the study. The study revealed the following as key findings:
The aims and objectives of the HIV and AIDS education programme can enhance and constrain the development of capabilities, as well as opportunities and challenges for the integration of a focus on socio-environmental issues and risks as additional learning content.
Teaching and learning methods that are participatory and rooted within the learner centered approach can make the integration of HIV and AIDS inherent socio-environmental issues and risks into the MFMC education programme possible.
The values and beliefs inherent within the MFMC education programme stand as opportunities for the successful development of capabilities in the education programme.
The study concluded by recommending that capabilities within the MFMC programme be developed through teaching learners about their rights, respect for human dignity, and the right to health and to living the life free from discriminatory practices, as a moral entitlement of each and every individual. While teaching learners about their right to health and the importance of healthy diets, this study found that the programme could include learning about food production and handling practices for the benefit of those living with HIV and AIDS, while caring for the environment.
Another recommendation was that future research should consider actively involving young people in decision-making with regard to the programme, as this will allow them to choose and decide on what knowledge and skills they need and want to acquire. The study further explained that this will promote the programme participants‟ sense of agency, and their freedom to choose what they value being and doing as an important element in enhancing learner capabilities. Ultimately, this will also enable the learners to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge they need in order to respond to the socio-ecological problems they face in their communities
The acute impact of extended aerobic exercise on cognitive performance
No full textPrevious research has established a relationship between exercise and cognition, with
more emphasis on this ascertained link, being made on the effects of long term and
endurance exercise on cognition. However, enhanced worker effectiveness relies on a
strong acute collaboration of physical and cognitive performance during task execution.
As a result, the purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of extended
aerobic exercise on visual perception, working memory and motor responses, and to
achieve this 24 participants (12 males and 12 females) aged between 18 and 24
participated in a 2 bout cycling exercise. The experimental condition had cycling
resistance set at 60 percent of each individual’s maximum aerobic output and the control
condition had zero cycling resistance, where three cognitive tasks were performed at 10
minute intervals during the cycling exercise. The results showed that exercise did not
affect any significant changes on the cognitive performance measures over the entire
cycling duration, as well as during the exercise phase (cycling with resistance).
However, visual perception improved significantly (p<0.05) immediately after exercise.
This led to the conclusion that moderate to high intensity exercise when performed for
an extended duration, has selective effects on certain cognitive performance measures,
with the time at which the performance is measured during the exercise being a relevant
factor to be considered for maximum activation effects of the exercise
Developing high-fidelity mental models of programming concepts using manipulatives and interactive metaphors
No full textIt is well established that both learning and teaching programming are difficult tasks.
Difficulties often occur due to weak mental models and common misconceptions. This
study proposes a method of teaching programming that both encourages high-fidelity
mental models and attempts to minimise misconceptions in novice programmers, through the use of metaphors and manipulatives. The elements in ActionWorld with which the students interact are realizations of metaphors. By simple example, a variable has a metaphorical representation as a labelled box that can hold a value. The dissertation develops a set of metaphors which have several core requirements: metaphors should avoid causing misconceptions, they need to be high-fidelity so as to avoid failing when used with a new concept, students must be able to relate to them, and finally, they should be usable across multiple educational media.
The learning style that ActionWorld supports is one which requires active participation
from the student - the system acts as a foundation upon which students are encouraged
to build their mental models. This teaching style is achieved by placing the student in
the role of code interpreter, the code they need to interpret will not advance until they
have demonstrated its meaning via use of the aforementioned metaphors.
ActionWorld was developed using an iterative developmental process that consistently
improved upon various aspects of the project through a continual evaluation-enhancement cycle. The primary outputs of this project include a unified set of high-fidelity metaphors, a virtual-machine API for use in similar future projects, and two metaphor-testing games. All of the aforementioned deliverables were tested using multiple quality-evaluation criteria, the results of which were consistently positive. ActionWorld and its constituent components contribute to the wide assortment of methods one might use to teach novice programmers
Stigma Resistance in Online Childfree Communities: The Limitations of Choice Rhetoric
No full textPeople who are voluntarily childless, or ‘‘childfree,’’ face considerable stigma. Researchers have begun to explore how these individuals respond to stigma, usually focusing on interpersonal stigma management strategies. We explored participants’ responses to stigma in a way that is cognisant of broader social norms and gender power relations. Using a feminist discursive psychology framework, we analysed women’s and men’s computer-assisted communication about their childfree status. Our analysis draws attention to ‘‘identity work’’ in the context of stigma. We show how the strategic use of ‘‘choice’’ rhetoric allowed participants to avoid stigmatised identities and was used in two contradictory ways. On the one hand, participants drew on a ‘‘childfree-by-choice script,’’ which enabled them to hold a positive identity of themselves as autonomous, rational, and responsible decision makers. On the other hand, they mobilised a ‘‘disavowal of choice script’’ that allowed a person who is unable to choose childlessness (for various reasons) to hold a blameless identity regarding deviation from the norm of parenthood. We demonstrate how choice rhetoric allowed participants to resist stigma and challenge pronatalism to some extent; we discuss the political potential of these scripts for reproductive freedom
Using risk mitigation approaches to define the requirements for software escrow
No full textTwo or more parties entering into a contract for service or goods may make use of an escrow of the funds for payment to enable trust in the contract. In such an event the documents or financial instruments, the object(s) in escrow, are held in trust by a trusted third party (escrow provider) until the specified conditions are fulfilled. In the scenario of software escrow, the object of escrow is typically the source code, and the specified release conditions usually address potential scenarios wherein the software provider becomes unable to continue providing services (such as due to bankruptcy or a change in services provided, etc.) The subject of software escrow is not well documented in the academic body of work, with the largest information sources, active commentary and supporting papers provided by commercial software escrow providers, both in South Africa and abroad. This work maps the software escrow topic onto the King III compliance framework in South Africa. This is of value since any users of bespoke developed applications may require extended professional assistance to align with the King III guidelines. The supporting risk assessment model developed in this work will serve as a tool to evaluate and motivate for software escrow agreements. It will also provide an overview of the various escrow agreement types and will transfer the focus to the value proposition that they each hold. Initial research has indicated that current awareness of software escrow in industry is still very low. This was evidenced by the significant number of approached specialists that declined to participate in the survey due to their own admitted inexperience in applying the discipline of software escrow within their companies. Moreover, the participants that contributed to the research indicated that they only required software escrow for medium to highly critical applications. This proved the value of assessing the various risk factors that bespoke software development introduces, as well as the risk mitigation options available, through tools such as escrow, to reduce the actual and residual risk to a manageable level
The digital repository as a central driver in the open access research agenda
No full textPoster presented at the World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Cape Town, 15 -21 August 2015.[From introduction] The Berlin Declaration was drafted to “promote the Internet as a functional instrument for a global scientific knowledge base and human reflection”, and has played a significant role in advancing open access to research and scholarly material. This declaration has been signed by over 250 organisations from all over the world.
In line with the above, the Digital Repository, has emerged as a dynamic platform for promoting “scientific knowledge and human reflection”. It plays a significant role in promoting the research output of an institution within the Open Access arena
A Framework for using Open Source intelligence as a Digital Forensic Investigative tool
No full textThe proliferation of the Internet has amplified the use of social networking sites by creating a platform that encourages individuals to share information. As a result there is a wealth of information that is publically and easily accessible. This research explores whether open source intelligence (OSINT), which is freely available, could be used as a digital forensic investigative tool.
A survey was created and sent to digital forensic investigators to establish whether they currently use OSINT when performing investigations. The survey results confirm that OSINT is being used by digital forensic investigators when performing investigations but there are currently no guidelines or frameworks available to support the use thereof. Additionally, the survey results showed a belief amongst those surveyed that evidence gleaned from OSINT sources is considered supplementary rather than evidentiary.
The findings of this research led to the development of a framework that identifies and recommends key processes to follow when conducting OSINT investigations. The framework can assist digital forensic investigators to follow a structured and rigorous process, which may lead to the unanimous acceptance of information obtained via OSINT sources as evidentiary rather than supplementary in the near future
The influence of the physical environment, topography and time on the inshore distribution of invertebrate larvae : a multi-taxon approach
No full textCoastal hydrodynamics regulate population dynamics through the distribution and dispersal of the meroplankton of many benthic invertebrates. I examined the hydrodynamics at four different sites on the south-east coast of South Africa and coupled them with larval sampling done at high temporal and spatial resolution. Day and night sampling was done at all four sites and a continuous 24 hour study was done in one site, both forms of sampling were carried out in autumn and spring. Samples were taken at two stations, 900 metres offshore and 300 metres apart, within each site. Water properties measured were depth, temperature and current velocity and direction. Plankton samples were collected using a plankton pump at various depths, from the surface, bottom and either side of the thermocline when present. A wide range of taxa (mostly bryozoans, bivalves, barnacles and decapods) was examined. 2-way ANOVAs were used to test the effects of time and depth on each taxon. In addition, multiple regression analyses were performed on each taxon to investigate the effects of hydrodynamics on the distribution of larvae. Bryozoanlarvae proved to be positively phototactic whilst bivalve veligers, barnacle larvae and decapod zoeae performed diel vertical migration. Turbulence and temperature had an effect on the vertical distribution/migration of decapod zoeae. These results highlight the role of taxon-specific responses to flow and the potential differential effects on larval retention and ultimately connectivity of benthic populations
What limits an invasive biotic and abiotic effects on the distribution of the invasive mussel mytilus galloprovincialis on the South African coastline
No full textPerformance management of health professionals : an evaluation research study of health services in the subdistrict of Buffalo City in the Provincial Department of Health in the Eastern Cape
No full textIntegrative Summary
In 1997 the Minister of Public Service and Administration of South Africa, Zola Skweyiya, introduced the White Paper on Transforming Public Service Delivery(Department of Public Service and Administration(DPSA,1997: 1). It was premised on what was called Batho Pele (DPSA, 1997: 9), giving effect to Section 197 of the Constitution, Act 108 of 1996 as amended.
A linkage to performance management can be found from the assertion made in the White Paper that in future the Batho Pele would form the basis of any assessment of the performance of individual staff and that would contribute to improving the delivery of service (DPSA, 1997:16). Another factor that contributed to the utilisation of a performance management system was the recommendation put forward by the Public Service Commission of South Africa( PSC,2004: 16),that called for public institutions to adopt a clear, comprehensive performance management and evaluation framework for the delivery of public service. That was expected to turn around the ailing public institutions whose record of serving the public with pride and dignity was on the decline.
The research aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the performance management system in creating and resolving role conflict with health professionals employed by the Buffalo City sub-district. The research goal was divided into three objectives, namely: evaluation of the effectiveness of the performance management system as a managerial tool for health managers to manage their subordinates including both professional and support staff, evaluation of the effectiveness of the performance system from the perspective of the health professional as a subordinate and to analyze the functioning and effectiveness of the system in creating and resolving role conflict between professional conduct and organisational requirements.
The respondents noted that the implementation of the system was not matched with appointment at managerial level with officials having relevant managerial capacity. Further to that resources at the coal face of service delivery continued to deteriorate and became very scarce and there is no documented proof that has been found of an effort made to check the compatibility of the system to health professionals. The literature identified negative effects that have emanated from the implementation of the performance management system. The study was conducted by interviewing health professionals from the entry level to the management level within the Buffalo City sub-district from three mini hospitals or Health Care Centres. The respondents indicated that there are positives that have been achieved by the implementation of the system, such as the skills gap identification as well as specific targets contained in annual performance contracts. These targets help motivate health professional to focus on that particular direction of activities.
Unfortunately it has been clearly documented that the performance management system has also contributed to the development of role conflict in a number of professionals. It has been documented that the system has not been crafted with a health professional in mind and, as such, appears to favour quantity rather than quality of health services as advocated by the codes of practice of different health professionals. There are a number of recommendations that were put forward by the respondents to try to salvage the system and in mitigation of the identified negative factors. For the improvement of the system, the Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Health has to firstly customise the annual contracts to contain only the fundamental information. Secondly need to improve the transparency pertaining to financial pressures facing the Health Department. Thirdly the provision of essential enablers, need to be prioritised. Fourthly there is a need to upgrade the system to incorporate 360 degree feedback. Further research recommendations include a bigger sample incorporating different research methods and to also incorporate searches for measures that can be implemented to improve the system to be more relevant to health professionals.
This document is organised and presented in three sections. The first section is the evaluation report with a review of literature, research methodology, findings, discussion and conclusion. The second section is where an indepth literature review is located and the last section details the research methodology