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Views of emergency and intensive care unit nurses regarding family presence during emergency procedures at the hospitals in Walvisbay, Erongo region, Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in nursing scienceThe purpose of the study was to explore and describe the views of emergency and
intensive care unit nurses regarding family presence during emergency procedures at the
hospitals in Walvis Bay, Erongo Region, Namibia. Moreover, the significance of this
study was mainly to understand the challenges faced by nurses when family members
were present during emergency procedures and encouraging the creation and
implementation of policies regarding family presence during emergency procedures with
the aim of caring for the patient holistically using a patient-and family-centred approach.
The main objectives of this study were to explore and describe the views of emergency
and intensive care unit nurses regarding family presence during emergency procedures
at the studied hospitals in Walvis Bay, Namibia. The study employed a qualitative
approach utilizing exploratory, descriptive, and contextual research design to determine
the views of emergency and intensive care unit nurses regarding family presence during
emergency procedures at the two hospitals in Walvis Bay, Namibia.
The population of this study comprised of thirty-five (35) nurses who provide nursing
care in emergency rooms and intensive care units, including high-care units at the Walvis
Bay State Hospital and a private hospital specializing in emergency and critical care. The
sample size consisted of thirty-one (31) participants. Rich data on the views of nurses
working in the ER and ICU regarding family presence was collected using an interview
guide until data saturation was reached.
The three (3) fundamental ethical principles guided the researcher namely: principle of
respect for persons, principle of beneficence and principle of justice which were adhered
to during the study. After gaining consent, the researcher physically interviewed the
participants using an interview guide, voice recorder and field notes.
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Data were analysed using Tesch’s eight steps of data analysis and content analysis. Four
(4) themes emerged, and (9) sub themes emerged from nine predetermined questions to
each interviewee and formed part of the study’s results. The findings of the study reveal
that nurses hold varyingly strong views regarding family presence during emergency
procedures and that both the family and nurses are affected by this practice, Intensive
Care Unit nurses were more receptive to FPDEP and many nurses felt that a formal
evidenced based policy would encourage best practices. The study's findings may help
identify potential benefits of family presence during emergency procedures and
encourage understanding of the challenges faced with the drafting and implementation
of policies and procedures regarding family presence during emergency procedures.
Thus, it is intended that the study findings may provide information contributing to the
body of knowledge.
It is recommended that the study's findings be used to develop policies for family
presence during an emergency procedure and incorporate such policy with a patient and
family-centred approach to health care, training ‘nurse counsellors by a tertiary
institution in conjunction with health services that are empowered to facilitate the
activities of family member presence. Further studies on the of patient’s and family
members views regarding being present during emergency procedures would further add
to the profession's body of knowledg
Sexuality in fiction: Exploring the literary portrayal of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) characters in selected African texts: Speak no evil, the interpreters, fairy tales for lost children, i am a homosexual mum, the hairdresser of harare and the oracle of cidino
No full textA dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English StudiesThis study explores the literary portrayal of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) characters in selected African texts. The study is based on the following literary works: Speak no Evil by Uzondinma Iweala, The interpreters by Wole Soyinka, Fairy tales for Lost Children by Diriye Osman, I am a Homosexual, Mum by Binyavanga Wainaina, The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu, and The Oracle of Cidino by Sifiso Nyathi. The focus of this study was to examine how LGBTQI characters are depicted in the selected literary works as well as explore the sociocultural challenges experienced by LGBTQI people. This is a qualitative, desktop study that focused on six African literary texts which were purposively selected and analysed. Queer theory was used to analyse the literary works. In literary context Queer theory focuses on eradicating the binary oppositions and stereotypes of sexuality and gender within a body of text as well as to break down the use of categories and labels that stereotype and harm those who are in marginalised positions such as the LGBTQI people. The findings of this study reveal that, although literature from different scholars has painted Africa as a homophobic block, this study realises that African people have varying views towards the concept of LGBTQI. Some react with revulsion, vigilantism, extortion, blackmail, hostility and negative stereotypical behaviour, while others react with a sense of empathy, pity, understanding and support. Nonetheless, it is clear that negative reaction amongst others overpowers positivity. This study has also noted with concern that there is no successful story about coming out of the closet, all literary works under study paint the concept of coming out as a devastating and regrettable choice by those who opted for it. Although they have plenty of survival and coping strategies, LGBTQI people are faced with several social challenges and therefore live a burdened life full of pretentiousness in order to fit the ‘norm’. The study recommends universities to consider teaching queer inclusive literature in their courses to enhance understanding regarding LGBTQI matters. Finally, researchers should consider engaging in social justice research, as this may help to sensitise the public on the danger of homophobia
A bayesian hierarchical modelling of small area variation in youth unemployment in Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of master of science in applied statistics and demographyYouth unemployment has been one of Namibia's socio-economic problems, which has
the potential to have significant and serious social repercussions on economic growth
and development and could cause social exclusion and unrest in the affected country.
Youth unemployment rates estimates are only available at the national (46.1 percent
in 2018) and regional levels in Namibia; however, the Namibia Labour Force survey
(NLFS) does not provide such statistics at small area e.g., at constituency level. The
census data could be used to provide estimates of youth unemployment at constituency
level; however, the data is only obtained every 10 years which in most cases the time
frame is too long given the developmental changes that may take place during the 10-
year periods. In view of these challenges, it is paramount to estimate the variation in
unemployment rates at constituency level for possible targeted interventions within
regions. In comparison to conventional small area estimation (SAE) models, the
hierarchical Bayesian approach to SAE problems has several benefits, one of which is
the ability to properly account for the kind of surveyed variable. For this reason, the
main objective of this study was to estimate the risk of youth unemployment at
constituency level using the 2018 NLFS data. The likelihood was estimated using a
hierarchical Bayesian model and results from the study showed that the chance of
youths being unemployed was very high among male youths than female youths in
urban areas with OR=1.35 (1.10, 1.66) and OR=0.79 (0.65, 0.96) respectively. Several
models were fitted, and the best model was used to estimate the probability of being
unemployed amongst the male and female youths (with the DIC values of 4900.90 for
the males and 5719.48 for females). The best model considered the fixed effects
together with the unstructured spatial effects at constituency and regional levels. Even
though employment is the result of aggregate demographic and socio-economic
factors, the study recommends that employment opportunities specifically targeting
youths should be created by either government or private sectors in constituencies
especially those in the rural constituencies. Furthermore, special attention should be
paid to integrating the youth into the labour market by improving their educational
level
An investigation into the awareness and usage of e-resources by the University of Namibia students: a case study of Ogongo campus
No full textA thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts in library and information scienceThe aim of this study was to examine the awareness and use of e-resources by the
students at the University of Namibia (UNAM) in the library of the Ogongo Campus.
The research was conducted as a qualitative phenomenological case study following
an interpretive research paradigm. The objectives of the study were: to determine
awareness of e-resources among UNAM students at Ogongo Campus; identify the
types of e-resources available on UNAM's Ogongo Campus; to determine the level of
usage of e-resources among UNAM students at Ogongo Campus; identify the purpose
and reasons for using e-resources and identify student difficulties in using e-resources.
Data for the study were collected from 20 students and two librarians. Both cluster and
targeted sampling were used to select the 22 participants who participated in the study.
The study used focus group discussions, observation, and semi-structured interviews
as data collection methods. All proposed ethical considerations were applied to data
collection and processing. The data were analysed using thematic content analysis;
therefore, they were presented according to themes and sub-themes arising from the
data. The results of the study showed that some students are not aware of the e resources available in the campus library. Some e-resources such as CDs, videos,
AGORA, HINARI, EBSCHOST and Google Scholar, which are believed to be helpful
for students, are available. The frequency of use of e-resources is more strongly
influenced by the e-resources known to the students. Most e-resources are aimed at
conducting scientific studies. The study also pointed to challenges such as lack of
computers, subscription to an abstract database only, slow internet and lack of
awareness that e-resource use as being widespread. The study recommends library
awareness campaigns and student orientation courses that include a skills training
component. It is recommended that libraries provide enough computers, and libraries should educate students more on the benefits of e-resource
Namibian boys' underachievement and under-participation in education
No full textResearch report on how Namibia’s educational policy framework should be reviewed,
reoriented, adapted and transformed to cater for the needs of boys who underachieve in
education; how schools, teachers, fellow learners, parents, communities, University lecturers,
University students and other educational stakeholders should support Namibian boys’
education.The main purpose of the Namibian boys’ underachievement in education research project was
to find out what accounted for the disparity in academic performance between male and
female learners/students and what its educational and social-economic implications were. In
addition, the study sought to explore factors which influenced Namibian male
learners’/students’ underachievement and under-participation in education. Using a pragmatic
parallel mixed methods research design, systematic, criterion and case study sampling
techniques, we collected data from all 14 Educational Regions of Namibia by administering
structured questionnaires to 4659 secondary school learners, 528 secondary school teachers,
182 parents, 122 University lecturers and 807 University and Vocational Training Centre
(VTC) students. When collecting qualitative data, we conducted focus group discussions with
sampled secondary school learners, secondary school teachers, parents and University
students. From document analysis, we ascertained that at the secondary school level,
challenges of some boys’ low survival rates, low promotion rates from grade to grade, high
failure rates, high school leaving rates, and high dropout rates negatively affected their
academic achievement and academic participation in school in all 14 education regions. At
the tertiary education level, evidence showed that substantially more female than male
students had been enrolled in all public and private Namibian educational institutions for
three decades and that in general, during this period, female students had consistently and
substantially performed better academically than male students in all tertiary education
institutions. In summary, according to sampled learners and sampled teachers, some
Namibian boys performed worse than girls because they distracted themselves from school
work, withdrew from learning activities, engaged in self-destructive behaviour, believed they
could do without education and because they were not interested in education as it was boring
to them. In addition, some boys under-participated in education because they dropped out of
school, did not take advantage of psychosocial programmes that were organized to promote
their participation in education, and did not actively participate in learning activities. All this
expressed some boys’ self-imposed exclusion from educational activities organized by
schools. According to sampled learners, some boys underachieved in education because they
spent less time on academic activities, preferred to work in isolation, were not eager to share
academic information, did not care about their academic achievement, and they were less
concerned about their future. Furthermore, sampled learners and sampled teachers reported
that several parents undermined and sabotaged their sons’ educational achievement during
socialization by giving them too much freedom to roam and loiter around aimlessly without
restraint while strictly controlling the behaviour and movements of their daughters; allowing
their sons to abuse alcohol and drugs, including, in some instances, sharing alcohol with
them- alcohol they had easy access to through bars, night clubs, Shebeen outlets and Cuca
shops (i.e. small retail shops in rural areas that include the sale of alcohol); not caring about
what their sons did and how they spent their time; not giving their sons responsibilities at
home to cultivate in them ethics of responsibility, hard work, discipline, commitment,
persistence-virtues that promote academic achievement; not being concerned of their sons’
education, welfare, misconduct and misdeeds; and in some regions by criticising, ostracising,
ridiculing, shaming and shunning their sons for going to school instead of looking after
livestock. Moreover, University lecturers and University and VTC students reported that
female students academically performed better than male students who underachieved at
tertiary education institutions because they were motivated, worked harder, did not waste
time socializing in dysfunctional ways (e.g. abusing alcohol and drugs), participated in
learning activities, were collaborative, were willing to learn, were organized, were persistent
and they did not easily drop out of universities when faced with difficulties.
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We have discussed these and other findings in the rest of the report and made
recommendations on how Namibia’s educational policy framework should be reviewed,
reoriented, adapted and transformed to cater for the needs of boys who underachieve in
education; how schools, teachers, fellow learners, parents, communities, University lecturers,
University students and other educational stakeholders should support Namibian boys’
education. At the theoretical level, we have demonstrated how the data from this study could
be used at the global, continental, Southern African Development Community (SADC)
regional and Namibian national levels to reframe boys’ and girls’ education in a manner that
promotes genuine gender parity in education, authentic and balanced social-economic
development. We have also proposed that for all this to be implemented, a social cultural and
participatory community-based transformation in support of boys’ functional socialization
and education should take place in the Namibian society
Assessing the potential of agritourism at Neudamm, Namibia
No full textA research thesis in partial in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (Tourism)The share of the agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Namibia is lower than that of the average Sub-Saharan Africa. Correspondingly, is the share of agricultural labour force, which has also, been declining since the country’s independence (Mushendami, Biwa and Gaomab 2008). The University of Namibia (UNAM) experienced this reality, primarily, through potential of income generating opportunity at Neudamm Campus. As a result of this precarious condition, and the declining of UNAM’s government subsidy, the university had to explore alternative income streams. One such alternative avenue is the agritourism opportunity at Neudamm. Very few studies have so far assessed agritourism factors of success in global north whilst global south lack such studies. This gap in literature in assessing agritourism factors of success in the global south necessitated this study. The research concluded firstly, that economic factors are not the only determining factors of successful agritourism but also social factors. Secondly, the findings established that Neudamm suffers from several shortcomings and therefore, potential viable agritourism cannot be achieved without addressing those shortcomings. Thirdly, critical success factors of agritourism were found to be natural bonding dynamics of various forms of capital. As a result, the study recommended nomination of Neudamm as a place of heritage importance due to its historical importance. Furthermore, policy directives such as Affirmative Action Loan Scheme (AALS) and National Agricultural Credit Program (NACP) need urgent review thirty two years after Namibia’s independence, to foster national reconciliation. Additionally, the implementation of agritourism concept at farm Neudamm is fervently advised by addressing shortcomings and adding tangible visionary stage for the TALC model during agritourism destination development process is proposed
The impact of commodified non-timber forest products on the livelihoods of San in northern Namibia
No full textIn Namibia, the commercialisation of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) is often promoted as a means to improve rural livelihoods, especially for vulnerable communities. This paper analysed how NTFP value chains are integrated into and contribute to the livelihoods of Khwe and !Xun San harvesters. Accordingly, the working conditions, employment and upgrading opportunities of the globally traded Devil’s Claw were compared to those of regionally traded products, including Natal Oranges. Amixed-method approach was applied to collect data in Okongo Constituency and Bwabwata National Park. Findings revealed that while NTFPs contribute to the harvesters’ income generation, the income is insufficient to sustain their livelihoods. Interestingly, the results of both regional and global value chain integration do not lead to improved livelihoods. Further research is needed to analyse the synergies between the government, traditional and local authorities, NGOs, and other institutions in implementing laws that promote equitable sharing of benefits from NTFPs
An exploration of the perceptions of caregivers regarding the psychosocial support needs of hearing impaired children: A case study of the Usko Nghaamwa Special School in the Ohangwena region, Namibia.
No full textA thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Social WorkThis qualitative study was undertaken to explore the perceptions of caregivers regarding the psychosocial support of hearing impaired children at the Usko Nghaamwa Special School in the Ohangwena region of Namibia. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews by means of audio recordings and field notes. Five teachers and five parents were interviewed separately. The study established that the teachers had a better understanding of the necessary psychosocial support of children with hearing impairment, whereas the parents had little understanding of such support. Furthermore, teachers also indicated that parents lacked support and were not involved in the lives of these children. Some teachers indicated that they had not received training in sign language or special education. The study also found that there was no peer-to-peer support group for special educators. Parents indicated that they had little understanding of ways to deal with a hearing impaired child; they mostly ended up treating this child like a normal, hearing child. Parents indicated that some community members still lacked the skills necessary to accommodate deaf children. Parents indicated that they had not had any form of training in the way to handle a hearing impaired child or to communicate with such a child. Parents stated that there were not parent-to-parent support groups in their areas. As part of the possible solution, this study recommends that all teachers dealing with children with hearing loss should receive training in special education. Furthermore, parents with such children should receive basic training in sign language and organise parent-to-parent support groups. There should also be peer-to-peer support groups for teachers, while training in ways to handle and care for a child with hearing loss should be provided. Finally, this study informed the policy makers to address the psychosocial needs of the HI in general
Factors associated with road traffic accidents among young drivers in Khomas region, Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master in Public HealthAs per the current statistics, road traffic accidents (RTAs) are among the leading causes
of deaths and disabilities among young people worldwide. The deaths and injuries
attributed by the RTAs are a major public health crisis faced by Namibia, just as in many
countries all over world. There is a need to investigate the risk factors contributing to
RTAs in Namibia, therefore, this study was conducted with a purpose of determining the
factors associated with RTAs among young drivers in Khomas region, Namibia. The
study utilised a mixed methods convergent-parallel design to collect data from the
National Road Safety Council (NRSC) of Namibia, as well from the traffic law
enforcement officers in Khomas region. The relationship between independent variables
and dependent variables was analysed using multiple logistic regression analysis based
on p-value <0.05, while interviews were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The
quantitative data revealed that a total 21 574 RTAs were recorded in Khomas region
between 2017 and 2019, with male young drivers being responsible for the majority (83%)
of the RTAs in the region. Most (17.2%) of the recorded RTAs occurred on Fridays. The
least (5.7%) RTAs were recorded in the month of December. The study found a strong
association between days of the week and no injury (p=0.000), and between visibility of
the road due to different weather conditions and RTAs (p=0.000). Risky driving
behaviours among young drivers such as driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding,
and driving whilst using mobile devices are some of the risk factors revealed by the
qualitative data contributing to the high rates of RTAs among young drivers in Khomas
region. The study recommends “road safety awareness” as a key measure to reducing the
rates of RTAs in Khomas regio
Novice teachers’ and mentor teachers’ perceptions towards the Namibia novice teachers’ induction programme at selected primary schools in the Omaheke region
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Education (Leadership, Management and Policy Studies)This study explored the aspect of the implementation of the Namibia Novice Teachers’ Induction Programme by tapping on novice teachers’ experiences and mentor teachers’ perceptions at selected primary schools in the Omaheke Region. Challenges faced by novice teachers in their first year of teaching were explored, intending to establish whether the programme in place is beneficial to novice teachers and to contribute insights to the improvement in the implementation of the Namibia Novice Teachers’ Induction Programme in schools. The research questions addressed in the study were; what are novice teachers’ experiences with the implementation of the induction programme at selected primary schools in Omaheke region?, what are mentor teachers’ perceptions on the implementation of the induction programme at selected primary schools in Omaheke region?, what challenges do novice teachers face in their first year of teaching at primary schools in Omaheke region?, what are the benefits of an induction programme for novice teachers from the novice and mentor teachers’ perspective?, and what strategies can be applied to strengthen the implementation of the induction programme at selected primary schools in Omaheke region? A qualitative research approach using a case study design was employed, whereby the researcher used interview guides to collect the data from the novice teachers and mentor teachers. The target population for this study consisted of all the novice teachers and their mentor teachers from 13 primary schools in Circuit One of the Omaheke Region in Namibia. A criterion sampling technique was used to select nine (9) novice teachers and two (2) mentor teachers who participated in this study. ii Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns and themes within qualitative data collected from the participants. The findings of the study revealed that the NNTIP is not entirely being implemented and there are challenges related to the implementation of the Namibia Novice Teachers’ Induction Programme at primary schools in the Omaheke Region. The study further revealed that novice teachers experienced key challenges, namely, lack of resources, overcrowded classrooms, language barriers and classroom management issues. To overcome the challenges, the participants revealed the benefits of an induction programme and the following strategies were proposed to strengthen the implementation of NNTIP; regional offices of the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, in collaboration with individual circuits, cluster centre sand schools to develop an annual induction and mentoring plan appropriate for their novice teachers’ needs. The school principals need to ensure that the mentor teachers and novice teachers are not overloaded with subjects to make sure that they have enough time to participate in induction activities. In addition, the study proposed that all the institutions offering teachers’ training need to integrate induction programmes in the teaching content of the institution