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Educational tourism as a strategy for sustainable tourism development: Perspectives of Windhoek-based universities, Namibia
No full textJournal articleThis study explored educational tourism as a strategy for sustainable tourism development,
with a speci c focus on Windhoek-based universities, Namibia. Based on twenty-three interviews conduc-
ted with international students and international relations-related sta across the three Windhoek-based
universities, this study adopted a qualitative approach in exploring the perceptions of how the universities
could leverage their educational tourism (edu-tourism) potential, so as to enhance sustainable tourism
development in Namibia. By way of implementing a thematic analysis, the empirical ndings suggest
that the universities enrolled both long-term degree-seeking and short-term semester-based exchange
students. While both categories of students were a potential source of sustainable edu-tourism receipts,
no active structures were available for leveraging strategies for attracting such students. Furthermore,
the respondents concurred that all three Namibian universities possessed the potential to attract inter-
national students to enrol in their programmes, which would contribute to the enhancement of cultural
exchange and socio-economic leverages. The study proposes new insights into edu-tourism development
in the Namibian context, the need for focused strategies, the development of policies and focused sta-
keholder engagement for capitalising on this tourism niche. The outcomes present practical leverages
prompting Windhoek-based universities to recognise the importance of active participation in edu-tourism
promotion, while contributing to the existing literature on the subject, especially in the developing con-
text.The researchers would like to acknowledge the contributions made by the participants from the International University of Management, the Namibia University of Science and Technology and the University of Namibia, who provided valuable insight and expertise that greatly assisted the research undertaken
Human-wildlife conflict and coexistence of black-backed jackal (lupulella mesomelas) and African wild dog (lycaon pictus) in the Okakarara district communal area, Namibia.
No full textThesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
degree of Master of Natural Resources Management at the Namibia
University of Science and Technology.Human-wildlife conflict is a global phenomenon that occurs wherever humans and wildlife share
resources or space. In Namibia, human-wildlife conflict is most severe in communal regions where
farmers have fewer financial means to implement mitigation measures against livestock
depredation. This study used camera trap data, diet analysis, and questionnaire data to explore
distribution, livestock depredation, and coexistence of black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas)
and African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), the highest conflict-causing species in the understudied
Okakarara District Communal Area (ODCA). A camera trap survey was conducted in 2018-2019 for 30
days in the dry season and 30 days in the wet season. Black-backed jackal and African wild dog scat
was collected both opportunistically and systematically for diet analysis. Using scat locations and
questionnaire data, a kernel density of African wild dog - livestock conflict was mapped to determine
if African wild dog dens occurred significantly more in regions of high livestock depredation. Black backed jackal abundance was significantly higher in the dry season in areas of high village density
and within 10km of African wild dog dens. Diet analysis revealed that black-backed jackal in the
ODCA have a generalist omnivorous diet consisting primarily of ungulates by biomass (74.36%). They
preferentially consume greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), which contributes 19.83% to their
diet by biomass. Livestock species made up 29.74% of the biomass in their diet. Black-backed jackal
diet did not differ within vs. more than 10km from known African wild dog dens, suggesting that
African wild dog function as neither a competitor nor facilitator for black-backed jackal, and both
canids select habitat based on concealment and avoidance of persecution. African wild dog dens
occurred significantly more in areas of higher African wild dog-livestock conflict, but further research
is needed to confirm this preliminary finding. Due to a recent decline in population, African wild dog
may be functionally absent from the ODCA, and without top-down pressure from an apex predator,
black-backed jackal have experienced mesopredator release. Conservation priorities for the ODCA
should focus on capacity building to increase populations of wild prey, implement low-cost predator
mitigation solutions, and reduce mesocarnivore dominance by restoring large carnivore populations
Role of misconceptions and miscommunications in theatrical characters: Analyzing speech acts in the Namibian plays
No full textArticle published by MEAL student and supervisor in the journal Linguistics and Literature Review (LLR) which is Open Access.The current study examines the misconceptions and misunderstandings in the speech acts of the characters within three Namibian plays, namely The Oracle of Cidino written by Francis Nyathi, Checkmate by Maria Amakali, and The Bride and Broom penned by David Stone Ndjavera. Furthermore, this research examines the ways, which depict instances where characters’ speech acts lead to misconceptions and misunderstandings in the selected plays. Thereby, delving into these aspects, this study sheds light on the complexities of communication within the selected theatrical works. Moreover, this study examines the impact of miscommunication in discussions, which can culminate differences in understanding of speech acts between the speaker and the listener. The listener, however, is prone to a variety of emotional reactions, which arise from misunderstandings in a conversation - including feelings of joy, humor, embarrassment, regret or self-assumption, and impression of the speaker's utterance. The results of the enquiry evinced that the location-based actions performed by the characters in the three selected plays included declarative, interrogative, and imperative resources that are extracted from three Namibian plays. This is achieved by adopting a discourse analysis research approach, identifying, and explaining speech acts based on five classes of speech acts. Additionally, the current study is established on five functions of speech acts and on the other hand, the declarative statements proliferate the fewest of times since they require specified circumstances to be performed
An investigation on the efficacy of computer-assisted language learning in enhancing writing comprehension: A case study of Westside High School in Swakopmund
No full textTHESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTER’S DEGREE IN ENGLISH AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS
SUPERVISOR: PROF. HAILELEUL ZELEKE WOLDEMARIAMThis study provides a review on the need to incorporate Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in continuous teaching and learning using in order to enhance writing abilities of students/learners. The study also further argues for the need for consideration of the use of technology in second language (L2) instruction in secondary schools in Namibia. Learning to recognise and use the proper vocabulary is an important part of writing, as it affects consistency between paragraphs and essay writing. CALL has been argued to possess the potential to help improve the writing skills of learners. The study thus interrogates the extent to which CALL can be successful in this. It thus, demonstrates how the amount of research being done in various fields of education has grown in sync with technological advancements and highlights significant variations between the primary and secondary sectors' use of computers and their applications. An extensive analysis of pertinent studies delving into the effectiveness of the use of technology in the teaching of L2 English is then presented. The study interrogates further the nature of technology that has been utilised and the purposes for which it was used, the proof there is such technology that supports language learning, and other conclusions that can be derived from t such an analysis. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach that combined qualitative and quantitative methods in an explanatory research design. Purposive sampling was used to select two English language learners for interviews, and random simple sampling was used to choose 40 students to complete a questionnaire. The results demonstrate that, while there is little and inconclusive evidence that technology has a good impact on linguistic outcomes, it may have an indirect and positive influence on students’ attitudes and behavior and even foster collaboration. The study concludes by suggesting that future studies should establish a more direct connection between technological applications, Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theory, and learning results
Towards a Green Campus: Assessment of Sustainable Water Use and Management at the Namibia University of Science and Technology Campuses.
No full textThesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Natural Resources Management at the Namibia University of Science
and TechnologyThe Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) was amongst the top 40 water consumers in
the drought year of 2019. Currently, the university does not have an Environmental Management Plan
(EMP) which allows it to formulate strategies to conserve and manage resources on campus and thus does
not yet comply with legislation that requires such Public Sector institutions in Namibia to implement one.
A Water Management Strategy (WMS) forms one aspect of an EMP which will assist in the formulation of
strategies to conserve and manage environmental resources on campus in the future. This study
contributes baseline information towards the development of a WMS which will help the university play
its part in addressing the chronic water shortage suffered in Namibia.
To understand the water consumption patterns and associated costs three campuses at NUST in
Windhoek were studied. Surveys and interviews were conducted, and reports, observations and water
meter readings were collected over a 13-month period. The study served to highlight several areas of
concern, where wasteful and inefficient practices were observed. The results show that old and decaying
infrastructure, reactive maintenance, poor management, and a lack of monitoring of water use all
contributed to the high-water consumption recorded at the Upper and Lower Campuses. This is not only
environmentally unsustainable but also results in unnecessary economic costs. In contrast, the heightened
awareness and proactive behaviour of staff and students at the Hotel School Campus combined with the
implementation of water-saving strategies demonstrated that there are easily implementable mitigation
measures where water could be used more efficiently, and consumption reduced.
Qualitative surveys among students and staff indicated an awareness of the drought situation and the
need to conserve water. The survey respondents suggested approaches and activities such as
implementing water management strategies, educating, and devising techniques and technology to
reduce water consumption. To support these findings, changes in management approaches in 2021 such
as proactive maintenance and monitoring of consumption and municipal charges by the Facilities
Department and at the Hotel School resulted in positive effects, thus suggesting the same action can be
implemented across the whole university. Valuable lessons were learned from university initiatives
elsewhere,such as target setting, public displays on consumption levels and real-time feedback on targets
reached. These, and proactive drought mitigation strategies instigated in other countries and suggestions
from key stakeholders, can form recommendations for a WMS to be implemented at NUST.
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The findings of this study provide a basis from which to explore and practise the identified key
interventions and methods. This will help reduce water consumption, make financial savings, and promote
awareness of water issues leading to more environmentally favourable practices. Better water
management through the development of a WMS could lead to improved sustainability and help NUST to
move towards becoming a greener university for which the survey found good support
The impact of 2016/17 fall armyworm outbreak on pearl millet yield in Namibia.
No full textThesis submitted to the Namibia University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Agribusiness Management Windhoek Namibia.Two-thirds of the population in Namibia live in rural areas of which the majority depends on smallholder crop production as means of livelihoods. The main staple food and income generating crop grown in the North and North-Eastern regions of Namibia including Kavango East region is pearl millet. Assessments conducted between mid-February and the end of April 2017 showed that approximately 356,000 hectares of crops were affected by the Fall Army Worms (FAW) infestation in seven reported Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states including Namibia. This study examined the pearl millet yield impact caused of FAW outbreak on crop harvest during 2016/2017 cropping season in Kavango East region in Namibia. The data was collected from 100 farmers from Kavango East region. ANOVA model was applied to find the significant difference between expected and actual yield of pearl millet across the three year growing-seasons. The same model was used to analyse the differences between expected and actual yields of pearl millet between growing seasons. Chi-square test was used to determine the severity of FAW outbreak on the livelihoods of farmers. Descriptive statistic was used to determine the mitigation method used by farmers to lessen the impact of the FAW. The Welch's t-test indicates that there is a highly statistically significant (p<.0000115) difference between the expected and actual yield over three years. The second test revealed that there is a statistically significant difference p<.0000114 and p<.02 respectively in terms of expected and actual yield in the 2017 and 2018 cropping seasons and no statistically significant difference in 2019 cropping season. The analysis of severity of FAW in the livelihood of farmers in terms of loss of income with chi-square test indicates that there is a statistical significance difference amongst farmers who experienced the outbreak and those who did not with P<.1.98e-72 prompting the study to reject the null hypothesis. Evidence from the study indicates that the tactics/methods adopted to contain the FAW outbreak differ significantly from one another. The findings also indicated that the FAW outbreak influenced the production of pearl millet, which influenced the yield and way of lives of farmers who heavily relied on pearl millet as a staple diet. The study recommends that Namibia's Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform inform farmers about low-cost pest control methods and urge them to diversify their cropping by thinking about other cash crops that are not or less affected by FAW. It is suggested that the aforementioned ministry create a strategy to deal with the FAW epidemics in Namibia
A functional stylistics analysis of children's literature at the Namibia University of Science and Technology
No full textTHESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ENGLISH AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS AT THE NAMIBIA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SUPERVISOR: PROF. HAILELEUL ZELEKE WOLDEMARIAM
Co SUPERVISOR : Ms ANNELI NGHIKEMBUA
JUNE 2023The study to establish, examine and analyse the perceptions of second year Literature and Text students on the application of functional stylistic approaches to the analysis of children literature texts, exemplified by Achebe’s Chike and the River (1982) and Nakapunda’s Chad and the Magical Rains: An adventure in Etosha (2012) (hereinafter referred to as Chad and the Magical Rains). In particular, the study focused on the proliferation of the three metafunctions of language – the ideational, interpersonal, and textual uses of language – within the texts and how their identification aided to the better analysis and interpretation of the fictional texts. This research sought the opinions of second-year students at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), who were studying the selected literary works as part of their curricula, seeking to establish their level of understanding of, relating and application of the functional linguistics approach to the analysis of these selected texts. Interviews conducted with the students tested how well they understood the texts through the application of functional linguistics theoretical explications and metafunctions. The fictional texts were selected primarily because they represent good examples of the African children’s literature genre, the fact that they were authored by African authors and that they were already a part of the existing second year Bachelor of English and Applied Linguistics curricula at NUST. The text exclusion criteria were used to eliminate texts that did not meet the criterion of having linguistic or literary merits that addressed the study objectives. The study's findings suggest that the language of the selected works serves as a medium for moral ideals. Through this examination of the linguistic structure of children's literature exemplified by the two selected texts, it was also observed that language may be utilised to spread not only cultural concepts but also moral teachings and social bonds amongst members of a community. Furthermore, the research notes that short stories typically employ ideational components/structures of language in order to enlighten the reader and establish links. In order to convey their own perspectives, the authors of the short stories analysed by this research made use of interpersonal function of language. The textual components, on the other hand, are observed to have been used to build internal coherence and logic in written work. The research establishes that questioning is a tool that can be used to get more insight or clarification from the speaker or the listener and recommends further stylistic analysis studies that focus on genres outside of children's literature, such as magazines and poetry, in order to enhance the appreciation of children's literature in Namibia and across Africa
A comparative study of selected Namibian autobiographies through a cognitive stylistics approach
No full textThesis is presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of English and Applied Linguistics at the Namibia University Of Science and TechnologyThrough a cognitive stylistics lens and with a focus on the image schema theory, this qualitative desktop study aims to compare and contrast the linguistic expressions used to narrate exile experience of older women who went in exile to those of young women who were born and/or reared in exile. The linguistic expressions studied in the study were obtained using a narrative approach, in which a content analysis checklist was used to collect data from four selected autobiographies, namely Taming my Elephant by Tshiwa Troudie Amulungu, South West Africa to Namibia: My Personal Struggle by FousyShinana-Kambombo, Valentina: The Exile Child by Valentina Nghiwete, and Child No. 95: My German-African Odyssey by Lucia Engombe. The autobiographies were analysed by first comparing how basic image schema can be used as cognitive tools in conceptualising exile experiences; secondly, analysing how different image schemas, namely SOURCE-PATH-GOAL, BALANCE, CONTAINER, and LINK, can be used to understand abstract linguistic extensions and meaning; and finally, investigating the impact of exile experiences on second generation exiles in a post-independent Namibia through a cognitive lens. The majority of linguistic terms employed in autobiographical narrations were found to be based on the four image schema at either the concrete or abstract levels, according to the study.The study also found that all autobiographies used figurative languages that were based on the various image schemas used in the study. More in-depth research in applied linguistics is necessary in order to appreciate the complexities that the exile women faced while in exile and how these experiences influenced their lives in post-independence Namibia. The study concludes that the embodied image schema offers a fundamental conceptual structure of experiences and the basis of a person's story schema is his or her own embodied actions. It furthers concludes that image schemas can be utilised to grasp both physical structures and abstract extensions of linguistic utterances allowing for the comprehension of both literal and figurative languages. The study recommends that further studies on the role of image schematic structure in deducing and conceptualising the meaning of abstract and figurative reasoning in literal language in Namibian context needs to be done
A contrastive error analysis of English essays by Oshiwambo speaking 2nd year students in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Sciences at NUST
No full textThesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in English and Applied Linguistics at the Namibia University of Science and Technology
Supervisor: Prof. Haileleul Zeleke WoldemariamThe study sought to compare and contrast errors made by Oshiwambo speaking 2nd year students in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Sciences at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in the process of writing English essays. Contrastive error analysis, adopted as the theoretical framework of this study, stresses on the influence of the mother tongue in learning a second language at lexical, morphological, syntactic and grammatical levels. A qualitative method was used to identify the students’ written errors from a sample size of 54 assessment based scripts. The study population was narrowed to cover a total population of 317 (three hundred and seventeen students) from the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Sciences at NUST. The study used the homogeneous purposive sampling method. It then purposefully selected 54 Oshiwambo speaking students from the Department of Agriculture and Natural Recourses Sciences at NUST to respond to a standardised assessment script. The assessment scripts were evaluated in line with the research objectives. To begin with, the researcher focused on word formation processes which include prefixation, suffixation, insertion, reduplication and verb structure. The second objective of the thesis dealt with the identification and analysis of syntactic errors with a specific examination at noun tense errors, verb tense errors and errors in subject-verb agreement. The third objective targets grammatical competence focused on comparatively analysing Oshiwambo and English basic language structures, syntactic differences between English and Oshiwambo as well as sentence constructions. The major conclusion drawn from the study is that EA and CA are indispensable for improving the teaching and learning process of a second language adding that second Language (L2) students are more prone to making errors due to the influence/interference of their L1. The study recommends that educators should differentiate English (L2) and Oshiwambo (L1) grammar, to avoid language interference as well as to promote a more effective impact in the learning of English as a second language. The study further recommends education officials to improve libraries and equip them with learning materials necessary for teaching and learning and facilitators to frequently organise various academic writing competitions
Investigating TH2‐mediated immune response in children with type 1 hypersensitivity.
No full textThesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Health Sciences,
Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek,
Namibia.The global prevalence of type 1 hypersensitivity is becoming more prevalent in recent years,
particularly among children in developing countries. This has been attributed to rapid modernisation
in low‐to‐middle income countries which promotes the manifestation of allergy risk factors. Type 1
hypersensitivity reactions are exaggerated immune responses to allergens that would not usually elicit
immunological response. These allergic reactions are primarily characterized by T helper (TH2)‐
mediated inflammation modulated by interleukin (IL)‐4, a cytokine that promotes B‐cell activation and
class switch to secrete immunoglobin (Ig)E. Notably, the severity of TH2‐mediated inflammation in
allergic reactions seems to be influenced by the type of allergen. Therefore, this study aimed to
evaluate TH2 immune responses in children with atopy