UP Journals (Univ. of Pretoria)
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The role of residence advisors in student academic advice and success: insights and experiences from a university of technology
No full textStudent achievement is a central objective for higher education institutions. To advance this goal, continuous enhancements in academic support services and interventions have been introduced within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Initiatives like academic advice, increasingly emphasize an interconnected approach, acknowledging the significant impact of out-of-class learning environments on student accomplishments. The out-of-class learning environment encompasses various components that include study spaces, recreational facilities, and student housing accommodation. However, limited research on the connectedness between student housing, academic advising and student success exists. Informed by the basic tenets of the validation theory, this study sought to explore the impact of student housing on academic advice and student success with a specific focus on the contributions of Residence Advisors (RAs). Thirteen [N=13], Residence Advisors [RAs] from Durban University of Technology responded to an online open-ended questionnaire administered through Google Forms. Data indicated that RAs functioned as a primary point of contact for students experiencing problems affecting their academic work. A vital role offering academic guidance and counselling significantly influencing the academic progress of students residing at respective facilities was performed by the advisors. However, the RAs had received minimal or no formal training on the provision academic advice. The study recommends that RAs get training on academic advising for improved efficacy of their critical role on student attainment.
 
Becoming more private: Broadening the base of South African higher education
No full textIn an era marked by declining government funding for tertiary education, the South African PSET sector faces an existential crisis. The silo-fication of the system means that the growing demographic of youth entering post secondary education is limited in the options available to them. The paper explores how reduced government funding has strained public universities, leading to widespread student protests, increased dropout rates, and compromised educational quality. Our focus in this paper is on the role of private higher education and, in its own right, collaborating with other parts of the PSET sector. What is needed is a HE system that facilitates much more coordination and collaboration and for the components of the PSET sector to find ways of working together to create a coherent, integrated network to produce maximal learning opportunities for students and to support the objectives of the NQF Act. This paper serves as a call for policymakers, educational leaders, government, and stakeholders to recognise and leverage the growth capacity of private higher education in shaping a resilient, integrated, and future-proof PSET sector in South Africa
Revisiting French Influence in Francophone Africa: A Case of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger
No full textCitizens of Francophone African countries, such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, publicly demonstrated support through civil protests to the military juntas that took over power in these countries. The protesters pressured the juntas to expel French military personnel from the countries. The expulsion of French military and diplomats from these countries is a demonstration of the decline of France’s influence in Francophone Africa. The decline is triggered by a rise in anti-French sentiment across Francophone Africa. Francophone African countries remain the most underdeveloped countries in Africa. The level of underdevelopment has stimulated mal governance which has rendered the struggle for power across Francophone Africa to become intense, to the point that it overshadows the pursuit of democratic stability because of frequent military coups. This chapter, therefore, seeks to answer the following questions; What is the root cause of the decline of French influence in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger? Why did the public demonstration of anti-French sentiment only take place during the military coups? Were the civilian protests in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger an expression of pro-coups? Answers to these questions are obtained through an extensive literature review of secondary data that comprise of journal articles, government publications, websites, books and other relevant sources. The study found that because citizens of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger protested against French military presence in these countries does not mean that they are pro-coups. Anti-French sentiments existed in these countries prior to the recent military coups. The protest, therefore, took place during the military coups because both the juntas and the people had one common aspiration, which is the withdrawal of French military personnel from these countries
Design variables in a Post-Industrial era
No full textDesign in a post-industrial era has become enveloped in the multiple specialist activities that determine the nature and rhythm of the market. This paper describes some emerging trends specific to the post-industrial design environment. It looks particularly at the designer and his relation to technology, as well as the effects information technology exerts as it erases the distinctions of place and time. It considers the development of a service economy and the use of mapping techniques which assist the designer function within complex corporate strategies and in a climate of rapid change
Humour at the Horingboom Oasis
No full textMost viewers of television advertisements would agree that humour has an impact in easing social conflicts, relieving tensions and promoting order in a society. An analysis of humour in popular culture shows that it deals with every aspect of a culture, including sex, violence, politics, social class distinctions, racial, ethnic and regional differences and the values, attributes and dispositions that characterise such a culture (Mintz 1983). Humour proves invaluable in contributing to the sort of interpersonal rapport that accelerates the resolution of social injustices and racial conflict. By stepping back from the seriousness of the situation, laughter serves as a tension-relief mechanism and leaves the person better able to deal with conflict
Portfolio of South African designers: TinTemple
No full textThe need to explore and express indigenous influences as key elements in graphic design has enjoyed considerable attention in published articles, conference papers and in the work of South African designers during the last decade. Although the idea is by no means novel, it was given additional impetus by the optimism and anticipation accompanying the social and economic changes offered by the new political order. The issue of a definable South African visual identity and style within this context has essentially been informed by two challenges. The first is the drive to satisfy personal curiosity about the nature of a design expression shaped by a creative exploration of that which is uniquely South African. The second relates to the strategic positioning of South African design in the global arena. The importance of a differentiating visual aesthetic and the value of design skills honed in a complex multi-cultural communications setting continue to be espoused by prominent members of the communications and design industries like Thomas Oosthuizen (1993), Kees Schilperoort (Kapplan 1998) and Roy Clucas ( 1998)
Pierre van der Westhuizen: Printmaker
No full textIn recent years accepted distinctions between the different art forms have begun to fade: design, installation, painting, sculpture, graphics and video art have all moved closer. It is in this light that the work of Pierre van der Westhuizen may be viewed as a tour de force of visual design, pushing the possibilities of working with positive and negative space to their log ical (and illogical) ends
Social-emotional competence and personality traits as key drivers for student teacher well-being in a VUCA world
No full textInitial teacher education programs around the globe are aimed at equipping beginner teachers with competencies that will enable them to be successful practitioners in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world. In this South African study, aimed at conceptualising the competencies needed by early-career English teachers who specialise in the Senior (Snr) and Further Education and Training (FET) phase (Grades 8-12), data were generated through a mixed-method approach involving qualitative in-depth interviews with heads of departments (HODs), document analysis and quantitative online surveys administered to early-career English language teachers who had completed their studies at a university, focusing on their training and development during initial teacher training. The overall findings of the study suggest that while traditional competencies such as content knowledge (CK), pedagogical knowledge (PK), and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) remain foundational, there is a pressing need to focus more on the development and support of affective domains such as social-emotional competencies and personality traits. These findings highlight the need for institutional practices that promote holistic student teacher development through accessing support services and acquiring the needed competencies to support their wellbeing during their studies and to ensure relevant competence when they start teaching
Nationalism, victimhood, martyrdom and intangible heritage: Portraying Harry Morant and Gideon Scheepers in film
No full textHistorical film can transform individual lives into enduring symbols of national identity and collective memory. This study is a comparative analysis of two films, Breaker Morant (1980) and an Afrikaans film, Gideon Scheepers (1982). It examines how each constructs nationalist narratives within the distinct yet historically entangled contexts of 1980s Australia and apartheid-era South Africa. While scholarship on South African War films and literature is extensive, comparative analyses remain rare, often confined to national frameworks. Both films depict their protagonists as martyrs, using emotional engagement, narrative simplification, and selective historical framing to produce \u27victimhood nationalism\u27, where collective suffering defines moral and national identity. This paper employs two of the three stages of Richards\u27s analytical framework, those of identifying narrative strategies and assessing audience reception, to explore how these cinematic representations mobilise contested histories. Findings show that both invite audiences to identify with protagonists cast as victims of Empire, reinforcing a sense of moral superiority and historical grievance. At the same time, their selective focus on white protagonists marginalises other victims of colonial violence, highlighting the risks of nostalgia-driven, exclusionary historical storytelling. The study also demonstrates that Gideon Scheepers and Breaker Morant function as tools of intangible cultural heritage, shaping collective memory and transmitting contested narratives.
Decolonising Pedagogies for Values Inculcation in Secondary School History Teaching in Zimbabwe
No full textValues inculcation is one of the principal goals of the secondary school history curriculum in Africa generally and Zimbabwe in particular. The development of values in secondary school history education is essential to promote cultural awareness, influence the development of sound character dispositions and to shape the identity of learners. Thus, teaching history should develop values which are a cornerstone of the way of life of concerned societies. However, some African values have been rendered insignificant by Eurocentric historiography. This necessitates pedagogical approaches that expose learners to enriching learning experiences where they can openly and critically engage with historical concepts and challenge the skewed Western discourses and perspectives on African experiences and civilisations. This will empower history learners to reach a consciousness of societal values through making informed inferences on the experiences of both past and present societies. Using a critical pedagogy as a lens, this paper explores pedagogies that can be instrumental to promote values inculcation grounded on the decolonial perspective. A qualitative approach was employed to review secondary research on service learning, structured academic controversy, Indigenous games and folktales which are some of the teaching methods that are recommended by scholarship as having potential to foster values inculcation. Scholarship on debates on history education are reviewed to enable this paper to provide insights on how the mentioned teaching methods can promote a culturally responsive approach to values inculcation. Overall, the authors endeavour to advance an argument that pedagogy for values inculcation in the teaching and learning of history should speak to the lived experiences of learners to realise values internalisation