African Journal of Inter/Multidisciplinary Studies
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COVID-19 and Beyond: The Ethical Challenges of Resetting Higher Education Institutions Services during and after the Pandemic
Get PDFCOVID-19 was discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and since then it has spread to all parts of the world. The world almost came to a standstill in 2020 as only essential services were allowed to operate and those who could work remotely, worked from home. For the first time in modern history, newsrooms were moved to homes, classrooms moved online, and many other services were reconfigured. Online services and the internet became essential. In this context, questions like, “How do educational systems react ethically to the ongoing challenges raised by the pandemic?” and, “What ethical values should underpin the resetting of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)?” need to be answered. In this paper, based on desktop research, an examination of some of the ethical challenges confronting those running HEIs, researchers and lecturers as they are adapting to the ‘new normal’ is explored. This new operating environment creates difficult ethical choices. Findings from this study has shown that all South African HEIs managed to transition to online learning. However, the transition was not uniform, given the country’s background and economic divide. A number of barriers such as cost, electricity availability and internet access have been identified. Recommendations are made as to how HEIs in South Africa may protect their integrity and at the same time adapt to the new normal
Household Mobility Dynamics among Young Adults in Established Suburban Council Rental Housing Estates in South African Cities: A Case Study of Kenneth Gardens, Durban
Get PDFThe household mobility dynamics of young adults are widely acknowledged as some of the central indicators of residential satisfaction and the quantitative housing deficit. Regardless of this, hardly any studies have been conducted to investigate the trend in South African neighbourhoods. This study investigated the dynamics of household mobility among young adults in the Kenneth Gardens, a subsidised council rental estate in the city of Durban, South Africa. It is based on a survey focusing on household characteristics, profiles of young adults, likely household mobility behaviour of young adults and the factors that influence the mobility of young adults. Descriptive statistical tabulations, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and cross tabulations were used in the analysis. The paper notes that established suburban council rental housing estates are multi-cultural and diverse. Likewise, household formation aspirations and mobility factors among young adults are influenced by ethnic cultural factors and cross-cultural socio-economic factors. The paper argues that the residential satisfaction of young adults and household mobility factors in diverse neighbourhoods should be differentially understood within the context of ethnic and cultural geographies. Furthermore, cross-cultural socio-economic constraints that delay the wishes of young adults to form new households must also be taken into consideration
Fostering Research Integrity in African Higher Education Institutions
Get PDFAfrican higher education institutions (HEIs) have been considering changing in the last twenty years. The realisation of knowledge synthesis as a critical driver for social-economic development, has led to countries promoting research in universities and related institutions of higher learning towards a knowledge-based economy. However, the increasing emphasis on HEIs' research productivity has raised questions of whether or not the parties involved in funding, conception, conducting, and review/reporting are upholding responsible conduct of research (RCR). Equally, concerns on adequate rules, regulations, and guidelines to foster research integrity (RI) amongst the research professionals prevail. In this paper, an in-depth understanding of the RI concept, and the strategies that the research fraternity in the African HEIs and policymakers use to foster RCR, are illuminated to address gaps that need to be filled. This is a new dawn for HEIs in Africa to strengthen their knowledge base by applying the best practices that are founded on high levels of RI to meaningfully inform, influence, and impact Africa's current and future development. This study provided a detailed literature investigation of the occurrences of irresponsible research conduct in Africa's HEIs, existing efforts to mitigate them, and the path forward to foster RCR. Unfortunately, Africa's HEIs have ineffective policies and structures in place to promote RI and research misconduct
The Effect of Motive Fulfilment as a Meditating Variable between Perceived Organisational Support and Volunteers’ Affective Commitment in Non-Profit Organisations
Get PDFIn this paper, the influence of organisational factors and the role of individual factors on affective commitment is examined, particularly whether volunteers’ motive fulfilment mediates the influence of perceived organisational support on volunteers’ affective commitment. A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from 213 volunteers from five non-profit organisations in Queensland, Australia. Perceived organisational support is found to have a significant relationship with volunteers’ affective commitment. Furthermore, motive fulfilment has a significant effect on the impact of perceived organisational support (POS) on the outcome. The results of the study provide new knowledge about the importance of motive fulfilment as a tool for improving volunteers’ positive experiences of an organisation and explain how motive fulfilment promotes increased affective commitment.
 
Christian Communication, Forms, Secularity, and Dimensions of Language in a Multifaceted Cultural Setting
Get PDFChristian communication and the various dimensions of language are profoundly connected and interchangeably used in a multifaceted cultural setting. Christian churches in South Africa, similar to any other African countries, profess their philosophies, passions, and beliefs to multi-cultural congregations through the use of sacred languages and communication. This study posits that the uprising of Pentecostal churches has paved the way for nonspiritual dialectic languages and has also greatly lessened spiritual communication. As a result, the study highlights the relationship between language and religious communication among Pentecostal churches in a culturally diverse environment. This study employs a qualitative approach, through the gathering and categorisation of information between 20 churches located in Durban, South Africa to recognise Christian communication and the influence of secular linguistic features and their relationships with spirituality. This study has found that there are different forms and secular dimensions of language which differ from spiritual language and Christian communication. The study reveals that as modern Christian churches emerge, a revolutionised communication has evolved as compared to the language of orthodox churches. The study recommends that the use of language for religious communication and discourse should necessitate expounding spiritual values and courses of action
My Trepidation: Personal Ethical Pitfalls and Dilemmas in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Get PDFLocated within the broad framework of critical approach and critical pedagogy, this paper reflects on personal experiences of being caught within the complexities of research ethics in the scholarship of teaching and learning. The paper presents multiplicities in the interpretation and application of ethical procedures in the drive to maintain rigour and transformation in teaching and learning research. Whilst advocating for adherence to research ethics, the paper problematises resistance to change often mounted by those in power in the name of ethics. By implication, the paper exposes the technocratic utility of research ethics at the expense of emancipation and at the same time argues for contextual interpretation and application of ethical procedures for the emancipation of the marginalised. The paper is conceptualised and presented in the tradition of autoethnographic thick description. The findings reveal differences of opinion about the adopted ethical procedures. Whilst on the one hand, many participants identify with the ethical spirit adopted by the researcher, on the other hand, some participants rejected the ethical stance of the researcher. The conclusions suggest that the adoption of covert ethical approaches coupled with critical pedagogy in the context of the scholarship of teaching and learning are most likely to attract pitfalls in research ethics.  
Addressing Distance Learning During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: Re-Imagining Ethical Issues and Requirements
Get PDFDistance learning (DL) means that students work online or students’ study online at home while the teacher assigns work and checks in digitally, or they lecture digitally. Distance learning has been regarded as a more flexible way of learning that requires accountability and good time management. On the other hand, the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic could contribute to the advantages associated with DL. This study discusses this from the perspective of institutional innovation, either as a potentially disruptive innovation or potential constructive innovation. The paper also re-imagines the conceptual and ethical considerations and the requirements associated with distance learning. It conceptualises further that ethics are a fundamental part of teaching pedagogy and, more importantly, DL, but the advent of COVID-19 poses further demands for educators and students in maintaining ethical principles. During the Covid-19 pandemic, DL was proposed alongside social distancing (SD) measures and served as a method of engaging students in a learning environment. Although, the physical distance also poses a difficulty in obtaining students' levels of understanding in terms of course content, thus, this study concludes that distance learning uncovers far more problems, such as the level of readiness (of stakeholders; teachers, students, government, and parents) in the process of transitioning to online teaching platforms, educational equity, and a lack of infrastructure or resources to facilitate online teaching as a result of Social Distancing (SD) emanated from the COVID-19 pandemic
Your Future Employer: Employer Branding, Reputation, and Social Media
Get PDFThis study examines employer branding and the relationship between corporate reputation, social media, and the intention of potential applicants to seek future employment. The researchers deployed a structured questionnaire to gather data from national service personnel in Ghana via the WhatsApp platform using a Google Form hyperlink. The proposed conceptual framework was tested based on 581 generated responses. The researchers depended on ADANCO 2.1 software for analysis. This helped in producing the PLS-SEM. The results indicate that the application value, development value, and social value positively impact reputation, which successively influences the intent to apply. The findings also reveal that, where social media influence intention to apply, it does not positively impact corporate reputation. The limitation of this study and directions for future studies are presented
Navigating the Contours of Ethical Research in Higher Education: An African Perspective
Get PDFThis study explores the plethora of challenges encountered in ensuring that research conducted in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Africa is ethical and morally unobjectionable. The study reflects on the roles and accountabilities of various stakeholders in contributing to the various challenges, either directly or indirectly. Data were collected using a narrative review of literature. Several challenges militate against the conduct of ethically sound research. The challenges can be categorised at two levels: the individual level and the system level. They include but are not limited to the lack of ethical awareness among emerging researchers, researchers not embracing ethics as their full responsibility, and the prevalence of a wide knowledge gap between researchers and participants. On the part of HEIs, challenges such as the lack of functional ethics committees, institutions’ failure to improve ethical literacy among emerging researchers, and a lack of mechanisms to monitor researchers’ conducts during the course of studies, particularly in empirical research, have been identified. A focus on the wider African research space illuminates such challenges as language barriers, diverging cultural and religious practices, rules and regulations of the land, and lower literacy levels in some parts of the continent. To mitigate these challenges, we recommend that HEIs should prioritise the conduct of ethical research through increased funding, through the institution of monitoring mechanisms, and through ensuring that highly and appropriately qualified personnel are constitutive of ethics committees to ensure best practice
The Flipside of New Public Management: An Inquiry into the Challenges Facing Outsourced Workers in South Africa
Get PDFInspired by the new public management (NPM) philosophy, public sector institutions have engaged private companies by outsourcing non-core services for improved service delivery, lowering government expenditure, and creating opportunities for employment. There is evidence suggesting that the public sector has witnessed industrial conflicts occasioned by labour unrest among outsourced workers. This paper explores how the employees of contract companies perceive outsourcing and how outsourcing has affected them. Using a non-probabilistic sampling technique, the study mixes both qualitative and quantitative techniques to show that the outsourced workers do not see outsourcing in good light. The viewpoint of participants revealed that the outsourced workers were not pleased with the condition of work under different management. These findings have significant implications for broadening the understanding of the plight of the outsourced workers in the public sector. This study has raised important questions about the nature of outsourcing in the public sector and aroused the consciousness that the challenge facing outsourced workforce persists despite the premium placed on NPM in literature. The study, therefore, recommends that the condition of service of outsourced workers in South Africa’s public departments be given due attention to forestall undesirable outcomes