African Journal of Inter/Multidisciplinary Studies
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Assessing the Impact of Results-Based Financing on Health System Strengthening in Zimbabwe: A Case Study of Marondera and Zvishavane Districts
Full text linkThe study aims to assess how the Results-Based Finance programme in Zimbabwe strengthened the health system, guided by the World Health Organisation’s six building blocks, using a case study of Marondera and Zvishavane districts. The study's findings are based on responses from focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, observations, RBF programme progress reports and closed-ended questionnaires. Therefore, a mixed research approach was adopted. The researchers administered 224 close-ended questionnaires amongst women of childbearing age and guardians. Women of childbearing age were sampled through a multi-stage sampling technique, while guardians were conveniently sampled. Qualitative data were gathered from purposively sampled key informants. It was noted that the RBF programme overwhelmingly strengthened the health delivery system between 2011 and 2018. Drastic changes were noticed in 2019 after the institutionalisation of the RBF programme in the Marondera and Zvishavane districts. This resultantly weakened the six building blocks. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation. The study recommends that an incremental approach must be adopted when transitioning from donor support to full-time ownership of the RBF programme. The Government of Zimbabwe must commit itself to allocating 15% of the annual budget to the Ministry of Health and Child Care as envisaged by the Abuja declaration
Experiences of Child and Youth Care Workers in Working with Victims of Child Sexual Abuse
Full text linkChild and youth care workers (CYCWs) offer a range of supportive psychosocial services that communities, families, and children need. This study focuses on the work of CYCWs in providing supportive services for children, including those who are victims of sexual abuse. As research reveals, sexual abuse during childhood affects victims in both the immediate and long terms. The impact of this abuse includes victims who experience impaired cognitive development and mental health-related challenges, including depression and suicide ideation. Hence, this study explored the experiences of CYCWs who work with children who have been victims of sexual abuse. Data came from individual one-on-one interviews, conducted among 12 CYCWs who were employed by two child and youth care centres (CYCCs) in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, and participants were between the ages of 25 and 50 years. The analysis of the findings in this study suggests that CYCWs experience challenges in competently providing support to children who have been victims of sexual abuse. The findings of this study further reveal that some CYCWs lack specialised skills in their work with victims of child sexual abuse, thus feeling inadequate in fully assisting a child in their care
Quality of Work Life, Job Satisfaction and Happiness among Academics at a University of Technology in South Africa
Full text linkHigher education institutions are competing globally to attract and retain accomplished academics to contribute to an institution’s performance. However, the efficiency of a higher education institution might depend on how it manages one of its most important assets contributing to the human capital of the institution, the academics. Therefore, an academic’s quality of work life, job satisfaction and happiness should be considered and evaluated on a continuous basis to holistically ascertain an institution’s effectiveness. This study examines the relationships between QWL, job satisfaction and happiness among academics at a university in South Africa. A quantitative research approach was followed entrenching a post-positivist research paradigm, sampling 300 academic employees at the applicable university. The Quality of Work Life Scale, the Brief Job Satisfaction Measure II, and the Subjective Happiness Scale were applied in this study and demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity. The results revealed significant positive relationships and positive significant predictive relationships between the constructs. A generic academic workload policy should be followed by all faculties at the university to ensure that workloads are equitable and flexible
Exploring the Nuances of Traditional Male Circumcision Initiation in South Africa and Other African Contexts
Full text linkMale circumcision is an ancient practice across the globe, with concomitant shifts in the life of the initiates. This paper examined the complexities of Traditional Male Circumcision Initiation (TMCI) in South Africa and other African contexts. Through a scoping literature review, it highlighted both the progressive and retrogressive aspects of TMCI, emphasizing its role in preventing HIV/AIDS and reinforcing cultural identity. However, it also critiqued TMCI for promoting risky sexual behaviours, substance abuse, and physical and psychosocial health issues, which have led to fatalities among initiates. Through the lenses of multiple culture-related, health, and modernization theories as theoretical frameworks, the paper demonstrates the divergent reasons for the current and future status of TMCI. The study concludes that while TMCI has cultural significance, its survival is threatened by adverse outcomes, suggesting a need for reforms to restore its value within modern health and social frameworks. Therefore, the cultural custodians must seek new strategies to restore the deeming glory of TMCI by ensuring the relevance of cultural goalposts in contemporary health, social, and economic dispensation
Applicability of Relationship Intentions among the Civil and Building Engineering Contractors in the South African Construction Sector: A Case of B2B Industry
Full text linkIt is commonly believed that it is more expensive to attract new business than to invest in existing customers. This study investigates the applicability of relationship intention among civil and building engineering contractors (CBEC) and their concrete product suppliers (CPS). Furthermore, ascertains whether the duration of business support stimulates CBEC’s intention to engage in business-to-business (B2B) relational exchanges. Very few studies attempted to explore if there is a statistically significant relationship between CBEC relationship intention and CPS in relation to the duration or length of support towards CPS. A cross-sectional descriptive research design was followed, using a probability simple random sampling procedure to collect data from CBEC operating in Gauteng, South Africa. Using structured self-administered questionnaires, data analysis embraced descriptive statistics, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Independent sample t-test and ANOVA. The findings suggest that it is possible to classify customers based on their relationship intention echelons with differing relationship ideas and dissimilar behaviour across the eight dimensions of relationship intention. For marketers operating within concrete product markets, a strategic recommendation emerges that relationship marketing efforts should be channeled towards customers who exhibit pronounced relationship intentions rather than directing their resources solely on the duration of business association. By diligently considering eight dimensions encompassing relationship intention, CPS can enhance their prospects of cultivating customer relationships that could ultimately lead to improved sales performance and improved profits through mutual benefits and continued relational intentions aimed at intensifying customer retention levels
Examining the Impact of Learning Management Systems in African Higher Education: A Systematic Review
Full text linkLearning Management Systems (LMSs) are increasingly prevalent in higher education, fundamentally altering the educational landscape. This study evaluates students' and academics' experiences with the use of LMS, shedding light on its impact across diverse educational contexts. Despite the growing importance of LMSs adoption, there remains a dearth of comprehensive research exploring its implications across various African educational settings. Employing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology, we conducted a systematic review of 54 articles from the Web of Science (WoS) database spanning the years 2020 to 2024. Through this rigorous approach, we sought to discern and analyse the perceptions of students and academics with regard to LMSs utilisation. The use of VOSviewer enabled the visualisation and identification of the most common keywords in this field. The findings illuminate the varied impacts of LMSs implementation on teaching methodologies, student engagement and overall learning outcomes. Furthermore, the review identifies prevalent themes that students and academics face when adopting LMSs, such as Improvement of Educational Outcomes, Challenges related to LMSs integration, Accessibility and Inclusivity as well as User Interface and Navigation. This study contributes valuable insights for African educational institutions that navigate the digital transformation of learning environments. The findings offer practical guidance for African universities seeking to optimise LMSs implementation strategies. They also enhance the overall educational experiences for both students and educators
Motivation Levels of Administrative Employees at a Selected Government Department
Full text linkIn regions across South Africa there is an urgent need for government departments to deliver high-quality services consistently. The efficient and timely delivery of government services to citizens is largely dependent on the critical role played by administrative employees. This study assessed the motivation levels among administrative employees within a selected government department. The study used Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory framework that distinguishes between intrinsic motivation (doing something for internal satisfaction or personal fulfilment) and extrinsic motivation (driven by external rewards such as salary, recognition or career advancement). The research primarily explored intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing employee motivation, employing quantitative research methodology to assess the motivation levels of administrative employees. A structured questionnaire utilising a 5-point Likert scale was used to gather quantitative data. Initially, the preliminary study involving 20 administrative employees was conducted using a closed-ended questionnaire distributed through Google Forms. The reliability of the questionnaire constructs was assessed using Cronbach's alpha which yielded an overall alpha range of 0.70 to 0.95, indicating strong internal consistency among the items within each construct. As this study remains ongoing, conclusions will not be drawn solely from the preliminary study; instead, findings will be generalised to the entire population under investigation
Reflections of an Early Career Academic on their Experience of Running a COIL Project
Full text linkThis paper draws on Rolfe, Freshwater and Jasper’s (2001) framework of reflective writing, to reflect on an early career academic’s experience of embedding a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project in a General Education module at a University of Technology (UoT). COIL is a pedagogical tool that seeks to deepen students’ global engagement, while promoting intercultural competence. Cornerstone 101 (CSTN101) is one of 44 General Education modules offered at this UOT. It is a compulsory module for all first-year students. Whereas there are various COIL projects that are run at this UoT, this was the first time a project of this nature ran in the Centre that services the CSTN101 module. 89 CSTN101 students that form the part-time class participated in this project. The 7-week long COIL project titled “Literature for Change: Envisioning Sustainable Futures” was a collaboration between three modules in two universities – a university in the United States of America, New York and the University of Technology in South Africa. In this international virtual exchange project, students worked together to imagine change by analysing a work of literature that proposes a present or future society of collective human thriving. Using interpretivist phenomenological analysis and drawing on critical reflection as a methodology, I employ Rolfe et al. (2001) as a framework I reflect on my experiences of having run a COIL project as an early career academic for the first time. I explore what my key learnings were, and how this learning will be implemented in future COIL projects
Dismantling Hierarchies in Student-Lecturer Engagement: A Critical Pedagogy Approach in Higher Education
Full text linkThe education system is built on the binary student-lecturer relationship. Each player is located on the other side of the wall, which was unsettled by the effects of COVID-19. The aim of the study is to dismantle the wall of separation which is widened by unequal power dimensions where the lecturer is set above the student. Framed within dialogic engagement in Freirean critical pedagogy, the study utilizes self-reflections of both postgraduate students and their lecturer. These reflections are handled within auto-ethnography. Two postgraduate students, reading for a master’s degree in English Studies at the Faculty of Humanities, and their lecturer in the discipline of English Studies provided the reflections that informed the study. The reflections are presented through the tradition of ethnographic thick description located in the qualitative paradigm of participant observation. The reflections are subjected to a narrative analysis. The findings point to the varied academic experiences between public and private institutions. This highlights the often-neglected part of rich experiences that students bring which are beneficial to the co-construction of knowledge. Furthermore, the findings point to a reversal of roles where the lecturer becomes a student who must learn from the experiences of students, and students assume the role of a lecturer as they teach through their experiences. The implication of these findings is that future academic engagement will no longer be conceived in terms of sole student recipients versus sole lecturer providers. The principal conclusion is that both players become equal partners and the rules of engagement will no longer be hierarchical. Reflexivity is therefore recommended as a solution of levelling the playfield between students and university academics, administrators and management
The Lexicographic Treatment of Xitsonga Kinship Terminologies in Selected Bilingual Dictionaries
Full text linkKinship terminologies, which vary across cultures and languages, present challenges for lexicographers in creating bilingual dictionaries. Effective bilingual dictionaries must accurately and comprehensively reflect kinship terms and their equivalents. This study explores the lexicographic treatment of Xitsonga kinship terms in bilingual dictionaries, focusing on their definition, translation, and cross-referencing in English-Xitsonga contexts. It addresses the lexicographic challenges posed by kinship terms' cultural specificity and structural diversity across languages. Using a descriptive qualitative methodology, data were collected from the English-Tsonga/Tsonga-English Pocket Dictionary (2008) and the Pharos Bilingual Dictionary: English-Xitsonga/Xitsonga-English (2021). This study is guided by the user-driven approach to lexicography. The study has found that even though bilingual dictionaries offer some accurate equivalents, they often lack full definitions and overlook specific cultural nuances. Cultural differences between English and Xitsonga were identified as key factors limiting the inclusion of kinship equivalents. To improve the accuracy and cultural representation of kinship terms, this study recommends expanding definitions to cover a wider range of familial relationships and ensuring all relevant Xitsonga equivalents are included to reflect its cultural distinctions. These findings contribute to understanding the challenges and opportunities of presenting kinship terms and informing the improvement of bilingual lexicographic resources for Xitsonga