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Continuance Use Intention of a Gamified Programming Learning System
Get PDFPublished ArticleThe gamification of education offers various advantages
including increased engagement of students. Limited research is currently
available that can shed light on the influence of various gamification elements
in on-line learning environments on the engagement and continuance
use intention of students. The objective of the study was therefore
to investigate the influence of gamification elements in on-line learning
environments on the engagement of students and consequently on the
continuance use intention of students. The population of the study consisted
of 192 second-year Information Technology students enrolled at the
Central University of Technology (Free State). An on-line questionnaire
was used to collect data from students. The results indicated that the
rewards that students received, as well as their self-expression and status
in a gamified programming learning environment are very important to
enhance their engagement in these environments. Furthermore, the study
revealed that meaningful experiences in on-line learning environments is
the leading predictor of continuance use intention of students in gamified
programming learning environments. The results of this study could
assist instructors in information technology departments of higher education
institutions to incorporate gamified programming learning environments
into their learning offerings
Determination of Factors Influencing Pre-Service Teachers’ Sense of Self-Efficacy
Get PDFPublished ArticleThis study examined the factors that influence the sense of self efficacy of pre-service teachers at a university of technology in South Africa. To this end, a questionnaire was used in a survey to collect data from the population of fourth-year Bachelor of Education students. The Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) was used to measure the teaching self-efficacy of pre-service teachers whilst the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) was used to measure their personality dimensions. The findings revealed that pre-service teachers differed in terms of the extent of their teaching self-efficacy. The findings also revealed that gender and study programme had no influence on pre-service teachers’ teaching self-efficacy. The findings further revealed that there is no relationship between pre-service teachers’ teaching self-efficacy and personality factors, namely neuroticism (N) and extraversion (E). Furthermore, the findings revealed that the programme of study emerged as a significant predictor of efficacy in the classroom management subscale of teaching self-efficacy
Use of Social Media in Free State Tourism Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises to Widen Business Networks for Competitiveness
Get PDFPublished ArticleBackground: While the proliferation of social media is hailed for increasing corporate business
networking and competitiveness, this claim has not been sufficiently tested in tourism small,
medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in African emerging economies where traditional
communication modes tend to dominate.
Setting: This study investigates the use of social media in tourism SMMEs to widen their
business networks to increase competitiveness.
Aim: This study contributes to the debate on business networking among stakeholders within
the tourism sector.
Methods: To close the research gap, the current study employed stakeholder theory and
survey data of 123 hospitality SMMEs to explore the influence of social media utilisation for
business networking with stakeholders and its effect on business competitiveness.
Results: Findings showed that the majority of tourism SMMEs used social media technologies
to retain their customer base, solicit feedback from customers, assert their dominance in the
market, maintain contact between their co-workers and share information. Moreover, the
findings indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between social media business
networking and competitiveness of these firms. The study recommended that tourism SMMEs
should create a policy framework for comprehensive stakeholder engagement that serves the
interests of all individuals.
Conclusion: To increase the competitiveness of such firms, SMMEs should incorporate
social media into their formal internal and external information strategy
Correlation of Radioiodine Doses for 6-hr and 24-hour Iodine-131 Thyroid Uptake Values for Graves’ Hyperthyroidism
Get PDFPublished ArticleThe destruction of thyroid follicular cells by iodine-131 treatment for Graves’ hyperthyroidism to a large extent
depends on the amount of intrathyroidal activity absorbed (IAA). A thyroid weighing 50 g should receive an iodine-131
therapeutic dosage of between 110 MBq and 350 MBq for the effective treatment of Graves’ hyperthyroidism. An IAA
received of more than 350 MBq to the thyroid will bestow an unnecessary high iodine-131 therapeutic dosage. The objective
of the study was to determine if the IAA would remain between 110 MBq and 350 MBq if the calculated administered activity
(CAA) has been used with the highest radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU) value. A retrospective analysis was made of the 6-
and 24-hr iodine-131 RAIU results of Graves’ hyperthyroid patients (n = 124). Male (n = 18) and female (n = 106) patients
from different racial groups and ranging from 15 to 75 years of age were included in the study. Overall, the CAA using the 6-
hr RAIU value was higher. The CAA by the 6-hr RAIU values was used with the 24-hr RAIU values to calculate the IAA.
53.3% (n = 66) of the study group would have received IAA higher than 350 MBq when the CAA by the 6-hr RAIU values
was used with the 24-hr RAIU values to calculate the IAA. These results suggested that the 24-hr RAIU value was most
valuable for the calculation of an administered activity so that IAA of between 110 and 350 MBq can be achieved
Antifungal and Anti-Mycotoxigenic Activity of Selected South African Medicinal Plants Species
Get PDFResearch ArticleAntifungal and anti-mycotoxigenic activity of 25 acetone leaf extracts of South African medicinal plants with
potent antioxidant activity were investigated against three phytopathogenic fungal strains. The extracts exhibited
varying degrees of in vitro anti-mycotoxigenic effect against Fusarium verticillioides, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus
ochraceous. Markhamia obtusifolia (Baker) Sprague exhibited the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)
values as low as 0.08 mg/ml against Aspergillus flavus and Furasium verticilloides at both 24 and 48 hr incubation
period, while Curtisia dentata exhibited similar MIC value against Aspergillus ochraceous. Curtisia dentata further
yielded the highest total activity of 1583 ml/g against Aspergillus ochraceous at 24 and 48 hr incubation period. In
the mycelial growth inhibition (MGI) evaluation, Fusarium verticilloides was more sensitive to plants extracts,
while Kirkia wilmsii exhibited highest MGI of 50.08% against Fusarium verticilloides on the 6th day of incubation.
Five acetone extracts from Acokanthora oppositifolia, Bauhinia galpinii, Combretum caffrum, Ricinus communis and
Solanum aculeastrum exhibited lowest IC50 value of 0.01 mg/ml against (2,2’-azinobis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-
suphonic acid (ABTS). Curtisia dentata and Markhamia obtusifolia extracts were further subjected to gas chromatography
mass-spectrophotometry (GC-MS) analysis. Curtisia dentata revealed the presence of triterpenoid compounds,
β-amyrin (53.30%) and α-amyrin (6.42%), while Markhamia obtusifolia yielded the presence of
neophytadiene (4.38%) and palmitic acid (3.61%) The results suggest that natural products from plants may well
be used as possible substitutes for synthetic fungicides. Given the antifungal and antioxidant potential of the
selected plants, they may have potential as possible leads for the development of biofungicides that may well
prevent oxidation related food spoilage
Microwave Assisted One Pot Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydropyrano[c]chromene Derivatives using [Emim]OH Ionic Liquid as Novel Catalyst
Get PDFPublished ArticleOne-pot efficient protocol to the synthesis of 2-amino-5-oxo-4,5-dihydropyrano(3,2-c)chromene-3-carbonitrile derivatives via condensation
of various aryl aldehydes, dicyanomethane and 4-hydroxycoumarin in presence of Emim hydroxide as an excellent homogeneous liquid
catalyst. The key advantages of this methodology are mild reaction conditions, novel catalyst, short reaction time, eco-friendly, easy
work-up procedure and high yield of isolation of derivatives
Assessing SMEs' Awareness Level about Sustainability Issues: A Case of Pietermaritzburg (South Africa)-Based SMEs
Get PDFPublished ArticleSustainability has become a core part of business in the 21st century. Businesses of all sizes and sectors are facing increased expectations to ensure that the world’s social and environmental challenges are met, in keeping with the prescripts of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Awareness and knowledge of sustainability concepts is the first step towards encouraging businesses to practice sustainability. This study was conducted to determine the awareness levels of sustainability concepts among SME owners and managers, knowledge of sustainability standards applicable to their enterprises as well as their familiarity on sustainability related regulations that may impact their operations in South Africa. A quantitative research approach was adopted, where questionnaires were distributed to the SME owners and managers in Pietermaritzburg area of South Africa.182 SMEs participated in this study from a sample of 252 SMEs. It emerged that corporate social responsibility is a concept that is well known by the SMEs, while cleaner production and national energy strategy were the least known concepts. Concerning sustainability standards, ISO 14000 is well known while OHSAS, Global Reporting Initiative and Carbon Disclosure Project concepts were least known by SMEs. Lastly, results indicated that SME managers and owners know sustainability related legislations well
Sesotho Is Still A Marginalised Language
Get PDFArticleThis article reports on the progress (or lack thereof) regarding the use of Sesotho as an
official medium of communication in selected government departments in the Free State Provincial
Government (FSPG). In South Africa, provincial governments are required to implement language
policies that promote multilingualism. The aim is to develop previously marginalised languages
such as Sesotho, isiXhosa and isiZulu, among others, so that they have equal status to English and
Afrikaans. A mixed-method design was used to guide the research process and purposive sampling
to ensure that participants made a valuable contribution to this study. We are concerned that despite
efforts being made to reduce the gap between official languages such as English and Afrikaans and
the previously marginalised languages, there is no real progress in this regard. The results of this
study reveal that Sesotho, as a previously marginalised language, is still underutilised in government
departments. Evidence suggests that the results of this study be used as a guide for the formulation
and implementation of language policies and procedures to address this problem
Perceived Effect Of Single Mother Parenting On Leaners' Academic Performance In Selected High Schools, Free State, South Africa
Get PDFThesisThis study, which considers the complexity of parenting for both parents and, in particular, for single mothers on the nurturing and supporting of a child psychologically, emotionally and academically, was conducted in the Free State Province of South Africa. The study also noted that the Free State Province has achieved at least 80% pass rate in Matric results from 2012-2018, which contrasts with existing studies, such as Spaull (2013) that state that fewer students who start school in South Africa will make it to grade 12 just as fewer students will qualify for university education. As a result, the study focuses on the perceived effect of single mother parenting on learners’ academic performance in selected high schools in Free State. The philosophical assumption that guides this study is Pragmatism, this study adopted mixed method approach and Convergent parallel design. A total sample size of 176 respondents was used. A questionnaire and semi-structured interview were the research instruments used to obtain data.
The study results were varied, based on each research questions. The results revealed that there is significant relationship between single mother parenting and learners’ academic performance, there is no significant relationship between a single mother's level of education and the academic performance of the learners and that there is no significant relationship between the possible effects of single mother parenting on learners' academic performance. The majority single mothers interviewed reported that they give adequate financial support to their children and mutual communication existing between them and their children. They further reported that, they are highly involved in their children education. Overall, the study concludes that, most Free State Province’s single mothers’ adequate support through interactional motivation and involvement financially and academically is significantly related to learners’ academic performance and yields a positive effect. It is therefore, recommended that single mothers should always have an interactional and a motivational communication with their children to enhance positive academic performance. It is also recommended that schools should also endeavour to assist children from single mother homes who are having academic challenges by organising ‘after school’ classes for them
Optimal Electricity Cost Minimization of a Grid-Interactive Pumped Hydro Storage Using Ground Water in a Dynamic Electricity Pricing Environment
Get PDFPublished ArticleThe electricity price arbitrage from the utility grid can be a major source of revenue for energy storage
systems. In most countries, the electricity price is tightly regulated by their government statutory
authority or energy regulator to which obey the different power utility and distribution companies. It
is worthwhile analyzing whether energy storage systems, such as Pumped Hydro Storage systems (PHS)
using ground water, are economically viable in such a given electricity market, and determining what
the benefits are of optimally operating these systems in arbitrage environments for privately owned PHS
primarily used for auto-consumption or self-sufficiency.
In this paper, an optimal energy control of an 8 kW grid-interactive Pumped Hydro Storage system
using ground water in a farming environment is presented. A typical small farming activity within the
Mangaung municipality in Bloemfontein, South Africa, is selected as a case study. The aim is to evaluate
the potential energy cost saving, achievable using the proposed system. Therefore, the two objectives
are to minimize the cost of energy drawn from the utility, while maximizing the energy injected under
the Time-of-Use and Feed-in-Tariff schemes. Thereafter, the performance of the developed model to
maximize the proposed PHS economic profitability is analyzed through a case study simulated using
Matlab. Simulation results show that a potential of 68.44% energy cost saving can be achieved using the
proposed system rather than supplying the load demand by the grid exclusively. From the break-even
point analysis conducted, it has been revealed that after 2.25 years corresponding to a cost of $7336,
the cumulative costs were lower for the proposed system as opposed to the baseline. Furthermore, the
payback analysis has shown that the system can be paid off after 5.9 years of operation