18105 research outputs found
Sort by
Decolonisation and South African Psychology research 30 years after democracy
Get PDFOn the occasion of 30 years of South African democracy, we reflect on the current state of Psychology research in South Africa. We conducted a situational analysis of all papers appearing in the South African Journal of Psychology (SAJP) and abstracts in PsycINFO with the keyword ‘South Africa’ over the last 5 years and compared the results with a previous review that used the same methodology. Findings show an increase in papers using ‘hard’ science approaches and a decrease in systems-oriented theories. Assessment remains a major topic. While COVID-19 and climate change featured, there remains a lack of or low focus on several key psycho-social issues experienced by South Africans. People living in poorer provinces and young and older people are under-represented in knowledge production. Collaborations or comparisons with other African or South American countries have decreased. Positively, production is being spearheaded by South African scholars or people affiliated with South African institutions. Using a decolonising lens that foregrounds epistemic justice, we conclude that substantial work remains to be done for knowledge production in South African Psychology to fulfil the decolonising imperative of distributive epistemic justice
The hidden colonialities of mobile communication: Phone uses by women in a South African rural community
No full textThis chapter discusses the experiences and uses of mobile phones by women from Dwesa, a rural area in the former homeland of Transkei in South Africa. While representative of many similar rural realities in terms of poverty, internal migration, and lack of infrastructure, Dwesa is the site of an ICT-for-development project called the Siyakhula Living Lab. A decade and a half worth of multidisciplinary research and an intense working relationship with the community provide the scope for understanding the arrival, uptake, and adoption of mobile communication in a marginalized rural area. Local women often stood out as a particularly interesting group, for example, as information and communication technology champions in the community. The empirical component of this chapter draws on four individual interviews to explore the potentially problematic sides of mobile communication. In particular, the chapter employs the theoretical lens of coloniality to interrogate the oppressive potential of mobile phones in terms of gender relationships, negotiating gendered identities and interacting with institutions in a still largely patriarchal milieu
Assessment and mitigation of biosecurity risks associated with macroalgae inclusion in farmed abalone diets in South Africa
Get PDFThe provision of biosecure diets for use in intensive aquaculture conditions requires attention, to reduce the risk of introducing potential pathogens to the farmed stock. Such introductions could lead to infections and disease outbreaks. Despite the benefits associated with macroalgae inclusion in abalone diets, several microbial hazard cases have been reported in the animal feed and human food industries. This has necessitated the application of biosecurity measures on fresh macroalgae to reduce or eliminate potential hazards and the risks of pathogen transfer to abalone stock when used as a feed or feed supplement. The present thesis assessed the efficacy of different processing treatments, including heat, ultra-violet irradiation (UVC), different pH levels, salinity concentrations, and povo-iodine on the inactivation of potential macroalgaetransmitted abalone pathogens. The effect of the processed macroalgae on the growth, health and gut microbial composition of abalone were also explored and compared with abalone fed non-processed diets. The efficacy of the different processing treatments was initially assessed on pure cultures of the test pathogens, which included a bacterium (Vibrio anguillarum), an oomycete (Halioticida noduliformans) and the bacteriophage lambda. Data from the initial assessments were then used to select the most optimal treatments for further assessment on the test pathogens inoculated in a macroalgae matrix, to simulate a more natural scenario. The viability of the three test pathogens following exposure to different processing treatments was assessed using culture methods. The results indicated that a combination of three treatments; disinfection using povo-iodine solution (5000 mg/L) for 20 min, oven drying 40 ℃ for 8.0 h and UVC treatment for 10 min rendered all the test pathogens non-culturable. Growth trials were conducted to assess the effect of the biosecure macroalgae Ecklonia maxima, Ulva lacinulata and Gracilaria gracilis on the growth performance of the abalone Haliotis midae. The macroalgae were subjected to the combination of three biosecurity processing treatments and experimental diets were then formulated to incorporate the macroalgae that had been subjected to the biosecurity processing treatments as well as macroalgae that were not. Growth parameters of the abalone after a 150-day feeding trial were compared between the biosecure and non-bioseeure macroalgae dietary treatments. Overall, the lowest growth was observed in the abalone fed with the control diet (AbfeedTM S34R) compared to all the macroalgae diets. However, no significant differences in abalone weight and shell length were recorded between the dietary treatments after the 150-day growth trial with an overall mean final weight (} standard error) of 56.55 } 0.78 g and a mean final length of 66.26 } 0.344 mm (RM-ANOVA: F(18,63) = 0.706; p = 0.792; : F(18,63) = 0.941; p = 0.535 respectively). Similarly, the biosecurity process method (biosecure vs. non-biosecure) did not have an impact on abalone weights and shell length (p > 0.05). Moreover, specific growth rate, length gain and condition factor of abalone did not differ between the biosecure and nonbiosecure dietary treatments with overall means (}standard error) of 0.27 } 0.01 % bw/d, 1.79 } 0.07 mm/month and 1.13 } 0.01, respectively (p > 0.05). Dietary macroalgae are known to contribute to the gut microflora of abalone. To determine if the biosecure process influenced this community complex, a next generation sequencing (NGS) approach was used to identify and compare the bacterial communities in abalone that were fed diets containing macroalgae that had been subjected to biosecurity treatment and those that were not. The NGS approach was also used to determine the gut microbiome profile of the abalone fed with a formulated diet supplemented with fresh U. lacinulata and G. gracilis to assess the potential modulatory effect seaweeds and their associated microbiota may have on the gut microbiome of H. midae. The bacterial alpha diversity did not differ significantly across all the diets at family, genus and species levels (p > 0.05). No significant differences in the microbiome composition were detected indicating little or no dissimilarities of the bacterial communities between the diets for all the biosecure and non-biosecure macroalgae diets. A similar core microbiome was also observed in the digestive tracts of abalone fed with the biosecure and non-biosecure diets. It was concluded that the biosecure process did not influence the natural microbiota of abalone that were fed dietary ingredients that were subjected to the process. The findings of this research have contributed to understanding the production of biosecure macroalgae formulated diets without compromising their benefits to the growth and health of farmed abalone. The combined treatment used in this study can be applied in the macroalgae and the feed industry to produce biosecure feeds.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, 202
What is remembered & what is forgotten: shipwrecks and social memory on South Africa’s Sunshine Coast
Get PDFMaritime heritage and its representation in South Africa, has been shaped by a settler colonial community heritage consciousness emphasising a heroic moral discourse legitimising local presence by settler communities. While much has been done to decolonise the representation of South African maritime heritage, at the local level small scale memorialisation continues to valorise maritime narratives that highlight the heroic aspects of historical settler colonial society, effectively concealing more fulsome of historical maritime events. Shipwrecks can function as potent tangible and intangible symbols of historical events, articulating a variety of perspectives on what constitutes social memory and history. This thesis examines the extension of public knowledge and representation of shipwreck maritime heritage on the Eastern Cape’s coastal belt, known in tourist branding vernacular as the ‘Sunshine Coast’ (East London to Port Elizabeth). The case study of ‘The Volo’, a Norwegian barge wrecked near present day Kenton-on-Sea and Bushman’s River Mouth (Boesmansriviermond) demonstrates how shipwreck narratives presented at the local public level can articulate a settler colonial community heritage consciousness that erases wider accounts of such stories. The reinterpretation and decentring of settler colonial maritime heritage stories allows for a more diverse and inclusive narrative that has the potential to promote social cohesion and social justice within restorative history work.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Anthropology, 202
MeerKAT: a journey from commissioning to science
Get PDFThis dissertation presents a collection of work completed for the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory in characterizing calibrator fields PKS B1934-638, PKS B0407-65 and 3C286, the development of a facet-based multi-direction peeling scheme for the CUBICAL calibration framework and incorporation into an end-to-end containerized data reduction framework, a study of a transitional millisecond pulsar candidate, and characterization of baseline dependent archiving tooling for MeerKAT. Our long term studies of PKS B1934-638, PKS B0407-65 indicate that these bandpass and flux calibrators are stable over multiple years. We also find that, especially at low frequencies in the UHF band, the population of sources surrounding these stellar Gigahertz Peaked Sources (GPS) can contribute to errors two to three orders of magnitude above desired bandpass calibration solution stability, if left unmodeled. We derive new new full sky models of these fields, currently in use by the MeerKAT Science Data Processor. We characterize the MeerKAT feed alignment using the refraction-driven linearly polarized thermal light from the Moon in order to derive a new model for the linear polarization of the stable quasar 3C286 down to 544 MHz. Part of this work includes characterization of ionospheric corrections using the International Global Navigation Satelite System Service and direct measurement of total electron content above the MeerKAT site using interchange data from the South African TrigNET service. We find that current commonly-employed techniques achieve corrections to ionospheric Faraday rotation no better than 1 rad m2. This is the main limitation on the accuracy of polarimetric observation using the MeerKAT array. We find that 3C286 intrinsically depolarizes at frequencies below 1 GHz, with an associated non-linear increase in the intrinsic source rotation measure. We present an improvement to workflows using the CUBICAL calibration framework, developed at Rhodes University. Modern radio interferometers presents a significant challenge to calibrate, often necessitating memory and computeintensive direction-dependent calibration towards many directions in order to improve the fidelity of radio images in order to meet scientific goals. We developed a framework to simplify the model prediction aspect of these direction-dependent calibration workflows using targeted faceting. Using our scheme users use models derived from the DDFACET imaging package and only need to provide lattices to mark regions of sky to which direction-dependent calibration solutions need to be solved for. This simplifies a laborious multi-step process in traditional calibration packages that need to be executed per direction. The approach is compared to an image-space corrective regime and incorporated into the VERMEERKAT end-to-end calibration framework for MeerKAT data. The improved direction-dependent calibration techniques were then applied in an analysis of the transitional millisecond pulsar candidate CXOU J110926.4-650224. The link between accreting binary systems (where emission is dominated by the synchrotron emission of relativistic jets from thermo-nuclear reaction onto the Neutron Star surface by the infalling matter) and binary radio pulsars is currently elusive. This is due to the lack of a large population of such transitional systems — only three confirmed transitional systems are known at the time of writing. It is thought that infalling matter effectively quenches the radio pulsar mechanism. Our candidate was found to be variable in the optical and the X-ray, with transitions between low, high and flaring states lasting anywhere from a tens of seconds to tens of minutes, seen in archival observations spanning nearly three decades. For the first time we detect low level synchrotron emission (_ 50 mJy beam1) coincident with this system using MeerKAT, including a flare within minutes of a flare detected in X-ray using the XMM-Newton observatory. Our analysis indicate that there is no clear anti-correlated behaviour between radio and X-ray state transitions in this system, unlike other candidate systems—indicating that such transitional systems may not exhibit homogenous behaviour. This suggests that the processes driving the X-ray mode-switching in this system are not directly linked to the processes responsible for emitting radio synchrotron radiation. Finally, we consider the problem of MeerKAT data archiving. We present a qualification analysis, using MeerKAT data, of the Rhodes University baseline-dependent archiving package XOVA, which can be used to compress and archive MeerKAT data in interchange standard-compliant format. The data rates from interferometric array radio telescopes, such as MeerKAT, grow as the square of the number of antennas in such an array. For the sake of reproducibility and future reanalysis it is important to archive calibrated visibility products. The degree to which calibrated visibility products can be compressed, by averaging, depends on the amount of smearing that can be tolerated at a fixed distance from the center of the images synthesized from these visibility products. This is, traditionally, set by the longest spacing in the interferometric array, with all other spacings averaged to the same integration and channelization as the longest spacing. We find that, using baseline-dependent averaging techniques – where averaging intervals are set per interferometric spacing – we can achieve space savings an order of magnitude better than traditional averaging approaches, with no appreciable loss of image fidelity when compared to traditional averaging approaches.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Faculty of Science, Physics and Electronics, 202
Thermoluminescence and phototransferred thermoluminescence of annealed α-Al2O3:C
Get PDFAccess restricted. Expected release in 2026.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Physics and Electronics, 202
Interaction of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza and Solanum Tuberosum
Get PDFRestricted access. Expected release in 2026.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bioinformatics, 202
Exploring first year medical students’ use of mobile learning to support their self-regulated learning in a developing country
Get PDFIn order to manage the demands of university studies, research suggests that university students should possess efficient self-regulated learning (SRL) skills. The use of mobile learning is believed to enhance SRL skills. Yet, despite the potential benefits of mobile learning, many first-year students encounter challenges in using mobile devices to foster self-regulated learning skills. It is against this backdrop that this study aimed to examine how first-year medical students utilisee mobile learning to foster self-regulated learning. This study employed a Explanatory Sequential Study Design , combining both quantitative and qualitative data. It used the interpretativist and pragmatic paradigms to understand how students perceive and use mobile devices for self-regulated learning. The interpretivist paradigm focused on understanding students’ perspectives, while the pragmatic paradigm aimed to identify effective ways of using mobile devices to promote self-regulated learning. Participants to this study were first-year medical students. The mixed-methods approach aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research problem by collecting data through various methods. Questionnaires gathered quantitative data, while participatory observation, reflective workshops, and focus group discussions provided qualitative data. The theoretical frameworks that guide the study include the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model (UTAUT) (Venkatesh et al., 2003) and Vygotsky's (1978) socio-cultural theory (SCT). The study findings revealed that mobile devices were used by first year medical students to manage and control their learning, both inside and outside the classroom. Notably, significant improvements were observed in cognitive learning strategies, metacognitive self-regulation strategies and resource management learning strategies, including time management. Additionally, the study found that first-year medical students had a positive perception of mobile learning. Furthermore, mobile devices were generally perceived as enablers of self-regulated learning (SRL), providing flexibility, convenience, and access to diverse learning resources. However, distractions and interruptions posed challenges to focus and attention. To mitigate these challenges, strategies such as device management and setting boundaries were suggested. Moreover, first-year medical students expressed the need for support in developing SRL through mobile learning. Guidance in selecting effective mobile applications, opportunities for collaborative learning, and technological skill training were identified as essential forms of support. The study thus recommends integrating mobile learning into curricula to enhance self-regulated learning skills in higher education students, especially among first-year students. Higher education institutions should establish deliberate policies and initiatives for mobile learning programs, especially for first-year students. Educators should offer guidance and training on using mobile learning tools effectively, including information searching skill. However, students should be cautious about distractions from the use of mobile devices.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post-School Education, 202
The role of academic literacy courses in students’ disciplinary knowledge-building: a case study of a Namibian university
Get PDFThis doctoral study investigated the role of academic literacy courses in shaping students’ disciplinary knowledge within the context of a Namibian university. Motivated by concerns surrounding persistently high attrition rates in higher education institutions globally, the research challenges the prevailing tendency to attribute poor student performance solely to individual factors, thus neglecting systemic issues whereby the higher education sector is absolved of responsibility. This absolution is often on the premise that the university has provided adequate support, such as through academic literacy courses, to equip students for success. However, despite the provision of such courses, high attrition rates persist. The study was guided by the following questions: 1. How is ‘academic literacy’ conceptualised in the UNAM English for Academic Purposes course curriculum? This question is further divided into two sub-questions: (a) How do the academics who teach the UNAM EAP course conceptualise ‘academic literacy’? and (b) How is knowledge structured in course documents and assessments? 2. How do academics who teach other courses conceptualise UNAM's EAP course and its relationship to the literacy practices expected in their courses? 3. How do students experience the EAP course at UNAM, and how do they understand the relationship between the content and activities of the EAP course and the academic literacy demands of their other courses? Data collection involved individual interviews with both English for Academic Purposes (EAP) lecturers and discipline-specific lecturers across three UNAM campuses, the Faculty of Education, Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Health Sciences. Additionally, focus group interviews were conducted with students from these same campuses. To ensure robustness, triangulation of interview data was achieved by complementing it with document analysis of EAP course materials and mainstream course documents. The goal was to identify instances of code-matches (where academic literacy practices align with the expectations of the disciplines) or code-clashes (where discrepancies emerge). The findings illuminated prevailing perceptions of academic literacy as a set of skills encompassing reading, writing, and related competencies. Implicit in this understanding was that these presumed academic skills are universally applicable across academic contexts and can be taught with equal effectiveness to students regardless of their chosen discipline. An analysis using Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) revealed that such conceptualisation of academic literacy as practices that are neutral and generic across the academy indicates weaker epistemic relations (ER-), and weaker social relations (SR-). That is, the understanding of academic literacy that dominated in the data legitimated neither specialist knowledge nor any specific disposition in the knower. This results in what is known in LCT as a relativist code. Moreover, the study identified a distinct emphasis on generic, skill-based instruction in the EAP course documents. The relativist code identified in the analysis of the interviews with EAP lecturers, and echoing concerns raised in academic literacy literature about add-on courses, was starkly evident in the EAP course content. A code-clash emerged between the skills and genres taught in the EAP course and those required for success in mainstream courses. Three focus areas of the EAP course, essay writing, report writing, and referencing, were analysed in some depth to ascertain the nature of the code-clash. The thesis presents a comprehensive examination of a specific course and its reflection of prevalent generic common-sense approaches observed in various contexts. While the study centred on UNAM's EAP course, its aim was not to critique a particular course or colleagues. Rather, many findings resonate with issues identified in academic literacy research globally, underscoring persistent challenges associated with generic approaches that often fall short of enhancing epistemic access. The study concludes that there is an urgent need to assess the efficacy of academic literacy courses in fostering students’ disciplinary knowledge-building at grassroot level i.e. at the level of HEIs or disciplines. Such an assessment should consider not only the complexities of acquisition of academic literacy but also the broader global elements with transboundary influences, such as neoliberalism, massification, and the globalisation of higher education. This comprehensive examination contributes to ongoing discussions regarding the enabling of epistemic access and epistemic justice within higher education contexts.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Centre for Higher Education Research, Teaching and Learning, 202
Exploring a new model for science engagement through documentary video production
Get PDFThis study presents a model for science engagement that incorporates journalistic approaches. This model emerges from a project that aimed to create engagement and communication around a genetically modified sugar cane variety, developed by the South African Sugarcane Research Institute (SASRI). In this project, we engaged with small scale growers in the North and South Coast region of KwaZulu-Natal. This study’s methodology is based in action research and an iterative approach to science communication and engagement. It draws and reflects on an action research cycle captured through video documentary as a way to effectively and thoroughly collect, analyse and interpret data and produce through the case study. Based on this action research process a model for science engagement is proposed and reflected on and interrogated by scientists and science communicators through a focus group engagement (see model here as part of this thesis): https://drive.google.com/file/d/14UD1qd4fPcqIZrkESq5v2wgJ1Y2Q7hON/view?usp=sharing. I reflect, using video, on this model and how it incorporates principles and techniques for public engagement drawn from different approaches to journalism and communication studies, I argue that science engagement can benefit from drawing from journalistic approaches to public engagement such as those emerging from development communication, public journalism and development journalism. The submission of this thesis includes various other videos as part of the overall thesis.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Journalism and Media Studies, 202