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Coping strategies enhancing work engagement of burned-out academics at a comprehensive open distance e-learning institution
Get PDFAbstract in English, Xhosa and AfrikaansThe South African higher education landscape is undergoing significant changes, influenced by various factors such as the Department of Higher Education and Training’s White Paper for Post-School Education and Training report, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. These changes have added additional stress and job demands to the already burdened academic job portfolio. It is assumed that this increased pressure leads to burnout among academics; however, despite these stressors, some academics manage to remain engaged in their work. Therefore, the aim of this research was to understand the coping strategies employed by academics at a comprehensive open distance e-learning institution to remain engaged in their work despite experiencing burnout. The research was conducted within an interpretive paradigm and followed a purposive sampling strategy whereby nine academics were selected to participate in the study.
The findings of this study indicated that when academics apply an integrated approach, encompassing emotional intelligence with personal- and professional-level coping strategies to mitigate burnout, they are able to effectively enhance their work engagement and their overall personal well-being. The findings further highlighted the overlapping nature of personal- and professional-level coping strategies and revealed that these strategies are not mutually exclusive but operate synergistically. Furthermore, it became apparent that emotional intelligence is not just a component of coping, but in essence, became the backbone that enhances the academics’ coping strategies, thus emphasising its crucial role in influencing coping strategies in both personal and professional domains.Imbonakalo-bume yemfundo ephakamileyo eMzantsi Afrika iphantsi kotshintsho olumandla, oluphenjelelwa yimiba eyahlukeneyo efana nePhepha leNgcaciso loMgaqo-nkqubo weMfundo noQeqesho lwasemva kokugqiba izifundo ezenziwa ezikolweni, ubhubhani we-COVID-19, kunye neNguqulelo yesine yezoShishino (4IR). Ezi nguqu zongeze uxinzelelo kunye neemfuno zomsebenzi kwipotfoliyo yezemfundo esele isindwa ngumthwalo. Kucingelwa ukuba olu xinzelelo lwandisiweyo lukhokelela ekudinweni kwizifundiswa; kodwa nangona kunjalo, kwezi zinto zixinzelelayo, ezinye izifundiswa ziyakwazi ukuhlala zizinikele emsebenzini wazo. Ngoko ke, injongo yolu phando yayikukuqonda izicwangciso-qhinga zokumelana neemeko ezisetyenziswa zizifundiswa kwiziko le-Comprehensive Open Distance e-Learning ukuze zihlale zizinikele emsebenzini wazo nangona ziziva zidiniwe. Uphando lwenziwe kwiparadigm yokutolika/yokucacisa, ze yalandela isicwangciso-qhinga sesampulu esinenjongo apho kwakhethwa izifundiswa ezilithoba ukuba zithathe inxaxheba kuphononongo.
Iziphumo zolu phononongo zibonise ukuba xa izifundiswa zisebenzisa indlela ehlanganisiweyo, zibandakanya ubukrelekrele beemvakalelo kunye nezicwangciso-qhinga zokumelana nenqanaba lobuqu kunye nenqanaba loqeqesho ukuthomalalisa/ukunciphisa ukudinwa, ziyakwazi ukuphucula ngokufanelekileyo ukuzinikela emsebenzini wazo kunye nentlalontle yazo ngokobuqu. Iziphumo ziphinde zaqaqambisa indlela yokudityaniswa/ yokwalekelana kwezicwangciso-qhinga zokumelana neemeko kwinqanaba lobuqu kunye neloqeqesho kwaye zaveza ukuba ezizicwangciso-qhinga azizimelanga zodwa kodwa zisebenza ngokubambisana. Ngaphaya koko, kuye kwacaca ukuba ukwazi ukulawula iimvakalelo zakho asiyonto nje yokumelana nemeko kodwa eneneni kube yintsika ephucula izicwangciso-qhinga zokumelana neemeko zezifundiswa, ngaloo ndlela zigxininisa ukubaluleka kwendima yazo ekuphembeleleni izicwangciso-qhinga zokumelana neemeko kummandla wobuqu nokuqeqeshwa (professional).Die Suid-Afrikaanse hoëronderwys-landskap beleef tans aansienlike veranderinge wat deur verskeie faktore, soos die Departement van Hoër Onderwys en Opleiding se Witskrif vir Naskoolse Onderwys en Opleiding, die COVID-19-pandemie en die Vierde Nywerheidsrevolusie (4NR), aangevuur word. Die reeds swaar belade akademiese portefeulje word as gevolg van hierdie veranderinge met bykomende werksdruk en -eise belas. Die aanname is dat hierdie verhoogde druk tot uitbranding onder akademici lei, maar in weerwil van hierdie stressors slaag sommige akademici daarin om hulle werksverbondenheid te handhaaf. Die doel van hierdie navorsing was derhalwe om insig te verkry in die hanteringstrategieë wat akademici by ’n instelling vir omvattende oop-, afstand- en e-leer gebruik om hulle werksverbondenheid te handhaaf, ten spyte daarvan dat hulle uitbranding ervaar. Die navorsing is binne ’n vertolkende paradigma uitgevoer. Nege akademici is by wyse van doelbewuste steekproefneming geselekteer om aan die studie deel te neem.
Die bevindings van die studie het aangedui dat wanneer akademici ’n geïntegreerde benadering volg ingevolge waarvan emosionele intelligensie met hanteringstrategieë op ’n persoonlike en professionele vlak geïntegreer word om uitbranding tee te werk, hulle in staat is om hulle werksverbondenheid en algehele persoonlike welstand doeltreffend te versterk. Die bevindings het voorts die oorvleuelende aard van hanteringstrategieë op ’n persoonlike en professionele vlak uitgelig. Daar is bevind dat hierdie strategieë nie onderling uitsluitend is nie, maar sinergisties optree. Die bevindinge het daarbenewens aangetoon dat emosionele intelligensie nie bloot ’n komponent van hanteringsvaardighede is nie – dit het in wese die hoeksteen vir die verbetering van die akademici se hanteringstrategieë geword, wat die kritieke rol wat emosionele intelligensie ten opsigte van hanteringstrategieë in beide die persoonlike en professionele domein vervul, onderstreep.M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)Industrial and Organisational Psycholog
Trance and transfiguration in rock art and literature
No full textWhat can San rock art research reveal about certain kinds of imaginative literature written in English? What do depictions of altered states of consciousness in literature reveal about human needs? In this lecture I explore depictions of altered states of consciousness in literature using the ideas of Aldous Huxley, based on his own experience of taking psychoactive drugs, the work of the German ethnobotanist Christian Rätsch on psychoactive plants, and the archaeologist David Lewis-Williams, whose work explains some aspects of some prehistoric rock art traditions using cognitive neuropsychology. Huxley was concerned with expanded consciousness and spirituality for much of his life, seeing in religion and art some form of salvation from what he saw as the meaninglessness of mass consumer capitalist culture that he critiques in his dystopian novel Brave New World (1932). Indeed, in this novel and in Island (1962), its follow-up and the final novel he wrote, he promotes the use of psychoactive drugs to achieve individual bliss and social cohesion. In The Doors of Perception (1954) and Heaven and Hell (1956) he documents his own experience of the effects of his consumption of mescalin and his reflections on this experience. Although his primary interest is in prehistoric rock art, Lewis-Williams (2002, 2005) also applies his theories of altered states of consciousness to The Epic of Gilgamesh and Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan,” helping to illuminate the poems in new ways. In this lecture, I compare Huxley and Lewis-Williams’s theories and use them to illuminate aspects of various works of literature in English. The lecture investigates the significance of traces of shamanism and altered states of consciousness in literature, re-reading modernity in the terms of plant studies and indigenous belief systems.Afrikaans and Theory of Literatur
Work-life balance : a Q-methodological exploration of female managers’ perspectives within a South African state-owned enterprise
No full textThis dissertation provides an analysis of the work-life balance experiences of women in managerial positions in a South African state-owned enterprise. It explores how these women cope with the demands and expectations of their work and non-work roles, and how they perceive and manage the conflicts and synergies between them.
The research made use of Q-Methodology as the main approach of the study. The sample consisted of 40 women who held managerial positions in different departments within a South African state-owned entity. Data were gathered using a card sorting technique and post-Q sorting interviews as the follow-up to the sorting outcome. Analysis was done using Q-Methodology software, an online approach to collecting and analysing data. Eight themes regarding these female leaders’ work-life balance emerged.
Recommendations for the organisation, the managers, and the employees who are interested in improving work-life balance experiences of women in managerial positions are then made.M.Com. (Industrial Psychology)Industrial and Organisational Psycholog
An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the perceived contribution of artmaking to subjective wellbeing
No full textThe focus of this study is to describe the perceived contribution of artmaking to subjective wellbeing with the aim of answering the research question: What is the perceived contribution of artmaking to subjective wellbeing? Previous studies that considered the influence of artmaking on subjective wellbeing have focussed on the contribution of artmaking to subjective wellbeing in the context of adversity. The present study focused on the contribution of artmaking to subjective wellbeing in a more general context with the objective of understanding the perceived contribution of artmaking to subjective wellbeing regardless of the presence or absence of adversity. Six participants who made art were selected purposively and in-depth data were attained through semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted online and the data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The analysis identified seven superordinate themes which described the participants’ perceived contributions of artmaking to their subjective wellbeing. The findings confirmed those of previous studies.M. A. (Psychology)Psycholog
An evaluation on the management of cash-in-transit robbery bombing crime scenes in Limpopo province
Get PDFThe increase in violent and deadly cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies in South Africa since 2020 has become a serious concern. The magnitude and intensity of this type of crime has caused incalculable implications in society, the economy, policing, as well as the international image of the country. It is against this background that the current study sought to evaluate the management of cash-in-transit robbery bombing crime scenes in Limpopo Province.
A case study design was found to be a useful approach in this qualitative exploration of the phenomenon of cash-in-transit robbery bombings from the real-life experiences and knowledge of the sampled participants in their natural settings. The case study research design was most appropriate since it encourages the use of interviews as a mechanism to collect ‘cases’ of participants’ experiences and knowledge in the context of the research topic and answers to the research questions.
Data was collected primarily by means of in-depth interviews with three (3) experts from the SAPS Explosives Section in Polokwane, Limpopo Province. They were purposively sampled on account of their scarce knowledge and expertise concerning crime scene management and bomb disposal. Thematic data analysis was undertaken through a five-step process involving organisation, perusal, classification, synthesis, and deduction of the collected interview-based data as the foundational premises of the study’s evidence or findings/results.
The findings generated two critical themes related to characterisation of a cash-in-transit robbery bombing scene in which explosives were used, as well as the proper procedures for managing such scenes. The first theme generated the following sub-themes or categories: dislocation of evidence due to the blast wave; contamination of evidence while gathering scattered money; possibility of secondary bombs and shootouts; remnants of sharp objects and hazards; as well as tailored precautionary acts by perpetrators. Meanwhile, the second theme generated the following sub-themes or categories: activating the role of relevant role players; cordoning-off the crime scene; conducting of the first walkthrough, and stakeholder involvement in crime scene planning and investigation.M.A. (Criminal Justice)Criminology and Security Scienc
Effectiveness of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature Through the Lens of Gauteng Citizens
Get PDFThis article investigates how and why the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) and the people of Gauteng differ in defining and measuring GPL performance, also referred to as effectiveness. The article recommends measures to bridge the gap between how the GPL and Gauteng citizens define and measure GPL performance.
The findings of the qualitative research revealed that from an internal perspective, the GPL defines and measures performance using the performance model which focuses on inputs, activities, and outputs. However, the citizens assess the performance of the GPL using the expectation disconfirmation model, which emphasises outcomes. This means the GPL and the citizens define and assess GPL effectiveness using different lenses causing a disjuncture in the results. On the one hand, the internal perspective lens showed that the GPL has been relatively effective. On the other hand, the external perspective lens revealed that the GPL has been performing sub-optimally. Consequently, the article recommends that the GPL should embrace, and correctly balance the use of the performance, and the expectation disconfirmation models. This would bridge the gap between results of the internal and external effectiveness of the GPL.
The article makes a seminal contribution in two ways. First, by making it clear that the practitioners need to focus on the expectations of citizens to improve perceived performance. This is a shift from a predominantly performance model to the expectation disconfirmation model. Second, by contributing to meeting the academic knowledge needs in the field of Public Administration through closing a knowledge gap about how and why the GPL’s performance, from an internal and external perspective, differ.Public Administration and Managemen
Local child relocation in South Africa : a comparative legal analysis
No full textThe Children’s Act 38 of 2005 lacks a detailed guideline that governs the local relocation of a co-parent and child, post-divorce or separation, within the borders of South Africa. Local relocation could either be relocation outside the province or to a place far within a province. This research assesses whether the current legislation adequately protects the child’s rights in the event that one of his or her parents relocates with him or her. Relocation, whether locally or internationally, is a major decision. Local relocation still affects care and contact arrangements and has legal implications that need to be considered. The role of mandatory mediation can be beneficial in any matter relating to a child. Therefore, this research will look at the African ideology on mediation to see what lessons if any, the South African legal system may draw from customary law. Australian legislation in terms of local relocation within the borders of Australia will be referred to as the comparative part of this study. Australia deals with many local relocation cases because of the vast distances involved. In Australia the legal guidelines for local and international relocation are the same. Australia’s compulsory Family Dispute Resolution will be reviewed to see what lessons, if any, the South African legal system can draw from Australia’s compulsory mediation in any family law situation. Indigenous Australian Customary law in terms of the resolution of family disputes will be compared. Therefore, the aim of this research will be to provide solutions to the highlighted shortcomings in the Children’s Act.LL.M. (Family Law)Private La
Towards a risk attitude mediated framework for corporate governance and firm performance: recognising the role of unbounded irrationality in decision-making
No full textProblem statement: Even with the institutionalisation of corporate governance, companies continue to collapse due to poor risk governance. Protecting shareholder value entails an in-depth understanding of the relationship between corporate governance and firm performance. The potential influence of cognitive biases on human rationality in decision-making under risk and uncertainty is often not considered. Individual risk attitudes as shaped by cognitive biases can assist in explaining irrational behaviour in decision-making.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a corporate governance–firm performance framework that acknowledged the unbounded irrationality of individual risk attitudes.
Methodology: The study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed method design in which seven interviews with industrial psychologists were conducted, followed by a survey of 161 managerial employees in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Serial mediation conditional analysis was conducted to determine the fit of the proposed framework with confirmation using Amos and validated by subject matter experts.
Findings: Theoretically, the study found that literature on corporate governance and firm performance relationship was inconclusive and often assumed a direct causal path. Empirically, the study found that corporate governance and firm performance relationship is influenced by the serial intervention of individual risk attitudes and emotional intelligence, confirming that the relationship is not a simple causal interaction. Personality as measured by neuroticism was found to have no prediction power. The overall interpretation is that highly emotionally intelligent people tend to take well calculated risks that then drive firm performance and the opposite holds. In as much as individual risk attitude can be said to be unboundedly irrational; the study suggests that emotional intelligence can regulate the extent of the irrationality, thereby optimising individual decision-making.
Originality/Value: The study offers three main contributions. It constructed a practice-based framework for corporate governance and firm performance which acknowledges the optimal interaction of emotional intelligence and individual risk attitude as crucial in achieving sustained performance in the wake of corporate governance. Secondly, the study expands on rationality theories by exploring the concept of unbounded irrationality. Lastly, it highlights the relevant risk attitude domains incidental to business performance, being, business and financialD.B.L. (Corporate Governance)Business Managemen
The impact of governance on the financial performance of local municipalities in Gauteng
No full textBusiness Managemen
The experiences of pre-service teachers in implementing formative assessment : a case study of a South African university
No full textThe purpose of this study was to investigate pre-service teachers' experiences with formative assessment implementation during practice teaching. There are few studies that focused on Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) preservice teachers. Previous findings revealed a need for enhancements in the programme that is at least two years divided into theory and practice for the preservice teachers to be able to be proficient in using formative assessment strategies. Formative assessment is crucial as it promote learning and closing gap during teaching and learning. There is research evidence which indicates that when preservice teachers experience formative assessment during initial teacher training, they value it and apply it during teaching Cui (2021). Previous research reveals that PGCE graduates are faced with some challenges during practice teaching in terms of implementing formative assessment and teachers who are qualified to be teachers through the traditional Bachelor of Education program seem to discriminate against PGCE holders and assume they are failed in their previous qualifications and opted for teaching as a way to merely get employment and not because they are good at it or have passion for teaching. PGCE teachers’ confidence is being undermined. Contrary to this belief by PGCE holders that they are far much better where content is concerned as they come from degrees that are somewhat” difficult” and full of content. In contrast, previous research indicates that graduates from extended programs tend to be satisfied with the way they were trained and that they are viewed as more readily prepared by school principals where they are employed. The study was conducted amongst Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) pre-service teachers in one South African university in KwaZulu-Natal Province. Research has revealed that formative assessment, as opposed to summative assessment, improves learners’ learning. However, the term does not represent a well-defined set of practices, which affects its successful implementation in various contexts. According to Vygotsky (1978), learning is always socially constructed, requiring the active participation of the learner in interaction with others. Formative assessment makes use of this insight, since it involves activities that both assess learner performance and promote learning.
The study employed a sequential explanatory mixed method design to examine the experiences of 99 pre-service teachers with regard to their implementation of formative assessment strategies during practice teaching. Data was collected through Likert scale questionnaires, a focus group discussion, and document analysis. During the first phase of data collection, questionnaires were used, and during the second phase, thirteen pre-service teachers drawn from the original sample participated in a focus group discussion and document analysis. For quantitative data, phase frequencies and percentages were used to report the questionnaire results, with descriptive analysis conducted to interpret and present the findings. In the qualitative follow-up phase, data was collected through the focus group discussion and analysed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed that PGCE pre-service teachers implemented the following key formative assessment strategies objectives, discussion and questioning as well as feedback however, they did not implement self-assessment or peer assessment. Based on the findings, the study proposes a model for pre-service teachers' formative assessment implementation, to contribute to foundational formative assessment knowledge. The model may be used to underpin formative assessment practices. The study recommends that reflective professional development be maintained through the establishment of effective pre-service teachers’ learning communities.
Recommendations for future research: The teacher educators should employ mentoring, modelling and scaffolding to greater assessment comprehension in the enactment of formative assessment strategies like self-assessment and peer-assessment. Time required to practice enacting self-assessment peer assessment for PGCE preservice teachers. This highlights that further opportunities are required for PSTs to experience all formative assessment strategies during Initial Teacher Education (ITE) as well as extended school placements in which to explore the enactment of self-assessment and peer-assessment.D. Phil. (Curriculum Studies)Curriculum and Instructional Studie