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Balancing the double day : exploring the experiences and coping strategies employed by black African mothers in urban Johannesburg
Full text linkAbstract: Globally, women take on more unpaid work when compared to men, impacting their full participation in paid work. For working mothers, balancing participation in paid work with that of care work at home can be extremely challenging. In South Africa, there are limited studies that explore how black African working mothers in particular balance their paid work and motherhood roles. As a result, little is understood of the everyday experiences of black African working mothers. Thus, the purpose of this research study is to address this gap, to explore the coping strategies employed by black African working mothers and to make recommendations to better support working mothers. A qualitative research methodology was used for the study and semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with seven black African working mothers in middle management positions in Johannesburg. Findings from the interviews speak to both the benefits and challenges of being a working mother; with working mothers acknowledging the finnacial independence and intellectual stimulation that comes with working as well as the lack of time, challenges with dual roles and additional stressors, like depression, studying and growing the family. Coping was facilitated by accessing external help, like domestic workers; family support, as well as supportive work environments. Based on findings, this study recommends that employers develop effective workplace programmes to promote and support working mothers’ health outcomes and career progression. This also includes normalising the integration of women’s unpaid care work and motherhood responsibilities into organisational life.M.Phil. (Social Policy and Development
Service design thinking as Strategic Communication : towards sustainable solution focused stakeholder engagement in the Greater Tzaneen community
Full text linkAbstract: Poverty reduction has been a consistent theme in South Africa since 1994. However, there is evidence of unrest, rising unemployment rates and a substantive number of people living in absolute poverty, struggling for basic needs such as access to clean water and sanitation, shelter and food. These struggles are also exacerbated by the advent of COVID-19 pandemic which has had a negative impact on the socio-economic progress of the country. Against this context, the study suggests the application of design thinking (DT) to add a human centred element to Strategic communication and community engagement. This suggestion hopes to encourage the co-design of innovative approaches with stakeholders who are faced with these complex challenges. As a design-led researcher, this study positions me as a steward for enhanced interactions between those who have the capacity to implement community development projects and the beneficiaries. The study findings support the notion that stakeholder engagement should start with the community members and end with the community members themselves as this allows research to be conducted with them as opposed to on them. Keywords: Stakeholder Engagement, Design Thinking, Service Design Thinking, Strategic Communication, Sustainable Solution.M.A. (Corporate Communication
Actor-oriented self-organizing maps
Full text linkAbstract: Please refer to full text to view abstract.M.Sc. (Computer Science
Psychiatric nurses’ lived experiences after the closure of Life Esidimeni psychiatric care centres
Full text linkM.Cur. (Psychiatric Nursing)Abstract: The closure of Life Esidimeni Care Centres in Gauteng Province, South Africa, not only caused the deaths of many patients who suffered from mental illness, but also caused the psychiatric nurses who worked at the centres to be unsettled about their future in the workplace. Most had to relocate to different public hospitals that were far from their original family setup, social networks, and they were consequently separated from their families. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe psychiatric nurses’ lived experiences after the closure of Life Esidimeni Care Centres in Gauteng and formulate recommendations to facilitate the mental health of the psychiatric nurses. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was utilised in this study to answer the research question. The research was conducted in two phases. In Phase 1 the focus was on the exploration and description of the psychiatric nurses’ lived experiences. In Phase 2, guidelines to facilitate the mental health of the psychiatric nurses were formulated. A purposive sampling method was employed to select psychiatric nurses to participate in the study. Data were collected using face-to-face, individual, in-depth, phenomenological interviews. Tesch’s method of open coding was used to analyse the transcribed interviews and three themes emerged from the data analysis: 1. Psychiatric nurses experienced the closure of the care centre as a severe shock, leaving them feeling dismayed, and their lives disrupted in all spheres. 2. Psychiatric nurses had traumatic experiences related to the tragic disintegration of patients’ lives, and those of their families and work-life. 3. Psychiatric nurses showed resilience and were moving forward in rebuilding their lives. Credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability strategies were implemented to ensure trustworthiness in the study. Moreover, the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice were adhered to throughout the study to safeguard the rights of the psychiatric nurses. Specific recommendations to facilitate the mental health of the psychiatric nurses who worked at Life Esidimeni at the time of the closure are presented
The antimicrobial activity of homeopathic preparations of Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels and Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) R.BR. Ex Sm. on Escherichia coli in vitro
Full text linkAbstract: Escherichia coli microbes are found in the environment, foods, and is a normal inhabitant of the healthy gut of people and animals. E coli is usually harmless within its habitat but can also be responsible for a variety of human diseases and considerably contributes to morbidity and mortality rates across the globe annually. Since E coli has become more resistant to conventional treatments and current combined treatments often produce serious side effects, research into alternative complementary medicines treatments strategies are on the rise. Homeopathy is a science-based medical practice which makes use of specially prepared medicines and that can often provide antimicrobial action without any side effects. The medicinal value of Syzygium cumin (L.) Skeels and Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) R.Br. ex Sm. has been reported extensively, due to the chemical composition of its extractions. It is commonly known for its antidiabetic treatment values, however it also contains a variety of other properties such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and gastroprotective. The aim of this study was to determine the antibacterial activity of homeopathic preparations of Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels and Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) R.BR. Ex Sm. tinctures (Ø) on twenty different strains of Escherichia coli. This organism was chosen as it poses serious threat globally and is a major concern as antimicrobial resistance increases. The study was done by means of the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines with solvent and antibiotic controls (negative and positive). Results were analysed using GraphPad Prism version 9 software and SPSS version 27.0. The results from this study demonstrated that Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels and Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) both have antimicrobial actions against E. coli by inhibiting growth at certain concentrations for a limited amount of time. This study widens the current therapeutic knowledge value of Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels and Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.), however further investigation is required in order to determine the optimal concentration of tinctures and the dosage intervals need to induce an effective bactericidal outcome.M.Tech. (Complementary Medicine
Professional development needs of TVET college lecturers towards remote learning : implications for leadership
Full text linkAbstract: Rapid technological development has affected the educational sector, prompting it to evolve and embrace technology as part of everyday teaching and learning. The coronavirus outbreak has exacerbated the need for educational institutions to transform from being 100% face-to-face learning institutions to ones that integrate ICT mechanisms as part of teaching and learning. As a result of the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, universities were forced to suspend all contact learning activities and transition to online learning. However, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges had to come to a complete halt because they lacked response mechanisms in the form of infrastructure, and experienced and knowledgeable lecturers. In this study, the training and resource needs of TVET college lecturers are investigated. Moreover, lecturer training guidelines for remote learning are proposed for TVET college leaders. Employing a generic qualitative research approach, within the interpretivist worldview, data gathering was undertaken through qualitative surveys and semi-structured interviews. Seventy-three TVET college lecturers participated in the survey and three TVET college Heads of Department (HODs) were interviewed from a TVET college in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. The findings were presented using a generic qualitative research design and reporting methods. The findings of the study revealed that TVET college leaders need to furnish lecturers with resources and training in the utilisation of remote learning prior to implementation. The appropriate resources and training needed were recommended. The study also found that owing to the differing nature of the vocational subjects offered at TVET colleges, the training and resource needs of lecturers differed and therefore recommended that TVET leaders cater for the individual and subject-related needs of the lecturers. The study also recommended a distributive leadership approach to assist with the resource and training needs of lecturers, through the formation of and reliance on campus and college committees comprising internal and external stakeholders. Furthermore, training guidelines were recommended to ensure that the training of lecturers is adequate, appropriate, accredited and meets global educational standards to make sure that lecturers become 21st-century transformative intellectuals.M.Ed. (Educational Leadership and Management
Governance, democracy and accountability from a network governance perspective within the city of Ekurhuleni
Full text linkAbstract: Background: Local government as the sphere of government that directly impacts the lives of communities must create a milieu of interacting with communities in terms of planning, execution and the monitoring and evaluation of the success or failure of its programmes. Local government has a moral and a legislative duty to involve communities thereby extending and deepening democratic and accountable government processes. Aim: This study aimed to analyse how democratic and accountable governance can assist in creating sustainable processes of involvement of its communities. Local government is government’s main contributor to the socio-economic growth and development, not only of a country but more so, its people. The article emphasises improvement in the current processes of community involvement in strategic planning and the execution of such plans in general and at the city of Ekurhuleni (COE) in particular, situated in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It further aims to indicate to the city that its processes are not taking into account communities’ feelings of self-worth, humanity and identity. Methods: The study followed a qualitative approach in terms of the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and the network governance theory served as the theoretical framework. Results: The findings indicate that communities and community bodies who are to serve as actors in collaboration with the city in their planning and execution processes experience alienation from council, councillors and even ward committees and their members. Community actors are of the opinion that councillors only know them during their election campaigns, and when elections have come and gone, councillors are gone as well. Conclusion: Recommendations include that when dealing with community affairs there should be no political party affiliation and that councillors must know that communication is a two-way tool that should benefit all parties. Councillors are to commit themselves to the improvement of community members’ lives and socio-economic upliftment
Telling my father’s story : an autoethnographic study of the Nollywood film 76 by Izu Ojukwu
Full text linkAbstract: This is an autoethnographic study about a Nollywood actor/filmmaker who desires to retell his father’s story of being convicted of plotting to overthrow the Nigerian Military Government in 1986. The work represents a personal account of the impact of growing up under a repressive coup culture in Nigeria as reflected in the reconstructed accounts of the memories of the 1976 Dimka coup d’état. In the Nollywood film 76 (2016) by Izu Ojukwu. The focus of this study is the analysis of the visual representation of history and memory in this film vis-à-vis the reconstruction of private memories of the researcher’s personal family experience 10 years later in the failed 1986 Vatsa coup d’état. This analysis provides the resources for autoethnographic reflections through which meaning is made of these personal experiences. Juxtaposing the inward and outward experiences of the two very similar events, creates a space for interrogating the public and private aspects of Nigeria’s coup culture and how these interactions continue to shaped the lived experiences of Nigerians. This is a deeply personal story cast in the mould of a documentary proposal for a critical autoethnography as explained by (Holman Jones, 2016) which combines both Bochner’s (2000) evocative autoethnography and Anderson’s (2006) analytical autoethnography to drive social change. The hope is that the stories of loss, pain, revival and hope in this study will ignite in the reader the fire to dream of new possibilities in research writing as well as a new country not held back by its traumatic past but spurred on by the hope that what is re-imagined can indeed be reality. Key Words: Analytical Autoethnography, Autoethnography, Coup, Critical autoethnography, Documentary, Epiphany, Evocative autoethnography, Historical films, Identity, Marginalisation, Memory & history, Myth, Nigerian coup culture, Nigerian history, Nigerian Military Government, Nollywood, Personal narrative, Screenplay, Traumatic history.M.A. (Audiovisual Communication
A comparative study between virtual and non-virtual workouts pre, during and post Covid-19 South African lockdown
Full text linkM.Phil. (Sport Science)Abstract: The purpose of this study was to draw a comparison between virtual and non-virtual workouts that took place during the different lockdown levels in South Africa implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, during which various restrictions were put in place. The study also examined the different exercise intensities and frequencies that took place prior to lockdown, during lockdown and the workout structure that followed post hard lockdown in South Africa. A quantitative research design was utilised, with data collected by means of an internet-based survey. A total of 120 participants completed the survey with questions focusing on exercise adherence prior to, during and post-lockdown. The majority of the participants who completed the survey resided in Gauteng (86,7%) and were between the ages of 21 and 30 (64,2%). Prior to the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa (March 2020), 88,3% of participants were already physically active. During lockdown (levels 1 to 5) the workout regimen enjoyed most often was workouts done virtually (52%). Participants who preferred non-virtual workouts were more intrinsically motivated (M = 5,92; SD = 0,91) than those who preferred virtual workouts (M = 5,48; SD = 1,10; p = <0.05), Men (M = 5,99; SD = 0,90) were more intrinsically motivated than women (M = 5,52; SD = 1,07; p = <0.05). Vigorous-intensity exercise (+1,6%) and moderate-intensity exercise (+2,5%) showed an increase in prevalence compared to pre-lockdown intensities.When comparing exercise frequency for 4 days a week or fewer pre and during lockdown, there was an increase in vigorous activity (+2%) and a decrease in moderate-intensity exercise (-4,3%) During the easing of restrictions (post the hard lockdown period in South Africa), participants continued with virtual and non-virtual home workouts. This was despite 41% having returned to fitness facilities and gyms. The implications for this study support the self-determination theory because, in times of lockdown and movement restrictions, individuals were self-determined and intrinsically motivated to continue with or begin to exercise, despite living through a pandemic
Psychological responses during the Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic among optometry and biokinetics students at UJ
Full text linkM.Tech. (Chiropractic)Abstract: Background There is a lack in sufficient knowledge concerning the psychological responses to the COVID-19 pandemic among Optometry and Biomechanics students at the University of Johannesburg. Aim The aim of the study was to determine the psychological response of Optometry and Biokinetics students at the University of Johannesburg to the COVID-19 pandemic where the psychological responses under investigation were depression, anxiety and stress. Research Methodology This was a cross sectional quantitative exploratory study using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-42) as an online questionnaire, with an additional demographic section, via the QuestionPro™ platform. It was distributed to the 317 Optometry and Biokinetics students (Optometry comprising of 200 and Biokinetics comprising of 117 students) at the University of Johannesburg. After the relative departments gave their permission to distribute the questionnaire and information documents electronically to the participants. Each participant was required to give consent before completing the questionnaire and take ten minutes to complete the questionnaire. Participants remained anonymous. The data was collected and analysed by the researcher with the assistance of the STATKON department at the University of Johannesburg. Results and Discussion It was concluded in this study that on average, Optometry and Biokinetics students at the University of Johannesburg experienced ‘mild’ levels of depression and ‘moderate’ levels of anxiety and stress during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The method of measurement was the DASS severity rating scale. The data also showed that the senior students experienced statistically significant higher..
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