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Analysis of the socio-political and economic dynamics of the language policy in South Africa: perspectives from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Get PDFMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The promotion of multilingual education can be regarded as a force that is driving change in teaching and learning in South Africa’s higher education institutions. This research situates itself amidst the increasing tensions about multilingual policy implementation in South African higher education institutions. South Africa’s democratic constitution has been revised, which directly compelled change in the education legislation, forcing many universities to undergo a process of altering their language policies. The South African government has, at least on paper, taken recognition of the unquestionable fact that African languages must be advanced as languages of learning and teaching in all educational institutions for the empowerment of the African people. Thus far, multilingual education is not mainstream in South African higher education institution and on the overall, little has changed in terms of language-in-education issues in the country.
However, there have been some efforts in the higher educational sphere to develop indigenous African languages as languages of learning. The University of KwaZulu-Natal has implemented a bilingual language policy, which stipulates that isiZulu will be a compulsory subject for undergraduate’s students from 2014 onward. The issue remains controversial. From one perspective, indorsing the African languages in tertiary education supports what Alexander (2001) calls democratic responsibility of the post-apartheid university. From another perspective, this language policy is perceived as reverting to apartheid style Bantu Education practices and as fostering ethnic identities and tribalism rather than supporting a development of a broader and more inclusive South African identity. This research therefore is an analysis of the socio-economic and political implications of the University of KwaZulu-Natal bilingual language policy. In discussing the political implications, the study looks at the policy implementation process undertaken in determining the policy and at the positive and negative viewpoints arising regarding the language policy. To understand the social implications, the study looks at the impact of having a bilingual language policy and lastly, it discusses the economic implications of utilizing bilingual approach to education at the tertiary level
A quantitative analysis of public attitudes towards the fourth industrial revolution: an integrated technology adoption model in South Africa = Ukuhlaziywa kwesilinganiso sezimo zengqondo zomphakathi ngasohlangothini lwesine lwenguquko yezimboni: Ubuchwepheshe obudidiyelwe imodeli yokutholwa eNingizimu Afrikha.
No full textDoctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The impact of technology on society is a multifaceted and intricate issue in a rapidly changing world of constant technological advancements. The emergence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has sparked a growing debate regarding its potential opportunities and challenges for various societies. While robots have been utilized for over 50 years in previous industrial revolutions, their recent integration into domestic and different work environments through the 4IR is a modern development. Social robots are now deployed to perform tasks that were previously performed by humans and are used in scenarios where they must interact with people. Despite the significance of these changes for human development, there has been limited research on public attitudes towards such advancements of the 4IR in South Africa. This study investigated the relationship between micro-level sociological characteristics and attitudes towards the 4IR using survey data from the South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS) among a sample of adult respondents (n=2736) in South Africa. The study adopted a positivist paradigm and a quantitative approach and sought to contribute to the understanding of public perceptions of the 4IR in South Africa. Existing attitudinal adoption models were reviewed, and the study used these to develop an integrated framework that harmonized these theories. This framework incorporated a dimension of micro-sociological indicators and categorized attitudes into two distinct categories. The use of micro-sociological indicators in the technology adoption model was an important approach that allowed for a more comprehensive understanding of public attitudes towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in South Africa at the micro-level. Unlike traditional adoption models that focus solely on macro-level factors such as economic and institutional conditions, micro-sociological indicators consider individual-level characteristics such as race, social class, knowledge, age, and gender. . The study findings revealed a distinct social class effect, highlighting heightened scepticism toward the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) among individuals in lower social classes, those with worker vulnerability, and those lacking internet access. A crucial recommendation is to challenge the prevailing narrative of elitism linked to technological progress and emphasizes targeted investments in historically marginalized communities. South Africa can learn from the experiences of other nations and consider implementing comprehensive strategies involving policy interventions, public-private partnerships, and social initiatives. Exploring the feasibility of universal basic income as a social safety net would be prudent, aligning with global trends in addressing the socio-economic impact of automation and technological advancements.
Iqoqa.
Umthelela wobuchwepheshe emphakathini wudaba olunezici eziningi futhi oluyinkimbinkimbi emhlabeni oshintsha ngokushesha onentuthuko eqhubekayo yobuchwepheshe. Ukuvela kweFourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) kuqubule inkulumompikiswano ekhulayo mayelana namathuba ayo nezinselelo ezingaba khona emiphakathini eyahlukene. Nakuba amarobhothi esetshenziswe iminyaka engaphezu kwengu-50 ezinguqukweni ezidlule zezimboni, ukuhlanganiswa kwawo kwakamuva ezindaweni zasekhaya nezahlukene nge-4IR kuyintuthuko yesimanje. Amarobhothi omphakathi manje asetshalwe ukwenza imisebenzi ebiyenziwa abantu phambilini futhi asetshenziswa ezimeni lapho kufanele ahlanganyele nabantu. Ngaphandle kokubaluleka kwalezi zinguquko ekuthuthukisweni komuntu, kube nocwaningo olulinganiselwe mayelana nezimo zomphakathi mayelana nokuthuthuka kwe-4IR eNingizimu Afrikha. Ucwaningo lwamukele i-pharadayimu ye-positivist kanye nendlela yobuningi futhi lwafuna ukufaka isandla ekuqondeni imibono yomphakathi ye-4IR eNingizimu Afrikha. Kwabuyekezwa amamodeli akhona okwamukela isimo sengqondo, futhi ucwaningo lwasebenzisa lezi ukuze kwakhiwe uhlaka oludidiyelwe oluvumelanisa le mibono. Lolu hlaka luhlanganise ubukhulu bezinkomba ze-micro-sociology kanye nezimo zengqondo ezihlukaniswe ngezigaba ezimbili ezihlukene. Ukusetshenziswa kwezinkomba ze-micro-sociological kumodeli yokwamukelwa kobuchwepheshe bekuyindlela ebalulekile eyavumela ukuqonda okubanzi kwezimo zengqondo zomphakathi mayelana ne-4IR eNingizimu Afrikha ezingeni elincane. Izinkomba ze-Micro-sociological zicabangela izici zezinga lomuntu ngamunye njengohlanga, isigaba senhlalo, ulwazi, ubudala, nobulili. Imiphumela yocwaningo iveze umphumela ohlukile wesigaba senhlalo, okugqamisa ukungabaza okukhulayo mayelana ne-Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) phakathi kwabantu abasezigabeni eziphansi zomphakathi, labo abasengozini yemisebenzi, nalabo abangenayo i-inthanethi. Isincomo esibalulekile ukubekela inselele ukulandisa okukhona kwe-elitism okuhlobene nenqubekelaphambili yezobuchwepheshe futhi kugcizelela ukutshalwa kwezimali okuhlosiwe emiphakathini eyayincishwe amathuba ngaphambilini. Ukuhlola ukuba nokwenzeka kwemali engenayo eyisisekelo jikelele njengenetha yokuphepha komphakathi kungaba ubuhlakani, ukuvumelanisa namathrendi omhlaba ekubhekaneni nomthelela wenhlalonhle-yomnotho wokuzenzakalela kanye nentuthuko yezobuchwepheshe
A socio-constructivist analysis of the bilingual language policy in South African higher education: Perspectives from the university of Kwazulu-natal
No full textAny language policy has crucial social implications that impact its successful implementation. The introduction of the bilingual language policy at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has spurred polemical debate and discussions especially regarding the value of African languages for teaching and learning. This article offers a socio-constructivist analysis of the issues that emerge in the implementation of the UKZN language policy. The study on which it is based employed a mixed methodology drawing on secondary as well as primary data collected by means of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires administered to staff and students at two UKZN campuses. Simple random sampling was applied to enroll 16 students while purposive sampling was used to select nine academic staff for the study. The findings reveal that although the bilingual language policy has inherent social value, uncertainty persists with regard to its short and long-term economic significance. This calls for deeper reflection on the social implications of the language preferences of the institution’s staff and students who are directly affected by the policy
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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