1,720,955 research outputs found
Adult education programme as a rehabilitation toll for inmates in correctional services in Rustenburg Area of the North West Province
Full text linkMEd, North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2001In most developing countries crime is often a common problem because the standards of living is very poor. In South Africa, in the pre- independence era, lack of education was a major cause of crime, as many people could not be employed. In the post-independence era, it has become increasingly difficult for even the educated people to be employed, a factor which still contributes to a large- scale crime. The challenge that this situation poses to the civil society is that even if criminals may be imprisoned, chances are that on their release they might commit crime again, as they would be finding themselves in the same economic conditions. Adult Education Programme is one of the mechanisms designed to help in the rehabilitation of the prisoners so that they become helpful mernbers in their communities when they get released. This study attempted to determine the effectiveness of this programme in rehabilitating the inmates. This was done through studying the attitude of the prisoners themselves to the programme on one hand, and through determining the recidivism rate on the other hand. These two variables were the most ideal measures of the success of the Adult Education Programme in re- integrating exprisoners back into their communities. In North West prisons, it was revealed that the majority of the prisoners were very positive and enthusiastic about the programme. The quality of this education was seen to be satisfactory, as it stresses mainly vocational subjects, which enable
ex- prisoners to get jobs more easily in the technical sector. In addition, there is adequate Psychological and religious support programmes, which enhance the prisoners moral fibre, so that even if they are not immediately employed and employable, they do not resort to crime. The prison records also revealed a very low recidivism rate, which suggest that ex- prisoners are absorbable in their communities. Thus, even though it needs to be constantly improved, Adult Education Programme in the North West prisons is worth its while and effective.Master
Technology enhanced learning as a support tool for learning and teaching process in Higher Education
Full text linkPhD (Educational Technology), North-West University, Mafikeng CampusThe purpose of the study was to investigate the implementation of technology enhanced learning (TEL) techniques as a support tool for the learning and teaching process at the Medunsa campus of the University of Limpopo, in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. The University of Limpopo was created in 2005 by the merger of two historically black institutions. The two merged universities, University of the North (Turfloop) situated in the Limpopo Province and Medical University of Southern Africa (Medunsa) found in the Gauteng province became the two campuses of this university. Ten years later, in 2015, the two merged institutions unbundled and a new health sciences university was established as a result. The newly established university, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, took over the services, resources and premises of the Medunsa campus. One of the initiatives this institution has to grapple with is TEL.
The study employed multiple-mode approaches and methods. It used both qualitative and quantitative approaches and used two research methods, namely, case study and survey. The rationale to use multiple-mode design was to provide an additional source of validity and data trustworthiness. Most importantly, this type of design compensates for the limitations of the other. The population of the study was drawn from the 2012 first-year cohort of students at Medunsa, their lecturers and the campus management directly involved with the implementation of TEL. Two sampling techniques were used, convenient sampling to select 266 students and purposive sampling to select 12 lecturers. The study used online and paper-based questionnaires to collect quantitative and for qualitative data, the study used interviews, observation and document analysis. Six (6) members of the campus management were interviewed. Policies relating to ICT and teaching and learning were analysed. A constant comparative method of analysis was used with the help of the hermeneutics strategy for interview data and content analysis strategy for document analysis and observation. The quantitative data was descriptively analysed using Survey Monkey for preliminary analysis and SPSS for final analysis.
Findings showed that Medunsa partially implemented TEL, with a focus on computerised technologies. Three online learning tools were used by the campus; Bb managed from the ICT department, Amber.net from the Public Health department and one programme developed by a lecturer in the Human Anatomy department. Although Medunsa adopted TEL technologies to improve learning and teaching processes, the intended users showed a lack of interest in using these technologies and inadequate technical and academic support. Though the campus had
Internet connection, it was not yet well-resourced with facilities that would assist in enhancing learning through various learning and teaching technologies, with the exception of the newly-erected e-Learning centre. It appears that the strategic plan for the implementation of TEL had not been fully implemented. Before implementation of the technology, several matters required serious consideration, for example, pedagogical, technical and cost issues. It is possible that inadequate attention was paid to these issues at that crucial stage of development. Even though the university erected the e-Learning centre, WIFI and the provision of computers for students, attitudes had a negative effect, on the level of success of the implementation process. The lack of a clear and unequivocal TEL policy, may have given rise to the negative attitudes. The fact that many stakeholders were unaware of the existence of such a policy may have had a bearing on the lack of proper use of TEL. Policy underpins processes and procedures, giving them both direction and credibility.
Finally, following the quality of discussion on the implementation of TEL as a support tool at HILs, this research might contribute to the body of knowledge by providing an increased understanding of the implementation of TEL as a support tool at Medunsa. The study recommended ways in which successful implementation can be carried out. In conclusion, an opportunity for further studies has been created. This broader TEL theme could be taken forward and the following themes researched further:
• Use of TEL in health science education
• Use of social media in teaching and learning
Evaluation of this proposed integrated strategy to implement e-Learning.Doctora
Barriers to Recognition of Prior Learning for Sector Education and Training Authority-Accredited Providers in Gauteng
No full textRecognition of Prior Learning is essential in adult education, allowing learners to formalise their experiential knowledge. In South Africa, providers accredited by the Sector Education and Training Authority are required to implement Recognition of Prior Learning within the National Qualifications Framework. However, providers, particularly those in Gauteng province, face significant challenges. This article aimed to examine the barriers faced by accredited adult education providers in Gauteng. The article assesses their impact on Recognition of Prior Learning implementation and suggests strategies to address them. A qualitative, phenomenological approach was used, with semi-structured interviews conducted among six accredited providers. This allowed an in-depth exploration of their challenges in implementing Recognition of Prior Learning. Five (5) primary barriers were identified: the complex and technical nature of Recognition of Prior Learning, shortage of skilled practitioners, inadequate internal management, financial limitations, and insufficient awareness, capacity building, and advocacy. The study also found that financial constraints and low engagement among stakeholders were particularly detrimental, restricting the effective integration of Recognition of Prior Learning. The article concludes that systemic changes are needed to enhance Recognition of Prior Learning implementation. Therefore, this article recommends applying adult learning theories, such as Knowles’s learning contracts and Kolb’s experiential learning model, to better align Recognition of Prior Learning with adult learners’ needs. The research further recommends that increased training, management support, and standardised funding are critical to making Recognition of Prior Learning more accessible and effective across South Africa
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Full text link“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
Full text linkWe 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
Full text linkWe 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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