Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Advanced Nursing Science)

Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Advanced Nursing Science)

This study explored how the well-being of the gays, lesbians and bisexuals (GLBs} in Botswana could be promoted. The health and human rights approach that places dignity before rights was selected as a framework for investigation. The respondents' (n=47) levels of well-being were assessed through a questionnaire with 76 items that included the General Well-Being Schedule. The findings indicated that varying degrees of distress were experienced by 64 % of the GLBs in this study. The GLBs identified a need for HIV/AIDS education and had concerns about their general health, discrimination and vulnerability for violence including sexual attacks. Their levels of well-being were influenced by both positive internal acceptance of their sexual orientation and negative external acceptance by society. Levels of involvement of health professionals was poor, and linkage between health and human rights was proposed to reduce dignity violations and improve the quality of life of the GLBs in Botswana. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing Science)

There is a general view that women have joined trade unions in large numbers in the work environment. However, it is clear that in spite of such large numbers, there are low levels of representativity as well as low levels of active involvement among the women members. As a consequence, women do not have enough bargaining power within the unions. This study investigates reasons for this low level of representativity and active involvement of women members in BOSETU. This research, therefore, aims at finding out the extent to which Botswana secondary school women unionists face challenges in terms of their participation and representation in BOSETU. The data was collected from a sample of female and male trade unionists from Botswana Secondary School Teachers Union (BOSETU), which is one of the Botswana Public Sector Unions. This study adopted a qualitative research methodology using a triangulation of methods through the use of interviews, observation and documentary analysis. There were two separate interview schedules; one for the women unionists and the other for key informants. The study drew on Feminist Theories such as patriarchy to explain the low levels of participation and representation of women in trade unions. The study further points out that there are marginally more women in BOSETU than men. However, in spite of this numerical advantage, their membership is neither proportionally represented in the union leadership hierarchy nor is their participation in union affairs robust enough. These findings are consistent with the literature on gender and trade unionism which indicate that there are several obstacles to women participation and representation in unions. vii This study contributes to the body of existing knowledge about women in trade unions. It confirms findings of other studies that women still experience structural disadvantages as unionists, despite trade unions’ constitutional support and the changing environment in legislature.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Science, 1998. / This study was initiated in order to determine the identities and distribution patterns of the anopheline fauna, more especially the malaria vectors, in regions of Botswana prone to malaria epidemics. Field samples collected from Shakawe, Maun and Kasane over three consecutive years were subjected to morphological, cytogenetic, isoenzyme and PCR analyses. The results established that Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles funestus were the predominant vector species.

A Research Report submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, October 2016. / Rainfall is a complex phenomenon, which has previously been explored by assessing rainfall patterns in time and space, typically using ground-based weather stations. Rainfall patterns in southern Africa tend to have a direct impact on vegetation growth and surface water availability, and an indirect impact on animal movement. This study investigated rainfall in Botswana by analysing changes in spatial and temporal patterns from 1998 to 2013, using satellite imagery. Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B43 dataset (1998-2013) was used to document monthly rainfall magnitude and variability over the 15-year period. Additionally, a GIS spatial analysis approach, the Anselin Local Moran’s I tool, was used to determine changes (i.e. persistence) of rainfall conditions on a year by year basis during the study period. WorldClim precipitation data (1950-2000) were utilised as a longer term average reference dataset against which TRMM data could be compared. This study found that the rainy season consisted of relatively high rainfall magnitudes and variability, while the post rainy season consisted of relatively lower rainfall magnitudes and variability across Botswana. Higher magnitudes persisted into April, indicating the occurrence of late summer rainfall during this observation period. From a regional perspective, the Okavango Delta remained a region of relatively higher rainfall magnitude and variability compared to surrounding regions, regardless of the season. The rainy season was associated with a high frequency of rainfall events above the long term WorldClim average, and the post rainy season with a high frequency of rainfall below the long term WorldClim average. The spatial analysis indicated an annual persistence of high rainfall clusters in northern Botswana, and a persistence of low rainfall clusters in southern Botswana throughout the 15-year analysis. In addition, a progressive drying trend towards the end of the time series was observed. These findings suggest that Botswana has experienced both wetter conditions and drier conditions within the 15-year analysis period, than have been historically documented. The progressive drying trend towards the end of the time series may be indicative of a changing climate in Botswana. However, due to the length of this analysis period it cannot be proven conclusively that the detected wetter and drier conditions, than historically documented, are a signal of climate change. This rainfall analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of recent spatial and temporal rainfall patterns and changes in Botswana. More specifically, this rainfall study fits into a bigger research project focused on herbivore conservation in Botswana. Together, these studies will collectively enable protected areas authorities to better manage herbivore migration, improving conservation in Botswana over time. Ultimately, this study stands to make a positive contribution towards the development of existing conservation practices in Botswana. / LG2017

“A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of MA by coursework and Research Report in the field of Organisational Psychology in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 26 May 2017” / The aim of the study was to investigate associations of employee psychological well-being, job satisfaction, psychological well-being and organisational commitment among public service employees in Botswana. The study was cross-sectional in nature. A total of 138 participants were recruited but only the responses of 129 participants were used in the final analysis after excluding the responses of 9 participants due to missing data. Of the 129 participants, there were 73 female participants and 55 male participants. The participants were recruited from Gaborone, Botswana and they voluntarily participated in the study. The instruments that were used to collect data were the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12), the Overall Job Satisfaction Scale, and the Organisational Commitment Scale. Data were analysed using Pearson‟s Product-Moment correlation, simple regression and chi-square test of association. The results of the study showed that significant relationships were between psychological well-being and job satisfaction, and between job satisfaction and organisational commitment. Additionally, psychological well-being significantly predicted job satisfaction but not organisational commitment. Directions for future studies could focus on investigating the intricate relationships between the variables to assess their impact on employee and organisational performance, and to guide the utilisation of wellness programmes in the workplace. / MT2018

The Okavango Delta, an internationally recognized wetland, is undergoing natural and anthropogenic change at a variety of spatio-temporal scales. The objective of this research was to utilize remotely sensed imagery to assess the spatio-temporal distribution of flooding and fire and their subsequent influences on vegetation as represented by vegetation index trajectories in the Okavango Delta. The characterization of the spatiotemporal dynamics of vegetation spectral response via a time-series of remotely sensed data not only informs ecosystem and disturbance theory but also presents new methodological applications for multi-temporal change analysis. Disentangling these components from a signal is critical for better assessing the interrelationships among climatic oscillations, disturbance regimes, and human management on ecosystem response. This research tested six hypotheses regarding flooding and fire, and found that the largest number of fires occurred either within 5 km of the border to the Wildlife Management Areas or within the active (flooded a minimum of every two years) floodplains. These hypotheses indicate that burning is highest where people have accessinto the management areas and where the natural resources are plentiful. Periodicities from vegetation signal time-series did not confirm published climate-driven periodicities of 3, 8, and 18-years but did reveal seasonal (6 month) and quasi-decadal periodicities. Vegetation trajectories were more predictable with increasing flood frequency and duration, but were less predictable with increased fire frequency. The fact that increased burning resulted in less predictable behavior indicates the potential of quantifying the anthropogenic influence on the landscape using remotely sensed imagery. Flooding and fire were not statistically correlated to the residual dynamics, refuting the conceptualization of flooding and fire as disturbance and supporting the interpretation of flooding and fire as disturbance regimes. This research thus contributes methodologically and theoretically to the ecology literature by operationalizing tests for disturbance versus disturbance regimes via spatio-temporal characterization. Further, this work extends change detection techniques typically implemented with coarser spatial resolution but more frequently acquired imagery by using harmonic regression and wavelet analysis with Landsat data. Lastly, this work provides a temporally rich assessment of recent vegetation, flooding, and fire trends for improving management efforts of the Okavango Delta.

M. Tech. Nature Conservation / The influence of predation on ungulates is most commonly measured through the direct lethal effects of predators. However, indirect effects of predation risk may alter prey behaviour and survival. The introduction of a pack of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) into the Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana, allowed various indirect responses of ungulates to predation risk to be investigated. The study focused on predation pressure and its effects on ungulate activities during the denning period of the wild dogs, and on how the distribution and density of prey and lions influenced wild dog movement patterns in both the denning and non-denning period.

This study used multiple regression analysis to determine which of the Riggs and O'Leary's (1989) background-situational model variables best predict the pattern of dating violence in heterosexual Batswana college students' relationships. The background variables included in the study are (a) exposure to interparental violence, (b) gender-role attitudes, and (c) acceptance of aggression as a response to conflict. One situational variable-the partner's use of aggression is included in this study. This situational variable was included because of its central role in the background-situational model and because Riggs and O'Leary (1989) identified it as a potentially important situational predictor of dating aggression. Although the variables selected for use in this study are far from exhaustive, the use of restricted models has been identified as a useful heuristic in the study of interpartner aggression (O'Leary, 1988). The use of multiple regression procedures in this study can be expected to yield a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that are associated with the likelihood of Batswana college students to engage in dating violence. It also permits for the study of the predictive power of variables within the context of other more or less powerful predictors.The study's sample were 135 female and 118 male undergraduate students recruited from a university in Botswana. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 25 years old, were unmarried, were involved in a heterosexual dating relationship or had been involved in one such relationship in the past. Participants completed a set of questionnaires, including the revised Conflict Tactics Scales, the parents' version of the Conflict Tactics Scales, the partners' version of the Conflict Tactics Scales, the Attitudes Toward Women Scale, and the Attitudes About Dating Violence Scale. The combination of exposure to interparental violence, gender-role attitudes, acceptance of aggression as a response to conflict, and partners use of aggression, with demographic variables held constant, was significant and accounted for 89% of the variance in participants' perpetration of dating violence. Results indicated that partner's use of violence is a strong predictor of dating violence perpetration. Implications from this study are offered. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services