Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, 2004 / Early career academics in South Africa enter a higher education system with a historical legacy of division along lines of past discrimination and apartheid. The higher education system has been undergoing profound transformation in the last decade through the promulgation of the SAQA Act (No 58 of 1995) and the Higher Education Act No 101 of 1997. Although numbers of black students at historically advantaged, predominantly white higher education institutions have increased dramatically in the past decade to over 50% in some cases, the change in the academic staff at these institutions has not been nearly as rapid. Less than 30% of the academic staff is black, even at institutions which consider themselves to be progressive. The argument in this research is that the professional socialisation and development of early career academics in all South Africa universities is generally neglected or receives scanty attention and that the professional development in teaching which they receive at entry-level, is minimal. Although mentoring as a professional development strategy has been shown in many studies to have a positive impact in careers at entrylevel, South African universities are not doing enough to support and develop early career academics and consequently the transformation of higher education is being retarded by institutional lack of support. The case of the University of the Witwatersrand illustrates the situation common in many higher education institutions. The purpose of the study is to investigate mentoring as a transformation strategy for the professional development and socialisation in the career development and management of the early careers of entry-level academics to higher education in South Africa where transformation of higher education is a critical issue on the national agenda. In this study there are 28 early career academics in formal mentoring relationships as a result of specially designed mentoring programmes or academic internships which have been established since 1999. They were interviewed in-depth for their interpretations of their experiences in formal mentoring programmes where almost all the mentors are white and the majority of mentees belong to different cultural groups. The findings in the study show how necessary it is for early career academics to be paired with mentors who are aware of the functions and roles of mentors in higher education and who are seriously committed to fulfilling those roles themselves or in conjunction with others in their networks. One new career development function and one new psychosocial function of mentors were added to a model of existing functions derived from the literature. Transformation is an important new function of mentors and their function as role models is emphasised by the context of this mentoring research. Mentoring may be lauded as the panacea for transformation in higher education but unless mentors are adequately trained, supported and monitored, and are committed to transformation, the strategy is not likely to meet with success. Mentoring in cross-cultural contexts in higher education in South Africa is also likely to be only partially successful because too little is being done to address the effects of institutional and covert racism which lingers on. A wide spectrum of recommendations is made for making mentoring work in higher education institutions. These range from broadly based macro interventions at national and institutional levels, to quite detailed micro interventions at the individual level. Without a systematic and committed thrust throughout the sector to accelerate transformation, the whole sector is likely to languish and busy itself with meeting legislative demands for equity compliance and quality assurance drives without addressing the fundamental issues of developing those young academics who are instrumental in transforming the system. / WS2017

This study aimed to describe the stressors perceived by a group of Health Science lecturers in a School in a South African University, and to describe the coping strategies these lecturers used. The sample consisted of thirty, full-time lecturers in the three Disciplines that constituted the School. Three focus groups, one in each of the Disciplines, were held to gather the research material. The study reveaied that change in Tertiary Education and organisational issues such as the image of the institution, lecturing to a diverse student group, curriculum transformation and leadership issues were perceived as enduring stressors. An increased workload, brought about through the training of future health professionals, trying to stay abreast both professionally and as an academic and the nature of their academic appointments were further identified as potential stressors. Role conflicts in terms of juggling home and work responsibililies and role ambiguity with respect to being both a teacher and researcher were presented as additional stressors, as were certain day-to-day occurrences. Lastly, the lecturers identified a number of personal issues that were perceived as stressors. The study failed to highlight meaningful differences in the three Disciplines within the School, which is in keeping with other published research. The study also showed that the lecturers in each of the Disciplines had access to, and knowledge of, a wide range of coping mechanisms, both problem-based and emotion-focused. The lecturers in the three Disciplines used very similar coping strategies, and once again meaningful differences were not reported. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

M.Ed. / Academic staff development is seen as a vehicle of empowerment that focuses on assisting individual members of staff to acquire knowledge, understanding and skills needed to teaceffectively. A great number of South African Higher Education institutions have made inroads and advances with regard to academic staff development programmes. However many such programmes are usually general to all staff members including administrators and professionals and do not address the specific needs of academics. Managers often plan these programmes without consulting the envisaged participants or conducting any needs assessment despite the literature on academic staff development emphasising the importance of conducting a proper needs assessment. As a result academic staff members in these institutions still feel left behind when it comes to academic issues affecting them directly, such as an absence of continuous staff development and the development of their research and academic writing skills. Many academics feel that such programmes are irrelevant and boring and do not attend. Based on the above the aim of this study was to explore the needs of academics within the Education Department of Vista University Soweto Campus in order to arrive at an informed understanding of such needs for the purpose of informing future academic staff development programme planning. For the purposes of this study qualitative research was conducted using semi-structured interviews with a purposefully selected sample of eleven academics within the Education Department in order to ascertain their academic staff development needs. Data were analysed using the constant comparative method. The findings of the research reveal that the majority of the academics were dissatisfied about the manner in which academic staff development activities are planned and conducted. Among the factors mentioned, the following feature prominently: the need for continuous staff development; the necessity of conducting a proper needs assessment prior to planning academic staff developmental programmes, the needs of the academics in acquiring the skills for research and academic writing, and the availability of more funding for staff development activities. This report concludes with a number of recommendations for planning with regard to academic staff development programmes.

M. Tech. Business Administration / The aim of this research is to explore ways of retaining academic staff at a distance learning university in South Africa. It also looks at how the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 can be used to retain talent in our distance learning universities.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Change characterises life in the early twenty first century and higher education is no exception. Higher education in South Africa is currently in a considerable state of flux which ultimately is actualised at institutional level. It is academic staff who encounter these changes first hand. Technikon lecturers, in particular, are faced with additional challenges not faced by their university counterparts - they have been called upon to change from a primarily vocational to an academic alignment as a result of technikons being given the right to award degrees. This study conducts a cross sectional survey of academic staff at the Port Elizabeth Technikon to identify their academic workload, with particular reference to their research function. It also seeks to establish whether lecturers consider themselves to be adequately prepared for their research function. A review of the literature reveals that lecturers in higher education are involved in a wide variety of activities, the main ones being teaching, research, service, and scholarship. The literature review also shows that in overseas institutions with missions similar to the technikons, lecturers experienced changes to their workload as a result of the restructuring of higher education. The empirical study shows that academic staff at the Port Elizabeth Technikon have much in common with their international peers in terms of the changes and pressures that have been experienced. The work reality for lecturers at the named institution includes all the traditional elements associated with being academic: teaching, research, service and scholarship. Although research is a new function, this has been positively embraced by most staff and that in most cases lecturers consider themselves to be adequately prepared for this function. The empirical study also shows that more than one third of the respondents do not support the institutional vision of becoming "the first choice technological university of South Africa". Further, the study shows that, in common with other studies, staff were of the opinion that the institution undervalues teaching and that research attracts more recognition and rewards. Finally, it shows that significant numbers of staff work in excess of 50 hours per week and carry teaching loads that are greater than the institutional guidelines. Recommendations are made on the basis of these findings and a further avenue of research is suggested. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Verandering is 'n kenmerk van die lewe in die vroee een-en-twintigste eeu en hoer onderwys is geen uitsondering nie. Hoer onderwys in Suid-Afrika ervaar tans 'n besonderse toe stand van veranderlikheid, maar dit is uiteindelik op onderwysinrigtingvlak wat did tot verwerkliking kom. Dit is akademiese personeel wat hierdie veranderings eerstehands ondervind. In die besonder word Technikonpersoneel gekonfronteer met uitdagings waaraan hulle universiteitsewekniee nie blootgestel word nie - daar word van hulle vereis om van 'n primere beroeps-orientering oor te skakel na 'n akademiese ingesteldheid as gevolg van die feit dat technikons die mandaat verkry het om grade toe te ken. Hierdie studie het 'n opname onder akademiese personeel aan die Port Elizabethse Technikon gedoen om vas te stel wat die personeel se akademiese werkslading is, met besondere verwysing na hulle navorsingsfunksie. Die ondersoek poog ook om vas te stel of lektore van mening is dat hulle genoegsaam voorberei is vir hulle navorsingsfunksie. 'n Literatuuroorsig toon dat lektore in hoer onderwys betrokke is by 'n bree verskeidenheid aktiwiteite, waarvan die belangrikste onderrig, navorsing, dienslewering en vakkundigheid (scholarship) is. Die literatuurstudie toon ook dat in ander lande aan inrigtings met soortgelyke doelstellings as die technikons, lektore veranderings in hulle werksladings ondervind het as gevolg van die herstrukturering van hoer onderwys wat teen die einde van die twintigste eeu plaasgevind het. Die empiriese studie toon dat akademiese personeel aan die Port Elizabethse Technikon met betrekking tot die veranderings en druk wat ondervind word veel in gemeen het met hulle intemasionale ewekniee, Die realiteit in die werkplek vir lektore by genoemde inrigting sluit al die tradisionele elemente in wat verband hou met die akademie: onderrig, navorsing, diens en vakkundigheid (scholarship). Alhoewel navorsing 'n nuwe funksie is, is dit deur die meerderheid personeel positief aanvaar en in die meeste gevalle is lektore van mening dat hulle vir hierdie funksie voldoende voorberei is. Die empiriese studie toon ook dat meer as een derde van die respondente nie die institusionele visie om "die eerste-keuse tegnologiese universiteit van Suid-Afrika te wees" ondersteun rue. Voorts toon die studie soos ook in ander studies, dat personeel van mening was dat die inrigting onderrig geringskat en dat meer erkenning en belonings aan navorsing gegee word. Laastens toon dit dat 'n beduidende aantal personeellede meer as 50 uur per week werk- en onderrigladings dra wat meer is as die riglyne van die inrigting. Op grond van hierdie bevindings word aanbevelings gemaak en 'n verdere navorsingsrigting voorgestel.

This study examines the perceived influence of the following factors on the performance of expatriate academics: biographical profile, social and cultural adjustment, homesickness, language, organizational socialization, and satisfaction with the policies and practices of the organization with regard to salary, rewards and promotion. The study was conducted on a sample of 85 expatriate academics employees of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa). The research data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire where all answers were requested using a five point likert scale (from 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree‟) except for the section on the biographical profile of the participants. In other words, the research data captured the perceptions of the respondents measured on the above-mentioned scale. This means for example that every expatriate academic in the study made a self-assessment of his or her work performance. The research sample was constructed using a snowball sampling method. The results obtained from the inferential statistical analysis indicate that language is the only predictor of work performance. The frequencies and means analysis revealed that respondents are not quite satisfied with their salary and rewards. Correlation analysis also revealed the following relationships between the research variables: a correlation was found between social and cultural adjustment and homesickness; a correlation was found between social and cultural adjustment and organizational socialization; and correlation was found between satisfaction with the policies and practices of the organization with organizational socialization. The findings of this research can be useful to universities for improvement of the performance of their expatriate academics through the following research recommendations: conducting language training; providing market-related salaries to expatriate employees; and granting holiday allowances and stress management programmes to expatriate academics so as to alleviate their homesickness. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2009.

A dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Technology: Information Technology, Durban University of Technology, 2011. / This study examines the perceived effect of the following factors on web searching ability of academic staff in the computing discipline: demographic attributes such as gender, age group, position held by the academic staff, highest qualification, etc; lecturing experience, research experience, English language proficiency, and web searching experience. The research objectives are achieved using a Likert-scale based questionnaire for 61 academic staff from Information Technology and Computer Science departments from four Universities from the Kwazulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed for data analysis from the questionnaire after performing data reliability and validity tests using factor analysis and Cronbach‟s coefficients methods on the PASW Statistics 18.0 (SPSS). Descriptive statistics revealed a majority of staff from IT as compared to staff in CS and, a majority of under qualified middle age male staff in junior positions with considerable years of lecturing experience but with little research experience. Inferential statistics show an association between web searching ability and demographic attributes such as academic qualifications, positions, and years of research experience, and also reveal a relationship between web searching ability and lecturing experience, and between web searching ability and English language ability. However, the association between position, English language ability, and searching ability was found to be the strongest of all. The novelty finding by this study is the effect of lecturing experience on web searching ability which has not been claimed by existing research reviewed. Ideas for future research include mentoring of academic staff by more experienced staff, training of novice web searchers, designing and using semantic search systems both in English and in local languages, publishing more web content in local languages, and triangulating various research strategies for the analysis of the usability of web search engines.

A climate that stimulates creativity and encourages optimal performance is essential for enhancing the knowledge capacity of organisations. This encompasses the roles played by diverse aspects such as organisational support, freedom, work pressure, idea time/support, workplace challenges and trust/openness. This study is located in the field of Adult Education in general with a specific focus on Workplace Learning. A qualitative study was conducted to describe the perceptions of managers and non-managers in five campuses of Thekwini FET College as either potential enablers or disablers of a creative climate. The research explicates what and how these professionals learn in creative climates. This study examines four research questions: In what ways do employees perceive the climate for creativity in the workplace?; How is the climate for creativity nurtured or stifled in the workplace?; What is meant by a 'creative climate'?; What are the critical success factors for inducing and facilitating a creative climate at Thekwini FET College? Thirteen participants, who had working knowledge experience and were able to provide a rich description of their work climate, were selected. A comprehensive collection and analysis of data was yielded through: (a) semi-structured individual interviews; (b) looking at words, sentences and paragraphs of documents; and (c) informal observations. Data was analysed and interpreted by identifying the themes promulgated by Ekvall's Creative Climate Questionnaire and Amabile's KEYS survey. The findings led to the emergence of two new themes of coping mechanism and informal learning. The discussions inform and support the research from the perspective of employee experience and the theoretical model. The following recommendations were made in terms of: (a) Organisational Culture - devalue bureaucracy with greater interpersonal functioning of trust, freedom and support; (b) People - value and make people central in the workplace; and (c) Value Socialisation - organisational support for informal learning, playful about ideas, tolerant of spirited debates and challenges. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

D.Ed. / This particular research -focus on the involvement of lecturers at a decentralised multi-campus university in curriculum development. The research design which were followed is of an explorative, descriptive and qualitative nature. In this research several examples of curriculum development which have been unsuccessful, were mentioned. These examples explain shortcomings or inadequacies such as curricula which are content centred, needs of students who have not been considered and several didactic practices which are merely intuitive in nature. One of the greatest problems which may be created by haphazard and incoherent curriculum development is the fact that it eventually may lead to the demoralisation of lecturers and their effective functioning. There are two broad approaches as far as the involvement of lecturers in decision making and curriculum development is concerned, namely , the "top-down" and the "bottom-up" approach. Despite successes, examples of inadequate curriculum development have their roots in one of these two approaches. Therefore it can be deducted that several models for curriculum development had their origin in either or both these approaches. Several curriculum researchers like Van Staden (1991), McAleese (1982) and Pratt (1994), warn however, that curriculum development which works well in one institution might not necessarily influence success in another. Variables such as context and student characteristics can differ from one instance to the next. For this very reason the researchers interest concentrated on the involvement of lecturers in curriculum development in a particular decentralised multi-campus university. THE AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this research was to explore the extent of the involvement of students and lecturers in curriculum development, as well as perceptions, feelings and opinions of lecturers with respect to their involvement. Two different ways of data-collection were used: Focus group interviews were conducted with the co-ordinators and individual semi-structured interviews with lecturers. To ensure reliability of the results certain rules were adhered to.

M.Ed. (Tertiary Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract