The purpose of the study was to determine professional nurses’ knowledge of culture- competent care at selected medical and oncology wards and outpatient departments in Mopani District, Limpopo Province. A quantitative descriptive design was used and data collected from one hundred and five professional nurses by means of a structured questionnaire. The study found that cultural knowledge needs to be nurtured through continuing education and mentoring and that culture-competent care should be included in the curriculum. Furthermore, cultural knowledge is not effective if there is no correlation of theory and practice and early clinical placement of student nurses during their basic training / Health Studies / M. A. (Health Studies)

The aim of this study is to investigate the role played by parents in improving discipline in rural secondary schools, particularly those in the Kgakotlou Circuit of the Capricorn district. The problem is investigated using a literature study and empirical investigation with school management teams, teachers and the parents of learners in four secondary schools in the Kgakotlou circuit. The literature review explores the development of parental involvement in education during the pre-apartheid, apartheid and post-apartheid eras. The benefits of parental involvement and barriers thereto are also explored as well as the management of parental involvement. The empirical study is done qualitatively and data is collected face-to-face from the participants during interviews. The interview questions examine the extent to which parents are involved in their children’s education, school policies on parental involvement, communication between parents and educators and the duties of the school governing bodies. The findings indicate that some of the parents are willing to participate in their children’s schoolwork, but do not know how to achieve this. Schools do not create enough opportunities for parental involvement. Based on the literature review and empirical investigation, recommendations are made for school management teams, educators, and parents. The school management teams should design parental involvement plans according to their schools’ unique characteristics. Educators are urged to guide parents as they are more knowledgeable. Parents should try to devise strategies to overcome their barriers to parental involvement in their children’s education. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Youth entrepreneurship is one of the solutions to reducing unemployment. The purpose of the study was to analyse youth entrepreneurship business performance in the Capricorn District Municipality in Limpopo Province. An entrepreneurship development model focusing on internal factors (entrepreneurial orientation) and external factors (supportive and cooperative environments), was adapted to establish whether they are related to youth business performance. The business environmental factors, such as business location, crime, and corruption were also tested as to whether they are related to youth business performance. The research used a census survey and primary data was obtained through questionnaires. The respondents for this study were 26 youth entrepreneurship business units in CDM, in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The findings reveal that youth businesses have shown negative performance in terms of the employment in the CDM, which results in employing fewer than five employees. / Business Management / M. Tech.

Heads of departments (HoDs) in TVET colleges perform a variety of tasks which include curriculum changes, conducting lecturer evaluation, recommending employment of new lecturers and staff, maintaining proper records about staff and students, organising departmental meetings and social gatherings, etc. Their responsibilities are also further compounded by some of the delegated duties from senior management of the college. In this regard, an HoD leadership style becomes an important factor that contributes to effective leadership of the department. Therefore, this study explores leadership styles exhibited by HoDs, as leaders in their own space in the TVET colleges. This qualitative study involved eight lecturers and four HoDs. The participants were purposively selected from two campuses in one TVET college in the Free State province. Research questions focused on how the HoDs perceive their leadership styles, how do lecturers perceive the leadership styles of HoDs, and what kinds of strategies are recommended to advance effective leadership styles of HoDs in TVET colleges. The findings indicate that HoDs at this particular TVET college need proper induction and intensive training on four management functions, namely Planning, Leading, Organising and Controlling. Although the majority of HoDs seem to be using democratic leadership styles, lecturers reporting to them are not entirely satisfied as they feel that they are not included in the decisions that affect them in class. Recommendations to remedy or improve the situation are provided including issues to consider for further research. / Educational Management and Leadership / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Abstracts in English and Nyanja / Violent community protests are a common occurrence in South Africa ever since democracy. The aim of the study was to determine teachers’ views on the impact of violent community protests in a specific high school. Ineffective municipality leadership led to violent community protests which disrupted schooling activities. A qualitative design and one case study was employed in this study, and data were collected using individual interviews, observation and document analysis. Differences in ethnicity between community members and lack of service delivery were the cause of community protests. The study revealed that vandalising and burning down schools affect teachers’ ability to work. This study contributes to the body of knowledge to create safer learning environments in South African schools. Recommendations were made on how the community could work together and strengthen their relationship in protecting their schools’ assets. / U gwalaba ha vhadzulapo ho no tou vha kutshilele kwa misi fhano Africa Tshipembe u bva tshe ra wana mbofholowo. Ngudo heyi i amba nga ha toduluso ya migwalabo ino kwama vhadededzi musi vha tshikoloni. Migwalabo yone zwavhudi vhudi i kwama zwihulwanesa mbekanya mishumo ya tshikolo na uri ina masala ndo itwa asiya vhudi kha tsireledzo ya vhadededzi. Dzi tsedzuluso nga mutodisi wa dzi ngudo o nanga vha imeleli vhane vha do thusa kha unea vhutanzi nga ha thaidzo heyi. Kha vha imeleli uya nga ha dzi ngudo ho nangiwa vhatanu na muthihi. Nga u fhambana ha mirafho kha vhadzulapo, zwi sumbedza uri ndi tshinwe tsha zwiitisi kha uswa ha zwikolo zwinzhi Vuwani. U sa vha na nyandano na u sa pfana vhukati ha vha dzulapo zwi disa migwalabo ine ya thithisa vhadededzi na vhana zwikoloni. Dzi tsedzuluso dzo wana uri u fhisiwa ha zwikolo zwi shela mulenzhe ka ku shumele kwa Vha-dededzi. Ho themendeliwa uri vhadzulapo kha vha farisane, vha shume vhothe, vha vhe na vhuthihi kha u tsireledza ndaka ya tshikolo. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Socio-Education)

This study employed a qualitative approach to investigate the use of cooperative learning to enhance conceptual understanding of trigonometry in a Grade 11 mathematics classroom, conducted at a high school in Moletlane Circuit, Capricorn District in Limpopo Province, South Africa. A single case study was used as a research design to get an in-depth analysis and collect detailed data using semi-interviews and lesson observation of the cooperative learning of trigonometry in Grade 11 from the learners and the teacher. Participants were purposely chosen and consisted of (n=30) Grade 11 mathematics learners and their mathematics teacher. Data from the participants were collected through semi-structured interviews and observation, with the aid of observation guide (Appendix C) for three weeks. The salient findings from the study showed how cooperative learning was used, research questions, the approaches, the teacher did not adequately highlight the importance of trigonometry to students without integrating the topic to real-life situations. Some students said that the teacher did not teach trigonometry in a manner that they understood, which made trigonometry challenging for them. Concerning cooperative learning, the study found that many learners were passively engaged, listened to or watched the teacher. Mainly, the study recommends teacher-training institutions to host practical workshops to help teachers integrate theoretical training and practical cooperative learning experience. While this study was qualitative in nature, future researchers could conduct quantitative data collection. This would allow for the collection of numerical findings through survey questionnaires. / Mathematics Education / M. Ed. (Mathematics Education)

This study focuses on the role of school managers in addressing challenges associated with the implementation of continuous assessment (CASS) in the Further Education and Training (FET) band in Mopani District. It furthermore investigates to what degree school managers in the district engage in performing the “traditional” leadership and management roles which create a conducive atmosphere for the implementation of CASS. A thorough literature review provides an understanding of the emerging trends and challenges in the implementation of CASS internationally. Most of these challenges are analogous with those constraining the implementation of CASS in Mopani District. The data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires from purposively sampled district educators and school management teams (SMTs) who came from randomly selected schools. The findings enumerated the insufficient training for school managers and infrequency of performing “traditional” leadership and management roles as some of the factors hampering the implementation of CASS in the district schools. / Educational Studies / M. Ed (Education Management)

The study identifies the challenges in the implementation of Inclusive Education in the Umgungundlovu District of Education and establishes the possible solutions. The basis for this investigation is the Education White Paper 6, Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System (Department of Education, 2001). The study was conducted in the Umgungundlovu District of Education in the area of Pietermaritzburg. A qualitative research method was used. Data collection strategies that were used are structured interviews, observation and a questionnaire. The study reveals the following challenges that hamper theimplementation;Negative attitudes of some educators and parents towards inclusion, lack of Skills Development Programmes for educators, minimal involvement of parents as well as lack of infrastructural development. These challenges could be dealt with by appointing a Manager within the District to ensure that advocacy on Inclusive Education, training of educators and infrastructural improvement in all schools are done. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Abstract not available / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The aim of this study was to capture nurses’ experiences and reality of practice in order to understand their views on National Health Insurance (NHI) policy. A hermeneutic phenomenological research design was used to collect data from professional nurses working at Embuleni Hospital in the Gert Sibande District of Mpumalanga province. A sample of 10 professional nurses was included in the study and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data which was analysed following van Manen’s (1990) approach. The results revealed that professional nurses are of the view that the policy on management of hospitals is the source of health system problems which have caused inequalities and insufficient management of rural hospitals, thus affecting their efficiency in service delivery. However, the study revealed that professional nurses viewed the same policy in the light of national core-standards which they use as an objective tool for the purpose of monitoring their practice. The findings present an opportunity for policy makers to use evidence-based knowledge in realigning policy for relevance, bringing nurses on board in the policy process and understanding the key constituents of policy content. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)