Student leadership in South African (SA) universities has undergone radical change since the transformation of Higher Education in post-apartheid South Africa and this has consequently resulted in shifts in priorities for student leaders. In addition, this leadership can be viewed as occurring in multiple forms in SA universities and in the literature about student leadership in SA. Furthermore; student leadership comprises different and more diverse demographics now in the post-apartheid era. Thus the concept of student leadership may be constituted differently for different student leaders in SA universities today. This research has been undertaken to explore the latter in a particular SA university with the specific aim of studying the social construction of student leadership in a SA university. A social constructionist lens was adopted as the underpinning worldview to adopt a pluralistic qualitative approach in this psychosocial research. Data were gathered using a social dream drawing technique, accessing information on three levels: conscious, subconscious and unconscious. The findings express the fusion of discourse analysis and a psychodynamic interpretation employed in the data analysis. The major findings suggest a two-way interaction between identity in student leadership and relational dynamics in student leadership: these set up a conversation about the anxiety of working with diversity dynamics. Therefore the social construction of student leadership in a SA university has been found to be a space for a conversation about the said anxiety. Metaphors employing Mandela and Moses as leadership symbols have been related to psychodynamic themes such as narcissistic injury and stillbirth and grief in terms of the conversation about the given anxiety amongst such leaders in a SA university. The research makes a methodological contribution by recommending pluralism as a favourable research approach in the study of student leadership. In addition, recommendations for practice such as the implementation of student leadership schools and the incorporation of the relevant psychology professionals to intervene from an adjustment perspective are proposed to inform consulting psychologists and other relevant practitioners in terms of fit for purpose interventions that are linked to student leadership in SA universities. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / Ph. D.(Consulting Psychology)

This study explores the implementation of multilingualism at Rhodes University (RU), by examining the teaching and learning practices of lecturers, demonstrators and students within the Cell Biology module, offered by the Biological Sciences and Botany departments at RU. This examination is in line with RU’s Language Policy (2005/2014), which recognises multilingualism and the development of isiXhosa as an academic/scientific language. The study and the choice for the location of the study within RU was motivated by what seemed to be a pattern of under achievement of LOTE speaking students studying Cell Biology. This pattern necessitated a further inquiry into the language aspect of the teaching and learning of Cell Biology. The goals of this research were to investigate spaces where LOTE students use their home languages and the motivations behind their usage of those languages. Due to the varying proficiencies of LOTE students in their mother tongue, this study sought to investigate the language capabilities of LOTE students in their home languages. The perceptions of the main role players in the Cell Biology module were sought, in order to get an idea of what students, lecturers and demonstrators thought about multilingualism in teaching and learning practices in the Cell Biology module. This study has discovered that there is a disparity in achievement between LOTE and English speaking students, with English students outperforming LOTE students consistently in the period investigated. On the language capabilities of LOTE students in their mother tongue, it was discovered that they have enough linguistic capital for a mother tongue intervention to succeed. There were mixed views about the use of LOTE in HE, but students were mostly in favour of the use of LOTE. A number of recommendations are made as to how multilingualism can be implemented in Cell Biology. In this study I argue that there is a need to use the mother tongue of LOTE students in order to support learning, the mother tongue intervention is supported by scholars such as Paxton (2007, 2009; Madiba 2011, 2012, 2014). The use of the mother tongue to support learning should be a short-term measure while the process of the development of African languages is underway, because languages develop as they are used, and form follows function (Madiba 2008). Ultimately, African languages should be developed and use as academic languages in HE not only in order to fulfil the legislative imperatives such as the Constitution and the Language Policy Higher Education but also to increase access and success among LOTE students.

The Departments of Computer Science and Information Systems at Rhodes University currently share certain honours-level (fourth year) course modules with students from the corresponding departments at the previously disadvantaged University of Fort Hare. These lectures are currently delivered using video-conferencing. This was found to present a number of problems including challenges in terms of implementing desired pedagogical approaches, inequitable learning experiences, student disengagement at the remote venue, and inflexibility of the video-conferencing system. In order to address these problems, various e-learning modes were investigated and synchronous e-learning were found to offer a number of advantages over asynchronous e-learning. Live Virtual Classrooms (LVCs) were identified as synchronous e-learning tools that support the pedagogical principles important to the two universities and to the broader context of South African tertiary education, and commercial LVC applications were investigated and evaluated. Informed by the results of this investigation a small, simple LVC was designed, developed and customised for use in a predominantly academic sphere and deployment in a South African tertiary educational context. Testing and evaluation of this solution was carried out and the results analysed in terms of the LVC’s technical merits and the pedagogical value of the solution as experienced by students and lecturers/facilitators. An evaluation of this solution indicated that the LVC solves a number of the identified problems with video-conferencing and also provides a flexible/customisable/extensible solution that supports highly interactive, collaborative, learner-centred education. The custom LVC solution could be easily adapted to the specific needs of any tertiary educational institute in the country, and results may benefit other tertiary educational institutions involved in or dependant on distance learning.

Women form a critical component of the workforce of South Africa. Therefore the issue of retaining women should be a strategic priority for organisations. This study focused on identifying general retention factors for women in a higher education institution. The research also examined the retention of women from two distinct leadership perspectives: how different leadership styles of managers and the presence of leadership opportunities for women could affect their retention. A cross-sectional quantitative research approach was followed. A non-probability simple random sample was drawn from permanent female staff at a higher education institution. Through the process of exploratory factor analysis, six retention factors were identified, namely unique needs, growth, recognition, work conditions, relationships and support. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted. The results indicated that various leadership constructs predicted the retention of women. Recommendations for retention strategies aimed specifically at women are suggested on the basis of these findings. / Business Management / M. Com.

Arising from a literature study, the notions of quality and quality assurance (QA) were described. A literature study was undertaken regarding the current South African national QA policies on teacher education. A case study was conducted at Tshiya College of Education, which merged with the University of the North: Qwaqwa Branch during the rightsizing of higher education in 2001. The establishment of a QA system for teacher education, on micro level, was critically described. Action research was used to investigate the process of QA. A steering committee was established. Two QA seminars contributed toward an awareness campaign. A SWOTanalysis was done. A QA policy was designed, including a framework-for-action which was action researched by volunteers. Researchers developed their own improvement plans by: compiling their job descriptions; rating their effectiveness of task execution; and attending to emerging quality gaps to determine focus areas. Professional development was emphasised. Improvement plans for Micro Teaching and Media were action researched. Taxing circumstances, resulting from the higher education transformation and its effect on the research, were reported. Data emerged from describing the action research phases: planning, implementation, observation, and reflection for re-planning. Self-, peer-, and student-assessments were utilised. Apart from discussions and meetings, the researchers kept diaries and forms were designed for assessments. In both improvement plans, reflection-in-action led to identification of unforseen weaknesses which were addressed as side-spirals of the original plans. Reflection-on-action took place at a formal meeting to which external evaluators were invited. Strengths and weaknesses were determined and findings corroborated and clustered toward final recommendations. Intrinsic motivation was described as a precursor to involvement in QA. Leadership/management/planning was seen as creating infrastructure to encourage employees to focus on quality and movement toward the institution's vision. Implementation was described as taking action to put a realistic plan into practice. Teamwork was identified as a hallmark of action research and emphasis was placed on collective wisdom. It was concluded that meritorious modelling meant that educators should lead by example / Educational Studies / D.Ed.(Education Management)

The main purpose of this research is to establish whether ICT models as implemented in distance education do help to render desirable results (increment in throughput, meeting clientele expectations, and reduction in learner drop-outs). If it is not the case, what could be done to overcome the established hindrance? The researcher employed programme evaluation (PE) which integrates both the positivistic and phenomenological aspects of research. The samples were drawn from the population group through probability and non-probability techniques. Different research strategies within PE such as discovery, inspection and auditing were at first employed to gauge the physical presence of what is being achieved by Unisa through use of myUnisa & DVC; followed by the use of the surveys (personal interviews, administered questionnaires, focus group interviews). The ultimate outcomes of the said research activities are audiovisual recordings, statistically analysed transcripts and questionnaire data. The researcher employed the following key questions in grappling with issues in this area; their findings are also given: i. Does the application of ICTs facilitate and enhance flexible learning at Unisa? With reference to flexible delivery as it relates to aspect of teaching and learning in Engineering, it has been established that minimal use is made of ICTs. Are the technologies correctly applied for teaching and learning? Based on the evidence of research findings it has been established that technology application is mainly used for administrative support rather than for teaching and learning. iii. Do the instructional design and technological applications meet the needs of their users? As matters stand, the study suggests that users' expectations through rating their perceptions and attitudes (academics, tutors, instructional designers, multimedia developers and learners), are far from being met (as all the critical parts of the models are not yet in place regarding the Engineering and other departments). According to the main finding, while there is some evidence of efforts aimed at proper implementation, underutilisation of the ICTs appears to be the main problem, as established at Unisa and elsewhere. The research is concluded through a number of recommendations based on the established findings. / Educational Studies / (D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies))

A CPD model for the University of Technology lecturers is designed in this study. The focus of the CPD model is on teaching as a predominant feature of the Lecturers‟ functions. Literature review on the nature, historic developments and the mandate of former Technikons in South Africa is conducted. A comparative analysis of University of Technology education systems in five other countries is conducted. Research was then conducted to establish the status of Lecturers‟ CPD in former Technikons. Data obtained from literature and the research project was used to design a CPD model for University of Technology Lecturers. Interviews were subsequently conducted with CPD practitioners in Universities of Technology to obtain opinions on the model. A survey was conducted to obtain Lecturers‟ opinions on the aspects of the model. Data obtained was then used to modify the model. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

Mergers and incorporations are relatively new phenomena in the South African higher education landscape. The unbundling of Vista University, and the subsequent incorporation ofVUDEC into the merger between Unisa and TSA, posed a major challenge to all affected employees. This thesis focuses on how these employees experienced the various stages of the incorporation process. A social construction of inner and outer voices heard, shared, and read during the different phases of the incorporation process attempts to describe how to conserve the self in a merger. The aim of the thesis is to build towards a framework for dealing with the human aspect during institutional mergers and incorporations. The thesis consists of a prologue, a series of four manuscripts that report on the experiences of employees during the different phases of the merger process, and an epilogue. Each manuscript focuses on a specific phase or aspect of the incorporation process, with its own research focus, aims, and methodology. The first two manuscripts reflect on the pre-merger phase. The first manuscript reports on employees' preparation for the incorporation. Following a social constructionist grounded theory approach, four participating employees gained the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences of well-being during the pre-merger phase. The manuscript also reports on a wellness development workshop, attended by 35 representatives from various departments and units of Vista University during the pre-merger phase. The second manuscript reports on how employees embraced the VUDEC institutional culture. A case study approach was selected for semi-structured interviews with 17 participants from governance, academic and administrative departments, and post-graduate programmes. By means of content analysis, the institutional culture ofVUDEC was captured on the eve of the incorporation into Unisa. The third manuscript focuses on employees' experiences of the four-year transition and implementation phases of the incorporation. This manuscript follows a social identity approach, and through thematic analysis, reports on how 24 participants experienced the four-year implementation of the incorporation process. The fourth manuscript provides an overview of the human side of mergers as depicted in both national and international literature. The aim is to position the current longitudinal investigation and its findings in the broader higher education landscape, and a survival kit for conserving the self in a merger is proposed. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship that exists between academic self-concept, motivation and academic achievement at the University of the Free State. The primary aim of this study was to determine if academic self-concept and motivation of quantity surveying students at the University of the Free State could predict their level of academic achievement. The sample was selected by means of convenience sampling. Relevant literature indicated that there are contrasting findings about whether a relationship exists between students’ academic self-concepts and motivation, and academic achievement. The empirical investigation revealed that there are only significant correlations between academic self-concept, motivation and academic achievement in some of the study year levels and not in all of them. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Adult education)

Learners with disabilities do not only incur various challenges in their learning encounters, but their presence also places many demands on Institutions of Higher Education (IHE). The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges and needs of learners with disabilities in an inclusive IHE and to use the findings to develop guidelines that will promote their accommodation in the learning environment. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional quantitative design where self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. A total of 67 learners from different disability categories participated in the study. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19. Among the participants 50.7% were males, 41.8% were mobility impaired and 29.9% were visually impaired. While almost two-thirds (64.2%) of the participants indicated that they were born with the condition, 27.3% said they required regular medical attention and 9.0% indicated they needed assistance in performing their daily routine work. With regard to challenges facing the participants, 64.1% said lecturers were not flexible in their teaching methods, and 68.8% said lecturers did not make follow-ups on them when they failed to cope academically. Among this group of learners almost 3 in 4 (74.6%) participants repeated their courses at least once. In addition, whilst 43.8% indicated that the physical environment constituted a great barrier to their learning, 53.8% said they were vulnerable to abuses and dangers. The participants rated sanitation and extra-curricular programmes as the poorest. The study established that there were significant (p=0.007) relationship between blindness status and failure rate, and also between type of secondary school (special or regular) attended and the ability to cope with the demands of tertiary education (p=0.004). These findings suggest that there are a number of challenges that tend to exclude and marginalise learners with disabilities in IHEs. The study, therefore, recommended that the Department of Higher Education and Training (DoHET) must make it mandatory for all IHEs to develop and implement inclusive institutional policies that will remove academic and social barriers in IHEs in line with the Social Model of Disability. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)