Thesis (MPA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

M.Tech. Business Administration. Business School. / The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which female managers utilise the transformational leadership style as a feature of their normal dealings as managers. Much of the available literature on leadership typologies refers to the need to identify leadership styles that are suited to managing in different and changing environments. In this regard, various leadership styles or orientations have been identified as useful for managing change. However very few studies have been pre-occupied with understanding the extent to which a particular type of leadership styles may be preferred over another particularly from a gender perspective.

<p>This thesis proposes a typology of responsiveness in order to reduce interpretive ambiguity and to provide a framework which makes possible an assessment of the extent to which responsiveness is likely to be institutionalised in higher education. The typology is tested at two universities. The findings indicate that the typology developed can be deployed to reveal insight into how responsiveness is manifesting at universities. The findings around institutionalisation of responsiveness are less conclusive but indicate that while there is evidence of the institutionalisation of a particular type of university responsiveness, the process is at best partial as the academic heartland of higher education systems remain slow to accept the demands made by the state, university leadership and other stakeholders for more responsive universities.</p>

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates multimodal assessment in the South African higher education context. The communication landscape of students is becoming increasingly multimodal, resulting in a shift away from higher education institutions’ preferred mode (that is, the written mode). This is partly as a result of the digital era in which we live, as the verbal, visual and audio modes co-exist to make meaning, thereby creating new forms of text (Iedema 2003: 33). Although there is a common acceptance that the communication landscape has changed, higher education institutions still seem to consider the written text and written communication as the most dominant form of meaning-making (Lea 2004: 743). Thus, there is a disparity between the types of literacies with which students arrive at university, and the types of literacies that they are expected to use in university. I argue that this disparity is problematic for education, and maintain that pedagogies be transformed in order to resolve this issue. In this way, students will be able to “benefit from learning in ways that allow them to participate fully in public, community, and economic life” (Cazden et al. 1996: 60). Data for this research includes assignments that were produced by second-year students of Applied English Language Studies, a subject offered by the Department of General Linguistics at Stellenbosch University. These assignments include a multimodal component as well as a formal, written component. Analysis of their assignments revealed that students show great dexterity in their creations of multimodal texts. Apart from their design skills, it was revealed that students have knowledge of a wide variety of social discourses, which is currently mostly ignored in the education context. Thus, I propose that this knowledge, along with the digital and visual design skills with which students arrive at university, be valorised and utilised as an entry point for the teaching of linguistic literacy. This proposal is partly supported by schema theory, a cognitive theory of learning, which entails that existing knowledge is used as a platform on which to build new knowledge. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek multimodale assessering in die Suid-Afrikaanse hoër onderwys konteks. Die kommunikasie landskap van studente word al hoe meer multimodaal wat ʼn skuif weg van die voorgekeurde modaliteit (die geskrewe) in hoër onderwys teweegbring. Dit is gedeeltelik a.g.v. die digitale era waarin ons leef waarin die verbale, visuele en klank modaliteite saam gebruik word om betekenis te skep; dus word nuwe vorme van teks geskep (Iedema 2003: 33). Alhoewel daar algemeen aanvaar word dat die kommunikasie landskap verander het, beskou hoër onderwys instansies nog steeds die geskrewe teks en geskrewe kommunikasie as die dominante vorm van betekenisskepping (Lea 2004: 743). Daar is dus ʼn gaping tussen die tipes geletterheid waarmee studente by die universiteit opdaag en watter daar van hulle verwag word om te gebruik in die universiteit. Ek voer aan dat hierdie gaping problematies is vir opvoedkunde en stel voor dat pedagogie verander moet word om dit aan te spreek. Op hierdie manier kan studente voordeel trek op maniere wat hul toelaat om ten volle deel te neem aan publieke, gemeenskaplike en ekonomiese lewe (Cazden et al. 1996: 60). Data vir hierdie navorsing sluit opdragte in wat deur tweede jaar Applied English Language Studies (ʼn vak wat deur die Departement Algemene Taalwetenskap by Stellenbosch Universiteit aangebied word) studente uitgevoer is. Die opdragte sluit ʼn multimodale element sowel as ʼn formele geskrewe element in. Analise van die opdragte wys dat studente vaardigheide het in die produksie van multimodale tekste. Behalwe die produksie vaardighede wys die analise ook dat hierdie studente kennis het van ʼn wye reeks sosiale diskoerse wat op die oomblik meestal geïgnoreer word in die opvoedkundige konteks. Ek voer dus aan dat hierdie kennis sowel as die digitale- en visuele produksie vaardigheide waarmee studente by die universiteit opdaag, gevalideer en gebruik word as ingangspoort vir die aanleer van talige geletterheid. Deels word die voorstel deur skema teorie ondersteun, ʼn teorie wat in kognitiewe benaderinge tot leer ontwikkel het en wat voorstel dat bestaande kennis gebruik kan word as ʼn platform om nuwe kennis te bou.

M.Ed. / The aim of this study was to explore, with the intention of providing a rich description, the experiences of black women enrolled at an historically white university. Limited studies in the South African context have revealed that many women have alienating and marginalising experiences in formal education from as early as primary schooling up to their learning experiences as adults. This often takes the form of disrespect from patriarchal teachers and institutions or androcentric content or information that excludes or undermines the efforts and experiences of women. Furthermore, the general position of women in broader society is filled with disparity and devaluation, as women are often the primary care givers, the lowest paid employees in formal employment, and unpaid workers within the family structure. For black women, who are often triply exploited through race, gender and economic disadvantage, the struggle to belong and even survive within higher ' education appears to be more challenging. As a result, black women sometimes view the university as alienating, androcentric and patriarchal which leads to descriptions of feeling restricted, silent, invisible or the 'other'. Traditional and cultural restrictions placed on black women often further exacerbate these experiences. Consequently, black women's stories are neither told nor heard within broader society or within texts in higher education institutions. The overarching perspective in which the study was grounded was that of socio constructivism, using qualitative research methods to explore the experiences of black women pursuing post graduate studies at an historically white university. Data for this study were collected via semi-structured, in-depth interviews with ten black women within the Education Faculty. I used the constant comparative method of data analysis to search for recurring themes and patterns. From the findings, it was clear that the prevailing perception of participants was that racial bias was present in almost every experience in higher education. In addition participants cited a number of constraints, which impacted negatively on their experiences. Many participants also reported a perceived lack of support from lecturers, which exacerbated an already challenging situation. As opposed to the many negative experiences, some positive experiences related to professional growth and learning opportunities were cited. Some participants also made observations about measures for the university to become more accessible to black women. The main implications arising out of the study are that management needs to endorse policy to deal with issues of both obvious and subtle racial bias. Staff development training, which incorporates methods for dealing appropriately with adult learners and practices that promote woman-positive and culturally responsive programmes, must compliment this. In addition, greater support should be afforded students, particularly part- time students, for increased opportunities to consult with lecturers and effective language tutoring. Accessible measures for part time students to raise their complaints via the SRC should also be created. Moreover, serious consideration needs to be given to the provision of adequate, affordable and efficient childcare facilities as a service for all students.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for Masters in Management Sciences specialising in Public Relations, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa. 2017. / In South Africa the National Plan for Higher Education (NPHE, 2001) brought with it distinct changes to the higher education landscape. Amongst the major changes were the mergers of various higher education institutions. In 2005, the Walter Sisulu University for Technology (WSU) was established through the merger of the former Border Technikon, Eastern Cape Technikon and the University of Transkei. The University caters for students from the Eastern Cape’s Border and Kei regions resulting in communication with a large number of stakeholders. Effective communication as well as developing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders therefore become pivotal. This study set out to examine the perceived effectiveness of communication strategies between the Walter Sisulu University and students. A mixed method approach found that although respondents felt that communication was satisfactory, concerns were however, raised about the effectiveness of the communication strategies being utilised. The study recommended e-communication as a key strategy to facilitate communication with students. / M

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / The high failure rate of especially first year students at tertiary institutions with its financial and manpower implications poses a problem. A report of the work committee of the Committee of University Principals Identified the lack of research on the learning needs of students as well as the need for a student learning profile and ways in which learning style research results can be utilised in the tertiary instruction programme. The implications of learning styles on the reading development of university students are still in doubt. Reading demands a vast amount of a student's study hours and reading ability underachievement occurs to a great extent. Consequently reading development programmes were introduced at tertiary Institutions to offer students the opportunity of developing and improving their reading skills. At the Rand Afrikaans University three different reading courses are offered, but during the past years it has become evident that not all students benefit equally from a specific course. These three courses accentuate the two main components of the reading act. namely the optical-mechanical (in course A), or the cognitive linguistic (in course B) as against the integration of both these components (in course C). The problem is which factors determine to which specific course a student should be assigned to optimise his reading ability. One probability is that a student's learning style could be such a factor. Hypotheses were posed to examine this. The aim of this study is to determine whether a student's learning style has any implications for the different reading courses which are conducted at the Student Counseling Bureau at RAU. An attempt was made to determine the preferred learning style of students in order to ascertain whether 8 student with 8 specific learning style would benefit more from a specific reading course (or courses).

The concept of “race” has been the organising feature of South African society for more than three centuries. More recent social changes in the United States of America, Europe, Australia, and South Africa have lead to more subtle expressions of racism. The present study aimed to explore and describe subtle racism amongst undergraduate psychology learners at a tertiary institution in Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality in 2004. The Subtle Racism Scale was used to measure anti-Black sentiment among a sample of 286 undergraduate psychology learners, obtained through non–probability, convenience sampling. Multiple regression analysis revealed the independent variables of race, age, and the race-age interaction were significantly associated with subtle racism of the participants. Research results demonstrated that participants’ level of estimated subtle racism varied according to the age and race of the participants, supporting the notion that racism in South Africa did not influence different age and race groups in a uniform manner.

As the competition increase in the Higher Education industry, marketing departments of Higher Education Institutions view students as consumers and market their institutions. At the mean time, universities around the world encourage their international offices to increase the foreign student enrollments. This research investigates the factors influencing international students’ choice of enrolling at Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) via the internet: international students’ Internet use to facilitate information search and decision making. This survey of international students from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) explored the Internet’s role in marketing international education. Based on this exploratory research, NMMU educational institutions gain insights of online customer service for successfully recruiting students. The results show that prospective overseas students do indeed use the internet. Overall evaluation of the factors influencing the use of the internet for enrolling at HEIs was determined by four factors: namely, perceived usefulness, consumer involvement, perceived ease of use and opinion leadership.

This thesis examined the manifestations of the various forms of racism in a South African institution of higher learning, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU). The study further attempted to confront racism from the perspective of finding ways in which human relations of a diversified higher education population could be improved. As the issue at hand in this study relates to racism, critical race theory (CRT) was explored in an attempt to understand different perceptions and ways of dealing with racial inequality. CRT recognizes the complexities of racism and the construction of race as a way of justifying political, economic and social inequality (Stovall, 2006:247). This understanding played a role in making sense of perceived racial discrimination which is also connected to gender, age and social class. CRT conceptual tools, such as stories and counter stories featured strongly in the data collection process. Understanding the relationships of power, race and racism, as advocated by CRT, was vital in the process of analyzing data, reporting on the findings, and the proposed recommendations. The empirical data and literature provided insight in the design of a ‘Wheel of Humanity’ which serves as a succinct portrayal of ideas that can work in nurturing acceptable, to better, human relations. The study revealed that Meta-stereotypes influenced the perceptions of racist attitudes, behaviours and practices. As much as overt forms of racism were reported as minimal, subtle and implicit forms still exist, and are aggravated by the ‘culture of power’ that is taken for granted. The success of initiatives designed for the purposes of going beyond race, and adopting a humane approach in instilling the principles of ubuntu, depends on changing attitudes and preconceived ideas.