The thesis documents the construction of a coherent conceptual and practical framework in which to locate the quest to establish community engagement as a legitimate, feasible and viable undertaking in higher education alongside its more established and accepted counterparts of teaching and research, with particular focus on the University of Zululand (UNIZULU) â a rural-based comprehensive university with an urban footprint. The thesis begins with a brief outline of the national context of community engagement before moving on to a more specific description of the context and recent history of UNIZULU. Certain key concepts are then clarified. A statement of the research concern and objectives of the study is followed by an account of the theoretical framework and research perspective underpinning the thesis, and a description of the methodology employed in the research. Ethical considerations are noted. There then follows a brief indication of the scope and intention of each of the papers, and the rationale behind the order in which they appear in the thesis. This brief introductory section concludes with speculation on what the significance of this study might be. Paper 1, Notions of âcommunity engagementâ appropriate to a Community-University Partnership Programme (CUPP) in a South African rural-based comprehensive university â Siyanibona!, seeks to tease out contested understandings of the notions of âidentityâ, âcommunityâ and âengagementâ. In so doing it explores three particular ideas, taken up in later papers, namely: the notion of ârelationships of fateâ needing to transform into âpartnerships of choiceâ; the link between the circumstances of a particular universityâs birth, and its acceptance or otherwise of its responsibility to its locale; and the need for all stakeholders in the community-university engagement endeavour to know more about each other at a level deeper than simply the institutional or organisational. Paper 2, From pillars to people: Reconceptualising the integration of teaching, research and community engagement in higher education, addresses the struggle community engagement has faced in achieving par with higher educationâs other core activities of teaching-andlearning and research in a way which chooses not to look at teaching, research and community engagement as activities or objects, but from the perspective of the individual stakeholders (staff, students and community members) engaged in those activities. The exploration of this idea picks up on the distinction between ârelationships of fateâ and âpartnerships of choiceâ first articulated in Paper I and expands the concept of âengagementâ to encompass the relationships between staff and students (not just those between the university and community members), and discusses ways in which staff, students and communities might more usefully interact with each other. Paper 3, SMMEs and higher education: Possibilities for partnership? homes in on a particular sector of the business community, to ascertain the extent to which the sector might be able to partner with the University to their mutual benefit. Using data from a questionnaire and interviews the study reveals that opportunities for work experience for students in micro and survivalist enterprises are limited but that the University could be doing more to âreach outâ to its communities by making them aware of who the university is, what it can offer, how it can assist, and perhaps most importantly, how it can be accessed. Paper 4, ProAct: An integrated model of action research and project management for capacitating universities and their communities in the co-production of useful knowledge, tells the story of the evolution of a hybrid model of action research and project management (ProAct) which takes account of the need for research in the university-community context to be accomplished democratically, but within specific parameters of time and other resources by grafting selected project management tools onto the basic action research cycle. The model gives practical and concrete form to the conceptual and theoretical constructs of other researchers who have considered the linking of action research and project management. Paper 5, A comprehensive university and its local communities: Establishing a framework for engagement, addresses the overarching question of how to establish a framework for engagement between a university and its communities. The paper employs the well-used âbuilding constructionâ metaphor, identifying the management and governance building blocks (including institutional self-identity, unequivocal support from institutional executive leadership, plans, policies, structures, and funding), and the âcementâ for holding the framework together (including familiarity with communities and knowing how to interact with them, changing mindsets and building capacity). The paper offers the opinion that the necessary foundation for the edifice is the institutional belief that engaging with communities is actually an integral and enhancing enabler of the higher education learning experience, not something which one is empowered to do after having been prepared exclusively in the lecture hall. The paper avers that if an institution does not come close to holding the view that the purpose of higher education is to provide something useful to society, starting with the communities that surround them, community engagement will always struggle to be accepted by the academy. In considering the significance of this whole study the thesis identifies the key ârealisationsâ which have given food for thought and which other researchers might find worthwhile exploring further too. These are: the significance of how institutional and community identities are established, by choice, fate or fiat; re-thinking the concept of âengagementâ to focus not on the activities per se of teaching, research and community engagement but on all of the stakeholders working as willing partners; the need for institutions and communities to embrace the belief that university-community interaction is one of the purposes of higher education, and the belief that community engagement is a vehicle for staff, student, curriculum and institutional development. In concluding, the thesis additionally notes the significance to the author himself of having taken this research journey. As a consequence he feels he is in a better position to promote a more integrated model of teaching, research and community engagement to his university, community colleagues, students, and community engagement peers in other universities. However, the author indicates that in furthering the cause of community engagement in higher education he will need to explore alternative paradigms, notably complexity science, and systemic action research.

My dissertation is a reflection on the first cycle of a journey in which I seek to make my practice a living theory by answering the question: How do I improve my professional practice as a teacher educator by infusing it with values of social justice? In undertaking this study I identified four guiding questions: ⢠What is my own understanding of social justice and its values? ⢠Why is it important to influence my practice so as not to be a living contradiction? ⢠How do I improve my own professional practice as a social justice educator for the benefit of my professional growth and development, and that of my students and colleagues? ⢠How can I open up spaces for my students and colleagues to engage in issues of social justice? I employed a living theory approach in conducting this study because it created a space for me in which to improve my practice by embedding it with the values that I cherish. The data collection methods I used included video and audio recordings of my lessons, document analysis, validation group and a journal for personal reflection throughout this process of seeking to improve my practice. The first chapter begins with mapping out some of the concerns and the rationale that led me to conduct this study, while also reflecting on the process of deepening my understanding of social justice. Chapter 2 details my research design and methodology, providing arguments for selecting a living theory approach to improve my practice. In the third chapter, I deconstruct my own socialisation with the aim of understanding the role it plays in shaping both my personal and professional identity. Chapter 3 concludes with a reflection on how my socialisation was contested and how I identified contestation as one of the reasons why I began to value social justice and, eventually, to undertake this study. In the fourth chapter, I contextualise my practice by reviewing various policy documents that inform curriculum development within teacher training and schooling. I further discuss the vision and mission of the University of the Free State as my current employer and explain the implications they have for my practice and curriculum development for the Faculty of Education. Within chapter 4 I also extend my understanding of what it means to teach for social justice by discussing its frameworks and components. The chapter concludes with the argument that teaching is a conscious act that engages students in the type of learning that equips them with knowledge to be specialists in their chosen field of study, while enabling them to realise their citizenry responsibility to become active change agents. Finally, chapter 5 reflects on my first action cycle by identifying concerns regarding my practice, reflecting for action, planning for action and implementing my plan. The chapter concludes by reflecting on the implementation of my first cycle before alluding to some of the implications for teacher education, staff development and schooling.

The goal of this study was to research the hypotheses that self-regulated learning and a future time perspective separately and simultaneously predict academic performance in second year Economics studies. The study also investigated whether self-regulated learning and future time perspective are related. In the theoretical underpinning self-regulated learning as related to learning theories, future time perspective and the learning of Economics were explored. The effect of the confounding variables(age, gender, ethnicity and the psycho-social wellbeing of students), on the dependent variable (academic performance in second year Economics studies), were built into the design and analysed. Data was analysed using descriptive, correlation and regression analysis. The multiple regression analysis indicated that self-regulated learning and a future time perspective predict academic performance in second year Economics studies. A correlation matrix revealed that a relationship exists between self-regulated learning and a future time perspective. Regarding the confounding variables, the one with the most significant influence on the dependant variable was ethnicity. In conclusion the study recommended that teaching and assessment methods should be used to empower students to apply self-regulated learning strategies. This could greatly enhance their academic performance.

The aim of this research was to determine whether attitudes towards computer usage predict ICT integration in the classroom at the QwaQwa campus of the University of the Free State. Attitudes towards computer technology were operationalised by using the scores of Computer Anxiety Scale, Attitudes towards ICT Scale, the Perception of Computer Attributes Scale, Cultural Perception Scale and Computer Competence Scale. The effect of confounding variables (age, gender, ethnicity, educational level, teaching experience, and computer training history) was controlled by building them into the design and measuring their effect on the dependent variables (ICT integration). The empirical study was supported by literature related to ICT integration in the classroom. Various theoretical models including Rogersâs Theory on Diffusion of Innovations (1995) and Ajzen and Fishbeinâs Theory of Reasoned Action (1980) were used to better understand the key factors affecting ICT integration into the classroom, as well as the academic staffâs attitudes towards ICT integration in the classroom. The researcher followed a quantitative inferential research design to investigate the possible relationship between attitudes towards computer usage and ICT integration in the classroom. An adapted questionnaire was administered to all academic staff at QwaQwa campus of the UFS during the 2011-2013 academic years. A total of one hundred academic staff participated in the study. Descriptive and inferential analyses (full-model linear regression and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) were used to assess the relationship between attitudes towards computer usage and ICT integration in the classroom. The results from the study did not show a significant relationship between computer anxiety and attitudes towards computer usage and ICT integration, but did indicate a moderate relationship between computer attributes, cultural perception and ICT integration. Computer competence was seen as the most influencing factor affecting ICT use in the classroom. Based on the findings, it was recommended that effective institutional support (in terms of providing opportunities to academic staff to master adequate skills and knowledge) is required to ease and promote ICT integration in the classroom. Given the recent introduction of technology on the QwaQwa campus of the University of the Free State, the institution should not only focus on providing computers for the academic staff and students alike, but also foster a culture of acceptance of these tools amongst the academic staff and students. Academic staff needs to be assured that technology can make their teaching interesting, easier, more fun for them and the students, more motivating and more enjoyable.

Transformation of higher education, both internationally and within South African higher education (SAHE) is an on-going process. Higher education institutions (HEIs) always need to change the way in which they conduct their daily business, both academically and socially. Some of the issues that constantly warrant attention from these institutions are policy development, curriculum development, issues pertaining to community engagement and issues pertaining to creating a welcoming institutional climate for all constituencies. Within the South African context, as more and more diverse staff and students enter the SAHE system, the system needs to change to accommodate the new direction. This is especially the case within the historically white Afrikaans-medium institutions, which face a huge responsibility to change their academic and social landscape to accommodate the new education system. This study explored how black women academics (BWAs), as part of the masses entering the historically white Afrikaans-medium higher education institutions, perceived the on-going social transformation attempts within the institutions. Using the University of the Free State (UFS) as a case study, the focus was on how this particular constituency viewed social transformation from race and gender points of view. An action research (AR) approach was used, which engaged BWAs, together with a complementary group of white women academics (WWAs) in individual faceto- face interviews and focus group discussions. The main questions that formed the heart of the discussions were: · What is our concern regarding social transformation at the UFS? And · How can we improve our work environment? Findings from the study indicate that BWAs have a negative view of social transformation at the UFS. Issues that contributed to their negative perception included, inter alia, problems pertaining to the dual language policy, scarcity of capacity building initiatives, power dynamics and interpersonal problems, all of which seemed to hamper successful social transformation at the UFS. Interesting though was this groupâs awareness that the responsibility to improve the UFS did not only lie with the university management but that, as part of the institution, they too were responsible to act as agents of change in creating a space where everybody could feel a sense of belonging.

A capstone course, Business Analysis and Governance (BAG), compulsory for all students studying towards becoming chartered accountants, was introduced at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 2012. It was designed to develop pervasive skills in response to the competency framework that was developed in 2008 by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), the professional accounting body. This study explored whether or not the capstone course has assisted in developing the pervasive skills of students. The effectiveness of specific interventions namely a Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) project, the inclusion of current business research area questions in assessments as well as company analysis was also investigated. Research was conducted in the critical theory tradition, in particular following the work done by the prominent psychologist, Kurt Lewin who is considered as one of the founders of social psychology. He is also often credited as being pivotal to the emergence of Action Research which was used in this research project. Action Research required an annual cycle of observation, action, reflection and planning over the initial four year period of the capstone course.

There appears to be a gap in architectural knowledge between design theory and implementation practice which is difficult to bridge in teaching, learning and work. As evidence of the existence of this gap two sources of data are contrasted: exhibition catalogues which convey what individual architects say to each other about their work, and official reports which convey what institutional representatives of the organised profession say about failures in the work of architects. These data sets are contradictory, reinforcing the possibility of a fault-line between design knowledge and implementation. The question then arises as to whether this tension in professional knowledge in the field of production is reflected in the pedagogisation of the knowledge, reinforced through its transmission. As the architectural curriculum in Commonwealth countries has a generic format, this generic curriculum is analysed next, in terms of Bernstein's concepts of classification/ framing, and integration I collection. The analysis is ambiguous, as both strong and weak criteria co-exist with dual coding, complicated by the horizontality and tacit nature of spatial design knowledge on the one hand, and the extent of regionalised knowledge on the other which recontextualises contradictory knowledge systems from sources in arts and sciences. Tacit implementation knowledge sits uncomfortably in this mix as a largely segmental horizontal discourse. To understand the default pattern in this pedagogy more clearly, the research then tracks back to the initial definition of the knowledge system at the time of the formation of the modern profession. In this analysis Bernstein's pedagogic device is used as the framework for locating and unraveling the historic data in terms of the production and recontextualisation of knowledge, distributive rules and power relations between agents. The history maps neatly onto this theoretical model, confirming in-built tensions in the knowledge system which marginalise knowledge of implementation and which construct a professional consciousness centered around spatial imagination primarily and technical innovation secondarily. The research is thus an initial attempt at a historical analysis of a region of professional knowledge.

The research component of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) is often cited by MBA students and graduates as the most daunting and challenging part of the MBA programme. This thesis draws on the tools of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Fairclough, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2009) and insights from Academic Literacies to understand how novice researchers on the MBA programme at a South African Business School experience the proposal process which aims to prepare them for the writing of the research proposal and, by extension, the dissertation. The CDA assists in highlighting how students, as novice researchers, are positioned and expected to engage as researchers within a key document, the Dissertation Outline, which outlines the rules that govern the research process at the school. Discourse at the level of text shows how the undertaking of research, as well as assuming a specific researcher identity, is foregrounded through the use of textual features that reflect the values and dominant discourses within the programme and the School. The interview data illustrate how students’ actual experiences of the proposal process sit alongside these valued ways of doing and being that are foregrounded in the official documentation and the ways in which the students’ cultural capital impact their engagement with the process. The students’ interview data indicate how they experienced the proposal process as “challenging”, “anxiety-inducing” and “overwhelming”. This is evident in three main factors which shaped their experiences of the research process: the interlinked process of selecting a topic and securing a suitable supervisor; reconciling professional development goals with the valued types of research which are prioritised within the Research Methods course which forms part of the proposal process; and the impact of forms of cultural capital on their experiences of the proposal process. This results in a situation where the researcher identity which is explicitly foregrounded in the Dissertation Outline is questioned. This study illustrates the ways in which the data problematise the School’s assumptions about students’ levels of preparedness for the research process and, more specifically, for the writing of the proposal. The data highlight the importance of recognising that students’ experiences of the proposal process and challenges therein are not only influenced by academic literacy factors that are directly linked to the writing of the proposal, but also by non-textual factors which precede or happen alongside the writing of the proposal. The data further demonstrate how institutional practices impact on the students’ agency and power in the proposal process. This is due to the fact that while some forms of research are foregrounded as valued types of research in the Dissertation Outline, students’ experiences point to limited support in terms of available instruction and supervision for this type of research. The study’s findings highlight the importance of the nature of support provided to students navigating the transition from workplaces and different disciplinary contexts into the research component of the MBA. Based on the study’s findings, it is important that this support take the form of an ongoing dialogue between stakeholders such as supervisors, lecturers, Academic Support, and the Writing Centre. This would serve to address students’ access at various levels, from the nature of pedagogical practices on key courses such as the Research Methods course and how these function to prepare students, to the extent to which students are able to access and enact the valued ways that come with conducting research on the MBA programme.

Knowledge in professional and business related courses are grounded in real-world business contexts, which influence the theoretical aspects of an academic programme. Most students in South Africa lack prior business and auditing knowledge, which makes it difficult for them to transfer the theoretical business knowledge, skills and attributes acquired in an educational setting, to the workplace setting. The challenge for auditing educators is to facilitate the acquisition and transfer of theoretical auditing knowledge in preparation of and application for the workplace. Research studies suggest that there is a key dilemma within continuing professional education and development, which mainly relates to the tension between the academic knowledge, skills and attributes and the knowledge, skills and attributes required in professional auditing practice. The purpose of this qualitative study was to assess and compare the development of professional competencies and related expertise of different individuals at different stages in their professional auditing careers. The Dreyfus's five-stage model of skill acquisition (Dreyfus's model) offers a useful theoretical framework for understanding how individuals acquire knowledge and skills through formal instruction and experience. The five stages of the Dreyfus model are identified as novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient and expert. In this study, the adapted Dreyfus's model was used to assess the knowledge and skills needed of auditors at various stages in an academic and professional training programme in South Africa. Using ten semi-structured interviews, this study highlights the differences in the levels of expertise between experienced auditors and auditors at the novice stage of proficiency. Participants in this study included audit graduates, audit trainees and audit managers. The study found that there were distinct stages in skills development, generally in line with those suggested by the Dreyfus's model, and that there were major shifts in individuals' practice with the development of professional expertise. Central to the movement from one stage to the next is the way in which meaningful connections are made between what is already known (theory) and its application (practice). In developing a framework for understanding what auditing knowledge, skills and experiences are required at various stages, this study informs further development plans for educational workplace settings that are specifically designed for individuals to progress from one developmental stage to another.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-77). / This qualitative study was conducted during 2005 in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town. Drawing on the theoretical framework of the New Literacy Studies and, in particular, Gee's notion of Discourse acquisition, I sought to better understand the issues that impacted on success for students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds who entered the MBChB programme.