This thesis investigates discourses surrounding upper and middle class Afrikaner women living in Johannesburg during the years 1948, 1949 and 1958. It uses magazines aimed at upper and middle class women as primary sources and also makes use of interviews with upper and middle class women who lived in Johannesburg during 1948, 1949 and 1958. The thesis uses women's magazines, educational magazines and church magazines, as well as the Vrou en Maeder magazine, mouthpiece of the Suid Afrikaanse Vrouefederasie. Conclusions are drawn about the status and role of Afrikaner middle class women in society, as well as the value systems operating at the time. Differences in discourse and changes over time are accounted for. The thesis also draws attention to the importance of using gender as an historical category, and attempts to broaden the method of history by utilising discourse analysis. / History / M.A. (History)

Quality is critical to private security personnel employed as receptionists in many organisations, as it plays a vital role in improving organisational productivity. The main objective of the research was to investigate the quality of reception services provided by security personnel to organisations in the Johannesburg area as benchmarked against the appropriate service quality evaluation methodologies when modelling the impact of service quality on satisfaction and loyalty. A questionnaire was used and semi-structured interviews were conducted in a focus group with key informants (business owners, managers and ordinary people) who could provide valuable information for use in the study. The focus group consisted of eight respondents. The sample consisted of 200 participants scattered in seven regions on sites that are managed by Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ). The selection of the 200 participants was random and included JCPZ employees. Primary research shows that the majority of the respondents ranked indicators of service quality below acceptable level; however, customers‘ tastes and preferences constantly change and evolve, as do the number of security companies. Thus such companies should improve conditions in the area of service quality if they want to stay competitive. To remain competitive, the security companies as well as the clients need to analyse customers' expectations and perceptions of the service quality of front office staff, who in this case are often security/guarding personnel. For customer organisations, the empirical findings can be used to develop a framework of service quality indicators, which can be used for monitoring and benchmarking service quality. For organisations, the findings can be used for resource-allocation decisions pertaining to improved service quality, customer satisfaction and ultimately intentions. The study concludes that the quality perceptions of services rendered by security personnel as receptionists are important for customer satisfaction and that quality dimensions are important for clientele management - arguably one of the most important aspects of service quality management. / Business Management / M. Tech.

D.Phil. (Education) / The study-group in this study focus on the education students of the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) from 1988-1990. All these students completed the diagnostic testing program of RAU as well as the practical course in didactics. The practical mark in didactics were used to distribute the students into three research sub-groups. This mark reflected the students' didactical skills in a simulated classroom situation. The diagnostic data which was utilised to compile a profile of the study-group consisted of tests for intelligence, aptitude, adaptation, personality and study habits, as well as relevant biographical data. The students' academic achievement in matric was determined by the M-score. The three sub-groups were determined by calculating the average of the groups' practical mark and cut-off points of half a standard deviation on either side of the average. This presupposed a less superior didactical group (Group A) versus a superior didactical group (Group B), utilized for statistical purposes. The calculations did not include the middle group. The entire discussion of the career process selection was based on Super's career choice model. This was done to determine the main contributory factors in selecting teaching as a career. A literature study was made of the teacher and teaching as a career, followed by a discussion of the Importance of the attributes of the excellent teacher, which included more than just good academic achievement. Teaching as a career was also discussed, emphasizing a temporary difference between the practical and theoretical aspects of t118 didactics course, in order to identify which specific attributes contributed to the success in the practical component of the course. A discussion based on literature was done to determine the various psychological tests and questionnaires which were utilized in this study, namely NSGT, SAT, 16-PF, PHSF, 19-FII, SSHAas well as supportive biographical data. The aim of this study was to determine certain psychological aspects which contributed to the success in the practical components of a course in didactics. A career choice is usually made during the late adolescence. In discussing a career choice model, Super (1990) explains various determinants which influence career choice including the geographical origin, personality and contributory aspects of an individual's personality...

M.Cur. / The nursing service manager is accountable for the managerial outputs of the nursing service, being quality nursing care, cost effectiveness and quality nursing staff management. These managerial responsibilities will influence the overall management efficiency of the health delivery system. There is a need for a more scientific basis of staffing in South African critical care units. Various methods are used to determine staffing needs, but the most accurate and acceptable method being used is the patient classification system. The success of a critical care patient classification system is based upon the accurate determination of the ideal nurse-patient ratio. Ideal nursepatient ratio depends on matching the competency of the critical care nurse to the severity of the critical care patient's illness. Internationally and nationally very few guidelines describe the competency requirements that the critical care nurse should have to function effectively in the critical care unit. To maintain a high standard of quality nursing care, the critical care nurse should be assigned to a critical care patient according to her competency level. The aim of this study was to describe a scientific patient classification system for critical care patients according to which workload and nursing requirements can be ascertained. Secondly, to describe guidelines for the competency requirements of a registered critical care nurse assigned to nurse the different categories of critical care patients categorised by the patient classification system as prescribed. The aim of the study is justified by means of an exploratory, descriptive, contextual research design. A critical care patient classification system has been developed and validated by a group of critical care nursing experts using a structured two phase research method. The statistical validity of each item of the critical care patient classification system was determined by means of a content validity index. All the items of the critical care patient classification system were rated as valid and therefore the critical care patient classification system as a whole has been accepted as valid. The reliability of the critical care patient classification system was tested by means of a pilot study in two selected research units. It was determined that the inter-rater reliability was within the 95 per cent confidence interval, that the system could discriminate between different critical care patients and nurse-patient ratios were effectively determined by the system. Critical care nurse competency requirements were identified by critical care nursing experts by means of a focus group interview. The results obtained from the focus group interview were verified by a literature control and peer group review. Guidelines for the competency requirements of the critical care nurse were compiled. The critical care patient classification system developed will equip the critical care manager with a scientific instrument to assign personnel to critical care units. The critical care patient classification system will furthermore assist the critical care unit manager in the daily utilisation of valuable human resources, in that critical care nurses with the appropriate level of expertise can be assigned to each patient, thus facilitating quality critical care nursing.

M.Comm. (Business Management) / Schools are regarded as underperforming or performing schools and in that regard there is a need to identify how engaged the HODs are with their jobs in achieving the goals and objectives of the school to become high performing schools. The study identifies the factors that influence work engagement and determine the level of work engagement of Heads of Departments at secondary schools in Eldorado Park. The population used in this study consists of all the schools in Eldorado Park, one of the suburbs located in the south of Johannesburg. The suburb has eight secondary schools and all the schools and HODs of these schools were included in the study. The study adopts a mixed method design which makes use of qualitative and quantitative methodology as it needs to capture the lived experience, beliefs and feelings of the participants. The quantitative design was by way of close-ended questions while the qualitative design used open-ended questions to generate the data. A questionnaire was developed that was used as a measuring instrument for the closed-ended questions with regard to work engagement of HODs. The questionnaire was designed within the framework regarding the work engagement of the HODs using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) as an alternative assessment for measuring the work engagement of the HODs. Open-ended questions were included in the questionnaire and provided information for the qualitative analysis to pursue the secondary objectives of the study. The findings of the study indicated that several factors positively influence the work engagement of HODs among which include, employees’ commitment, job satisfaction, work and wellbeing. Burnout also shows that employees tend to disengage themselves from their work tasks, making the tasks uninteresting and no longer challenging. This in essence indicated a negative relationship. In addition, the results indicated that training, workshops, seminars and orientation sessions should be arranged for HODs. They should also work according to a schedule; they have to be focused; good communication with them is important and they have to attend meetings. They should also plan, organise and execute their tasks and resources should be made available to employees. The main conclusion drawn from the research is that secondary school Heads of Departments are usually engaged with their jobs. They devote much time and energy to their work and find new and interesting dimensions in their jobs. They also work hard to achieve the school goals and objectives. Finally, there is a need for a follow-up study to be conducted in Gauteng South District 14 (D14) secondary schools to determine the level of work engagement of all the Heads of Departments both in underperforming or performing schools.

Thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Science in Building (Property Development and Management) to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Construction Economics and Management at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / The research study seeks to determine the most resilient residential real estate market segment throughout the economic cycle waves, for the innercity of Johannesburg, South Africa. The study is prompted by various global reports that subtly suggests a uniform effect to real estate market segments throughout economic cycle waves. Such reports have adopted various indices as proxy to economic cycle waves (e.g. interest rates, current account deficit, gross domestic product, etc.) and house price as proxy to real estate market segments in an attempt to justify the relationship between the proxies. For purposes of this research report, business cycles are employed as proxy to economic cycle waves whilst house prices are also representative of real estate market segments. In a country that ranks third globally on high inequality, with a gini coefficient of 0.63, it is considered improbable – at the very least - that the performance of real estate market segments would react uniformly to the effects of economic cycle waves. The residential sector is opted as a test case, mainly due to growing number of population and the desperate need for housing to accommodate such high population growth levels. The housing challenge needs to be thoroughly understood so that informed and/or adequate planning can be formulated. The research study follows a Pragmatism Philosophy, which allows for mixed method approach in addressing research questions, in order to meet the research aim and objectives. An Explanatory Sequential research design is used as a form of mixed method approach. The process involves collecting both Qualitative and Quantitative data, integrating the two forms of data, and using distinct designs that involves philosophical assumptions and theoretical frameworks. In this case, Quantitative methods are used to explain Qualitative methods. Priority is given to Quantitative data and the two methods are integrated during the interpretation phase of the research study. Empirical analysis using tools such as Quantile Regressions (e.g.OLS regressions) for a period between 2005 (Q1) and 2015 (Q4) are analysed and discussed. Standard errors and covariances were computed using tools such as the Huber-Sandwich methods, to which an Augmented Dickey-Fuller test was conducted to test for the null hypothesis of a unit root in a time series sample. The Breusch-Godfrey Serial Correlation LM test is also used to confirm the absence of serial correlation at four lags. The ARCH LM test is used to show that residuals are homoskedastic, i.e. that there is no evidence of time-varying variance. A negative and significant coefficient appears only the high price sector, suggesting that the business cycle has a negative impact on house prices in the high residential real estate market segment, displaying negative average growth over the period. House prices in the low and medium residential real estate market segments do not respond to movements in the business cycle, on the average. Property size also displayed a negative impact on house prices in the high residential real estate market segment. The autoregressive parameters for house prices in the low and middle residential real estate market segments are statistically significant at 5% and 10%, respectively. Negative and significant coefficient is recorded for the middle residential real estate market segment as well, at the second quantile. In conclusion, the low residential real estate market segment appeared to have been the most resilient residential real estate market segment amongst other residential real estate market segments. The middle residential real estate market segment appears to have been a partially resilient, whilst the high residential real estate market segment appears to have been the least resilient. Given these findings, it is submitted that residential real estate market segments need to be considered or assessed individually, in order to formulate adequate strategies for integrated and sustainable human settlements. / MT2018

Environmental Education is a foundation in strengthening learners and community awareness in all environmental issues, including water pollution-related diseases. This study aimed at investigating the level of environmental education awareness on water pollution-related diseases by learners who live in the informal settlement. And lastly, if possible and feasible, to propose solutions to the perceived water pollution-related diseases found in this informal settlement adjacent to the Jukskei river in Alexandra Township, Johannesburg. The research focused on the introduction of the dissertation in Chapter 1 Theoretical foundations of the research in Chapter 2 Research methodology in Chapter 3 Data analysis, interpretation and discussion in Chapter 4 Conclusions and recommendations in Chapter 5 The study provided various definitions of environment, Environmental Education, The goal, Aims & Objective, Classification & Outcomes, Environmental literacy; water pollution-related diseases, the integration of Environmental education in the RNCS & water pollution-related diseases awareness; Education for Sustainable Development; and the relationship between the development of informal settlement and water pollution related diseases. The outcomes of the investigation indicated that the level of environmental education awareness on water pollution –related diseases by learners at the informal settlement is less at primary level and partially increases at the high schools. In order to increase learners’ awareness on water pollution-related diseases across the curricula there should be an adequate integration of Environmental Education in the RNCS. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Environmental Education)

The impact of HIV and AIDS has threatened to destroy the education sector in South Africa. This qualitative study set out to investigate the psychosocial problems and needs of educators infected with HIV and/or affected by HIV and AIDS in Johannesburg Inner City schools. The study explores and describes the need to develop and implement a comprehensive and holistic treatment, care and support programme for educators infected with HIV and/or affected by HIV and AIDS. This study also reviews HIV/AIDS policies and programmes implemented by the Department of Education to indicate that these interventions are not effective in addressing the problems and needs of these educators. Therefore, the study contends that the Department of Education should revise and reformulate these HIV/AIDS policies and programmes to cater for the needs of educators infected with HIV and/or affected by HIV and AIDS. Ten educators infected with HIV and/or affected by HIV and AIDS from two selected Johannesburg Inner City schools participated in this study. Phenomenological strategies and in-depth interviews were used to capture day-to-day personal life experiences of these educators. The findings of the study reveal that there is a need for an urgent response by the Department of Education to develop and implement treatment, care and support programmes for educators infected with HIV and/or affected by HIV and AIDS. / Sociology / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

The exploratory study investigated school related factors responsible for high matriculaion failure rates in physical science in public high schools of Alexandra Township in South Africa. The target population included all Further Education and Training (FET) science educators and learners in Alexandra Township. An extreme-case sampling method was used to select a sample of two schools. Data was collected through two different closed questionnaires, one for educators (n=10) and the other for learners (n=250). The results were analyzed using mainly descriptive tatistics. The results, according to the views and opinions of educators and learners showed that the main causes of high failure rates are poor educator qualifications, outdated teaching methods, massive workloads, high levels of absenteeism and acute deficiencies in aspects related to: resources, subject content, classroom management skills, proficiency in language of instruction and assessment, motivation and perseverance. Recommendations for practice and policy are suggested. / Further Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

This study deploys the decolonial epistemic perspective in an attempt to unmask the spectre of xenophobia. The decolonial epistemic thinking is in turn predicated on three important concepts, namely coloniality of power, coloniality of being and coloniality of knowledge. The study is focused on understanding the dynamics of the violent May 2008 attacks that took place in Alexandra and Yeoville. It problematised the use of the term xenophobia. The term occludes rather than enlightening the complex phenomenon of violence. Such violence has consistently and systematically engulfed people living in poor predominantly black areas of residence such as Yeoville and Alexandra. The study also used empirical evidence collected from the field to support its central arguments. What has been understood as xenophobia is in actual fact, part of the manifestation and outcome of abject living conditions of the poor. This study argues that what manifests itself as xenophobia is an additional element to various forms of violence taking place in locales such as Alexandra and Yeoville, places that decolonial theorists term ‘zones of non-being,’ where violent death is a constitutive part of human existence. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)