D.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Too many students worldwide, also in South Africa, underachieve scholastically. This state of affairs (high scholastic underachievement) in many schools, particularly in Black rural schools in South Africa, is a matter of grave concern amongst educators. These scholastic underachievers do not realise their potential, do not acquire skills for any decent job, are jobless, fiustrated, make no meaningful contribution to society, render the state's effort of having financed (subsidised) their education meaningless and uneconomical and are viewed as failures as human beings and of society as such. To address this problem, it is extremely germane for specialists and the community to join hands, pool knowledge, expertise and experience in order to investigate the causes of scholastic underachievement and what precautionary measures can be taken to curb scholastic underachievement. Every effort must be made to understand the causes of scholastic underachievement in order to develop prevention strategies to counteract this phenomenon. The aim of this study is to explore the phenomenon of scholastic underachievement within the context of rural Black South Africa and, based on the results of the study, to develop a prevention strategy to be used for scholastic underachievers in rural Black South Africa which would meet both the internal and external needs of the scholastic underachiever. In this research an exploratory and descriptive, qualitative approach which is a generative design is mainly used and is based on the model of theory generation of Chinn & Kramer (1991). The aim of this approach is to develop new insight into these phenomena and to increase understanding. Through focus group interviews, the researcher has been able to explore and describe the viewpoints of principals of schools, parents of scholastic underachievers and fellow learners of scholastic underachievers appertaining to what causes scholastic underachievement and what precautionary measures could be taken to curb and counteract scholastic underachievement.

The study uses the conventional economic approaches to savings behaviour as a point of departure. In the past, agricultural programmes and policies overlooked the importance of savings mobilization in favour of credit extension programmes. This line of economic development approach arose from the assumption that poor rural people cannot save and will not respond to opportunities to save. The latest research results clearly demonstrate that rural people do mobilise significant voluntary savings, even at their low levels of income. The thrust of the study was to research savings behaviour and motivation to save by resource poor farmers, with specific reference to farmers in Moretele District, Northwest Province. The study tested the hypothesis that poor people cannot save, and went further to analyse determinants of savings behaviour, motivations to save, sources of savings mobilization, savings accounts used and motivations to use a specific savings product. The application of the life cycle hypothesis was also analysed. Linear multiple regression, Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) technique, analysis of variance (ANOV A), and factor analysis (FA) were used to analyse the data pertinent to the study. The findings of the study confirmed income as a major determinant of savings mobilization in the district. The extent of dependency, defined as the proportion of the population of a country falling in the age groups of 0-15 and 64 years and older, considered economically unproductive and therefore not counted as part of the country's labour force was found to have a negative effect on the ability of farmers to save. This is due to large family sizes and high levels of dependency in households. Age was also discovered to influence savings behaviour, but not in accordance with the application of the life cycle hypothesis. With regards to motivations to save, it was found that farmers in the district mainly save to cater for emergencies and for grandchildren's education, and not for accumulation/investment purposes. In addition to the abovementioned savings motives, farmers were however found to consider an investment imperative as reflected by an interaction between savings for accumulation and emergency purposes. The low investment imperative may change if other emergency management structures are considered. The main sources of savings mobilization for the farmers were income from livestock sales and government social security grant (government old age pension). These farmers were discovered to prefer ordinary savings plans. The rationale for this choice was found to be motivated by ease of quick access to savings and the liquidity provided by this savings product. The liquidity requirement is regarded as a strategy to address emergencies and any other financial need that might arise. The findings of the study calls for policy instruments that will expedite the implementation of outreach programmes and strategies for voluntary savings mobilization that will cater for investment imperative and emergency needs. Critical to this will be the development of savings products that respond to the various needs of resource poor farmers as well as to serve different categories of rural savers. The decentralization of savings institutions and linking of formal and informal financial institutions will enhance access to financial services by the rural population. Policies intended to discourage large families would help reduce the high rates of dependencies and relieve pressure on household income, which could be used for savings. / Dissertation (MSc (Agricultural Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / National community health worker (CHW) programmes are to an increasing extent being implemented in health systems globally, mirrored in South Africa in the ward-based outreach team (WBOT) strategy. In many countries, including South Africa, a major challenge impacting the performance and sustainability of scaled-up CHW programmes is ensuring adequate support from and supervision by the local health system. Supervisory systems, where they exist, are usually corrective and hierarchical in nature, and implementation remains poor. In the South African context, the absence of any guidance on CHW supportive supervision has led to varied practices across the country. Improved approaches to supportive supervision are considered critical for CHW programme performance. However, there is relatively little understanding of how this can be done sustainably at scale, and effective CHW supervisory models remain elusive. Research to date has mostly positioned supervision as a technical process rather than a set of relationships, with the former testing specific interventions rather than developing holistic approaches attuned to local contexts.

As obligate scavengers Gyps vultures provide an important ecosystem service as the main consumers of ungulate carcasses in African savannas. Throughout the continent, however, multiple threats are causing vulture populations to decline, especially outside protected areas. Although the African white-backed vulture Gyps africanus is the most numerous and widely distributed Gyps species in Africa, its foraging ecology and land use preferences remain poorly understood. Furthermore, while protected areas are known to be important for vultures in East and West Africa, their role in South Africa has not been fully investigated. This study uses GPS-GSM tracking units to investigate the movement and land-use patterns of six immature African white-backed vultures that were caught at Mankwe Wildlife Reserve in the North West Province of South Africa. Immature individuals were chosen because they were expected to travel extensively and be exposed to the full range of threats. The tracking units recorded the GPS location, speed, altitude and direction of travel three times per day. The size and extent of the vultures‟ foraging ranges were estimated using three methods: minimum convex polygons (MCPs), fixed kernel density estimation (KDE) and grid cell range (GCR) estimation. The vultures‟ use of protected areas and areas of different cattle densities (zero, low, medium and high) was assessed to determine whether they were visited more or less than expected based on the area they occupied within the vultures‟ foraging ranges. The distances travelled by the vultures and their flight speeds and altitudes were also calculated, as well as the amount of time that they spent in the vicinity of supplementary feeding sites. The vultures were tracked for between 101 and 313 days and the GPS tracking units acquired 99.44% of expected GPS locations. The vultures ranged extensively and generally travelled in a nomadic manner. While three individuals occupied foraging ranges (mean 95% KDE contour area = 106,282.33 km2) either side of the South African borders between Botswana and Zimbabwe, the other three travelled more extensively through southern Africa, entering six different countries (mean 95% KDE contour area = 563,564.67 km2). The vultures rarely visited protected areas in South Africa but two of the vultures regularly used protected areas in northern Botswana and Zimbabwe. Areas of high cattle density were used less than expected by all vultures, but not at a significant level, while two of the vultures used areas with zero cattle density more than expected due to their regular use of supplementary feeding sites in those areas. Areas of medium cattle density were the most regularly used, containing an average of 30.72% of each vulture‟s stationary GPS locations. The vultures travelled an average of 33 km/day and a maximum of 267 km/day, flying at an average of 50 km/h (maximum = 107 km/h) at 561 m above ground level (maximum = 2,267 m). This study provides the first description of movement and land-use patterns of immature African white-backed vultures tracked continuously from South Africa. Their extensive foraging ranges and limited use of protected areas implies that the vultures could potentially encounter the full range of threats in the region, and it is clear that their future conservation will depend upon conservation strategies that extend across international borders. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Paraclinical Sciences / unrestricted

North West Nigeria has the lowest vaccination rate of the geopolitical regions of the country. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine associations between the parents'/caregivers' biological, cultural, and socioeconomic factors and the completion or noncompletion of routine immunization schedules. Andersen's behavioral model provided the framework for the study. Data were obtained from the 2013 National Demographic Health Survey. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables. Chi-square tests were used for categorical predictor variables, simple logistic regression models were used for the age variable, and multiple linear regression models were used for the biological, cultural, and socioeconomic variables to assess the relative importance of factors within each category. Findings indicated a statistically significant association between 4 factors (education, wealth index, religious affiliation, and cost of healthcare) and completion of immunization schedules. Findings may be used to improve the likelihood of immunization of children in North West Nigeria and reduce the levels of childhood morbidity and mortality. Policy makers and immunization programmers can strengthen social services such as women's education, income generation, especially in the agricultural sector and other culturally sensitive interventions with community collaboration to bring the required social change.

No / This paper examines the incidence of innovation and the configuration of innovation systems in rural areas, which are viewed as possessing weak knowledge-generating subsystems. Drawing on the results of a microlevel study in rural Cumbria, North West England, the paper shows that entrepreneurs were able to access nonlocal knowledge infrastructure. Thus, the emergent actor-constructed regional innovation system stretched well beyond the confines of Cumbria. This configuration can be explained, in large part, by considering entrepreneurial origin. New arrivals (especially immigrants) demonstrated the greatest propensity to innovate, using innovation systems which cut across the regional and national boundaries. Locally born and returnee entrepreneurs demonstrated a low incidence of innovation. The paper concludes that a distinction between regional innovation systems (as macrolevel analytical units with a normative dimension) and actor-constructed regional innovation systems (as microlevel descriptive units) offers scope for the advancement of research in this field of study.

This study investigated the contribution of women entrepreneurs to the economic growth of the North West Province. The aim of the study was to identify the contribution of women entrepreneurs in the economic growth, to determine forces driving women to become entrepreneurs. The study also aimed at examining future challenges for women entrepreneurs as well as strategies to advance women entrepreneurs . The Quantitative research method was chosen for the study and the targeted population was women entrepreneurs and women interested in entrepreneurship in Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp in the North West Province. A total of200 participants were selected for the study, 100 women entrepreneurs and 100 women interested in entrepreneurship. Stratified random sampling was used to randomly select a subset of 50 women entrepreneurs and 50 women interested in entrepreneurship. The primary instrument used to collect data from the selected respondents was the questionnaire. Data were collected, analysed and presented in tables and figures. The findings of the study reveal~ that women entrepreneurs made positive contributions on the economic growth of the North West Province. They create employment, reduce poverty, initiate businesses, build self-employment and expand their businesses. The study confirmed that women entrepreneurs lack skills, knowledge and experience in business. They do not get support in infrastructure, finance and education to run their businesses. The researcher recommended that women entrepreneurs should get training and education with regard to running a business. There should also be infrastructure, accessibility of technology, funding and support for women entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs should get support from local governments and appropriate information should be made available to them. / (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2006

The main focus of the study was to find out whether tertiary institutions such as the University of North-West (now North West University- Mafikeng Campus) can handle the Help Desk effectively, with regard to IT staff workloads and skills, and students' and staff IT skills. The aim of the research was to examine the extent to which users can make use of the help desk for different sectors of the university community (administrative, academic, support personnel and students). The study looked at the structure of a user help desk appropriate for the North West University (Mafikeng Campus), and also examined the distribution and channels to be used for a user help desk. The assumption was made that a help desk at the North West University (1'v!aftkeng Campus) can provide services of high quality to its entire community. A questionnaire was used to solicit the perceptions of the university community towards the introduction of the Information System's helpdesk. The respondents' responses were then analysed with the use of spread sheet tables. The target was 150 respondents of which 120 managed to respond to the questionnaire. Most of the participants agreed that they were prepared to accept changes brought about by the use of help desk. The study also revealed that there were serious problems at the NWU (Mafikeng Campus) regarding shortage of support received from the Information Technology department of the University. The researcher therefore recommends that the automated Helpdesk be introduced as soon as possible so that the users can become familiar with it. In general the skill of staff and students are actually good and most of them will welcome the help desk. The IT staff workload is more with few members of staff, and the recommendation is that there is a need to implement the help desk. / (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2004

The researcher is propelled and motivated by the Minister of Public Service Association, Geraldine Frasser-Moleketi, recognising the serious nature of HIV and AIDS and its impact on South Africa when she initiated the Impact and Action Project in January 2000, which was aimed at ensuring that Public Service is able to sustain a quality service in spite of pandemic: AIDS. The apprehension of writing on the theme is to enlighten both the employer and employees with their obligations, rights and legal framework in the management of the pandemic: AIDS within the employment perspective. The eminence of the study is based on the participation of management and their intervention, because without their involvement, AIDS deaths translate into lost productivity, increased high rate of absenteeism, short or long illnesses, and lower morale of employees and hampering of rendering of services. The study comprises of five chapters, containing the orientation of the study; literature review; research design and methodology; data analysis and results and summary, findings and recommendation, respectively. The instrument employed to gather data was applied in five regions, and data is gathered from a target sample of 96 out of 2084 employees. Please note in order to avoid the continuous use of "HN and AIDS", virus, epidemic, disease or cumbersome descriptions, the noun pandemic: AIDS, will be used and will denote "HIV and AIDS". / MBA (HRM) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005

The research attempts to find the relationship between self-concept, academic achievement and peer counselling among students of the University of North West in South Africa. The study covered the following: Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Diplomas. The following questions are the focus of the research: Do you accept criticism objectively?; Do you reward yourself when YSU study?; and Are you comfortable working in a group?. Data for the research were collected by means of questionnaires. Facts, opinions and information were obtained from 100 respondents. An analysis of data revealed some interesting results. Though self-concept, academic achievement and peer counselling were in a way related, it is crucial for all stakeholders to make coherent efforts to assist students to improve drastically in their academic performance. / Thesis (M. Ed.) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2003