The focus of this research is Service-Learning. The research aims to construct a Service- Learning theory that is grounded in South African practice. The dynamic and challenging early decades of South Africa’s new democracy constitute the context into which Service- Learning has been introduced into Higher Education in the country. The potential of Service- Learning to make a meaningful contribution to the development of Higher Education, particularly in relation to its multiple roles in African society, is recognised. There is concern, however, that lack of adequate theorisation means that Service-Learning is poorly understood and that its practice and impact are erratic. I undertake the study from an underlying paradigm of constructivism, adopting a qualitative approach and employing Grounded Theory methods. Aligning with Charmaz’ (2006) “constructivist stance” on Grounded Theory, and conscious of the need to be informed by as wide a variety of experiences and voices as possible, I access a range of formal and informal documentation that cover Service-Learning activities at module/ project, institutional and national levels. The activities include the promotion of Service-Learning in all sectors of society, its implementation in a variety of disciplines and communities, policy and research initiatives and scholarly publications from South African authors. Coding and memo writing yield the major concepts on which I construct the theory, namely, Context, Identity, Development, Curriculum, Power and Engagement. Centered on the core concept of Engagement, the theoretical framework comprises four Discourses, namely Service-Learning as Scholarly Engagement, Service-Learning as Benevolent Engagement, Service-Learning as Democratic Engagement and Service-Learning as Professional Engagement. The Discourses each have a primary focus, i.e. knowledge, service, social justice and resource development respectively. The Discourses framework has implications for the definition, practice and evaluation of Service-Learning. In addition, the framework offers conceptual tools for the understanding of engagement in contexts other than Service-Learning. By their nature, the Discourses may be split, merged or elaborated as new knowledge and practice come to light. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Thesis (MTech (Human Resource Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2007 / South Africa is a country, which is rich in history and has a young democracy, which continues to evolve. The new democratic Government has envisioned a Higher Education (HE) system that would be accessible to all who wants to further their tertiary studies. The White Paper on the Transformation of Higher Education of 1997 reaffirms the purpose of HE with regard to social responsibility, since it incorporates community engagement as a scholarly activity, which places emphasis on developing students as future citizens of South Africa. HE can produce different forms of community engagement, which include but is not limited to distance education, community based research, participatory action research, professional community service and service learning. The Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) accepts that South Africa has social and economic challenges, as any young democracy has, and incorporates Service Learning as a mechanism, which may contribute to the solutions of such challenges. In this research study, emphasis is placed on Service Learning as a teaching methodology to enhance students’ interpersonal and diversity skills, while it also develops their professional learning experience, as well as their corporate social responsibility. Students are encouraged to reflect on their learning experiences, both academically and personally. The literature survey reveals that South African HE is a member of the Talloires Declaration (2005) that unites universities globally to a uniform framework on the civic role and social responsibilities of HE. South African HE has partnerships with both the United States Fordand Kellogg Foundations in order to promote, develop and create awareness regarding social responsibility.

Community Based Learning (CBL) is a pedagogy that h as been fast tracked by the South African government as a means to make universities more relevant to local communities and assist with development initiatives sorely need ed across the country. The approach is also gaining popularity in its own right in institu tions of higher education in South Africa. But the issues of entering and working with communities are complex, and become even more complex when the students placed in local communities are international students. The purpose of this study was to explore the CBL programme of the School for International Training (SIT) in Wentworth, Durban and to identify the benefits and challenges to the community from the perspective of the community. A qualitative, descriptive design was used to garner rich informat ion of the perceptions and experiences of community members involved in the CBL programme. The study employed purposive, convenience sampling to select community members wh o have been involved as community workers or homestay families so as to ‘illuminate’ the research question. Personal interviews and focus groups were conducted with these community members. Content analysis was done on the data generated and to ensure credibility, data triangulation was done using a field journal and st udent reflection papers from selected semesters of the CBL programme. The overall findings indicate that the Community Ba sed Organizations (CBOs) and the homestay families did benefit from the programme. T he organizations did not want the ‘help’ of the students, and found their dwelling on service as patronizing. The community appreciated its dual roles of being teachers and le arners: with organizations in particular having their experience and knowledge affirmed as t eachers of Community Development (CD). The community believed that students could be strong role models for local youth. The presence of the students within the community a lso led to an increased interest within the community of Coloured history, culture and iden tity. In terms of CBL the presence of the students led to an increase in volunteerism amo ngst homestay families and other families wanting to host students in the future. The programme also led to a substantive, if brief, increase in the goodwill between the often feuding community organizations of Wentworth. Finally, there was also lingering hope t hat the students and SIT as an institution would deliver better prospects for families and organizations such as funding, building networks and lasting personal relationship s. The community also noted costs to the interactions, mainly in the form of inappropriate behaviour of some students, both in homestays and within the community in general. These included ethnocentric behaviour as well as the use of drugs and alcohol. These were cited as negatively affecting the impressionable youth of Wentworth. The study concludes that benefits do accrue to the community, but the relationships within the programme need to be nurtured and the whole initiative viewed as a process. International CBL programmes can be fraught with intercultural concerns and misunderstandings and thus take significant time to nurture must be approached with great caution. Attention must be paid to power differenti als that may exist, and visiting universities must be honest with communities in the ir needs and what they are prepared to give. These programmes, if not managed properly, have the potential to become extractive and follow patterns set by failed development projects. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Research in the area of service-learning has been steadily growing over the past decade, with an interest in the benefits for all parties involved in its implementation. However, research into the impact that service learning has on the community has been severely under-researched remaining practically absent from the service-learning research agenda. This qualitative study attempted to gain in-depth knowledge on the impact of service learning on two school communities. The research made use of participatory research techniques as they allow the researcher to access the ‘community voice’ and ‘hand over’ the research process. As the focus groups involved children, participatory techniques were used to elicit information regarding what element of the service-learning programme affected the learner’s experiences of participating in the service-learning programme. Ranking activity was the participatory technique used (Theis and Grady, 1991). The study had interesting results relating to what elements affect the community experience of service-learning programmes. Main findings include student characteristics, relationship development and how the students gain from service-learning. It gained insight into many areas that require further study relating to community experiences, and illustrates the complexity that characterises the community experience. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

This study is intended as a contribution to the debate and quality assurance activity which in South Africa is following the South African Qualifications Authority's recommendations that better quality co-operative education work experience be provided for higher education students. This study focuses on the perceptions and experiences of a cohort of Durban Institute of Technology students involved in co-operative education work programmes. Through a process of random sampling twenty students each were selected from the faculties of Arts, Commerce, Engineering Science & Built Environment and Health Sciences. The students comprised both male and female students in various years of study. Questionnaires articulating the research enquiry as well as the purpose of the study and questions to be answered for the study were mailed individually to each selected student. Forty six of the total selected sample of students returned completed questionnaires. The instrument comprised open and closed ended questions. With the aid of a statistical database programme the data was analysed. Findings of the study indicated that students' perceptions and experiences vary from positive to negative. Issues of racial discrimination, inadequate or no salaries and lack of support from mentors and lecturers emerged as concerns articulated by many students. On the contrary students perceived themselves as the greatest beneficiaries of the work programmes. Students also noted the relevance and value of the work programmes in developing the students' and preparing them for the workplace. The recommendations for co-operative education practitioners, in terms of listening to the voices of the students' in this study, is invaluable. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

Thesis (MTech (Education))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2005 / This research study attempted to identify the computer science needs of a rural school and then attempted to see to what extent a higher education institution could meet those needs and to what extent it could not, through a service-Ieaming project. The study also attempted to develop a framework to guide the implementation of a serviceleaming project in computer science for a rural school. The study was set against the literature on the need for higher education to transform and demonstrate greater responsibility and commitment to social and economic development of society in general, and the need for increased participation, collaboration and partnership formation through service-learning projects in particular. The literature on computer use in schools and best practice for service-learning in higher education was also reviewed. Using qualitative approaches and data production methods the school teachers, learners, students and lecturers in a higher education institution were interviewed in order to establish the computer science needs of the school and to find out how the students and lecturers could address those needs through service-learning. The research findings indicated that the rural school in De Doorns has a serious lack of essential computer-related infrastructure such as the computer laboratory, computers, and well-trained staff in using computers. Other computer science-related needs included proposal writing, technical assistance and security personnel. The research findings also revealed that students and lecturers in the departments of Information Technology, Office Management, Human Resource Management and Education could be involved in the training of staff, enhancement of computer skills and proposal writing. From the research findings, it became evident that the two school community needs, Le. the provision of computer laboratories and security services, could not be addressed through service-Ieaming, but through funding proposals and fundraising that involved the Western Cape Education Department and the private sector. The study therefore demonstrates possible partnerships between schools and higher education institutions and calls for collaborative efforts that include government departments and the private sector in order to make education beneficial to the development of school learners, students in higher education and South African communities in general.

M.Tech. (Public Relations Management) / Learning through experience or experiential learning is an aspect of learning that proved to be very challenging to study. This study aimed to investigate the contemporary view of experiential learning and the practices used by higher education service providers In South Africa in the implementation of experiential learning activities in public relations qualifications. Higher education service providers play a significant role in determining the content of a curriculum and for that reason it was decided to start this investigation by focusing on higher education service providers. The study aimed to explore and analyse the concept of experiential learning as it pertains to public relations education and training and develop a framework for effective and standardised implementation. Experiential learning can be defined as a holistic approach to learning in which the learner is actively involved in the learning process by means of concrete experience, abstract conceptualisation, observation and reflection as well as active experimentation. Higher education service providers have included experiential learning activities in their education and training programmes for a number of years. International and local public relations qualifications have as part of the proposed curriculum, internships or cooperative education programmes included as a credit bearing component to the qualification. The research study began by determining what experiential learning is, how higher education service providers view experiential learning, its relevance to public relations education and training and how it is implemented in public relations qualifications across South Africa. Educators, learners and future employers all form part of the stakeholder group involved in the education and training of public relations practitioners for the South African industry. The expectations of these groups of individuals need to be taken into consideration when designing qualifications, and partnerships are needed to ensure that all are involved in achieving the set objectives. Developments in higher education and training in South Africa include the forming of closer working relationships between education and labour...

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The central question that this research study addresses is whether higher education institutions in South Africa are sufficiently meeting the needs of their students, by contextualising and integrating their academic curricula with service delivery in communities. The higher education sector has been criticized for not adequately promoting and developing social responsibility in the context of civic awareness among their students. This study suggests that service-learning could become a vital force in educational change and promote social equity by enabling the advancement of historically disadvantaged communities. Service-learning could thus be the vehicle that links academic learning outcomes, service in communities and civic education. The purpose of this study is to explore the theoretical foundations of servicelearning in order to achieve a deeper understanding of what service-learning entails. The Occupational Therapy Department of the University of Stellenbosch was selected as a case study to critically assess to what extent it has conceptualised, planned, implemented and assessed its service-learning programmes in terms of the key elements, principles and goals of service-learning. The research strategy for this study is a qualitative case study. Qualitative data was obtained through the completion of an open-ended questionnaire by the final year Occupational Therapy students. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with the head of the department and different representatives of the community project that was selected for the purpose of this research study. The study concludes that the Occupational Therapy Department did in fact, integrate its academic curriculum outcomes with service delivery in the community. However, the development of civic awareness among students needs to be explicitly linked to the academic learning outcomes and service delivery in communities. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die vraagstuk wat hierdie studie probeer aanspreek, is om vas te stel tot watter mate instansies vir hoër onderrig en opvoeding in Suid Afrika die behoeftes van hul studente aanspreek. Die instansies word gekritiseer dat hulle akademiese kurrikulums nie genoegsaam geïntegreerd is met dienslewering in die gemeenskap nie, en dat hulle ook nie genoegsame sosiale verantwoordelikheid en gemeenskapsbewustheid by hulle studente aanmoedig nie. Hierdie studie stel voor dat diensleer gebruik word as 'n tegniek vir opvoedkundige veranderinge en die bevordering van sosiale gelykheid vir die bemagtiging van histories benadeelde gemeenskappe. Diensleer kan dus gebruik word om akademiese leer uitkomste, dienslewering en burgerlike opvoeding te verbind. Die doel van hierdie navorsing is om die teoretiese basis van diensleer te ondersoek om sodoende 'n deeglike begrip te kry van wat diensleer werklik behels. Die Arbeidsterapie Departement van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch is gekies as gevallestudie om vas te stel hoe hulle hul diensleer programme konseptualiseer, beplan, implementeer en assesseer, t.o.v. die kern elemente, beginsels en doelstellings van diensleer. Die navorsingstrategie wat aangewend is om die doel van hierdie navorsing te bereik, is 'n kwalitatiewe gevallestudie. Kwalitatiewe data is verkry deur die voltooiing van 'n ope vraelys deur die finale jaar Arbeidsterapie studente en deur semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met die hoof van die Arbeidsterapie Departement en verteenwoordigers van 'n gemeenskapsprojek wat gekies is vir die doel van die studie. Die studie het vasgestel dat die Arbeidsterapie Departement se akademiese kurrikulum uitkomste wel met dienslewering in die gemeenskap geïntegreerd is. In die lig van die navorsingsbevindinge word 'n aanbeveling gemaak dat die ontwikkeling van burgelikebewustheid en sosiale verantwoordelikheid ten opsigte van gemeenskapsbehoeftes, direk verbind moet word aan akademiese leer en diens uitkomste.

This study explored the participants‟ perceptions of their service-learning experiences in the Department of Interior Design at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The point of departure of the study was a Community Higher Education Service Partnerships (CHESP) Pilot Project initiated by JET Education Services (JET). The study is placed in the context of Higher Education transformation, where "community engagement" is a national imperative. In higher education such engagement includes service-learning. The key focus of the study was on how the participants perceived their experiences in terms of their academic learning, personal growth and social responsibilities. Of interest, too, were the participants' ideas of how service-learning could be improved, if indeed retained, in the interior design programme. Data comprised of reflective reports which were completed by the participants shortly after the service experience and from semi-structured interviews conducted one year later. The qualitative research design involved my immersion in the setting, the collection and categorization of the data and a review of the findings in relation to the current literature. This research highlights the social purpose of Higher Education and the opportunity service-learning presents to nurture the three domains of learning, namely academic, personal and social. Recommendations for future service-learning within the programme are made. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

M.Phil. / Therapeutic massage therapy (TMT) as a profession has undergone major transformations on two levels simultaneously in the past five years. The first is the statutory recognition of TMT as a health profession regulated by the Department of Health and the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA) that has propelled the therapy from the services sector into the country's primary health care system. The second is the transformation of the South African education structures requiring TMT to be formalised and accredited by the South African Qualifications Authority's (SAQA) and the accommodation of the qualification on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) in accordance with the Higher Education Act of 1997. These impetuses have led to a shift in the profession's approach to how it defines itself and how it trains future therapists. The focus of this study is the Massage Therapy Institute's Community Service Programme (MTI CSP), the focal point of the institution's second year programme. The CSP entails the combining of practical sessions and community service in order to expose learners to a wide variety of conditions to encourage theory-practice integration. It also fosters a social awareness through exposure to patients from varied cultural and socio-economic backgrounds in a clinical setting. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of learners and educators regarding the efficacy of the programme to integrate theory and practice and to prepare TMT therapists for a health profession in the primary health care domain. From the analysis it was apparent that despite a number of shortcomings, learners and educators agreed that the CSP encouraged theory practice integration and personal development. They were also able to hone their professional skills. All participants indicated however, that learners failed to effectively transfer the knowledge and skills gained during the combined practical and community service sessions to written learning tasks that formed part of and tasks outside the programme. This was confirmed by text analysis of treatment and case study reports. The implications for teaching and learning are discussed in the context of language learning and learning through language in order to move beyond the what and the how to the why. It was also clear from the research that participation in the programme led to perspective transformation in the majority of learners' perception of TMT as a health profession located in the PHCS. The analysis showed that the reasons for the exception to this trend, is related more to macro policies rather than the efficacy of the CSP. Finally, a number of recommendations are made to improve the transferability of the knowledge, skills and attitudes gained in the CSP to other learning tasks and beyond that to learners' personal and public lives. The recommendations emphasise metacognitive skills and critical reflection to equip learner-therapists to become fully participating members of a responsible and relevant health profession.