This study aims at exposing and challenging the effects of heterosexist assumptions that are prevalent in institutions of higher learning. It (study) further seeks to highlight and address the gaps that exist within the academic literature in South Africa with regards to homosexuality. Five students from an institution of higher learning in the Western Cape Province of South Africa with predominantly Black Students were used for this study. All the participants were Black students aged between 19 and 25 years who openly identify themselves as lesbians. Their participation was voluntary. A narrative approach was utilised as an attempt to afford the participants an opportunity to narrate their histories and personal experiences. This is a qualitative research approach which deals with personal stories that are told to describe human action and make sense of events that surround an individual. It involves getting a story from an individual who is identified as having some knowledge or experience with the topic of study. In an attempt to gain a better understanding and an insightful perspective into the personal narratives that were shared by the participants of this study, all their experiences will be put under the control of the thematic analysis.

This study aims at exposing and challenging the effects of heterosexist assumptions that are prevalent in institutions of higher learning. It (study) further seeks to highlight and address the gaps that exist within the academic literature in South Africa with regards to homosexuality. Five students from an institution of higher learning in the Western Cape Province of South Africa with predominantly Black Students were used for this study. All the participants were Black students aged between 19 and 25 years who openly identify themselves as lesbians. Their participation was voluntary. A narrative approach was utilised as an attempt to afford the participants an opportunity to narrate their histories and personal experiences. This is a qualitative research approach which deals with personal stories that are told to describe human action and make sense of events that surround an individual. It involves getting a story from an individual who is identified as having some knowledge or experience with the topic of study. In an attempt to gain a better understanding and an insightful perspective into the personal narratives that were shared by the participants of this study, all their experiences will be put under the control of the thematic analysis.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / This study aims at exposing and challenging the effects of heterosexist assumptions that are prevalent in institutions of higher learning. It (study) further seeks to highlight and address the gaps that exist within the academic literature in South Africa with regards to homosexuality. Five students from an institution of higher learning in the Western Cape Province of South Africa with predominantly Black Students were used for this study. All the participants were Black students aged between 19 and 25 years who openly identify themselves as lesbians. Their participation was voluntary. A narrative approach was utilised as an attempt to afford the participants an opportunity to narrate their histories and personal experiences. This is a qualitative research approach which deals with personal stories that are told to describe human action and make sense of events that surround an individual. It involves getting a story from an individual who is identified as having some knowledge or experience with the topic of study. In an attempt to gain a better understanding and an insightful perspective into the personal narratives that were shared by the participants of this study, all their experiences will be put under the control of the thematic analysis. / South Africa

The South African agricultural sector underwent a significant amount of institutional and structural changes during the past two decades, especially in the aftermath South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994 and the deregulation of the agricultural marketing environment in 1996/97. These changes meant that South African agricultural economics scholars had to adapt to these changes. The increased need towards more quantified output in agricultural economic research has led agricultural economic scholars to “borrow” econometric models from their fellow scholars abroad to apply to South African research problems in order to fulfil the need for more quantified research output. However, the development of econometrics has over the years given rise to a disenchantment with the way in which econometrics have been applied in economic research. Consequently it is believed that a large body of literature has entered the public domain without being properly reviewed because South African agricultural economic scholars do not have the necessary insight and knowledge of the problems believed to be at the root of the disenchantment with the manner in which econometrics have been applied. The general objective of this dissertation is to investigate the disenchantment with the manner econometrics has been applied in economic and agricultural economic scholarship in order to identity the main drivers of this disenchantment, and to use this knowledge gained to evaluate the application of econometrics in South African agricultural economic scholarship as portrayed in Agrekon, one of South Africa’s agricultural economics peer review journals. The study is conducted by means of a review of the literature on the history of econometrics, the development of econometric methodologies and the disenchantment with econometrics in economics and agricultural economics. Applied econometrics portrayed in Agrekon is evaluated by means of a survey of papers published in this journal. The main findings of this study revealed that the key drivers of disenchantment can mainly be ascribed to the following: <ul> <li>The misuse of statistical significance tests in applied studies.</li> <li>Problems with data underlying econometric analyses.</li> <li>The problems associated with replication. <li>Data mining <li>The “Black box ideology” in applied econometrics and <li>Scholasticism and associated preference falsification.</li> </ul> A survey of papers published in Agrekon based on a sample of 65 papers, which were sampled by means of stratified random sampling, revealed that elements behind the disenchantment with econometrics are present in South African agricultural economic scholarship. It was also found that the data underlying econometric analyses are a major point of concern in South African agricultural economics and it seem as if South African agricultural economics scholars have adopted a lackadaisical attitude towards data. The study concludes with recommendations for future studies into to the application of econometrics in South African agricultural economics. / Dissertation (MCom(Agricultural Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / MCom / unrestricted

This research focused on affirmative action, equity in the workplace, skills development and training. It examined the manner in which policies and practices aimed at realising representativeness were implemented by the City of Cape Town. Reasons for the slow progress made at realising representativeness in the City of Cape Town were identified as well as the shortcomings of current policies, procedures and practices.

When lesbians, as women divert from social norms and reject the compulsory heterosexual norm, they are either punished through legal systems for transgressing patriarchial structures or not recognised at all. As women, lesbians suffer at the hands of a homophobic society which believs that women have stepped out of line through challenging the hegemonic discourses stipulating that they have specific and distinct roles to play - that of wives, mothers, homemakers and sexual partners to men. Because lesbians do not fit into this construct, their behaviour is socially and legally condemned for diverting from the &quot / natural order&quot / . This study aimed to identify and explore the various ways people construct and perceive lesbians and to reveal how sexuality, as a product of history and culture, determines the ways lesbians are treated in their own communities. This study attempted to explore how, despite the democratic stance of the new constitution, South African lesbians still experience discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation.

This research focused on affirmative action, equity in the workplace, skills development and training. It examined the manner in which policies and practices aimed at realising representativeness were implemented by the City of Cape Town. Reasons for the slow progress made at realising representativeness in the City of Cape Town were identified as well as the shortcomings of current policies, procedures and practices.

When lesbians, as women divert from social norms and reject the compulsory heterosexual norm, they are either punished through legal systems for transgressing patriarchial structures or not recognised at all. As women, lesbians suffer at the hands of a homophobic society which believs that women have stepped out of line through challenging the hegemonic discourses stipulating that they have specific and distinct roles to play - that of wives, mothers, homemakers and sexual partners to men. Because lesbians do not fit into this construct, their behaviour is socially and legally condemned for diverting from the &quot / natural order&quot / . This study aimed to identify and explore the various ways people construct and perceive lesbians and to reveal how sexuality, as a product of history and culture, determines the ways lesbians are treated in their own communities. This study attempted to explore how, despite the democratic stance of the new constitution, South African lesbians still experience discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In South Africa, selection from a diverse population poses a formidable challenge. The challenge lies in subgroup difference in the performance criterion. Protected group members perform systematically lower on the criterion due to systematic, group-related differences in learning and job competency potential latent variables required to succeed in learning and on the job. These subgroup differences are attributable to the unequal development and distribution of intellectual capital across racial-ethnic subgroups due to systemic historical disadvantagement. This scenario has made it difficult for organisations in South Africa to meet equity targets when selecting applicants from a diverse group representative of the South African population, while at the same time maintaining production and efficiency targets. Therefore there is an urgent need for affirmative development. Ensuring that those admitted to affirmative development interventions successfully develop the job competency potential and job competencies required to succeed on the job requires that the appropriate people are selected into these interventions. Selection into affirmative development opportunities represents an attempt to improve the level of Learning performance during evaluation of learners admitted to affirmative development opportunities. A valid understanding of the identity of the determinants of learning performance in conjunction with a valid understanding of how they combine to determine the level of learning performance achieved should allow the valid prediction of Learning performance during evaluation. The primary objective of the present study was to integrate and elaborate the De Goede (2007) and the Burger (2012) learning potential models in a manner that circumvents the problems and shortcomings of these models by developing an extended explanatory learning performance structural model that explicates additional cognitive and non-cognitive learning competency potential latent variables that affect learning performance and that describes the manner in which these latent variables combine to affect learning performance. A total of 213 participants took part in the study. The sample was predominantly made up of students from previously disadvantaged groups on the extended degree programme of a university in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The proposed De Goede – Burger – Mahembe Learning Potential Structural Model was tested via structural equation modeling after performing item and dimensional analyses. Item and dimensional analyses were performed to identify poor items and ensure uni-dimensionality. Uni-dimensionality is a requirement for item parcel creation. Item parcels were used due to sample size restrictions. The fit of the measurement and structural models can generally be regarded as reasonable and both models showed close fit. Significant relationships were found between: Information processing capacity and Learning Performance during evaluation; Self-leadership and Motivation to learn; Motivation to learn and Time-engaged-on-task; Self efficacy and Self-leadership; Knowledge about cognition and Regulation of cognition; Regulation of cognition and Time-cognitively-engaged; Learning goal orientation and Motivation to learn; Openness to experience and Learning goal orientation. Support was not found for the relationships between Conscientiousness and Time-cognitively-engaged, as well as between Time-cognitively-engaged and Learning performance. The hypothesised moderating effect of Prior learning on the relationship between Abstract reasoning capacity and Learning performance during evaluation was not supported. The statistical power of the test of close fit for the comprehensive LISREL model was examined. The discriminant validity of the item parcels were ascertained. The limitations of the research and suggestions for future studies have been highlighted. The results of the present study provide some important insights for educators and training and development specialists on how to identify potential students and talent for affirmative development in organisations in South Africa.

Thesis (MEd (Education Policy Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Evaluation is seen as one of the key elements to enhance the teaching skills and subject knowledge of teachers, thereby facilitating effective and quality teaching and learning. One way of ensuring that this becomes a reality at South African schools is the introduction of an evaluation policy, namely the Integrated Quality Management System, as contained in the document Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS), Collective Agreement Number 8 of 2003 of the Education Labour Relations Council. This research was conducted against the backdrop of IQMS implementation in South African schools since 2005, and explored answers to the following questions: How do teachers experience the implementation of the IQMS (a form of evaluation)? To what extent does the IQMS contribute to the support, development and growth of teachers? Has the implementation of the IQMS had any positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning in schools? The data for the research were collected in 39 schools in Paarl and surrounding areas. The findings of the research study are based on a quantitative (questionnaire) investigation in the framework of an interpretive and positivistic paradigm. The results of the research showed that a significant number of teachers experience the goal and implementation of the IQMS as problematic. This leads to the conclusion that the implementation of the policy has not necessarily contributed to a fundamental improvement in the quality of teaching and learning in the participating schools. This conclusion is also based on the lack of meaningful and ongoing support and assistance that respondents receive before and after the evaluation process. The findings of this study correspond with those of international studies on the same topic, and indicate that teachers face universal problems, particularly with regard to the implementation of evaluation policies. This study could contribute to further research on the topic. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Evaluering word as een van die kernelemente beskou om onderwysers se onderrigvaardighede en vakkennis te verbeter, en sodoende doeltreffende en goeie onderrig en leer in die hand te werk. Een manier om toe te sien dat dít in Suid- Afrikaanse skole werklikheid word, is die instelling van evalueringsbeleid, oftewel die Geïntegreerde Gehaltebestuurstelsel (GGBS), soos dit in die dokument Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS), Collective Agreement Number 8 of 2003 van die Raad op Arbeidsverhoudinge in die Onderwys vervat word. Hierdie studie is teen die agtergrond van GGBS-inwerkingstelling in Suid-Afrikaanse skole sedert 2005 onderneem, en soek na antwoorde op die volgende vrae: Hoe ervaar onderwysers die inwerkingstelling van die GGBS ( vorm van evaluering)? In watter mate dra die GGBS by tot die ondersteuning, ontwikkeling en groei van onderwysers? Het die inwerkingstelling van die GGBS enige positiewe invloed op die gehalte van onderrig en leer in skole? Die data vir die navorsing is in 39 skole in die Paarl en omgewing ingesamel. Die bevindings van die navorsingstudie is gegrond op kwantitatiewe (vraelys-) ondersoek in vertolkende en positivistiese paradigma. Die navorsingsresultate toon dat beduidende aantal onderwysers die doel en inwerkingstelling van die GGBS as problematies ervaar. Dít lei tot die gevolgtrekking dat die inwerkingstelling van die beleid nie noodwendig tot grondliggende verbetering in die gehalte van onderrig en leer in die deelnemerskole gelei het nie. Dié gevolgtrekking berus ook op die gebrek aan sinvolle en deurlopende ondersteuning en hulp wat die respondente voor en ná die evalueringsproses ontvang. Die bevindings van hierdie studie stem ooreen met dié van internasionale studies oor dieselfde onderwerp, en toon dat onderwysers, bepaald wat die inwerkingstelling van evalueringsbeleid betref, met universele probleme te kampe het. Hierdie studie kan tot verdere navorsing oor die onderwerp bydra.