The main purpose of this study was to examine the use of mobile phones by Generation Y students in the city of Johannesburg in order to increase understanding of this segment's consumer behaviour. Generation Y is an important market segment in that it is making more independent purchase-related decisions and has a large amount of disposable income. The primary data for this study is based on focus group interviews and a quantitative study of a sample of 200 Generation Y tertiary students. Some of the findings are as follows: * Generation Y's use of mobile phones: Generation Y respondents have owned a mobile phone for between three to five years; the majority own Nokia mobile phones, are on prepaid packages and are not big spenders on airtime; furthermore, SMS is seen as the most cost-effective way to communicate. * Competition in the mobile phone market: The perceptions of this segment are that Vodacom is the "cool" operator, MTN is the most "expensive" network operator and Cell C is "cheap and youthful". * Mobile phone brand awareness: Nokia was the most cited brand of mobile phone and was found to be the first choice of many of the respondents. Samsung was reported as the second most cited brand with Motorola, Siemens and Sony Ericsson following. The results have implications for network providers, handset manufacturers and marketers alike as they will ultimately improve these stakeholder's chances of marketing effectively to this dynamic youth market. / Business Management / M. Comm. (Business Management)

This exploratory study set out to uncover views from the Occupy Movement’s Johannesburg leg. The Occupy Movement arose in late 2011, aiming to occupy public space and challenge conventional economics, politics, and governance. Data were collected by means of an online survey amongst 39 ‘core’ members of the group. The study took up a mixed methods approach underpinned by critical realism. Basic descriptive statistics and cross tabulations were used to analyse 6 closed-ended survey items in a quantitative fashion; thereafter, 4 open-ended items were qualitatively examined by delineating responses into discursive themes based on response content and positions taken up by respondents in their claims and statements. Finally, a cluster analysis was performed in order to cluster or profile significant groups that emerged from the data based on demographics, selection of closed-ended items, and quantitatively transformed response content to qualitatively examined open-ended items. It was found that the sample mirrored the demographics present in foreign movements as it was primarily male (61.5%), white (87.2%), highly educated (51.4% holding a bachelor’s degree or higher) and young (74.4% in the 21 to 40 age range). Furthermore, it was found that within a group that stood against various macro-level social systems, confidence in all social institutions was extremely low, in particular for big corporations, national government, and political parties. This sample was highly comparable to a representative South African sample as regards their views on the causes of social division; the factors that were seen as most socially divisive (in descending order) were: (1) socio-economic status; (2) race; (3) politics; (4) cultural differences; (5) language; (6) religion; (7) AIDS/disease. Qualitatively, the first item asked whether or not they believed that their movement lacked focus. Upon analysis it was found that four distinct themes existed in response: (1) duality (those revealing support for the movement but disdain for its processes); (2) aggressive justification (vehement justification and defense of the Occupy stance); (3) denial (lacking full knowledge of Occupy processes but ardently defending them while moving away from the difficult questions); (4) straddling the fence (vague and contradictory positions). Members responded to the question of whether their movement differed from foreign movements by stating that it did, based primarily on local socio-historical, economic, and contemporary issues peculiar to South Africa – these members sought a special place for their movement and acted in contradiction to the global Occupy stances; others said no and based this on appeals to homogeneity of cause, global concerns, and an Occupy solidarity. When asked why they, personally, were motivated to engage with the movement, the sample maintained either: (1) the unfair world argument (a strong theme in which perceived ‘systemic unfairness’ proved motivation enough); (2) socialist argument (a string of socialist-based positions connected to classic socialist disdain for the creation of capital, accruing of personal wealth, estrangement of labourers from produce etc.); (3) personal plight argument (exclusively personal standpoints appealing to individual socio-economic woes). Finally, pressure was placed upon the Occupy protestors to reveal what their ideal, utopian society would look like, given the option. The sample called for: (1) orthodox anarchy (stark calls for 4 absolute anarchy); (2) anarchic socialism (marrying socialism and anarchy – less extreme than anarchy, more equal than capitalism, incorporating multiple freedoms and backed by orthodox socialist rhetoric); (3) advancing through decentralized civil society (no clear ideology, rather providing a special place for civil society with few central power structures; driving forth through family and community); (4) fundamental equality and freedom (emphasis of final desires over process and ideology with a belief that society does not require strict regulation, it rather holds its own ‘homeostatic’ capabilities). The hierarchical cluster analysis for this study found 4 distinct clusters; each cluster was defined by a generally homogeneous set of responses and demographics. Significantly, cluster 3 included 50% of the cases analysed (50% of the sample) and uncovered a common profile (homogeneous demographics, vastly similar stances on sources of social division, similarity in terms of confidence in social institutions, and agreement on the rationale and motivation to be personally involvement in Occupy). Cluster 4 consisted of so-called outliers. / Psychology / M. A.( Psychology with specialisation in Research Consultation)

D.Phil. (Geography) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M. Ed. (Tertiary Didactics) / This study is part of a more extensive research project undertaken by a number of M.Ed.-students. The Bureau for University Education at the Rand Afrikaans University has accepted the question of the development of selection mechanisms with a view to accepting students for a university course as part of its assignment. The problem concerning a selection process for students can have dire repercussions, not only for those students who fail as a result of inadequate or erroneous selection, but also for the university as well as for the community. Individual members of the research team have devoted their attention to the evaluation of the existing selection criterium currently being implemented in order to select first-year students for further study in the various faculties. The objective of this research effort is particularly to determine whether the current selection programme, according to which first year students are selected for the Faculty of Education, is effective. An extensive literature study on existing selection procedures at universities abroad as well as at South African universities has been undertaken. At South African universities, and in particular at the Rand Afrikaans University, a variation of the Swedish Formula, the M-Score, is used as a selection mechanism. This M-Score has also been used as the research instrument in this research study. The M-Score comprises the allocation of different numerical values to the symbols attained in matriculation subjects, The research group consisted of full-time first-year students who registered at the RAU in the Faculty of Education for the degrees or diploma B.Prim.Ed., B.Cur., and H.E.D. in 1990. During the empirical research a cross-reference table on which the entire research group's final results of each first-year subject was entered in· certain intervals opposite the student's various M-Scores, was compiled. Likewise a crossreference table for each different field of study was compiled, in order to compare each field of study with the findings of the total research group. An additional table containing the frequencies, cumulative frequencies, and the percentages of both the successful as well as the unsuccessful courses as regards the total research group, has also been compiled. The percentage of successful courses per M-Score for the total research group has also been graphically indicated.

M.Ed. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

D.Ed. / Cognitive flexibility and didactically opportunities in teacher training. effective learning There is consensus amongst educationalists that the task of the teacher is to ensure that the pupils learn meaningfully. The teacher should create opportunities for meaningful learning to occur. Opportunities must be devised to stimulate pupils to think; by solving problems, making discoveries and experimenting. Futhermore, educationalists agree, that a meaningful learning opportunity is one where the interaction between the teacher and the pupils operates on higher cognitive dimensions and is not restricted to the lower cognitive levels - which is usually the case. This, however, does not imply that the interaction should necessarily be confined to a higher cognitive level. The teacher should be flexible enough to change from one cognitive tactic to another, and plan and act in accordance with the prevailing didactical situation. The concern of the writer and the reason for this investigation is the assumption and conviction that cognitive inflexibility and the lack of meaningful learning opportunities are symptomatic and " problem areas of the school practice. Rote learning and memorisation have become important teaching objectives. The purpose of this investigation is to ascertain whether it is possible for student-teachers to acquire the skill to plan effective learning opportunities and to enhance their cognitive flexibility.

M.Ed. (Language Teaching) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. / The provision of adequate housing is one of the critical components in ad dressing the political, economic and social challenges facing South Africa. The housing development strategy in the Greater Johannesburg Transitional Metropolitan Council UMC) was investigated because, if it should fail, it would have far reaching implications for the rest of the country since the Greater Johannesburg area is the engine room of South Africa. The primary objective of this research project is to establish the main causes for the perceived slow delivery of housing in the Greater Johannesburg TMC's area of jurisdiction. A literature study on housing development is done in order to compare the South African hou—sing context with the international housing field. Relevant terms and definitions are conceptualised and a brief discussion is given of housing in the macro environment to give a holistic perspective. The chapter on the South African context gives a brief historical outline of the institutional framework of housing in South Africa to put the housing delivery process in its proper perspective. The housing backlog and the Central Government's housing budget and subsidy scheme are considered and analysed. A brief overview is given of the background of the establishment of the Greater Johannesburg TMC and it's organisational structures. The empirical findings of the research project regarding the provision of housing in the Greater Johannesburg area indicates that the Transitional Metropolitan Council is not ' ready or geared to meet the housing challenges in its area of jurisdiction. Recommendations are based on the empirical data and the theoretical information obtained during the research for this dissertation.

M.Ed. (Education and Curriculum Studies) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Tech. (Fine Art) / In Rhythmanalysis: Space, Time and Everyday Life, Henri Lefebvre (2004 [1992]) presents an incomplete account of an interdisciplinary, poetic science of rhythms, where the body and senses are given prime place as instruments of measure. This text has strong correlations with the Minutes Project, a collaborative study of everyday urban Johannesburg through the mediums of time-lapse film and sound recording. This correlation raises the question of how critical dialogue between Rhythmanalysis and the Minutes Project may contribute to the development of new methods for the study of the everyday. The research unfolds as a series of iterative processes, moving between theoretical engagement and critical praxis, including critiques of selected scientific works of Etienne-Jules Marey (1830-1904) and the media critique of Friedrich Kittler (1999), as well as the production of films, installations, and performances. Through these engagements I evolve a constellation of ideas and methods for the study of the everyday, centred on the relation between the measuring function of indexical graphic traces and the rhythmic measure of bodily, sensory experience. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are employed, resulting in an integration of empirical and poetic modes of investigation. Lefebvre’s proposed figure of the rhythmanalyst emerges as a productive sounding-board for the development of a study of rhythmic aspects of the everyday, and the process of rhythmanalysis is extended in this project to encompass collaboration and participative interpretation. In the course of the research, I develop a novel method of graphing quantities of movement over time in the spaces studied, presenting multiple possibilities for interpretation as a trace of an underlying rhythmic layer of urban life. The research project as a whole demonstrates the practicability of the integration of empirical and poetic modes of investigating the everyday.