Technology and globalisation has shaped the experiences and expectations of adult learners in the 21st century. How adults learn and what they want to learn is highly influenced by the world they live in at any given time. The need for customisation, extending traditional learning experiences into new learning experiences will address the quality and value of higher education learning in South Africa. Restructuring of current programmes to be more flexible, accessible, interactive, that supports collaboration of learning activities and accommodates different learning styles, will enrich the adult learners’ learning experience and quality of learning. In suggesting the use of an alternative learning strategy, the use of a hybrid study approach (HSA) has been suggested and investigated. Limited research has been conducted in the use of a hybrid study approach (HSA) and more on what has been said was conducted on pure online learning, therefore this study focused on managing the quality of learning in higher education through a hybrid study approach (HSA). Since the researcher’s interest was to gain insight and understanding of learners’, tutors’ and institutional managements’ perceptions, understanding, concerns and experiences in their real world conditions when using a hybrid study approach (HSA), the qualitative research method was applied. The researcher focused on the micro-level of managing quality of learning by assessing the ‘learning’ when learning with technology. The study adhered to ethical principles and techniques to enhance the validity of the findings. The study found that a need for redress and reform of training and education in South Africa, especially with the integration of technology in higher education, extending into a hybrid study approach (HSA), which is in harmony with international standards of academic quality, knowledge, expertise and skills is needed in a changing global economy. A one-for-all learning approach was found not well suited for the needs of society today and does not foster an all-inclusive learning approach. The move to a knowledge society where learners are interconnected and where information circulate around the world faster than ever, it is evident that much learning occurs in a social environment and does not happen in splendid isolation. It was found evident that life demands and other different roles adult learners need to fulfill, adults intentionally search for educational settings that support their way of learning. / Education Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Text in English / This research project, within the context of security risk management in general and aviation security in particular, aimed to explore the impact of the application of international and local air cargo security regulations on South Africa, with specific reference to the regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), as well as the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (USA). In South Africa, since the early 2000s, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has been the lead agency for dealing with and managing the needs for air cargo security. This oversight by SACAA culminated in 2009 with the promulgation of the SACAA Regulation commonly known as Part 108. Accordingly the primary research focus was on the impact Part 108 has had on the air cargo industry in South Africa. In addition, it compared the South African regulations with those of the USA and EU regulations; explored the compliance of the various roleplayers; sought to understand the enforcement of the regulations; and examined the effectiveness of the available security and screening methods. Furthermore, the research attempted to determine whether these regulations had any effect on preventing or deterring crime in the air cargo sector. / Criminology and Security Science / M. Tech. (Security Management)

Many child and youth care organisations in South Africa struggle to implement adequate supervision structures for their child and youth care workers. If supervisors in this field had adequate knowledge and skills, they could enable child and youth care workers to grow and develop competently and provide more professional services to troubled young people in South Africa, This qualitative research sought to identify what knowledge and skills supervisors need in child and youth care settings in South Africa to provide effective supervision to workers. This research confirmed that there are specific skills and knowledge required by supervisors in child and youth care settings in South Africa and while there is an awareness of these in some settings, they are not being fully utilised in organised supervision structures. / Social Work / M.Tech. (Child and Youth Care)

The study investigated whether the South African Research Chairs and the research programmes of the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation Programme (DST/NRF programmes), have made an effective contribution towards the acceleration of transformation in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in South Africa. The study argues that the implementation of the Higher Education (HE) policies by HEIs and the South African Research Chairs are seriously undermined by legacies of colonialism and apartheid. It is further contended that unless more funds are made available to black students to study full-time, the pillars of democracy of social justice, redress and equality remain meaningless ideological slogans. Guided by the insights provided by literature review on CDA, the study focuses more on the top-down relations of dominance (policy) that fuels continuing racial discrimination in higher education institutions, which the 2008 Final Report of the Ministerial Higher Education Committee isolated for criticism. The study posits that the thematic structural unifier, which links all the pieces of the multiplicity of the competing ideas and voices and threads through the whole study, is the endless probing and unravelling of the cultural and historical factors that continue to undermine the higher education transformation agenda. The findings of this study suggest that the policy implementation of the HE transformation agenda continues to be constrained by mismatch between policy objectives and implementation results. The findings also indicate that although the research-driven performance of South African Research Chairs has progressively improved each year and student support and research outputs increased between the 2008/09 and 2009/10 financial years, the direct impact of the SARChI programme can only be determined when performance is measured against the South African Research Chair Holders‟ baseline performance. The data also suggest that despite access to educational services at HEIs improving, the existence of various forms of discriminatory 15 practices, are still employed, a major challenge attributed to the “great man” leadership styles adopted by many university‟s vice chancellors and councils. This evaluation study utilises a small-scale purposive sample composed of three experts, with unstructured in-depth face-to-face interviews conducted with the experts. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Philosophy of Education)

Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 1999. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of the study is to determine the rate of return to cover crop research in the wine industry. The method followed will prove an invaluable contribution toward the need to determine a suitable approach for evaluation studies. The importance behind such a study is the development of appropriate ex ante evaluation approaches, which will assist in the allocation of public research resources in both a social and economical manner. The wine industry is currently enjoying healthy international demand, but will need to remain competitive to reap the full benefit of international exposure. The need therefore exists for a continuation of research at the institutional level, in order to maintain the progressive nature of research knowledge that was available in the past. The evaluation of ex post and ex ante research will assist in maintaining government funding for research and help with campaigning for private investment of research in the wine industry. The use of two evaluation approaches was used for the analysis. Firstly, the production function approach achieved a rate of return of 44 percent, using weather and research expenditure as a means to explain the variations in wine grape yield. Secondly, a cost benefit approach was devised in order to make a direct comparison between the cost and benefits related to the cover crop research. The rate of return achieved for this mode of analysis is 37 percent, using trial plot data as a source of information on potential benefits. In addition to this the cost benefit approach was used to show the difference in rate of return that is achievable between two growing regions. The variable that exists between the two regions, is the higher rate of irrigation in one of the regions. The high rate of return achieved for the investment, provides suitable motivation for the increase in state funding for research in the wine industry, and provides valuable information for the enticement of support by private investors. The two methods used in the study will both draw a certain amount of criticism, largely as a result of the lack of available data. The empirical nature of the approaches is however simple and applicable down to the project level. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie is om die opbrengs op navorsing oor dekgewasse in die Suid- Afrikaanse wynbedryf te bepaal. Hierbenewens het die studie dit ook ten doel om gepaste metodieke vir die evaluering van navorsingsprojekte daar te stel. In hierdie opsig maak hierdie studie ' n bydrae tot besluitneming oor die allokering van openbare fondse vir landbounavorsing op 'n ekonomies en sosiale optimale wyse. Die Suid- Afrikaanse wynbedryf beleef tans ' n bloeifase, hoofsaaklik as gevolg van sterk internasionale vraag na sy produkte, maar salop sy internasionale mededingendheid moet let indien die volle voordele hiervan benut kan word. Daarom is dit noodsaaklik dat die bedryf op tegnologiese gebied moet kan meeding, en dus dat navorsingsbesteding nie onoordeelkundig ingekort word rue. Inligting oor die opbrengs op navorsingsbesteding is dus noodsaaklik om die volgehoue betrokkenheid van die staat te kan regverdig, hetsy as finansier of as katalisator vir privaatsektor betrokkenheid. In hierdie studie is die opbrengs op navorsing gemeet deur beide die bekende produksiefunksie benadering sowel as deur koste-voordeel ontleding. In die eerste geval is 'n opbrengskoers van 44% gemeet, en in die tweede geval is dit 37%. By die kostevoordeel ontleding is ook 'n verdere onderskeid gemaak tussen twee wynbou-streke om die invloed van meer besproeiing te bepaal. Ten spyte van dataprobleme, veral wat betref die koste van navorsing, kan beweer word dat die inligting so verkry van nut sal wees vir besluitnemers by die toekenning van skaars navorsingsfondse, asook by bedinging om privaatsektor fondse.

Thesis (MEd (Curriculum Studies))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The numerous changes to the South African education system since January 1998 have had far reaching effects on schools and the training of educators (Government Gazette, 31 May 2002:13). Changes in subject content have occurred in various subjects, and the General Science (now Natural Science) syllabus is no exception. The General Science syllabus previously catered mainly for Chemistry, Physics and Biology, but the Curriculum 2005 (C2005) Natural Science syllabus includes subject matter on Physical Geography (Climatology, Astronomy, and Geomorphology) (Department of Education, 2002b:6). The problem with this is that educators that previously taught General Science are not necessarily qualified to present the Physical Geography component of the new syllabus. This study investigates the impact of the changes in the new curriculum. The review of existing literature on curriculum development in Natural Science education in South Africa emphasises key changes made in the development and implementation of C2005 and the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS). It also explores the characteristic features of misconceptions, before considering specific misconceptions in Natural Sciences. The first part of the two-tiered empirical investigation is based on the results of questionnaires and interviews completed by different groups of Natural Sciences educators. The questionnaires, which drew in part on existing questionnaires used in similar studies, were based on information used for the literature review. The second part of the empirical investigation consisted of interviews conducted with Natural Sciences Departmental Heads at randomly selected schools. An attempt was made to determine how these senior educators experienced the implementation of C2005 and RNCS and what their attitude to the new curriculum were. The data obtained from the questionnaires and the subsequent interviews were categorised, interpreted and coded for statistical processing.

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa needs to ensure equal opportunity for all to higher education, and given that it also needs to correct the drastic imbalances brought about by apartheid, affirmative action is seen as a strategy to pursue both goals. Affirmative action is comprised of programs and policies that grant favorable treatment on the basis of race or gender to government-defined “disadvantaged” individuals. However, affirmative action is not without its own challenges and difficulties. The main question that this thesis addresses is “what are the tensions between applying affirmative action policies in South African higher education institutions and the demands of a knowledge economy within a globalised world?” I argue that though universities need to be more demographically representative and broaden access to previously disadvantaged individuals by adjusting entry requirements, they cannot compromise on their quality of graduates by adjusting their exit criteria in line with racial representivity. That would undermine the very worth of higher education as a social good, the dignity of the individual graduate, as well as the economic growth of the country. Accusations that affirmative action is merely “reverse discrimination” are refuted by an appeal to Rawls’s Principle of Difference which holds that policies of inequality can be socially just. Drawing on Charles Taylor and Wally Morrow, I posit that within a democracy, affirmative action should be seen as a shared rather than a convergent good for broadening access to quality education. But whereas broadening formal access seems like a legitimate and necessary step to address the inherited inequities, the broadening of epistemological access would undermine the very aims of quality education. Furthermore, I argue that formal access should be driven by the politics of difference, but that epistemological access that ensures educational success should be driven by the politics of equal dignity. In order to see how some of these concepts and policies of affirmative action play out in an actual institution, I look at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Here the main debates relating to its affirmative action policy are whether demographic representivity is the only outcome for evaluating the success of affirmative action, and whether “disadvantaged” individuals should be selected on criteria other than race. It also considers whether its affirmative action policies could compromise its functioning and ability to supply quality qualifications to the required number of disadvantaged individuals. There is no easy and simple answer to whether affirmative action in fact promotes equal opportunity to higher education and equips all South African graduates with the necessary skills for a knowledge economy. It would be therefore important to do further research on what nonrace based affirmative action policies might entail while keeping in mind the shifts in the global economy and the need for academic rigor. Furthermore, more longitudinal research needs to be done on the complex consequences of affirmative action, on both an individual level with issues of identity and career mobility, and on a broader socio-economic level with issues of economic growth and social welfare. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrika moet hom beywer tot die daarstelling van gelyke geleenthede vir almal tot hoëronderwys, en gegewe dat daar ’n behoefte is om drastiese ongelykhede van apartheid reg te stel, word regstellende aksie gesien as a strategie om beide doelstellings na te streef. Regstellende aksie bestaan uit programme en beleide wat daarop gemik is om begunstigde behandeling te dien aan “voorheen benadeelde” individue, soos deur die staat gedefineer, op grond van ras en geslag. Maar regstellende aksie is nie sonder sy eie uitdagings en swaarhede nie. Die hoofvraag wat hierdie tesis addreseer, is: “Watter gespannenhede is daar tussen die uitvoering van regstellende aksie beleide in Suid-Afrikaanse Hoëronderwys instellings en die eise van ’n kennis-ekonomie binne ’n geglobaliseerde wêreld?” Ek argumenteer dat, ofskoon daar ’n behoefte is vir universiteite om meer demografies verteenwoordigend te wees en hul toegang tot voorheen benadeelde individue te verbreed deur toelatingsvereistes te wysig, kan hulle nie kompromeer op hul gehalte van gegradueerdes deur uitgangskriteria in lyn met ras verteenwoordiging nie. Dit sal juis die waarde van hoëronderwys as ’n sosiale goedheid, die waardigheid van die individule gegradueerde asook die ekonomiese groei van die land ondermyn. Aantygings dat regstellende aksie bloot “wedergekeerde diskriminasie” is, word weerlê deur ’n verwysing na Rawls se Beginsel van Verskil wat stel dat beleide van ongelykhede maatskaplike regverdiging kan hê. Gegrond op Charles Taylor en Wally Morrow, postuleer ek dat, binne ’n demokrasie, regstellende aksie beskou moet word as ’n gedeelde eerder as ’n konvergente goedheid om gehalte onderwys verder toeganklik te maak. Maar waar verbrede formele toegang gesien kan word as ’n wettige en nodige stap om geërfde ongelykhede aan te spreek, sal die verbreding van epistemologiese toegang juis die doelstellings van gehalte onderwys ondermyn. Verder voer ek aan dat formele toegang aangedryf moet word deur die politiek van verskil, maar dat epistemologiese toegang wat opvoedkundige sukses verseker, aangedryf moet word deur die politiek van gelyke waardigheid. Ten einde te sien hoe van hierdie konsepte en beleide van regstellende aksie hulself uitspeel in eintlike inrigtings van onderwys, kyk ek na die Universiteit Kaapstad (UK). Hier draai die debat aangaande regstellende aksie beleid om of die demografiese verteenwoordiging die enigste uitkoms is ter evaluering van die sukses van regstellende aksie, en of “benadeelde” individue geselekteer moet word op grond van kriteria anders as ras. Dit (UK) oorweeg ook of sy regstellende beleide sy funksionering en vermoë om gehalte kwalifikasies aan die verlangde getal benadeelde individue kompromiteer. Daar is geen eenvoudige en maklike antwoord betreffende regstellende aksie en of dit gelyke geleenthede tot hoëronderwys promoveer en alle Suid-Afrikaanse gegradueerders toerus met die nodige bevoegdhede vir ’n kennis-ekonomie nie. Dit sal derhalwe belangrik wees om verdere navorsing te doen oor wat nie-rasgebaseerde regstellende aksie kan behels terwyl in gedagte gehou word die skuiwe in die globale ekonomie en die behoefte aan akademiese kwaliteit. Verder moet veel meer longitudinale navorsing gedoen word oor die ingewikkelde gevolge van regstellende aksie op beide die individuele vlak met kwessies van identiteit en beroepsmobiliteit en op breër sosio-ekonomiese vlak met kwessies van ekonomiese groei en maatskaaplike welsyn.

This study investigated the problem-solving skills of Grade 12 learners in probability. A total of 490 Grade 12 learners from seven schools, categorised under four quintiles (socioeconomic factors) were purposefully selected for the study. The mixed method research methodology was employed in the study. Bloom’s taxonomy and the aspects of probability enshrined in the Mathematics Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) document of 2011 were used as a framework of analysis. A cognitive test developed by the researcher was used as an instrument to collect data from learners. The instrument used for data collection passed the test of validity and reliability. Quantitative data collected was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics and qualitative data collected from learners was analysed by performing a content analysis of learners’ scripts. The study found that the learners in this study were more proficient in the use of Venn diagrams as an aid in solving probability problems than in using tree diagrams and contingency tables as aids in solving these problems. Results of the study also showed that with the exception of Bloom's taxonomy synthesis level, learners in Quintile 4 (fee-paying schools) had statistically significant (P-value < 0.05) higher achievement scores than learners in Quintiles 1 to 3, (i.e. non-fee-paying schools) at the levels of knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis and evaluation of Bloom’s taxonomy. Contrary to expectations, it was revealed that the achievement of the learners in probability in this study decreased from Quintile 1 to Quintile 3 in all but the synthesis level of Bloom's taxonomy. Based on these findings, the study argued that the quintile ranking of schools in South Africa may be a useful but not a perfect means of categorisation to help improve learner achievement. Furthermore, learners in the study demonstrated three main error types, namely computational error, procedural error and structural error. Based on the findings of the study it was recommended that regular content-specific professional development be given to all teachers, especially on newly introduced topics, to enhance effective teaching and learning. / Mathematics Education / Ph. D. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education)

This study evaluates the school feeding programme at Magog Primary School. It sets out as its objective to find out how the programme operates and its potential impact on school children, including challenges, if any, and recommends solutions to mitigate the challenges. It was motivated by the need to provide information which could be used as a basis to ensure that the nutritional and educational objectives of the National School Nutritional Programme are achieved. A review of literature demonstrated that, within the developmental framework, the point of view of civil society, government and the academia on the school feeding programmes are a valuable strategy to intervene in the nutritional and cognitive development of learners. It also made it evident that there are diverse views as to whether the School Feeding Programme is achieving its intended objectives. The findings of this study suggest that, although the programme has the potential to improve nutrition and health, enrolment, attendance and cognitive development, there are still some challenges and areas that need to be addressed and improved. These challenges arise as a result of lack of effective monitoring and evaluation, geographical location of the schools and other implementation flaws. The consequences are that the objectives of the National School Nutritional Programme are placed at risk. / Development Studies / M. A. (Development Studies)

With the maturation of the child custody investigative process, the role of investigators and the process of these investigations have come under increasing scrutiny. The investigators are expected to be objective, neutral, and professional while following procedures that conform to model standards. However, this assumption of a lack of bias has been largely overlooked in the literature regarding the investigative process. It is assumed that investigators should self-monitor to ensure that their stance is objective and neutral. Furthermore, this position of neutrality and objectivity is assumed to be intuitive and natural. By using a case study, this thesis investigates and describes the process of a child custody investigation predicated on a constructivist epistemology. It highlights the impossibility of any investigator to be objective and neutral in any investigation automatically, regardless of the procedures and methods employed. The thesis highlights the participant observer status of investigators. An aim of the thesis is thus to sensitise investigators to this inevitable vulnerability with the expectation that such an awareness may allow investigators to establish processes to render investigations consciously more balanced, considered, and transparent. A further aim is to describe a child custody evaluation from an eco-systemic perspective by contextualising the investigation in the larger ecosystem to which it belongs. This description includes the investigation as part of an evolving problem-determined system. An awareness of this wider and evolving context may enable investigators to approximate a position of objectivity and neutrality more effectively. It may also act as an inoculation against the ‘contamination’ of the investigator by the investigative system. With the maturation of the child custody investigative process, the role of investigators and the process of these investigations have come under increasing scrutiny. The investigators are expected to be objective, neutral, and professional while following procedures that conform to model standards. However, this assumption of a lack of bias has been largely overlooked in the literature regarding the investigative process. It is assumed that investigators should self-monitor to ensure that their stance is objective and neutral. Furthermore, this position of neutrality and objectivity is assumed to be intuitive and natural. By using a case study, this thesis investigates and describes the process of a child custody investigation predicated on a constructivist epistemology. It highlights the impossibility of any investigator to be objective and neutral in any investigation automatically, regardless of the procedures and methods employed. The thesis highlights the participant observer status of investigators. An aim of the thesis is thus to sensitise investigators to this inevitable vulnerability with the expectation that such an awareness may allow investigators to establish processes to render investigations consciously more balanced, considered, and transparent. A further aim is to describe a child custody evaluation from an eco-systemic perspective by contextualising the investigation in the larger ecosystem to which it belongs. This description includes the investigation as part of an evolving problem-determined system. An awareness of this wider and evolving context may enable investigators to approximate a position of objectivity and neutrality more effectively. It may also act as an inoculation against the ‘contamination’ of the investigator by the investigative system. xviii In South Africa, we have yet to formulate a document that establishes a model standard of practice or specific, dedicated training in this area. This thesis identifies what could be included in both areas (in addition to the expected protocols and procedures) by describing the investigator’s position as an expert learner, rather than just an ‘expert’. In line with current literature, it highlights the benefits of thinking consciously and in a considered manner. Furthermore, it indicates the benefits of a team approach to investigations, which could be considered an area for further investigation. In South Africa, we have yet to formulate a document that establishes a model standard of practice or specific, dedicated training in this area. This thesis identifies what could be included in both areas (in addition to the expected protocols and procedures) by describing the investigator’s position as an expert learner, rather than just an ‘expert’. In line with current literature, it highlights the benefits of thinking consciously and in a considered manner. Furthermore, it indicates the benefits of a team approach to investigations, which could be considered an area for further investigation. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. ( Psychology)