Thesis (MMus (Music)) -- Stellenbosch University, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of the present study is twofold: I. In the first instance, it is aimed at promoting a better acquaintance with and a deeper understanding of the generally less well-known solmisation systems that have emerged within the oriental music sphere. In this regard a general definition of solmisation is provided, followed by a historic overview of indigenous solmisation systems that have been developed in China, Korea, Japan, India, Indonesia and the Arab world, thereby also confirming the status of solmisation as a truly global phenomenon. II. The second objective of the study was to investigate the current use of solmisation, and the Tonic Sol-fa system in particular, in aural training at South African universities. In order to achieve this, an inquiry was conducted by means of a survey which consisted of (a) a survey questionnaire that was sent to designers/instructors/coordinators of aural training modules at relevant South African universities and (b) additional correspondence that was subsequently undertaken with some of these respondents. This was done with the aim of obtaining information regarding the following: (1) the extent to which solmisation is still being employed in this context; (2) which solmisation systems or alternative approaches to solmisation are being used; (3) what the respondents’ personal motivations are for employing or not employing solmisation; (4) what instruction material is being utilised in either regard; and (5) what the respondents’ personal views are regarding the use of solmisation in aural training. The outcome of the survey confirmed that solmisation, and the Tonic Sol-fa system in particular, is still actively being used in aural training at South African universities, while at the same time providing some insight into the general application thereof in this context. On the whole, the survey also affirmed the continued relevance of solmisation, and the Tonic Sol-fa system in particular, both in the broader South African context and specifically within the context of aural training at South African universities, showing that solmisation continues to be regarded as a valuable aid in the instruction of aural training by the majority of the designers/instructors/coordinators of aural training modules that participated in the survey. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die onderhawige studie is tweeledig van aard: I. In die eerste plek is dit gemik op die bevordering van beter vertroudheid met en ’n grondiger begrip van die oor die algemeen minder bekende solmisasiestelsels wat binne die konteks van oosterse musiek na vore getree het. In hierdie verband word daar ’n algemene omskrywing van solmisasie voorsien, gevolg deur ’n historiese oorsig oor inheemse solmisasiestelsels wat ontwikkel is in China, Korea, Japan, Indië, Indonesië en die Arabiese wêreld, en word die status van solmisasie as ’n wesenlik wêreldwye verskynsel dan ook daardeur bevestig. II. Die tweede doelwit van die studie was om ondersoek in te stel na die huidige gebruik van solmisasie, en die Tonic Sol-fa stelsel in besonder, in gehooropleiding aan Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite. Om dit te bewerkstellig, is ’n ondersoek uitgevoer deur middel van ’n opname wat bestaan het uit (a) ’n opnamevraelys wat gestuur is aan opstellers/dosente/koördineerders van gehoorlopleidingsmodules aan relevante Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite en (b) bykomende korrespondensie wat daaropvolgend onderneem is met van hierdie respondente. Dit is gedoen met die doel om inligting te bekom rakende die volgende: (1) die mate waarin solmisasie nog binne hierdie konteks gebruik word; (2) watter solmisasiestelsels of alternatiewe benaderings vir solmisasie gebruik word; (3) wat die respondente se persoonlike motiverings is vir die gebruik van solmisasie al dan nie; (4) watter onderrigmateriaal daar in beide gevalle gebruik word; en (5) wat die respondente se persoonlike sieninge is ten opsigte van die gebruik van solmisasie in gehooropleiding. Die uitslag van die opname het bevestig dat solmisasie, en die Tonic Sol-fa stelsel in besonder, steeds aktief gebruik word in gehooropleiding aan Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite, en het terselfdertyd insig gebied in die algemene aanwending daarvan binne hierdie konteks. In sy geheel het die uitslag van die opname dan ook die voortgesette relevansie van solmisasie, en die Tonic Sol-fa stelsel in besonder, in die breër Suid-Afrikaanse konteks sowel as spesifiek binne die konteks van gehooropleiding aan Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite bevestig, en het dit aangetoon dat solmisasie steeds as ’n waardevolle hulpmiddel in die onderrig van gehooropleiding beskou word deur die meeste van die opstellers/dosente/koördineerders van gehoorlopleidingsmodules wat aan die opname deelgeneem het.

Few South African students pass Grade 12 Physical Science with symbols required by university science, engineering and health science faculties. A large number of students who sit for Grade 12 Physical Science and Mathematics exams pass with symbols that are well below those required by the mainstream science courses at South African universities. Most South African universities have introduced Science Foundation Programmes with the aim of upgrading those students who failed to obtain university entrance symbols in the relevant subjects. Amongst the courses offered in Science Foundation Programmes is Foundation Physics. This study investigates the influence of Foundation Physics in order to find out if the programmes in different institutions are successful in empowering the students who failed to get the required entrance mark in Grade 12 Physical Science. Four South African Historically Black universities participated in this study. The Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation test (FMCE) (Thornton & Sokoloff, 1998) and mechanics marks were used to assess students' understanding of Newtonian mechanics. Data was analyzed from socio-cultural perspective. A total of 194 students participated in the study. Two groups of students were compared, i.e. those who did Foundation Physics (Foundation group) and those who did not do Foundation Physics (non-Foundation group). The students were tested after they had completed a mechanics module, which forms a great foundation of Physics I (Introductory Physics). Two focus group interviews were held with selected Foundation and non-Foundation students per institution. Students voiced their experiences in Physics I and Foundation Physics. Students were chosen to represent focus groups according to their performance in the FMCE test. Mechanics class performances were also used to evaluate students' performance. In order to establish how Foundation Physics is taught, Foundation Physics Lecturer interviews were conducted at all four institutions. Analysis of data showed that both Foundation and non-Foundation students performed equally in Physics I mechanics module. Foundation group performed better than the non-Foundation group in the FMCE, which is a conceptual test. Foundation Physics lecturers indicated that there were some differences in the way mechanics was taught in Physics I and Foundation Physics. These differences affected students' performance. The lecturers also indicated that there was minimal interaction between Physics I lecturers and Foundation Physics lecturers pertaining to the teaching of the two courses. What influence does Foundation Physics have on the performance of students in Physics I? This study found that students who did Foundation Physics performed better than those who did not do Foundation Physics in conceptual questions and both the groups perform equally in questions that require memorizing and calculations. This implies that Foundation Physics courses are empowering the students to perform well in Physics I. However, as it is evidenced by this research, the differences in assessment in Physics I and Foundation Physics courses in some institutions hampers Foundation Physics students' learning, because the questions asked require them to memorize without understanding, something they are not used to. The researcher recommends that Foundation Physics staff and Physics I staff should start communicating, not only about how Foundation Physics should be run as was the case in the past, but also on how best Physics I should be run. This might help in making sure that the two courses are assessed similarly at one institution. / Mathematics, Science and Technology Education / D. Phil. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education)

Magister Artium (Sport, Recreation and Exercise Science) - MA(SRES) / High-performance sport is characterised by the effective amalgamation and synergy of elements, including financial and managerial support, coaching, sport sciences and sports medicine support, talent identification and athlete pathways, training facilities and equipment, and competitions. Universities have increasingly become hubs for high-performance sports services, used by students and non-students alike. According to Dr Ralph Richards, a senior research consultant for Sport Australia, most university students are in their late teens to early 20s, which is also a critical demographic for elite sports performance. Universities can and do have a substantial impact on the sports sector, particularly in supporting and developing elite student-athletes through quality facilities and infrastructure, supportive programming, competitive opportunities, and sports bursaries or scholarships. In recent years, the high-performance sport has firmly established itself as a modern industry at some top- performing South African Universities. Since the Varsity Cup and Varsity Sport’s inception, South African Institutions have invested more in developing the sport to win competitions. However, many institutions, especially Historically Disadvantaged Institutions, do not establish athletic performance pathways. The study aimed to create guidelines for the best high-performance sport management practices and analysed successful international and local systems. The Spliss Model (a theoretical model of 9 pillars of sport policy factors influencing international success) provided the theoretical framework for this study. This study used a purely qualitative approach informed by an extensive literature review. This was followed by face-to-face semi-structured interviews with the high-performance sports directors and directors of sport at Universities and sports organisations in South Africa who currently have high-performance sports units. The data were transcribed verbatim and analysed through the lens of the SPLSS model. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify the best practices for high-performance sport at Historically Disadvantaged Institutions. The key findings showed that the best practices for high-performance sports systems included proper governance, appropriate funding, training facilities, quality coaching, sport science support services, academic support services and opportunities to compete. Ethics considerations were observed where the anonymity of the participants was upheld by way of using pseudonyms after permission from them were obtained. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the University of the Western Cape Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee.

Doctor Educationis / By the mid-1980s, the Nationalist Party had sought to salvage almost four decades of apartheid policies that were based on white supremacy. In this regard, it engaged in dual strategies of repression and reform. The state's strategies were challenged by organizations and movements within civil society. In this regard, many community-based organizations mushroomed both nationally and regionally. These organizations were coordinated by adult political activists most of whom were perceived to lack the necessary skills to manage organizations more effectively. In this conjuncture, the Adult Education Departments at five South African universities developed certificate-level programs to address this gap. This study focuses on three such programs, the Community Adult Education Programme, based at the University of Cape Town, the Certificate for Educators of Adults at the University of the Western Cape, and the Community Adult Educators Training Course based at the University of NatalPietermaritzburg. This study investigates the social and political conditions that gave rise to the three certificate programs. It also investigates the relationship between the external social and political conditions and the internal curriculum practices of the certificates. This process analyses the nature of the relationship and identifies shifts in the programs and the curriculum practices between 1986 and 1996. The study uses a qualitative approach and draws on elements of critical theory and social constructionism to understand the data gleaned from interviews and documents. This study argues that all three certificate programs have directly been tied into the sociopolitical context in South Africa between 1986 and 1996. In this decade the study argues, there are three distinct political periods, namely repression/reform, negotiations, and fragile democracy. It argues that distinct features from each period have shaped the certificates in different ways. Along with the national political conditions as manifest at the level of the state, the private sector, and civil society, there are local and institutional dynamics that contribute to the different forms assumed by these certificates. The study further argues that the external social - political conditions from each period have demarcated and fixed the boundaries for the certificates as a social practice. In this process, the curriculum practices for each period permitted certain words and practices in preference to others. Consequently, it argues that the external and internal social and political dimensions together construct the certificates as a discourse. This study is based on a belief that the role of a certified practitioner is to creatively locate the day-to-day practices within different theoretical frameworks to advance studies into sites of adult education practices. This study represents a step in such a direction.