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Educators' perceptions of the evidence used to support decisions about homework: a case study of a former Model C secondary school in GautengKunene, Mxolisi January 2016 (has links)
A thesis submitted to the Wits School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of
the Witwatersrand in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of
Education
Johannesburg, 2016 / Homework has become an integral part of the school curriculum and policy, yet the evidence base for its inclusion is contestable and inconclusive. In South Africa homework is a statutory requirement for all schools (DoE, 1998) and nearly all schools have included it in the standard process of learning. The main argument of this research is that despite its adoption and application in schools, the justification for its use is barely understood. Its application in schools seemed to be based on anecdotal evidence. Considering there is very little empirical data that demonstrates the extent of the utilisation of evidence around homework-based decisions in South African schools, this study intends to establish what sources of evidence are available to schools to support decision-making around the key policy matters, perceptions, implementation, benefits and challenges associated with the applications of homework in school.
Forty educators and two HoDs were recruited for the questionnaires and interviews respectively. The selected educators represented certain types of characteristics and had comparative teaching styles. This was done because some teachers give assignments that combine learning and ecstasy while others give homework that upset the whole process, therefore the administration of homework is different. Random sampling was used in selecting the educators and purposive sampling was used only in selecting the HoDs and this was done by selecting participants with certain characteristics to provide the best information to address the purpose of the research.
The researcher concludes that most educators claimed they receive very little support from the education department in terms of homework issues. The study suggests there is a correlation between homework and achievement, but is not adequate to conclude beyond reasonable doubt that it is indeed the case. However, the study can argue there are some benefits beyond academic acquisition of knowledge. By contrast, the study also highlights that homework marginalises economically disadvantaged students who find it difficult to complete homework tasks due to environmental issues. In concluding; the study suggests that for homework to be effective, homework implementers need to undertake critical research in order to understand the short comings of homework incompletion.
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Beyond the readymade: found objects in contemporary South African artKearney, Alison 29 July 2016 (has links)
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of philosophy.
March 2016. / The use of found objects is evident in a range of contemporary artmaking practices. The use of found objects can, however, no longer be understood as a rupture from tradition as they were in the early decades of the twentieth century when they were first used by Picasso and later by Duchamp, because found objects have become part of a longer genealogy in art making. A new approach is needed in order to understand the significance of the use of found objects in contemporary art. This study explores the significance of the use of found objects in selected contemporary South African artworks in order to move beyond an understanding of the use of found objects as the anti-art gestures like those of the historical and neo-avant-gardes. I propose that a shift in focus, from the idea of the found objects as anti-art, to an exploration of the changing ontological status of the found object as it moves through different social fields is one such new approach. Chapter one introduces the study, while chapter two outlines the research methods and theoretical frameworks used. Chapter three explores the meanings that objects accrue in everyday practices, while chapter four focussed on the difference between artworks and more quotidian objects. Pursuing the question of the manner in which the ontological status of the object shifts as it enters into and becomes part of the field of exhibition, chapter five considers the ways in which meanings are constructed for objects in the field of exhibition through the conventions of display. I explore the ways in which artists make use of or invert these conventions as a means of challenging the field of exhibition. Acknowledging that the objects are also active agents within this process, in chapter six I explore the manner in which the materiality of found objects contributes to the meaning of the artworks, and by extension, I consider what new possibilities of meaning a focus on the materiality yields. In the final chapter, I use the concept of the everyday to draw the themes that have emerged throughout this study together. I conclude by situating the contemporary South African art practices within the genealogy of the avant-garde.
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A narrative understanding of the maternal experience of urban black South African mothers.Dale, Lindsay Kate 03 April 2013 (has links)
This qualitative study explores the maternal experiences of black South African mothers living in a township in Johannesburg. Extensive research and literature has begun to address the experiences of motherhood from the mother’s perspective, however research into the experiences of black mothers is still limited. In the past psychological literature on South African motherhood tended to focus on at-risk mothers and children rather than exploring their personal narratives. This study presents the narratives of six black mothers living in Alexandra township in Johannesburg, Gauteng. The six mothers participated in individual, semi-structured interviews. The data was analysed using the narrative analysis technique. The analysis provides insight into the personal experiences of motherhood and highlights the central narratives that these mothers told. What emerged is that mothers have individual and unique stories to tell, their stories about becoming a mother are central to their narratives on motherhood and the context in which mothers mother is pivotal in shaping their mothering experiences.
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An investigation into the planning of urban native housing in South AfricaCalderwood, Douglas McGavin 07 February 2012 (has links)
D.Arch., Faculty of Architecture, University of the Witwatersrand, 1953
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Spatio-temporal dynamics of woody vegetation structure in a human-modified South African savannaMograbi, Penelope Jane January 2016 (has links)
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. 25 October 2016 in Johannesburg, South Africa. / Ecosystem services, nature’s benefit to people, contribute to human well-being. Extensive
reliance on, and unsustainable use of, natural resources is typical of the rural poor in
developing countries and can lead to ecosystem degradation, decreased ecosystem service
provision, and increased vulnerabilities of rural populations. Most ecosystem services are
intangible or difficult to quantify, but fuelwood provisioning can be measured directly and
can serve as a proxy for the status of other ecosystem services (e.g. aesthetic and spiritual
services, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration). South African rural communities have a
high reliance on fuelwood despite extensive access to electricity. Within this context, live
wood harvesting occurring around rural settlements in increasing amounts has been deemed
unsustainable. However, the ‘fuelwood crisis’ of the 1970s, and subsequent predictions of
woodland collapse through fuelwood supply-demand models, has still not occurred despite
substantial population growth in developing countries. Hypothesised reasons for modelled
supply-demand mismatches are based on underestimation of fuelwood supply and woodland
regeneration, as well as overestimation of fuelwood demand by discounting behavioural
adaptability of users. It is likely that the spatial configuration of fuelwood use allows for the
co-adaptability of both humans and ecosystems. A lack of understanding of the spatial
configuration of these social-ecological dynamics limits our insights into current and future
adaptive responses and thus, the degree of sustainability. This thesis aimed to assess woody
biomass stocks and vertical structure changes, as a proxy for provisioning ecosystem
services, in a spatially and temporally explicit manner, to describe the status and impact of
wood extraction in semi-arid, savanna communal lands. Using repeat, airborne light detection
and ranging (LiDAR) data from 2008 and 2012, we surveyed three-dimensional woodland
structure in Bushbuckridge Municipality communal lands – the grazing and harvesting areas
for densely populated rural settlements in former Apartheid ‘homelands’ in South Africa.
Woody biomass in 2008 ranged from 9 Mg ha-1 on gabbro geology to 27 Mg ha-1 on granitic
geology. Land-use pressure was associated with compensatory regrowth of savanna tree
species through post-harvest coppice in the 1-3m height class. Woody biomass increased at
all sites, contrary to previous fuelwood models of the area. Change detection in the vertical
canopy structure revealed that biomass increases were almost solely attributable to the 1-3m
and 3-5m height classes. These changes were exacerbated by wood extraction intensity in the
communal lands – the communal land with the highest wood extraction pressure experienced the greatest biomass increases, likely a strong regrowth response to high harvesting levels.
Within communal lands, areas closest to roads and settlements experienced substantial
biomass increases as a result of shrub level gains. This relationship was mediated by the
usage gradient – the greater the wood extraction pressure on the communal land, the larger
and more spatially coalesced the ‘hotspots’ of shrub-level increases were in relation to ease of
access to the communal land. However, biomass increases are not necessarily indicative of
woodland recovery, as shrub-level increases were coupled with losses of trees >3m in height.
To explore these tall tree dynamics further, we tracked >450 000 individual tree canopies
over two years over contrasting landscapes – a private reserve containing elephants, two
communal lands under different wood extraction pressures, and a nature reserve fenced off
from both elephants and humans. Humans are considerable drivers of treefall (defined here as
a ≥75% reduction in the maximum height of each tree canopy) in communal lands. Humanmediated
biennial treefall rates were 2-3.5 fold higher than the background treefall rate of
1.5% treefall ha-1 (in the control site – the reserve containing neither elephants nor humans).
Elephant-mediated treefall was five fold higher than the background rate. Rate and spatial
patterns of treefall were mediated by geology and surface water provision in the elephantutilised
site where relative treefall was higher on nutrient-rich geology, and intense treefall
hotspots occurred around permanent water points. Human-mediated rates and spatial patterns
of treefall were influenced by settlement and crop-land expansion, as well as ease of access to
communal lands. Frequent fires facilitated the persistence of trees >3m in height, but was
associated with height loss in trees <3m. The combined loss of large trees and gain in shrubs
could result in a structurally simple landscape with reduced functional capacity. Shrub-level
increases in the communal lands are likely an interactive combination of newly established
woody encroachers and strong coppice regrowth in harvested species. The more intensely
used the communal land, the greater the bush thickening and the stronger the relationship
between biomass gains and structural changes in the lowest height classes. The exacerbation
of bush thickening in natural resource-dependent communities has critical implications for
ecosystem service provision. There is potential for coppice regrowth to provide fuelwood to
communities using ‘tree thinning’ programmes, but there is a lack of data on the quantity and
quality of the regrowth, as well as the sustainability of coppice, the impacts of different
harvesting methods, and the potential feedbacks with changing climate and CO2 fertilisation.
Woody resource spatial distribution in communal lands is centred around settlement-level
wood extraction pressure, as well as natural resource accessibility in the woodlands. In highly
utilised areas, woodland regenerative capacity has been underestimated. Additionally, natural resource extraction is still highly localised, even at the communal land scale, with major
structural changes occurring around the periphery or close to existing infrastructure.
However, it is these underrated coupled adaptive responses in social-ecological systems that
explain the failure of fuelwood supply-demand models’ predictive abilities. Nevertheless,
loss of large trees in the landscape and the persistence of ‘functionally juvenile’ coppice
stands will have implications for seedling production and establishment in the landscape with
repercussions for the future population structure and ecosystem service provision. I discuss
the implications of increased natural resource reliance in an African development context and
the positive feedback between rural poverty and environmental impoverishment. Potential
constraints to the data are unpacked, together with opportunities for further research in this
area. / LG2017
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The experiences of a group of women soldiers serving in the South African National Defence Force.Weiss Bar-Ner, Yael January 1998 (has links)
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / This research report examines the experiences of a group of women-soldiers serving in
the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in relation to two major
sociological concerns. The first concern is the South African transition and the
establishment of the SANDF, and the second is gender issues within the military.
There is little literature concerning women-soldiers in relation to the establishment of
the SANDF. In addition, the iiterature on women and militarism suggests that there is
no consensus amongst women around key questions regarding the military. Therefore,
researching the experiences of'a group of women-soldiers required the use of research
methods which would enable a free flow of information by the respondents. This
particular group of research subjects was identified through the quota sampling
technique. The group represented a large variety of social identities and backgrounds.
The informants were interviewed primarily through structured in-depth interviews.
The central finding of this research is that the informants had various experiences
according to different sociological characteristics, such as race, previous military
service, or marital status. In relation to the transition and the establishment of the
SANDF, military experience and race were found to be the most important factors in
shaping the respondents' experiences. In this regard, I have argued that the SANDF
reflects the former SADF Concerning gender issues within the military, marital status
appeared as the most relevant factor. Considering this, it is suggested that the social
responsibilities attached to wifehood and motherhood influence women toward
traditional female domains in the workplace. / Andrew Chakane 2019
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Urban ecology: towards a model for sustainable developmentBarnard, Phillipus Johannes 14 July 2016 (has links)
A dissertation submitted as partial fulfilment of the requirements for Master of Urban Design in the Department of Architecture, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, October 1993 / No abstract supplied.
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Teaching styles and pupil progress: a South African case study.Dachs, Terence Edward 29 November 2011 (has links)
Abstract could not load on D Space.
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Psychological marginality and dual commitment among black first line supervisors in South AfricaBergman, Rodney Nathan 18 July 2016 (has links)
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of tho Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg, for the Degree of Mastel' of Arts.
Johannesburg 1991 / The industrial supervisor is the classical example of the person in the middle or
the 'marginal person' Placed between management and the workforce,
supervisors encounter conflicting expectations and demands. For the black
supervisor in South African industry, these problems are exacerbated, typically
having been promoted from the ranks and operating at an essentially white
management, black workforce interface. Previous researchers have discussed the
dysfunctional consequences faced by these people and, further, have alluded to the
possible relationship between this and supervisors' dual loyaltles. This research
examines the marginality of black supervisors and how this relates to their possible
dual commitment. Towards this end, a psychometrically sound measure of
psychological marginality was constructed, following which an empirical
investigation was undertaken to investigate the relationship between black
supervisors' psychological marginality and their dual allegiances. Factor
analytical techniques revealed that black supervisor's marginality comprises two
variables; namely, management marginality and worker marginality. The
relationships between both marginality variables and levels of organisational
commitment, union commitment and dual commitment were not significant. This
suggests that the management and worker marginality experienced among black
supervisors is not related to dual commitment, unilateral commitment and
alienation. Implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed and
directions for future research provided. The primary shortcoming of the study
was small sample sizes as a result of the sensitive nature of the subject. However,
this was mediated by the rigorous methodology adopted throughout.
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Richness and diversity of alien ethnomedicinal plant taxa used and sold for traditional medicine in South AfricaWojtasik, Ewa Mariola 04 March 2014 (has links)
In South Africa, indigenous plant species are used and traded for traditional medicine (muthi)
and so are alien plant species. A literature review of 40 previous studies and survey work at
various outlets, including muthi markets and muthi shops in Johannesburg, Durban and
Pretoria, found that 320 alien plant species are used and/or sold for traditional medicine in
South Africa. Fifty three of the 320 species were found to have weed and/or invader status.
Surveys at Faraday and Warwick muthi markets in Johannesburg and Durban respectively as
well as muthi shops in Johannesburg, Durban and Pretoria were conducted from October
2010 to February 2011. The following aspects regarding the plant material traded were
recorded: the differences in the number of volumes traded; the differences in the number of
alien species sold in the markets and shops (and also in Indian and Black-owned shops); the
source and origins of these and the viability of propagules sold in the muthi trade. The
surveys found that 49 alien plant species were sold and approximately 87 x 50kg-size bags of
alien plant material was present in the markets and shops during the time of the survey. Muthi
shops sold more than double the number of alien plant species than were sold in the markets
and the same result was found for Indian versus Black-owned shops. Alien species were
either harvested in South Africa, predominantly in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), or imported from
India. Indian-owned muthi shops sold more species imported from India than alien species
that were naturalised and harvested in South Africa. In contrast, the majority of alien species
sold at markets and Black-owned shops were harvested in KZN. Viability tests found that
24% of alien plant species sold in this study had greater than 50% viability. Six invasive
species are traded in low volumes with viable propagules sold for five of these, highlighting a
possibility of spreading through the traditional medicine trade. The study concluded that the
total trade in alien plant species is trivial in comparison to the trade of indigenous plant
species.
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