The number of unemployed young university graduates in South Africa is annually on the rise. This is due to a combination of factors which include a lack of the right skills, work experience, type of qualification, low number of available jobs and other macro-economic factors. Different stakeholders have proposed entrepreneurship as a possible solution to graduate unemployment. This study explores the feasibility of entrepreneurship as a way out of unemployment for jobless graduates. It does this by investigating the perceptions of young graduates of the University of KwaZulu-Natal who are engaged in entrepreneurship in Pietermaritzburg. The qualitative method of interviews is used for data collection. Two major areas of investigation in this study are that of the challenges that graduates encounter in their various business ventures as well as their perceptions about the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education at university. Generally the findings of this study seem to suggest that entrepreneurship, if developed properly, could be one of the solutions to the challenge of graduate unemployment. However a number of factors determine successful entrepreneurship. These include personality traits, intelligence, access to finance, good business management skills, family background as well as the general economic environment. The findings could also generally suggest that, in its current form, entrepreneurship education is not effective enough in producing graduates who are successful in business. / Thesis (M.Com.Dev.Studies)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

An investigation into the extent to which rural black primary school teachers of English in Kwazulu-Natal have been exposed to a culture of reading in general and, more particularly, their perceptions of the value of proficiency in reading English. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 1999.

Experiential learning is an integral part of most programs offered at the M.L.Sultan Technikon because of the technical nature of the programs. This study focuses on learning from experience when students from the technikon are placed in work-based settings. It considers how successful workplace experience are from the perspective of staff involved with the Dental Assisting program, students registered for the program that are placed for in-service learning and employers that are involved with these placements, in the light of student learning. With transformation and restructuring within the present higher education system, currently more emphasis is being placed on experiential learning at both universities and technikons. The primary objectives of this study therefore were: (1) to examine the link between education, work and personal development, (2) to document experiences which students lived through during their placements (3) to evaluate how successful workplacements were from the perspective of staff, students and employers in the Dental Assisting program. Two models of experiential learning, Kolb's Model (1984) as a learning cycle and Boud and Walker's model (1991 ) provided a framework for examining and strengthening the critical linkages among institution, the learner and the workplace supervisor. The study looks at student preparation before the placement; it considered thoroughly the environment in which students found themselves; the difficulties students faced in the workplace and reflection during and after the event. The study provides a holistic integrative perspective on learning and the total educational experience of students. A small sample was selected to afford the opportunity of assessing a lot of information through interviews. Data was analysed by identifying patterns of responses or embedded themes from the interviews. As a qualitative and ethnographic research project the results and recommendations made from the analysis can be utilised to improve my practice. Although student placements were successful in terms of their learning, there needs to be adequate pre-placement preparation for both students and employers in order to enhance the success of the placement. There is also a need to encourage students to reflect on their experience in order to make their learning more meaningful. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 2000

In this thesis. I have moved away from the general question of 'How do women and men behave linguistically?, (Sing and Bergvall. 1996:19) and have turned to investigate in particular how the speech act of apologies contributes to the production of people as 'women and men' (Sing and Bergvall, 1996:19). In other words, the investigation focuses on the effect of politeness strategies on the construction of gender identities. Using poststrucluralist feminist theory as developed primarily by Weedon (1987), this thesis investigates the politeness strategies employed by some Zulu students at the University of Natal, Durban, in their English-medium interactions with African international students. The speech act of apologies is the area of language investigated, with data being collected primarily by means of role-plays and focus groups. The focus of the analysis is limited to the performance of apologies towards non-Zulus by 12 Zulu male and female students. To this end, the various strategies employed by the respondents were analysed according to the framework developed by Holmes (1989, 1995). In addition, information gathered in the focus groups revealed to what extent politeness strategies are still being transferred from Zulu to English. The strategies employed by these men and women are considered as revealing some of the ways by which politeness contributes to the construction of gender identities, in the University context. On the basis of this limited sample, it is argued that traditional Zulu male masculinity, while still dominant, is now being contested in the University context by some students favouring a less tradition-oriented identity. The strategies employed by the female respondents, on the other hand, suggest that Zulu women students may be beginning to reject traditional Zulu femininity in favour of more westernized identities. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2000.

The purpose of this study was to identify the information needs and information seeking behaviour of international students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg Campus (UKZNP). The study assisted in identifying different information services offered by the International Student Office (ISO). It also determined various information seeking situations involved in relation to academic needs and personal issues of international students. The approach that the researcher undertook was a triangulation approach where both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Instruments used for data collection were a self-administered questionnaire and semi-structured interview. A sample size of 150 international students was surveyed, with 137 students responding, giving a response rate of 91.3%. The Head of the International Student Office (HISO) was also interviewed. The validity and reliability of the instrument were established by pre-testing the questionnaire with four international students enrolled at UKZNP. The quantitative data was analysed using SPSS and the qualitative data was analysed using thematic content analysis. The international students’ information seeking behaviour was identified using Wilson’s (1999) model of information behaviour which suited the group under study. The outcome of the study revealed that more than half, 62.7%, of academic needs were characterized by two situations, namely, the registration process (32.2%) and issues around lectures (30.5%). Other main issues discussed were based on information literacy skills and English language problems experienced by international students enrolled at UKZNP. In terms of personal issues, a majority (60.2%) of respondents mentioned either accommodation (34.9%) or health issues (25.3%). A minority, just on 30%, of the respondents resided on campus and for the majority of the respondents who lived off campus, accessing the Library and computer LANs after hours was not possible as transport at night was not always available. Thus the accommodation need was regarded as a very significant problem. The study indicated that two main sources used in relation to academic needs were library resources and information from the Faculty offices, while the most used source by international students for their personal issues was the consultation of colleagues. Based on the results and conclusions of the study, recommendations for action and further research were made. Recommendations included the need to consider a temporary registration period during which the complex requirements of the registration process could be pursued and satisfied by the students and, in response to the accommodation crisis experienced by students, consideration be given to the Student Housing Office giving priority to first year international students in particular when allocating rooms. / Thesis (M.I.S.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

The oral background, ability in English and academic and social interaction of the non mother-tongue student was the focus of this study. The oral background of the African student is an important consideration as it helps one to contextualise his life and educational experiences. A severe lack of knowledge and interest in each others' cultures and backgrounds among all the players at the tertiary institution was apparent. The focus group interview technique was adapted to elicit students' perceptions of their own problems. This technique proved invaluable in allowing participants to express their views freely, thus offering the researcher an in-depth insight into their life at the tertiary institution and an understanding of the problems they encounter. The focus group discussion was supplemented by questionnaires. The study comprised 40 non mother-tongue students who were divided into 8 groups of 5 students each. On completion of the group discussion, a verbatim transcript of each audio-recording was made. Analyses of the focus group discussion and the questionnaire revealed that non mother-tongue students do in fact experience many problems with academic and social interaction due to their cultural background and ability in English. These students feel isolated and misunderstood. Racism, albeit subtle, seems to be a problem on the campus. It was found that with a few exceptions, there is very little difference between the experiences of the first year students as compared to the second year students. Also, the admissions criteria for the different faculties did not 'eliminate' problems.This illustrates that the problems do not 'disappear' after a whole year at the institution, because the underlying causes are not being addressed. One cannot expect the non mother-tongue student to simply adapt to the new experiences, namely, a different environment and a second language as the medium of instruction and communication. Several recommendations were made for the implementation of the research findings in the tertiary environment. Further research possibilities were also suggested. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1995.

This is a cross-cultural communication study which investigates the compliment response behaviour of Indian and African students at the Springfield College of Education. The Springfield College of Education is a desegregating institution where students of Indian origin presently comprise the majority of the student population with African students the minority. Due to the enforced racial divisions of the past students do not mingle freely with each other on the college campus. An additional complication is that the students come from different cultures and are accustomed to different social practices. This results in their responding differently to different communicative situations. These differing responses could be potential sources of miscommunication and conflict and therefore warrant investigation. Compliment response behaviour is one such area where intercultural miscommunication could easily arise. Since compliments are used to initiate, sustain and promote conversational interactions, not responding appropriately to them could result in possible feelings of antagonism and racial hostility. This study investigates the compliment response behaviour of Indian and African students at the Springfield College of Education, identifies areas of diversity and potential sources of intercultural miscommunication and presents a set of recommendations about the teaching of compliment response behaviour at the Springfield College of Education.The findings of this study are also compared with the findings of a similar study conducted by Chick (1991) at the University of Natal, Durban with a view to establishing what changes have occurred in the compliment response behaviour of Indian and African students since the time of Chick's (1991) study. This study reveals that there is a diversity in the compliment response behaviour of different ethnic groups and that this diversity is a potential source of intercultural miscommunication. However, the College lecturers can turn this diversity to advantage by using it in a teaching programme where an understanding of it is fostered. This would result in students understanding why miscommunication arises and would also enable them to react appropriately in different contexts. It is hoped that this study,which is very much pilot in nature, helps highlight issues that can become the subject of more detailed studies in this field. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1995.

Introduction Willingness to participate in clinical trials is a crucial element in recruitment of suitable participants for intervention trials. Measurement of willingness to participate assists in determining community preparedness for clinical trials, such as HIV vaccine trials. Therefore, researchers have developed a Clinical Research Involvement Scale (CRIS) to assess willingness to participate modelled on the Theory of Reasoned Action. The CRIS was tested in the USA and was noted that it would benefit from additional testing in other populations. Aim The purpose of this study is to determine whether racial differences exist in willingness to participate and explore potential factors associated with willingness to participate in HIV prevention research. Methods A cross sectional analytic study was conducted. The CRIS was administered to university students aged 18-45 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The CRIS was administered online with a demographic questionnaire to facilitate evaluation of possible associations between willingness to participate and age, gender, relationship status, parity, religion, education status, student status, employment status and access to private health care. Participation was once-off at the time of completing the scale. Results The study enrolled 636 participants, two thirds being female. An effective sample size of 509 was considered for analysis after data was cleaned for accuracy and completeness. The results indicated that all students across all race groups were willing to participate in HIV prevention research. However, when considering factors that affected willingness to participate, statistically significant differences were noted. Based on the differences amongst these factors, Black students expressed greater intention to participate compared to White and Indian students. The CRIS was deemed a reliable instrument in this population; however in its current structure it did not show strong validity. Validity improved if the factors of motivation to comply and outcome evaluations were removed in this population. Discussion The study findings are specific to students of the University of KwaZulu-Natal and cannot be generalized to other populations. The racial differences in factors that affect willingness to participate indicate differences in risk perception and seeking access to better quality healthcare. Recommendations The CRIS should be used in other student populations to assess its validity. (350 words) / Thesis (M.Med.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

Introduction e-Learning has been integrated and implemented in education and training to the level that it is now a well-established global practice. If used judiciously, e-Learning is a tool that enables active, individual and flexible learning. When integrated into medical education, it offers features that allow lecturers to be not merely content distributors, but also facilitators of learning. Aim The aim of this study was to assess the readiness of students to make the shift from traditional learning, to the technological culture of e-Learning. Methods An observational, cross-sectional, analytical study design was used and data was collected using a validated questionnaire. The sample comprised of all students enrolled in the first year nursing programme at the Durban University of Technology registered for anatomy and physiology in 2013. Informed consent was obtained from each participant prior to conducting the study. Results Three quarters (77/101 76%) of the participants were females. The psychological readiness score was noted to be high in the “could be worse” category (pre-72%, post- 64%). The technological readiness score was noted to be in the “dig deeper” category (pre- 58%, post- 65%) whilst the equipment readiness score fell in the e-Learning “not ready category” (pre- and post- 68%). Discussion The Chapnick Readiness Score Guide was used to analyse psychological, technological and equipment readiness. e-Learning has been identified as a multi-disciplinary field, which is dominated by information technology. Technological and equipment readiness factors of e-Learning are easier to resolve than the psychological readiness factor. Recommendations Although e-Learning could be a key tool in nursing education, a few factors require attention before it can be effectively implemented in this tertiary level education facility. / Thesis (M.Med.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2014.

HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) has emerged as a major clinical and public health challenge in many resource poor countries especially in Africa. HIVDR testing has become increasingly important and is of significant value in the management of HIV. The use of low cost technologies and procedures in testing HIVDR is being recommended. HIVDR computer interpretation algorithms make use of artificial intelligence and other computer technologies to predict HIVDR, and are recommended for use in resource poor countries. However, there is little known about the knowledge, attitude and perception of HIVDR computer algorithms by doctors in developing countries who are supposed to use computer algorithms. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude and perception regarding computer interpretation algorithms of the 4th and 5th year medical students at Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. Primary data collection was done using a questionnaire administered to a convenience sample of 216 4th and 5th year medical students. The study revealed that 90% of the respondents were aware of HIV drug resistance testing in South Africa but only 4% had knowledge of the computer interpretation algorithms. The study revealed that although the UKZN medical students are not aware of computer interpretation algorithms, majority are willing to use them in the future. / Thesis (M.Med.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.