published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

published_or_final_version / Urban Studies / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Linguistics / Master / Master of Philosophy

The purpose of this study was to investigate the status and practice of information literacy in Tanzania's four universities with the primary intention of establishing the foundation for appropriate strategies that could be adopted when introducing or developing information literacy programmes into higher learning institutions in Tanzania that are systematic, effective and capable of fostering adequate information literacy knowledge and skills in students. Information literacy is a set of skills and knowledge that allows people to find, evaluate, and use the information that they need. These skills also help people filter and synthesise the information they encounter so that they can use that which is useful and meaningful. Information literacy knowledge and skills are the necessary tools that help people successfully find their way in the present and future field of information. The importance of information literacy is based on the fact that technological developments of the 21st century require that people in all walks of life acquire information literacy knowledge and skills so as to be able to adjust, cope, work and function compatibly with various changes that are taking place in all aspect of daily life and human activities. In the academic arena information literacy enables students to become competent and independent learners because they acquire the knowledge and skills to know their own information needs and an ability to manage the tools of technology gives access to relevant information, for communication and to problem solving. Tanzania is a developing country, where the school library system has a very poor infrastructure in terms of resources. This situation denies school leavers the opportunity to acquire appropriate knowledge and the skills required to use various information resources. Systematic information literacy intervention at all educational levels is vital not only for learning independence and academic performance but also for life-long learning skills. The data for this study were collected from Sokoine University of Agriculture, University of Dar-Es-Salaam, Iringa University College and Saint Augustine University of Tanzania. Self-administered questionnaires were used together with data from 358 teaching staff, 25 librarians and 664 students and interviews were conducted with three Deputy Vice Chancellors (Academic), 12 Faculty Deans, two Library Directors and one Library Head. In addition data were also collected through observation. The study found that although the four universities' librarians provide some form of information literacy instruction, using a combination of methods that include orientation, lectures, hands-on practice and web-page, this instruction was not effective in fostering the required information literacy knowledge and skills in students. Thus the study established that most students lack adequate skills in the use of both electronic and non-electronic information sources. The study also established a number of impediments that are linked to the non-effectiveness of information instruction. The researcher considered the lack of an explicit information literacy policy, to provide guidance and directives on how information literacy activities should be conducted, as the main barrier to information literacy activities in the universities studied. Lack of an information literacy policy led to the existing information literacy programmes not being allocated official time within the university timetable, hence they were being attended by students on a voluntary basis. Lack of a formalised programme and inadequate resources are also among the factors that contribute to the ineffectiveness. However, the study found that the potential opportunity for conducting information literacy in a more systematic and effective manner can be created through involving teaching staff in infoffi1ation literacy activities and integrating information literacy into the mainstream curriculum. / SUA-NORAD.

This study investigated changes in self-esteem and perceived problem solving ability of academically at-risk students participating in a program called Science of Survival. The program combined adventure education and problem based learning approaches. One hundred and fifty-five male and female students, between the ages of 16 and 24 years completed the Self-Esteem Inventory and the Problem Solving Inventory at the beginning of the semester, after an adventure experience weekend, and at the end of the semester. A group of seventy-seven first year social science students, serving as a control group, also completed the inventories on the same time schedule. Self-esteem and perceived problem solving ability scores were analyzed by two one-way (treatment versus control) repeated measures (three assessments times) ANOVAs. Correlations between the two measures were also computed. Results indicated significant (p $<$.05) interactions of group by time for both self-esteem and perceived problem solving ability and significant correlations. Further analysis showed the Explorations II program was effective at increasing self-esteem and perceived problem solving ability and that these two constructs are related. The control group did not change in self-esteem over the period, but showed a deterioration in perceived problem solving ability.

This study reports on recurring difficulties experienced by undergraduate students with respect to understanding and interpretation of certain symbolism, nomenclature, terminology, shorthand notation, models and other visual representations employed in the field of Molecular Biology to communicate information. Based on teaching experience and guidelines set out by a four-level methodological framework, data on various topic-related difficulties was obtained by inductive analyses of students’ written responses to specifically designed, free-response and focused probes. In addition, interviews, think-aloud exercises and student-generated diagrams were also used to collect information. Both unanticipated and recurring difficulties were compared with scientifically correct propositional knowledge, categorized and subsequently classified. Students were adept at providing the meaning of the symbol “Δ” in various scientific contexts; however, some failed to recognize its use to depict the deletion of a leucine biosynthesis gene in the form, Δ leu. “Hazard to leucine”, “change to leucine” and “abbreviation for isoleucine” were some of the erroneous interpretations of this polysemic symbol. Investigations on these definitions suggest a constructivist approach to knowledge construction and the inappropriate transfer of knowledge from prior mental schemata. The symbol, “::”, was poorly differentiated by students in its use to indicate gene integration or transposition and in tandem gene fusion. Idiosyncratic perceptions emerged suggesting that it is, for example, a proteinaceous component linking genes in a chromosome or the centromere itself associated with the mitotic spindle or “electrons” between genes in the same way that it is symbolically shown in Lewis dot diagrams which illustrate covalent bonding between atoms. In an oligonucleotide shorthand notation, some students used valency to differentiate the phosphite trivalent form of the phosphorus atom from the pentavalent phosphodiester group, yet the concept of valency was poorly understood. By virtue of the visual form of a shorthand notation of the 3,5 phosphodiester link in DNA, the valency was incorrectly read. VSEPR theory and the Octet Rule were misunderstood or forgotten when trying to explain the valency of the phosphorus atom in synthetic oligonucleotide intermediates. Plasmid functional domains were generally well-understood although restriction mapping appeared to be a cognitively demanding task. Rote learning and substitution of definitions were evident in the explanation of promoter and operator functions. The concept of gene expression posed difficulties to many students who believed that genes contain the entity they encode. Transcription and translation of in tandem gene fusions were poorly explained by some students as was the effect of plasmid conformation on transformation and gene expression. With regard to the selection of transformants or the hybridoma, some students could not engage in reasoning or lateral thinking as protoconcepts and domain-specific information were poorly understood. A failure to integrate and reason with factual information on phenotypic traits, media components and biochemical pathways were evident in written and oral presentations. DNA-strand nomenclature and associated function were problematic to some students as they failed to differentiate coding strand from template strand and were prone to interchange the labelling of these. A substitution of labels with those characterizing DNA replication intermediates demonstrated erroneous information transfer. DNA replication models posed difficulties integrating molecular mechanisms and detail with line drawings, coupled with inaccurate illustrations of sequential replication features. Finally, a remediation model is presented, demonstrating a shift in assessment score dispersion from a range of 0 - 4.5 to 4 - 9 when learners are guided metacognitively to work with domain-specific or critical knowledge from an information bank. The present work shows that varied forms of symbolism can present students with complex learning difficulties as the underlying information depicted by these is understood in a superficial way. It is imperative that future studies be focused on the standardization of symbol use, perhaps governed by convention that determines the manner in which threshold information is disseminated on symbol use, coupled by innovative teaching strategies which facilitate an improved understanding of the use of symbolic representations in Molecular Biology. As Molecular Biology advances, it is likely that experts will continue to use new and diverse forms of symbolic representations to explain their findings. The explanation of futuristic Science is likely to develop a symbolic language that will impose great teaching challenges and unimaginable learning difficulties to new generation teachers and learners, respectively. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

This study reviews the three-year Bachelor of Dental Therapy curriculum, which was introduced at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 1980. The dental therapist was introduced to the health care system during the apartheid era, to improve access to basic dental services to disadvantaged sectors of the population. However thirty years later, this situation has not improved. Therefore the purpose of this study is to evaluate the dental therapy curriculum offered at this university, to determine whether it is able to produce graduates who are adequately prepared to practice competently, according to the scope of practice prescribed by the regulatory body, and to meet the oral health needs of the population. To conduct a comprehensive evaluation, it was necessary to evaluate the multiple influences on this curriculum. As a result, the Hicks model called Typical Influences on Curriculum was selected to serve as the theoretical framework. This resulted in the use of the mixed methods research approach. Pragmatism was consequently selected to form the philosophical foundation of this study due to the fact that it allowed for the combination of methodological tools to answer the research questions. The first question defined the role of the dental therapist in the health care system. Qualitative interviews with all stakeholders who are associated with this profession, in the context of the needs of the country, provided the answer to this question. The second question, on how the curriculum prepared its graduates to perform this role, was conducted by a combination of methods. The evaluation of the form and content of the curriculum, and the training facilities, were combined with the interviews conducted with students, graduates and academics, on their perceptions of the educational process and the competence of graduates. The third question about the perceptions of stakeholders on the appropriateness of training and clinical competence was established by qualitative interviews. This led to the development of the inferences and recommendations for this study. The overall inference was that the dental therapy curriculum did not produce appropriately-trained graduates to meet the needs and challenges of South Africa. This resulted in the development of a new curriculum evaluation model for health science education, which was considered to be an extension of the Hicks model. Recommendations were also made on how this model could be implemented with respect to the dental therapy curriculum. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

This study investigated the information literacy of aspirant barristers in Nigeria and examined the steps undertaken to restructure the legal education system in Nigeria. It explored the connection between contextual influences and professional development, particularly with respect to the concept of legal information literacy and the value of acquired educational skills in the context of legal practice in Nigeria. The theoretical framework that underpinned the study was derived from the application of Kuhlthau’s (1993) Information Search Process (ISP) and Byström’s (1999) theory of Information Activity in Work. Kuhlthau’s model was relevant for investigating issues of uncertainty in the information seeking behaviour of the aspirant barristers and further confirmed the empirical validity of the model in the educational and workplace contexts. Byström’s theory was also valuable in analysing problems of task complexity experienced by the aspirant barristers in information use. The study employed a case study method; the data collection process involved the administration of questionnaires to the aspirant barristers and law firms to which they were assigned for vocational training. A mixed method approach was used to provide complementary insights to the findings of the study. Key findings from the study were supportive of the importance of information literacy as being central to the development of professional competence of the aspirant barristers which can be achieved through re-structuring the teaching methods and curricula of the Nigerian Law School. Outcomes from the study also pointed to a need for greater collaboration between the legal education system and the legal profession in narrowing the gap between the teaching and practice of law in Nigeria. Collaboration with academic librarians and legal information specialists is also necessary with respect to the role that these two groups can play in the design and implementation of an information literacy framework for the legal education system in Nigeria. The study makes recommendations for the adoption and integration of information literacy as a conceptual framework into the curriculum of the Nigerian Law School. In this way skills training can be enhanced. The information literacy model, designed as part of the recommendations from this study, provides guidelines for the various processes by which a teaching model that is unique to the context of the legal education system in Nigeria can be developed, tested and implemented. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.