Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-207).

Thesis (MCur.(Nursing Science, Faculty of Health Sciences))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Summary in English and Afrikaans. Includes bibliographical references.

abstract: The spread of invasive species may be greatly affected by human responses to prior species spread, but models and estimation methods seldom explicitly consider human responses. I investigate the effects of management responses on estimates of invasive species spread rates. To do this, I create an agent-based simulation model of an insect invasion across a county-level citrus landscape. My model provides an approximation of a complex spatial environment while allowing the "truth" to be known. The modeled environment consists of citrus orchards with insect pests dispersing among them. Insects move across the simulation environment infesting orchards, while orchard managers respond by administering insecticide according to analyst-selected behavior profiles and management responses may depend on prior invasion states. Dispersal data is generated in each simulation and used to calculate spread rate via a set of estimators selected for their predominance in the empirical literature. Spread rate is a mechanistic, emergent phenomenon measured at the population level caused by a suite of latent biological, environmental, and anthropogenic. I test the effectiveness of orchard behavior profiles on invasion suppression and evaluate the robustness of the estimators given orchard responses. I find that allowing growers to use future expectations of spread in management decisions leads to reduced spread rates. Acting in a preventative manner by applying insecticide before insects are actually present, orchards are able to lower spread rates more than by reactive behavior alone. Spread rates are highly sensitive to spatial configuration. Spatial configuration is hardly a random process, consisting of many latent factors often not accounted for in spread rate estimation. Not considering these factors may lead to an omitted variables bias and skew estimation results. The ability of spread rate estimators to predict future spread varies considerably between estimators, and with spatial configuration, invader biological parameters, and orchard behavior profile. The model suggests that understanding the latent factors inherent to dispersal is important for selecting phenomenological models of spread and interpreting estimation results. This indicates a need for caution when evaluating spread. Although standard practice, current empirical estimators may both over- and underestimate spread rate in the simulation. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Biology 2012

The introduction of OBE in South Africa, a developing country, has been characterized by problems relating to the implementation process. Thus a comparative analysis of OBE was conducted in Australia, a developed country, to compare the implementation process. A small scale sample investigation was carried out in 11 Australian and 11 South African classrooms. Findings were that Australia is a country found to be we!! resourced, politically and economically stable, with at least 10 years experience in OBE. Furthermore, small classroom sizes, support structures and teacher aides have enhanced the implementation of OBE in Australia. However, the findings indicated that similar problems have emerged in Australia and South Africa regarding the structure of OBE, assessment and reporting and the extra workload associated with the implementation of OBE. This suggests that there are problems inherent in the system of OBE. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Comparative Education)

The focus of this study is on assessment in an Outcomes Based Education environment. The question arises as to how assessment of Entrepreneurship and Business Management-N4 can be changed to suit an Outcomes Based Education approach. Action research was used as the research methodology and the findings were reported as case studies. A sample of three colleges in the Eastern Cape was chosen to take part in the study. Only two modules of the Entrepreneurship and Business Management-N4 syllabus were adapted to suit an Outcomes Based Education approach, as the students still had to write the normal external examination at the end of the semester as required by the Department of Education. In the first two cycles the participants implemented Outcomes Based Education in the classroom using only the resources available at the college for the old education system. During the third cycle the researcher implemented Outcomes Based Education in the classroom under the same circumstances, but with the advantage that the researcher benefited from the reflections of the first two cycles. In order for assessment to meet the requirements of an Outcomes Based Education approach, it was necessary to change teaching practices as well. Important aspects such as group work, new assessment methods, the role of resource materials and the training of lecturers were included in the study. At the end of the third cycle a model for the assessment of Entrepreneurship and Business Management-N4 was developed. Recommendations on aspects such as students, lecturers, resources and assessment were made.

Prospective memory is colloquially known as “remembering to remember” and refers to forming an intention in the present time to fulfill at some point in the future. It has previously been studied within the context of executive functioning (i.e., purposive and goal directed behavior) and impulsive behaviors (e.g., gambling, risk seeking) within clinical populations. This study sought to further elucidate the relationships of impulsivity and executive functions on prospective memory in a non-clinical population. One hundred and nine undergraduates completed the UPPS-P impulsivity self-report questionnaire, three cognitive tasks measuring components of executive function, (i.e., planning, inhibition, and switching), and a Complex Prospective Memory Task that included Time- and Event-based cues. The UPPS-P and executive function tasks did not significantly predict the Complex Prospective Memory Task. However, executive function was found to be a significant predictor above and beyond that of impulsivity for a component of the Time-based prospective memory task. Implications of the results and future directions are discussed.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study investigates the use of expressive writing in the L2 classroom as the mainstay approach to help students improve their writing skills. This study focuses on literacy pedagogy as it is manifested in the understanding and experiences by tertiary L2 students engaging in the practice of expressive writing on a longitudinal basis. This qualitative case study design, guided by interpretive epistemology, was used to collect students’ views, perceptions, and suggestions on their experiences in writing. This study has been prompted by the fact that tertiary L2 students have a huge problem expressing themselves on paper. This study consists of two groups of students, one being the noticeable group and the other being the distinguished group. The aim of this study was to identify the kinds of strategies that could assist L2 students with English Language writing tasks. Academic writing requires a conscious effort and much practice in composing, developing, and analysing ideas. At a tertiary institution in the Western Cape, L2 students have the daunting task of not only dealing with new subjects at the university, but they also have to deal with writing in English which is a challenging endeavour for most them. This presents them with social and cognitive challenges related to second language acquisition. Since L2 students do not often consider the social contexts in which L2 academic writing takes place, models of L1 writing instruction and research on composing processes are often found wanting changes in their L2 writing pedagogy. In light of this, my study investigated the language proficiency and competence as the cornerstone of the ability to write in the L2 in a fundamental way. I not only used an open-ended procedure in my classroom that promoted interaction in the classroom but also paved the way for contact between literature of daily living/evolutionary nature and experience. Strategy development and language skill development should be taken into account when working with L2 students. I used a descriptive design when dealing with the qualitative methodology and a verbal and written protocol analysis method to analyse my data. I conducted interviews with the 14 participating L2 students. My research questions were designed to investigate what instructional approaches motivated and engaged my participants to persist in successive writing performance. The findings suggest that the students benefited from the use of various activities to promote creative writing, tentative understanding, provisional interpretation and enjoyment of texts related to daily living. I believe that the exam score supports these indications. Based on the low fail rate, I believe that literature of an evolutionary nature has motivated, challenged and encouraged students to gain confidence in their writing. When I ponder on the holistic view of my findings, this study endorses the use of expressive writing in the educational practice of expressive writing. Expressive writing as an educational practice can lay the ground work for students to become better writers, thinkers and citizens.

No abstract available / Dissertation (MA(Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

This mini-dissertation relates to the post-conflict period in the DRC, Rwanda and Sierra Leone, juxtaposing the rights-based and interest-based approaches to conflict management and resolution. The study is premised on the lack of significant collaboration between the two approaches, notwithstanding the already existing collaboration. The rights-based approach posits that there exist some crimes of international dimension that should not be left unprosecuted for whatever reason. The approach sees the compliance with international norms on the respect of human rights as more important than coming to a final resolution of conflict. This paradigm therefore postulates that transgressors of international norms cannot take part in peace agreements and must be held individually responsible for the atrocities they have committed. The approach considers justice as a prerequisite to peace. The interest-based approach frowns at the idea of laying blame on persons as being responsible for committing horrendous breaches and rather seeks to be neutral and not blaming any party. The approach encourages more dialogue and cooperation between the two parties which could culminate in a settled agreement. The approach gives more room to inclusiveness, participation and conflict resolution. Peace here is accepted to be a conditio sine qua non to justice and the resolution of conflict thereafter. As a result of this juxtaposition of approaches, proponents of the two approaches have been perpetually suspicious of each other’s approach. This impasse has therefore retarded collaboration in the two paradigms to a sufficient degree. This study therefore argues for a third stand, which is the synergy of the approaches to collaborate to a degree which will enhance sustainability in peace agreements to guarantee durable and long lasting peace in the DRC, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. This third stand depicts that integrating the approaches, insights and knowledge from one approach strengthen and benefit the other. Conflict resolvers will understand how rights denial have the potential of igniting conflict, and human rights actors will enhance their negotiation skills in conflict resolution especially in areas where the access to rebel occupied zones and even to political prisoners is difficult. Finally, the study has also depicted how traditional African methods and concepts like Gacaca and Ubuntu can be enhanced within the broad usage of the two paradigms and not as competitive paradigms. Gacaca is a traditional mechanism in Rwanda whose primordial aim is the settlement and reconciliation of the victim with his perpetrators. Ubuntu seeks to reiterate the connectivity existing between Africans. Conflicts will not exist if we all love one another due to our connectivity. ‘We’ is given more consideration than ‘I’. This is the understanding from the perspective of Ubuntu. Copyright / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Centre for Human Rights / unrestricted

The use of the Internet by web-based organizations impacts on all aspects of their business activities. The continuous evolution of e-commerce technologies enables web-based business (consisting of virtual supply chain partners) to integrate its manufacturing operations and to gain competitive advantage through entire virtual supply chains. Although the interplay of e-commerce and virtual supply chain cooperation is not clear when considering supply chain forecasting, planning, scheduling, execution and after-service, the potential for virtual coordination of business activities by means of e-commerce technologies is growing in importance. In this regard, networking capabilities that enable virtual organizing activities in the virtual value chain network are of particular importance to web-based organizations. The research investigated this using a grounded theory approach. The Grounded Theory analysis consisted of three phases. First, following a comprehensive review of the relevant literature, a set of particularly relevant articles was identified to provide the basic data from which to develop a first, preliminary framework or theory. This framework was subsequently refined to produce a concluding framework, using data collected during interviews with representatives of six different web-based businesses. Finally, the concluding framework or theory was validated by applying it to a particular case. The concluding framework contains twelve networking capabilities, adding three to the nine identified in the preliminary framework. The conceptual framework with theoretical description of relationships between identified networking capabilities clarify the use of networking capabilities with virtual organizing in a virtual value network of organizations. An interpretation of the concluding framework, based on Actor-Network Theory, shows how the entrepreneur can leverage the inter-relationships between the networking capabilities to enable more effective and efficient virtual organizing. In particular, it shows how the entrepreneur can utilize knowledge and skills related to the identified networking capabilities to build and maintain a stable and eventually institutionalized network of partners. Finally, using the results of this interpretation of the grounded theory, the entrepreneurial process was defined in which the role of information technology as well as the role of the entrepreneur in establishing and maintaining the virtual value network was described. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Informatics / unrestricted