This thesis demonstrates the need for and the importance of developing a comprehensive curriculum for the intermediate steel-string guitarist and provides a method to fill this need. The method is not specific to any one musical style and will serve to offer information necessary for the performance of music in any idiom. The lack of material presently available for the intermediate guitarist leaves them without proper musical guidance during this significant stage of their learning curve. The use of this method will help the prospective student to grow both as a guitarist and a musician.

This study was aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of teaching practice as a context for the development of student teachers’ competences at Walter Sisulu University. The study was necessitated by the lack of information on whether teaching practice really provides an effective context or not. A literature study focusing on planning of teaching practice, preparation of student teachers for teaching practice, placement of student teachers for teaching practice, mentoring during teaching practice as well as supervision and assessment of teaching practice was conducted. The activity and situated learning theories provided a theoretical framework for studying teaching practice. The mixed-methods approach consisting of quantitative and qualitative approaches was used and data was collected through questionnaires and focus group discussions. The participants in the study were: thirty (30) student teachers in their third year of study; ten (10) host teachers who were hosting student teachers at the time of data collection for this study and ten (10) university supervisors responsible for teaching practice supervision. Data from closed-ended questionnaire items were analysed statistically. Frequencies and percentages were derived. Content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. The results of the study revealed that there was a serious lack of communication between the university and the schools used for teaching practice and as a result student teachers were subjected to a wide range of treatment when they arrived at the schools. The findings also showed that student teachers were inadequately prepared for teaching practice. Student teachers were faced with serious challenges with regard to placement and there was no common programme of mentoring. The schools, as a result, did not provide a sufficiently-appropriate environment for teaching practice to become an effective context for student teachers‘ competence development. The recommendations made include suggestions for the improvement of the general organisation of teaching practice with the university and the schools working as partners in all the activities of teaching practice. The introduction of a formal programme for the preparation of student teachers for teaching practice is suggested and a teaching practice model is also proposed.

Homecare re-ablement services have been widely implemented by local authorities in England, although there are widespread variations in relation to occupational therapy input within them. These services aim to improve users’ ability to manage independently at home and reduce the need for other health and social care services. It is not known whether outcomes are better for people who receive occupational therapy as part of their homecare re-ablement compared with those who do not. This thesis reports a programme of work investigating this, encompassing: a systematic review, a qualitative interview study, and a feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) of an occupational therapy intervention targeted at activities of daily living (ADL). For the systematic review, 11 databases were searched and 13 studies were identified comparing interventions to improve performance in ADL with routine homecare. The review found variability in the content of interventions delivered and the measures used for ADL ability. However, there was moderate evidence that the interventions led to improvements in ADL ability, although most effects were not statistically significant. Those interventions involving occupational therapists led to improvements in ADL, but the content of the occupational therapy input varied. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were completed with 12 occupational therapists working in re-ablement services and ten people who had received re-ablement services. Interviews covered experiences and opinions of the service, and were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings were categorised in three themes: (1) Re-ablement: Tasks and Activities (2) Re-ablement: Modalities and Strategies for Delivery, and (3) Facilitators and Barriers. The occupational therapists’ primary focus was delivering graded programmes to improve users’ ability to manage ADL, which they believed they were uniquely placed to provide and tailor to each individual’s needs. People using services valued this graded approach believing that it improved their confidence to manage activities. A feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in which 30 re-ablement users were randomised to receive either: usual homecare re-ablement without routine OT input (control) (n=15), or usual homecare re-ablement plus a tailored OT programme targeted at ADL (intervention) (n=15). The OT programme was tailored for each participant and included: goal-setting; teaching or practising techniques; equipment and adaptations; and provision of advice or support. Outcomes were: personal and extended ADL; quality of life; falls; and health and social care service use. These were assessed at two-weeks, three and six months post re-ablement. Although there were methodological challenges due to service changes which affected usual care and trial recruitment, it was feasible to enrol and retain participants, deliver the intervention, and collect outcome data which were responsive to change. Participants in both groups showed improvements from baseline, although overall the OT group showed greater improvement; they also used homecare services less frequently and had fewer falls. However, confidence intervals were wide, reflecting the small sample. The intervention was acceptable to participants who particularly valued the tailored advice and support. The principal conclusions were that there is some evidence that interventions targeted at personal activities of daily living can reduce homecare service users’ dependency. Although the content of interventions is variable, those involving occupational therapists appear to be beneficial. Occupational therapists believed that their specialist skills and knowledge in ADL performance were essential facilitators implementing an approach which was suited to each individual’s needs and therefore to successful re-ablement. The RCT was feasible and a further powered definitive study is warranted, subject to methodological alterations. The favourable trends in the OT group indicate the potential benefits in this population group. This is the first RCT of occupational therapy in homecare re-ablement and it is therefore important in the development of the evidence base for this area of practice. A definitive RCT is needed given the widespread national and local government investment, and policy and legislation that continues to underpin the development of homecare re-ablement services.

The study was undertaken to determine the effects of massed and distributed practice on the performance of beginning gymnastics skills, to secure data on these effects, and to evaluate these effects in acquiring the necessary components of motor fitness for basic gymnastics skills.

in developing countries have recently started to focus on retention and aftercare programs to stimulate local economic development. Buffalo City, through the success of its collaboration with key corporates like Mercedes Benz South Africa, could leverage local growth for the development of the economy through the establishment of collaborative agreements with existing investors. A robust investment promotion and aftercare program could serve to attract new investors, while promoting reinvestment from within current investors. The main aim of the study is to investigate whether the establishment of an official public and private sector partnership will not only serve to attract investment but will also provide critical aftercare and reinvestment services. In addition, the study examines key aspects relating to investment promotion and aftercare to review the learning gained to establish Buffalo City as an investment destination. It further engages diverse stakeholders who share their experiences of investment promotion and aftercare in Buffalo City. The research reviews investment promotion agencies like Wesgro and Durban Investment Promotion Agency. This study examines investment in Brazil, who like South Africa has a huge population dependant on grants, and Vietnam, who like South Africa is faced with huge infrastructure challenges. The research also reviews Malaysia's visionary move to facilitate business development which positioned Malaysia as one of the 20 best economies in the world. The literature review also explores Tangier, a Moroccan City, which like Buffalo City has a river port which facilitated economic development providing local inhabitants with modern infrastructure and amenities, unlocking the economic potential of the city. Both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies are used in this study to address nine research questions to determine whether current Buffalo City investors are satisfied and how the city is positioned as an investment-friendly destination. The analysis of the literature was incorporated into questionnaires for the face-to-face interviews and self-administered surveys for the respondents. An electronic questionnaire will be used as the main instrument to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The questionnaire will consist of both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Respondents will select a single option which is for calculation of statistical information and percentages of various types. Closed-ended questions thus enables the researcher to arrive at opinions about a product or service in a more efficient manner. Open-ended questions will be used at the end of the questionnaire to elicit accurate feedback and recommendations from the respondents as well. Ranking will be used to ascertain which six factors in order of importance respondents regard as most crucial in relation to service delivery. The findings from the research illustrates that Buffalo City does not have an official public and private sector partnership with a dedicated focus on aftercare services. This is demonstrated by 54,5% of respondents who indicate that they have a good relationship with BCMM, while the remaining 45,6 do not believe BCMM is competent. It is interesting to note, that 63,3% of respondents perceive Buffalo City to be an investor friendly destination, while 36,4% do not believe this to be the case. This further demonstrates the critical need for an effective aftercare program. The findings from the data also suggests that by improving basic service delivery, repairing roads, introducing cleaning and greening programs, improving public amenities, upgrading infrastructure and engaging with stakeholders, Buffalo City will not only position itself to retain current investors but will also attract new investors who will create jobs and enhance the economic growth and development of the city. The city will need to adopt a more robust and focused approach to investment promotion and facilitation in order to compete and succeed in both national and global markets. Buffalo City has to ensure that policies, regulatory frameworks and basic service delivery are enhanced to enable to improve the city's investment offering. The city has to focus on the establishment of a dedicated investment aftercare program not only to attract new investment, but also to retain current investors. Buffalo City needs to identify its competitive advantage as an investment destination, to meaningfully participate in foreign direct markets and to grow the local economy. The city must restructure and reorganize the regional ambition of investment winning and job creation to position itself as an attractive investment destination with a competitive business environment.

TRANSITION is an installation of films that engages the histories of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the meltdown of Fukushima Daiichi in 2011—it is an attempt to bridge the gap of nuclear issues that are still present today. I redirect found images from their institutional contexts to reposition them as a dialogue between the archival and my own footage. All histories are told through media, and all mediations are remediation of the event. Histories are never fixed, but are constantly reproduced by different groups who are involved. The past and the present must always be interconnected, contesting the importance to understand the fluidity and intersectionality of histories.

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The work described in this thesis is a series of narrative prints detailing the exploits of a criminally inclined religious cult. These prints encourage an open dialogue about the nature of religious practice and serve as a cautionary tale regarding absolute power and the importance of questioning authority and generally accepted beliefs.

This dissertation accompanies my MFA thesis exhibition, a series of paintings and drawings. As is the case with any artist, what I create is so shaped by life experience and unconscious desire, that the paintings will speak more truthfully than I can. It is my hope that someone with a shared sensibility will stumble upon my thesis at the right time and be able to relate to it. David Hume made a remark in Of the Standard of Taste about this type of kinship forming between author and reader. “We choose our favourite author as we do our friend, from a conformity of humour and disposition. Mirth or passion, sentiment or reflection; which ever of these most predominates in our temper, it gives us a peculiar sympathy with the writer that resembles us.” 1 Through art, I am sometimes able to step outside of my own situation long enough to disentangle myself from the ego. In these moments, whatever is preoccupying my mind—fantasies, anxieties, joys, sorrows—emerges unconsciously. Sometimes frightening aspects of my personality arise in the work—a tendency toward self-loathing, detachment from others, neuroses about sex. It is precisely because I am a self-conscious person that I resist analyzing or censoring what disturbs me about my work. As a person who has dealt with trauma, I experience emotions acutely. Though empathetic to others, I find it difficult to connect intimately even with the people I love. Painting from observation provides a way to establish a safe and intimate bond with a person and gain a greater understanding of my relationship with others. Through painting portraiture, I hope to capture the feeling and memory of being in another person’s presence. In my self-portraits, I address the longest standing and perhaps the most difficult relationship I ( or any of us) will encounter—the relationship to the self. Hume, David, Selected Essays. (Oxford University Press, 1998), 150.

The agriculture and manufacturing sectors have been identified and prioritized by the Zambian government as sectors that could contribute significantly to poverty reduction through industrialization and creation of employment. The cotton textile industry is one such industry that cuts across the two sectors. This research paper focuses on the cotton textile industry in Zambia, with specific emphasis on Mulungushi Textiles Limited that was reopened by the Republican President, His Excellency, Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu in August 2016 after having been closed for about a decade. To this end, the main objective of the research paper is to analyze the economic viability of revamping Mulungushi Textiles Limited by focusing on determinants of viability which included; production cost, government policies and strategies, and institutional arrangements, among others. The study analyzes mainly qualitatively both primary and secondary data. Primary data was principally sourced through interviews and observations, while secondary data was through online and physical sources such as books, reports and other written publications. From the research findings, Mulungushi Textiles Limited factory machinery is obsolete and dilapidated to fully operationalize the business strategic units of ginning, spinning, weaving, dyeing and printing, garment production and cooking oil processing. The study recommends that the factory should undergo a complete overhaul in the long run and in the short run, resume garment production which was identified to be a low hanging fruit. The study concludes that, with the right investment, policies, strategies and concerted efforts from both the public and private sectors, revamping Mulungushi Textiles Limited is economically viable and has great potential to contribute to the government's efforts in promoting inclusive growth through poverty reduction, particularly in rural areas where poverty is mostly prevalent.