M.Sc. / The Strubensvalley area is an up market area with numerous shopping centres and trendy dwellings. A major road, namely Hendrik Potgieter Road (M47), feeding between Johannesburg and North West/Botswana, runs through the suburb. Residents of Strubensvalley are in their concern about this road: the noise pollution which impacts negatively on their lives. This research investigates the traffic noise and the impact it has on the population of Strubensvalley.The selected study area was delimited by drawing a circle with a radius of four kilometers around the middle point, it being at the intersection of Hendrik Potgieter Road and Krugerrand Road. Clearwater Mall and Wilgeheuwel Retail Crossing shopping centre are the two large features on the circumference of the study area. A calibrated sound level meter was used to measure the traffic noise at 18 different measuring points within the study area. Measurements were taken during the day (6am to 10pm) and at night (10pm-6am) in order to establish the noise impact caused by the peak flow and non-peak flow of traffic in the suburb. A 30-item noise -health-related questionnaire was used to establish the impact of traffic noise on the respondents. A hundred randomly -chosen participants within the study area were interviewed on a door-to-door basis. On completion of this research, it was established that the people interviewed were generally annoyed by the traffic noise in Hendrik Potgieter Road. The majority of the participants complained about the annoyance and interference factor caused by traffic noise in that it affected them in activities (e.g. napping during the day).

Thesis / This research is mainly concerned with determining whether the existing evaluation methods/measurement instruments used in Business Management at Technikon SA, are still suitable, adequate and acceptable enough for continued use, or whether there is a need for the introduction of alternative methods. The first objective in this research was to determine what the exact role and function of evaluation in the education process is. On the basis of literature, it was determined that evaluation, and by implication measurement, is a crucial component of the education process and that no real teaching or learning can occur without it. Second, an attempt was made to determine what the nature and extent of the shortcomings of the existing measurement instruments were. Also on the basis of literature it was found that there are numerous and serious disadvantages in the existing measurement instruments. Third, the researcher also attempted to determine whether any other (alternative) measurement instruments, in addition to the existing ones, were available. It was discovered that there are a variety of alternative evaluation/measurement instruments available. Fourth, the measurement instruments used in Business Management were analysed and compared to the Business Management curriculum objectives to determine whether they were indeed suitable for the subject. It was found that, although a positive correlation seems to exist between the measurement instruments and the curriculum objectives, there were certain definite shortcomings in the existing measurement instruments in terms of the realization of some of the curriculum objectives. Fifth, focus group interviews were used as a research method to get an understanding of the views of TSA learners on the aspect of evaluation and the methods/instruments currently used. Most of the participants expressed a need for more practical types of measurement/evaluation. However, many participants felt the written examination should not be abolished entirely, but be used in conjunction with other more practical methods. The research concluded with a number of recommendations based on the findings in this research. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

Water is a vital component for human survival but unsustainable patterns of water consumption are still evident internationally. In South Africa, water conservation has traditionally been limited to the responsibility of the state, with little effort being made by the consumers. However, as water scarcity increasingly becomes a problem, government and residents need to find out how urban South Africans can access water and implement water conservation methods in their homes without the support of government supervision programmes. This study explores the relationship between urban residences in two different parts of Johannesburg (Meadowlands in Soweto and Florida in Roodepoort) and their consumption, perception and usage of water and its conservation. Based on interviews with residents from different backgrounds, the results of this research show that residents have varied but generally limited concern for water issues. Findings from this study indicate that for a resident to conserve water, the type of abode in which he/she lives is irrelevant. Whether the resident lives in suburban home or small government funded housing, the attitudes of the interviewees and the perceptions which they expressed regarding solutions to the water dilemma proved to be similar: people in these urban areas are aware of the importance of water conservation, however, there is limited practice thereof. / Geography / M. Sc. (Geography)

Thesis / This research is mainly concerned with determining whether the existing evaluation methods/measurement instruments used in Business Management at Technikon SA, are still suitable, adequate and acceptable enough for continued use, or whether there is a need for the introduction of alternative methods. The first objective in this research was to determine what the exact role and function of evaluation in the education process is. On the basis of literature, it was determined that evaluation, and by implication measurement, is a crucial component of the education process and that no real teaching or learning can occur without it. Second, an attempt was made to determine what the nature and extent of the shortcomings of the existing measurement instruments were. Also on the basis of literature it was found that there are numerous and serious disadvantages in the existing measurement instruments. Third, the researcher also attempted to determine whether any other (alternative) measurement instruments, in addition to the existing ones, were available. It was discovered that there are a variety of alternative evaluation/measurement instruments available. Fourth, the measurement instruments used in Business Management were analysed and compared to the Business Management curriculum objectives to determine whether they were indeed suitable for the subject. It was found that, although a positive correlation seems to exist between the measurement instruments and the curriculum objectives, there were certain definite shortcomings in the existing measurement instruments in terms of the realization of some of the curriculum objectives. Fifth, focus group interviews were used as a research method to get an understanding of the views of TSA learners on the aspect of evaluation and the methods/instruments currently used. Most of the participants expressed a need for more practical types of measurement/evaluation. However, many participants felt the written examination should not be abolished entirely, but be used in conjunction with other more practical methods. The research concluded with a number of recommendations based on the findings in this research. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)