The knowledge explosion of the last decade has left education in schools far behind. The emphasis in schools must change if they are to prepare students for their future lives. Tertiary institutions as well as commerce and industry need people who have well-developed cognitive skills. A further requirement is that the school leaver must have skills pertaining to information processing. The skills that are required are those which have been labelled higher order thinking skills. The work of Piaget, Thomas and Bloom have led to a better understanding of what these skills actually are. Resnick sees these skills as being: nonalgorithmic; complex; yielding multiple solutions; involving nuanced judgements; involving the application of multiple criteria; involving uncertainty; involving self-regulation of the thinking process; imposing meaning and being effortful. How these can be taught and the implication of doing so are considered by the researcher. The outcome of this consideration is that higher order - thinking entails communication skills, reasoning, problem solving and self management. The study takes the form of an investigation of a particular case: whether a Biology field trip could be used as a source of information, which could be handled by a computer, so that higher order thinking skills could be acquired by students. Students were instructed in the use of a Database Management System called PARADOX. The students then went on an excursion to a Rocky Shore habitat to collect data about the biotic and abiotic factors pertaining to that ecosystem. The students worked in groups sorting data and entering it into the database. Once all the data had been entered the students developed hypotheses and queried the database to obtain evidence to substantiate or disprove their hypotheses. Whilst this was in progress the researcher obtained data by means of observational field notes, tape recordings, evoked documents and interviews. The qualitative data was then arranged into classes to see if it showed that the students were using any of the higher order thinking skills. The results showed that the students did use the listed higher order thinking skills whilst working on the database.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Benchmarking is considered one of the best performance analysis techniques to drive actions that will lead the company to a higher performance. The data collection phase is the one that requires more time and effort in the practice of benchmarking. The development of a database with pre-defined indicators favors the comparison of the performance of business processes. The objective of this research is to select a set of quantitative indicators of continuous variables for financial benchmarking practice, profitability, innovation and productivity, that are representative for benchmarking practice in Brazil and worldwide. It also aims to ascertain and list financial indicators of profitability, innovation and productivity used by the Benchmarking Index for corporate awards, journals and business support agencies. Representative indicators are those of widespread use in the business environment, easy to collect primary and secondary source and allow a comparison with banks of national and international data. As a methodological reference, we picked up an european benchmarking system - Benchmarking Index - with financial indicators of profitability, innovation and productivity. Through bibliographical research on corporate indicators and documentary research in technical journals, corporate awards and business support agencies, selected a set of indicators to determine the national database. The indicators were validated by application in micro and small enterprises (MSEs), medium and large companies. It was concluded that it is possible to develop a data base for benchmarking with predominantly financial ratios and profitability. It showed up the implementation of difficulty MSE due to failure to follow these indicators, although many of them can collect the indicators. It was observed also that these indicators are available in specialized magazines and have similar concepts, but with variations in composition. Finally, among the proposed indicators that are well spread in the business world, although there is no similar used in the Benchmarking Index, we highlight the indicators EBITDA, EBITDA margin and EBITDA variation. / Considera-se o benchmarking uma das melhores tÃcnicas de anÃlise de desempenho para direcionar aÃÃes que levarÃo a empresa para um desempenho superior. A fase de coleta de dados à a que demanda mais tempo e esforÃo na prÃtica do benchmarking. A elaboraÃÃo de uma base de dados com indicadores prÃ-definidos favorece a comparaÃÃo do desempenho de processos empresariais. O objetivo desta pesquisa à selecionar um grupo de indicadores quantitativos de variÃveis contÃnuas para prÃtica de benchmarking financeiro, de rentabilidade, de inovaÃÃo e de produtividade que sejam representativos para a prÃtica de benchmarking no Brasil e no mundo. Objetiva-se tambÃm averiguar e listar indicadores financeiros, de rentabilidade, de inovaÃÃo e de produtividade utilizados pelo Benchmarking Index, por prÃmios empresariais, revistas especializadas e por ÃrgÃos de apoio empresarial. Indicadores representativos sÃo aqueles de uso disseminado no meio empresarial, de fÃcil coleta em fonte primÃrias e secundÃrias e que permitam a comparaÃÃo com bancos de dados nacionais e internacionais. Como referÃncia metodolÃgica, escolheu-se o sistema de benchmarking europeu - Benchmarking Index - com indicadores financeiros, de rentabilidade, de inovaÃÃo e de produtividade. Por meio de pesquisa bibliogrÃfica sobre indicadores empresariais e de pesquisa documental em revistas tÃcnicas, prÃmios empresariais e ÃrgÃos de apoio empresarial selecionou-se um conjunto de indicadores para compor o banco de dados nacional. Os indicadores foram validados atravÃs de aplicaÃÃo em micro e pequenas empresas (MPE), empresas de mÃdio e de grande porte. Concluiu-se que à possÃvel elaborar uma base de dados para benchmarking com predominÃncia de indicadores financeiros e de rentabilidade. Evidenciou-se a dificuldade de aplicaÃÃo em MPEâs, devido ao fato de estas nÃo acompanharem estes indicadores, embora muitas delas possam coletÃ-los. Observou-se, ainda, que esses indicadores estÃo disponÃveis em revistas especializadas e que apresentam conceitos similares, mas com variaÃÃes na sua composiÃÃo. Por Ãltimo, dentre os indicadores propostos que sÃo bem disseminados no meio empresarial, embora nÃo haja similares utilizado no Benchmarking Index, destacam-se os indicadores EBITDA, margem EBITDA e variaÃÃo EBITDA.

Teachers need to develop 21st Century skills and be competent users of ICT to integrate it successfully in their everyday instruction and learning activities. The goal of this Secondary Data Analysis (SDA) study is to determine the proportion of South African Science and Mathematics teachers who experience a lack of ICT-related skills and pedagogical skills related to the integration of ICT in instruction and learning as an obstacle. Furthermore it has been investigated whether these teachers are willing to be trained. This study is a response to the distressing outcome of the The Second International Technology in Education Study (SITES 2006), an international survey that was conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), indicating that South Africa has the lowest ICT integration among the SITES 2006 participating countries (16% for Science and 18% for Mathematics). The current study followed a basic SDA of the SITES 2006 dataset relating to South African Science and Mathematics teachers and adopted an integrated qualitative-quantitative approach. The results indicate that there is a great need for South African Science and Mathematics teachers to attend professional development activities since there are many teachers who lack ICT-related skills (55%) and pedagogical skills related to the integration of ICT in instruction and learning (62%). The teachers who experience a lack of ICT-related skills and pedagogical skills are willing to be trained (88% and 93% respectively). These results imply that the challenge now rests with the government of South Africa to make sure that professional development activities that are both relevant and subject-specific are offered on a regular basis. The Government needs to devise strategies to promote professional development for the improvement of ICT integration into South African classrooms. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / MEd / Unrestricted

Much previous research concerning the effects of the in-store experience on customers’ decision-making has been laboratory-based. There is a need for empirical research in a real store context to determine the impact of product, service and in-store environment perceptions on customer satisfaction and behaviour. This study is based on a literature review (Project 1) and a large scale empirical study (Projects 2/3) combining two sources of secondary data from the largest retailer in the UK, Tesco, and their loyalty ‘Clubcard’ provider, Dunnhumby. Data includes customer responses to an online self-completion survey of the customers’ shopping experience combined with customer demographic and behavioural data from a loyalty card programme for the same individual. The total sample comprised n=30,696 Tesco shoppers. The online survey measured aspects of the in-store experience. These items were subjected to factor analysis to identify the influences on the in-store experience with four factors emerging: assortment, retail atmosphere, personalised customer service and checkout customer service. These factors were then matched for each individual with behavioural and demographic data collected via the Tesco Clubcard loyalty program. Regression and sensitivity analyses were then conducted to determine the relative impact of the in-store customer experience dimensions on customer behaviour. Findings include that perceptions of customer service have a strong positive impact on customers’ overall shopping satisfaction and spending behaviour. Perceptions of the in-store environment and product quality/ availability positively influence customer satisfaction but negatively influence the amount of money spent during their shopping trip. Furthermore, personalised customer service has a strong positive impact on spend and overall shopping satisfaction, which also positively influences the number of store visits the week after. However, an increase in shopping satisfaction coming from positive perceptions of the in-store environment and product quality/ availability factors helps to reduce their negative impact on spend week after. A key contribution of this study is to suggest a priority order for investment; retailers should prioritise personalised customer service and checkout customer service, followed by the in-store environment together with product quality and availability. These findings are very important in the context of the many initiatives the majority of retail operators undertake. Many retailers focus on cost-optimisation plans like implementing self-service check outs or easy to operate and clinical in-store environment. This research clearly and solidly shows which approach should be followed and what really matters for customers. That is why the findings are important for both retailers and academics, contributing to and expanding knowledge and practice on the impact of the in-store environment on the customer experience.

Magister Public Health - MPH / Background: The factors that underlie teenage pregnancies are complex and multifactorial. The prevailing perception is that teenage pregnancies are increasing in South Africa. However, the empirical extent and trends in teenage births in the Western Cape Province are not well understood. A systematic analysis of routine health information for the data element.Delivery in facility to women under 18 years for the period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2012 is presented in order to contribute to documenting and understanding how this problem manifests in the Western Cape Province.Objectives:The objectives of the study were to describe the trends in the number of deliveries for women under the age of 18 years in the Western Cape Province for the period 1 April 2000 until 31 March 2012, and to compare the trends within and between districts. A secondary aim was to explore the quality and usefulness of Routine Health Information in the Western Cape Province focusing on the dataset for deliveries for women under the age of 18 years.Methods:The data for the Province extracted from the Sinjani system (the data repository for health information management in the Western Cape Department of Health) was subjected to a trend analysis at the Provincial, District and Sub-District level. The absolute numbers of all deliveries, and deliveries for women under the age of 18 years as well as proportions of deliveries for women under the age of 18 years were compared across districts, years and seasons. Results were discussed with senior managers in the Department of Health as compared to performance indicators presented in workshop settings to triangulate and help interpret findings.Findings The key finding is that both the absolute number of deliveries for women under the age of 18 years and the deliveries for women under the age of 18 years relative to all deliveries have declined steadily since 2007, while 8 absolute numbers of deliveries in 2012 were only slightly higher than in 2000-2001, despite an increase of 19.4% in the total population of the Province between 2002 and 2011. Despite the decline in the number of deliveries for women under the age of 18 years, the number of deliveries remains high. Seasonal increases in numbers of deliveries coincide with school holidays in most districts. The data analysis also revealed challenges with the quality of the data, and that it is not possible to determine the age distribution of deliveries across women under 18 years from the provincial data set. Routinely collected data do not permit analysis or comparison of births at the ward level where significant socio-economic variations are likely to influence fertility.Conclusions and Recommendations:The data did not support widespread perceptions of rapidly increasing teen births. The declining birth rates and relatively stable proportion of under 18 births relative to all births suggest that adding new indicators throughout the entire routine information system is not justified on public health or economic grounds. However, more detailed and disaggregated evidence is needed to inform locally tailored interventions and could be obtained from alternate sources of information such as point prevalence surveys, annual surveys, or data collection at sentinel sites. While teenage birth rates are not increasing, they remain high. It is recommended that additional service delivery models be explored to ensure that sexual reproductive health services are strengthened and delivered in a manner that would be acceptable to young people. Further, it is recommended that programmatic interventions that target the sexual reproductive health choices made by young people be scaled up in partnership with intersectoral partners and communities in order to mitigate against seasonal increases in the number of deliveries for women under 18 years of age.

Purpose: Most individuals do not perceive a need for substance use treatment despite meeting diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders and they are least likely to pursue treatment voluntarily. There are also those who perceive a need for treatment and yet do not pursue it. This study aimed to understand which factors increase the likelihood of perceiving a need for treatment for individuals who meet diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders in the hopes to better assist with more targeted efforts for gender-specific treatment recruitment and retention. Using Andersen and Newman’s (1973/2005) model of individual determinants of healthcare utilization, the central hypothesis of the study was that gender moderates the relationship between substance use problem severity and perceived treatment need, so that women with increasing problems due to their use of substances are more likely than men to perceive a need for treatment. Additional predisposing and enabling factors from Andersen and Newman’s (1973/2005) model were included in the study to understand their impact on perceived need. Method: The study was a secondary data analysis of the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) using logistic regression. The weighted sample consisted of a total 20,077,235 American household residents (The unweighted sample was 5,484 participants). Results of the logistic regression were verified using Relogit software for rare events logistic regression due to the rare event of perceived treatment need (King & Zeng, 2001a; 2001b). Results: The moderating effect of female gender was not found. Conversely, men were significantly more likely than women to perceive a need for treatment as substance use problem severity increased. The study also found that a number of factors such as race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, marital status, education, co-occurring mental health disorders, and prior treatment history differently impacted the likelihood of perceiving a need for treatment among men and women. Conclusion: Perceived treatment need among individuals who meet criteria for substance use disorders is rare, but identifying factors associated with an increased likelihood of perceiving need for treatment can help the development of gender-appropriate outreach and recruitment for social work treatment, and public health messages.

Many Swedish video game companies have in recent years been very successful in terms of share price development. Why is it like that? With the purpose to gain an increased understanding of the investor's choice, we here examine which business models are used in the Swedish video game industry. More specifically, we try to identify what similarities do the business models in the successful companies share and what similarities do the non-performing companies share. The analytical framework used is based on Business Model Canvas adapted to the video game industry. We use a qualitative approach with case studies of 10 listed Swedish video gaming companies, five successful and five non-performing, in terms of share price development. The data collected is from secondary sources, mainly the companies' annual reports, fitting the investors narrative with the assumption that secondary data is generally what influences the stock price.In general, the results suggest that similarities between business models among the successful companies largely coincide with similarities between the non-performing companies, which makes the information less valuable for understanding investors' choices. Nevertheless, one unique similarity among successful companies applies to that they in general have broad gaming portfolios that target several unrelated customer segments, i.e. a diversified market. The non-performing companies instead mainly target a niche market. Another unique similarity among successful companies’ business models concerns their use of acquisition strategies. In the non-performing companies' business models, acquisition strategies are largely lacking.

The advent of text messaging as a popular and cheaper form of communication has offered a new research perspective on adolescent development. Erikson’s identity formation theory, the core tenets of existentialism, and the developmental factors of adolescence provided a conceptual framework for the present investigation, which was guided by two research questions: What are the needs of adolescents seeking assistance through text-based messaging? How do the needs expressed align with the stage of development that adolescents are in? Since the data set had already been established from text messaging between learners and tutors in the Dr Math online tutoring programme, secondary data analysis was employed. A qualitative approach, rooted in an interpretivist paradigm, was used. In total 143, of the 5284, messages were included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Thematic network analysis served to enable coding and grouping of the data into thematic networks for analysis. A bottom-to-top hierarchy of codes, basic themes, and organising themes led to the formulation of the global themes of romantic curiosity, emotional expression, academic and career concerns, personal counselling, and social interactions as central to arriving at a better understanding of adolescents’ psychosocial needs in an increasingly technological communication environment. Further research is recommended into ways in which training and development in technology can be used for aiding adolescents in South Africa, as well as into the role of technology in advancing practice and research for professionals. / Mini-dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

Reading can improve the quality of life for individuals and is widely considered the cornerstone of learning. However, many boys who enjoy reading are bullied. The direct, negative effects of bullying on academic achievement have been exposed in previous research. The purpose of this empirical study was to examine whether any statistical relationship existed between the low overall reading literacy achievement scores of Grade 4 boy learners and whether they experienced being the victims of peer bullying. Three research questions underpinned this quantitative, non-experimental, secondary data analysis. The primary data were collected from 8 196 Grade 4 boy learners in South Africa as part of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2011. The three research questions were: What is the relationship of bullying with Grade 4 boy learners overall reading literacy achievement scores when categorised for each of the individual prePIRLS 2011 benchmarks? What is the correlation between overall reading literacy achievement scores and being a victim of bullying as measured by the Learners Bullied at School Index? What is the potential statistical relationship between the overall reading literacy achievement scores of Grade 4 boy learners and the degree to which they have experienced bullying as measured by prePIRLS 2011, looking at the Learners Bullied at School Index as well as the six independent bullying variables individually? Bronfenbrenner s Ecological Model of Human Development served as a theoretical framework for the study, and a post-positivistic epistemological paradigm was adopted. Overall reading literacy achievement scores from the reading assessments were positioned on a common reading achievement scale using item response theory methods that offered an overall image of the assessment outcomes. The prePIRLS 2011 Learner Questionnaire itself was based on the Likert scale, while the variable Learners Bullied at School Index is a contextual scale based on Rasch modelling. The descriptive statistical analysis revealed that the more frequently the Grade 4 boy learners experienced bullying, the lower their overall reading literacy achievement scores were and vice versa. The Pearson correlation revealed that, as bullying increased, overall reading literacy achievement scores decreased proportionately. The multiple regression revealed that a school that had higher levels of bullying could expect overall reading literacy achievement scores to be lower. Finally, the model statistics revealed that bullying accounted for only 5% of the variation in the target population s overall reading literacy achievement scores. Therefore, other associated variables can be investigated in future research, including, but not limited to, cyberbullying. If the statistical relationship between bullying (including cyberbullying) and reading literacy receives immediate attention, it could lead to stronger design, improved development, and implementation of preventative measures. / Die sleutel tot leer is geletterdheid. Geletterdheid word bereik deur te lees. Lees beskik oor die vermoë om die lewensgehalte van individue te verbeter. Vir dié rede is die leesgedrag van Graad 4-skoolseuns, wat die teikenpopulasie van die huidige studie is, die fokuspunt. Vorige navorsing het reeds die negatiewe en regstreekse gevolge van afknouery (boeliegedrag) op akademiese prestasie onthul. Dus, as lees die hoeksteen van leer is, moet afknouery as 'n moontlike struikelblok tot leer ondersoek word. Die doel van die studie was om te ondersoek of daar enige statistiese verhouding bestaan tussen die lae algehele leesgeletterdheidsprestasie van Graad 4-skoolseuns en of hul die slagoffers is van afknouery. Die studie het gebruik gemaak van Bronfenbrenner se Ekologiese Model van Menslike Ontwikkeling as teoretiese raamwerk. Verder het die studie ? post-positivistiese epistemologiese paradigma aangewend. Die studie is gegrond op 'n kwantitatiewe, nie-eksperimentele, sekondêre data-ontleding van data versamel van 8 196 Graad 4-skoolseuns in Suid-Afrika. Die data is versamel as deel van die Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2011. Algehele leesgeletterdheidsprestasie is geplaas op 'n algemene leesprestasieskaal met behulp van itemresponsteoriemetodes. Die prePIRLS 2011-leerdervraelys is gebaseer op die Likert skaal. Die Leerders Afgeknou by die Skool Indeks is ? kontekstuele skaal wat gebaseer is op Rasch-modellering. Die drie navorsingvrae wat ondersoek is, was die volgende: • Wat is die verhouding tussen afknouery van skoolseuns en die algehele leesgeletterdheidsprestasie gemeet teen elk van die prePIRLS 2011 individuele maatstawwe? • Wat is die korrelasie tussen algehele leesgeletterdheidsprestasie en om ‘n slagoffer te wees van afknouery soos gemeet deur die Leerders Afgeknou by die Skool Indeks? • Wat is die potensiële statistiese verhouding tussen die algehele leesgeletterdheidsprestasie van Graad 4-skoolseuns en die mate waarin hulle afknouery ervaar het soos gemeet deur prePIRLS 2011, met inagneming van die Leerders Afgeknou by die Skool Indeks asook die ses onafhanklike afknouveranderlikes individueel beskou? Die beskrywende statistiese analise het getoon dat meer gereelde ervarings van afknouery ? verhouding het met laer algehele leesgeletterdheidsprestasies van Graad 4-skoolseuns. Die Pearson-korrelasie het getoon dat, indien afknouery vermeerder, algehele leesgeletterdheidsprestasies proporsioneel afneem. Die veelvoudige regressie-analise het getoon dat by skole waar hoër vlakke van afknouery gevind is, die algehele leesgeletterdheidsprestasie laer is. Ten slotte, het die modelstatistieke aan die lig gebring dat afknouery verantwoordelik is vir slegs 5% van die variasie in Graad 4-skoolseuns se algehele leesgeletterdheidsprestasie. Daarom moet ander veranderlikes, met inbegrip van kuberafknouery, met 'n moontlike verhouding met leesgeletterdheid deur toekomstige navorsing ondersoek word. Indien afknouery dringende aandag ontvang, kan dit lei tot verbeterde ontwerp, ontwikkeling en implementering van voorkomende maatreels. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Humanities Education / MEd / Unrestricted

This presentation will present primary data collection techniques using archival data to identify participants and how to leverage existing datasets to conduct secondary data analyses. It can often be difficult for new professionals and students to access data or may be unaware of the pros and cons of using either research technique. Data from three different studies will be presented including Long Term Care in Arkansas, Co-Parenting Across Households, and Identifying At-Risk Early Career Servicemembers. Results discussed will provide detailed comparisons of collected samples to target populations. The presentation will aim to assist students and new professionals in better understanding data driven research and provide tools for future use of both secondary and primary data.