Research report presented to the Unisa School of Business Leadership / The dynamic nature of the university environment is described from a strategic and operational perspective. Council, Senate and Executive Management had a direct role in maintaining corporate governance while the HR department is mandated to manage compliance. This brought about certain challenges since the achievement of HR objectives through innovation allowed a greater degree of freedom in comparison to the degree of control prescribed by compliance management.

In South Africa, the staff of higher education institutions experiences several stressors in their work and home domains. Therefore, it is important to understand how these two life domains are in interaction with each other. The general objective of this study was to investigate how higher education staff experienced work-personal life interaction (WPLI). A sample of 24 higher education staff that was willing to participate in the study was taken from different faculties and departments from a higher education institution in the Free State Province. For the purpose of this research, a qualitative design from a phenomenological approach was used. The specific objectives of this study were to determine the experiences, main dimensions, antecedents, consequences, and strategies in the lives of higher education staff. The results obtained indicated that Afrikaans and African women and men experienced time and strain-based conflict. Their work environment was characterised by a heavy workload, long working hours, resulting in work being taken home, and their home environment was characterised by a demanding family (spouses and children) and household duties. Men and women also thought about things in the family domain (e.g., when their children were sick) while they were at work. This caused a constant spill over, leaving employees tired and stressed. Strategies (e.g., prioritising, planning and time management) and support (e.g., spouses, division of family and household duties, friends and colleagues, as well as the flexible working hours) helped them to cope with this interaction. Recommendations were made for future research and the organisation. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

This thesis deals with teaching media studies in Norway and Sweden at the tertiary level of education. The aim of this paper is to introduce and compare the contemporary media studies tuition, offered degree courses and their focus and content, on the example of the ten selected higher education institutions. Within the scope of individual institutions, it will also acquaint with establishing this field of study in their academic environment and any research activities. For a better understanding of the topic, it also describes the education systems in both countries.

This study investigates the effect of human capital, using gross enrolment rate as a proxy, on labor productivity. It also investigates if a larger public effort in providing education opportunities would lead to a more efficient distribution of skills and therefore give a positive effect on labor productivity. We use a panel data approach to estimate an endogenous growth model on countries that are selected as to be reasonably similar. The main results are that growth in gross enrolment rate have a positive effect on labor productivity, while the level of government expenditure on tertiary education (measured as a percentage of GDP) has a negative effect on labor productivity.

The dominant human capital theory-based perspective that education is crucial for economic success and employment has affected national and regional policies in education and employment worldwide. The present thesis critically assesses the target for increased number of tertiary education graduates in the current EU agenda for growth and employment (Europe 2020 Strategy). This target presumes that employment is positively related with tertiary education qualifications, and that there is an increasing demand for highly educated workers in the EU labour markets. Based on Eurostat data, our findings indicate that (i) more public spending on tertiary education does not seem to be associated with higher employment rates of graduates in the EU countries; (ii) in more than half of the EU28 member states, unemployment rates are not related with increased number of graduates; (iii) in most of the remaining EU countries, the increase in graduates is associated with higher graduates’ unemployment rates; (iv) increased number of tertiary education graduates relates with higher overqualification rates in the majority of the EU countries. These results accord with previous studies which find that investment in education alone is inadequate to explain complex socio-economic phenomena, such as graduates’ employment/unemployment. Moreover, they further support previous research works, which question the proclaimed increased need for highly educated workers in the EU labour markets. This, in turn, suggests that common European policies which target at increasing horizontally the number of graduates may further deteriorate the existing problem of overqualification in the EU. Without downplaying the importance of education and skills in employment, the current thesis contemplates that the disproportionate emphasis on the role of tertiary education in employment may falsely cultivate the perception that education per se can be the main solution for unemployment. Thus, it is likely to conceal the wider socio-economic reasons that influence a person’s ability to find, secure and advance in his/her job. Last, but not least, this perspective narrows down the role of tertiary education confining it to economic and employment purposes.

Available empirical data relating to quality generally and the application of quality assurance principles to language education at tertiary-level are scanty. This study explores how higher education institutions in Ghana apply QA mechanisms to enhance the teaching and learning of English for Academic Purposes. It examines how institutional contexts and cultures of the four case study institutions impact their QA processes. First, the rhetorical tensions and the apparent lack of consensus on the definition of the term “quality” are acknowledged alongside the enviable status of English as a “global lingua franca”; the relevance and pervasiveness of the EAP discipline in tertiary educational circles within and without Ghana and the resultant need for quality assurance and enhancement in its teaching and learning. One particular component of quality in higher education: the need for ensuring that programmes and services are fit for the purpose for which they were designed, and that the “clients” (students) are getting value for their money serves as the focus of the empirical research. The QA dimension of the research attempts to answer the question of whether students provide written feedback on their teaching and whether this is acted upon by the case study institutions in order to improve the EAP course. A combination of qualitative, quantitative, mixed-method approaches and documentary research is adopted to provide the framework for exploring QA and quality issues at each of the institutions involved in this study. The study first considers the quality challenges of higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa and Ghana within the context of policy. Subsequently, the unique features of each case study institution are quantified. To enhance the depth of understanding so as to establish each case study institution’s QA mechanisms and processes for enhancing EAP teaching and learning, a comparative/multiple case study approach is adopted. The blend of methods facilitated exploring the issues and the drawing of conclusions as the strengths of each complements the other. The assessment of QA practices used in the teaching and learning of EAP in the case institutions revealed a number of interesting similarities and differences in terms of institutional context, quality culture, quality assurance mechanisms, pedagogy, and curriculum designs. Based on these findings, suggestions for EAP teaching quality enhancement in the case study institutions are subsequently made. Unique practices identified in the institutions are recommended for replication in other tertiary educational institutions. Suggestions for further and future research are also made followed by a brief account of the author’s professional and personal development during the DBA programme.

Magister Artium - MA (Women and Gender Studies) / Women with disabilities are marginalised in many aspects of societal participation. The majority of women with disabilities in Zambia do not have access to education and this has placed them amongst the poorest of people in the country. The study focuses on the experiences of women with physical disabilities and investigates the challenges they encounter in accessing education at tertiary level. The study comes at a time when the fight for gender equality has gained momentum and aims at promoting economic participation for all members of society without discrimination on the basis of sex or disability. The study engaged ten participants from a tertiary institution in Kamwala, Lusaka. I conducted a feminist qualitative research, which focused on the experiences of 19-30 year old female students with physical disabilities. I used semi-structured interviews in order to collect the data and drew on a qualitative thematic analysis to analyse the data. All standard ethical procedures were adhered to, including anonymity and confidentiality with respect to participants. The results of the study revealed that women with disabilities were often 'othered' due to myths and misconceptions that surrounded disability especially in the African- traditional context. The study also revealed that families played a very important role in ensuring that women and young girls with disabilities had a strong self-image, strong self-esteem and a strong sense of self and ensuring that they felt included within the homes and especially when accessing education. The study further revealed that where family support was lacking, participants faced challenges in accessing education compared to participants who received such support. More so, that educational opportunities in Zambia are generally gendered with more males than females in the education system, across the multiple levels. Access to the tertiary level for this group of women is compromised because challenges in accessing education start at the lower levels and have spill over effects in to the higher levels of education. Financial challenges experienced by women with disabilities and their families also led to fewer women with disabilities being able to participate in schooling. This is because where there were limited resources within the family, women, and girls with disabilities getting an education was not an option.

Research report presented to the Unisa School of Business Leadership / The dynamic nature of the university environment is described from a strategic and operational perspective. Council, Senate and Executive Management had a direct role in maintaining corporate governance while the HR department is mandated to manage compliance. This brought about certain challenges since the achievement of HR objectives through innovation allowed a greater degree of freedom in comparison to the degree of control prescribed by compliance management.

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / People with disabilities do not face the same circumstances, in their journey through tertiary education, as do people without disabilities. Studies have revealed that learning disabilities are often invisible and not identified at an early stage. Generally, the move to university could be challenging for students with disabilities, but very stressful to the students with learning disabilities, in particular. The principles of inclusive education, where people with disabilities and those without disabilities are educated in the same setting, have been the main focus for policy makers in this era. However, scant research has been conducted on the experiences of students with disabilities in accessing tertiary education, particularly, students with learning disabilities. The focus of this current research was to explore the accessibility of tertiary education to students with learning disabilities, in all the faculties at the University of the Western Cape. The researcher aimed to explore and describe the experiences of students with learning disabilities, to inform recommendations for policy and practice. The study was guided by the anti-discriminatory practice and social inclusion theory. The research methodology involved a qualitative approach, using an exploratory descriptive design, with nine students and three staff members, sampled purposively and through snowball sampling. The researcher employed in-depth interviews and email interviewing to gather data, which were transcribed and analyzed qualitatively. All research ethics were considered and adhered to. The students with learning disabilities disclosed how their disability was diagnosed and how they experienced schooling. These experiences influenced the way they coped with teaching and learning at university. Most of them acknowledged that the university was supportive, in various ways, such as, assistive technology, support staff, extra time, as well as a separate examinations and testing area. However, they had difficulty disclosing their disability to lecturers, which made learning more challenging. They were of the opinion that, in order for learning to be inclusive, the university needed to do more to make this a reality. For example, the training of lecturers and staff on the realities of learning disabilities, as well as employing holistic approaches to educate students with learning disabilities.

This study involved examining differences and similarities between the learning environment perceptions of students attending the Computer Science department and the Management department at an information technology university in Jakarta, Indonesia. In doing so, the study investigated which types of learning environments were most likely to strengthen student outcomes in computer-related courses and identify ways in which the university could enhance the teaching and learning process.The study examined whether relationships exist between students' cognitive and affective outcomes and four productivity factors: the learning environment; the quality of teacher-student interactions; students' aptitude; and students' motivation to select their chosen subject. To measure the four productivity factors, 422 students from 12 classes were asked to respond to four questionnaires that were modified to suit tertiary-level computing students: (1) the What is Happening in this Class? questionnaire (WIHIC) to measure students' perceptions of the learning environment, (2) the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) to measure students' perceptions of the student-teacher interaction; (3) the Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT) to measure the students' aptitude; and (4) a scale that was developed to measure students' motivation towards their course. To measure students' cognitive outcomes, information was retrieved from the university database and, to measure students' attitudes towards their computer-related subjects, four modified scales from the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA) were used.Each of the instruments was found to be valid and reliable in the Indonesian language for use at the university level in terms of factor structure, internal consistency reliability, and ability to differentiate between the perceptions of students in different classrooms. These instruments ++ / provide a, means by which lecturers can monitor their classroom environments, their lecturer interaction behaviour and their students' logical thinking, motivation and attitudes. Generally, it was found that computer science students perceived the classroom environments more favourably than management students. These findings related to departmental differences at the university level provide insights into how students from different departments perceive the learning environment. Also, the study pointed to departmental differences in students' logical thinking which could influence the types of learning environment that suit students from different departments. Departmental differences in students' perceptions of the lecturer-student interpersonal behaviour suggest that lecturers should take note that the personal relationships which they build and the ways in which they treat students.