Modern education systems tend to focus on the use of external pressures to motivate students to learn. Intrinsic motivation - motivation to do something because it is enjoyable in and of itself – by contrast, is more valuable in these environments as it has multiple benefits, such as better conceptual understanding and more sustained learning behaviour. The primary way to facilitate intrinsic motivation is to meet the three basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness. Games are inherently effective at satisfying these needs and have in recent years begun to be used in non-game contexts, like education, in order to attempt to improve motivation. This is commonly known as gamification, although gameful design is the more beneficial counterpart thereof since it is directly based on a deep understanding of what makes games good motivators. This study addresses the question of how gameful design can be used to facilitate intrinsic motivation in a tertiary education setting. This is done through an examination of existing literature in order to inform the design of a gameful intervention, which is the focus of this research. This intervention includes a new website, additional exercises on course content as well as changes to lectures. The intervention (in the form of a pilot study and a final implementation) is used in a first year undergraduate module in the Multimedia degree at the University of Pretoria. When the intervention has been used by the students for a full semester, data are collected in the form of questionnaires, focus groups, Google Analytics, website database logs and observation. The results indicate that the gameful intervention meets the three basic psychological needs of those students who interacted with it. As a result of this, students are more intrinsically motivated to interact with the intervention and therefore spend more time engaging with the course content. This study contributes a list of guidelines for educators wishing to use gameful design in their own modules. It also provides the details of the design of the intervention in order to aid the understanding of how gameful design can be used to facilitate intrinsic motivation. This approach to “gamifying” education is rare in the existing literature and can therefore be considered a valuable contribution. / Dissertation (MIS)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Information Science / MIS / Unrestricted

My study is a sub-study of the Resilient Youth in Stressed Environments (RYSE) Project (ethics clearance UP17/05/01). RYSE aims to develop a more in-depth understanding of the resilience of youth who live in environments challenged by the petrochemical industry and associated risks, specifically the community of eMbalenhle. In particular, the purpose of my qualitative sub-study is to explore which resilience-enabling factors in social ecologies (SEs) of tertiary education institutions (TEIs) shape the resilience of older adolescents from the eMbalenhle community who are engaged in tertiary education. Despite the common assumption in current South African literature that students who come from backgrounds challenged by disadvantage (the disadvantages that challenge them are often a variety of stressors in their immediate surroundings, with few public resources or services where help can be accessed) are doomed to failure at TEIs, some students from backgrounds challenged by disadvantage progress to TEIs and succeed in completing their studies. However, only a few such students succeed in completing their studies. Research shows that TEIs are not sufficiently prepared to accommodate students coming from backgrounds challenged by disadvantage. Therefore, my study of limited scope might potentially give voice to the perspectives of older adolescents from communities challenged by disadvantage regarding resilience-enabling factors in the SE of TEIs. Phenomenology was the epistemological assumption of my study and a qualitative methodological approach was used. I made use of a phenomenological research design, purposefully selected my six participants (with an average age of 20), and made use of photo-elicitation with conversational interviews to generate data. To analyse the data I made use of Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step guide to inductive thematic content analysis. The main themes that emerged from my study were that university structures, a sought-after qualification (underpinned by a certain view of the future), and fellow students (with the subthemes same course and different course) were resilience-enabling factors. The usefulness of these themes to resilience theory is that older adolescents entering TEIs might potentially demonstrate resilience when experiencing the identified resilience-enabling factors in the SE of their TEI, and, therefore, my suggestion would be for TEIs to consider prioritising these protective factors. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / It has become a world trend that the opportunity for university education should be made available to all. The twentieth century witnessed the partial demolition of the barrier that retained higher education as the privilege of the élite group. Attendance at a university is seen today as the gateway to the membership of a profession, and to all the benefits of improved economic and social status. Rapid economic and industrial development in South Africa and overseas in the second half of this century has caused a general shortage of scientific manpower. Malherbe (1977, 496) stresses that full opportunities for developing the talent of every individual are no longer an idealistic aim but an economic necessity. The Wiehahn Commission (1980, 12), appointed by the South African Government to inquire into labour legislation and labour systems in South Africa, reported that a serious shortage of skilled manpower for professional, managerial and technical positions still exists. The universities, now having a major responsibility in the preparation of such personnel, have assumed greater significance as far as the public and private sectors are concerned. Educated people are a part of the nation's best human resources, and because education is one of the chief assets of the individual, there is a compelling need for research to improve the academic performance of students at all levels, especially at university. Arising from the shortage of skilled manpower and the increasingly growing demand for tertiary -education, more students enter universities. The rapid increase in university enrolment has brought with it new interest and concern relating to those students who fail or drop out. The problems of failure and drop-out at university have been the subject of many investigations in Western countries, especially Great Britain (Miller, 1970; Butcher and Rudd, 1972) and the United States of America (Pervin et aZ, -1965; Astin, 1971). In South Africa, the Government appointed a Commission of Inquiry into White universities (Van Wyk de Vries, 1974). Included in its terms of reference were: transition from school to university, and the high failure rate among undergraduates. As Astin (1975, 1) points out, most studies take the view that decision-makers legitimately want to know more about how to increase the students' chances of graduating. This concern is based, inter aZia, on: loss of talent; waste of limited educational resources; vocational and personal setbacks resulting from the student's impeded career development; futile expenditure of money, time and effort. The incidence of failure and drop-out evokes painful responses not only from the student but also from others, including his parents and his university. To parents, the admission to university of their son or daughter often represents a fulfilled ambition and the fruition of years of struggle and hope. Therefore failure or drop-out by the student is also a shattering experience for most parents - many of whom feel that they have failed as parents

Graduate tax is a concept that was only recently introduced into the public discourse in South Africa. Little is known about how it will be implemented and who will be liable to pay such a tax. The purpose of this study is to examine the proposed introduction of graduate tax for South African tertiary education graduates and the public perception of such a tax. To achieve the objectives of the study, relevant literature was reviewed that explained the concept of a graduate tax and the possible advantages and disadvantages of its imposition. Data collected by means of a questionnaire was analysed, which revealed the public perception of a graduate tax as well as its possible consequences. The analysis of the data collected indicated that graduate tax is perceived as an additional tax to be paid by graduates from tertiary institutions, whereas the literature defined it as a tax paid by tertiary institution graduates who received their tertiary education at no cost. Furthermore, it was found that the imposition of a graduate tax may deter some from pursuing a tertiary degree in order to avoid liability for such tax. The imposition of a graduate tax could also lead to an outflow of skills, as graduates would be likely to seek employment outside South Africa in order to avoid paying graduate tax. It is recommended in this study that more clarity should be given to the public as to what this proposed graduate tax would entail and who would be affected by it. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / am2014 / Taxation / unrestricted

The diploma thesis "Accountability in tertiary education in the Czech Republic" is based on the concept of accountability, which is defined as a social relation between two actors, where one actor is obliged to justify his conduct and behavior to another. This diploma thesis has been mainly written on a theoretical base - the accountability concept, which will be applied in the Czech tertiary education. The main aim of the presented diploma thesis is to find out, whether the concept of accountability in the Czech Republic will contribute to the expansion of a professional knowledge in tertiary education system. The set aim further allows verification, if accountability as a concept might be beneficial for further research in this field. The objective of this diploma thesis will further describe how accountability is applied in the tertiary education and outline such a complex network of relations between actors. Following the set aim, this thesis is conceived as a theoretical study covering the specific country - the Czech Republic. The diploma thesis is logically divided into seven chapters, which are divided into subchapters. Aims and research questions are presented in the beginning of this thesis, followed by a detailed definition of the concept of accountability, which is crucial for the whole...

The diploma thesis is devoted to professional practice in tertiary education of social workers in the Czech Republic. It focuses on the course of professional practice at universities and higher professional schools in the Czech Republic which prepare students for the performance of a social worker - concretely, the professional practice of full-time social work students at universities at bachelor's level and at higher professional schools that are the members of the Association of Educators in Social Work (ASVSP). The aim of this thesis is to find out how this process is currently going on. The diploma thesis is divided into a theoretical and a practical part. The theoretical part focuses mainly on the education of social work students in the Czech Republic, professional practice in social work (e.g. the concept of practical education, the importace of theory for practice, theoretical approaches to practical education, mentoring) and supervision of professional practice. The practical part presents the results of the questionnaire which was answered by the heads of professional practice at schools and the results of the analysis of documents of schools accessible on the Internet. These results are divided according to partial research questions. Keywords Professional practice, social work,...

This study explores the factors that have an impact on the decisions of educated Indian mothers in South Africa who are not pursuing careers and answers the on-going questions about why Indian women pursue tertiary education but do not pursue careers. Secondly, this study also helps to understand the identity negotiation that these mothers go through – how they negotiate their various identities and the intersection of their gender and cultural identities that affect their decision not to pursue a career. The research aims to emphasise the extent and impact of the cultural roles that educated Indian mothers have to deal with. This study makes a theoretical contribution and conveys pioneering knowledge to assist top management to understand the skills shortage of this minority group and create an understanding of the reasons why Indian women decide not to pursue careers, and of their identity negotiation in the process. A qualitative research approach, using in-depth, semi-structured life story interviews, was used in the study to gain a deeper understanding of the reasons why educated Indian women are not pursuing careers. A non-probability sampling strategy (snowball and purposive sampling) was used, and therefore a total of 17 Muslim and Hindu participants were interviewed in the main study. Content analysis was used to analyse the data with the Atlas-Ti programme. The results exemplify that an individual‟s identity is formed by the cultural context and that Indian gender identities were instilled in these women from a young age. The women in the study highlighted that motherhood and family obligations take precedence over any other identity they possess. At first the women seemed despondent with the decision to leave their careers. However, as time went by they felt that cultural obligations were more important and accepted their cultural identity. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to provide a historical overview of the development of the College of the Bahamas, and to examine the development of the College of the Bahamas in light of the College of the Bahamas Act of 1974 and the subsequent Act of 1995. The research was qualitative in nature using historical analysis. The primary means of investigation were analyses of both primary and secondary documents and interviews with key individuals who were important to the development of the College of the Bahamas since the 1960s. The methods of triangulation of data and findings were complemented by member checks to affirm the basic findings of the study. The study was limited in scope to the College of the Bahamas to the exclusion of other tertiary institutions within the country. The College of the Bahamas has advanced greatly and has largely fulfilled the directives and goals of the Act of 1974 and is currently engaged in efforts to meet the goals of the Act of 1995.

This thesis explores the interplay between copyright and tertiary education, and their roles for sustainable human development in Ethiopia. Access to learning materials is used as a context for the exploration. Despite its recognition of development as a human and constitutional right, Ethiopia emphasizes economic growth as the core of its national development objectives. To this end, tertiary education is often considered for its instrumental role in human capital formation. Given this narrow lens of development, the thesis observes the neglect of human development as the enlargement of human capabilities. It is underscored that development-oriented copyright and tertiary education are both vital in themselves and complementary for sustainable human development. Nonetheless, their complementing roles depend upon relevant policy and legal flexibilities that facilitate access to learning materials. As a major context for the interplay, access to learning materials is essential for both sustainable creative innovation and quality tertiary education. Noting a restrictive copyright system as one of the impediments, the thesis thus inquiries into the regime and finds out the non-incorporation of relevant international copyright-related flexibilities. Adopting a TRIPs-plus approach, the existing national copyright law in Ethiopia has left out a number of legal flexibilities relevant for increased access to learning materials. Stifling creative and learning freedoms or capabilities, this has serious ramifications for sustainable human development. From human development perspective, the thesis further unveils lack of coherence in the regimes and proper orientations towards human development. Therefore, it is imperative to revisit the regimes, forge a coherence, and retract the excessive protection. A comprehensive integration of appropriate flexibilities is recommended to promote creative and learning capabilities for enhanced human development.

Doctor Educationis / Writing is an important skill throughout learners’ schooling trajectory because it is through writing that learners need to situate meaning and sense-making across the curriculum. Writing proficiency becomes even more important when learners access tertiary studies. Yet studies suggest that most students struggle with academic writing. Various authors suggest that writing has not been taught appropriately especially in secondary schooling contexts in South Africa and that writing becomes even more daunting for Second Language speakers of English when they reach tertiary education. There is abundant literature on students’ challenges with academic writing and ways to address academic writing challenges but the use of digital storytelling in relation to academic writing development is recent and distinctively underexplored in the literature.