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Communities in WIReDSpace
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- This community is for all faculties and schools' theses and dissertations by masters and doctoral students.
Recent Submissions
Exploring the pandemic: COVID-19 lockdown response levels as predictor of working memory performance and associated emotional responses
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-11) Oyejide, Aderemi Oyewunmi; Brooks, Samantha; Besharati, Sahba
The unprecedented outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the course of many lives, resulting in multiple health and social challenges. Due to the speed with which this andemic spread, various public health ‘lockdown’ measures were introduced to mitigate its spread. The outcome of adherence to these measures has revealed the possible influence on ndividuals varying cognitive abilities. Therefore, this study aimed at exploring the predicting relationship between lockdown responses to COVID-19 restrictions and working memory performance and associated emotional responses, while looking at the socio-demographic influences of age, gender, and level of education. Participants were drawn from a secondary dataset of an international online survey study of 1634 individuals between 18 – 75 years across 49 countries. Participants’ demographic questionnaires, working memory measures (free memory recall and digit span forward tasks), and hospital anxiety and depression scale were employed to collect data for analysis. A 4-way MANOVA and hierarchical multiple regression were utilised to explore the mean differences and predicting relationships between the study variables respectively. Significant differences were found in general memory performance, anxiety and depression scores across lockdown groups, but with no significant difference in working memory. The regression analysis indicated socio-demographic variables as non-predictive markers between lockdown responses and memory performance, while age and gender were significant predictors between lockdown responses and anxiety. The current study provides valuable information for interventions that may improve peoples’ psychological appraisals in preparation for any new potential waves or future pandemics.
Exploration of calculation strategies in doubling and halving with grade 3 learners
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-03) Mtsweni, Thobile; Asvat, Zaheera Jina
A crisis reported is that the majority of learners do not achieve development in number sense. Unit counting is the preferred method of counting, and consequently, fluency and conceptual understanding of numbers are lost. This study addresses the need for early intervention that focuses on the progression of learners towards the use of more efficient strategies. Specifically, the study aimed to explore doubling and halving strategies with Grade 3 learners through an intervention to develop learners’ calculation strategies using the adapted pre-test, intervention, and post-test from the Mental Starter Assessment Project (MSAP). The sample included 24 Grade 3 learners, which comprised a control group and an intervention group. The study employed Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, which focuses on how learners process new knowledge. Findings indicate that before the intervention, the learners in the control and intervention groups relied on counting strategies to solve doubling and halving problems, and the alternative strategies that were used were not clear. The intervention group was exposed to the various doubling and halving representations of the strategy. However, the findings show that the intervention group performed only slightly better in the strategic calculating and strategic thinking categories than the control group. These findings indicate that a shift in learning can happen, albeit slower than expected. Further research is needed across contexts and learners to indicate ways in which the intervention could be improved.
Sponsorship, executive coaching and the career progression of black women in the banking sector in Gauteng
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Legote, Tebogo
The banking sector transformation journey is not vastly different from other industries that are male dominated. With the increasing number of women joining
the workforce, there is great demand for institutions to diversify and improve upon the representation of women in senior, decision making roles. Not only is this a
legislative requirement, transformation is enshrined in the charter. Black women continue to be a marginalised group, as evident in a number of studies that
highlight the challenges experienced by black women. The study sought to understand how sponsorship and executive coaching alleviates such challenges, and the effect of the sponsorship in the coaching process. Using an interpretive inductive approach to the study, a qualitative research methodology was applied to collect data from ten senior and executive managers, using semi-structured interviews as a tool. The phenomenological study enabled the collection of informative insights, shedding light on experiences of black women, of sponsorship and executive coaching. Information obtained from the interviews was analysed employing thematic analysis and fourteen themes and several sub-themes surfaced. The findings illustrated positively career advancement as a result of sponsorship, however, no evidence showed sponsorship influence on the coaching process. The study concludes that sponsorship and executive coaching can enable career progression for black women in the banking sector. The study recommends that in order to understand the plight of women in the workplace, unconscious biases should be dispelled. The recommendation also draws attention to the significant role that sponsors can play in advocating for gender equity in general not limited to managing the careers of a few
The use of digital channels to serve customers in the telecommunications industry
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-06) Kiezer, Jason; Mudau, Norman
The objective of this paper is to establish and examine the factors that influence customer use of digital channels in the telecommunications industry and the impact of use on customer service. The growth of technological innovation and availability of new systems and technologies allow for improved efficiencies and reduced costs associated with customer care. The telecommunications industry is at the forefront of this technology, promoting self-service through the use of digitals channels across a multitude of platforms with mobile applications, websites, Short Message Service (SMS), Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) and WhatsApp. This study proposes a new conceptual framework based on Delone and McLean’s (2003) information systems (IS) model by expanding this model to address individual customer use and its impact on customer service. Delone and McLean’s 2003 IS model consists of system quality, information quality, service quality, use and net benefits. The model proposed by this study includes system knowledge, customer innovativeness, service complexity, customer trust, customer satisfaction and customer services. A structured survey questionnaire was utilised for the study, as the focus of the research report is digital channel use by individuals as the unit of analysis. The survey was distributed to 900 users of digital channels in the telecommunications industry who have used various digital channels in the past 24 months to test the conceptual framework. The response rate to the survey 10,6% and 96 responses were analysed using IBM SPSS version 25 and AMOS, using structured equation modelling to validate the model. The results supported Delone and McLean’s (2003) IS model in terms of system quality,
information quality, service quality and use. Furthermore, the factors of system knowledge, customer innovativeness, customer trust, customer satisfaction and customer services have a significant impact on customer use. Service complexity was found not to ii be significant in relation to customer use and customer satisfaction. Whilst customer satisfaction is not significant in its influence on customer use. The proposed conceptual model allows leaders in the telecommunications industry to assess key features of digital channels to drive use and thereby, drive cost efficiencies and cost reduction to service and support customers.
Land management and the use of communal land: The case of the Mchunu Traditional Authority and Alfred Duma Municipality
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Khanyile, Nonkululeko Nomfundo; Abraham, Caryn
For centuries, traditional leadership in Africa was the sole authority over traditional land. They were in charge of allocating and managing land. The beginnings of colonisation and, later, apartheid in South Africa, disrupted these functions by traditional authorities. This posed a significant challenge to the traditional authorities. African countries were decolonized in the years that followed. Following decolonisation and the apartheid government, the citizens in South Africa elected a democratic government that established laws that could regulate how traditional leaders performed their duties in areas under their jurisdiction. However, in 2013, the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) was introduced, and this act presented conflicts between traditional authorities and the local government. The conflict emanates as a result of ambiguities in the act that do not specify the particular roles of local government and traditional authorities in relation to land use management. The research looked into how the Mchunu Traditional Authority (MTA) and Alfred Duma Municipality in Ladysmith, KwaZulu Natal, interact on land governance issues. The study employed a qualitative research methodology and utilised snowball sampling. It used in-depth interviews to gather primary data. The questions focused on the governance interface between the two institutions and their distinct functions and roles. The study found that the local government and the traditional authorities are knowledgeable about their functions, which is contrary to some of the findings in studies referenced in the literature. It also found that the institutions have never experienced conflict on issues of land governance and continue to efficiently co- govern