3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item The reading world of black workers(2015-03-13) French, Edward.;An understanding of the identity of reading and its social meanings should contribute to the quality of adult literacy work. This study is an inquiry into ways ot understanding reading, and specifically into its meaning and role in the lives of black workers in South Africa. The understanding of reading has been dominated by positivism, but 1ncreasing interest has been shown in the relationship cf literacy and society. However, even these approaches remain largely objective. Alternatives to objectivism are presented in some detail. This provides the background and rationale for a broad account of the social history and contexts of reading in black society in South Africa and for a study of what reading means to eighteen leading black employees at two East Rand factories. The reading world of black workers is characterised by various deprivations and disadvantages. The printed word is owned and controlled by white government and capital in a contradictory and contested hegemony, yet it is perceived positively as an aspect of our society in which black people participate fully, and from which they benefit unequivocally. Reading is understood in terms of aspirations to modernity and to be.ng at home in s national and cosmopolitan community. The experience of reading is felt to be vitally important, although it is not a major feature in the daily lives of most of the participants in this study. Newspapers occupy a dominant position in the reading world of black workers, but t ne level of critical awareness of the media would appeal to be low. The study as a whole works against reductionism; the tendency for literacy to be claimed in the name of instrumental purposes is contested. Implications of the study for adult education and research are briefly considered.Item MBA students' experiences of academic writing : a case study.(2010-08-30) De Coning, Deborah JeanThis study explores MBA students’ experiences of academic writing, and endeavours to determine the difficulties experienced by MBA students during the writing of their dissertations especially in terms of academic literacy. Case study research design and mixed methods were used to generate both quantitative and qualitative data in this qualitative study. A constant comparative method of analysis was used to identify categories and themes within the data. The results of this research showed that the majority of MBA students, while at Business School X, viewed their identities primarily as business professionals as opposed to students of business in an academic setting. Findings of the study showed that MBA students’ identities as readers and writers are strongly framed by the business genres they encounter in their professional capacities. The study also revealed that MBA students writing their dissertations desire to produce a professionally relevant research document as much as one that meets the requirements of academic rigour. It is within this arena of academic research writing that a dilemma exists for MBA students with reference to the purpose, format and value of the dissertation as a vehicle for reporting research findings. Recommendations are that academic literacies and genre pedagogy are mainstreamed into the course design of the MBA programme at Business School X and that the repurposing of the dissertation as a genre be evaluated in terms of business relevance.Item Methodological concerns in the study of personal epistemology : the effect of the directness, domain, and open versus closed-ended formats of questions eliciting epistemological assumptions.(2009-06-11T06:55:34Z) Pope, Kathryn J.The study of personal epistemology is concerned with people‟s beliefs or assumptions about the nature of knowledge and knowing, otherwise referred to as epistemological assumptions. As a relatively new field of enquiry, questions about the nature and scope of the construct and how best to investigate it have been tackled by many researchers although fundamental questions still remain. The current study explored the possible effects of three characterisations of questions aimed at eliciting epistemological assumptions on conclusions drawn about such assumptions in terms of their level of sophistication. The three characterisations explored were the level of directness with which questions targeted epistemological assumptions, the domain-specificity of the question, and whether the questions were open or closed-ended. A paper-and-pencil measure was designed to manipulate these variables, and the conclusions drawn about the assumptions of a sample of 30 postgraduate Psychology students were compared across the conditions to determine if there was any evidence for their influence. Comparison of results suggested that the characterisations do exert an influence and caution is raised regarding the validity of methodologies that have been, and continue to be, employed in the study of personal epistemology. The findings further lend support to particular conceptualisations of the construct, but at the same time also unearth additional questions about how epistemological beliefs are best construed and studied.