3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/45
Browse
17 results
Search Results
Item An investigation into the factors enabling and constraining the implementation of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): a case of the public service sector in two South African provinces(2020) Tywabi, SiviweThe South African economy is in need of skilled workers, yet many competent employees are underutilised and disadvantaged owing to them not being able to produce evidence of their competence in the form of academic qualifications. The National Development Plan (NDP) calls for the building of a “capable state”. According to the National Planning Commission (NPC) the state is capable to the extent “that it has the capacity to formulate and implement policies that serve the national interest” (NPC, 2012). A capable and developmental state is one that has the means to identify and deal with the causes of poverty and inequality in South Africa. The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in South Africa must build on the commitment of all role-players to remove barriers to learning and develop a visible, usable and credible system as an effective and creative vehicle for lifelong learning. This research report is an interpretive study which is dependent on the views of key persons in understanding the factors enabling and constraining the implementation of RPL for credit in the public service sector. A case study of two South African provincial government department who have implemented RPL. The RPL was implemented against the Public Sector Education and Training Authority (PSETA) registered workplace-based learning National Certificate in Public Administration qualification were investigated. Hence this study does not necessarily present a comprehensive account of the implementation of RPL in the two provinces that were studied. The research study seeks to describe the experiences and to link such experiences to the literature that describes workplace/ experiential learning in relation to the implementation of RPL. This study aims to establish implementation practices of RPL for credit in the public service sector and forge a deeper understanding of the factor that contribute to the successful implementation of RPL for credit. It also aims to identify barriers and constraints in the implementation of RPL for credit. The findings of the research revealed that the participants who are employees in the two provincial departments sampled derived a range of emancipatory benefits from the RPL programme. The RPL programme has enabled previously disadvantaged employees to obtain credits towards a full qualification registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). This research study is conceptualised against the background of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory. This is a conceptual framework which has widely contributed to understanding adult and professional learning. The analysis of the study is then brought together by Cooper and Ralphs’ framework that considers RPL as a specialised pedagogical practice that cannot be theorised as a conventional form of transmission, acquisition and assessment of knowledge from a single body or sourceItem North-South partnerships in public higher education: a selected South African case study(2019) Chasi, SamiaThis study is concerned with how North-South partnerships in public higher education are managed in South Africa. It offers a global South perspective, with a particular focus on how the challenges inherent in such partnerships, which relate to imbalances in resources, knowledge and power, can be addressed. In doing so, the study highlights the need that Southern institutions have for more equal and balanced partnerships with their Northern counterparts. Facilitated by a postcolonial framework, the study takes a critical look at North-South partnerships in South Africa, recognising that such partnerships have to be understood with the country’s legacy of colonialism and apartheid in mind. In this context, a discussion of the concepts of coloniality and decoloniality is linked to transformation, decolonisation and Africanisation as some of the most pertinent issues affecting South African higher education institutions today. Furthermore, the critical discussion of North-South partnerships enables critical engagement with the global phenomenon of higher education internationalisation, which is dominated by Northern perspectives in terms of definitions, concepts and practices. Methodologically, the study presents a qualitative, single case study, using the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, a public South African higher education institution, as the case. Careful consideration is given to questions of positionality, particularly as the researcher relies on her experiences in the sector to offer a unique practitioner-scholar perspective. Drawing on data generated from a variety of documents and interviews, the study provides a nuanced, in-depth picture that underscores the lived realities of North-South partnerships at the University. In doing so, it critically illustrates the complexities of the notion of ‘North-South’ in relation to a university like Wits in a country like South Africa. Besides some practical suggestions for the attention of institutional management, it also offers conceptual insights into what partnerships and internationalisation should look like from a South African perspective. The study advocates for the increased agency of the global South, highlighting that Southern institutions should be less complicit and less accepting of inequalities and imbalances in their partnerships with Northern counterparts. Furthermore, it argues that changing the paradigm of North-South partnerships towards more balanced engagements contributes to moving the proverbial mountain, transforming our global society into one that is socially more just. It thus adds a small cornerstone note for the ongoing process of laying new foundations for a different and more equitable future for higher education partnerships and beyond.Item A comparative case study of the academic development and student support initiatives and programmes in two schools at the University of the Witwatersrand(2017) Nayager, AneshreeStudent success at university is dependent on various academic and non-academic factors. Some students may face barriers to their success due to these factors. Academic development for students and staff, as well as student support programmes can play an important role in helping students to overcome the barriers they may be experiencing. This study aims to differentiate between different forms of academic development and student support, and their functions as well as to understand how these types of programmes or initiatives were conceptualised and operationalized at WITS. An important aim was to understand the provision of academic development and student support from the top-down, through examining WITS‟s policies on these issues. This was done through a comparative case study of two Schools in different Faculties at WITS. A series of interviews was conducted with practitioners working within programmes, at Faculty and School-level, and those who have had extensive experience within the field. What emerges from this research is that there are different programmes or initiatives in place in both Schools. These include teaching and learning development initiatives, student academic development programmes and student support programmes. However, without a policy or guidelines, the nature of academic development and student support tends to be uneven and each of the practitioners had varied perspectives based on their experiences in the field. There are various challenges faced by the programmes, but these are navigated differently by the practitioners given their context and agency. This unevenness and the varied experiences of the practitioners in this study tend to suggest the need for a policy to guide the implementation of academic development and student support.Item Exploring the perceptions of students with disabilities about their social inclusion at the University of Witwatersrand(2017) Ebuka, Ozuluoha InnocentThe South African education system has seen a remarkable increase in the enrolment of students with disabilities, but there are still some challenges that confront such development. These fundamental challenges have been linked to traditional stereotyping and negative attitudes towards people with disabilities. This undermines the drive towards the social inclusion of students with disabilities in institutions of higher learning. A research conducted by the Disabilities in Higher Education (DHE, 2014) found out, that students with disabilities constitute one percent of the student populations in most South African Universities. Thus, it is possible to forget about their existence. This research therefore explored the perceptions of students with disabilities about their social inclusion at the University of Witwatersrand. The study adopted a qualitative approach and the study population consisted of students with disabilities at the University of Witwatersrand. A sample of twelve participants was selected using purposive sampling. Semi-structured interview schedules were used to collect data and data were collected using face to face interviews. The study showed that University of Witwatersrand has made some significant efforts in providing technical supports such as aids for students with disabilities. However, the study revealed that social inclusion of students with disabilities has not yet been fully achieved. The research showed that most students with disabilities do not engage or actively participate in social activities. The major findings revealed that very few participants engaged in sport activities, assumed leadership positions and attended social gatherings. The study also showed that the University of Witwatersrand has not yet provided enough enablers that would aid the social inclusion of students with disabilities. One of the recommendations emanating from the study is that the University of Witwatersrand should engage all stakeholders in promoting awareness on disability. It is anticipated that the research findings will be used to strengthen the University of Witwatersrand’s policies so that they can enhance the social integration of students with disabilities.Item Gateway: entering into a process of questioning pedagogical practice in South African education(2017) Louw, Genevieve JeanneThe purpose of this research is to critically engage with the limitations and ethical dilemmas inherent in socially engaged art practice and to closely examine the relevance of educational art practice by entering into a process of questioning the current education system offered in South Africa. This research project attempts to reveal various problems and benefits of working within the educational artistic paradigm. By working with the concept of a ‘gateway’, issues regarding access to education are investigated through the medium of poetry, which intends to question approaches to research methodologies in academic institutions. Power dynamics in educational practice is a central point that is considered in this research, with particular reference to resistance toward archaic and colonial systems of control. Collaborative projects and acts of resistance in art educational spaces are analysed closely in order to explore interdisciplinary approaches to education that reflect decolonial objectives and encourage transformative action. The research identifies a need for complex and dynamic approaches to educational practice and knowledge production by placing value on previously overlooked material that may be utilised in order to rethink approaches to curriculum development. The theory and practice of intersectionality is a key component in the theoretical and practical elements of the project as it suggests a complex approach to problems in educational practice by focusing on the importance of individual positionality. The importance of selfreflexive methods and approaches to educational research practice is addressed in relation to various failures that occur in participatory projects that often have negative associations but hold inestimable pedagogical significance.Item Academic motivation, psychological distress and student adjustment in black female first year university students living on campus(2017) Rasoaisi, LeratoThis study was aimed at investigating the relationship between academic motivation, psychological distress, and various aspects of adjustment. The specific aim of this research was to explore the unique contributions of each of the seven types of academic motivation, depression, anxiety and stress in predicting each of four types of student adjustment in the first year of university education. Quantitative data collection methods were used to collect data from a sample of predominantly Black, first-year female students residing within the Wits University campus. The collected data were analysed utilising Pearson’s product moment correlations and step-wise multiple regression analyses. Results suggested that psychological distress, particularly depression was a critical factor in academic, personal emotional and attachment adjustment, whereas anxiety and stress were mostly strongly related to social adjustment. A motivation and the lack of certain types of intrinsic motivation were also found to be risk factors for poorer adjustment. Implications of this research as well as limitations and directions for future research are discussedItem The experiences of African immigrant academics in South Africa higher education(2018) Nkomo, ThulaniSince the dawn of democracy over two decades ago when access to South Africa became possible to African immigrants, a significant amount of African academic immigrants have come to the country to work within the higher education sector. This study sought to explore the experiences of fourteen African immigrant academics working at two universities in South Africa. The findings indicate that despite a generally negative national perception of African immigrants (Crush 2002), African academics are generally attracted to work within the South African higher education sector. In addition, while participants lamented the limited access to research related funding, they noted the importance of funding sources such as the Carnegie Corporation of New York as playing an important role in their career development. The study noted that the middle class position of African immigrant academics generally protected them from xenophobia that is often directed at working class African immigrants. They occupy an ambivalent position within their universities as there is the general perception that they are preferred over their black local counterparts while they simultaneously reported experiences of racism within their institutions. Their narratives reflect a consciousness of this position and the inherent danger of disrupting solidarities with black South African academics. The findings reflect moments of alienation in relation to funding, racism and immigration policies and practises which make working within South Africa difficult. There are however moments of belonging which derive from solidarities with black South African academics, a sense of contribution to the project of building the South African academy, and a pan Africanism based on the choice of remaining on the African continent. The study concludes with recommendations relevant to policy changes on South African immigration laws, promotion of research through inclusive funding of African academic immigrants in South African higher education sector, and the need for consideration of immigrant experiences in shaping the institutional cultures of higher education institutions.Item Obstacles and opportunities for students with disabilities in entering and in preparation to graduate into professions in higher learning: the case of a University in South Africa(2016) Ndlovu, SibonokuhleThis study explores how obstacles are confronted, and opportunities presented to students with disabilities to enter and be professionalised into Medicine, Law and Education, at an institution of higher learning in South Africa. The argument for the thesis is that policies of non-discrimination, same entry requirements and individual accommodations, makes it appears as if students with disabilities have an equal opportunity of access, professionalisation and completing the programmes within the minimum stipulated time. However, the Institution and the work settings for integrated learning are not totally transformed and there is a lack of radical inclusion, to allow all diverse students to be included. As such, students with disabilities confront inequitable structures and practices at entry and professional learning, resulting in them taking longer to complete the specific programmes. Through the mixed method research, the main finding of the study is that the same entry level requirements for all students, a lack of understanding of the prior disadvantage of attending special schools, and the nature of specific professions, limit students with disabilities’ entry into Medicine and Law. Access to Education is limited, particularly by the inaccessible built environment of the School of Education. Exclusionary teaching practices present a major barrier to professional learning. At the work setting for integrated learning, the built environment is inaccessible, and attitudes are negative. Individual accommodations at the Institution are not necessarily extended to field practice. Thus, despite the level of institutional transformation and individual accommodations, professionalisation both at the Institution and at the work settings for integrated learning, is limited. Change and improvement is hence recommended. The unique theoretical contribution lies in the application of Decolonial Theory to a disability study. It makes visible the invisible underlying reasons for oppression, unconsciousness, resistance to change, and reason to privilege suppressed voices, including those of persons with disabilities.Item Investigating 4th year pre-service teachers’ levels of understanding of the disciplinary nature of Life Sciences as a discipline(2017) Xaba, NomzamoDisciplinary knowledge is recognised as teacher professional knowledge base that is central in promoting effective teaching and learning in science education. Although that is the case, in one of the South African University, that this study was conducted in, the 4th year Life sciences Pre-service teachers’ were not tested on their understanding of the disciplinary nature of their subject of specialisation. As a result, the type of disciplinary gaze that they acquired by the end of the teacher training remained unknown within the institution. Thus, this study then used a case study methodology to investigate the Pre-service teachers’ levels of understanding of the disciplinary nature of Life Sciences as a discipline. The participants of this study consisted of twenty nine 4th year Pre-service teachers’ who were enrolled for a Life sciences Bachelor of Education program and one Life sciences lecturer who was involved in teaching the subject. This research took on a qualitative approach, which yielding both qualitative and quantitative data, through the use of questionnaires as well as semi-focused interviews as research instruments. The outcomes of this study showed that, although the Pre-service teachers’ were not explicitly taught about the nature of the subject, but they still showed a satisfactory understanding of it. Although that was the case, the Pre-service teachers’ still demonstrated a fractured comprehension of the disciplinary knowledge aspects, such as the history, philosophy and the nature of science. On the other hand, the findings of this study also demonstrated that, the Pre-service teachers’ acquired an extensive gaze of understanding of Subject Matter Knowledge, which is another component of Disciplinary knowledge, and this was because, this knowledge base was explicitly taught and assessed with the teacher training program.