3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Exploring the pedagogic modalities of Siswati and English teachers during teaching and learning in relation to the socio-cultural context of Swaziland(2016-03-08) Mbuli, Lisa JabulileThis study presents an exploration of the pedagogic modalities displayed by SiSwati and English teachers during teaching and learning in two Swaziland government schools. The study further seeks to explore the links between the pedagogic choices teachers make in the classroom and the socio-cultural context of Swaziland. The idea of pedagogic modalities being classified as either learner-centred or teacher-centred is used as a starting point for the study but the dichotomy set up between these two modes is challenged. The study uses a phenomenological qualitative methodology. It uses semi-structured interviews and lesson observations of two teachers who teach both SiSwati and English in two different government high schools located in the Lubombo region of Swaziland. A major finding of the study was that both teachers’ understandings of learner-centred pedagogy only partially engaged with descriptions of learner-centred pedagogy as outlined in the literature reviewed for this research. This finding highlights the possibility that teachers are not empowered to confidently describe their own practice in teacher-centred terms. It was also found that the teachers’ perceptions of knowledge, their view of their own role and the learners’ role in the classroom influenced the pedagogic approaches selected by each teacher during teaching and learning. Additionally, some pedagogic moves could be linked to the socio-cultural context of Swaziland. The study also revealed that learner- and teacher-centred modalities are not mutually exclusive. It was found that despite being predominantly teacher-centred in their practice, teachers were able to draw on techniques classified in both modes. This means teachers displayed variety in their practice, exhibiting what Brodie, Lelliot and Davis (2002) describe as “hybrid practice” (p. 545), as they used a range of approaches that fit with local views about knowledge, learner participation and the teachers’ role in the classroom. Finally the study calls for further empirical research that documents teachers’ practices in order to generate a theory which would describe pedagogy from the perspective of teachers and their context. This would place sub-Saharan African teachers at the centre of the debate, rather than keeping them on the periphery, silenced as their practice is spoken over and interpreted by the dominant and hegemonic culture of those who would promote LCE in developing country contexts. Key words: pedagogy, pedagogic modality, learner-centred, teacher-centred, pedagogic choices, binary, socio-cultural context, Swaziland.Item Environment structure and performance in Swaziland's smallholder cane grower organisations(2012-09-19) Pali-Shikhulu, JohnThe purpose of this study was to assess the operations of smallholder sugar cane grower organisations based in the Komati River Basin of Swaziland. These organisations were formed at the beginning of this millennium. Some ten years later some have performed very well while others are struggling, and yet others are on the verge of collapse. The situation for some of these became so bad that their sustainability in the business was challenged. This did not augur well for the Government of Swaziland that established the project to address the issues of food security and poverty alleviation. This study was conducted as a case study with five organisations forming the cases. Data were collected from three levels within each organisation using primary and secondary data sources. Findings revealed that organisations were alike in many aspects including history, governance, strategic and human resource management. This was not surprising because for all of them capacity building is provided by Swaziland Water and Agriculture Development Enterprise (SWADE), Swaziland Sugar Association (SSA), and Mhlume Sugar Mill. Organisational structures were bureaucratic with limited participation in decision-making by employees and strict adherence to procedures and specialisation. This led to the conclusion that a mechanistic organisation management system was in place. Environmental resources were favourable according to chairpersons and their views were that they have the self-confidence and commitment for entrepreneurial development. The study concluded that a new series of studies need to be undertaken to explore the many unique research areas that are unearthed. Studies could narrow the focus but as far as possible consider the whole population of organisations in the K1DDP (19). Organisations also need to consider improving management and networking to reduce transaction costs.Item Impact of maternal employment on childhood mortality in Swaziland.(2012-07-11) Petlele, RebaoneBackground: Maternal employment has been highlighted in numerous studies as an important determinant of childhood mortality but in contexts which do not have regional significance to Swaziland. Studies such as those conducted in India (Sivakami, 1997) and China (Short et al. 2002) considered maternal employment as an important predictor of childhood mortality. Childhood mortality is still high in Swaziland and with increasing poverty and disease the under-five mortality rate continues to increase. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between maternal employment and childhood mortality in Swaziland. Methodology: the Swaziland Demographic and Household Survey (SDHS) conducted in 2006/7 interviewed 4,987 women. Due to the nature of this study, only women who had given birth to at least one child five years preceding the SDHS 2006/7 interviews were included. The sample size used for the study was of 2,136 mothers. Main conclusions of the study were drawn based on the use of a binary logistic regression model in the multivariate section. With the use of a conceptual framework adapted from the classic theoretical model developed by Mosley and Chen (1984) key variables were identified as determinants of childhood mortality. Use of the STATA 11 software was employed to obtain the results. Results: results showed 58.88 percent unemployment rate amongst mothers in Swaziland. The main results showed mother’s employment as having an adverse impact on childhood mortality. Bivariate results showed that mothers who were employed experienced higher childhood mortality and the adjusted regression model showed mothers who work have a 38 percent increased likelihood of childhood mortality compared to mothers who do not work. Maternal education also showed its importance as a predictor of childhood mortality; the higher the level of maternal education the less chances mothers have of experiencing childhood mortality. Maternal age also demonstrated significance as mothers ages increase so too do the chances of childhood deaths. Other significant factors include number of household members, the number of children born as well as breastfeeding duration. Conclusion: The results confirmed the alternative hypothesis to be true which states that mothers who work experience significantly higher childhood mortality in Swaziland. The study also highlighted that in contemporary society, child rearing and maternal employment are incompatible and need to re-evaluate policy concerning this matter is essential to better childhood survival.Item The participation of women in the HIV & AIDS policy process in Swaziland(2011-11-08) Mlangeni, BongiweThis research examines the participation of women in the HIV and AIDS policy process between 2003 and 2009. Participation has been an integral part of Swaziland‘s HIV and AIDS policy since the country adopted a multi-sectoral response to the pandemic in the late 1990s. As a concept and practice, participation is highly contested and political. The study sought to find out what type and quality of involvement Swaziland offers to women in its status as the last absolute monarchy in the African continent. The thesis relies on interviews and documentary research to establish its findings. It tracks the role women played at each stage of policy making, from agenda setting, policy formulation, policy adoption, policy implementation to policy assessment. The study also interrogates the shape of the participation space as well as power relations that define it. Women‘s advocacy and collaborative efforts are investigated to determine the type of strategies women used to increase their influence in the process. The study will argue that women‘s participation in the HIV and AIDS policy process or any other development process in Swaziland is in vain if their inferior legal status and other forms of discrimination are not fully addressed. While women can have increased access to political and policy making processes in government, their chances of bringing about change are severely undermined by the entrenchment of their subordination at every level of society. Instead of shying away from feminism, women should consider and adopt a vigorous, conscious, and unrelenting feminist agenda, which will challenge unfair gender laws and cultural norms.Item Pharmacological properties of Swazi medicinal plants(2010-03-03T11:30:12Z) Sibandze, Gugu FortunateItem The making of the Swazi working class : Challenges to the emergence of a countermovement in Swaziland(2008-10-21T09:54:02Z) Simelane, XolaniAccording to recent influential scholars of labour studies, the relocation of capital to new sites of investment ultimately leads to the emergence of labour resistance in those new sites of investment. These labour movements together with other civil society formations organize themselves to contest the assaults by capital and in the process form themselves into a countermovement. Swaziland is one of the last bastions of royal despotism in Africa. The monarchy has been able to use its grip on power and its position as a custodian of Swazi culture and tradition to re-invent itself as a local bourgeoisie. The country’s success in attracting investment, though relatively limited, has led to the emergence of a Swazi working class. Recent inflows of investment, mainly from Asia, in the textiles industry led to the creation of 40 000 new manufacturing jobs. This is significant when one considers that Swaziland has a total population of 1 million. The political significance of this shift in the class structure of Swaziland has to be investigated, particularly when one takes into account that the working class as well as the middle class created by the need for a state bureaucracy, has historically been the loci of resistance to the more despotic elements of the traditionalist regime. The argument is this study is that Swazi civil society, which includes the labour movement, has not been able to establish a serious countermovement that can challenge the tinkhundla regime and its capitalist allies. Instead the movement have been riddled with internal structural and organizational problems. On the other hand the royal regime has successfully used an elaborate tinkhundla structure and its monopoly over land, religion and culture to suppress such a movement. The implication is that counter-movements do not necessarily follow the relocation of capital. Other social formations are at play.Item Early childhood care and development: The missing link, a challenge for Swaziland(2008-05-20T13:05:40Z) Ntuli, Zethu EugeniaThis study explored the current practices implemented by Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) caregivers / preschool teachers in Swaziland. It further investigated how the lack of an appropriate policy on Early Childhood Care and Development impacted on the delivery of services to the sector. The research was conducted using a qualitative methodology, eliciting responses through semistructured interview schedules. In order to conduct a more in-depth analysis, eight interviews were held at various early childhood care and development sites. The criteria for selection depended on whether the participating caregiver had direct, hands-on experience of the day-to-day care and running of ECCD sites. They also had to be involved in a full-time preschool teaching programme and were purposively selected from the geographical location of Manzini, in Swaziland. The sites could be distinguished into three categories, namely: community (non-profit making), private and church or missionrun centres. The results showed that caregivers implemented diverse and uncoordinated practices and that there was no uniformity in terms of professional training, classroom practice and curriculum application. It was evident that the participants did not link the theory of their training to their practice, leaving gaps in the provision of services and educational programmes to the children. The study concluded that unless the government of Swaziland and the ECCD unit at the national level of Education made a concerted effort to formulate a national ECCD policy, Education for All would remain a pipedream. The study recommended that government should formulate national ECCD policy guidelines to encourage uniformity in practice and provision of ECCD sites. Not only should government accelerate the development of the guidelines but they should also support the caregivers by continuous professional development activities.Item Knowledge and practice of continuous assessment : The barriers for policy transfer(2007-03-01T12:57:16Z) Nsibande, Rejoice NcamsileThe study investigates the extent to which primary school teachers understood and implemented the requirements of the continuous assessment programme that has been introduced in primary schools in Swaziland. By focussing on teaching and learning activities that occurred during eight teachers’ lessons within the Salesian-Ekutsimuleni zone in Manzini, and what they expressed as intentions and justifications for these activities, it tries to clarify, in particular, the relationship between their assessment strategies and the broader educational principles promoted by the programme. Classroom observations and stimulated interviews were used to capture, respectively, data on what teachers did and principles that informed their behaviour. Codes abstracted from classroom observations and grounded on the views expressed by teachers indicate that they followed slavishly what was contained in the curriculum support materials with which they had been provided. Even though they used assessment strategies promoted by the Continual Assessment (CA) programme, their assessment strategies prioritized knowledge-retention rather than the cognitive development advocated by the programme and, in a specific sense, implied by lesson objectives they had to fulfil. The conclusion is that teachers could not translate the rhetoric of the CA programme into relevant professional judgement, decisions and practices without exposure to meaningful development programmes. Key Words Swaziland, Continuous Assessment, Criterion - Referenced Assessment, Mastery learning, Fordism, Post-FordismItem Preventing Mother-to-Child transmission of HIV in Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital, Swaziland: A review of the first year(2007-02-26T10:27:16Z) Akindele, Florence OlukemiIn this chapter, an overview of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic is done with particular reference to the magnitude of the problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Emphasis is laid on the Mother to Child Transmission of the virus and its prevention within the context of the general HIV/AIDS reduction programmes internationally. The peculiarity of the epidemic in Swaziland, and the general response of the Swaziland government are discussed and a focus placed on the PMTCT programme in the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital, Manzini, Swaziland. The existing published literature on PMTCT programmes world wide is reviewed. This was done by reviewing scientific journals, Pub med and relevant literature from the library. The Google website was used as an additional search engine; with the key words PMTCT, Swaziland, South Africa, WHO/UNAIDS. Additional information was gathered from the booklets on PMTCT and RFM hospital produced by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW), Swaziland. The chapter is concluded with the aim and objectives of the study described in this report.Item Diversity and Conservation of Ultramafic Flora in Swaziland(2007-02-21T12:18:22Z) McCallum, Donald AlexanderAs early as 1583 an ultramafic plant was described (Proctor & Woodell, 1975). Since the early 1900s a number of works documenting ultramafic vegetation in various parts of the world have been published (Proctor & Woodell, 1975). The vegetation of the Great Dyke, Zimbabwe was only described in 1965 (Wild, 1965). Much has been written since then, however. It was only as recently as 1989 that any work on ultramafic vegetation in South Africa was published (Morrey et al., 1989), possibly because ultramafic vegetation in the Barberton Greenstone Belt is not noticeably different from that of the surroundings and outcrops are much smaller than the Great Dyke. Studies since then have documented the flora of the ultramafic soils of the Barberton Greenstone Belt (BGB) (Morrey et al., 1992; Williamson, 1994; Balkwill et al., 1997; Williamson et al., 1997; Changwe & Balkwill, 2003; Williamson & Balkwill in prep.). There are around 40 larger outcrops of ultramafic soil in the BGB, the largest of which are shown in Figure 1.1, and to date 29 endemic taxa have been discovered, 5 of which hyperaccumulate Ni (Williamson & Balkwill, in prep). Using IUCN criteria 21 of these taxa have recommended conservation status in the vulnerable categories and four are data deficient. With a number of threatened taxa and scientifically interesting and potentially useful Ni hyperaccumulators on the South African part of the BGB, it was likely that there were additional endemic taxa in Swaziland or additional populations of species collected in South Africa. The ultramafic sites in Swaziland (Figure 1.2) range in altitude from 4750 m above sea level (Figure 1.3) in the south to below 2250 m in the Komati River valley (Figure 1.4), higher than the South African sites which range from 354 – 1648 m above mean sea level (Balkwill et al., 1997). The Swaziland sites thus provide an opportunity to discover the effect of altitude on the vegetation of ultramafic soils in the BGB. The higher sites are cooler than the lowveld sites, with frost at night in winter and even snow on rare occasions. Rainfall averages 127 to 152 mm per year, the highest rainfall being recorded at the higher altitudes, where frequent fog also supplements the rainfall (Compton, 1966). The Swaziland sites also show a range of topography with the lower altitude sites often situated on the slopes of mountains, but higher altitude sites comparatively level. Very little of the ultramafic area in Swaziland has any form of protection and half the area has already been lost to agriculture and forestry. A previous study (Witkowski et al., 2001) identified Kniphofia umbrina Codd. as a critically endangered ultramafic endemic. There was thus an urgent need to study the remaining ultramafic areas and document the vegetation before more of this unique and important habitat is lost, and possibly some endemic plant species too. High population growth, expanding forestry and black wattle encroachment could all impact negatively on the remaining diversity of the ultramafic areas.