3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Tatort Südafrika: Zu Raumkonstellationen in ausgewählten Kriminalromanen von Max Annas und Deon Meyer. Ein Beitrag zur curricularen Transformation für Deutsch im südafrikanischen Hochschulkontext(2023) Crous, MikhailaSpace has always been a topical issue in South African history, highlighted again in the student protests of 2015/16 with calls for the space of Higher Education to be “decolonised”. Although democracy was established in 1994, the upheaval made clear that the post-apartheid space had not yet sufficiently changed and, in the case of South African universities, the curriculum was identified as an aspect in need of ‘decolonisation’. Within this context, it becomes clear that German Studies not only needs to situate itself in debates on curricular transformation, but also within the multilingual educational landscape. Although Germany was never a colonial power in South Africa and German is mentioned as a minority language in the democratic Constitution (1996), the role that the subject can play in the democratic (knowledge) project needs to be further investigated. The following thesis draws on Jonathan Jansen’s (2017:162) conception of decolonisation as “encounters with entangled knowledges” as it corresponds to the constitutional values on which the post-apartheid space and society are built. It is argued that crime fiction set in South Africa engages with “entangled knowledges” thereby showing a relevance to the lived realities of German Studies students at South African universities. Crime fiction is an adaptable genre with the ability to perceive social tensions and thereby offering a window onto society. The thesis focuses on analysing four novels which can be classified as “Afrika-Krimis” and present different representations of the post-apartheid society by two authors, one from the Global North and one from the Global South: The Farm (2014) and The Wall (2016) by Max Annas, and Heart of the Hunter (2002) and Blood Safari (2007) by Deon Meyer. Annas’ novels respectively depict a microcosm of South African society in the Eastern Cape; in contrast, Meyer’s novels have multiple locales across the country. The novels are analysed through an entangled conception of space based on Henri Lefebvre’s (1991:26) understanding that “(social) space is a (social) product” in conjunction with Sarah Nuttall’s (2009:1) notion of entanglement. It is shown that South Africa is a highly complex and entangled space where neither crime scenes are always logical, crimes are neatly solved nor history can be ignored. Both the concepts of democracy and decolonisation can be considered as open-ended constructs that require on-going critical engagement.Item Implementation : the 'Black Box' of school improvement.(2013-10-04) Naidu, DivealoshaniThe focus of this study was the challenge of implementing school improvement interventions from inception through the system to the school, within a framework of the multiple layers of South Africa's complex education system. These are the macro level, (the provincial and national political and bureaucratic decision makers), the meso-level (the role and function of district offices and external agents), and the micro level (local contexts at the site of the school). This study does not intend to evaluate school improvement interventions but rather to research and interrogate the mediation of the interventions at various levels and within the contextual realities of an education system in transition. The problem is three-pronged and is premised on understanding the link between the study of implementation and of school improvement within education in transition. The hypothesis put forward is that, on the one hand, contextual realties, contestation and contradictions at various levels of a complex organization shape the outcomes of a school improvement intervention. On the other hand, school improvement strategies must be further located within the framework of implementation in order to explore the complexities of getting things done in an emerging democracy. The challenge posed is whether a coherent link between implementation and school improvement can be achieved while taking into cognizance the three levels and the contextual realities informed by the legacy of the past. I identified two case studies of school improvement initiatives undertaken in the Gauteng province. The first was initiated during the first phase of the new democratic government, an EQUIP intervention programme initiated by the first Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for education in Gauteng. I chose EQUIP because the design and initiation of this intervention symbolized the political ideology of this first period of government. The second school improvement initiative, the Education Action Zone (EAZ) intervention, was chosen because it reflects a significant shift in political ideals in the second period of government. This study argues that school improvement in the emerging South African context must respond to the contested nature of transforming societies and the serious lack of cohesion and capacity at all levels of the system. In order to respond to this difficult terrain, implementation within a cyclic model must be an integral part of the design of a school improvement intervention. There must be a clear understanding of the political, cultural and technical nuances in each of the three environments. Implementation is dependent on actors in them, and the contextual realties shape the level of agency played by the people in each. The linkage also determines the fidelity, compliance, and communication of the message of the intervention as actors within each have different levels of power and authority to influence the change process.Item The development of elementary science teacher identity.(2012-09-20) Thorne, BarbaraAlthough the literature reveals that primary school teachers in general are reluctant to teach science, little research has been conducted into the histories and identities of such primary school teachers, particularly in South Africa. South African society at present is in the process of great socio-political change; therefore the study has particular relevance to science education in the country. This study uses a socio-historical-cultural framework to investigate the science learning and teaching identities of a small group of pre service primary school teachers. The study is situated in science methods courses at a South African university where students from a wide variety of social and cultural clusters are registered. I argue that primary school student teachers belong to a community of practice and that primary science student teachers form part of that community. Therefore, I use Wenger’s (1998) model of practice in a community. The model relies on i.a. the concepts of participation and non-participation within the community. With reference to these concepts, the changing and contested nature of student teacher identities within the primary science teaching community of practice forms the focus of this study. A mixed methods approach to obtaining and analysing data was employed where case studies provided much of the information obtained. Study findings suggest that a number of factors contribute to science teacher identities. These include primary and secondary school experiences with particular reference to critical incidents; the ‘race’ and gender of the students in question; students’ cultural and family backgrounds as well as the personal relationships with which the students engage. For historical reasons, ‘race’ is of particular significance in South Africa, therefore at this critical conjuncture, this aspect of students’ identities was examined. The study also refers to the dialectical interplay between agency and structure. Findings suggest that although students are bound to some extent by power structures, agency or subjectivity comes into play to various degrees in terms both of participating in the community and not participating therein. I suggest that methods courses, such as those which provided the empirical field for this study, could also provide sites for transformation of science identities in terms of content knowledge, self efficacy or confidence and pedagogy. Student teachers and their mentors are in ideal positions to act as agents of change in a transforming society. Their roles as positive significant narrators enable them to provide alternative trajectories which were once unimaginable. Such transformation resonates with Wenger’s (ibid) notions of identity as being and becoming.Item Perceptions of democracy education among preset and inset students and teacher educators at a college of education(2007-02-16T12:17:42Z) Colgan, DesiaThis research report focuses on educators’ current attitudes, skills and knowledge in relation to democracy in South African education today. The research report also considers what needs to be done to make democracy a reality that informs education as opposed to simply adhering to policy and legislation that speaks of fine ideals but may well have limited impact on the lives of the majority of South Africa’s citizens. I contend that one of the main barriers between democratic theory and practice is ambiguity and the resulting uncertainty and insecurity. I believe that many South Africans, many world citizens in fact, struggle to articulate what democracy actually means. If this grey area is to be addressed and ambiguity defused then educators need to be clear about what it is they are trying to educate learners for. This can only be realised when educators have internalised ‘lived democracy’ and, as a result, feel both an ownership and commitment to democracy as a lived practice.Item Music as a vehicle in conflict transformation and social integration in South Africa(2006-11-16T09:11:50Z) Ameck, Gillian Ayong;Music has always played an important role in the lives of mankind; the quest for freedom by black people across the world is a typical example. During the days of slavery and later the civil rights struggle in the US, the struggle for independence by African states and the fight against Apartheid, music was used as an instrument of resistance. Through music, black South Africans emerged from conscious and subconscious subjugation to rescue their psyche from alienation. Today they express their cultural self-confidence in ways very different from the generations with firsthand experience of apartheid. Conflict has always been an important contributor to music of resistance. Over the past hundred years, however, violent attempts by men to dominate each another have intensified (The two Great Wars and the Cold War, genocides, ethnic and religious clashes). In this same vein, so too have efforts to thwart such attempts. Conflicts exist at all levels, within and between individuals, communities, nations and cultures. For a society still in the process of transformation, conflict in South Africa has also taken a new dimension with focus now on social conflict (for example Crime, drugs, poverty and the generation gap) in the field of daily life also including racial conflict, affirmative action, ethnic conflict, economic conflict and others with less and less focus on political conflict. The benefit of post- 1994 South Africa is the freedom of expression it offers. This is a freedom that, 20 years ago, was a luxury for blacks living in a country torn apart by apartheid; a freedom to have pride in themselves, a freedom to express their cultural selfconfidence. The first place this freedom became visible was on the music scene in the form of new infectious, irresistible form of dance and music. Musicians use their music as a medium to demonstrate most of these societal conflicts that exist in South Africa. Peace researchers, peace workers, and others have worked over several decades to promote an alternative culture and an alternative approach to dealing with conflicts – one based on recognising the positive, constructive, and creative opportunities available in any conflict situation. In this regard I would like to dwell on music as a creative way of dealing with conflict.