3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Doctoral education in South Africa: models, pedagogies and student experiences(2010-01-20T09:27:10Z) Backhouse, Judy PamelaPeople who hold doctoral degrees are considered valuable national resources able to produce knowledge to address pressing problems, and important sources of labour for the higher education sector. However, in 2006, only 1100 people graduated with doctoral degrees in South Africa. This limits the potential for research and improvements in higher education. In addition, 618 of those graduates were white, making it difficult to address equity concerns. Within the higher education sector there are debates about how to increase enrolments in doctoral education and the best way to run PhD programmes for effective learning, high quality research results and for efficiency. But there is little South African-based empirical research into what makes people undertake PhDs, how the programmes work and what learning and knowledge result. This study explores how different stakeholders – national and institutional policymakers, academic staff and doctoral people – understand the PhD; how these understandings influence the practice of doctoral education; and how different practices affect the PhD experience and the learning and knowledge produced. The primary research question I address is: “How do existing models and pedagogies of doctoral programmes shape the learning of doctoral people and the outcomes of doctoral programmes in South Africa?” The origins of the Doctor of Philosophy degree are often traced back to the nineteenth century reforms of German universities when the idea emerged that all scholars should be actively involved in research. But this is a simplistic view. By examining the evolution of the PhD in greater depth, it becomes clear that it has undergone continuous change and has always served both the high-minded pursuit of knowledge and the more prosaic pursuit of skills for employment. The literature reflects ongoing tension between the scholarly view of the PhD as knowledge generation by an emerging scholar, and the labour market view of the PhD as developing high-level research skills. In the South African context both of these views can be observed, but I also identified a view of the PhD as ongoing personal development through an engagement with knowledge. The three views of the PhD are underpinned by different discourses which inform the practice of doctoral education. In South Africa, the traditional model of individual supervision dominates, and it varies by discipline, department and supervisor. But patterns of practice can be discerned and I identify four of these and discuss how supervisors construct their individual supervision practice. Doctoral education is also a function of the people who do PhDs. Much of the research undertaken in the overdeveloped world focuses on younger people who are starting out on academic careers. However, in South Africa, many people doing PhDs are older and midway through careers which are often not academic. This leads me to propose a model of intersecting contexts, as an alternative to McAlpine and Norton‟s nested context model of doctoral education, which more accurately reflects the local situation. I discuss the PhD experience and make use of the intersecting contexts model to develop the notion of congruence between the PhD, the contexts and the PhD person with more positive experiences being related to higher degrees of congruence. Finally, I consider how the outcomes of doctoral education, the learning and knowledge which result, relate to the expectations of the different stakeholders. The research took the form of a qualitative study with a multiple case-study design employing theoretical replication. I examined doctoral education in four academic units at three South African universities with the units selected to represent different disciplines. All four units were in previously advantaged universities from the English-speaking tradition and all were successfully producing PhD graduates. These rich pictures of how doctoral education takes place contribute empirical evidence to current debates about the PhD in South Africa. At a conceptual level I identify the competing discourses about what a PhD is. I provide a more nuanced understanding of the practice of doctoral education within the overarching model of individual supervision. The intersecting contexts model provides a way to understand the expectations and circumstances of doctoral people and the notion of congruence illuminates their varied experiences. Finally, the study confirms that the outcomes of doctoral education, in terms of learning and knowledge generated, meet at least some of the expectations of policy-makers, supervisors and people who do PhDs.Item Breast cancer prevention: The knowledge and skills of final-year undergraduate nursing students(2006-11-20T09:57:33Z) Mayet, ZakeeyaA quantitative research study in the form of a descriptive survey was undertaken with the aim of determining the level of knowledge and skills of final-year undergraduate nursing students relating to breast cancer prevention. The research objectives were as follows: to determine the awareness of, and orientation toward breast cancer preventative measures of final-year undergraduate nursing students; to determine the level of knowledge regarding breast cancer prevention of final-year undergraduate nursing students; to assess their psychomotor skills in performing a clinical breast examination; and to identify critical knowledge and skill deficits, with regard to breast cancer prevention. Data were collected from a sample of final-year undergraduate nursing students (n=62) from three universities in Gauteng. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data relating to theoretical knowledge. Direct, structured observation, using a self-compiled checklist, enabled the collection of data relating to psychomotor skills in clinical breast examinations. Data analysis was done with the aid of two computer software packages, namely MoonStats and Microsoft Excel. The findings of the research revealed that, although the students were positively orientated to the issue of breast cancer prevention, their theoretical knowledge regarding it was not largely below the level that would deem them competent. The mean score for theoretical knowledge regarding breast cancer prevention was 56%. In addition, the scores for their psychomotor skills in carrying out a clinical breast examination were generally poor. The mean score in this component of the study was 45%. Major theoretical and skill deficits were identified from the findings of the study. Recommendations proposed comprehensive educational coverage of breast cancer prevention in nursing curricula. It was suggested that nursing students become more actively involved in the promotion of breast cancer prevention in underserved communities. Furthermore it is suggested that nurses and nursing students become more involved in ongoing research in the field of breast cancer prevention.Item A study of the knowledge,attitudes and practices of first year students at Cork University regarding parental and personal alcohol use(2006-11-17T11:27:17Z) Glisson, Grace; Jacqueline, MathildaAIM: - To study the knowledge, attitudes and practices of first year students at UCC regarding parental and person alcohol use. OBJECTIVES: -To obtain demographic data on the students and to compare the children of alcoholics with the children of non-alcoholics to determine if any differences existed between the two groups. METHOD: - A questionnaire administered at the start of a lecture. RESULTS: -The students had a good knowledge of alcohol abuse and its causes. The majority was drinking within safe limits, had started drinking while still at school and obtained most of their knowledge about alcohol from their peers. The children of alcoholics felt more at risk of developing a drinking problem and chose careers in arts and food science in preference to others. RECOMMENDATIONS: - Education should take place at school with parental involvement. Special attention should be paid to the children of alcoholics, as they are high-risk.Item What is a Primary School Learners' Knowledge and Fears on HIV/AIDS?(2006-11-14T06:39:31Z) Hoosain, Naeema YusafThe primary objective of this study was to explore what primary school learners’ knowledge and fears of HIV/AIDS were. The researcher surveyed 633 primary school learners from four primary schools in Lenasia (Gauteng, South of Johannesburg). Learners were drawn from Grade 6 (n=292; 46%) and Grade 7 (n=341; 54%). The majority of learners ranged from 11 years to 15 years of age, with a mean age of 12.22 years (SD = 0.89). Quantitative methods were employed to analyse the data collected. Most of the assumptions for a parametric test were met, except for the sample distribution, which seemed to have been slightly skewed, i.e. the sample consisted of more Black learners (n=407) than Indian learners (n=226). Concurring with recent evidence, this study found knowledgeability about AIDS among respondents to be moderately high; however, it was evident that learners held misconceptions concerning HIV/AIDS. The answers provided by learners in this study indicated that the awareness of the severity of the disease was higher amongst Black learners than Indian learners. Those learners who were more knowledgeable about AIDS were not necessarily less fearful of contracting AIDS. The results derived from the two-way ANOVA and regression models indicate that there appears to be a significant gender difference, as more females were worried of getting AIDS than males. These were just some of the main findings of the study. The limitations of the study were also discussed.