3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Unmasking the monster: using contemporary performance to deconstruct Ga cultural myths that silence the self(2010-11-29) Anang, George AdjeteyThis study explores how contemporary performance, through a practice led process, can shift the consciousness of entrenched Ga cultural myths that silence the self. In doing so, this study attempts to reveal how cultural mythology plays an integral part in why the Ga people continue to make illness invisible even in the face of the growing crisis of HIV/Aids in Ghana. The study argues that continued silence rather worsens the condition of the victims, and posits that breaking the oppressive silence through contemporary performance’s deconstruction of cultural mythology offers a chance of liberation. This study employs qualitative research methodology within a practice as research paradigm and is achieved through a collaborative practice as research performance process. The performance process draws upon the personal experiences of the collaborators who use stories, games, dances and masks that emanate from the collaborators’ respective cultures in Ghana. The research data comprises photographs, journaling and informal dialogue. It also consists of interpreting phenomena brought to bear on the process. This research places emphasis on the process of exploration as opposed to a final product. In Chapter One the reader is introduced to the history and journey of the self. Chapter Two focuses on the theoretical underpinnings of this research while Chapter Three, an exploration of methodology, demonstrates how elements of the creative process form the base of contemporary performance. Finally, in Chapter Four the researcher draws a number of conclusions based on the outcome of the process oriented performance. This study concludes that the contemporary performance processes offer a constructive alternative towards inciting a shift in the consciousness of Ga cultural myths, without disregarding the ingenious indigenous knowledge of the Ga community. It also shows how the process of contemporary performance can become a means of self-development and change. The study demonstrates how in the midst of the constraints and fear that cultivate silence, often promulgated by the Ga communal ideal, the individual can still discover and give expression to his/her unique voice.Item Shifting understandings of performance practice in an African context through auto-ethnography(2010-11-23) Lejowa, Jessica OreeditseAbstract By critically analysing three pieces of devised performance, Even as I Walk (2008), They Were Silent (2009) and The Wages of Sin (2009), I argue that the concept of performance is not easily defined. Rather, it is an ever-changing phenomenon, which can become a useful platform for dialoguing about deeply personal and necessarily public and political subject matter. I locate myself and the theatre makers I worked with to create the three pieces, in the work by reflecting on and writing about the processes using auto-ethnography as a lens. The context within which I write, and within which my collaborators and I work, is that of our locations in very specific African, moral, cultural, political and creative impulses which we interrogate through the creative processes. Through the writing and reflecting, I arrive at various conclusions, including what I call ‘the methodology of not knowing,’ the importance of the group in facilitating the research and creative process, the necessity of redefining or renegotiation—for the purposes of both the research and the creative goals—our understandings of what performance is.Item Internal accountability and school performance in private secondary schools in Botswana : A case study of Legae Academy and Al-Nur Schools(2008-10-22T13:21:51Z) Patel, FarzeenThis study examines how accountability affects school performance in Legae Academy and Al-Nur School. It scrutinizes the main approaches to accountability held by managers, teachers and students and the assumptions underpinning these. It explores all the formal and informal practices and policies of accountability institutionalized in the schools, by looking at who is accountable to whom, how they are accountable and for what are they accountable. Another issue that is addressed is the lines of accountability within the organizational hierarchy of the schools (schools board, school managers, teachers, students, and where applicable other relevant stakeholders), and the possible relationships that can be established between the accountability system and practice and overall school performance. A sample of 6 administrators, 15 teachers and 16 students was selected in total at both Legae Academy and Al-Nur, to be interviewed using purposeful sampling. While the study has an open-ended approach, the following key propositions are considered as a guiding framework: (i) variables of accountability such as responsibilities and expectations influence an accountability system; (ii) accountability of managers, teachers and students improves their practice and performance; and (iii) effective accountability systems play a central role in overall school performance. The main argument of this study is that, where minimum resources both material and human are available, internal accountability with clearly defined lines of accountability – upward to the relevant governance and management structures within the school hierarchy and downward to the main stakeholders, namely parents and students – plays a critical role in enhancing school performance.Item Performing manhood and fatherhood : A case study of men/fathers as symbolic mediums(2008-10-20T12:07:54Z) Sigamoney, Veronica LaviniaThe aim of this research is to consider family as a kin network of exchange and to show that manhood and fatherhood is a cultural value transacted within this network. It attempts to also show that such value is variably negotiated as identity is performed in relation to ideological constructs of space. To do this, the physical and ideological space to which kin belong is explored as a cultural borderland, suggesting that men/fathers are able to exceed bounded constructs of identity while also being subject to them. In particular, I try to illuminate some of the dynamics that impact on men’s/fathers’ negotiation of discursive codes of intra-cultural sameness and difference to be valued not only as men/fathers, but as good at being men/fathers. Within this context, some of the symbols of identity that enable a man/father to be good at being a man/father are considered. The ethnography highlights the ways in which men/fathers are able to access and mediate symbolic resources, showing how these processes impact on their positioning on a continuum of self and worth. In this regard, performances of providing in relation to performances of the social and genetic imbrications of kinship constitute a key focus.Item A critical analysis of the iconography of six HIV/AIDS murals from Johannesburg and Durban, in terms of race, class and gender(2008-03-19T13:17:09Z) Khan, SharleneABSTRACT This research report is a critical analysis of the iconography of six HIV/Aids murals from Johannesburg and Durban, in terms of race, class and gender. The six examples are community murals which were used as a social awareness tool to disseminate information on HIV/Aids to a supposedly highly illiterate Black audience public. This research focuses predominantly on the issue of stereotypes, and how certain societal stereotypes of Others are manifested in these HIV/Aids murals. My analysis also tries to make evident, how difficult it is for muralists to visually represent HIV/Aids facts, in addressing ‘high-risk’ groups. This report also tries to show that key issues of HIV/Aids transmission are often overlooked or omitted for various reasons. I argue that, given the importance of HIV/Aids murals as educative tools, muralists have to be made aware of their role in the possible perpetuation of societal racial, gender and class stereotypes, and how such perpetuation of stereotypes can contribute to the continued stigmatization of the disease. The final chapter of this research examines my own practical work that was produced as a requirement for the MA (Fine Art) degree. It analyses my performance-exhibition Walking the Line. My commentary focuses on how the social phenomenon of street trade in the Johannesburg city centre and specifically the ‘refurbishment’ of the Johannesburg Fashion District influenced my art practice. My analysis is further extended to the use of my own body in the performance, to consciously engage notions of hybridized identity.Item “The impact of teaching-learning anatomy in the training and performance of medical doctors in Mozambique"(2007-03-01T11:14:31Z) Rodrigues, Maria Alexandra FernandesThe medical professional requires expertise in a wide range of disciplines as well as competence encompassing knowledge, skills and attitudes. Of these, the knowledge and skills gained in Anatomy play a fundamental role in contributing to the quality and performance of the medical practitioner. The present study aimed to evaluate the role of the teaching-learning Anatomy in the training of doctors at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane in Mozambique and therefore to contribute to the effectiveness of the medical curriculum to ensure that it produces high quality medical professionals. The following questions were addressed: i) Is the Anatomy course perceived by the students to be structured to address their needs regarding medical practice? ii) Is there a relationship between performance in Anatomy and other disciplines as recalled by the students? iii) Do medical students demonstrate a satisfactory knowledge of Anatomy in dealing with patients in practice? The study involved the medical students in the clinical cycle and the junior doctors employed at the Central Hospital of Maputo City. Data obtained by means of questionnaires, examination of clinical reports and interviews was analysed statistically by the SPSS programme. The results showed that overall the students have a positive view of how well the Anatomy course meets their clinical needs, and that there is a direct relationship between knowledge of Anatomy and the ability to perform in the clinical setting. There is however a need to review the current medical curriculum in order to achieve better integration between the courses and cycles and particularly to improve the efficacy of the teaching-learning process by selecting the content more appropriately and adjusting the assessment procedures. From this study recommendations may be made to help improve the students’ application of anatomical knowledge by increasing vertical and horizontal integration in the curriculum and introducing earlier exposure to clinical problem solving. Further studies are needed to better understand the impact of assessing the outcomes of the basic sciences such as Anatomy on the educational process as well as on medical practice.Item A comparative study of the combustion characteristics of a compression ignition engine fuelled on diesel and dimethyl ether(2007-02-28T10:37:16Z) Lopes, Paulo Miguel PereiraThis research is an investigation into the performance and combustion characteristics of a two-cylinder, four-stroke compression ignition engine fuelled on diesel and then on dimethyl ether (DME). Baseline tests were performed using diesel. The tests were then repeated for dimethyl ether fuelling. All DME tests were performed at an injection opening pressure of 210 bar, as recommended for diesel fuelling. The tests were all carried out at constant torque with incremental increases in speed and an improved method of measuring the DME flow rate was devised. It was found that the engine’s performance characteristics were very similar, regardless of whether the engine was fuelled on diesel or DME. Brake power, indicated power and cylinder pressure, during the highest loading condition of 55 Nm, were virtually identical for diesel and DME fuelling, with the most significant finding being that the engine was more efficient when fuelled on DME than when fuelled with diesel. Another interesting finding was that the energy release of diesel decreases with increasing load, whilst the energy release of DME increases with increasing load. At the highest loading condition of 55 Nm, the energy release of DME was approximately 210 joules higher than that of diesel. This investigation concluded that DME may definitely be a suitable substitute fuel for diesel.Item Performance optimisation of a compression ignition engine fuelled on Ethanol(2006-11-14T07:57:53Z) Teise, Heinrich RichardtIn this research project, the performance and emissions of a conventional compression ignition engine fuelled on ethanol as main fuel and dimethyl ether as ignition promoter were investigated. Tests were first conducted on diesel fuel, then on ethanol fuel with dimethyl ether and compared. All tests for both fuelling techniques were conducted at the same engine speed and injector pressure. However, engine settings with specific reference to injection timing and injector pressure were optimised to suit diesel fuel, and were left unaltered when the engine was fuelled on ethanol and dimethyl ether. The injector nozzle configuration used for diesel fuel was a standard three-hole type nozzle, whereas for ethanol fuel with dimethyl ether a standard three-hole nozzle as well as a four-hole type nozzle was used. Also investigated was the effect a catalytic converter would have on exhaust emissions, from both fuelling techniques. The performance results of ethanol/dimethyl ether fuel compared favourably to that of diesel fuel. The brake power attained for both fuelling techniques was approximately the same, however the only penalty incurred to this desired result was the simultaneous increase in the brake specific fuel consumption of ethanol/dimethyl ether fuel. The fuel conversion efficiency of ethanol/dimethyl ether fuel was also found to be lower than that of diesel fuel, this largely attributed to the difference in energy release patterns between the two fuels. The emissions results obtained showed that ethanol/dimethyl ether fuel burns cleaner, mainly due to its chemical structure containing oxygen molecules. The NOx, THC, CO and CO2 emissions, produced before the catalytic converter, of ethanol/dimethyl ether fuel were lower than those of diesel fuel. The catalytic converter further produced lower emissions, with the four-hole type nozzle producing the most desired results. In terms of catalytic converter efficiency, THC and CO emissions were more readily removed compared to NOx. In addition, virtually no smoke emissions were detected for ethanol/dimethyl ether fuel combustion.Item An assessment of performance testing in middle distance running.(2005-11-07) Van Heerden, ZacMost performance assessments on athletes involve an excessive amount of testing procedures. The efficacy of these tests is not always apparent, and their application is not always practical. Elite male middle-distance runners (n=20) were used to assess the physiological determinants of 800 meter running performance. We used testing methods recommended by the South African Sports Commission, which included body composition, joint flexibility, muscular strength, -power and -endurance, as well as a Wingate test (anaerobic capacity) and an isokinetic evaluation. An assessment of maximal running speed and acceleration at distances up to 300 meters was conducted on a standard tartan track. In addition, maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), running economy, onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA) and the maximal accumulated oxygen deficit (MAOD) were determined. Measured values were correlated with competitive performance times using the Pearson product-moment correlation technique, with the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Wingate mean- and minimum power, as well as running times at 40, 60, 70, 80, 90, 150 and 300 meters were found to be significantly correlated to performance (r2>0.4; p<0.01). A multiple correlation comparison was used to determine a significant difference between correlations with performance time for the different variables. A stepwise multiple regression determined that 300 meter time-trial time was the strongest predictor of performance, accounting for 79% of the variability in performance, which was a better predictor of performance than a prediction model. The following formula was derived to estimate 800 meter performance from 300 meter time-trial time: 800m time = 37.1062 + 2.17(300m time) [time in seconds] The tests most able to predict 800 meter running performance were sport-specific track tests of high-speed running ability and tests of anaerobic capacity (especially the Wingate cycle ergometer test).Item The impact technological and organisational dimensions on operational performance of manufacturing companies(2006-03-02) Jumelet, Peter HermanDespite the adoption of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) by manufacturing firms, the literature reports disappointing performance of manufacturing, attributed to an imbalance between the dimensions of technology (i.e. AMT) and organisation. The central research problem of this study was: To analyse the effect of development along organisational and technological dimensions on operational performance of manufacturing firms in South Africa. The investigation into the central research problem was guided by a primary research question: Does a balanced development of organisational and technological dimensions result in optimum levels of operational performance of manufacturing? Structural Equation Modelling was employed to assess the central research problem and the primary research question by evaluating the relationship between three latent variables: Technology, Organisation and Operational Performance. Data was collected by means of a self-administered online web questionnaire. A total of 104 responses were received from a target sample of 604 Managing Directors of manufacturing firms. The sample was not representative of the population of manufacturing firms in South Africa. It was shown that the correlation between Technology and Organisation was fairly strongly positive. The direct impact of Technology on Operational Performance was unexpectedly non-significant, whereas Organisation’s direct impact on Operational Performance was strongly positive. These results did not support the primary research question. In fact, organisational dimensions were more important than technological dimensions in obtaining optimum levels of operational performance of manufacturing. The implication was that firms should strongly emphasise the development of its organisation as part of a technology strategy.