School of Human and Community Development (ETDs)
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Item The parents' lived experience of the pathway to identification and support provision of a child’s Learning Difficulty: Case studies(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Zikalala, Lucia; Mayisela, SimangeleThe democratically elected government of South Africa undertook reforms in the education sector to provide everyone with access to high-quality education and to align the system with global norms. The Department of Education (2001) has legislated policies, such as Education White Paper 6 (EWP6), which unequivocally states that all learners must have access to support and that learning barriers must be removed to reach their full potential. EWP6 states that bolstering the educational support system for students, instructors, schools, and the education system is one of the most important ways to lower learning difficulties. To implement EWP6, the Department of Basic Education has adopted the National Strategy for Screening, Identification, Assessment, and Support (SIAS) (Department of Education, 2001). Additionally, the SIAS policy offers tactics to educators so they can work cooperatively with parents and students to build inclusive systems. Although teachers are the driving force for inclusive education, they involve the parents as soon as they notice any learning difficulty. Furthermore, support structures like the School Based Support Team (SBST) and the District Based Support Teams (DBST) were formed to accomplish inclusive education. The study focused on the parents’ lived experiences of the pathway to identification and support provision of a child’s learning difficulty through case studies. The study adopted a qualitative research design with data collected through semi-structured telephonic interviews with eight high school parents from Soweto. Data was analyzed through thematic analysis. The ethical principles adhered to were informed consent, anonymity, confidentiality, and non-maleficence. Cultural- historical Activity Theory was employed as a theoretical framework to understand the parents’ lived experiences of the pathway to identifying and supporting a child’s learning difficulty through case studies. The study findings suggest that even though it has been several years since the SIAS policy was developed, the South African education system still faces challenges with the implementation of the policy. The findings further indicated the need for educating the parents about inclusive education and the identification process. The parents had no clear understanding of the identification process and the support that should be provided to their children after they have been identified as having a learning difficulty. The parents experienced the identification process in primary and secondary schools differently.Item The Impact of Loadshedding on the Mental Health of Small Business Owners in the Alexandra Township(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Tladi, Lesedi Mosenngwe; Marchetti-Mercer, MariaSouth Africa is currently experiencing an electricity crisis which is slowly progressing to unmanageable levels as a result of ongoing loadshedding. Loadshedding has become a part of everyday life, and it affects all aspects of people’s lives including their mental health. Numerous studies address the economic impact of loadshedding, while the mental health impact is often neglected. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of loadshedding on the mental health of small business owners in the Alexandra township. Eight small business owners from Alexandra township were interviewed with the use of semi-structured interviews. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. Findings reveal that loadshedding affects the experiences of small business owners and their mental health negatively. Small business owners face several challenges including operational, economic, and psychological challenges as a result of the ongoing electricity disruptions. Loadshedding extends beyond hampering the financial stability of small business owners, it also affects their families and employees. There was evidence of stress, anxiety, and feelings of helplessness impacting participants’ psychological and personal well-being. Ultimately the larger township community has also been negatively impacted by the ongoing energy crisis. Moreover, there was perceived government accountability for loadshedding.Item An Exploration of Life and Career Narratives of Black Senior Managers: The Storied Habitus of Career Navigation(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Ramodibe, Refiloe; Canham, HugoThis research located black senior managers within a temporal frame that links them with their families, communities, childhoods, socio-political and economic histories. This location shed new light since it illuminated their lives and careers in new ways that are grounded in history and context. It enabled an understanding of black senior managers as bearing histories that they bring along with them into the workplace. To explore the stories of these senior managers, I conducted in-depth narrative interviews with twenty black men and black women who occupy senior positions within the financial services sector. Accessing these histories through the genre of narrative assisted in showcasing what is enabled by storying one’s life, therefore creating circuits of meaning-making that connect seemingly disparate sites of the personal, historical, social and workplace. At its core then, this project was about storying the early lives of black senior managers by locating them as mostly working class, caught up in the struggles against apartheid for democratisation, as benefiting from the opportunities enabled by the transition to democracy, as entering the white and masculine corporate workplace of the financial services sector, and as reaching and navigating seniority in their organisations. The participant’s narratives were read through the lenses of narrative theory, habitus, the black feminist theory of intersectionality, and critical race theory. The basic assumption of habitus is that the way one acts and behaves is influenced by where one comes from and one’s dispositions, including contextually salient identity categories, such as race, class, and gender. The basis of these theories is the assumption that there might be a difference in how people of varying class backgrounds and black men and women narrate their stories of mobility. The stories told by participants highlighted the role of the senior managers’ habitus in shaping their identities and trajectories. Childhood experiences and parental influences were found to have shaped their later behaviours in navigating their career journeys. Access to mentors and sponsors early on in their careers was found to have provided the senior managers with the capital that allowed them to progress to more senior roles. Refuting the existing narrative that black people move between organisations excessively, senior managers’ tenure illustrated that they stayed in their organisations for longer periods than industry norms. Notwithstanding their tenure, their stories suggest that unaccommodating cultures and unconscious bias remain prevalent in the financial services sector. Organisations that had more black people in senior roles were found to drive the transformation agenda iv more intentionally. The black senior managers understood their role as that of influencing the cultures of their organisations while also paying it forward by driving the transformation agenda. In the process of sharing their life and career stories, the black senior managers articulated their experiences and understanding of themselves, others, and the world. Therefore, not only did the personal narratives enlighten us about the participants’ personal and working lives, but they illuminated how their identities as black senior managers working within the financial services sector were shaped over time. A prominent finding from the study was that while the black senior managers shared similar experiences related to race, their experiences differed in terms of their family backgrounds and schooling experiences in their childhood. Black people’s experiences may be common in certain aspects and different in others. This necessitates the importance of exploring heterogeneity in organisational studies. This study contributes to organisational studies, gender and critical race studies, history and social theory.Item Factors that affect job satisfaction: perceptions of child protection social workers employed by the Department of Social Development in the Johannesburg Metro Region(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Tlakula, Caroline; Gerrand, PriscillaThe White Paper of Social Welfare (1997) informed the restructuring of services and social welfare programmes in both the public and the private sectors to address the previously discriminating welfare services in existence during the apartheid era. Currently, one of the five main programmes rendered by the Department of Social Development (DSD) is directed at children and families. In this regard, child protection social workers play an essential role. However, before conducting the study I had personally observed that some of my work colleagues rendering child protection services did not seem to be enjoying job satisfaction. It is well known that for employees to render quality services they need to enjoy job satisfaction. Thus, the purpose of my research was to explore the perceptions of child protection social workers regarding what factors are affecting their job satisfaction. Hertzberg’s motivation- hygiene theory underpinned the research. Based on the constructivist paradigm and qualitative approach, a case study design was implemented to achieve the main aim and objectives of the study. Ten child protection social workers who are rendering services in the Johannesburg Metropolitan region were purposively recruited and selected. Data gathering took place by conducting personal, semi-structured interviews with the participants using an interview guide to steer the interviews. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data gathered. Research findings indicated specific intrinsic factors and extrinsic factors affect child protection social workers’ job satisfaction. These findings will be made available to the management of the DSD in the Johannesburg Metro Region.Item The Mediating Effects of CPA Coverage on Curriculum and Early Mathematics Performance in Mpumalanga, South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Reddi, Benita YolandaItem Workplace friendship, team cohesion, workplace isolation & organisational citizenship behaviour(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Zondo, BasetsanaTraditional workplace structures that facilitated face-to-face interactions among organisational members are losing popularity, with hybrid working arrangements becoming the norm (Hopkins & Bardoel, 2003). The post-Covid era has seen a significant rise in remote and hybrid working arrangements, providing employees with more flexibility and autonomy (Kossek & Lautsch, 2018). These contemporary working arrangements, once limited to specific professions, have now fundamentally altered many aspects of work across industries. While alternative working arrangements have been linked to increased job satisfaction and reduced turnover intentions (McNall et al., 2009), they also raise concerns about the potential compromise of social elements within the workplace, such as informal interactions (Kiesler & Cummings, 2002; Will, 2021). This study aims to investigate the effects of different working arrangements—remote, hybrid, and on-site—on Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB), a critical aspect of organizational effectiveness (Ndoja & Malekar, 2020). Specifically, the research explores the interplay between workplace friendship, team cohesion, and workplace isolation, and their relationship with OCB. The findings suggest that while the correlations between social dynamics and OCB are evident, the ANOVA results did not show significant differences across all variables, likely due to an inequitable distribution of participants among the different work settings. The significance of the multiple regression model, with workplace friendship emerging as a key predictor, highlights its crucial role in fostering OCB. This study contributes to understanding the social dynamics in modern workplaces and underscores the need for further research with more balanced samples to fully capture the impact of various working conditions on these relationships. Future research should also explore the underlying mechanisms of significant predictors to develop more compItem Stakeholder perceptions of the job skills and job roles required by Industrial psychologists in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Kekana, Lerato Valencia; Isreal, NickyThe Fourth Industrial Revolution and recent Covid-19 pandemic have brought large changes to the way work is defined and enacted, and these transitions have placed a unique demand on Industrial/Organisational Psychologists (IOPs) to help organisations and employees manage these workplace changes. This has further emphasised the need for the clarification and reassessment of the job roles and job skills required of Industrial/Organisational psychologists (IOPs) in South Africa. This study explored and compared the perceptions held by I/O psychology students and trainers (i.e., lecturers and supervisors) with regards to the job role and job skills required of IOPs in South Africa. Based on the review of literature, an online survey was designed and distributed to a group of 60 (59.4%) I/O psychology students and 41 (40.6%) I/O psychology trainers (n = 101) who voluntarily completed the survey. The survey collected both quantitative and qualitative data and this was analysed using a combination of statistics and content analysis. Both students and trainers in the sample emphasised the psychological and facilitative roles of IOPs in the workplace, with their facilitative functions taking precedence. Both groups distinguished IOPs from human resource practitioners based primarily on daily processes. Students rated most roles as significantly more important than trainers however both groups identified organisational development, employee wellbeing and work life, change management, training, psychological assessments, motivation and rewards, and research as the most important roles that IOPs fulfil in the workplace. There was agreement from both groups that the roles of IOPs would change at least moderately in the next five years. With regards to the job skills required of IOPs, a degree of congruence was observed in the top five skills that both groups noted, which included the four key skills of critical thinking; responsibility and reliability; honesty and integrity; and communication. Students prioritised people management as their fifth top skill while trainers prioritised emotional intelligence. Both groups emphasised practical work experience as the most important skill to be adequately prepared for the workplace and also identified interpersonal, communication and social skills; emotional intelligence; problem-solving; analytical and critical thinking; boldness; and business acumen as important. The findings of the study provide greater insight and possible directions for education and training of IOPs in South Africa, although further research in a broader range of stakeholders is needed.Item Remote work and work-life conflict during the Covid-19 pandemic: A scoping review(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Njoli, Lihle; Donald, FionaIn December 2019, the viral respiratory disease ‘Covid-19’ was first identified in Wuhan, China (Buchanan et al., 2021). The virus swiftly spread to neighbouring nations, prompting the global declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the alarming rates of death caused by the virus, drastic policy changes needed to be made by organisations around the world. Remote work, which entails employees working anywhere else but the office, such as at home, had to be implemented to try and reduce the rate at which the virus was spreading (Buchanan et al., 2021). Since employees had to work from home while also spending time with their families, including their children, working remotely became a concern for many people (Anderson & Kelliher, 2020). Thus, the current study aimed to examine the relationship between remote work and work-life conflict during the Covid-19 pandemic. To accomplish this, it used a scoping review to examine the body of current literature. The literature was reviewed using the five-stage research technique for scoping reviews developed by Arksey and O'Malley (2005). The study followed the checklist of items and methodology of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta- Analyses (PRISMA) to enhance the reporting of the scoping review and minimise bias (Moher et al., 2009). The conservation of resources theory (Hobfoll, 1989), boundary theory (Bulger et al., 2007), spillover theory (Zedeck & Mosier, 1990), and compensation theory (Edwards & Rothbard, 2000) are the theoretical frameworks that have been used to understand the relationship between remote work and work-life conflict in pre-pandemic literature. Overall, this study aimed to explore the findings that were established on remote work and work life conflict in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, it aimed to determine the types of theories, samples, and research designs that were used in the studies. To achieve the aim of this study, a thorough search was conducted, and 14 relevant studies were identified and examined for this scoping review. Based on the findings, it is evident that work-life conflict varied among employees working remotely from home during the pandemic. It is noted that work-life conflict increased for some employees while decreasing for others. The existence or absence of children in the home, the amount of job and personal obligations, and the support system in the household all had an impact on the experiences of work-life conflict among remote workers. The results of this study add to the body of information on the topic and helps identify research gaps and implications for future remote and hybrid work.Item Perceptions of Employee Assistance Practitioners of South Africa on the factors that influence professional ethics in Employee Assistance Programmes(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Ncube, Likwa; Dlamini, BusisiweThe workplace faces various challenges that impact employee functioning and the general mood of the work environment. Employment Assistance Programmes (EAPs), as a workplace response to the human and environmental challenges, have played an important contribution in the South African workplace since 1980. Benefits of using EAPs in the workplace include improved productivity, staff retention, reduced absenteeism and many other economic and social benefits. Professional ethics of EAP vendors in South Africa lack standardisation. Working from a person-in environment (P-I-E) perspective, this qualitative study explored factors that influence professional ethics with sixteen (16) EAP practitioners identified through a non-probability purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were administered. EAP practitioners were drawn from different work backgrounds and qualifications in Gauteng province, in South Africa. Data was analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The results showed that EAP is making a significant contribution to the South African corporate and government workforce and the workplace. There are several socio-economic benefits linked to having an EAP in the workplace. However, an unlegislated EAP practice, unaccredited EAP programmes and unlicensed EAP practitioners threaten the credibility of the EAP professional ethics and the effectiveness of the interventions. This study recommends that to standardise EAP practice and intervention outcomes, EAP practitioners must be licensed by one professional body. Employee Assistance Professionals Association of South Africa (EAPA- SA) is suggested as a viable option with credible standards and ethics documents that meet international EAP best practice guidelines.Item Exploring the relationship between job demands, resource, and psychological well-being: A study in the hospitality and tourism industries(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Marks, Joshua Blaine; Donald, FionaIdentified as a key factor contributing to elevated levels of individual performance and thus organisational performance, ensuring ideal levels of individual psychological well-being has grown increasingly important within organisations, especially following the onset and recession of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the pandemic having receded, its initial impact left lasting effects on various industries, particularly the tourism and hospitality industries as these industries saw a drastic reduction in workforce size and revenue generated. This has prompted the implementation of nationwide recovery efforts; however, these have been found to be primarily aimed at addressing the financial and economic impacts of the pandemic with minimal consideration for addressing the psychological impacts of the pandemic. This study aimed at evaluating the current state of individual psychological well-being of individuals working in the tourism and hospitality industries in South Africa. Given the broad nature of the psychological well-being construct, attempts to evaluate it in the work context have proved difficult. Hence it is for this reason that this study evaluated psychological well-being with reference to the experience of work engagement and burnout, as these constructs have been conceptualised as indicators of psychological well-being. Therefore individual psychological well-being was assessed through the exploration of the potential relationships between various job characteristics and the experience of work engagement and burnout. The sample consisted of 65 participants from organisations within the tourism and hospitality industries in South Africa. Participants were required to complete a questionnaire that comprised of a demographic information section, the Job-Demands Resources Scale (JDRS), the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Health Services Survey (MBI-HSS), and the 9-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). The results generated indicated the presence of significant, weak to moderate relationships between the variables of interest, with few exceptions. Furthermore, the significant regression models generated by the analysis provided insight into the relative contributions of the chosen job characteristics to the experience of work engagement and burnout. The results were discussed within the broader literature on the concepts of job demands and job resources, and the experience of work engagement and burnout.