4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions
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Item Exploring the relevance of Garrett's elements of UX design in contemporary design practices through a local Fifa (EA) esports mobile app prototype(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mjindi, MathewUser Experience (UX) design is a constantly evolving field. This factor requires designers to continually review UX frameworks and assess whether they still meet the demands of advances in technology and user needs. The study focuses on one of the prominent foundational UX frameworks (Garrett’s framework) for its user-centred approach and comprehensive structure of the UX design process. It aims to investigate the relevance of Garrett’s framework, which is described in his 2011 book ‘The Elements of UX: User Centered Design, for the Web and Beyond’. The study also applies Garrett’s framework in the development of a local FIFA (EA) eSports mobile app prototype. The research problem focuses on meeting contemporary user needs while addressing the challenge of integrating UX theory with practical design implementation. The objective of the research is to examine areas where Garrett’s framework is still effective or may be limited, including identifying potential improvements. This is carried out in the context of contemporary design practices to address the needs and expectations of today’s users. The study applies a mixed method approach to establish a comprehensive investigation of Garrett’s framework, with both quantitative and qualitative research. The sampling techniques applied were purposive and convenience sampling, within the premises of a private college in Johannesburg. Data were collected through interviews with academic practitioners and an online survey completed by a sample group of ‘Gen Z’ eSports enthusiasts. The online survey prompted participants to evaluate the FIFA (EA) eSports mobile app before responding to the survey questions rating their experience with the prototype. The study concludes that Garrett’s framework is still a relevant and effective tool for a structured foundation for UX design. It does, however, need enhancements to meet contemporary UX practices and user needs. The study recommends integrating methodologies and approaches such as Lean UX, Agile UX, data analytics, responsive design, and emotional design to offer more comprehensive strategies.Item The social contexts of childhood malnutrition in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Sello, Matshidiso Valeria; Odimegwu, Clifford; Adedini, SundayBackground: Childhood malnutrition is a major public health challenge of global importance. It may result from either excessive or deficient nutrients. Despite investments and several efforts made by the South African government and civil society organizations to improve child health, the prevalence of childhood malnutrition remains high in South Africa. South Africa is still lagging in in achieving the sustainable development goals 1-3 (i.e., 1- no poverty, 2 – zero hunger and 3 –good health and wellbeing). This is because the indicators of childhood malnutrition are significantly higher with one in four children being stunted, 13% overweight, and 7.5% underweight. These figures highlight a troubling trend that is echoed in many other African nations, where malnutrition rates are similarly concerning. For instance, while countries like Nigeria and Ethiopia face severe challenges with stunting rates exceeding 30%, South Africa’s rates are comparatively lower but still indicative of a significant public health challenge. In contrast, developed nations such as the United States report much lower stunting rates—around 3.4%—and face different nutritional issues, such as rising obesity rates among children. The current malnutrition status is worrisome in South Africa given that these conditions have not changed much in nearly three decades. Among other factors recognised as the leading causes of poor nutrition outcomes is food insecurity in households -defined as the lack of regular access to safe, sufficient, and nutritious foods, disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intakes. Despite South Africa being a net exporter of food, it is characterised by high poverty, reduced opportunities for higher education, employment challenges, environmental hazards, substandard housing, and health disparities, still have challenges in access to affordable safe nutritious foods. Furthermore, due to the complexity of childhood malnutrition, an integrated multisectoral approach among families, communities, and government systems is critical to ensuring positive child health and nutritional outcomes. Addressing poor nutritional outcomes among under-5 children requires policy-relevant evidence. While the literature shows that childhood malnutrition is a multifaceted issue influenced by poverty and poor socio-economic outcomes, evidence is sparse on how structural and environmental factors operating at different levels influence childhood malnutrition. Therefore, an understanding of social contexts of childhood malnutrition is required to improve children’s health outcomes in South Africa. Hence, this study examined the social context of childhood malnutrition in South Africa with a focus on individual child, 15 caregiver, and household-level characteristics. The study addressed five specific objectives: i) to determine the levels and patterns of childhood malnutrition in South Africa, (ii) to examine the individual child, caregiver, and household factors associated with childhood malnutrition in South Africa, (iii) to investigate the influence of food insecurity on childhood malnutrition, (iv) to explore the extent to which the socio-cultural and childcare practices of caregivers predispose under-5 children to malnutrition in selected low-income communities in South Africa, and (v) to investigate the role of a multi-sectorial approach in improving child nutritional outcomes in SA. This study was guided by the 2020 UNICEF conceptual Framework on Maternal and Child Nutrition as well as the Food and Nutrition Security Theory. Methods: This study adopted an explanatory sequential mixed methods design (i.e., analysis of quantitative data followed by qualitative data collection and analysis). The research methodology was broken into the quantitative and qualitative study. The quantitative study entailed analysing the quantitative secondary data from the 2017 South Africa National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS Wave 5). The NIDS data was nationally representative. The sample was weighted using post-stratified weights. Data of 2 966 children and their mothers were analysed. These children were selected on the basis that they had complete anthropometric measurements (height and weight measurements) and were suitable and selected for the investigation of childhood malnutrition (stunting, overweight, and underweight). We also conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences in childcare and perceptions of feeding practices. They were key informants since under-5 children spent a lot of time at ECD centres. Data were analysed at the univariate level to obtain descriptive statistics, and at the bivariate level using the chi-square test of association. At the multivariate level, multi-level binary logistic regression was employed, and odds ratios were reported. The multilevel analysis involved two levels – the individual level (child and mother characteristics) and the household-level characteristics. Data were analysed using Stata software (version 17). The selection of the independent variables was guided by the literature review and conceptual framework of the study. The second part of the study was qualitative and was collected between June and August 2022. Twenty in-depth interviews, and five focus group discussions with mothers of under-5 children, and five in-depth interviews with early childhood development practitioners (ECD practitioners) were conducted. Interviews were conducted using semi-structured questionnaires in selected low-income communities in urban 16 Gauteng (i.e., Thulani in Soweto), and in rural Limpopo (i.e., GaMasemola in Sekhukhune District). These communities were selected based on high poverty and unemployment rates, had substandard houses, insufficient infrastructure and environmental issues. The qualitative data provided deeper understanding about ethe quantitative findings and explored questions that were not available to the researcher in the NIDS dataset. The focus group discussions and key-in- depth interviews further provided a follow-up and an explanation of the quantitative findings. Thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. Key findings from objective 1: In terms of descriptive findings, found that 22.16% of children were stunted, 16.40% were overweight, and 5.04% were underweight. The distribution of children among female and male children in the study population was almost the same. About 40% of the children had a low birth weight (<3 kg), 80.59% relied on the child support grant, and 67.22% were cared for at home during the day. Different patterns of malnutrition were observed. The highest percentage of children ages 12-23 months were stunted (33.43%) and overweight (32.69%), while the highest proportion of children ages 0-11 months and 48-59 months were underweight. Among children with a low birth weight of 1-2.9 kg, the highest percentage of stunting (30.07%) (p = 0.001, χ² = 71.2) and underweight (7.05%) (p = 0.026, χ² = 16.9) was observed. There was a relationship between access to medical aid, access to the child support grant, and childhood stunting (p < 0.05), while being cared for at home during the day was associated with stunting (24.98%) and overweight (18.99%) (p = 0.002, χ² = 36.3). Caregivers’ religion was associated with overweight (p = 0.007, χ² = 25.6) among under-5 children, while caregiver’s ethnicity (p = 0.024, χ² = 18.4) was associated with underweight. Key findings from objective 2: Female children had a lower likelihood (0.63 times) of being stunted compared to males. Children aged 12-23 months face a 60% higher risk of being overweight than those aged 0-11 months (AOR = 1.6). However, the risk of overweight declines steadily as age increases. Children aged 48-59 months are 83% less likely to be overweight compared to the youngest group of 0-11 months (AOR = 0.17). Children with a birthweight of 3 kg are 63% less likely to be underweight compared to those weighing 1-2 kg at birth (AOR = 0.37). Children attending crèches/day moms are 69% less likely to be underweight compared to those cared for at home (AOR = 0.31). Children cared for at home are 1.5 times more likely to be stunted (AOR=1.49) compared to children at a creche/day mom. Caregivers who were Nguni 17 had a 26% lower likelihood of having stunted children. Caregivers of other religions had 2 times higher likelihood of having overweight children compared to Christian caregivers (AOR=1.21). Middle-income households were associated with having overweight children (AOR=1.35) compared to low-income households. Children from structurally sound households had a 54% of high risk of being overweight compared to children from dilapidated household structures. The study found that a significant portion of the variation in child malnutrition (stunting, overweight, and underweight) occurred within communities. This is evident from the intraclass correlation of stunting (ICC) values from 27.9% to 30.2% variation, 34.3% to 38.2% overweight variation and 19.6% to 33,9% underweight variation within communities. The increase in ICC after adding additional variables suggest that these factors explain more of the variation within communities. Key findings from objective 3: The results showed that nearly 30% of the households were below the lower-bound food poverty line of R890 per person per month in South Africa, and just about half of the households did not always have enough available foods all the time. The qualitative findings show that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the food insecurity during the COVID-19 lockdown, when many caregivers lost their income sources due to job losses. Food affordability and availability in the households became a major issue, forcing households to make hard decisions between deciding on foods with high nutrition that should be eaten against diverting financial resources and paying for other household expenses such as rent or electricity. Caregivers understood that they should be feeding their children nutritious foods but due to financial constraints, they were forced to give children the available but less nutritious foods in the households. Key findings from objective 4: Qualitative findings further showed that caregivers had various socio-cultural and childcare practices which influenced children’s nutritional and health outcomes. Socio-cultural practices that influenced childhood malnutrition included dietary choices – these were not necessarily affected by cultural beliefs, but they were rather influenced by the lack of income. Traditional beliefs on food- such as foods like eggs and dairy products such as milk or yoghurts were not given to girls. This was from a belief that this food would make girls more fertile and grow much faster. Traditional healing practices influence the dietary restrictions, limiting access to some nutritious foods, which are based on superstitions and lead to stigma. With regards to the childcare practices, there was also a lack of clarity by caregivers 18 on the duration of exclusive breastfeeding as well as the duration when the children should stop breastfeeding. Caregivers did not have adequate knowledge about when to resume weaning. Some caregivers highlighted that the last time they received nutrition knowledge was when their children were infants, and they had taken the children for vaccinations. Caregivers were not aware of how responsive caregiving such as child feeding frequency and portion sizes could improve children’s nutritional outcomes. Key findings from objective 5: From the qualitative interviews with early childhood development (ECD) practitioners, findings indicated a growing disintegration of childcare systems, including the family, health, and social systems, where a lack of parental support in nutrition programmes, a lack of support in health services and other social services when making referrals. Furthermore, various systems of care were working in silos in childcare service provision, resulting in children facing multiple adversities. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that individual-level child characteristics appear to exacerbate childhood malnutrition more than the mother and household-level characteristics. For example, the child level characteristics showed high significance, with age, sex, and child support grant, compared to the caregiver characteristics such as education, employment, and income. At the household level, variables such as household size and income did not show any significance. While this is the case, it does not necessarily mean that the mother and household-level characteristics were not important. This gap can be explained by the small sample, which can cause challenges of limited statistical power, making it harder to detect statistically significant differences. Furthermore, the qualitative assessment filled some gaps regarding these findings and gave an in-depth understanding on how the income disparities among caregivers and households result from high unemployment rates, highlighting the importance of socio-economic status and food security in child nutritional outcomes. From the ECD practitioners’ interviews, given the disintegration of childcare systems, the coordination and multisectoral collaboration of different sectors of care for children is urgently needed to improve children’s nutritional outcomes. Understanding the social context in which a child is brought up is important for the design of programmes and policies that will be effective in addressing this public health challenge. This understanding will enable efficient and effective service referral and service delivery to improve childhood nutrition in South Africa. This study highlights the need for a good 19 coordination of food, family, health, and social systems to ensure a positive childhood nutritional outcome.Item Depression Demographic Profiling of Young Adults in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Bambo, Matsidiso Princess; Hassem, TasneemIn young people aged 15 and 29 years, mental illnesses accounted for 23% of Years Lived with Disability (YLD) and among mental disorders, depressive disorders emerged as the second largest worldwide contributor to YLD at approximately 5.6%. In addition, one in every six individuals suffered from depression in South Africa. However, there is limited recent research about the demographic characteristics of South African emerging adults who may be vulnerable to depression. This research aimed to conduct demographic profiling of emerging adults (N=819) in South Africa who present with depressive symptoms. Additionally, using Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation, T-test, and ANOVA, this cross- sectional research analysed secondary data from the Africa Long Life Study to determine relationships as well as statistical differences among demographic variables and depressive symptoms. Results indicated a low presence of depression in the sample. Significant relationships were found between depressive symptoms and demographic variables (socioeconomic status and religiosity). While no significant differences were found among language groups, a higher presence of depressive symptoms was found among females and those experiencing moderate to great financial difficulties. The findings emphasised the critical need for mental health policies and initiatives that promote prevention or early detection, prevention, and enhanced access to quality mental healthcare, particularly among vulnerable emerging adults like females and individuals who are economically disadvantaged. Mental health interventions should adopt comprehensive approaches that incorporate aspects of religiosity and spirituality to buffer against the presence of depressive symptoms among emerging adultsItem Young women’s accounts of intimate partner violence in cohabiting relationships in Vhembe District, Limpopo Province(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Makongoza, Matamela Fulufhelo Beatrice; Kiguwa, Peace; Mayisela, SimangeleThis thesis explores young women’s accounts of intimate partner violence in cohabiting relationships in Vhembe District, Limpopo Province. The constructivism paradigm aided in understanding young women’s experiences of intimate partner violence in cohabitating relationships and how these women navigate their lives in a cultural context that denounces cohabitation, making them vulnerable to possible gender-based violence. Cultural discourse can guide how young women make meaning and respond to their experiences of violence. This study suggests the intersectionality of different African philosophical lenses, including African psychological perspective, Ubuntu, and Vygotsky’s cultural historical activity theory (CHAT). There have been studies on intimate partner violence among young women in South Africa which report on the nature, extent, and severity of intimate partner violence against young women. Scholars focused their research on intimate partner violence against young women in boyfriend- and-girlfriend type relationships from different contextual backgrounds. Some studies also report on the experiences of violence in cohabitation relationships although these were not specifically focused on the context. This qualitative study presents the nature and forms of violence experienced by 10 young women between the ages and 18 and 24 years in cohabiting relationships in the rural Vhembe District, Limpopo Province. Young women were enlisted from the Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Programme. Thematic analysis was used. Although cohabitation is not a new phenomenon in heterosexual relationships, violent incidences in cohabitation relationships are a trend in Africa. Young women reflected on their experiences of intimate partner violence within a cultural context that condemns cohabitation, referring to it as matula (taboo). They acknowledged living in a challenging time, and that forms of violence escalate the already existing problems. They also talked about the dangers of leaving an abusive partner, raised concerns about bystander issues, and shared that some spaces – both private and public – contribute to intimate partner violence against young women, instilling fear in these women. This study presents that young women in cohabiting relationships are more vulnerable because the nature of these relationships is not culturally acknowledged by parents and communities in general. Similarly, some African studies documented in this study found that it is better for young women to denounce cohabiting relationships and opt for marriage instead, or else they risk being disowned by their parents. This research shows that community factors such as gender inequality, social norms which accept violence, lack of support, and financial dependency on the partner contribute to the vulnerability of young women in cohabiting relationships. Interventions which prevent the implementation of rigid cultural norms and traditions, and which change the attitudes of individuals towards intimate partner violence may prevent the escalation of intimate partner violence in general. This study proposes that doing away with bystanders doing nothing, embracing relationship diversity, and revisiting the practice of Ubuntu could reduce the escalation of intimate partner violence.Item What is called literature? Heidegger, responsive figuration, and the aspect of be-ing(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Van Niekerk, Marthinus Christoffel; Williams, MerleFrom the metaphysical orientation of Western thinking, being is understood as presence, truth as correspondence, and language as representation. This understanding inclines reflections on the nature of literature towards the question “What is literature?”, and calls for responses that seek determinative commonalities between literary objects. In this thesis, I attempt a different approach to the being of literature, prompted by Heidegger’s thinking, which understands being dynamically and non-substantively as the self-withholding clearing which grants beings their appearance. Language does not unfold primarily in meaningful references between objects, but in dis-closure; it responds to the aspect of be-ing, showing beings in their being by showing the possibility of meaninglessness in every appearance. This is what clears and holds open a reach for referential play. Language therefore entails a response to the self-withholding of being, and in that sense itself speaks. In this light, “What is called literature?” becomes a question concerning how being calls on language to respond as literature, and human beings are called on to participate responsively in this dialogue. Two different but interconnected ways in which literature calls are investigated. On the one hand, literature promises a reach of discursive representability; it demands the disclosure of beings as orderable and immediately available. On the other hand, literature figures a rift, a drawing in the sense both of a meaningfully gathered marking, and of a drawing open which draws away. I read William Blake’s The First Book of Urizen to trace how it literalizes the tension between these callings of literature. It figures a rift, and puts into play a differencing relation between a poetic attunement to delay and non-arrival, and the demand for arrival arising from its positioning within the realm of discursive availability which characterizes the contemporary field of literature.Item The impact of stalking and harassment in females of intimate partner violence in Johannesburg following the breakup of a relationship(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Du Toit, Marlene; Goldschmidt, LynneStalking and harassment should be considered a gender-based violence crime. Literature suggests that stalking and harassment often occur post-breakup of a relationship. It is often difficult to prove that a person is being stalked and harassed, hence the lack of legal avenues to protect oneself from stalking and harassment discussed herein. This research focused on stalking and harassment by a former intimate partner. The total number of participants was eight. The participants were recruited via Lifeline, an organisation that offers support to community members. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. The participants narrated their experiences and allowed the researcher to explore further during interviews. The interviews were recorded for analysis purposes. Thematic analysis was chosen as a method of analysis. Findings highlighted a form of abuse within the relationship that continued to evolve into stalking and harassment post the breakup. Former intimate partners sometimes used family members and friends to reach their victims. Technology was also used to reach the victims when unwanted visitation proved to be unsuccessful. Victims suffered psychological and physical distress due to stalking and harassment. Participants employed different coping mechanisms and used resources at their disposal, much outside of the judicial realm. There was a need expressed for the justice system to be more supportive and regard stalking and harassment seriously as a crime.Item Core Academic Language Skills in Grade 6 South African Learners(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) MacFarlane, Marco Vincenzo William; Moonsamy, Sharon; Dison, Laura; Kern, AnwynneThis research validates a construct that describes cross-disciplinary Core Academic Language Skills (CALS) for use in South African schools, and argues for its use as an underpinning instructional framework. The construct was derived from a novel instrument aimed at testing a constellation of school-relevant English language skills which was developed and validated for use in the United States. The unitary construct tested by this instrument was dubbed CALS and it aimed to describe the set of skills that comprise academic language proficiency. CALS has been described as “knowledge and deployment of a repertoire of language forms and functions that co-occur with oral and written schooling tasks across disciplines” (Uccelli et. al, 2015a, p. 1077). The overall aim of this research was to ascertain if the CALS construct can be used to validly assess learners from different linguistic backgrounds in South Africa, and further if the fully operationalised skillset can be used as a basis for instruction in the discrete academic language skills described. A range of national and international assessments have shown that South African learners perform at the lower end of the spectrum on language and mathematical skills, and it seems that the disparity between the language status of the population and the language of schooling is a core determinant of the poor scores attained by South African learners. This thesis was completed by publication, with four linked articles that addressed each of the related sub-questions. In order to determine if the CALS construct was appropriate for use in South Africa, the first article (Chapter 3) localised and piloted a version of the CALS instrument for use in South Africa – resulting in the CALS-I-ZA assessment instrument. The second article (Chapter 4) deals with the crucial question of whether the CALS construct is related to academic outcomes in South Africa – and this chapter shows the link between the 6 scores obtained on the CALS-I-ZA and the Gauteng provincial Common Examinations. The predictive relationship between CALS and Academic Results (as proxied by the Common Examinations) was shown to be robust. The final empirical part of the work (Chapter 5), investigates if the CALS-I-ZA instrument shows a different pattern of functioning when used to assess first-language English learners (L1) and non-first-language English learners (L2). Surprisingly, the CALS-I-ZA instrument showed robust functioning and a strong predictive relationship with school outcomes when used to assess both L1 and L2 learners. Chapter 6 represents the final article in this thesis which consists of a brief meta-analysis of the previous work on CALS detailed in this thesis as well as by other researchers working on this construct. This article makes the argument for a cautious use of CALS as the basis for a form of CALS-informed instruction that could be employed for use in South African classrooms, while retaining a critical awareness of the deeply problematic nature of the mismatch between the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) and the linguistic profile of the majority of South African learners.Item Seeking joy – Between Secrecy and Silence in a white Afrikaner Home(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Greyling, Marcia Elizabeth; Goliath, Gabrielle; Christopher, NatashaThis mapping practice reveals how biomythography, theoretical enquiry and making can reveal a complex narrative of Afrikaner whiteness and its relationship to silence and secrecy. Themes of secrets and silences indicate the discomfort of witnessing discrimination and by virtue of speaking out, facing rejection and alienation along with those you defended. The image of the unhappy queer child speaking out at the dinner table against the “in group” is employed as visual metaphor. Self-portraiture finds expression in self-writing, performance and transgressive acts representing the tools acquired in my search for a self-affirming identity. My practice is an intentional repetition symbolising therapeutic disclosures; often repeated through voicing in order to work through trauma. A confessional divulges itself, both hidden yet exposed. A haunting insidiousness manifesting as what is not disclosed relates to concealment, protecting family secrets and the silencing repercussions of truth seeking and fearless speech. Opening up a conversation, this writing does not desire to suggest answers about changing whiteness as bad habit. Rather, I bring what is lurking in the background of white actions to the family table for an open disclosure. I am the source of the family’s dis-ease as I reveal a difficult, painful and uncomfortable conversation in which we must face our whiteness. In this explorative manner I keep open the force of this critical engagement and invite participation in this reparative work. I examine how we are stuck in the bad habit of whiteness as a study of self. Through this self-determined act, may I find joy.Item Composing Speech: Investigation and Application of Musical Expression Embedded in Spoken Language(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Du Plessis, Marc; Harris, Cameron; Crossley, JonathanThis dissertation explores the musical potential of emotive expression in cut-up speech sounds. Cut-up is a twentieth-century technique with roots in Dadaism in which one cuts “pre-existing material into radical juxtapositions” (BBC, 2015), made popular in literature by William Burroughs in the 1950s and 60s. Speech is used primarily to communicate information relating to the world around us, but it operates sonically. Therefore, it has inherent parameters that can be manipulated to inform how information is received. The ability to manipulate the inherent sonic parameters of speech is one way in which it can be emotively coded. Sung vocals with lyrical content in music differ from speech in that the roles of information communication and the manipulation of the sonic parameters are reversed. Where speech relies on the manipulation of sonic parameters to augment or diminish the information being conveyed, sung vocals that utilise lyrical content rely on the semantic content to augment or diminish the sonic characteristics of the voice. Sung vocals could therefore be thought of as sonic utterances that are semantically coded. These inherent parameters are shared by music as it also operates in the sonic realm. The researcher used electronic music production techniques to isolate the shared parameters between music and speech (pitch, rhythm, timbre, and dynamics), and composed expressive, accessible, and engaging musical works based on these parameters. Digital music technology has the capacity to explore the limitations of sonic expression, due to its capacity to manipulate recorded sound waves. Therefore, it equipped the researcher with the necessary tools to manipulate cut-up speech sounds with compositional intent. The objective of this research was to compose musical works that drew from popular music styles, with an aesthetic focus on rich, timbrally expressive vocal material created from recordings of speech, to understand the expressive capabilities of the chosen raw material (speech sounds). The methodological procedure was to record speech from various sources, edit (cut-up) the phrases to create brief clips that were divorced from semantic signification, present the edited clips to an audience, and analyse their responses. The researcher used the insights from this analytical process to inform the use of the same speech sounds in the compositional practice. The researcher presented 26 examples (brief composed cut-ups of speech sounds) to 45 participants in a survey group and eight South African music industry professionals in one-on-one interviews. The responses yielded qualitative data that was analysed using thematic coding, followed by statistical analysis using Spearman’s rank v correlation (1904). The results provided vague answers to the primary research questions, but ultimately supplied the researcher with various qualitative interpretations of how the speech sounds expressed meaning in a cut-up context. This informed the researcher’s creative practice in the musical application of cut-up speech. Although the interpretation of the qualitative data did not result in definitive answers to the research questions, the aim of this research to explore the musical application of emotive expression in speech was achieved. The understanding that a listener experiences music in an inter-subjective and inter-contextual manner, combined with the expressive nature of the raw materials, liberated the researcher to compose expressive music without the need to know each listener’s subjective experience of expression.Item Explicit and Implicit Cultural Policies: A Critical Analysis of the Role and Impact of Cultural Policies that Govern the Television Sector in Botswana(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Selolwane, Marang; Chatikobo, Munyaradzi3 Abstract The cultural policy landscape in Botswana is characterized by considerable ambiguity, with far-reaching implications for both the television sector and the broader media environment. Deploying the lenses of implicit and explicit cultural policies, stakeholder management, and intergovernmental relations, the study critically examines the role of policy in propelling Botswana's television sector forward. This paper establishes that the television industry in Botswana faces obstacles due to a convoluted regulatory framework and insufficient cooperation among stakeholders, leading to governance issues and impeding industry advancement. It highlights deficiencies in policy implementation and calls for enhanced collaboration between government departments and broadcasting entities to tackle governance challenges and foster sectoral expansion. The research addressed both theoretical and practical gaps in television regulation in Botswana, advocating for the establishment of a more cohesive and coordinated policy framework to facilitate sustainable growth within the sector. The central argument made in the paper is that the television sector in Botswana is shaped more by implicit cultural policies than explicit cultural policies, and therefore effective coordination and management of stakeholders driving both implicit and explicit cultural policies need to be located in both the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport, and Culture and the Ministry for State President to strike an equilibrium of interests and influence.