Browsing by Title
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Willemse, Juliana; Kortenbout, Elma (AOSIS OpenJournals, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: The practice of community health nursing (CHN) may enhance the life experiences of families and communities, particularly amongst the poor and socially marginalised. CHN provides for a deeper understanding of the health status of families living within communities, for example, where and how they live, their cultural context and their ability to identify resources available to assist with their health care (Allender, Rector & Warner 2010:17). This qualitative phenomenological study reflects on the self-reported lived experiences of undergraduate CHN students at the University of the Western Cape in the City of Cape Town, South Africa. These students conducted a family health assessment (FHA) learning task at the homes of families within communities. Purposive and convenience sampling was used by students who had conducted an FHA. Fourteen students agreed to participate in the study, of whom nine were interviewed, two withdrew and the remaining three were not interviewed since no new data were emerging during interviews, indicating that saturation had been reached. During in-depth interviews with seven female and two male students, data for the exploration of the lived experiences was gathered through the following question: ‘How did you experience the FHA?’ Field notes were taken and used to capture non-verbal communication of participants. The focus of the study was to explore the lived experiences of students and not those of the family on whom the FHA was completed. Data collected were categorised into themes, guided by the systematic data analysis process of Tesch (1990) cited in Cresswell (2003:192). Four themes emerged: challenges of family selection, challenges of safety, socio-cultural challenges and academic challenges experienced by the participants. This study will inform future research and curriculum planning for CHN education in a multifaceted context. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/588 Files in this item: 1
WillemseNursesAssessment2012.pdf (427.8Kb) -
McMillan, Wendy (Maastricht University, 2007)[more][less]
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Literature suggests that a diverse body of healthcare graduates could extend health service delivery. However, the literature also indicates that the throughput of minority, working class, and historically disadvantaged students is problematic. Poor throughput is attributed to the way that university environments alienate some students. This brief communication highlights lessons learned from exploratory interviews with four first-year oral hygiene students at a university in South Africa. It provides insight into the issues that contribute to academic success and failure. METHODS: Semi-structured, individual interviews, to gain information regarding students’ university academic experiences were conducted. Enablers and barriers to learning identified in the literature were used to capture themes. FINDINGS: The following three themes emerged: educational identity, language and finances. The analysis showed how a white middle class student recognized practices that are rewarded at university and how three, working-class, black students experienced tension between their expectations and experiences and the university culture. However, far from being victims, these students provided suggestions on how their transition might be facilitated. CONCLUSION: Evidence suggests that these students wanted both to be apprenticed into the new way of doing things while having their differences acknowledged. A model for education that initiates learners and also challenges the culture of power is suggested. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/60 Files in this item: 1
McMillan_diversity(2007).pdf (141.5Kb) -
Cleary, Susan; Birch, Stephen; Moshabela, Mosa; Schneider, Helen (BMJ Publishing Group, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: South Africa has the world's largest antiretroviral treatment (ART) programme. While services in the public sector are free at the point of use, little is known about overall access barriers. This paper explores these barriers from the perspective of ART users enrolled in services in two rural and two urban settings. METHODS: Using a comprehensive framework of access, interviews were conducted with over 1200 ART users to assess barriers along three dimensions: availability, affordability and acceptability. Summary statistics were computed and comparisons of access barriers between sites were explored using multivariate linear and logistic regressions. RESULTS: While availability access barriers in rural settings were found to be mitigated through a more decentralised model of service provision in one site, affordability barriers were considerably higher in rural versus urban settings. 50% of respondents incurred catastrophic healthcare expenditure and 36% borrowed money to cover these expenses in one rural site. On acceptability, rural users were less likely to report feeling respected by health workers. Stigma was reported to be lowest in the two sites with the most decentralised services and the highest coverage of those in need. CONCLUSIONS: While results suggest inequitable access to ART for rural relative to urban users, nurse-led services offered through primary healthcare facilities mitigated these barriers in one rural site. This is an important finding given current policy emphasis on decentralised and nurse-led ART in South Africa. This study is one of the first to present comprehensive evidence on access barriers to assist in the design of policy solutions. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/477 Files in this item: 1
ClearyRuralUrbanART2012.pdf (2.260Mb) -
Piper, Laurence; Africa, Cherrel (Elsevier, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: On the basis of a 2008 survey conducted in the Msunduzi municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province, the paper begins an exploration of the character of popular politics and citizenship in South Africa. Embracing a ‘citizen-centred’ methodology informed by participation literatures, and sensibilities to the ‘work in progress’ character of African cities from urban studies debates, the paper interrogates the mainstream liberal-participatory model of citizenship in South Africa, and the critiques of current South African politics informed by these notions, specifically the ‘racial census’ and ‘dominant party syndrome’ analyses. Taken together these views can be read as characterising South African politics as a game for individual citizens governed by liberal rules, but played by racial and/or partisan groups in exclusionary ways, thus distorting liberal democratic mechanisms of representation and accountability. The paper also examines evidence for an alternative class-based analysis of one aspect of citizenship, namely, protest against poor local governance. The paper looks to unpack this ‘liberal model versus racialised communitarian practice’ imaginary by, on the one hand, demonstrating the ways in which citizenship is not racialised, or is asymmetrically racialised. Indeed, other than party allegiances and trust in key offices, very little by way of what citizens do, believe or think of themselves follows discrete racial lines. Similar points hold for partisanship too. On the other hand, the paper does not redeem the liberal-democratic model as there is also evidence of trust in government when it is not deserved based on performance, but more importantly, evidence that citizens embrace ‘informal’ means to secure their rights. A good example of this is protestors who are also more likely to vote than non-protestors. Taken together, these findings affirm both the way in which the racial and partisan legacy of the past is being undone by new institutions and practices, and suggest the complex intersection of these with networks of personal relations which characterise the local politics of most African cities. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/496 Files in this item: 1
PiperCitizenshipMsunduzi2012.pdf (1.231Mb) -
Cowan, Donald A. (Elsevier, 2004)[more][less]
Abstract: The newly isolated hyperthermophilic archaeal strain 121 grows slowly at 121 8C and even survives short periods at 130 8C. This is another organism that grows best at temperatures well in excess of 100 8C! We should not be astonished so much by the numerical increments but by the biochemical implications of this fact, and we should be excited by the scope provided by this and similar organisms to further our understanding of the evolution and adaptation of molecular structures and systems. And what about the upper limit of life? It appears improbable that the end-point of this search is represented by strain 121. The consensus view is that the true upper limit, where the energetic burden imposed by molecular repair and resynthesis becomes unsustainable, will probably lie in the region of 140–150 8C URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/147 Files in this item: 1
CowanUpperTemperature2004.pdf (331.8Kb) -
de Swardt, Cobus; Puoane, Thandi; Chopra, Mickey; du Toit, Andries (Sage Publications, 2005)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper describes key findings of a household livelihood survey conducted in impoverished African settlements in Cape Town, one of Africa’s wealthiest cities. Poverty in these areas is strongly shaped by the history of the Eastern Cape’s adverse spatial incorporation into the South African economy. Migrants from the rural areas are highly dependent on and integrated into the increasingly monetized economy – but are simultaneously marginalized and adversely incorporated within it. Survey findings show the costs and implications of this failure of the formal economy to provide adequate livelihoods. While many eke out a living in a vital yet marginal informal economy, these strategies are thoroughly linked to and dependent on the income that can be secured through participation in the formal job market. Those who are unable to find a foothold in the urban economy are highly vulnerable and are at risk of being confined to long-term poverty traps. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/296 Files in this item: 1
PuoaneUrbanPoverty2005.pdf (798.9Kb) -
Rowe, Michael (Informa Healthcare, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: Background: The development of practice knowledge is an important component of clinical education and reflective reasoning is known to play a role in its development. Online social networks may have some potential for developing practice knowledge by providing tools for clinical educators to guide students’ reasoning practices. Aim: To determine if an online social network could be used to facilitate reflective reasoning in clinical contexts, as it relates to developing practice knowledge. Method: The study was conducted within a South African university, physiotherapy department, using an online social network to facilitate engagement. Tharp and Gallimore’s theory of assisted performance was used as a framework to conduct qualitative analysis of students’ reflective blog posts within the network. Results: The lecturer was able to use strategies within the assisted performance framework to facilitate reflection among students. These included modelling, contingency management, feedback, instruction, questioning and cognitive structuring. The features of the social network enabled enhanced communication between teacher and student, as well as promoted engagement around clinical scenarios. Conclusion: Online social networks can be used to facilitate reflective reasoning as part of the development of practice knowledge by exposing students’ understanding of clinical practice. However, careful facilitation using sound pedagogy is still necessary to guide students to deeper understanding URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/427 Files in this item: 1
RoweSocialNetworks2012.pdf (185.4Kb) -
Rowe, Michael (South African Society of Physiotherapy, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: The dominant form of teaching in higher education remains the lecture, even though evidence suggests that it alone is inadequate to facilitate the development of the higher order thinking skills required in clinical practice. The use of wikis may have a role to play in facilitating collaborative learning practices that are important for professional development. This descriptive survey evaluated the use of a wiki for a collaborative learning activity within small groups of undergraduate physiotherapy students in a South African university. Students participated in a wiki-based assignment and were then surveyed using open- and closed-ended questions to determine their perceptions and experiences of the process. The results indicate that although a wiki can be used to develop relevant content, there were significant challenges in its implementation. These included a poor understanding by students of how to work effectively in groups, a lack of physical and epistemological access to the internet, and the need for adequate preparation and support. Some features of the wiki were found to have an impact on the quality of the work produced, including the use of Discussion pages, peer review, and the public nature of the wiki. The conclusion is that wikis may have a role to play in collaborative groupwork, but that that students need to be adequately prepared and supported throughout the process. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/495 Files in this item: 1
RoweCollaborativeLearning2012.pdf (617.0Kb) -
Babajide, Omotola; Petrik, Leslie; Musyoka, Nicholas; Amigun, Bamikole; Ameer, Farouk (Slovnaft VÚRUP, 2010)[more][less]
Abstract: South Africa is largely dependent on the combustion of coal for electricity production; Eskom’s coalfired power stations consume approximately 109 million tons of coal per annum, producing around 25 million tons of ash, to supply the bulk (93%) of South Africa’s electricity. The management of this fly ash has been a concern with various approaches for its beneficial use being investigated. This work presents the results of transesterification reaction using sunflower oil as feedstock with methanol and class F fly ash catalyst derived from a coal fly ash dump in South Africa to produce methyl esters (biodiesel). The fly ash based catalyst was prepared using the wet impregnation procedure with different loadings of potassium. This was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), FTIR spectroscopy. The XRD patterns obtained indicated that the structure of the support gradually deformed with an increase in the loading and the extent of decomposition of KNO3 varied with the amount of loading. The influence of various reactions parameters such as loading amount of active components, methanol: oil ratio, reaction time, temperature and catalyst deactivation was investigated. The fly ash based catalyst loaded with 5% wt KNO3 at a reaction temperature of 160ºC exhibited maximum oil conversion (86.13%). The biodiesel synthesized was tested and important fuel properties of the methyl esters (Biodiesel) compared well with ASTM biodiesel standard URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/574 Files in this item: 1
BabajideBiodieselProduction2010.pdf (597.5Kb) -
Rowe, Michael; Struthers, Patricia (South African Society of Physiotherapy, 2009)[more][less]
Abstract: The global shift toward the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in health education and practice has been shown to enhance both the educational opportunities and the support provided to students and healthcare professionals. This study aimed to investigate the use of ICT by South African physiotherapy students and what their experiences and perceptions were regarding their use of ICT as part of their studies. The study design was a cross-sectional, descriptive survey using a self-administered questionnaire. The survey population included all of the undergraduate physiotherapy students from six of the eight universities offering the physiotherapy degree in South A frica (N=1105). The sample size consisted of 529 students from the survey population who completed and returned questionnaires, indicating a response rate of 48%. The results of the study showed that the use of ICT by South African physiotherapy students varied according to task, racial group and university attended. Furthermore, the reported use of ICT for communication, research and continuing professional development was low. In conclusion, this study indicates that with a move toward the use of ICT to enhance health education and practice in South A frica, certain groups of physiotherapy students may be at a disadvantage if required to make use of ICT as a means of improving communication, enhancing education, participating in lifelong learning opportunities and accessing support. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/92 Files in this item: 1
Rowe_ICT2009.pdf (181.2Kb) -
Khan, Sadika; Geerts, Greta (South African Dental Association (SADA), 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: This study aims to evaluate the acceptance of light-cured acrylic resin for custom trays by dental students. A questionnaire addressing the use and handling properties of both light-cured (Megatray, Megadent, Germany) and chemically-cured (Excel, Wright Health Group, UK) custom tray materials was distributed amongst undergraduate dental students of the University of the Western Cape. Of a total of 196 dental students, 38 were absent on the day of the survey. Of the 158 questionnaires that were distributed and returned, 18 did not meet the inclusion criteria and 1 person chose not to participate. Of the 139 participating students, 98 were in 4th year, 41 in 5th year. With regards to the light-cured acrylic custom tray material, 77% used it most often, 64% said it saved time and 62 % said that it was easier to handle. Fifty two percent indicated that both types of materials should be taught in undergraduate training, 26% preferred the light-cured acrylic resin custom tray material, 20% suggested that only the light-cured resin be used and no one suggested the chemically-cured resin exclusively. The study concluded that most undergraduate students positively accepted the light-cured resin, but training in the use of both materials was recommended. Description: Presented at IADR 2005 – Kuwait (1st African Middle-Eastern IADR Conference) URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/222 Files in this item: 1
KhanLight-curedAcrylicResin2008.pdf (591.5Kb) -
Hudson, Athol; Harris, Angela; Mohamed, Nadia; Joubert, Jo-Anne (South African Dental Association, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: Leeway space preservation in the mixed dentition is a well-documented method of space management. In the mandibular arch it may be saved for utilization in the correction of minor anterior crowding by the placement of a passive lower lingual arch (LLA) during the transition from the mixed dentition to the permanent dentition URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/569 Files in this item: 1
HudsonLingArch2013.pdf (299.6Kb) -
Chetty, Marshini; Tucker, William D.; Blake, Edwin H. (Telkom, 2003)[more][less]
Abstract: There is a great disparity between those who have access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and those that do not. This phenomenon forms part of the Digital Divide. Many ICTs may be used to help overcome this divide if they are applied in a useful way, providing locally applicable content and services. Critical Action Research (CAR) is an approach used to develop such applications. CAR aims to empower people by involving them in the development process. Using CAR, this project investigates how Voice over IP (VoIP) may be applied in a productive way in an underserviced community. VoIP is an ICT used for sending voice over packet switched networks using Internet Protocol. It can be used to integrate data and voice to produce multimedia applications. In South Africa (SA), VoIP may only be provided by Telkom, the Second National Operator and the Under-Serviced Area Licensees. Using CAR and VoIP, an application is being developed to service a specific need of a particular rural community. The application will either provide a service to a small rural business or aid the provision of healthcare in rural areas. The project evaluates how well CAR integrates with a normal Software Development Lifecycle and makes policy recommendations for the use of VoIP in rural SA. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/479 Files in this item: 1
ChettyTuckerBlakeDigitalDivide2003.pdf (35.78Kb) -
Israel, Paolo (History Department, University of the Western Cape, 2009)[more][less]
Abstract: This article engages a historical reconstruction of the formation of Makonde revolutionary singing in the process of the Mozambican liberation struggle. The history of ʻUtopia liveʼ is here entrusted to wartime genres, marked by heteroglossia and the use of metaphor, and referring to moments when the ʻspace of experienceʼ and the ʻhorizon of expectationʼ of the Struggle were still filled with uncertainty and the sense of possibility. Progressively, however, singing expressions were reorganised around socialismʼs nodes of meaning. Ideological tropes, elaborated by Frelimoʼs ʻcourtlyʼ composers, were appropriated in popular singing. The relations between the ʻpeopleʼ and their leaders were made apparent through the organization of the performance space. The main contention of the article is that unofficiality, heteroglossia, metaphor and poetic license, although they feature in genres that have been marked out as ʻpopularʼ in academic discourse, are by no means intrinsically ʻpopularʼ. Much on the contrary, they are the first victims of populist modes of political actions, that is, of a politics grounded on a concept of ʻpeopleʼ. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/102 Files in this item: 1
IsraelUtopia2009.pdf (3.176Mb) -
Gibbons, Mark J.; Sulaiman, Amina; Hissman, K.; Schauer, J.; Wickens, Patti; McMillan, Ian (NISC and Taylor & Francis, 2000)[more][less]
Abstract: A semi-quantitative assessment is made of the animals observed in archived videotapes taken from the research submersible Jago, during diamond mining and exploratory surveys off the mouth of the Orange River on the west coast of southern Africa (28° IS'S, 29°11 'S) in November 1996. The seabed environment is described and nekton associations with substratum features are identified. The area is characterized by heterogeneity to its physical and biological struture. The variety of observed nekton is low, and communities are dominated by goby Sufflogobius bibarbatus, juvenile hake Merluccius spp. and cuttlefish Sepia spp. (on soft substrata), as well as false jacopever Sebastes capen sis and kingklip Genypterus capensis (on rocky substrata). URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/419 Files in this item: 1
GibbonsDemersalNekton2000.pdf (501.8Kb) -
Lalu, Premesh (University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007)[more][less]
Abstract: This article presents a polemical argument for a politics of digitisation that aims to politicise the archival disciplines while making sense of the conjuncture in which digitisation initiatives are mooted in Southern Africa. It argues for a blurring of the work of archivist and historian in reconstituting the archive of the liberation struggle. It alters the paradigmatic frameworks of the Cold War that have hitherto defined the structure of the archive. The article provisionally anticipates the trajectories of a politics of digitisation, while complicating our notion of information by tracking its emergence in colonialism and the restrictive paradigms of the Cold War. Calling for a constitution of the archive that undercuts both colonial precedents and Cold War paradigms, it argues for a politics of digitisation that will expand what can be said about the history of liberation struggles in Southern Africa by redefining the meaning of the postcolonial. The realignment is intended to provoke new conceptualisations of globalisation and the archive in the postcolony. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/259 Files in this item: 1
LaluStampede2007.pdf (103.8Kb) -
McMillan, Wendy (American Association of Dental Schools, 2005)[more][less]
Abstract: This article is located in the field of academic development in oral health science education. Specifically, it examines the academic difficulties experienced by oral hygiene students in their transition from high school to university. A qualitative approach was employed to elicit student and lecturer perceptions. Drawing on empirical evidence from a case study of a cohort of first-year oral hygiene students at a dental faculty in South Africa, the article contributes to an understanding of how first-year university students might be better prepared for the challenges of reading and writing in higher education. The voices of lecturers and students are used to highlight the nature of the difficulties that students experience in the transition from high school to university. The suggestions that students made regarding how the transition might be eased are also examined. The final section draws on these suggestions and presents a working model for an academic development module for first-year oral health students. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/57 Files in this item: 1
McMillan_studying(2005).pdf (154.2Kb) -
Glaser, Meryl; Tucker, William D. (Telkom, 2001)[more][less]
Abstract: A Teldem provides text-based telephony services to the deaf. Despite an array of text-based communications mechanisms on the web, the Teldem is the only means of synchronous telecommunication available to a deaf person. We examine a human-assisted relay that provides a bridge between the deaf and the hearing, and then propose several additional bridges. These bridges take advantage of both standard and cutting edge technologies. We present each bridge's impact on the deaf with respect to synchrony, connectivity, independence, and the Digital Divide. It is hoped that by deploying trials for each bridge, we can eventually provide the deaf with equal access. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/613 Files in this item: 1
GlaserTucker-SATNAC2001.pdf (146.9Kb) -
Akuupa, Michael (Forum Press, 2010)[more][less]
Abstract: Social scientists who have written about the dynamics of festival rituals have analysed such practices variously as celebrations of commonality, as the enhancement of social cohesion, or as expressions of nostalgia. Festivals have also been studied as spaces, where information is disseminated to the public. This paper demonstrates that in postcolonial Namibia, cultural festivals have become avenues where discourses of difference and belonging are emphasised and contested by local people, festival participants and state officials through a range of ethnic-cultural presentations. The paper is primarily concerned with the ‘making’ of Kavango identity as distinctively different from that of other ethnic groups in postcolonial Namibia. This process takes place in a particular political space, that of the culture festivals, which the state has organised and staged since the mid-1990s. Every year during the Annual National Culture Festivals representatives of Namibia’s various ethnic groups gather to ‘showcase’ and express their diversity. Representatives of the state have time and again emphasised, couched in a discourse of ‘unity in diversity’, the importance of bringing together the country’s previously segregated population groups. The paper shows that while the performers act out diversity through dance and other forms of cultural exhibition, the importance of belonging to the nation and a larger constituency is simultaneously highlighted. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/639 Files in this item: 1
AkuupaCulturalFestivals2010.pdf (248.7Kb) -
Du Toit, Darcy (Sage Publications, 2001)[more][less]
Abstract: The paper is concerned with the practical question of the circumstances under which measures which might otherwise have amounted to unfair discrimination will amount to affirmative action and will therefore be lawful. It addressed a number of conceptual issues, including where the affirmative action should be understood as a limitation on the right to equality or the expression thereof; and the differing interpretations of discrimination by Langa DP and Sachs J in City Council of Pretoria v Walker, in both cases preferring the latter approach. Reviewing the relevant case law up to May 2000, it considers whether the approach laid down by the High Court in Public Servants Association of SA v Minister of Justice can survive the promulgation of the final Constitution and the Employment Equity Act. It also doubts whether the requirement of individual disadvantage in respect of affirmative action measures is (still) appropriate and suggest that underrepresentation of groups that suffered unfair discrimination is a prefereble criterion. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/643 Files in this item: 1
DuToitAffirmativeAction2001.pdf (212.2Kb)