Working remotely: determining the influence on mental wellbeing of leaders within the banking industry during COVID-19 pandemic
- Authors: Marran, Karen
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Flexible work arrangements , Virtual work teams -- Management , Employees -- Mental health -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/70111 , vital:78300
- Description: The COVID-19 pandemic forced employees in the banking industry in South Africa to work remotely, which resulted in significant changes to their work environment. Previously, employees worked from branches and regional offices, however, during COVID-19 lockdown, employees had to transform their homes into office spaces. This sudden shift brought about challenges such as blurred boundaries between personal and professional life, and isolation for leaders who previously enjoyed dynamic work environments; moreover, leaders experienced increased stress and pressure to navigate the uncertainties of the pandemic while maintaining a strong face for their teams. The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of remote work on the mental wellbeing of leaders in the banking industry, specifically focusing on a large financial institution in South Africa. The study aims to provide recommendations to improve leadership mental wellbeing within the organisation. The researcher used positivism as the research philosophy, for its emphasis on objectivity, empirical evidence, and the use of quantitative research methods. The chosen research design was correlation, as it allowed for the examination of relationships between variables or sets of scores. Quantitative research was preferred, for this study, for its systematic and objective analysis of a large sample size. The target demographic consisted of 2500 leaders, nationwide, who worked as regional or branch managers for financial institutions in South Africa. The study employed a simple random sampling approach, as this ensured an equal chance of selection for each member of the target population. A total of 126 participants successfully completed the survey. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the collected data into graphs and tables, so as to determine relationships and patterns within the data. Inferential statistics were used to derive predictions or generalisations from the data collected on the target group. The respondents reported that they had positive encounters with their leaders who provided recommendations, support, problem-solving, and listened to their private feelings. They were happy with their jobs, had clear career paths, and knew their job requirements. The respondents believed the company communicated its goals and strategy well. They also indicated that they had good workspace conditions, as well as access to video conferencing, software, and messaging services. Respondents emphasised job autonomy and control — that is, being able to decide how to do their jobs and communicate. They found their work satisfying and were comfortable voicing their thoughts, even if they disagreed with others. They valued personal growth, positive relationships, purpose and meaning in life, and self-acceptance. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of remote work, self-care, and meaningful relationships. The participants provided financial institutions with suggestions for improvement; these include addressing staffing shortages, balancing office and remote work, promoting collaboration, and enhancing customer service. Based on the primary findings, the key recommendation for this study is that financial institutions prioritise employee well-being and work-life balance. This can be achieved by addressing staffing shortages, offering flexible hours and wellness programs, and creating a supportive environment for both office and remote work. It is also important to promote collaboration and communication between remote and office-based employees in order to overcome any divide. Continuous improvement and adaptation are crucial to success, including staying ahead of technological advancements and improving customer service and engagement. In addition, recognising and supporting employee success, fostering trust, and investing in technology and infrastructure are important for efficient operations. Adopting the recommendations provided by the respondents can bring several benefits to financial institutions. These benefits include increased job satisfaction, improved workspace suitability, enhanced job autonomy, and better communication of goals and strategies. Adopting the recommendations can also lead to positive encounters with leaders, better problem-solving abilities, and improved listening to private feelings. Moreover, organisations can experience increased productivity, better work-life balance, and improved mental health amongst employees. The recommendations also emphasise the importance of fostering trust, supporting personal and professional growth, and promoting collaboration and communication. Overall, adopting these recommendations can contribute to a positive work environment and the overall wellbeing of employees. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Business School, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Marran, Karen
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Flexible work arrangements , Virtual work teams -- Management , Employees -- Mental health -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/70111 , vital:78300
- Description: The COVID-19 pandemic forced employees in the banking industry in South Africa to work remotely, which resulted in significant changes to their work environment. Previously, employees worked from branches and regional offices, however, during COVID-19 lockdown, employees had to transform their homes into office spaces. This sudden shift brought about challenges such as blurred boundaries between personal and professional life, and isolation for leaders who previously enjoyed dynamic work environments; moreover, leaders experienced increased stress and pressure to navigate the uncertainties of the pandemic while maintaining a strong face for their teams. The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of remote work on the mental wellbeing of leaders in the banking industry, specifically focusing on a large financial institution in South Africa. The study aims to provide recommendations to improve leadership mental wellbeing within the organisation. The researcher used positivism as the research philosophy, for its emphasis on objectivity, empirical evidence, and the use of quantitative research methods. The chosen research design was correlation, as it allowed for the examination of relationships between variables or sets of scores. Quantitative research was preferred, for this study, for its systematic and objective analysis of a large sample size. The target demographic consisted of 2500 leaders, nationwide, who worked as regional or branch managers for financial institutions in South Africa. The study employed a simple random sampling approach, as this ensured an equal chance of selection for each member of the target population. A total of 126 participants successfully completed the survey. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the collected data into graphs and tables, so as to determine relationships and patterns within the data. Inferential statistics were used to derive predictions or generalisations from the data collected on the target group. The respondents reported that they had positive encounters with their leaders who provided recommendations, support, problem-solving, and listened to their private feelings. They were happy with their jobs, had clear career paths, and knew their job requirements. The respondents believed the company communicated its goals and strategy well. They also indicated that they had good workspace conditions, as well as access to video conferencing, software, and messaging services. Respondents emphasised job autonomy and control — that is, being able to decide how to do their jobs and communicate. They found their work satisfying and were comfortable voicing their thoughts, even if they disagreed with others. They valued personal growth, positive relationships, purpose and meaning in life, and self-acceptance. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of remote work, self-care, and meaningful relationships. The participants provided financial institutions with suggestions for improvement; these include addressing staffing shortages, balancing office and remote work, promoting collaboration, and enhancing customer service. Based on the primary findings, the key recommendation for this study is that financial institutions prioritise employee well-being and work-life balance. This can be achieved by addressing staffing shortages, offering flexible hours and wellness programs, and creating a supportive environment for both office and remote work. It is also important to promote collaboration and communication between remote and office-based employees in order to overcome any divide. Continuous improvement and adaptation are crucial to success, including staying ahead of technological advancements and improving customer service and engagement. In addition, recognising and supporting employee success, fostering trust, and investing in technology and infrastructure are important for efficient operations. Adopting the recommendations provided by the respondents can bring several benefits to financial institutions. These benefits include increased job satisfaction, improved workspace suitability, enhanced job autonomy, and better communication of goals and strategies. Adopting the recommendations can also lead to positive encounters with leaders, better problem-solving abilities, and improved listening to private feelings. Moreover, organisations can experience increased productivity, better work-life balance, and improved mental health amongst employees. The recommendations also emphasise the importance of fostering trust, supporting personal and professional growth, and promoting collaboration and communication. Overall, adopting these recommendations can contribute to a positive work environment and the overall wellbeing of employees. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Business School, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Young adults’ use of social media platforms in maintaining passion and intimacy within romantic love relationships
- Authors: Maytham, Lauren
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Intimacy (Psychology) , Young adults , Online dating
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69816 , vital:78037
- Description: As technology has advanced, social media platforms have multiplied worldwide, allowing individuals to remain in contact with loved ones near and far. Despite the separation caused by distance, individuals can connect with each other, with social media playing an important role in developing and maintaining modern relationships. This, too, with romantic relationships. Existing research often overlooks the lived experiences of young adults maintaining romantic relationships through social media platforms in South Africa. This study addresses this gap by understanding how social media platforms enhance passion and intimacy, offering insights into the complexities of relationships. Young adults can interact with their romantic partners and explore alternative ways to maintain intimacy and passion when they are not physically together. The primary aim of this research is to understand the lived experiences of young adults who use social media platforms to maintain romantic love relationships. To pursue this aim, the researcher employed a qualitative phenomenological research design with a sample of eight participants, consisting of young adults aged 18 to 35. The participants were obtained using purposive and snowball sampling. The data was collected via online interviews utilising in-depth interviews. The data from participants' interviews was categorised, transcribed, and analysed for themes using Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis. The researcher adhered to ethical principles throughout the research. The findings revealed that routine interactions, such as messaging and video calls, are essential in maintaining relational stability and intimacy. Moreover, social media enhances passion by facilitating the sharing of romantic content, which in turn builds anticipation for physical reunions. However, maintaining privacy and boundaries is essential, requiring mutual understanding and respect. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Behavioural & Lifestyle Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Maytham, Lauren
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Intimacy (Psychology) , Young adults , Online dating
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69816 , vital:78037
- Description: As technology has advanced, social media platforms have multiplied worldwide, allowing individuals to remain in contact with loved ones near and far. Despite the separation caused by distance, individuals can connect with each other, with social media playing an important role in developing and maintaining modern relationships. This, too, with romantic relationships. Existing research often overlooks the lived experiences of young adults maintaining romantic relationships through social media platforms in South Africa. This study addresses this gap by understanding how social media platforms enhance passion and intimacy, offering insights into the complexities of relationships. Young adults can interact with their romantic partners and explore alternative ways to maintain intimacy and passion when they are not physically together. The primary aim of this research is to understand the lived experiences of young adults who use social media platforms to maintain romantic love relationships. To pursue this aim, the researcher employed a qualitative phenomenological research design with a sample of eight participants, consisting of young adults aged 18 to 35. The participants were obtained using purposive and snowball sampling. The data was collected via online interviews utilising in-depth interviews. The data from participants' interviews was categorised, transcribed, and analysed for themes using Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis. The researcher adhered to ethical principles throughout the research. The findings revealed that routine interactions, such as messaging and video calls, are essential in maintaining relational stability and intimacy. Moreover, social media enhances passion by facilitating the sharing of romantic content, which in turn builds anticipation for physical reunions. However, maintaining privacy and boundaries is essential, requiring mutual understanding and respect. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Behavioural & Lifestyle Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Development of an innovative strategy to address child sexual abuse investigation delays in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Nqaphi, Sivuyile
- Date: 2024-11
- Subjects: Child sexual abuse -- Investigation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sexually abused children , Sexually abused children -- Legal status, laws, etc.
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/29999 , vital:80215
- Description: The research concentrated on establishing an approach to examine child sexual abuse cases in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The aim of the study was to identify the causes of delays in the investigation processes of child sexual abuse cases. The study further analysed the disputes among the child sexual abuse (CSA) actors , primarily concentrating on the duties and functions each fulfilled throughout the investigation of child sexual abuse cases. Additionally, the ecosystem theory was employed as a theoretical framework to dissect the major core issues within the study. A qualitative research methodology employing a case study design was implemented within an Intervention Research paradigm. The study utilised a purposive sampling strategy to recruit individuals with specific competence and knowledge of child sexual abuse investigations, providing a diverse cohort comprising law enforcement personnel, social workers, legal experts, and healthcare specialists. A total of 68 people were interviewed, comprising 30 from the SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Investigations Unit, 14 from governmental stakeholder groups, 4 from non-governmental organisations, 3 from private social workers and psychologists, and 17 participants in focus group discussions. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, followed by thematic analysis. The study found that several participants expressed apprehensions over the lack of social workers to aid the forensic assessment of the victims. In contrast, others highlighted issues related to DNA collection and the absence of crime kits for procuring buccal samples (cheek swabs). The researcher discovered that the NPA and SAPS possess investigative aids; , there is a deficiency in these aids, which are also inadequately maintained. In such instances, it obstructs the investigative process. Many interviewees identified the scarcity of human and physical resources as a challenge, citing insufficient personnel and vehicles for investigating child sexual abuse cases. The extended duration required to get DNA forensic results is a significant obstacle despite the substantial dependence of prosecutors and courts on such evidence, especially in cases involving juvenile victims. Interviews with participants revealed inadequate directives, policies, or protocols to guide the stakeholders. They further underscored the deficiency of collaboration and comprehension among stakeholders, which complicates the provision of services such as counselling and placement for sexually assaulted children. It is possible to draw the conclusion that there are difficulties in addressing the issue of child sexual abuse due to a confluence of factors, one of which is a deficiency of resources to address the issue. In addition, it is suggested that there should be a collective coordination among the various actors that can be found within the value chain in order to ensure the proper implementation of the procedure that is required to speed up investigations. The proposal of a joint child sexual abuse investigation model to be developed from the study. Thus, the research recommends that a pilot study be conducted to implement the proposed model. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-11
- Authors: Nqaphi, Sivuyile
- Date: 2024-11
- Subjects: Child sexual abuse -- Investigation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sexually abused children , Sexually abused children -- Legal status, laws, etc.
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/29999 , vital:80215
- Description: The research concentrated on establishing an approach to examine child sexual abuse cases in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The aim of the study was to identify the causes of delays in the investigation processes of child sexual abuse cases. The study further analysed the disputes among the child sexual abuse (CSA) actors , primarily concentrating on the duties and functions each fulfilled throughout the investigation of child sexual abuse cases. Additionally, the ecosystem theory was employed as a theoretical framework to dissect the major core issues within the study. A qualitative research methodology employing a case study design was implemented within an Intervention Research paradigm. The study utilised a purposive sampling strategy to recruit individuals with specific competence and knowledge of child sexual abuse investigations, providing a diverse cohort comprising law enforcement personnel, social workers, legal experts, and healthcare specialists. A total of 68 people were interviewed, comprising 30 from the SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Investigations Unit, 14 from governmental stakeholder groups, 4 from non-governmental organisations, 3 from private social workers and psychologists, and 17 participants in focus group discussions. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, followed by thematic analysis. The study found that several participants expressed apprehensions over the lack of social workers to aid the forensic assessment of the victims. In contrast, others highlighted issues related to DNA collection and the absence of crime kits for procuring buccal samples (cheek swabs). The researcher discovered that the NPA and SAPS possess investigative aids; , there is a deficiency in these aids, which are also inadequately maintained. In such instances, it obstructs the investigative process. Many interviewees identified the scarcity of human and physical resources as a challenge, citing insufficient personnel and vehicles for investigating child sexual abuse cases. The extended duration required to get DNA forensic results is a significant obstacle despite the substantial dependence of prosecutors and courts on such evidence, especially in cases involving juvenile victims. Interviews with participants revealed inadequate directives, policies, or protocols to guide the stakeholders. They further underscored the deficiency of collaboration and comprehension among stakeholders, which complicates the provision of services such as counselling and placement for sexually assaulted children. It is possible to draw the conclusion that there are difficulties in addressing the issue of child sexual abuse due to a confluence of factors, one of which is a deficiency of resources to address the issue. In addition, it is suggested that there should be a collective coordination among the various actors that can be found within the value chain in order to ensure the proper implementation of the procedure that is required to speed up investigations. The proposal of a joint child sexual abuse investigation model to be developed from the study. Thus, the research recommends that a pilot study be conducted to implement the proposed model. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-11
Resilience and sustainable reintegration of female survivors of human trafficking in Harare, Zimbabwe
- Authors: Kusemwa, Tapfumanei
- Date: 2024-11
- Subjects: Human trafficking victims -- Zimbabwe -- Harare , Psychic trauma -- Social aspects , Psychic trauma -- Law and legislation
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/29695 , vital:78872
- Description: The study explored the resilience and sustainable reintegration of female survivors of human trafficking who were repatriated to into their original communities in Zimbabwe. To achieve its goals the study had three objectives and the goals were, a) explore the individual (intrinsic) factors that promote development of psychosocial long-term resilience traits among reintegrated female survivors of human trafficking; b) determine the available community level factors (including indigenous knowledge systems) that support and influence the successful sustainable reintegration of female survivors of human trafficking and, c) assess the extent to which predefined national level post traumatic support policies, action plans, and initiatives for survivors predict and promote sustainable resilience among reintegrated survivors. The exploration was guided by the Resilience Theory. This theory offers a useful lens through which the issue was studied within the qualitative research methodology. Semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and observations were used to collect data. Twenty (20) survivors of trafficking were interviewed in addition ro twenty (20) survivors if human trafficking were interviewed for the study and divided as follows: ten (10) relatives and or acquaintances of the victims at community level, and ten (10) key informants drawn from technical persons in government and other independent organisations working in the areas of human trafficking. The victims of human trafficking were selected using the information power model while the key informants were selected using purposive sampling. Data gathered were analysed using the thematic analysis. Findings from the study indicate that resilience is a process rather than a fixed attribute of a given person. Some individuals show resilience across a wide range of circumstances and outcomes; however, it cannot be assumed that the same features and circumstances can be protective and lead to resilience in light of all risks faced during human trafficking. To survive and be able to continue with their lives and in the end realise sustainable livelihoods, there are intrinsic or individual factors that promote the development of psychosocial long-term resilience among survivors of human trafficking. The study recommends that there is need for more improved legislation and government led efforts in helping the survivors. This can be achieved through the adoption of a Trafficking in Persons Case Management System proposed in this study. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2025
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-11
- Authors: Kusemwa, Tapfumanei
- Date: 2024-11
- Subjects: Human trafficking victims -- Zimbabwe -- Harare , Psychic trauma -- Social aspects , Psychic trauma -- Law and legislation
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/29695 , vital:78872
- Description: The study explored the resilience and sustainable reintegration of female survivors of human trafficking who were repatriated to into their original communities in Zimbabwe. To achieve its goals the study had three objectives and the goals were, a) explore the individual (intrinsic) factors that promote development of psychosocial long-term resilience traits among reintegrated female survivors of human trafficking; b) determine the available community level factors (including indigenous knowledge systems) that support and influence the successful sustainable reintegration of female survivors of human trafficking and, c) assess the extent to which predefined national level post traumatic support policies, action plans, and initiatives for survivors predict and promote sustainable resilience among reintegrated survivors. The exploration was guided by the Resilience Theory. This theory offers a useful lens through which the issue was studied within the qualitative research methodology. Semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and observations were used to collect data. Twenty (20) survivors of trafficking were interviewed in addition ro twenty (20) survivors if human trafficking were interviewed for the study and divided as follows: ten (10) relatives and or acquaintances of the victims at community level, and ten (10) key informants drawn from technical persons in government and other independent organisations working in the areas of human trafficking. The victims of human trafficking were selected using the information power model while the key informants were selected using purposive sampling. Data gathered were analysed using the thematic analysis. Findings from the study indicate that resilience is a process rather than a fixed attribute of a given person. Some individuals show resilience across a wide range of circumstances and outcomes; however, it cannot be assumed that the same features and circumstances can be protective and lead to resilience in light of all risks faced during human trafficking. To survive and be able to continue with their lives and in the end realise sustainable livelihoods, there are intrinsic or individual factors that promote the development of psychosocial long-term resilience among survivors of human trafficking. The study recommends that there is need for more improved legislation and government led efforts in helping the survivors. This can be achieved through the adoption of a Trafficking in Persons Case Management System proposed in this study. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2025
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-11
(In)security communities in Africa: small arms and light weapons norm compliance by the economic community of West African states
- Authors: Pokoo, John Mark
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/467093 , vital:76814
- Description: Access restricted. Expected release in 2026. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Political and International Studies, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Pokoo, John Mark
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/467093 , vital:76814
- Description: Access restricted. Expected release in 2026. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Political and International Studies, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A case study of GADRA’s community-engaged praxis for educational transformation
- Authors: Msomi, Nqobile Nomonde
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Non-governmental organizations South Africa , Community psychology , Afrocentrism , Foucauldian discourse analysis , Education South Africa , Transformative learning South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464864 , vital:76552 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/464864
- Description: Although South Africa has achieved considerable steps in development over the last thirty years, post-apartheid South Africa is characterised by widespread poverty, high unemployment and systemic inequality. According to the country’s National Planning Commission, education is central to achieving the overarching democratic goals of eliminating poverty and reducing inequality. This positions education as an important site for the liberation and well-being of our country’s majority. This case study takes a community psychology perspective on education; more specifically the education-development nexus wherein Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are centrally positioned. NGOs are contentiously positioned in the development discourse. Nonetheless, they have played a key role with regards to siding with the poor, the excluded, persistently marginalised and oppressed majority and to bringing about social justice, following South Africa’s colonial and apartheid histories, as well as in the current democratic dispensation. This study situates a local NGO, GADRA Education, within the country’s socio-political and educational landscape. Founded in the 1950s and located in Makhanda, it has been operating in the rural Eastern Cape province for more than sixty years. In the present-day, GADRA Education positions itself at the centre of a dense network of education institutions in Makhanda, including Rhodes University, and collaborates with a number of education stakeholders in the small city. The case study consisted of two consecutive phases: a Foucauldian discourse analysis of GADRA’s annual reports between 2012 and 2021, followed by individual narrative interviews with 13 organisational members. An Africa(n)-centred community psychology orientation, revealed counter-discourse to the national “crisis in education” discourse surrounding the NGO. The discourse of crisis produced the legitimation for GADRA Education’s continued existence, action and embeddedness in Makhanda. The discourse of transformation informed their modes of support across primary, secondary and higher education. The discourse of access and participation constructed the NGO as a bridge and link between phases of education. The discourse of collaborative partnerships enabled solidarity between state and non-state actors towards educational change. Finally, the discourse of development positioned development at a grassroots level. These constellations formed GADRA Education’s counter-discourse, which produced the Organisation’s apparatus of resistance, formulated as situated praxis. The 5 organisational members’ narratives revealed the apparatus’s impacts on the subjectivities of youth in Makhanda in engendering hope and driving educational change in the city. In contrast to conceptions of education NGOs who work in the public schooling sector making little progress in dismantling educational inequity, this study illustrates the techniques of resistance leveraged, in the context of collaborative partnerships, by the local NGO. These techniques have wider applicability for education-development practitioners concerned with transformative change in their educational locales. It illustrates the principles and modes by which NGOs can operate in solidarity with the persistently marginalised majority, and thus contribute to shaping our imagined educational futures. I argue that psychology is a useful site to think about justice. Critical psychological theory can enable a deeper understanding of practice that contributes to impactful community organisation, intervention and resistance in the country’s education sector. The operationalisation of the values and principles of community psychology can make important contributions at the nexus of theory and practice in working towards educational, and ultimately social, change. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Msomi, Nqobile Nomonde
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Non-governmental organizations South Africa , Community psychology , Afrocentrism , Foucauldian discourse analysis , Education South Africa , Transformative learning South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464864 , vital:76552 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/464864
- Description: Although South Africa has achieved considerable steps in development over the last thirty years, post-apartheid South Africa is characterised by widespread poverty, high unemployment and systemic inequality. According to the country’s National Planning Commission, education is central to achieving the overarching democratic goals of eliminating poverty and reducing inequality. This positions education as an important site for the liberation and well-being of our country’s majority. This case study takes a community psychology perspective on education; more specifically the education-development nexus wherein Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are centrally positioned. NGOs are contentiously positioned in the development discourse. Nonetheless, they have played a key role with regards to siding with the poor, the excluded, persistently marginalised and oppressed majority and to bringing about social justice, following South Africa’s colonial and apartheid histories, as well as in the current democratic dispensation. This study situates a local NGO, GADRA Education, within the country’s socio-political and educational landscape. Founded in the 1950s and located in Makhanda, it has been operating in the rural Eastern Cape province for more than sixty years. In the present-day, GADRA Education positions itself at the centre of a dense network of education institutions in Makhanda, including Rhodes University, and collaborates with a number of education stakeholders in the small city. The case study consisted of two consecutive phases: a Foucauldian discourse analysis of GADRA’s annual reports between 2012 and 2021, followed by individual narrative interviews with 13 organisational members. An Africa(n)-centred community psychology orientation, revealed counter-discourse to the national “crisis in education” discourse surrounding the NGO. The discourse of crisis produced the legitimation for GADRA Education’s continued existence, action and embeddedness in Makhanda. The discourse of transformation informed their modes of support across primary, secondary and higher education. The discourse of access and participation constructed the NGO as a bridge and link between phases of education. The discourse of collaborative partnerships enabled solidarity between state and non-state actors towards educational change. Finally, the discourse of development positioned development at a grassroots level. These constellations formed GADRA Education’s counter-discourse, which produced the Organisation’s apparatus of resistance, formulated as situated praxis. The 5 organisational members’ narratives revealed the apparatus’s impacts on the subjectivities of youth in Makhanda in engendering hope and driving educational change in the city. In contrast to conceptions of education NGOs who work in the public schooling sector making little progress in dismantling educational inequity, this study illustrates the techniques of resistance leveraged, in the context of collaborative partnerships, by the local NGO. These techniques have wider applicability for education-development practitioners concerned with transformative change in their educational locales. It illustrates the principles and modes by which NGOs can operate in solidarity with the persistently marginalised majority, and thus contribute to shaping our imagined educational futures. I argue that psychology is a useful site to think about justice. Critical psychological theory can enable a deeper understanding of practice that contributes to impactful community organisation, intervention and resistance in the country’s education sector. The operationalisation of the values and principles of community psychology can make important contributions at the nexus of theory and practice in working towards educational, and ultimately social, change. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A conspiracy of silence: the authorial potential of full masks in performer training, dramaturgy and audience perception in South African visual theatre
- Authors: Murray, Robert Ian
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Liezl de Kock , People with disabilities and the performing arts , Experimental theater South Africa , Actors Training of , Theater for deaf people South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/467083 , vital:76813 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/467083
- Description: Silent Mask Theatre in South Africa has the potential to cut across linguistic divides and deliver a product that offers an intimate, unique experience for the audience as well as the actor. South Africa not only has a complicated history, but also 11 languages (12 if one counts South African Sign Language – SASL -, which still holds a curious position of being counted official or not), and the one that theatre-makers choose to present in gives a certain “authority” to the production. Silent masks remove the need for linguistic understanding, something necessary for more abstract thought, and focusses instead on the emotional relevance and interplay between characters. In doing so, it proves an important way to create relevance for an audience, creating a delicate dance between the Mask (character and thereby text), how the actor plays it, and then the closing of meaning through the audience experience. Thus, is created a trialogue between these elements that gives the production the opportunity to speak to the hearts and minds of the audience. Globally, the study of silent character masks is still relatively new, with proponents of it only coming to the fore in the past few years (Wilsher, 2007). Mask Theatre has grown exponentially in the UK and Europe with companies like Vamos Theatre, exploring PTSD in works like A Brave Face (2018) or death in Dead Good (2021), and Familie Flöz either on the more whimsical side like Hotel Paradiso (2011) or the more hard-hitting Infinito (2006), gaining popularity and exposure. In South Africa, there is strangely not an indigenous tradition of masks, as opposed to other parts of Africa. This is fascinating, and probably points towards a more “oral tradition” of South Africa/Africa. However, the author aims to point out the ways that the silent mask entered South African consciousness at a time where more attention was being paid to “performing objects” (Proschan, 1985), and particularly in Cape Town with the advent of the Out the Box Festival. This thesis aims to contextualise Visual Theatre and Mask Theatre in a South African context, seeing within it a movement towards a more global perspective of puppetry, material performances, and performing objects. Although “ghettoised” for a long time (Taylor, 2004), performing objects emerged and became a leading case for the primal “text” of a performance. Handspring Puppet Company, Janni Younge, and the author’s company, FTH:K, became primary grounds of contestation against more conventional, text-based theatre. Starting with a reflective account of the author’s journey towards masks, the thesis branches out into a reflection on its author’s pedagogical praxis, and how silent masks work, before critically reflecting on and analysing his key works, such as Pictures of You (2008-2013), which deals with home invasions and grief, and Benchmarks (2011), which deals with the wave of xenophobia that hit South Africa around that time. . This were built from the ground up, working with current issues both in the author’s, and the country’s, mileau. In the last two decades, performing object work in South Africa has begun to flourish. This is the first thesis to investigate mask work in the country during this period. Its possibilities for Screen and Stage Acting are still being explored. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Drama, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Murray, Robert Ian
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Liezl de Kock , People with disabilities and the performing arts , Experimental theater South Africa , Actors Training of , Theater for deaf people South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/467083 , vital:76813 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/467083
- Description: Silent Mask Theatre in South Africa has the potential to cut across linguistic divides and deliver a product that offers an intimate, unique experience for the audience as well as the actor. South Africa not only has a complicated history, but also 11 languages (12 if one counts South African Sign Language – SASL -, which still holds a curious position of being counted official or not), and the one that theatre-makers choose to present in gives a certain “authority” to the production. Silent masks remove the need for linguistic understanding, something necessary for more abstract thought, and focusses instead on the emotional relevance and interplay between characters. In doing so, it proves an important way to create relevance for an audience, creating a delicate dance between the Mask (character and thereby text), how the actor plays it, and then the closing of meaning through the audience experience. Thus, is created a trialogue between these elements that gives the production the opportunity to speak to the hearts and minds of the audience. Globally, the study of silent character masks is still relatively new, with proponents of it only coming to the fore in the past few years (Wilsher, 2007). Mask Theatre has grown exponentially in the UK and Europe with companies like Vamos Theatre, exploring PTSD in works like A Brave Face (2018) or death in Dead Good (2021), and Familie Flöz either on the more whimsical side like Hotel Paradiso (2011) or the more hard-hitting Infinito (2006), gaining popularity and exposure. In South Africa, there is strangely not an indigenous tradition of masks, as opposed to other parts of Africa. This is fascinating, and probably points towards a more “oral tradition” of South Africa/Africa. However, the author aims to point out the ways that the silent mask entered South African consciousness at a time where more attention was being paid to “performing objects” (Proschan, 1985), and particularly in Cape Town with the advent of the Out the Box Festival. This thesis aims to contextualise Visual Theatre and Mask Theatre in a South African context, seeing within it a movement towards a more global perspective of puppetry, material performances, and performing objects. Although “ghettoised” for a long time (Taylor, 2004), performing objects emerged and became a leading case for the primal “text” of a performance. Handspring Puppet Company, Janni Younge, and the author’s company, FTH:K, became primary grounds of contestation against more conventional, text-based theatre. Starting with a reflective account of the author’s journey towards masks, the thesis branches out into a reflection on its author’s pedagogical praxis, and how silent masks work, before critically reflecting on and analysing his key works, such as Pictures of You (2008-2013), which deals with home invasions and grief, and Benchmarks (2011), which deals with the wave of xenophobia that hit South Africa around that time. . This were built from the ground up, working with current issues both in the author’s, and the country’s, mileau. In the last two decades, performing object work in South Africa has begun to flourish. This is the first thesis to investigate mask work in the country during this period. Its possibilities for Screen and Stage Acting are still being explored. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Drama, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A content analysis of the framing and representation of Black Lives Matter protests by South African mainstream media
- Authors: Manyike, Lerato Gladys
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Black lives matter movement , Social movements South Africa , Race in mass media South Africa , Frames (Sociology) , Race discrimination South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465799 , vital:76654
- Description: This study conducted a detailed analysis of 277 headlines using content analysis, focusing on how News24 portrays racial protests, particularly within the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. It explored News24's coverage of BLM protests from March to December 2020, uncovering various framing strategies and language nuances in news headlines. The research aimed to identify thematic frames, linguistic patterns, and overall media framing of BLM protests. The findings highlighted different framing strategies, including legitimising, conflict, and delegitimizing frames, along with the impact of descriptive language on audience perceptions. The study concluded that media framing is dynamic, responding to evolving events and public discourse, and provided recommendations for media transparency, diversity in newsrooms, media literacy, and ethical reporting. Future research suggestions include comparative analyses, audience reception studies, and policy impact assessments to deepen understanding and inform strategic interventions in media representations and public discourse on racial justice. Overall, the study contributes valuable insights into media framing practices and their impact on societal perceptions of racial justice issues. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Manyike, Lerato Gladys
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Black lives matter movement , Social movements South Africa , Race in mass media South Africa , Frames (Sociology) , Race discrimination South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465799 , vital:76654
- Description: This study conducted a detailed analysis of 277 headlines using content analysis, focusing on how News24 portrays racial protests, particularly within the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. It explored News24's coverage of BLM protests from March to December 2020, uncovering various framing strategies and language nuances in news headlines. The research aimed to identify thematic frames, linguistic patterns, and overall media framing of BLM protests. The findings highlighted different framing strategies, including legitimising, conflict, and delegitimizing frames, along with the impact of descriptive language on audience perceptions. The study concluded that media framing is dynamic, responding to evolving events and public discourse, and provided recommendations for media transparency, diversity in newsrooms, media literacy, and ethical reporting. Future research suggestions include comparative analyses, audience reception studies, and policy impact assessments to deepen understanding and inform strategic interventions in media representations and public discourse on racial justice. Overall, the study contributes valuable insights into media framing practices and their impact on societal perceptions of racial justice issues. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A decision support tool for equitable and sustainable water management in the Koue Bokkeveld
- Authors: Tholanah, Rodney Simbarashe
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Water-supply Management Mathematical models , Multiagent systems , Discrete modelling , Software quality engineering , Verification and validation , Agriculture Mathematical models
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464344 , vital:76503
- Description: Water is an important natural resource with multiple domestic and industrial uses. South Africa has a water scarcity problem, with domestic and industrial demand projected to increase due to population growth. One affected area is the Koue Bokkeveld (KBV), an agricultural catchment in the Western Cape. Water scarcity, especially in the summer, can cause conflicts among the farmers. This study sought to determine the extent to which Agent-Based (AB) modelling could be used to model the KBV catchment area and simulate future climate and usage scenarios. The study used the ComMod methodology as it allows stakeholders to be involved at each step of the modelling process, thus improving the model’s credibility as a decision-support tool (DST). The model was implemented using Cormas, an Agent-Based Model (ABM) implementation framework built with the Smalltalk language. The model was verified and validated through consultations with the catchment coordinator and through workshops with stakeholders. The ABM reflected the catchment characteristics. Farms known to have water shortages had water shortages in the ABM. However, there was one that did not have shortages, which is attributed to land use change. The ABM was used to run multiple simulation scenarios, and it provides simulation results at the crop field, farm and catchment levels, which allows the ABM to be used as a bottom-up DST. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Computer Science, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Tholanah, Rodney Simbarashe
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Water-supply Management Mathematical models , Multiagent systems , Discrete modelling , Software quality engineering , Verification and validation , Agriculture Mathematical models
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464344 , vital:76503
- Description: Water is an important natural resource with multiple domestic and industrial uses. South Africa has a water scarcity problem, with domestic and industrial demand projected to increase due to population growth. One affected area is the Koue Bokkeveld (KBV), an agricultural catchment in the Western Cape. Water scarcity, especially in the summer, can cause conflicts among the farmers. This study sought to determine the extent to which Agent-Based (AB) modelling could be used to model the KBV catchment area and simulate future climate and usage scenarios. The study used the ComMod methodology as it allows stakeholders to be involved at each step of the modelling process, thus improving the model’s credibility as a decision-support tool (DST). The model was implemented using Cormas, an Agent-Based Model (ABM) implementation framework built with the Smalltalk language. The model was verified and validated through consultations with the catchment coordinator and through workshops with stakeholders. The ABM reflected the catchment characteristics. Farms known to have water shortages had water shortages in the ABM. However, there was one that did not have shortages, which is attributed to land use change. The ABM was used to run multiple simulation scenarios, and it provides simulation results at the crop field, farm and catchment levels, which allows the ABM to be used as a bottom-up DST. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Computer Science, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A descriptive study of lead arm muscle activation patterns during cricket batting
- Authors: McCarthy, Ryan Aidan
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Cricket Batting , Muscle contraction , Elbow , Wrist , Forearm , Cricket players , School sports
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464754 , vital:76542
- Description: Introduction: Kinematic studies identify elbow extension and wrist flexion as key movements for bat swinging speed during cricket batting. Knowledge of lead arm muscle activation during cricket batting may provide a greater understanding of the mechanics leading to the generation of faster bat speed. Aim: The current investigation aimed to determine selected muscle activation of cricketer's lead arm, maximum bat swinging speed and angular separation of the pelvis and thorax in the transverse plane (known as the X-angle) during a distance-hitting batting protocol. Materials and Methods: 12 cricket players playing for a South African school 1st XI school team aged 16-19 years completed a distance-hitting batting protocol. Due to issues in data recording two participants' data was excluded leading to 10 participants being kept in the final analyses.Participants attempted to hit straight lofted drives while facing full-length deliveries at 80-100 km.h-1 from a bowling machine. Each participant faced 12-24 balls split into overs while lead arm muscle activation, bat speed, and angle of lead-elbow flexion were recorded. Each participant's elbow and wrist flexors and extensors were monitored by electromyography (EMG) units while they batted. The EMG units were placed on the wrist flexor and extensor origins and on Triceps and Biceps Brachii. Muscle activation for each muscle was recorded in millivolts (mv) and divided by the maximum measurement of voluntary muscle activation to determine the percentage of maximum voluntary contraction (%MVC) during each shot. Percentage MVC for batting phases of backlift, downswing, contact and follow-through were averaged to compare average %MVC per muscle across all batters and obtain inter-participant variability. Lead arm elbow angle and the %MVC of the elbow and wrist muscles will be compared between successful and unsuccessful shots for analysis. Each participant's lead arm elbow angle was monitored in degrees of flexion by a goniometer placed across the anterior aspect of the elbow joint. Due to the data not having a normal distribution, non-parametric tests were used to establish the variance between dependent variables. To determine the effect of multiple groups on the independent variables a Kruskal-Wallis test for ANOVA was used. Where significant differences were identified, multiple pairwise comparisons were completed to determine where the differences occurred. Results: Successful Lofted straight drives (32 shots) were compared to unsuccessful shots (101 shots) across all participants. Participants and batting phase were found to be significantly different for lead arm elbow angle and muscle activation however shot type was not found to be significantly different. Meaning that lead arm elbow angle and muscle activation differ based on the participant observed or based on the batting phase observed. The backswing phase recorded a higher amount of elbow flexion (155.25°) for Lofted straight drive compared to unsuccessful shots (157.86°) and lower activation across all muscles for Lofted straight drive. The lofted straight drive had a higher amount of elbow flexion (129.52°) compared to unsuccessful shots (149.24°) for the downswing phase and muscle activation was similar with greater variation for unsuccessful shots. At contact Lofted straight drive had a higher amount of elbow flexion (153.44° v 160.13°), and higher activation in the Biceps brachii (34.61% v 28.41%) and Triceps brachii (51.07% v 43.02%). For the follow-through phase Lofted straight drives had a higher amount of elbow flexion (144.87° v 149.59°) and greater Forearm extensor activation (37.13% v 31.28%). There was a large variation across all phases (coefitient of variation between 8.79%-70.28%) with backswing having the least variation and contact having the greatest. Meaning that the backswing phase is fairly predictable for batters and the contact phase is highly variable. Conclusion: Muscle activation increased in the last few milliseconds before contact. The Forearm extensor had the greatest activation during the backswing and follow-through phases. During the downswing phase, Forearm flexors had the greatest activation and at contact, the Triceps brachii had the greatest activation. This study emphasizes the importance of forearm and elbow muscle for batting. Appropriate strengthening of the muscles could also help a batter execute a powerful lofted drive. Future studies with objective measures linked to batting success in prior studies can build on the importance of these findings for batter success. This study provides insight into individual batter techniques and identifies important topics for future research. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Human Kinetics and Ergonomics, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: McCarthy, Ryan Aidan
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Cricket Batting , Muscle contraction , Elbow , Wrist , Forearm , Cricket players , School sports
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464754 , vital:76542
- Description: Introduction: Kinematic studies identify elbow extension and wrist flexion as key movements for bat swinging speed during cricket batting. Knowledge of lead arm muscle activation during cricket batting may provide a greater understanding of the mechanics leading to the generation of faster bat speed. Aim: The current investigation aimed to determine selected muscle activation of cricketer's lead arm, maximum bat swinging speed and angular separation of the pelvis and thorax in the transverse plane (known as the X-angle) during a distance-hitting batting protocol. Materials and Methods: 12 cricket players playing for a South African school 1st XI school team aged 16-19 years completed a distance-hitting batting protocol. Due to issues in data recording two participants' data was excluded leading to 10 participants being kept in the final analyses.Participants attempted to hit straight lofted drives while facing full-length deliveries at 80-100 km.h-1 from a bowling machine. Each participant faced 12-24 balls split into overs while lead arm muscle activation, bat speed, and angle of lead-elbow flexion were recorded. Each participant's elbow and wrist flexors and extensors were monitored by electromyography (EMG) units while they batted. The EMG units were placed on the wrist flexor and extensor origins and on Triceps and Biceps Brachii. Muscle activation for each muscle was recorded in millivolts (mv) and divided by the maximum measurement of voluntary muscle activation to determine the percentage of maximum voluntary contraction (%MVC) during each shot. Percentage MVC for batting phases of backlift, downswing, contact and follow-through were averaged to compare average %MVC per muscle across all batters and obtain inter-participant variability. Lead arm elbow angle and the %MVC of the elbow and wrist muscles will be compared between successful and unsuccessful shots for analysis. Each participant's lead arm elbow angle was monitored in degrees of flexion by a goniometer placed across the anterior aspect of the elbow joint. Due to the data not having a normal distribution, non-parametric tests were used to establish the variance between dependent variables. To determine the effect of multiple groups on the independent variables a Kruskal-Wallis test for ANOVA was used. Where significant differences were identified, multiple pairwise comparisons were completed to determine where the differences occurred. Results: Successful Lofted straight drives (32 shots) were compared to unsuccessful shots (101 shots) across all participants. Participants and batting phase were found to be significantly different for lead arm elbow angle and muscle activation however shot type was not found to be significantly different. Meaning that lead arm elbow angle and muscle activation differ based on the participant observed or based on the batting phase observed. The backswing phase recorded a higher amount of elbow flexion (155.25°) for Lofted straight drive compared to unsuccessful shots (157.86°) and lower activation across all muscles for Lofted straight drive. The lofted straight drive had a higher amount of elbow flexion (129.52°) compared to unsuccessful shots (149.24°) for the downswing phase and muscle activation was similar with greater variation for unsuccessful shots. At contact Lofted straight drive had a higher amount of elbow flexion (153.44° v 160.13°), and higher activation in the Biceps brachii (34.61% v 28.41%) and Triceps brachii (51.07% v 43.02%). For the follow-through phase Lofted straight drives had a higher amount of elbow flexion (144.87° v 149.59°) and greater Forearm extensor activation (37.13% v 31.28%). There was a large variation across all phases (coefitient of variation between 8.79%-70.28%) with backswing having the least variation and contact having the greatest. Meaning that the backswing phase is fairly predictable for batters and the contact phase is highly variable. Conclusion: Muscle activation increased in the last few milliseconds before contact. The Forearm extensor had the greatest activation during the backswing and follow-through phases. During the downswing phase, Forearm flexors had the greatest activation and at contact, the Triceps brachii had the greatest activation. This study emphasizes the importance of forearm and elbow muscle for batting. Appropriate strengthening of the muscles could also help a batter execute a powerful lofted drive. Future studies with objective measures linked to batting success in prior studies can build on the importance of these findings for batter success. This study provides insight into individual batter techniques and identifies important topics for future research. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Human Kinetics and Ergonomics, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A house accursed: reconsidering Sophocles’ sisters, Antigone & Ismene
- Authors: Fox, Peta Ann , Sophocles
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Ismene (Greek mythology) , Antigone (Greek mythological figure) , Electra (Greek mythological figure) , Chrysothemis , Greek tragedy , Sisters in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/467028 , vital:76808 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/467028
- Description: Traditionally, Ismene’s refusal to help Antigone bury their brother in Sophocles’ Antigone tends to be regarded only in relation to Antigone’s own remarkable bravery. Antigone exists on the heroic level, Ismene on the ordinary; Antigone is courageous, Ismene is timid and submissive; Antigone is an idealist and an individualist, Ismene is convention and herd-bound. Ismene is, in many ways, presented as the antithesis of Antigone and Sophocles does indeed make use of her character as a foil to Antigone, but this thesis will argue that the relation between the two sisters is far more complicated than a dichotomous contrast between ‘extraordinary heroine’ and ‘average woman’. Like Antigone, Ismene is very much a character in her own right, and her emotions, motivations and impulses are every bit as realised and compelling as Antigone’s own. Both sisters have been deeply affected by the tragic misfortunes of their family, but their sad history affects each sister quite differently. Whereas Antigone’s instinctive reaction to Creon’s edict is a furious determination not to tolerate any further dishonour, Ismene’s equally instinctive reaction is to avoid the pattern of self-destructive inwardness that has plagued their family for generations. By offering a comprehensive re-examination of the key passages that have informed our critical reception of Ismene and the nature of her relationship with Antigone, this study aims to disrupt the established, and largely prejudiced, reading of Ismene as a model of feminine timidity and submission. Although Ismene is certainly no grand tragic heroine, titling the theoretical focus away from the death-oriented extremism of Antigone towards a more balanced consideration of the so-called ‘weaker sister’ not only allows for new insights into the nature of Sophoclean tragedy, but also challenges the very basis on which Ismene has so often been dismissed in favour of her more intrepid sister: the pervasive assumption that Sophocles has only given us one sister who is willing to risk her life for a principle. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Fox, Peta Ann , Sophocles
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Ismene (Greek mythology) , Antigone (Greek mythological figure) , Electra (Greek mythological figure) , Chrysothemis , Greek tragedy , Sisters in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/467028 , vital:76808 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/467028
- Description: Traditionally, Ismene’s refusal to help Antigone bury their brother in Sophocles’ Antigone tends to be regarded only in relation to Antigone’s own remarkable bravery. Antigone exists on the heroic level, Ismene on the ordinary; Antigone is courageous, Ismene is timid and submissive; Antigone is an idealist and an individualist, Ismene is convention and herd-bound. Ismene is, in many ways, presented as the antithesis of Antigone and Sophocles does indeed make use of her character as a foil to Antigone, but this thesis will argue that the relation between the two sisters is far more complicated than a dichotomous contrast between ‘extraordinary heroine’ and ‘average woman’. Like Antigone, Ismene is very much a character in her own right, and her emotions, motivations and impulses are every bit as realised and compelling as Antigone’s own. Both sisters have been deeply affected by the tragic misfortunes of their family, but their sad history affects each sister quite differently. Whereas Antigone’s instinctive reaction to Creon’s edict is a furious determination not to tolerate any further dishonour, Ismene’s equally instinctive reaction is to avoid the pattern of self-destructive inwardness that has plagued their family for generations. By offering a comprehensive re-examination of the key passages that have informed our critical reception of Ismene and the nature of her relationship with Antigone, this study aims to disrupt the established, and largely prejudiced, reading of Ismene as a model of feminine timidity and submission. Although Ismene is certainly no grand tragic heroine, titling the theoretical focus away from the death-oriented extremism of Antigone towards a more balanced consideration of the so-called ‘weaker sister’ not only allows for new insights into the nature of Sophoclean tragedy, but also challenges the very basis on which Ismene has so often been dismissed in favour of her more intrepid sister: the pervasive assumption that Sophocles has only given us one sister who is willing to risk her life for a principle. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A mechanistic and trait-based approach to investigating macroinvertebrates distribution and exposure to microplastics in riverine systems
- Authors: Owowenu, Enahoro Kennedy
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Microplastics Environmental aspects , Water quality biological assessment , Hydrodynamics , Hydrogeomorphology , Biotope , Flow type
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466666 , vital:76765 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/466666
- Description: Microplastics in rivers pose an ecological risk. Hydraulic biotopes form distinct flow patches that vary longitudinally along the river, potentially influencing the transport dynamics of microplastics. Macroinvertebrates exhibit adaptations to different hydraulic biotopes through their unique traits. These traits can mediate their exposure to microplastics, thereby imposing selective pressures on these organisms. Different taxa often demonstrate preferences for specific hydraulic biotopes characterized by distinct flow regimes. Understanding the transport dynamics of microplastics mediated by hydraulic biotopes and the potential exposure of macroinvertebrates at the hydraulic biotope scale is important for determining the fate of riverine microplastics and detecting species at risk. Both empirical and theoretical studies have highlighted the interconnectedness of hydrology, geomorphology, and microplastic transport in rivers, yet, there remains a gap in understanding how a hydro-geomorphological approach could enhance the understanding of the microplastic transport process. Little is known about the role of traits in driving macroinvertebrate exposure to microplastics at a scale relevant to ecological dynamics. This study addressed these gaps by applying a hydro-geomorphological approach to investigate the distribution of microplastics at the hydraulic biotope scale and assessed the potential exposure of macroinvertebrates using a trait-based approach. This study also explored the relationship between microplastic abundance and selected water physicochemical properties, as well as the influence of adjacent land use types. By integrating these aspects the research provided a comprehensive understanding of microplastics dynamics in river systems, shedding light on both environmental factors shaping their distribution and the potential impacts on aquatic organisms. The study was conducted over the wet and dry seasons (October 2021 – July 2022) at 10 sites located in the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Swartkops and Buffalo River systems in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The hydraulic biotopes (i.e., pools, runs, riffles) were grouped into two conceptualised forms, namely, sink and flush hydraulic zones and were characterized by hydraulic indices such as the Froude number and the Reynolds number. The flush hydraulic zone represents hydraulic biotopes where microplastics can potentially be remobilized quickly into suspension, and the sink represents biotopes where microplastics can potentially accumulate and remobilisation is far slower. Fast-to-moderate flowing hydraulic biotopes were conceptualised as microplastics flush zones while slow-flowing to still biotopes as microplastic sink zones. Samples were collected at different depths in each hydraulic zone to quantify suspended and settled forms of microplastics. Microplastics targeted in this study ranged in size from 0.063 mm to less than 5 mm. Classification was achieved through microscopic observation, and confirmation via Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) was conducted for samples ranging from 0.5 mm to less than 5 mm. At the site level, settled microplastics showed statistically significant spatial and temporal variations between the sites, and between the seasons (P < 0.05). The suspended microplastic varied only spatially. Fibres and fragments were the dominant microplastic shape, while polyethylene and polypropylene were the dominant microplastic polymers. Suspended microplastics showed statistically significant variation between urban land cover and other land cover categories (industrial, agricultural, rural, and natural land cover). Microplastics abundance was associated with high levels of turbidity, total suspended solids, total inorganic nitrogen, higher temperatures and increasing electrical conductivity. At the hydraulic biotope scale, the mean occurrence of suspended microplastics (1.76 ± 1.44 items/L; mean + SD) in the flush hydraulic zone was higher than that in the sink zone (1.54 ± 1.46 items/L), while settled microplastics were more abundant in the sink hydraulic zone (1.82 ± 1.98 items/L) than the flush hydraulic zone (1.32 ± 1.49 items/L). This observation was in line with the prediction in this study. The mean suspended and settled microplastics concentrations were higher during the wet season across the flush and sink hydraulic zones than in the dry season. Global multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant spatial and temporal variations in settled microplastics abundances between the flush and sink hydraulic zones. The results indicated that geomorphologically defined units such as riffles and moderate to fast runs (flush) generally contained lower amounts of settled microplastics compared to pools and backwaters (sink). However, this distinction between the flush and sink microplastic zones was observed only for settled microplastics and not for suspended microplastics. Suspended and settled microplastics showed a statistically significant relationship with the Froude number index. The generalised additive model indicated that settled microplastics abundance distribution decreased significantly with increasing Froude number value in the flush zone. Suspended microplastics decreased at low Froude number values and showed an increasing trend at higher Froude number values of about 0.75. The results indicate the usefulness of the hydraulic biotope scale microplastic monitoring approach in detecting microplastic hotspots and explaining variations in microplastics abundances driven by instream hydraulics. Four traits and ecological preferences of macroinvertebrates including body size, gill type, feeding habit, and velocity preferences were selected and resolved into 17 trait attributes. The sink hydraulic zones such as pools were indicated to favour exposure to and ingestion of microplastics compared to the flush zones such as riffles and fast runs. Large body size macroinvertebrates were associated with the sink zone. Taxa with a very small body size had a higher likelihood for microplastics ingestion than taxa with other body sizes. Collectorgathering macroinvertebrates taxa that have operculate gills with small body sizes were more prone to exposure to microplastics in hydraulic biotopes with slow to very slow velocities. Fibres were the most abundant plastic ingested by macroinvertebrates preferring the flush zone while fibres and fragments were mostly ingested by those preferring the sink zones. The binomial logistic model revealed a highly significant result for the likelihood of operculate gill shape to clog in the sink hydraulic zone. The result of the binomial logistic regression indicates the usefulness of the trait-based approach for predicting exposure to microplastics. Overall, the study reveals the influences of hydro-geomorphological features on the transport dynamics of microplastics and the usefulness of the trait-based approach in the ecological study of microplastics in riverine systems. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Institute for Water Research, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Owowenu, Enahoro Kennedy
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Microplastics Environmental aspects , Water quality biological assessment , Hydrodynamics , Hydrogeomorphology , Biotope , Flow type
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466666 , vital:76765 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/466666
- Description: Microplastics in rivers pose an ecological risk. Hydraulic biotopes form distinct flow patches that vary longitudinally along the river, potentially influencing the transport dynamics of microplastics. Macroinvertebrates exhibit adaptations to different hydraulic biotopes through their unique traits. These traits can mediate their exposure to microplastics, thereby imposing selective pressures on these organisms. Different taxa often demonstrate preferences for specific hydraulic biotopes characterized by distinct flow regimes. Understanding the transport dynamics of microplastics mediated by hydraulic biotopes and the potential exposure of macroinvertebrates at the hydraulic biotope scale is important for determining the fate of riverine microplastics and detecting species at risk. Both empirical and theoretical studies have highlighted the interconnectedness of hydrology, geomorphology, and microplastic transport in rivers, yet, there remains a gap in understanding how a hydro-geomorphological approach could enhance the understanding of the microplastic transport process. Little is known about the role of traits in driving macroinvertebrate exposure to microplastics at a scale relevant to ecological dynamics. This study addressed these gaps by applying a hydro-geomorphological approach to investigate the distribution of microplastics at the hydraulic biotope scale and assessed the potential exposure of macroinvertebrates using a trait-based approach. This study also explored the relationship between microplastic abundance and selected water physicochemical properties, as well as the influence of adjacent land use types. By integrating these aspects the research provided a comprehensive understanding of microplastics dynamics in river systems, shedding light on both environmental factors shaping their distribution and the potential impacts on aquatic organisms. The study was conducted over the wet and dry seasons (October 2021 – July 2022) at 10 sites located in the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Swartkops and Buffalo River systems in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The hydraulic biotopes (i.e., pools, runs, riffles) were grouped into two conceptualised forms, namely, sink and flush hydraulic zones and were characterized by hydraulic indices such as the Froude number and the Reynolds number. The flush hydraulic zone represents hydraulic biotopes where microplastics can potentially be remobilized quickly into suspension, and the sink represents biotopes where microplastics can potentially accumulate and remobilisation is far slower. Fast-to-moderate flowing hydraulic biotopes were conceptualised as microplastics flush zones while slow-flowing to still biotopes as microplastic sink zones. Samples were collected at different depths in each hydraulic zone to quantify suspended and settled forms of microplastics. Microplastics targeted in this study ranged in size from 0.063 mm to less than 5 mm. Classification was achieved through microscopic observation, and confirmation via Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) was conducted for samples ranging from 0.5 mm to less than 5 mm. At the site level, settled microplastics showed statistically significant spatial and temporal variations between the sites, and between the seasons (P < 0.05). The suspended microplastic varied only spatially. Fibres and fragments were the dominant microplastic shape, while polyethylene and polypropylene were the dominant microplastic polymers. Suspended microplastics showed statistically significant variation between urban land cover and other land cover categories (industrial, agricultural, rural, and natural land cover). Microplastics abundance was associated with high levels of turbidity, total suspended solids, total inorganic nitrogen, higher temperatures and increasing electrical conductivity. At the hydraulic biotope scale, the mean occurrence of suspended microplastics (1.76 ± 1.44 items/L; mean + SD) in the flush hydraulic zone was higher than that in the sink zone (1.54 ± 1.46 items/L), while settled microplastics were more abundant in the sink hydraulic zone (1.82 ± 1.98 items/L) than the flush hydraulic zone (1.32 ± 1.49 items/L). This observation was in line with the prediction in this study. The mean suspended and settled microplastics concentrations were higher during the wet season across the flush and sink hydraulic zones than in the dry season. Global multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant spatial and temporal variations in settled microplastics abundances between the flush and sink hydraulic zones. The results indicated that geomorphologically defined units such as riffles and moderate to fast runs (flush) generally contained lower amounts of settled microplastics compared to pools and backwaters (sink). However, this distinction between the flush and sink microplastic zones was observed only for settled microplastics and not for suspended microplastics. Suspended and settled microplastics showed a statistically significant relationship with the Froude number index. The generalised additive model indicated that settled microplastics abundance distribution decreased significantly with increasing Froude number value in the flush zone. Suspended microplastics decreased at low Froude number values and showed an increasing trend at higher Froude number values of about 0.75. The results indicate the usefulness of the hydraulic biotope scale microplastic monitoring approach in detecting microplastic hotspots and explaining variations in microplastics abundances driven by instream hydraulics. Four traits and ecological preferences of macroinvertebrates including body size, gill type, feeding habit, and velocity preferences were selected and resolved into 17 trait attributes. The sink hydraulic zones such as pools were indicated to favour exposure to and ingestion of microplastics compared to the flush zones such as riffles and fast runs. Large body size macroinvertebrates were associated with the sink zone. Taxa with a very small body size had a higher likelihood for microplastics ingestion than taxa with other body sizes. Collectorgathering macroinvertebrates taxa that have operculate gills with small body sizes were more prone to exposure to microplastics in hydraulic biotopes with slow to very slow velocities. Fibres were the most abundant plastic ingested by macroinvertebrates preferring the flush zone while fibres and fragments were mostly ingested by those preferring the sink zones. The binomial logistic model revealed a highly significant result for the likelihood of operculate gill shape to clog in the sink hydraulic zone. The result of the binomial logistic regression indicates the usefulness of the trait-based approach for predicting exposure to microplastics. Overall, the study reveals the influences of hydro-geomorphological features on the transport dynamics of microplastics and the usefulness of the trait-based approach in the ecological study of microplastics in riverine systems. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Institute for Water Research, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A review of African praying mantises (Dictyoptera: Mantodea) incorporating molecular and morphological data
- Authors: Roestof, Bruce
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Biogeography , Mantodea Morphology , Mantodea Geographical distribution , Mantodea Classification , Sampling bias , Systematics
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464428 , vital:76510
- Description: Praying mantises (Dictyoptera: Mantodea) are an iconic group of predatory insects, comprising around 2500 species globally, that occur in all zoogeographic regions except the poles. Their presence in the social psyche of many cultures has existed for millennia, but until the past decade, Mantodea has received little attention from the scientific community as the constituent species are of little economic or medical importance. Africa is rich in praying mantis diversity, accounting for approximately 45% of all described species, yet it remains largely under-sampled compared to the New World and Asian regions. Recent exploration of Gabon and Central African Republic have proved fruitful, with new species descriptions being major highlights. A recent re-cataloguing of southern African praying mantises has proved useful as specimen identifications were checked, new distributions were recorded, and most importantly, it was revealed that museum collections have significantly more diversity than previously recorded. A meta-analysis of African praying mantises was conducted; we present a species checklist to the countries of Africa, including Madagascar and surrounding islands. Currently, 17 families, 182 genera, and 1104 species occur in Africa.Historically, the classification of praying mantises was based solely on morphological features, and the novelty of the field at the time made it unclear which characteristics were of taxonomic importance. The onset of molecular systematics brought attention to incongruences between morphological and molecular phylogenies, believed to be attributed to convergent evolution masking the underlying evolutionary processes that occurred. Significant progress has been made in the past two decades regarding Mantodean classification and most described genera have their phylogenetic position. With the addition of more African taxa, we present mantodean phylogenies for molecular and morphological data. Molecular phylogenies were estimated through Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood analyses using two nuclear (28S and H3) and two mitochondrial markers (16S and COI) for 210 individuals that represented 24 of the 29 families globally. Morphological phylogenies were estimated through Maximum Likelihood analyses of a morphological data matrix comprising 149 characters for 248 individuals that represent 24 families. The same data matrix was used to produce a key to all African mantodean families, accompanied by their descriptions. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Zoology and Entomology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Roestof, Bruce
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Biogeography , Mantodea Morphology , Mantodea Geographical distribution , Mantodea Classification , Sampling bias , Systematics
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464428 , vital:76510
- Description: Praying mantises (Dictyoptera: Mantodea) are an iconic group of predatory insects, comprising around 2500 species globally, that occur in all zoogeographic regions except the poles. Their presence in the social psyche of many cultures has existed for millennia, but until the past decade, Mantodea has received little attention from the scientific community as the constituent species are of little economic or medical importance. Africa is rich in praying mantis diversity, accounting for approximately 45% of all described species, yet it remains largely under-sampled compared to the New World and Asian regions. Recent exploration of Gabon and Central African Republic have proved fruitful, with new species descriptions being major highlights. A recent re-cataloguing of southern African praying mantises has proved useful as specimen identifications were checked, new distributions were recorded, and most importantly, it was revealed that museum collections have significantly more diversity than previously recorded. A meta-analysis of African praying mantises was conducted; we present a species checklist to the countries of Africa, including Madagascar and surrounding islands. Currently, 17 families, 182 genera, and 1104 species occur in Africa.Historically, the classification of praying mantises was based solely on morphological features, and the novelty of the field at the time made it unclear which characteristics were of taxonomic importance. The onset of molecular systematics brought attention to incongruences between morphological and molecular phylogenies, believed to be attributed to convergent evolution masking the underlying evolutionary processes that occurred. Significant progress has been made in the past two decades regarding Mantodean classification and most described genera have their phylogenetic position. With the addition of more African taxa, we present mantodean phylogenies for molecular and morphological data. Molecular phylogenies were estimated through Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood analyses using two nuclear (28S and H3) and two mitochondrial markers (16S and COI) for 210 individuals that represented 24 of the 29 families globally. Morphological phylogenies were estimated through Maximum Likelihood analyses of a morphological data matrix comprising 149 characters for 248 individuals that represent 24 families. The same data matrix was used to produce a key to all African mantodean families, accompanied by their descriptions. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Zoology and Entomology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A revision of Late Devonian (Famennian) “thallophyte” (probable Rhodophyte and Phaeophyte) algae from the Witpoort Formation of South Africa
- Authors: Reddy, Caitlin
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464955 , vital:76560
- Description: Access restricted. Expected release in 2026. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Geology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Reddy, Caitlin
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464955 , vital:76560
- Description: Access restricted. Expected release in 2026. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Geology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A scoping review on problematic Internet use and Substance Use Disorder among men
- Authors: Adolph, Miché Tania
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Internet addiction , Substance abuse , Men Mental health , Scoping review protocol , Compulsive behavior Sex differences
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465788 , vital:76653
- Description: Problematic Internet Use (PIU) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) interact in complex ways that influence the current mental health landscape. Concurrently, the advent of the digital era has presented new difficulties, one of which is the emergence of problematic internet use as a significant issue that negatively impacts mental health. The increasing popularity of internet use has led to an increasing number of reports highlighting the potential negative consequences of overuse, such as substance use. Thus, the study aimed to synthesise literature on problematic internet use and substance use disorder, including the way in which they affect men, given that prior research has predominantly focused on women. The methods employed follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) which is largely based on a PRISMA statement and checklist, the JBI methodological guidance, and other approaches for undertaking scoping reviews. A total of 16 studies were eligible for final review, and the themes identified from the reviewed studies were obtained using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. An analysis of the articles showed a large focus on gender differences in addiction patterns, vulnerability to problematic internet use across age groups, associations between substance use and behavioural addictions, problematic internet use and mental health disorders, the psychological consequences of problematic internet use and substance use disorders, and the various risk factors associated with the development of problematic internet use and substance use disorder. A clear understanding and conceptualisation of this behavioural addiction is vital, including the development and utilisation of appropriate and validated diagnostic and screening tools to measure its presence and, in turn, address it as an emerging mental health disorder. Focus should be given to the assessment of problematic internet use by distinguishing the two different forms, namely the generalised and specific forms of problematic internet use. Additionally, given that there were very few to no qualitative studies conducted on the topic of problematic internet use, much less addressing the possible association with substance use disorder, an assessment of the individual’s experience, especially that of men, is lacking. Future research could therefore aim to incorporate more qualitative studies to address the above. Further research is also needed to clarify the nature of the relationship between problematic internet use and substance use disorder for the purpose of establishing possible causality, including the neurobiological substrates involved. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Adolph, Miché Tania
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Internet addiction , Substance abuse , Men Mental health , Scoping review protocol , Compulsive behavior Sex differences
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465788 , vital:76653
- Description: Problematic Internet Use (PIU) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) interact in complex ways that influence the current mental health landscape. Concurrently, the advent of the digital era has presented new difficulties, one of which is the emergence of problematic internet use as a significant issue that negatively impacts mental health. The increasing popularity of internet use has led to an increasing number of reports highlighting the potential negative consequences of overuse, such as substance use. Thus, the study aimed to synthesise literature on problematic internet use and substance use disorder, including the way in which they affect men, given that prior research has predominantly focused on women. The methods employed follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) which is largely based on a PRISMA statement and checklist, the JBI methodological guidance, and other approaches for undertaking scoping reviews. A total of 16 studies were eligible for final review, and the themes identified from the reviewed studies were obtained using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. An analysis of the articles showed a large focus on gender differences in addiction patterns, vulnerability to problematic internet use across age groups, associations between substance use and behavioural addictions, problematic internet use and mental health disorders, the psychological consequences of problematic internet use and substance use disorders, and the various risk factors associated with the development of problematic internet use and substance use disorder. A clear understanding and conceptualisation of this behavioural addiction is vital, including the development and utilisation of appropriate and validated diagnostic and screening tools to measure its presence and, in turn, address it as an emerging mental health disorder. Focus should be given to the assessment of problematic internet use by distinguishing the two different forms, namely the generalised and specific forms of problematic internet use. Additionally, given that there were very few to no qualitative studies conducted on the topic of problematic internet use, much less addressing the possible association with substance use disorder, an assessment of the individual’s experience, especially that of men, is lacking. Future research could therefore aim to incorporate more qualitative studies to address the above. Further research is also needed to clarify the nature of the relationship between problematic internet use and substance use disorder for the purpose of establishing possible causality, including the neurobiological substrates involved. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A social realist account of the way smallholder farmers exercised their agency in the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices in degraded landscapes in Machubeni, Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Mbengo, Idah
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Climate-smart agriculture , Climatic changes South Africa , Climate change adaptation South Africa Eastern Cape , Social realism , Farms, Small South Africa Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466884 , vital:76795 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/466884
- Description: Over the last two decades, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has been promoted as a way to address the challenges of climate change for smallholder farmers' productivity, food security and livelihoods. Given concerns about climate change, many studies have contributed to developing an understanding of resilience building and crop and livestock systems adaptation. Despite evidence of the effectiveness of CSA practices, several studies report on their limited uptake by farmers involved in various projects. The reasons for low rates of adoption remain unclear. In this context, the study on which this thesis is based drew on Bhaskar’s critical realism and Archer’s social realism to explore the way smallholder farmers in five villages in a rural area in South Africa were enabled and constrained as they exercised their agency in a project intended to introduce them to CSA practices. The study was not about adaptation and resilience building per se but rather, following Bhaskar and Archer, sought to identify the generative mechanisms enabling and constraining the adoption of CSA practices. Bhaskar’s critical realism posits a view of reality as layered. The topmost layer of reality is the Empirical. This consists of observations and experiences of the world around us and is understood to be relative. The second layer, the Actual, is the layer of events from which observations and experiences located at the level of the Empirical emerge. Events at the level of the Actual and experiences and observations at the level of the Empirical emerge from an interplay of mechanisms at the deepest layer of reality identified by Bhaskar, as the Real. In positing a layered ontology, critical realism allows for the relativity of experiences and observations while, at the same time, acknowledging the reality of structures and mechanisms, which cannot be directly observed but nonetheless exist. Archer’s work on agency accords personal powers and properties (PEPs) to all individuals. Although all individuals have the power to act in relation to the world around them, they are nonetheless conditioned by their previous histories and experiences as they do so. As individuals set about exercising their agency, they are enabled or constrained by structures and mechanisms in two domains at the level of the Real which are understood to possess their own powers and properties: the structural domain and the cultural domain. In addition to drawing on Archer’s conceptualisation of the interaction between agency, structure and culture, the study also uses her “morphogenetic framework” which allows for the identification of ‘whose conceptual shifts are responsible for which structural changes, when, where and under what conditions’ (Archer, 1998: 361) and for understanding change as a series of never-ending cycles. The first phase of Archer’s morphogenetic framework, entitled T1, involves social and cultural conditioning. In the study, T1 was understood to be the time until 2017 when the project on which the study focused began. The second phase, T2 to T3, is the phase of social and cultural interaction as agents exercise their PEPs to pursue concerns they have identified for themselves and encounter structural emergent powers and properties (SEPs) and cultural emergent powers and properties (CEPs) of mechanisms located in the domains of structure and culture as they do so. The final phase of the framework, T4, allows for an evaluation of what has changed and what has not changed. My claim is that the uptake of CSA practices is impacted by different forms of consciousness or ways of experiencing the world, which is the result of the social and cultural conditioning of different groups involved in the project at T1, and clashes between them. The use of the framework drawing on critical realism and social realism allowed for the identification of these different forms of consciousness in different social groups (project facilitators, elderly farmers and the youth). These different forms of consciousness were understood to condition the agency of the three groups and thus enable or constrain the introduction of CSA practices and how they were taken up. Elderly women in the project had been conditioned to be caregivers and to see their roles tending kitchen gardens as part of their identity. This consciousness led to the uptake of CSA practices in their home gardens. By contrast, young people engaged with the project shared a very different way of experiencing the world. They were better educated and had been socialised into using social media and watching films on electronic devices from a young age. As a result, they valued the role of money in accessing consumer goods and the good life and thus valued paid employment rather than working on the land to provide subsistence. This led to a limited uptake of CSA practices. It is envisaged that insights from the study will offer new ways of understanding what might otherwise be seen as resistance to adopting CSA practices as well as new ways of engaging with different groups of agents involved in projects in the future. The study demonstrates the explanatory power of critical realism and social realism to analyse a climate change adaptation project. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Environmental Science, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Mbengo, Idah
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Climate-smart agriculture , Climatic changes South Africa , Climate change adaptation South Africa Eastern Cape , Social realism , Farms, Small South Africa Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466884 , vital:76795 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/466884
- Description: Over the last two decades, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has been promoted as a way to address the challenges of climate change for smallholder farmers' productivity, food security and livelihoods. Given concerns about climate change, many studies have contributed to developing an understanding of resilience building and crop and livestock systems adaptation. Despite evidence of the effectiveness of CSA practices, several studies report on their limited uptake by farmers involved in various projects. The reasons for low rates of adoption remain unclear. In this context, the study on which this thesis is based drew on Bhaskar’s critical realism and Archer’s social realism to explore the way smallholder farmers in five villages in a rural area in South Africa were enabled and constrained as they exercised their agency in a project intended to introduce them to CSA practices. The study was not about adaptation and resilience building per se but rather, following Bhaskar and Archer, sought to identify the generative mechanisms enabling and constraining the adoption of CSA practices. Bhaskar’s critical realism posits a view of reality as layered. The topmost layer of reality is the Empirical. This consists of observations and experiences of the world around us and is understood to be relative. The second layer, the Actual, is the layer of events from which observations and experiences located at the level of the Empirical emerge. Events at the level of the Actual and experiences and observations at the level of the Empirical emerge from an interplay of mechanisms at the deepest layer of reality identified by Bhaskar, as the Real. In positing a layered ontology, critical realism allows for the relativity of experiences and observations while, at the same time, acknowledging the reality of structures and mechanisms, which cannot be directly observed but nonetheless exist. Archer’s work on agency accords personal powers and properties (PEPs) to all individuals. Although all individuals have the power to act in relation to the world around them, they are nonetheless conditioned by their previous histories and experiences as they do so. As individuals set about exercising their agency, they are enabled or constrained by structures and mechanisms in two domains at the level of the Real which are understood to possess their own powers and properties: the structural domain and the cultural domain. In addition to drawing on Archer’s conceptualisation of the interaction between agency, structure and culture, the study also uses her “morphogenetic framework” which allows for the identification of ‘whose conceptual shifts are responsible for which structural changes, when, where and under what conditions’ (Archer, 1998: 361) and for understanding change as a series of never-ending cycles. The first phase of Archer’s morphogenetic framework, entitled T1, involves social and cultural conditioning. In the study, T1 was understood to be the time until 2017 when the project on which the study focused began. The second phase, T2 to T3, is the phase of social and cultural interaction as agents exercise their PEPs to pursue concerns they have identified for themselves and encounter structural emergent powers and properties (SEPs) and cultural emergent powers and properties (CEPs) of mechanisms located in the domains of structure and culture as they do so. The final phase of the framework, T4, allows for an evaluation of what has changed and what has not changed. My claim is that the uptake of CSA practices is impacted by different forms of consciousness or ways of experiencing the world, which is the result of the social and cultural conditioning of different groups involved in the project at T1, and clashes between them. The use of the framework drawing on critical realism and social realism allowed for the identification of these different forms of consciousness in different social groups (project facilitators, elderly farmers and the youth). These different forms of consciousness were understood to condition the agency of the three groups and thus enable or constrain the introduction of CSA practices and how they were taken up. Elderly women in the project had been conditioned to be caregivers and to see their roles tending kitchen gardens as part of their identity. This consciousness led to the uptake of CSA practices in their home gardens. By contrast, young people engaged with the project shared a very different way of experiencing the world. They were better educated and had been socialised into using social media and watching films on electronic devices from a young age. As a result, they valued the role of money in accessing consumer goods and the good life and thus valued paid employment rather than working on the land to provide subsistence. This led to a limited uptake of CSA practices. It is envisaged that insights from the study will offer new ways of understanding what might otherwise be seen as resistance to adopting CSA practices as well as new ways of engaging with different groups of agents involved in projects in the future. The study demonstrates the explanatory power of critical realism and social realism to analyse a climate change adaptation project. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Environmental Science, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A social realist analysis of health policy development: interests, ideas and community pharmacists
- Authors: Allan, Lucie
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466328 , vital:76718
- Description: Access restricted. Expected release in 2026. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacy, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Allan, Lucie
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466328 , vital:76718
- Description: Access restricted. Expected release in 2026. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacy, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A social realist analysis of the professional identity formation of lecturers emerging from completing professional development at a South African research-intensive university
- Authors: Adams, Anthea
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Identity (Psychology) in education , Academic development , Staff development , Social realism , Critical realism , Scholarship of teaching and learning , Education, Higher South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466372 , vital:76722 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/466372
- Description: This doctoral study is part of a Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) capacity development project, Phakamisa. Using Margaret Archer's Social Realism as a substantive theory and methodological tool and Roy Bhaskar's Critical Realism as a meta-theory, I was able to identify and explain the interplay between the structural, cultural and agential mechanisms within a professional development course that enabled or constrained the emergence of lecturers' professional academic identities. My research participants are fourteen lecturers who completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education (PGDip HE) at Rhodes University between 2007 and 2017. Social Realism's explanatory methodologies, analytical dualism, and the morphogenetic cycle allowed me to provide causal explanations and account for the historicity of the emergence of lecturers' professional academic identities as teachers. A qualitative research design involving case study research allowed me to search for generative mechanisms to understand and explain the conditioning influence of often unobservable phenomena and underlying mechanisms in developing lecturers' identities as teachers in a research-intensive university. As strong social actors imbued with power and material resources, university leadership should consider the constraining influence of contextual conditions, such as the hegemony of disciplinary research versus research in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). The socio-cultural (S-C) interactions of the fourteen lecturers (agents) signal the possibilities for structural, cultural and agential morphogenesis when agents choose to exercise their agency, i.e., their personal emergent properties (PEPs) to mediate prevalent structural and cultural emergent properties (SEPs and CEPs) enabling or constraining their personal projects. Lecturers' personal projects are the courses of action they intentionally engage in as they strive to establish sustainable yet evolving practices as teachers in their disciplines. This thesis shows that exercising their PEPs involves subjective reflexivity and transforming from primary agents to corporate agents due to collective action and alliances with like-minded peers and colleagues to shape the teaching and learning agenda in their respective departments and the broader higher education context. Triple morphogenesis of lecturers' agency occurred through their realisation as social actors. It signified the formation of their professional identities as teachers and how they uniquely embodied and enacted their teacher roles. , Hierdie doktorale studie is deel van 'n Departement van Hoër Onderwys en Opleiding (DHOO) kapasiteitsontwikkelingsprojek, naamlik Phakamisa. Deur gebruik te maak van Margaret Archer se Sosiale Realisme ("Social Realism") as 'n substantiewe teorie en metodologiese instrument, en Roy Bhaskar se Kritiese Realisme ("Critical Realism") as 'n metateorie, was ek in staat om die wisselwerking tussen die strukturele, kulturele en agentiese meganismes binne 'n professionele ontwikkelingskursus te identifiseer en te verduidelik wat die ontstaan van dosente se professionele akademiese identiteite moontlik gemaak of beperk het. Die deelnemers in my navorsing is veertien dosente wat die Nagraadse Diploma in Hoër Onderwys (NGDip HO) aan Rhodes Universiteit tussen 2007 en 2017 voltooi het. Sosiale Realisme se verklarende metodologieë, analitiese dualisme en die morfogenetiese siklus het my toegelaat om oorsaaklike verklarings te verskaf en die historisiteit van die ontstaan van dosente se professionele akademiese identiteite as onderwysers te verantwoord. ’n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp wat gevallestudienavorsing behels het, het my toegelaat om na generatiewe meganismes te soek om die kondisionerende invloed van dikwels onwaarneembare verskynsels en onderliggende meganismes in die ontwikkeling van dosente se identiteit as onderwysers in ’n navorsingsintensiewe universiteit te verstaan en te verduidelik. As sterk sosiale rolspelers deurdrenk met mag en materiële hulpbronne, behoort universiteitsleierskap die beperkende invloed van kontekstuele toestande, soos die hegemonie van dissiplinêre navorsing versus navorsing in die Akademieskap van Onderrig en Leer (AvOL, of in Engels "Scholarship of Teaching and Learning", afgekort na SoTL) in ag te neem. Die sosiokulturele (S-K) interaksie van die veertien dosente (agente) dui op die moontlikhede vir strukturele, kulturele en agentiale morfogenese wanneer agente doelbewus kies om hul agentskap uit te oefen, dit wil sê hul persoonlike ontluikende eienskappe (in Engels "personal emergent properties", afgekort na PEPs) om heersende strukturele en kulturele ontluikende eienskappe te bemiddel (in Engels "cultural emergent properties", afgekort na CEPs) wat hul persoonlike projekte moontlik maak of beperk. Dosente se persoonlike projekte is die aksies wat hulle doelbewus aangepak het terwyl hulle daarna gestreef het om volhoubare dog ontwikkelende praktyke as onderwysers in hul dissiplines te vestig. Hierdie tesis dui aan dat die uitoefening van hul persoonlike ontluikende eienskappe ("PEPs") behels subjektiewe refleksiwiteit en transformasie van primêre agente na korporatiewe agente as gevolg van kollektiewe optrede en alliansies met eendersdenkende eweknieë en kollegas om die onderrigen leeragenda in hul onderskeie departemente en die breër hoëronderwyskonteks te beïnvloed. Drievoudige morfogenese van dosente se agentskap het plaasgevind deur hul verwesenliking as sosiale rolspelers. Dit het die vorming van hul professionele identiteite as onderwysers aangedui en die unieke manier hoe hulle hul onderwyserrolle interpreteer en uitleef. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Centre for Higher Education Research, Teaching and Learning, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Adams, Anthea
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Identity (Psychology) in education , Academic development , Staff development , Social realism , Critical realism , Scholarship of teaching and learning , Education, Higher South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466372 , vital:76722 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/466372
- Description: This doctoral study is part of a Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) capacity development project, Phakamisa. Using Margaret Archer's Social Realism as a substantive theory and methodological tool and Roy Bhaskar's Critical Realism as a meta-theory, I was able to identify and explain the interplay between the structural, cultural and agential mechanisms within a professional development course that enabled or constrained the emergence of lecturers' professional academic identities. My research participants are fourteen lecturers who completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education (PGDip HE) at Rhodes University between 2007 and 2017. Social Realism's explanatory methodologies, analytical dualism, and the morphogenetic cycle allowed me to provide causal explanations and account for the historicity of the emergence of lecturers' professional academic identities as teachers. A qualitative research design involving case study research allowed me to search for generative mechanisms to understand and explain the conditioning influence of often unobservable phenomena and underlying mechanisms in developing lecturers' identities as teachers in a research-intensive university. As strong social actors imbued with power and material resources, university leadership should consider the constraining influence of contextual conditions, such as the hegemony of disciplinary research versus research in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). The socio-cultural (S-C) interactions of the fourteen lecturers (agents) signal the possibilities for structural, cultural and agential morphogenesis when agents choose to exercise their agency, i.e., their personal emergent properties (PEPs) to mediate prevalent structural and cultural emergent properties (SEPs and CEPs) enabling or constraining their personal projects. Lecturers' personal projects are the courses of action they intentionally engage in as they strive to establish sustainable yet evolving practices as teachers in their disciplines. This thesis shows that exercising their PEPs involves subjective reflexivity and transforming from primary agents to corporate agents due to collective action and alliances with like-minded peers and colleagues to shape the teaching and learning agenda in their respective departments and the broader higher education context. Triple morphogenesis of lecturers' agency occurred through their realisation as social actors. It signified the formation of their professional identities as teachers and how they uniquely embodied and enacted their teacher roles. , Hierdie doktorale studie is deel van 'n Departement van Hoër Onderwys en Opleiding (DHOO) kapasiteitsontwikkelingsprojek, naamlik Phakamisa. Deur gebruik te maak van Margaret Archer se Sosiale Realisme ("Social Realism") as 'n substantiewe teorie en metodologiese instrument, en Roy Bhaskar se Kritiese Realisme ("Critical Realism") as 'n metateorie, was ek in staat om die wisselwerking tussen die strukturele, kulturele en agentiese meganismes binne 'n professionele ontwikkelingskursus te identifiseer en te verduidelik wat die ontstaan van dosente se professionele akademiese identiteite moontlik gemaak of beperk het. Die deelnemers in my navorsing is veertien dosente wat die Nagraadse Diploma in Hoër Onderwys (NGDip HO) aan Rhodes Universiteit tussen 2007 en 2017 voltooi het. Sosiale Realisme se verklarende metodologieë, analitiese dualisme en die morfogenetiese siklus het my toegelaat om oorsaaklike verklarings te verskaf en die historisiteit van die ontstaan van dosente se professionele akademiese identiteite as onderwysers te verantwoord. ’n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp wat gevallestudienavorsing behels het, het my toegelaat om na generatiewe meganismes te soek om die kondisionerende invloed van dikwels onwaarneembare verskynsels en onderliggende meganismes in die ontwikkeling van dosente se identiteit as onderwysers in ’n navorsingsintensiewe universiteit te verstaan en te verduidelik. As sterk sosiale rolspelers deurdrenk met mag en materiële hulpbronne, behoort universiteitsleierskap die beperkende invloed van kontekstuele toestande, soos die hegemonie van dissiplinêre navorsing versus navorsing in die Akademieskap van Onderrig en Leer (AvOL, of in Engels "Scholarship of Teaching and Learning", afgekort na SoTL) in ag te neem. Die sosiokulturele (S-K) interaksie van die veertien dosente (agente) dui op die moontlikhede vir strukturele, kulturele en agentiale morfogenese wanneer agente doelbewus kies om hul agentskap uit te oefen, dit wil sê hul persoonlike ontluikende eienskappe (in Engels "personal emergent properties", afgekort na PEPs) om heersende strukturele en kulturele ontluikende eienskappe te bemiddel (in Engels "cultural emergent properties", afgekort na CEPs) wat hul persoonlike projekte moontlik maak of beperk. Dosente se persoonlike projekte is die aksies wat hulle doelbewus aangepak het terwyl hulle daarna gestreef het om volhoubare dog ontwikkelende praktyke as onderwysers in hul dissiplines te vestig. Hierdie tesis dui aan dat die uitoefening van hul persoonlike ontluikende eienskappe ("PEPs") behels subjektiewe refleksiwiteit en transformasie van primêre agente na korporatiewe agente as gevolg van kollektiewe optrede en alliansies met eendersdenkende eweknieë en kollegas om die onderrigen leeragenda in hul onderskeie departemente en die breër hoëronderwyskonteks te beïnvloed. Drievoudige morfogenese van dosente se agentskap het plaasgevind deur hul verwesenliking as sosiale rolspelers. Dit het die vorming van hul professionele identiteite as onderwysers aangedui en die unieke manier hoe hulle hul onderwyserrolle interpreteer en uitleef. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Centre for Higher Education Research, Teaching and Learning, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A sociological study of women’s lived experience of menopause and understanding of menstruation in Mthatha and Makhanda, Eastern Cape Province
- Makalima, Buthanani Vuyokazi
- Authors: Makalima, Buthanani Vuyokazi
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Menopause , Menstruation , Women South Africa Social conditions , Menopause Psychological aspects , Menstruation Social aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466210 , vital:76707
- Description: This qualitative study explored different sociocultural factors that influence and inform women’s menopause experience and perceptions. The aim of the study was to investigate the cultural beliefs about menstruation and menopause, with a focus on embodied experiences of menopause, as well as the perceptions of the transition from menstruation to menopause. Six in-depth interviews were conducted with women in their 60s and 70s in the Eastern Cape Province: four in-depth interviews were conducted in Umtata/Mthatha and two in Makhanda. Data was analysed thematically. A key study finding is that women’s definition and experience of menopause is significantly influenced by their sociocultural context. This also shapes their experience of menopause, and in the case of the women in this study, menopause is experienced as a natural process. Regardless of the participants’ acceptance of menopause, some women still need to be equipped with information on severe menopause symptoms, what they mean, and how they can be treated or managed. , Thesis (MSocSci) -- Faculty of Humanities, Sociology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Makalima, Buthanani Vuyokazi
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Menopause , Menstruation , Women South Africa Social conditions , Menopause Psychological aspects , Menstruation Social aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466210 , vital:76707
- Description: This qualitative study explored different sociocultural factors that influence and inform women’s menopause experience and perceptions. The aim of the study was to investigate the cultural beliefs about menstruation and menopause, with a focus on embodied experiences of menopause, as well as the perceptions of the transition from menstruation to menopause. Six in-depth interviews were conducted with women in their 60s and 70s in the Eastern Cape Province: four in-depth interviews were conducted in Umtata/Mthatha and two in Makhanda. Data was analysed thematically. A key study finding is that women’s definition and experience of menopause is significantly influenced by their sociocultural context. This also shapes their experience of menopause, and in the case of the women in this study, menopause is experienced as a natural process. Regardless of the participants’ acceptance of menopause, some women still need to be equipped with information on severe menopause symptoms, what they mean, and how they can be treated or managed. , Thesis (MSocSci) -- Faculty of Humanities, Sociology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
A spatial perspective of the population structure and connectivity of two small tuna species, Katsuwonus pelamis (Skipjack tuna) and Euthynnus affinis (Kawakawa), in the Southwest Indian Ocean
- Authors: Taylor, Christopher John
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Fishery management Indian Ocean Region , Geospatial analysis , Skipjack tuna , Euthynnus affinis , Fish populations Indian Ocean Region , Marine fishes Geographical distribution
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/467116 , vital:76816
- Description: Katsuwonus pelamis and Euthynnus affinis are two small tuna species of socio-economic and fisheries importance across the Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO). There is currently a dearth of data and information around various aspects of their biology in the SWIO, including their population structure and connectivity. The availability of such data, including spatially represented biological data, has the potential to address current management discrepancies through the provision of more robust assessments into the stock structure and connectivity of these species and their stocks. This study explored a spatial perspective of the population structure and connectivity of K. pelamis and E. affinis fisheries in the SWIO to determine the suitability of current Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) management measures for the species. It employed two primary data sources: a) Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association’s (WIOMSA) Marine and Coastal Science for Management (MASMA) Project and b) IOTC. WIOMSA MASMA and IOTC data was collected throughout many countries and small island states in the SWIO, and pertained to genetic diversity, catch-weight, length-at-maturity, and morphometrics. Such data were combined and analysed to conduct geospatial analysis. Spatially illustrated genetic divergence, length-at-maturity, catch-weight, and morphometric data supported the presence of three reproductively isolated subpopulations of K. pelamis in the SWIO (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Kenya; Mtwara, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Eastern Cape, South Africa; Seychelles). Only spatially depicted genetic divergence data, and morphometrics, supported that E. affinis populations were not panmictic in the SWIO, with genetic divergence data supporting the presence of three reproductively isolated subpopulations of E. affinis (Northern Mozambique and Kenya; Tanzania; Seychelles). Spatially illustrated length-at-maturity and catch-weight data however did not provide sufficient evidence supporting spatial structuring among E. affinis populations in the SWIO. Whilst the present analyses are not definitive to delineate exact stock boundaries, findings supported the contention of current IOTC management policy, indicating spatial population complexity for both species. Future research must increase representation of fishery independent samples and must investigate oceanographic variables driving potential stock separation to further support effective management reform. Until available, a precautionary approach should be adopted for the management of these species across the SWIO, considering the presently proposed distribution of their stocks separate for management. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11
- Authors: Taylor, Christopher John
- Date: 2024-10-11
- Subjects: Fishery management Indian Ocean Region , Geospatial analysis , Skipjack tuna , Euthynnus affinis , Fish populations Indian Ocean Region , Marine fishes Geographical distribution
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/467116 , vital:76816
- Description: Katsuwonus pelamis and Euthynnus affinis are two small tuna species of socio-economic and fisheries importance across the Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO). There is currently a dearth of data and information around various aspects of their biology in the SWIO, including their population structure and connectivity. The availability of such data, including spatially represented biological data, has the potential to address current management discrepancies through the provision of more robust assessments into the stock structure and connectivity of these species and their stocks. This study explored a spatial perspective of the population structure and connectivity of K. pelamis and E. affinis fisheries in the SWIO to determine the suitability of current Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) management measures for the species. It employed two primary data sources: a) Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association’s (WIOMSA) Marine and Coastal Science for Management (MASMA) Project and b) IOTC. WIOMSA MASMA and IOTC data was collected throughout many countries and small island states in the SWIO, and pertained to genetic diversity, catch-weight, length-at-maturity, and morphometrics. Such data were combined and analysed to conduct geospatial analysis. Spatially illustrated genetic divergence, length-at-maturity, catch-weight, and morphometric data supported the presence of three reproductively isolated subpopulations of K. pelamis in the SWIO (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Kenya; Mtwara, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Eastern Cape, South Africa; Seychelles). Only spatially depicted genetic divergence data, and morphometrics, supported that E. affinis populations were not panmictic in the SWIO, with genetic divergence data supporting the presence of three reproductively isolated subpopulations of E. affinis (Northern Mozambique and Kenya; Tanzania; Seychelles). Spatially illustrated length-at-maturity and catch-weight data however did not provide sufficient evidence supporting spatial structuring among E. affinis populations in the SWIO. Whilst the present analyses are not definitive to delineate exact stock boundaries, findings supported the contention of current IOTC management policy, indicating spatial population complexity for both species. Future research must increase representation of fishery independent samples and must investigate oceanographic variables driving potential stock separation to further support effective management reform. Until available, a precautionary approach should be adopted for the management of these species across the SWIO, considering the presently proposed distribution of their stocks separate for management. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-10-11