Theses and dissertations (Arts and Design)
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Item The role of pedagogical content knowledge in preservice teachers’ choice of examples to create opportunities for learning analytical geometry in KwaZulu-Natal multilingual classrooms(2023-11) Zulu, Sibongile; Brijlall, Deonarian; Thamae, MamothibeThe study set to respond to calls for research in multilingual mathematics teacher training classrooms with the intention to advance the quality of mathematics preservice teachers (PSTs) content knowledge and improve mathematics education for school learners. In this qualitative study, the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of PSTs in one of the universities in the KwaZulu Natal Province in South Africa was explored. This was to understand how it guides their choice of examples for teaching analytical geometry in multilingual classrooms. Grade 11 analytical geometry lesson plans of 21 PSTs who had been given an analytical geometry test were analysed. The test was to investigate the PSTs content knowledge, which is a basis for PCK, and the lesson plans were analysed to examine the PSTs PCK from the way they structure their lesson objectives and choice of examples. Semi-structured verification interviews were conducted to follow up on both the test responses and lesson plan content, mainly the choice of examples. The domains and subdomains of the Shulman’s PCK born Mathematics Teacher’s Specialised Knowledge (MTSK) model and patterns of variation from the variation theory were used as the theoretical framework, which also guided the analytical framework. The study established that the PSTs had limited content knowledge, and PCK for teaching analytical geometry at Grade 11. The limited knowledge was seen in the way the PSTs relied on procedures for problem solving rather than conceptual understanding, and for this reason they chose procedural examples for teaching the topic. The study also found that the language of learning and teaching affects the PSTs ability to explain concepts in their problem solving, and this also affects their examples choice. Interview responses confirmed that the PSTs are not cognizant of the use of language in their example choice. Therefore, PSTs in multilingual teacher training must be explicitly taught to choose examples and consider learners in multilingual classrooms.Item Decoding government publications : a reception study of the Metro Ezasegagasini(2024) Payet, Charmel Nikita; Usadolo, Sam Erevbenagie; Ngubane, ZwakeleThe government is responsible for transparently communicating with the public about its work. To fulfil this mandate, the eThekwini Municipality distributes the bi-weekly Metro Ezasegagasini publication as a communication tool, with almost similar content to community newspapers. Community newspapers have survived the decline in newspapers as their news coverage is of interest and focused on the communities they cover. This study explored how readers of the Metro Ezasegagasini decode the content and the influence this may have on how they perceive the municipality. The Theory of Reception was used as the analytic lens in the study because the theory focuses on the way an audience decodes text. A qualitative research approach was adopted because this study aimed to gain insight from the readers’ experiences with the metro publication. Data was collected from three focus groups in rural, township, and urban settings. A thematic research approach was used to analyse the data by identifying, analysing, and then reporting on themes. The study found that the Metro Ezasegagasini was fulfilling its role of educating and informing the public about developments in the city. It also emerged that the different backgrounds of participants impact how readers interact with the text and whether they view it as a credible source of information. Participants from the township and rural areas adopted a more favourable position to the publication, while participants from the urban community were more critical of the content. The study also found that participants enjoyed reading the publication because of its strong community focus. Another issue that emerged during the study was the accessibility and distribution of the publication, with many readers highlighting the lack of easy access to the publication.Item Investigating attitudes of student teachers towards using corporal punishment in Eastern Cape schools(2023-10) Ngubane, Nontuthuzelo Nonkosi; Land, Sandra; Mabade, Avhurengwi SamsonThe study investigated attitudes of student teachers towards using corporal punishment in Eastern Cape schools where the practice continues even though it became illegal in 1996. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were used with purposive sampling. The study was based on the 2021 final year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students who were about to start teaching. A mixed method approach was used, adopting three data collection methods: an online questionnaire, focus groups, and semi-structured interviews. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory complemented by the theory of planned behaviour provided the theoretical framework for this study. These theories allowed the researcher to look at how various social contexts impact and influence an individual’s attitudes and practices. Findings showed that student teachers experience a dilemma towards using corporal punishment as a discipline strategy due to various factors such as school context, student teacher personality traits, power relations between the students and teachers who mentored them and the quality of training at institutional level. Furthermore, findings showed that understanding attitudes of student teachers towards using corporal punishment as a discipline strategy despite the ban is a complex issue. 75,5 % of the student teachers are sure of the value of using corporal punishment despite its illegality and have continued using it during teaching practice. Some student teachers are in a dilemma in seeing corporal punishment as necessary and a last resort discipline strategy. 24,6% of the student teachers indicated having a negative attitude towards using corporal punishment. Based on the evidence shown the study concludes that some student teachers are going to use corporal punishment, some may use it, therefore it is likely for corporal punishment to be used by student teachers despite the ban.Item Physical sciences teacher attributions to their pedagogical practice and how they influence their professional growth in Umzinyathi District Secondary Schools(2023) Shumba, Christopher; Mukeredzi, Tabitha; Thamae, MamothibeScience subjects are critical for any country’s economy and South Africa is no exception. The MeerKAT radio station in the Northern Cape, Southern Africa Large Telescope in Sutherland, Northern Cape (largest optical telescope in the Southern hemisphere), and South African Laboratories for Accelerator Based Sciences in the Western Cape are clear testimony of Physical Sciences’ contribution to the South African economy. South Africa’s Department of Basic Education (2003) stresses that sciences not only prepare learners for economic activity, critical thinking, and problem solving, but also channel them towards applied sciences, medical and engineering fields (Collins and Calhoun 2014; Parker 2017). Thus, sciences set the precedence for success as a stepping stone into prestigious occupations. However, this may only happen if their teachers possess appropriate attributions. Attributions are key to classroom pedagogical practice and learner achievement as they influence teacher pedagogic strategies, choice of materials, content and learner activities. Literature abounds on Physical Sciences teachers, however, questions around their attributions to their pedagogies, have not been adequately investigated. Thus, developing an in-depth understanding of Physical Sciences teacher attributions to their pedagogical practice is vital. This study explored Grade 12 Physical Sciences teacher attributions to their pedagogical practices and how these attributions shape their professional growth. Through a multiple-site case study within an interpretive paradigm, data were generated from 16 purposively sampled Physical Sciences teachers in selected rural, township and urban secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal, UMzinyathi district, through face-to-face interviews, document reviews and lesson observations. Data were transcribed and manually analysed through an eight-step open coding process. Two theories – Weiner’s (2005) causal attribution theory and Bell and Gilbert’s (1996) Aspects of Professional Learning – enabled unpacking, understanding, and explaining the data. Findings indicate that Physical Sciences teachers attributed their pedagogical practices to both internal and external factors. The teachers attributed pedagogical practices to their internal, unstable and controllable attributions related to professional knowledge (pedagogical and subject content knowledge), which they could manipulate. External and uncontrollable attributions to their pedagogy related to learner ability, infrastructural and material under-resourcing (which forced them to ‘make-do’), learner attitudes and family background. Findings also revealed that Physical Sciences teacher attributions related to networking, improvisation and innovation influenced their professional growth in pedagogical knowledge and practices, pedagogical content knowledge, as well as context and curriculum knowledge. While the Physical Sciences teachers experienced professional growth, severe under-resourcing in rural schools studied limited their growth. Given the ‘make do’ frame of mind that teachers adopted, this has a bearing on the teaching and learning of Physical Sciences. This study suggests a need for resource support. In relation to the theoretical framework, Weiner’s Attribution theory and Bell and Gilbert’s Aspects of Professional Learning theory in combination make a useful lens to understand attributions to pedagogical practice and teacher professional growth. What I found was that attribution theory on its own was inadequate for understanding attributions and their influence on professional growth. I needed a theoretical way to understand, describe, and analyse data to establish how these attributions influence teacher professional growth. Consequently, Bell and Gilbert’s (1996) theory was adopted. This thesis, therefore, suggests a need for more comprehensive research into the nature of Physical Sciences teacher attributions in their pedagogy and their influence on professional growth, drawing on this combined framework and developing it further to determine its applicability beyond this particular inquiry.Item I love Turtles! A Visual art practice-based exploration of the emergent endangered sea turtles of the KwaZulu-Natal Coast(2024-08) Human, Nicolaas Cloete; Chapman, Michael; Wade, Jean PhilippeThe study aims to explore and portray awareness of the endangered sea turtles on the east coast of southern Africa. The approach proceeds by way of considering environmental contexts, both societal and artistic, against which I place my own paintings, together with my reflection on the motif of the sea turtle. I explore salient points of the social context, which may be broadly classified as the ‘Anthropocene’ debate. The discussion of the Anthropocene and the selective examination of activist ecological artworks may be described as qualitative in their assessment and evaluation of the academic literature in the field. Similarly, qualitative is the description of my field work in the intervention of scientists and practitioners in the lives of the east coast turtles. When I turn to my own paintings, the method is that of practice-based research: as a way of artistic production of an aesthetic object, the production accompanied by my placing of the paintings within a broad ‘history’ of the genre while, at the same time, I reflect upon my practice. How might my paintings question, or even attempt to bridge, an ontological division between the human and the non-human world, as associated with the Anthropocene?Item Visualising the oral and performative heritage of Ghanaian culinary arts(2024-08) Faniyan, Betty; Olalere, Folasayo Enoch; Gaede, Rolf JoachimThe Fantes, whose territories constitute the Central Region of Ghana, are reputed for their culinary ingenuity. Being the first point of contact with the Europeans in presentday Ghana, the culinary heritage of the Fantes of Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) municipality offers an interesting testament to the resilience of culture amidst acculturation. This study explores the potential of digital technology to visualise the oral heritage of the traditional culinary arts for digital preservation. The study isframed by the indigenous standpoint theory and draws upon the 7Cs model of digital preservation of indigenous knowledge developed by Maasz et al. (2020) to co- create the knowledge of the traditional culinary heritage from the standpoint of one specific generation of the knowledge holders. The fieldwork component of the study employed ethnography for an immersive experience of the culinary heritage being co-created. Using a purposive sampling technique, data was collected from experienced and respected knowledge holders of the traditional culinary heritage to ensure the authenticity and ownership of the outcome of the study. By repositioning the knowledge holder as co-creator and employing photography as a documentary tool, a fuller account of the culinary heritage is generated to offer a culturally respectful and accurate representation of the cherished traditions and practices that are orally transmitted and performed daily at home in the third decade of the 21st century. The study underscores the relevance of photo documentation to visualize both the tangible and intangible aspects of cultural heritage for digital preservation. The elements that constitute the notion of authenticity of culinary heritage are identified and the means of maintaining culinary identity in the face of acculturations are highlighted. As a new contribution to knowledge, a revised model for the digitalization of culinary heritage is proposed to offer holistic documentation of a community’s lived experiences and collective memory.Item The psychosocial effects of poverty on the academic performance of secondary school learners from child-headed households in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe(2023-11) Chidhumo, Vincent; Abraham, Jose; Kufakunesu, MosesABSTRACT This phenomenological study, which was based on an interpretive research paradigm, was conducted in Zimbabwe's Chimanimani District in the Manicaland Province with the purpose of examining the psychosocial effects of poverty on the academic performance of secondary school learners from child-headed homes. The psychological theory of Erikson and the ecological systems theory of Bronfenbrenner were used as the theoretical frameworks. Data collection methods included focus groups, interviews, and document analysis. Participants were carefully chosen, and there were 32 secondary school learners, teachers, administrators, and members of the School Development Committees. In the data analysis, themes and content were looked at. The study established that a large number of learners from child-headed homes lacked access to a healthy diet, high-quality education, school uniforms, fees, knowledgeable staff, resources, and support from the school, which had a detrimental effect on their health as well as their psychological growth and academic success. It is suggested that stakeholders help kids from childheaded homes to lessen the psychosocial effects of poverty on their academic performance based on the findings of the current study. To help learners from low-income households, the government ought to prioritize financing for BEAM expansion. The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development must examine the curriculum offered by teachers' colleges to train guidance and counseling school instructors. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should adequately staff and resource the School Psychological Services in order for it to effectively fulfill its mandate of treating learners with psychological, social, and emotional issues. In addition, school administrators should give priority to incomegenerating initiatives that would help disadvantaged populations, particularly learners from families with secondary school learners. The study created a diamond child-headed home intervention model based on the literature review and research findings, which can be used in the development and implementation of programs to address the welfare and educational help of learners from child-headed households.Item Effectiveness of digital technology in ideation : a case of Ghanaian graphic design students(2024-08) Ametordzi, Sylvanus; Olalere, Folasayo Enoch; Essel, Harry BartonThis study explores how digital technology can be effectively utilized to enhance graphic design ideation among graphic design students in two selected Ghanaian universities. The study also seeks to create awareness about the need to integrate digital technologies into graphic design ideation and to develop a model for effective digital ideation. Areas explored by the research questions in the study include how graphic design ideas are generated by design students in Ghana; how digital technologies affect design output by examining the various technologies used by the design students in the design ideation process; and the perceptions of graphic design students about the use of digital technologies during ideation. The study assumes the constructivist and interpretivist paradigm on the premise that the use of digital technology in design ideation among students has to do with students with varying design experiences, backgrounds, and environments based on their interaction with design tools. Phenomenology and case study approaches were used to interrogate students to have an indepth understanding of the effectiveness of digital technology utilization in the ideation process. Twenty-eight (28) participants, made up of twenty- four students and four lecturers were selected from the Graphic Design Departments of two Ghanaian universities for the study. Purposive and random sampling were adopted for the selection of the participants. Findings indicated that students from the selected universities predominantly used a combination of the pencil and paper approach and digital technology in design ideation. During ideation, they conducted research on design briefs they received; embarked on mind mapping; engaged in brainstorming; created ideas with pencil and paper; selected some of the pencil ideas and illustrated them digitally in computer software; and evaluated the ideas for final selection. The design students relied heavily on the internet during the ideation process. The digital devices used by the design students included laptops, smartphones, tablets and digital cameras. Despite the divergent views expressed by the participants about the use of digital technology for ideation, the majority of them believed that the integration of pencil and digital technology is the ideal approach for design ideation. They considered technology very relevant, especially in increasing idea counts (quantity of ideas generated) that lead to creative ideation outputs. Overall, the students had a positive attitude about the use of digital devices; however, quite a few of them did not have the necessary skills in using vector software needed for design idea creation simply because they were not taught how to use the software or were not compelled to use the software in design ideation. Based on these findings of the study, the Digital Design Ideation Model, which outlines the steps to follow for effectiveness in digital idea development, was developed. The development of the model was typically influenced by the findings in the study and was based on design practices discovered in the review of the literature related to this study.Item Social context and the use of technology in teaching African languages : a case study of public universities in KwaZulu-Natal(2024-03-27) Adedokun, Theophilus; Awung, Felix Nkwatta; Usadolo, Sam Erevbenagie; Awung, Felix Nkwatta; Usadolo, Sam ErevbenagieThis study uses the concepts of Bourdieu’s sociological theory to investigate factors influencing technology use in teaching African languages. The study contends that language lecturers’ choices in teaching with technology were affected by the social phenomena of the field in which they operate. By adopting Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, capital, and field, the study offers a multi pronged approach to understanding the complex nature of the relationship between practices of individuals and social structures. A thematic textual analysis was used to investigate the attitudes of lecturers who taught African languages in selected public universities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The analysis reveals a mutually reinforcing relationship between individuals who operate in the teaching field and their behavioural attitudes towards using technology in teaching African languages. The study contributes to understanding how individuals and groups navigate different social and cultural contexts and how they could use their resources to the advantage of their fields. In addition, the study showed how agents actively try to shape their current teaching practices and adopt new approaches while subtly resisting external pressures that conflict with the practical realities of their field and their audience (students). The results of the interviews indicate that individuals' behaviours were influenced by the forces of the field where they operated, external factors and their habitus. This study recommends that policymakers collaborate with stakeholders like communities, governments, institutions, and lecturers to ensure technology development for teaching African languages yields desirable results. It also suggests African countries create an enabling environment for African languages to thrive, and future research adopts an integrated approach examining various factors influencing technology use in language teaching.Item The depiction of reality in a 360-degree video documentary versus a conventional 16by9 video documentary : a focus group comparative study of two independently made video documentaries of the Kennedy Road Informal Settlement in Kwa-Zulu Natal(2024) Singh, Niresh; Wade, Jean-Philippe; Frankish, TarrynThe popularity of virtual reality technologies [VR] has prompted numerous news organisations and filmmakers to embrace the 360-degree video format for immersive journalism. Consequently, there have been many studies on audience reception in VR and its use in immersive journalism. Nevertheless, research investigating the comparative “reality” depicted in immersive journalism content remains scarce. This study compares the depiction of reality in two ten minutes independently produced documentaries of the Kennedy Road Informal Settlement in Kwa-Zulu Natal. One shot in the traditional video format and the other in the 360-degree video format. Both videos were screened to two expert focus groups, one a group of academic experts and the other a group of professional television journalists, to discuss the perceived reality depicted in the videos. The result of this case study suggests that the 360-degree video version is a more accurate depiction of the reality in the settlement. The Exploratory nature of the format, the Extra Information on offer, the Sense of Presence, and the Sense of Place the 360-degree format created enhanced its Depiction of Reality. The intrinsic nature of the 360-degree video format by virtue of the long, deep focus shots it creates, and the way 360-degree videos are put together profoundly reflect the work of the seminal theorists of cinematic realism, namely, Andre Bazin (2004), Siegfried Kracauer (1997) and John Grierson (1998). According to the findings of this study, when considering 360-degree video within the framework of traditional film theories, it becomes evident that there is no unique concept of realism exclusive to 360-degree video. Rather, the principles that render 360-degree video realistic are the same as those that contribute to realism in traditional film. While this study is limited to its specific case and employs a relatively small sample size, the results are significant. It provides a direct comparison of the two formats by experts and suggests that the 360-degree format has the potential to depict the reality of a situation more accurately, positioning the technology as a powerful tool for immersive journalism.