Theses and dissertations (Arts and Design)

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Acquisition of agricultural knowledge and negotiation of gender power relations by women commercial farmers in Zimbabwe : implications for adult education training and development
(2018) Kaziboni, Tabeth; Preece, Julia; Mukeredzi, Tabitha
This study examined how women commercial farmers who got land during the Zimbabwe Fast Track Land Reform Programme (ZFTLRP) accessed new farming knowledge, applied and integrated it with their traditional knowledge. The study also analysed how these women farmers managed traditional gender power dynamics in the process of accessing knowledge and utilising their farm land. Kolb’s experiential learning theory was used to illuminate this study in terms of how the women acquired new farming knowledge and how indigenous knowledge and modern farming knowledge could illustrate farmer learning as experiential and/or self-directed. Foucault’s post-structuralist theory was used as a lens to explore how the women managed issues of gender and power relations during the process of owning and managing land. The study was qualitative and employed a life history research design. It relied on focus group discussions, individual interviews and observation for data collection from ten women farmers who were purposively sampled. Data were collected during an eight-month agricultural season from January 2016 to August 2016. The study revealed that the women went through Kolb’s experiential learning cycle in the process of acquiring knowledge. The women’s learning cycle, however, included a fifth stage of social interaction at some point, which Kolb did not emphasize. Social interaction is often referred to as a core feature of learning in African contexts (Ntseane, 2011) and it reflects the way in which Indigenous Knowledge (IK) had traditionally been learned. Women experienced non-formal and informal learning, with most of the latter being self-directed in nature. The range of learning sources included friends, neighbours, experts and media. Women complemented indigenous knowledge with modern farming methods and adopted more modern methods and fewer indigenous methods as soon as they had knowledge and resources. Occasionally they used indigenous knowledge when it was affordable, readily available and sustainable. Women farmers were happy to own land, but their husbands and males in the community did not support them and resisted the new discourse of women empowerment. The clash between the traditional discourse that women are not expected to be autonomous and the new discourse created gender power tensions. Women employed a variety of power techniques to enable them to farm. Initially they used the strategy of ‘reverse discourse,’ negotiating and manipulating people into accepting their new status. The women also used accepted power differentials to accommodate their own subjugated status through using a third party to resolve conflicts. Women also exhibited different forms of agency and self-determination to get accepted. This included employing ‘resistant discourse’ whereby the women demanded what was theirs and asserted their authority, especially with their workers. The use of economic rationales was another discursive strategy used by women, whereby they used their farm income to support other community members, and demonstrated financial outcomes that acted as a persuasive force for acceptance of their new status and role. A third form of agency was exhibited by working hard to achieve good yields and profits from their farms. Women demonstrated success stories which in turn helped them to improve the life styles of their families and re-invest into their farming business. They thus managed to create an autonomous identity for themselves. Women showed that they had progressed from the initial ‘disciplinary power’ behaviours in which they were passive and submissive, moving to a process of ‘reverse discourse’ where they achieved what they wanted through manipulation. But the women then showed agency and determination. Some did this through resistant discourse and others through demonstrating they could work hard. The success stories have seen them creating a new ‘regime of truth’ that women are capable people, although this achievement took several years. These findings demonstrated that making land available to these women was a positive act, but in order to help them succeed more effectively and quickly they needed gender-sensitive training. The study’s training recommendations include the need for both access to agricultural and business knowledge, and also the management of gender power relations.
African graphic systems: a preliminary study, with reference to the history and theory of graphic design
(2004) Carey, Piers Christian; Andrew, Rick; Sutherland, Ian
This project has investigated African graphic systems, both writing systems and systems of symbolic graphics. These systems are commonly used in Graphic Design, but those of African origin have been largely ignored in both the applied discipline, and in its History and Theory. The project has attempted to explain this in historical and theoretical terms: its motivation is described in terms of countering the exclusion of African visual culture in the face of historical and ideological factors such as colonialism and globalisation. The project's research aims were to collect as much information as feasible on these systems; and to classify them according to such criteria as their language or cultural group, their location, and the functional nature of the systems. From this body of information a smaller number of representative systems were selected for further description and discussion, in order to highlight the variety of systems existing in Africa, their historical development, and techniques and materials used. These selected systems were then used as inspiration and raw material for a body of applied Graphic Design work, which is intended to provide a visual introduction to the material, and to promote and advocate the revaluation of this cultural material. Information has mainly been gathered by means of library and internet search, in order to establish approximately the extent of the literature in the public sphere. Because of the obscurity of most of this information, it has been gathered from such other disciplines as Linguistics, Anthropology, or History. The project has established the existence of a large number of graphic symbols and systems, and gathered a body of literature and references about them. Many are poorly documented, if at all, and even those for which extensive literature
An analysis of some problem areas facing first year typing technology students at technikons, with particular reference to Technikon Mangosuthu, and suggestions for their resolution
(1993) Botha, Martina Alfreda; Dobie, B. A.; Naude, V. J.
Secretaries form a very important component of the labour market in South Africa, therefore appropriate education and training in this field is essential. It is only in the last decade that young black people have entered this career path. ~ ';4~ ,':'l.!. To meet the needs of employers, Technikon Mangosuthu introduced National secretarial courses in 1982. Of the first twenty students ~ho enrolled, only six were successful in completing the course. They were eagerly snapped up by employers who expressed great satisfaction with their work. It became clear during the course of training the students, that they had numerous problems which hampered their progress. Their English ability was not up to the standard required for this level of study. Students had serious difficulties in adapting to the use of electronic office equipment. Socio-economic problems also contributed to the students' inability to succeed in their studies. The problems seemed insurmountable. It was clear that positive steps needed to be taken to improve the situation. This dissertation is concerned with the education of secretarial students at Technikon Mangosuthu and investigates the backgrounds of students at six technikons in an attempt to identify problems and their causes with the aim of alleviating these problems and providing the labour market with well trained, efficient secretaries. Typing Technology is a major subject in the three year National Secretarial Diploma. This subject, in keeping with the development of modern technology, comprises three components: Typing Techniques, Word Processing and Audio Typing. To pass this subject, a high level of proficiency is required. The students at Technikon Mangosuthu come from a non-technological and socially disadvantaged background and the initial introduction to office technology comes as a cultural shock to them. Lecturers need to assist students in making the transition as quickly and easily as possible by identifying problems and adapting methods of teaching to help students overcome the problems.
An auto-ethnographic enquiry : critical reflection on the influences in the development of a black African male educator
(2012-09-03) Gumede, Jerome Thamsanqa; Conolly, Joan Lucy; Sienaert, Edgard
This thesis sets out to demonstrate the influences on the personality of a Black African Male Educator – specifically mine - as I enquire: ―Why do I do things the way I do?‖ and ―What has enabled me to meet, face and resolve the challenges that I have come across in life?‖ I have addressed these questions from a self-study perspective, using narrative enquiry, living theories methods and auto-ethnography. I have written this thesis aware that I lived the first thirty seven years of my life under the potentially personality deforming oppression of apartheid, and that I have conducted my study and written my thesis in the context of the HIV&AIDS pandemic. In creating my own ―living theory‖ philosophy, I look at my epistemology - How do I know what/that I know? - my ontology – Who am I? Who am I becoming? What do I believe? and my axiology – What do I value? In creating my own ―living theory‖ (Whitehead, 2008), I examine the influences which have informed my personality development and that of my research participants. The originality of the contribution of this thesis to the academy is to demonstrate the influence of one person‘s personal origin and naming, carers and family, childhood experiences and learning, sport and sport instructors on his personality development. In addition, the thesis highlights the usefulness of forms of knowledge - herding and induku - that have not been explicitly declared as useful and included formally in education. To this end, I demonstrate the connections that exist between, induku, herding, work, community involvement and education as influential in personality development. I use my personal beliefs and values – principally ubuntu and ukuhlonipha – and the Critical Cross Field Outcomes to demonstrate the relationship between these values and outcomes, my personal account and the development of my human personality. I look at the implications for education. I review the Republic of South Africa‘s National Curriculum Statement in Life Orientation Grades 10–12. I suggest ways in which the Beliefs and Values demonstrated and examined in this thesis, and Critical Cross Field Outcomes can be incorporated in Community Service Integrated Projects that can help learners to make their beliefs and values explicit in their learning, all to the end of influencing values-informed personal development.
Breaking the silence, addressing the confusion and challenging denial surrounding HIV and AIDS by engaging tradition : a study of the mnemonic oral style with special reference to Marcel Jousse
(2013-11-15) Ngaloshe, Christina Nosabata; Conolly, Joan Lucy; Sienaert, Edgard
In this study I demonstrate the extent to which I have achieved my original goals to ‘break the silence, address confusion and challenge denial around HIV and AIDS’. As the study progressed I could not ignore the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS infection, and the impact of poverty and (mis)education in the time of HIV and AIDS. I also found myself confronted with the use of the traditional mnemonic oral-style of performance in the form of ‘new wine in old bottles’ where the learners at Mthusi High School used the ‘old bottles’ of gospel songs, isicathamiya and izibongo to compose and relay the ‘new wine’ of their experience and understandings around HIV and AIDS. I could see that the use of the mnemonic oral-style was a natural and powerful way for the learners’ understandings of HIV and AIDS to be shared amongst themselves, within the community, and with a larger public so breaking the silence around HIV and AIDS, and so addressing the confusion, challenging denial, stigma and discrimination around HIV and AIDS. The use of the mnemonic oral style in this way suggested to me that it could also be used effectively in education, and led to my suggesting the use of the traditional mnemonic oral-style relating to HIV and AIDS education in the Grades 10-12 Life Orientation Curriculum.
Capturing new forms of video footage in remote locations through the design, development and deployment of an autonomous, open source, unmanned aerial system : a case study of South African Enduro motorcycle racers
(2022-09-01) Burnett, Peter Gregory; Wade, Jean-Philippe; Chapman, Michael
This study explores the use of an autonomous Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), in the capturing of video footage of sporting events, specifically enduro motorcycle racing, in remote areas of southern Africa. Remote areas are defined as those that are far removed from urban centres, are inaccessible by motor vehicle and that have no internet or cell phone coverage. Autonomous UAS refers to drones which are pre-programmed to fly a specific path and thus fly automatically once launched. Conditions of remoteness place unique constraints on the objective of capturing video footage of sporting events in such areas. Traditional means of video coverage, such as those from ground-based camera operators, Go-Pro cameras mounted on the riders, or helicopter-based camera operators, results in video footage which is either limited in range and consists of numerous shots of shorter duration, or otherwise prohibitively expensive. A newer form of video coverage would be the type obtained by a manually flown drone, but even this coverage is limited as it typically consists of the footage acquired solely from a position behind the riders. In contrast, video footage captured from an automated UAS allows for a greater range and an expanded duration of shots. The defining characteristic of video footage captured by an automated UAS is the lengthy, lingering wide shot, which includes multiple camera angles, height changes, and camera movements, all within the duration of a single shot. This constitutes a new form of video coverage of remote sporting events. This research is practice-based and includes three related parts: Firstly, the design, construction and programming of a UAS for use in remote areas with the objective of capturing video footage of enduro motorcycle racing events. An ‘open source’ approach to all the software with which the UAS is programmed is utilised; Secondly, the capturing and editing of video footage which has been gathered from the UAS; And thirdly, a dissertation and practice-based reflection on the process.
Challenges experienced by women fashion entrepreneurs of Botswana’s Youth Development Fund project
(2022-02) Paya, Kegomoditswe Matshediso; Moyo, Sibusiso; Mbanga, Tando Sisanda
Botswana’s Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture (MYSC) introduced the Youth Development Fund (YDF) with the aim of creating sustainable employment opportunities for young people through the development of sustainable projects. The aim of this study is to investigate challenges experienced by women fashion entrepreneurs of Botswana’s Youth Development Fund project to determine their experiences and the sustainability of their businesses. This study is significant because it attempts to identify the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in Botswana who have been funded through the Youth Development Fund (YDF), by allowing the authentic voices of the female youth entrepreneurs to be heard. The study used a qualitative research method and a phenomenological approach. The target population was female fashion entrepreneurs who met specific selection criteria in Kgatleng, Kweneng and South East districts. The sample was eleven (11) participants (ten purposefully-selected fashion entrepreneurs who benefited from the YDF project and one YDF representative). Data collection was conducted using In-depth semi-structured interviews and observations. The in-depth interviews were the main source of data and consisted of a semi-structured interview schedule comprising questions and probes. The observations were supplementary, meant to enhance the interview data. The study used thematic analysis for analysing data, which was then interpreted using the interpretivist approach. The results show that female fashion entrepreneurs of the YDF project face a number of challenges while running their businesses. These challenges, include too many rigid requirements when applying for funding, insufficient funding, cash flow problems, lack of modern machinery, lack of raw materials, lack of retail space, inadequate fashion marketing events, lack of collateral or venture capital investment, tight competition from imports as well as a lack of mentorship and incubator programmes. The study has revealed that female fashion entrepreneurs face a lot of challenges. However, solutions are within reach. For instance, the government, stakeholders, researchers and the female entrepreneurs themselves should work together to try and solve these challenges. A fashion incubator programme, a fashion mentorship programme, a fashion council and an academic alumni network should be established as part of the measures to address these challenges. Additionally, COVID-19 relief strategies should be designed and implemented to help revive small medium enterprises.
Conflicts of interest in the reporting of biomedical research in mainstream newspapers in Canada
(2013-10-17) Buist, Steven Douglas; Pratt, Deirdre Denise
Ethical behaviour by investigators is the cornerstone of scientific research. Recognizing, declaring and avoiding a conflict of interest are key responsibilities for biomedical researchers, particularly since commercial enterprises, such as pharmaceutical companies, have become major funding sources of research. Proactive disclosure of researchers' financial relationships is now a requirement for publication in most scientific journals. The question that arises is whether this same increased scrutiny of financial disclosure and potential for conflict of interest has extended to the mainstream press in Canada. A content analysis of biomedical research articles that appeared in Canadian daily newspapers from 2001 to 2008 showed that 82 per cent of the articles failed to identify the financial connection that existed between the researcher(s) and the commercial funder, and nearly half of the articles did not even identify the commercial funding source of the research. A text analysis showed that 94 per cent of the articles were positive about the drug/device cited by the research, and positive, optimistic words such as “breakthrough”, “significant”, “hope” and “promising” were often used in the news articles. Reporters frequently frame biomedical research articles using a battle-like template that describes a fight between good and evil. Another common approach was to frame the article as a message of hope for the future. A genre analysis showed that the genre of medical research news articles published in newspapers is highly dissimilar to the genre of medical research articles published in scientific journals. It is likely these two genres have been constructed to appeal to very different target audiences. The study results show overwhelmingly that readers are not provided with key information about potential financial conflicts of interest involving the researchers and the commercial sources of funding for the research. Such lack of transparency thwarts the reader’s ability to reach informed conclusions about whether or not the research has been either explicitly or implicitly influenced by the researcher’s potential conflict.
A critical linguistic analysis of the discourse on religious observances in public schools to establish the hegemonic influence of colonial religious observances and their effect on school populations
(2016) Govindsamy, Loshini; Pratt, Deirdre Denise
Even after political liberation in South Africa, a mismatch exists between the principles of freedom of religious observance taught in Religion Education and the actual religious observances in public schools. Anglican hymns, prayers and observances are still being used in schools where the religious ethos has changed from one of Christianity to include Hinduism, Islam and Judaism, as well as Shembe and Zionist religions. The Draft Policy on Religion Education stipulates that there should be a distinction between home religions and the school’s official religious instruction. School religious observances, particularly observances which reflect the oppressive nature of past colonial impositions, should not give offence to learners from other religious denominations, or belittle their own practices. This thesis investigates the hegemonic influence of colonial religious observances and their possible effect on school populations. Within a critical linguistic approach, which explores the ways in which language both sets in place and reflects the relations of power implicit in social functioning, a critical discourse analysis was carried out on current and topical media texts reporting on contentious issues involving religious observances in schools. Community members were also consulted by means of surveys and interviews so as to provide an overview of the social context of the wider community within which the schools were situated. The resulting data could then be used to triangulate data obtained from the discourse analysis, and either confirm, modify or challenge the latter. The results suggest that, not only is there a strong hegemonic influence present in schools, as a result of the lingering vestiges of traditional colonial Christianity, but that modern Christian movements are also beginning to exert a persuasive influence on non-Christian populations. The issue of religious observance in schools is a highly complex and potentially controversial issue, but one which merits study in view of the fact that the stakeholders’ right to freedom of religious observance may be violated on a daily basis.
A cultural studies project : exploring the perceptions of undergraduate media university students on the representations of black gay men in two of South Africa’s leading telenovelas, Uzalo and The Queen
(2022-09) Dube, Andile Samuel; Frankish, Tarryn; Wade, Jean Philippe
Even though the South African Constitution protects the rights of LGBTQ+ people and bans discrimination based on sexual orientation, gay people in this country are still victims of the most horrific homophobic abuse and vile discrimination. By venture of its vast reach, the media, television in particular, is an important tool to educate and inform people of the rights of gay people and teach about sexuality. Content creators are responsible for producing the programmes people are exposed to on television, therefore, they are tasked with creating representations of gay people. This study explores the perceptions of media undergraduate students on the representations of black gay people in television, specifically, SABC1’s Uzalo and Mzansi Magic’s The Queen. These two telenovelas have been chosen, because they have black gay characters and are among the most-watched shows on prime-time television. Uzalo has an average of approximately 10 million viewers and The Queen has roughly eight million viewers per episode. The research followed a Cultural Studies approach to explore the role of telenovelas and the active audience paradigm to examine the dynamics of power in the representations of LGBTQ+ on television in South Africa. The study also draws on feminism to highlight the discrimination of the LGBTQ+ community in the African continent. Representation Theory is used as a lead theory in this study, while Social Cognitive Theory is used as a second theory. Two focus groups were held with undergraduate media students from the Journalism Programme and Video Technology Department from the Faculty of Arts and Design in a South African university. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data from these two focus groups. The study found the visibility of gay people on television has increased over the years. In addition, there are instances where the representation is positive and educational, however, the majority remains negative and relies on stereotypes. These findings indicate the media is a powerful tool that can be used to educate the wider public with regard to marginalised people. Going forward, educational implications of LGBTQ+ persons’ representations need to be considered when represented. Therefore, the study posits that representations on popular culture are important as these telenovelas are part of creating the reality that is lived by the minorities they represent. As such, television does not only represent the world, but it helps in its creation and the audience who watch these telenovelas are co-creators
Curatorial practice as reflexive inquiry : a case study of an art museum exhibition
(2018) Stretton, Jennifer Ann Rosalind; Roome, John; Kethro, Philippa
The exhibition Beauty & its Beasts: has the female stereotype changed?, which forms the focus of this case study, was held in the Durban Art Gallery, 30 March – 28 May 2017 and extended to 31 July 2017 (Appendix 1). The gallery has a colonial and patriarchal history and the exhibition sought to overcome public associations with this past by inviting engagement from traditionally marginalised sectors of society. To this end, Giddens’s view of reflexivity is applied in this study to curatorial practice as reflexive inquiry into public and community issues around feminism. Collaborative curation was seen as promoting reflexive inquiry, and involved the conceptualisation of feminist themes, selection and sourcing of artworks, the planning of gallery space for maximal visitor engagement with the exhibition, and the elicitation of public response. The methodology detailed the ways in which these curatorial interventions provided avenues of curatorial inquiry. The gallery space was seen as an ethnographic field in which the experiences, attitudes and beliefs of visitors could be observed. The use of a mannequin on which visitors could pin notes recording their responses allowed privacy and therefore authenticity. As a result visitor responses showed strong engagement and were often confessional and cathartic. It also became evident that visitors experienced the exhibition in richly varied, intersectional ways. Intersectionality spoke of a differently positioned and located community for whom a variety of influences, such as sexuality, spirituality, subjection, gender, class, race, age, motherhood and belonging, all connected with feminism. With hindsight, the collaborative and reflexive planning of the exhibition had taken an intersectional approach to curation, using themes such as Abjection, Dolls, The Usual Suspects, Smoke and Mirrors, Spirituality & Ritual, Who’s Looking at Whom?, Unspoken, and A Mother’s Love. The inquiry concluded that an intersectional approach is appropriate for the curation of exhibitions dealing with controversial and unresolved social issues. Further, the study bore out the notion of reflexivity through collaboration. Recommendations are made for extending the study through community research and the archiving of exhibition data as a curatorial resource.
Design for racial reconciliation dialogue : a South African case study
(2022-09) Robbertze, Victoria Louise; Kethro, Philippa; Warburton, Chantelle
The issue of racism and cross-cultural hostility is still prevalent in post-apartheid South Africa, including in church-based contexts. ‘One New Humanity’ (ONH) is an initiative that seeks to promote racial reconciliation dialogue through church congregant meetings in Durban. This research serves the ONH initiative through a practice-related case study that culminates in the design of a social media campaign. The aim of both the research and the campaign design is to stimulate increased racial reconciliation dialogue amongst ONH congregants, and in so doing spread racial reconciliation to wider communities. Research interviews with ONH congregants and pastors were framed using the theory of relational dialectics. This theory concerns conflict in interpersonal and social relations that are dialectical and contradictory. Relational dialectics is also closely linked to Bakhtin’s dialogical theory. The relational dialectics framework is established in the literature review and is then used as a methodological tool of inquiry leading to its final application in the graphic design of illustrated posts for a social media campaign. The graphic design of the social media campaign is a response to, and application of, the research inquiry into ONH congregants’ views on current racial tensions in South Africa. It is also guided by ONH pastors’ goals for their initiative. The praxis of the study then encompasses the guiding strategy for the ONH campaign, the creative brief for graphic design and the resulting social media content. This enables the ONH leadership to review the campaign for real time implementation. The visual language of the social media campaign draws upon screen print and linocut effects that are reminiscent of anti-apartheid posters of the liberation struggle. From the research data analysis through to the formulation of the creative brief and the design production, the campaign follows responsible design values regarding the impact of graphic design on the viewer’s thinking about racial reconciliation. The ONH Campaign takes the position that both sides of any racial conflict issue need to be understood for racial reconciliation to proceed. This even-handed understanding may be best communicated through provocatively juxtaposed visual image pairs that are digitally disseminated. As such, the research knowledge artefact lies within the ambit of ‘graphic design for good’ endeavours. The research conclusion reflects on the citizen design approach taken in this study, and it may support further ‘graphic design for good’ praxis research.
Exploring undergraduate students’ use and experience of online library resources : a case study of a University of Technology
(2021-06) Gumede, Lindiwe Eileen; Land, Sandra; Moyane, Smangele Pretty
This study seeks to how undergraduate students at one University of Technology experience, and use or not online library resources. According to Komissarov and Murray (2016) little has been done to investigate why students use or do not use the various types of information resources. These researchers further state that convenience is what drives students to use familiar internet search engines like Google compared to subscribed databases. The study sought to explore the use of online or electronic resources by undergraduate students at the Durban University of Technology, and also to establish the reasons for non-use. The target population were third year students enrolled for Nursing, Civil Engineering and Education at a South African University of Technology. The study adopted the mixed methods approach combining the quantitative and qualitative methods applied sequentially. A structured online questionnaire was designed using QuestionPro. This was used in collecting numerical data which was analysed using SPSS version 26. Focus group discussions were used to collect qualitative data. Ms Teams was used for focus groups because students were not available on campus during the data collection phase. This all happened during the COVID19 lockdown which saw the University closed down. The recording option on MS teams was used to record the sessions for later transcribing. Findings of the study reveal that students still prefer to use general search engines like Google and YouTube as opposed to the subscribed electronic databases to find information. This is worrisome considering that when they use only Google and YouTube, students do not get the academic benefit of the electronic resources geared to their fields of study on which the university has spent a considerable amount of money. The study concludes that students are not fully utilising the online library resources that the library makes available to them.
A feminist study into the field experiences of female SABC reporters
(2023-03-01) Govender, Genevieve; Frankish, Tarryn; Muringa, Tigere
This study aimed to explore and describe the field experiences of female radio reporters at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) from a feminist perspective; to ascertain if sexism and harassment is experienced, and if so, in what ways. The study also aimed to determine whether or not patriarchy underpins interactions with newsmakers while reporting, and if so, to what degree. Numerous studies have been undertaken turning the lens into newsrooms and media organisations with regards to gender transformation. While more women have become part of the new machinery post democracy, studies have shown that these women still face staggering incidents of sexism and patriarchy, creating for them glass ceilings that prevent their upward progression towards news management. Studies further indicate that sexism and patriarchy are often nuances and embedded into daily newsroom interactions. Significantly, researchers argue that the problem is a societal issue manifesting within the news industry. The study therefore explores the field experiences of female reporters in relation to patriarchy and sexism. This research was a feminist study, which employed a qualitative approach with a critical theory paradigm. The sample consisted of eleven (11) female reporters employed within the South African Broadcasting Corporation, given the extensive reach of the public broadcaster and the multiple beats covered by the radio employees. The findings of this study detail multiple layers of discrimination and harassment experienced by female radio reporters within the SABC when engaging with newsmakers. Evidenced in the research is the manner in which entrenched societal and cultural values limit and influence the productivity of the reporters and in some instances, impede their freedom to effectively tell the story. Aside from the documented glass ceilings that stunt the upward progression of female reporters, the study posits the existence of invisible walls that stymie their transversal advancement within their designated scope of reporting.
First Things First at University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) : analysing visual materials and first-year students’ perceptions of a HIV-related campaign
(2018) Mungroo, Melissa; Peppas, Mikhail; Smith, René
The study focuses on the First Things First campaign and the responses of first-year University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) students to the campaign posters. The campaign is a project of the Higher Education and Training HIV and AIDS Programme (HEAIDS) that emphasises counselling and testing to reduce HIV and AIDS prevalence amongst students. The First Things First campaign posters encourage students to get tested and know their HIV status. The research seeks to determine if first-year students at UKZN understand campaign messages depicted in the posters. Stuart Hall’s encoding-decoding model (1980) provides a theoretical framework to analyse the campaign, its context and communication patterns. Semiotics is used to analyse the posters. The students’ perceptions about the campaign are explored in relation to the campaign posters and pamphlet specifically while UKZN Health Clinic Support Unit staff and UKZN Journalists’ interpretations about the campaign are also explored. Focus groups with first-year students and interviews with UKZN Health Clinic Support Unit staff and UKZN Journalists were conducted at the University. The data generated was subjected to interpretive semiotics and thematic content analysis. The majority of participants understood the campaign messages, which they cite as ‘get tested’ and ‘know your HIV status’. The findings indicate that students accepted that the posters encourage them to test for HIV but that stigma, personal fears and the social environment could deter them from testing. Considerations related to the effective formulation of messages and the First Things First campaign material are outlined. Enhanced publicity and visibility of campaign posters on UKZN campuses at libraries, cafeterias and on notice boards is suggested. The campaign would benefit from the posters being prominently displayed on the UKZN Facebook page and also on a First Things First Facebook page linked to the campaign.
How citizen camera-witnessing has been incorporated by Health-e : an investigation into the integration of citizen generated news into the traditional news cycle
(2019-04) Cross, Sheetal; Thakur, Surendra
Recent rapid technological development has driven mass communication growth through the use of digital and social media platforms. Easier global new access has resulted in a multitude of changes within the media industry. These extend to include the influence of traditional media houses over the communication agenda as well as the manner in which news is produced, disseminated, and consumed. The historic relationship between news media and its audience was a one-way communication stream. However, evolving trends in technology and digital influence has prompted a paradigm shift in favour of a more interactive communication model. In this context, the audience is provided with the opportunity to respond to news information in real-time in an online space. The rise of mobile journalism has also promoted greater access to information with a shorter turnaround time for exposure. This expedition of media sharing has led to an influx of information access not previously afforded to the ordinary citizen. Through the influence of information and communications technologies (ICTs), the audience is no longer merely a consumer of news, but participates actively in the process of news gathering, dissemination, promotion, and consumption. The rise of technologies that support audience participation ushered in the emergence of citizen journalism and citizen camera-witnessing as a phenomenon that challenges several conventions inherent to traditional methods of media reporting. However, little is known about how such developments have affected the manner in which news is produced and consumed in the South African setting. Therefore, a need has arisen to understand how citizen journalism and citizen camerawitnessing have been incorporated as part of the news reporting cycle in the local environment. In response to this research challenge, a qualitative interpretivist study was undertaken to explore how citizen journalism and citizen camerawitnessing have been incorporated by Health-e as part of the news cycle in South Africa. Toward this end, thematic analysis, guided by the Media Synchronicity Theory as a theoretical lens, was performed on the qualitative data obtained from the semi-structured interviews that were conducted with management and staff members at a local organisation named Health-e News. In conclusion, this study provided novel evidence on how (such) changes have been incorporated into a more formal setting within the media industry, where traditional journalists and citizen journalists are employed in a more collaborative partnership. In addition, this study observed the news media watchdog element regarding government regulations where health is concerned, and regarding some of the challenges that arose when news coverage on serious health crises were left uncovered.
The impact of socio-cultural factors on blended learning in the development of academic literacy in a tertiary vocational context
(2009) Gutteridge, Robert Geoffrey; Pratt, Deirdre Denise
This study investigated key factors impacting on blended learning delivery with particular focus on socio-cultural and human-computer-interface issues, in the hope that the outcome of this enquiry might contribute positively towards the empowerment of learners and facilitators alike. The study involved a group of first year students enrolled in a Communications Skills Course offered by the (then) Department of English and Communication at the Durban University of Technology. The PRINTS Project, a webquest around which the course activities were based, provided an example of a blended delivery course in practice. While the teaching paradigm used in the course was constructivist, the research orientation employed in this project was critical realist. Critical realism focuses on transformation through praxis and also lends itself to modelling, which provides a way to understand the factors at play within a social system. In the preliminary stages of the research, an exploratory empirical (i.e. applied) model of blended learning delivery was formulated from a theoretical model of course delivery in order to assess which factors in blended learning were systemic and which were variables. The investigation then sought to uncover key factors impacting on the blended delivery system, utilising both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The findings were analysed in terms of the empirical model to gain an understanding of any factors that might be seen to either enhance or inhibit learning in blended delivery mode. The result was that certain core issues in blended learning and teaching could be clarified, including the use, advantages and disadvantages of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in a learning environment. The notion of the digital divide could also be reconceptualised, and the relationship between literacy (be it academic, professional or social), power and culture could be further elucidated, drawing specific attention to the South African educational environment. The notion of iv culture and its relevance in a blended delivery environment was also further clarified, since the findings of this research project suggested how and why certain key socio-cultural factors might impact, as both enhancers and inhibitors, on the blended learning delivery system.
An investigation into the exercise of male power in middle management in Technikons in KwaZulu-Natal, with particular reference to verbal communication
(1998) Turnbull-Jackson, Carolyn Jeannette Anne; Prosser, Julia Judith
This study focused on the exercise of male power in middle management in technikons in KwaZulu-Natal, with particular reference to verbal communication. The glass ceiling, blocking promotions to senior positions, is a reality for women in technikons and the researcher explored the ways in which exploitation and marginalisation occur when sexism and power is wielded by males through verbal communication.
An investigation into the problems experienced by parents in democratising school governing bodies in the Trenance Park Region of the Verulam area
(2001) Maharaj, Purnachandra; Prosser, Julia Judith
This study focussed on the problems experienced by parents in the democratisation process of school governing bodies in the Trenance Park area. The desegregation of public schools has led to increased enrolment of African learners at the three schools in the Trenance Park area. School governing bodies, consisting of only Indian parent governors at these schools, have continued to function as they did in the past. Parent governors are incapable of handling culturally diverse issues and they also lack the expertise to manage school finances to accommodate the needs of all learners. The researcher explored possible reasons for the lack of African parental involvement. The absence of African parents on school governing bodies adversely affects schools when resolving issues of a cultural or racial nature. In fact the increase of racial incidents at schools has created a tense situation for both learners and educators. A literature survey of governance structures exposed the need for a training programme for governors. Previous governance structures had advisory powers but the Department of Education was responsible for a large majority of their functions. The South African Schools Act of 1996 accorded school governing bodies duties and functions for which they were not trained. Moreover the lack of a training programme created confusion amongst governors and the principal relating to their respective role functions. III Research for this dissertation was conducted by means of structured interviews directed at the chairperson of governing bodies and school principals in the Trenance Park area.
An investigation of images of women : the development of an awareness campaign to boost self-esteem amongst South African women
(2014) De Beer, Anneli; Sutherland, Ian Gilbert; Wells, Catherine Louise
The aim of this study was to investigate how images of women in the media that espouse women’s empowerment can indeed have the opposite effect and may even contribute to lowered self-esteem in women. To this end, this project is intended to explore issues such as body image and image manufacture in order to find a possible answer to the question of what is ‘real beauty’ in the South African context. A semiotic approach seeking to review the ways in which women are seen through visual communicative images was undertaken. This visual research revealed the importance of the ‘gendered gaze’ at the centre of issues that relate to self-esteem. An in-depth analysis of the literature, pertaining to self-esteem, interrogated the works of Naomi Wolf, John Berger and Susie Orbach, amongst others. This was carried out in order to understand more about how the dictates of consumerism pervade the work of the style industries. These sectors are well supported by the diet, food and cosmetic surgery industries who tend to effectively increase and add to a sense of body related insecurities. In addition, content analysis of selected South African editions of Cosmopolitan magazine was conducted. The images described represents a significant development period in the emergence of certain beauty ideals in South Africa. The British Unilever marketing campaign, The Dove Campaign For Real Beauty, was used as a base model for the applied design component of this study. In addition an action research approach was employed through a series of interviews and questionnaires directed at mostly female participants in South Africa. This method revealed that self-esteem issues have far reaching implications, affecting women of all ages. As a response to the perceived need for a South African based campaign, this research project informed the development of The Sisterhood Self-Esteem Crusade. In contrast to The Dove Campaign For Real Beauty which was created to promote increased sales of beauty products, The Sisterhood Self-Esteem Crusade’s focus is to interrogate and raise awareness of self-esteem. Underpinning this was an attempt to build confidence, cascade new ways of understanding and to propagate sense making, informed through action research, amongst South African women.