Faculty of Arts and Design

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Employer perspectives on sustainable employability skills for TVET engineering graduates in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
(Journal of Critical Reviews, 2021-10-17) Mesuwini, Joseph; Bomani, Mapeto
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is arguably the sector closely connected to industry and employers. The development of the South African economy partly hinged on individuals with both technical and soft skills that are needed by industry. Against this backdrop, sufficiently prepared TVET engineering graduates are an important resource for industry development. However, employees note that the TVET sector does not address the skills needs of industry. Addressing the skills needs of industry is critical for the South African economy. This study seeks to explore employer perceptions on sustainable employability skills for TVET engineering graduates in industry and develop appropriate strategies for addressing the industry needs in the context of South Africa. The study adopted a qualitative case study approach in which semi-structured interviews were used to collect empirical evidence from a conveniently and purposively selected sample of twelve (12) employers from industry. The human capital theory constitutes the theoretical framework of the study. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that employers needed graduates with both technical and soft skills for sustainable employability. TVET engineering graduates fall short of the skills required by industry. The study recommends strong emphasis on career guidance and development to help programme selection. Furthermore, misalignment of skills could be curbed by ensuring strong ties and communication among role players. A revision on the curriculum was necessary to align with the new technology and address the industry needs.Further studies could focus on how companies could be lured to collaborate with TVET Colleges so that their training becomes a meaningful and empowering experience. Future research could also focus on the relevance of the TVET curriculum to industry needs.
Generating ‘happiness’ : a semiotic and thematic analysis on experiences of consumption and media marketing strategies for Inanda parents
(2023-08-09) Mbili, Sindisiwe Sweetness; Frankish, Tarryn; Kethro, Philippa
This dissertation explored ways that parents in Inanda perceive and manage media messages and consumer choices within the generational demands to keep their children happy. Using the interpretive approach, the study looked at semiotic and general thematic analyses to understand the messages that parents respond to when raising young people in this township. The researcher also addressed the dynamic relationships that exist between consumer actions and how parenting takes place in the 21st Century. The study also pursued the main research problem of how the media plays a role in shaping consumer patterns among parents and it also explored the driving force behind Inanda parents’ consumption patterns in trying to create a ‘better’ world for their children by means of buying them material things. To address this, the researcher applied Arnould and Thompson’s (2005) consumer culture theory that looks at a form of material culture that is often driven by the market for consumers to attain a certain lifestyle. The secondary theory is McLuhan’s (1964) communication theory which upholds that the audience is a vital part of the communication process. The two theories are used to better understand how signs and symbols are communicated to consumers via the media, resulting in consumption culture. Using purposive sampling, the researcher conducted face-to-face interviews which were semi structured around the main research questions, with questions that are open-ended for probing purposes (See Appendix C) to critically analyse the effects and influence media marketing strategies have on how consumers receive and perceive these messages. Additionally, photographs of children (with permission from their parents) were used (with children’s faces blurred out) as part of data collection. The messages that are passed on to potential consumers through the media are usually in a form of signs and symbols and to better comprehend the main objective of this dissertation the use of semiotic and general thematic analyses put the researcher in a favourable position to decode, analyse, interpret, organise and define data in line with the view that semiotics is the study of signs and symbols in works of art (Ferreira 2007), while general thematic can be used to make sense of collective or mutual meanings and experiences by concentrating on context through present data (Braun and Clarke 2012). This project moved towards an understanding that media has the power to persuade young people into believing that happiness comes at a price and that their lives will only be perfect if they buy the latest products on the market (Klein 2000).
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.
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 Erevbenagie
This 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.
Social innovation : understanding selected Durban-based interior designers' perceptions of socially responsible interior design
(2021-04) Ndovela, Xolisa; Reynolds, Michelle Claire; Olalere, Folasayo Enoch
In a world with pressing social issues that require the collaboration of multiple stakeholders to solve them, this research sought to find out through the views of interior design practitioners how social innovation might be integrated into interior design for socially responsible design. The research sought to find out from the perceptions of the participants whether social innovation practices could be integrated into interior design as an ethos for professional practice, rather than fragmented, erratic projects. The research postulates that interior design practices are similar if not complementary to those of social innovation. Both interior design and social innovation focus on the human dimension and understanding of human behaviour to construct realities that people occupy and offer an enhanced human experience. The aim was to establish whether interior design practitioners saw social innovation as a tool for more socially responsible design and whether they have engaged in social innovation and socially responsible design in their practice. The research followed an exploratory qualitative research approach positioned in the interpretive paradigm. The research used semistructured participant interviews and thematic analysis to explore in-depth insights into the perspectives and experiences of 13 Durban-based interior designers and their perceptions of social innovation integration for socially responsible design. Through a literature review, the researcher studied social innovation, design for social innovation, socially responsible design, interior design's social compact and interior design's value proposition. The conceptual framework put forward a plausible sequence of activities that can be carried out for interior design to interact with social innovation for socially responsible design. Doing so could contribute to the interior design social compact. The thematic analysis was employed to structure the research and explore the current level of understanding and engagement of interior designers in social innovation for socially responsible design. What emerged were challenges and opportunities for integrating social innovation for socially responsible design as an interior design ethos. Guided by the conceptual framework in the research, five themes emerged in the data analysis guided by the conceptual framework: Social Problem Identification, Interior Design Process, Social Innovation Process, Socially Responsible Design Process and Social Value. The findings revealed that the selected interior designers were largely unaware of social innovation and last interacted in a socially responsible design during a once-off university project. Although the participants' comprehension was at times muddled, the aggregate of their perceptions demonstrated a general grasp of what social innovation and socially responsible design are. It was interesting to note how difficult it was for interior designers to conceptualize the terms "social," "social innovation," and "socially responsible design." The majority of participants distinguished between social innovation and socially responsible design as differing concepts. Even with a basic knowledge of social innovation, most participants expressed confidence in implementing and leading teams based on socially responsible and socially innovative programs. The participants believed that their potential could only be constrained by finances, personal security, a lack of education and expertise in the cultural context of the social innovation project. The designers believed that social innovation for socially responsible design should be required in interior design and monetization, professional body, education and the other components of socially responsible design are crucial in doing so. Of the advantages of integrating social innovation for socially responsible interior design communicated by the participants, the most significant was the change of collective expectations of interior design by the general public and other business professionals. The participants shared that social innovation would favour the discipline by demonstrating to the public and other practitioners that it was about more than shallow design aesthetics. Interior design is, however, about substance and complicated problem-solving. The participants shared their challenges and methods, which could help integrate social innovation into interior design for socially responsible design.