UWCScholar

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 11

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Revealing disparities: an exploration of talent identification and sports development among youth
(Routledge, 2026) Bhengu, Poppy; Roman, Nicolette Vanessa; Filies, Gérard Charl
Various factors, including individual and environmental variables such as participation intention, facilities, and biases in coaching and talent identification processes, influence talent identification and development in youth sports. Recent research has demonstrated disparities in access and opportunity for sports participation and development among youth from various socioeconomic backgrounds. This study explored these disparities in talent identification and sports development opportunities among youth. A qualitative approach was applied, with nineteen interviews conducted and thematic analysis employed. The study highlighted four key themes and revealed disparities resulting from uneven resource distribution, such as facilities, equipment, and skilled coaching between privileged and underprivileged communities. Socioeconomic status emerged as a key determinant, with youth from disadvantaged backgrounds facing limited access, financial constraints, and a lack of structured talent identification programs compared to their affluent counterparts. Factors such as parental support, coaching quality, psychological attributes, and community sports infrastructure crucially impacted youth engagement and advancement in sports. The research highlighted how these disparities perpetuate a cycle of exclusion, hindering underprivileged youth’s social mobility prospects through sports. Addressing this issue necessitates collaborative efforts and targeted interventions, including policy amendments, community investments in sports, and inclusive talent development initiatives to level the playing field.
Reflective supervision: An element in the execution of Social Work supervision in the Department of Social Development at the province of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
(National Association of Social Workers, 2025) Gumbi, Sandile Ntethelelo; Sithole, Mbongeni Shadrack; Zibane, Sibonsile
Social work supervision is the core feature in promoting reflective practice to social workers and, subsequently, delivering quality services to clients. This article argues that reflective supervision, which is a structured support helping social workers think critically, is central to improving social work practice within the Department of Social Development. Without it, the purpose of supervision, which is professional growth and quality service, is undermined. The article adopts a qualitative interpretive approach with an exploratory-descriptive focus to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon under study. Twelve social workers and five social work supervisors were purposively sampled from the service offices under the King Cetshwayo District, the third biggest district in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. Data from interviews were analysed through thematic analysis, and findings were presented through two main themes and several related subthemes, respectively. The study found that the lack of reflective supervision contributes to the ineffective implementation of supervision in the organisation under study. The paper recommends addressing systemic, organisational, and institutional factors that include lack of human capital and resources and unmanageable and heavy workloads which negatively affect the execution of supervision.
Lived leisure experiences of young adults with physical disabilities in South Africa
(Routledge, 2026) Ngobeni, T. B.; Malema, Makhaya Phindile; Young, Marié E.M.; Dattilo, John
The purpose of this study was to explore the lived leisure experiences of young adults with physical disabilities. The researchers used a qualitative descriptive exploratory design to gather data from twelve young adults with physical disabilities aged 19–31 years. Purposeful sampling allowed the researchers to recruit participants from two centers providing services for people with disabilities. Young adults with physical disabilities completed a semi-structured interview with open-ended questions. Thematic analysis was used to examine data and present findings. Participant comments clustered into five main themes including: (a) Perceived Meaning of Recreation and Leisure Opportunities, (b) Value of Leisure and Recreation Participation, (c) Limited Accessible Recreation and Leisure Spaces and Services, (d) Marginalization and Stigma Challenges to Leisure and Recreation, and (e) Recommendations for Leisure and Recreation Opportunities. Findings support the importance of raising awareness concerning the value of leisure pursuits for young adults with physical disabilities and the need to remove barriers to meaningful leisure participation.
Bridging divides against erratic democratic trajectories: the politics of rural and urban social movements in Southern Africa
(Routledge, 2026) Monjane, Boaventura
This article examines the complex relationship between social and popular movements in Southern Africa across sectors and geographies amid erratic democracy. It analyzes how these sectorial and geographical divides undermine collective strategies and shape the contested legitimacy of neoliberal or undemocratic authorities. The article considers struggles over service delivery, housing, and accountability, as well as movements for land rights, natural resource control, and local governance. The convergence of these struggles highlights the urgency of forging cross-base alliances that bridge sectorial and geographical divides. Only by overcoming these fractures can social movements mount effective opposition to authoritarianism and advance an inclusive, participatory vision of democracy.
Toward reconciling reionization with jwst: the role of bright galaxies and strong feedback
(American Astronomical Society, 2026) Bera, Ankita; Hassan, Sultan; Feldmann, Robert; Dav́e, Romeel; Finlator, Kristian M.
The elevated UV luminosity functions (UVLFs) from recent James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations have challenged the viability of existing theoretical models. To address this, we use a semianalytical framework—which couples a physically motivated source model derived from radiative transfer hydrodynamic simulations of reionization with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampler—to perform a joint calibration to JWST galaxy surveys (UVLF, ϕUV, and UV luminosity density, ρUV) and reionization-era observables (ionizing emissivity, (Formula presented) Ṅion, neutral hydrogen fraction, xHI, and Thomson optical depth, τ). We find that models with weak feedback and a higher contribution from faint galaxies reproduce the reionization observables but struggle to match the elevated JWST UVLF at z > 9. In contrast, models with stronger feedback (i.e., rapid redshift evolution) and a higher contribution from bright galaxies successfully reproduce JWST UVLF at z ≥ 10 but overestimate the bright end at z < 9. The strong-feedback model constrained by the JWST UVLF predicts a more gradual and extended reionization history, as opposed to the sudden reionization seen in the weak-feedback models. This extended nature of reionization (z ∼ 16–6) yields an optical depth consistent (at 2σ) with the cosmic microwave background (CMB) constraint, thereby alleviating the photon budget crisis. In both scenarios, reionization is complete by z ∼ 6, consistent with current data. Our analysis highlights the importance of accurately modeling feedback and ionizing emissivities from different source populations during the first billion years after the Big Bang.