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South African female individuals' perceptions and experiences of their gender and leadership roles
(University of the Western Cape, 2013) Ramaite ,Tshinondiwa
Literature on leadership and gender has primarily focused on gender differences between men and women's leadership styles as well as the existence of barriers to the advancement of women. This research has also shown that due to these barriers there is underrepresentation of women in leadership positions. It also appears that this research is mostly based on subordinates' perceptions ofleaders and their leadership preferences. This research has also been quantitative in nature and has ignored women's personal experiences as well as their perceptions of gender dynamics within the organizational context. It becomes of interest how some women manage to advance into senior positions despite research indicating that women are still faced with many obstacles in doing so. This study was thus aimed at exploring the perceptions and experiences of South African female senior managers with regard to gender and leadership roles. The study's objectives were; to explore with South African female individuals in leadership positions their perceptions of gender roles and leadership, their experiences in leadership positions, their home and family lives and finally notions of gender stereotypes and prejudice within leadership. The theories used in making sense of the information and findings were the social role theory, and a derivative of it; the role congruity theory. An exploratory qualitative framework using purposive and snowball sampling was used. Six female individuals with at least a year's experience in a leadership position in the private sector who were based in the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces of South Africa were part ofthe study. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were used in collecting data and an interview guide containing open ended questions was used in guiding the interview process. Ethical considerations with regard to anonymity, confidentiality and informed consent were also adhered to. Braun and Clarke's method of thematic analysis was used and themes that emerged were organised and coded accordingly.
The relative impact of an argumentation-based instructional intervention programme on Grade 10 learners' conceptions of lightning and thunder
(University of the Western Cape, 2012) Moyo, Partson Virira; Ogunniyi, Meshach B
The basic premise of this study was that when a learner is confronted with two contradictory explanations of the same phenomenon, there is cognitive dissonance in the learner as the learner tries to determine which of the two explanations is correct. An argumentation-based instructional intervention programme (ABIIP) was created for and used on and by the Grade 10 learners in order to attempt to ameliorate this cognitive conflict. The purpose of this study was to determine the relative impact of that intervention programme on Grade 10 learners' conceptions of lightning and thunder. The programme was designed to help learners to develop argumentative skills and use the acquired skills to negotiate and harmonise divergent and conflicting explanations of the nature of lightning and thunder that are propounded by different worldviews (Science and indigenous knowledge). The research design was primarily a case study of 16 Grade 10 learners of the Xhosa ethnic group at a high school in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The Xhosa people are a typical example of a people whose cultural values were undermined and whose voice was silenced by the colonisers and whose local knowledge has been repressed and replaced by forms of Western privileged knowledge and understandings but who remain, deeply and resolutely, steeped in their cultural values and practices, making them a classic example of a people who would battle to harmonise the indigenous and the scientific explanations of natural phenomena. The research instruments used were questionnaires which were administered to learners, ducators, community leaders, indigenous knowledge holders and experts to solicit information on causes, dangers and prevention of lightning; individual and group activities as learners went through the lessons on both argumentation and on lightning; follow up interviews and discussions with learners individually or in groups to seek further clarification of the ideas the learners would have raised in their earlier responses to questionnaires or group discussions; guided and reflective essays by the learners to determine the learners' levels of understanding of the major tenets of the two thought systems and the relationship between the two worldviews and to determine the qualitative gain, if any, that the learners got from the intervention programme; observation schedules used by the researcher during participant observation of group discussions and during the lessons on lightning; an achievement test on lightning; field notes used by the researcher for memoing observations and reflections as the research process proceeded; informal and serendipitous sources of information. The collected data were analysed, mostly, qualitatively. Frequencies, percentages and t-test values were used to express and analyse quantitative data. Aspects of several analytical frameworks that included Toulmin's Argumentation Pattern (TAP) [and its modified versions such as that of Leitao (2000) and that of Osborne et al (2004)] and Contiguity Argumentation Theory (CAT) were used to attach meaning to the collected data and to address the research questions. The major findings of this study were that while an argumentation-based instructional intervention programme has its challenges, it can help learners to develop satisfactory argumentative skills and to use these newly acquired skills to navigate and synchronise different and sometimes contradictory explanations of the nature of lightning and thunder. The results of the study showed that an ABllP can broaden, deepen and strengthen the learners' understanding of lightning. Specifically, the research showed the following: • Initially, the learners equated argumentation with yelling and quarrelling in order to win the argument. They did not bother or were unable to offer adequate or appropriate evidence to support their knowledge claims or to refute their opponents' argumentation. They were preoccupied with their own views, paying little, if any, attention to their opponents' opinions. With more debating activities their views gradually got transformed to the extent that they began to support their claims with valid evidence. Further, they challenged their opponents' arguments as well as required them to justify their claims. In the process, they started to collaborate with each other to build stronger arguments and to shift from one stance or claim to another in light of available evidence. • At the beginning of the intervention programme, the learners seemed to hero worship science; seeing it as the only legitimate way of explaining natural phenomena and as the panacea of humankind problems. At that time, indigenous knowledge was relegated by them to a belief system that did not have any meaningful role to play in today's modem life. However, the intervention programme seemed to help them to reexamine that earlier position. Besides, the learners developed a deeper and clearer understanding of the two worldviews as well as began to appreciate the importance and complimentary roles of these thought systems in explaining natural phenomena such as the nature of lightning and in their everyday lives. At the start of the intervention programme, learners did not think that indigenous explanations of the causes of lightning were valid and useful in any context. All their explanations of the causes of lightning although not always clear or scientifically valid, were nevertheless based on the scientific worldview. Finally, the majority of the learners seemed to accept that the nature of lightning could have more than one possible explanation and that these explanations could come from both the scientific worldview and the indigenous knowledge worldview. In view of the positive results emanating from the study there is need to support the implementation of the policy of integrating school science with indigenous knowledge using argumentation as an instructional tool. The study identified several challenges such as the learners' and educators' attitudes towards and expertise in IK and the required resources and support systems that the Department of Education must address or overcome if this policy on integration is to be implemented fully and effectively. Future research could explore the possible impact of an argumentation-based instructional intervention programme in other learning areas outside science education.
A study to understand the barriers and facilitating factors for accessing health care amongst adult street dwellers in New Delhi, India.
(University of the Western Cape, 2011) Prasad , Vandana
Urban health policy has remained a neglected area in India. The homeless remain the most deprived, neglected and stigmatized group amongst the urban poor. While they suffer from a large burden of disease, there are a variety of reasons that prevent them from accessing the available health care services - particularly in the public health sector. Some interventions by concerned non-governmental organisations have attempted to circumvent the barriers to health care access faced by the homeless but these have not been well documented or assessed. This study seeks to establish both the barriers and facilitating factors for access to health care and health care seeking amongst adult street dwellers in an area of New Delhi which is known for a high concentration of homeless persons. Using a qualitative approach 18 adult street dwellers (both male and female) were individually interviewed - along with 6 key informants working in the public and non-governmental health sector. This was accompanied by a process of participant-observation. The results were analyzed by identifying recurrent themes associated with barriers and facilitating factors for access to health care by the homeless, following which a set of recommendations related to the homeless, have been developed so as to inform those working in the public health sector. In terms of ethics, informed consent was taken from each interviewee and they were explicitly given the option not to participate without adverse consequences to themselves. If any participant was found with acute health problems immediate assistance was facilitated. The study reveals a number of barriers faced by the homeless in attempting to access health care services. While minor ailments are taken care of by local private practitioners, they need to access public health care services for major problems. There they encounter many barriers due to the lack of money, delays and being shunted from place to place. Moreover, they are not able to get admission for reasons such as lack of address and the lack of an attendant. Facilitating factors include assistance for transportation, facilitation of admissions, arranging money for out of pocket expenditures on drugs and consumables, arranging blood and providing after-care. The role of social contacts in enabling access is also demonstrated through this study.
An assessment of equity in geographical allocation of resources relative to need, in public primary healthcare services in the Northern Cape in South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2004) Philip, Ajith John
South Africa has one of the most unequal societies in the world with regard to income, gender, socio-economic status and the distribution of key social services. Much of these inequalities, which are also reflected in its health sector and the general health status of its different population groups, can be attributed to the discrimination and systematic disadvantaging of certain race groups under the apartheid rule. Many researchers have highlighted and raised concern about these substantial disparities in allocation of resources between provinces. In spite of efforts by the post apartheid government to reduce such inequities, these geographic disparities still exist not only between provinces, but also within provinces. Government resource allocation decisions are largely geographically based and the fiscal federalism, currently used in South Africa has been recognised in many ways for its incompatibility of promoting equity across national sectors. Though inter-provincial allocation of health budgets are set through the medium term fiscal framework process and are monitored for equity, most provinces still use historical budgets when making resource allocations at the district level, resulting in many rural areas and health districts being under- resourced. In a country like South Africa with gross inequities in health, equity in geographical allocation of resources can only be achieved through vertical equity, by preferential allocation of resources based on increased need. This descriptive study uses routinely available data to compare health expenditure to health needs in measuring the inequities in financial and human resource allocation, relative to need, between districts in the Northern Cape. By identifying the dependent population and then areas of increased need through the use of different indicators weighted according to their costs and burden on health services, it estimates a composite measure of need for a health district. This measure of composite need is then compared with the expenditure per district to measure the distance from equity for each district. The study also estimates the equitable number of professional nurses per district in proportion to the dependent population and also assesses the inequities in distribution of professional nurses between districts.
A lifeskills programme for twelve male grade six learners
(University of the Western Cape, 2001) Jacobs, Roger Mark; Green, Lena
A lifeskills intervention programme, drawing on cognitive-behaviour theory, was carried out with 12 grade six boys who displayed aggressive and disruptive behaviour. The aim of the programme was to improve the behaviour of these selected boys. All of the participants were between 10 and 13 years old who came from average or low-income households in the "Coloured" community of a small town in the Western Cape. Aggressive behaviour was defined as being physical (hitting, kicking or destroying of property) or verbal (yelling, swearing and temper outburst). Disruptive behaviour was defined as walking around in the classroom disturbing other learners, speaking out of tum in the classroom and disobedience. The author administered the intervention programme for one hour twice a week for three weeks. Assertiveness, problem solving, learning of social skills and anger control formed the basis of the programme. An analytical-empirical approach was followed in a repeated measures two-group design. The experimental school and the control school both serve the same community. The grade six educators and the principals of the two schools did the selection. Three measures were used to obtain the data for the research and at-test was calculated manually to analyse the data. An observation schedule, the Aggression Observation Schedule was devised by the author. Two independent observers observed the behaviour of participants for one hour. The other two measures used were a modified 22-item version of the Conners Teacher Rating Scale and standardised self-report questionnaire, the Aggression Scale.