Browsing by Author "Munnik, Erica"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    An exploratory investigation into fathers' perspectives of school readiness
    (University of the Western Cape, 2018) Meyburgh, Celeste; Munnik, Erica
    In recent years, the global focus on Early Child Development (ECD) has delivered mounting evidence of it being one of the most rewarding areas of investment a country can make. A central outcome of quality ECD is to provide sufficient support to enable a child to arrive at Grade 1 ready to learn. Environmental factors impacting on child development and school readiness have thus been under increasing scrutiny. Although studies have delivered evidence of fathers' unique contribution to ECD, fathers' impact on a child's school readiness is often overlooked. The overall aim of this thesis was to report on the findings of the exploratory investigation on fathers' perspectives of school readiness. All relevant ethics principles were observed in the study. The study received ethics clearance from the Senate Research Committee (HS/16/5/41). The study followed an explorative design incorporating qualitative methodologies for data collection and analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of nine fathers residing in Cape Town, who had full parental rights and responsibilities for their child in Grade R. Thematic analysis produced three themes with subthemes. The core findings suggested that first, fathers did not have a good fund of knowledge about school readiness and child development. Personal context and subjective experiences impacted or informed their views and beliefs about school readiness. Second, feedback from teachers and professionals was highly valued and was a primary source of information about their children's school readiness. Third, facilitating school readiness involved different systems and role players of which fathers are important role players. It emerged that in some ways the role of fathers remains undervalued and in others, fathers' ability to participate is diminished due to their fund of knowledge, gendered patterns to child rearing and engagement with school systems.
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    Contextualising school readiness in South Africa: Stakeholders’ perspectives
    (AOSIS, 2019) Munnik, Erica; Smith, Mario
    Preparing children for mainstream school occurs in systems that act as an overarching context. The perspectives of stakeholders influence how they prepare children for mainstream education.The aim of this study was to develop an understanding of the contextual factors that affect school readiness as identified by stakeholders. School readiness was conceptualised as a function of contextual influences and connections between individual and systemic factors enabling the child to benefit from the curriculum.
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    Diversity training for health professionals: Preparedness to competently address intellectual disability in the Western Cape Province, South Africa
    (SAGE Publications, 2023) Smith, Mario R; Papadakis, Maryam; Munnik, Erica
    Diversity training for health professionals in South Africa has traditionally been conceptualized as differences in gender, race or ethnicity, culture and sexual orientation. More recently physical disability and mental illness was included as a dimension. Intellectual disabilities received lip service as a diversity concern. This paper reports on health professionals’ perceptions of the extent to which diversity training prepared them to competently deal with intellectual disabilities. This explorative study included a purposive sample of 18 health care professionals experienced in intellectual disability services. Two focus groups were facilitated over three sessions. Transcripts were analysed thematically. Health professionals felt inadequately prepared to consider intellectual disabilities as a diversity issue. They could not effectively advocate for reasonable accommodation. There was a differential familiarity with issues related to diversity and intellectual disability with profession constituting an additional intersecting dimension of diversity. Health professions did not perceive their diversity training to prepare them to deal competently with intellectual disabilities.
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    Establishing reliability and construct validity for the revised emotional social screening tool for school readiness (teacher’s form)
    (University of the Western Cape, 2022) Koopman, Lauren Carley; Munnik, Erica
    School readiness assessments in South Africa are still predominantly focused on the assessment of cognitive skills, to the detriment of socio-emotional skills. In an attempt to bridge this gap, the Emotional Social Screening Tool for School Readiness (E3SR) was developed, the psychometric properties of the E3SR were established and ongoing research is currently being done to revise the instrument. The aim of this study was to establish the reliability and construct validity of the revised E3SR teacher’s form. The study used a crosssectional survey design to gather data. Nine preschools within the Cape Town metropolitan area were selected to partake in the study.
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    An exploratory study on student mothers’ perceptions of motherhood
    (University of the Western Cape, 2021) Maluleke, Unarine Sweetness; Munnik, Erica; Somhlaba, Nceba. Z.
    for women to study at institutions of higher learning have increased, when compared to past generations. Despite this, student mothers, specifically, are confronted with the extra burden of parenting, together with their academic work. Using an exploratory approach, within a qualitative research design, this study aimed to explore perceptions and experiences of student mothers enrolled at the University of the Western Cape. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants, who had at least one child and were registered for a full-time undergraduate degree at the institution. Four semi-structured focus groups were held, with five to seven participants each, entailing a total of 25 female students. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, and Bronfenbrenner’s Process-Person-Context-Time model was adopted, which allowed for a nuanced understanding of the student mother within various contexts. The study received ethics approval, adhered to good ethical principles and was conducted with permission from the university’s registrar. Key themes related to the challenges experienced by student mothers were identified, including financial difficulties, and the stress of balancing their dual responsibilities of student and mother. Proximity to their children complicated their attempt to fulfil dual roles. Geographical distance from the child(ren) facilitated their performance as a student, but often at the expense of their role as mother, resulting in guilt. Close proximity to the child facilitated a closer bond with the child(ren), which impeded their academic performance. Familial support was noted as an important facilitator of performance. Family members often assisted with caregiving of the child, allowing the student mother to engage in her role as student. Some student mothers perceived a lack of support from the university, whilst others argued that it is their own responsibility to manage their commitments to study. Despite these difficulties, many student mothers found that motherhood was a motivation for them to study to secure a future for themselves and their child(ren).
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    A systematic review of doctoral graduate attributes: Domains and definitions
    (Frontiers in Education, 2022) Senekal, Janine S.; Munnik, Erica; Frantz, Jose M.
    Doctoral graduate attributes are the qualities, skills, and competencies that graduates possess, having completed their doctorate degree. Graduate attributes, in general, lack conceptual clarity, making the investigation into and quality assurance processes attached to doctoral outcomes challenging. As many graduate attributes are “unseen” or implicit, the full range of attributes that doctoral graduate actually possess needs to be synthesized, so that they may be recognized and utilized by educational stakeholders. The aim of this study was to establish and describe what attributes graduates from doctoral degrees possess. A systematic review of peer-reviewed, primary literature published between January 2016 and June 2021 was conducted, identifying 1668 articles. PRISMA reporting was followed, and after screening and full text critical appraisal, 35 articles remained for summation through thematic synthesis. The doctoral graduate attribute domains identified included knowledge, research skills, communication skills, organizational skills, interpersonal skills, reputation, scholarship, higher order thinking skills, personal resourcefulness, and active citizenship. Many of the domains were conceptualized as transferable or interdisciplinary, highlighting the relevance of the attributes doctoral graduates possess. The review findings align with existing frameworks yet extend those that tend to focus on generic “seen” attributes, and include a range of “unseen”, intrinsic qualities as outcomes of the doctoral degree. The review contributes to the conceptual development of doctoral graduate attributes, by synthesizing actual outcomes, as opposed mto prospective attributes or attributes-in-process. Doctoral graduate attributes should be conceptualized to integrate both generic attributes alongside intrinsic qualities that are important for employability. Increased awareness as to the scope of doctoral graduate attributes among stakeholders, such as doctoral supervisors, students, graduates and employers, may facilitate improved educational outcomes and employability. Future research into the contextual relevance of the domains identified and how they are developed may be beneficial. Future research could involve the development of context-relevant scales to empirically measure doctoral graduate attributes among alumni populations, as a quality assurance outcome indicator. Such findings could inform program reform, improving the relevance of doctoral education and the employability of doctoral graduates
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    A systematic review: Instruments that measure emotional and social competency as a domain of school readiness of preschool children in South Africa
    (University of Western Cape, 2020) Mtati, Cebokazi Ngcakani; Munnik, Erica
    Given the lack of standardised and locally developed school readiness assessment tools in South Africa, as well as the under-emphasis on emotional and social competency in favour of cognitive domains in assessment of school readiness, many South African children enter mainstream schooling with their emotional wellbeing significantly compromised. Therefore, emphasis on children’s emotional and social competency as a domain of school readiness is essential. The study aims to identify and summarise aspects of the instruments that measure emotional and social competency as a domain of school readiness in preschoolers and their psychometric properties. All ethical considerations in terms of the systematic review process were adhered to
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    The development of a screening tool for assessing emotional social competence in preschoolers as a domain of school readiness
    (University of the Western Cape, 2018) Munnik, Erica; Smith, Mario
    Literature identified that emotional/ social competence is under-emphasised in favour of cognitive domains in assessment of school readiness. Socio-cultural and risk factors in the South African context complicate school readiness assessment. Thus, there is a need for a contextually appropriate screening tool for emotional-social competence. The aim of the study was to develop a screening tool for emotional/ social competence as a domain of school readiness. Ethics approval was obtained from the UWC ethics committee (14/2/8) and all ethics principles were upheld. The study had four successive phases - each conceptualised as a separate study with independent methodologies. Phase One consolidated the literature reporting on measures and definitions of emotional social readiness through two systematic reviews. Phase Two developed a concept map of stakeholders’ perceptions about emotional/ social competence as a domain of school readiness. Seven focus groups and two individual interviews were facilitated with parents and teachers of grade R children, as well as health professionals involved in assessment of school readiness. The findings from Phase One and Two informed the construction of a screening tool for emotional/ social competence in Phase Three. The resultant screening tool had nine subdomains.
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    Translation of the Emotional Social Screening tool for School Readiness (E3SR) for preschoolers into Afrikaans: An equivalence and validation study
    (University of the Western Cape, 2022) Adams, Nuraan; Munnik, Erica
    The Emotional Social Screening Tool for School Readiness (E3SR) was developed as a contextually sensitive and psychometrically sound measure to screen children’s emotional and social competencies. To broaden its use within the South African context, this study aimed to translate the E3SR into Afrikaans and establish its validity and equivalence. The International Test Commission (ITC) encourages translation to follow a rigorous and empirical process. This study adopted a multiphase methodology, with three phases. Each phase had its own methodological elements.