Teachers' perceptions of education support structures in the implementation of inclusive education in South Africa

Inclusive education forms the ethos of the education system in South Africa and resonates with the Constitution of the country, which recognises diversity and resists exclusivity. Inclusive education is also reflected in education policies such as the Education White Paper 6: Special Education – Building an Inclusive Education and Training System and the Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support (SIAS) document. Pivotal to inclusive education is the provision of support for all learners and teachers. The focus of this paper is on the functionality of all the formal support structures that are in place for teachers and learners from the teachers’ viewpoints. These support structures include District-Based Support Teams (DBSTs), Institutional-Level Support Teams (ILSTs), Full-Service Schools (FSS), Special Schools as Resource Centres (SSRC), Learning Support Educators (LSEs) and the community. An interpretive research paradigm was chosen, using convenience sampling and data was collected by means of focus group interviews. Constant comparative data analysis was employed. Peer review and member checks were used to ensure trustworthiness. The themes that emerged were: support provided by teachers; the role of official support structures and special schools and community collaboration. It was evident, from the teachers’ point of view, that the formal support structures are not as effective, as proposed by policy and educational authorities, and that the policy needs serious re-consideration. https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.81.3.224

A Bayesian approach for inferring the dynamics of partially observed endemic infectious diseases from space-time-genetic data

We describe a statistical framework for reconstructing the sequence of transmission events between observed cases of an endemic infectious disease using genetic, temporal and spatial information. Previous approaches to reconstructing transmission trees have assumed all infections in the study area originated from a single introduction and that a large fraction of cases were observed. There are as yet no approaches appropriate for endemic situations in which a disease is already well established in a host population and in which there may be multiple origins of infection, or that can enumerate unobserved infections missing from the sample. Our proposed framework addresses these shortcomings, enabling reconstruction of partially observed transmission trees and estimating the number of cases missing from the sample. Analyses of simulated datasets show the method to be accurate in identifying direct transmissions, while introductions and transmissions via one or more unsampled intermediate cases could be identified at high to moderate levels of case detection. When applied to partial genome sequences of rabies virus sampled from an endemic region of South Africa, our method reveals several distinct transmission cycles with little contact between them, and direct transmission over long distances suggesting significant anthropogenic influence in the movement of infected dogs

Developing a conceptual framework to analyse supply chain design practices

Analysis of the supply chain is necessary to improve performance. For this reason, supply chain management (SCM) has received a lot of attention recently and supply chain design (SCD) is a concept that forms an integral part of the adoption and implementation of SCM. Effective SCD contributes towards better supply chain integration (SCI) which, in turn, contributes towards improved supply chain performance. The focus of this study is on the analysis of SCD practices. Designing the supply chain structure is a complex and demanding undertaking that needs to be aligned with the needs of the supply chain’s end customers, because their needs ultimately have to be satisfied. This study proposes a conceptual framework that has been developed from literature to assist organisations in the analysis of their SCD practices, with the aim of improving supply chain performance. The conceptual framework was exploratively tested by means of empirical research to determine whether it can be used as an assessment tool to assess the SCD practices of organisations. The study concluded that the conceptual framework that was developed in this study can be used as an assessment tool with which organisations can analyse their SCD practices.Business ManagementD. Com. (Business Management

Analysis and comparison of Scalextric, SCX, and Carrera Digital slot car systems: A mechatronic engineering design case study

Digital slot cars operate by transmitting both power and data over a single pair of wires much like DCC-controlled model railways and some home automation systems. In this manuscript we analyse and compare the cars, track, controllers, and electronic data transmission protocols of the three popular digital slot car systems

¿La infraestructura vial colombiana impulsa la competitividad del país?

Durante los últimos 50 años la evolución de la infraestructura vial en Colombia, se ha dado de manera muy lenta por debajo del crecimiento que muestra el comercio internacional, los autores consultados al momento de desarrollar este ensayo dan un visión general de la inversión nacional en infraestructura vial mostrando que esta ha sido muy baja y mal enfocada ya que se ha dedicado mas al mantenimiento de la red existente y de vías alternas en lugar de invertir en ampliación de las vías primarias, en desarrollo de nuevos proyectos o en la integración de las redes fluviales, férreas y carreteables para lograr una optimización de la infraestructura existente, siendo el transporte de carga una herramienta esencial que ayude al mantenimiento de niveles óptimos de competitividad en el desarrollo de la cadena productiva, la poca y desacertada inversión en la infraestructura vial del país ha llevado a que en Colombia se presenten altos costos de transporte que afectan directamente en los precios de producción y costos de importación o exportación de las mercancíasDuring the last fifty years the Colombian highway network infrastructure has been developing very slowly, under the levels estimated by the international commerce. The authors on whom this investigation is based give a general vision of the governmental investment on the highway network infrastructure. They explained that it has been very poor because is only focused on the actual network and the alternate highways instead of being directed to the improvement and extension of the primary roads and the development of new projects such as the integration of the fluvial network and railways. These, along with the (transporte de carga) will help to achieve an optimization of the current infrastructure and to maintain optimums levels of competitiveness in the development of the national productivity. The low and unwise investment on the highway infrastructure of the country has produced high transportation costs which at the same time affect the production costs as well as the prices of imports and export

Metodología De La Investigación La Lúdica Como Estrategia Metodológica En El Área De Matemáticas

El propósito principal de esta investigación es aportar para la educación, algunas estrategias metodológicas que sirvan a los docentes como guía para un mejor desarrollo del área de las matemáticas; utilizando la lúdica y el juego como un medio de enseñanza, el cual le permita a los estudiantes una mejor adaptación comprensión y asimilación de temas de esta área. Hasta hace algún tiempo juego y aprendizaje parecían antagónicos en la escuela, ya que ésta se había caracterizado por ser un lugar rígido donde se imparten conocimientos, tarea difícil que implica orden, esfuerzo, dificultad y compromiso.1. Introducción 12 Marco General 123 Diseño Metodológico 26PregradoLicenciado en Educación Física y Deporte

Trends and predictors of incidence of hypospadias in a tertiary hospital in South Africa

Abstract Background Hypospadias is a penile congenital abnormality characterized by an ectopic urethral opening, ventral curvature and incomplete foreskin closure with a dorsal hooded prepuce. Management of the outcome demands high cost. The aim of this study was to determine the trends and predictors of hypospadias among babies born at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital between 01 January 2014 and 31 December 2016. Methods Mothers’ files from the transfer unit of the labour ward were reviewed. A case–control study compared boys with hypospadias and those without born approximately at the same time. Data were retrospectively collected on data collection forms. EpiData version 3.1 and STATA version 15.1 were used for statistical analysis. The Mantel Haenszel method determined combined odds ratios for hypospadias outcome on boys whose mothers were exposed to certain conditions versus boys of unexposed mothers. Woolf’s method was used to compute confidence intervals of the odds ratios. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the independent contributing maternal factors to the risk of hypospadias. Results Records of 221 male babies were collected of which 73 were cases and 148 controls in the ratio of 1:2. Hypospadias was more frequent in boys born by Caesarean Section (p < 0.001), those with low birth weight (p < 0.001) and those small for gestational age (p < 0.002). Alcohol use (odds ratio 3.1), smoking (odds ratio 1.54), herbal use (odds ratio 2.05), medical history (odds ratio 2.8), multiple pregnancies (odds ratio 1.69) and maternal congenital abnormalities (odds ratio 3.03) indicated an increased risk of hypospadias. Surgical history (odds ratio 1.29), pre-natal vaccination (odds ratio 0.92), employment (odds ratio 0.85), and education (odds ratio 0.48) were not associated with the risk of hypospadias. Conclusions Mothers older than 36 years presented a stratifying effect on disease outcome. Our findings did not indicate major changes in trends of incidence of hypospadias. The years assessed did not have a significant effect on the number of cases

Active facilitation of focus groups: exploring the implementation of inclusive education with research participants

In this article, we explain how we took an “active” approach to focus group discussions with teachers in three South African schools. The topic of discussion was their views on the implementation of inclusive education. We shall also show how we sought feedback from the participants on their experiences of these discussions. In seeking this feedback, we were interested in seeing if they interpreted the sessions as being learning experiences – that is, as sessions that enabled the participants to learn from each other as well as from facilitators with a view to promoting mutual learning. We indicate how the participants chose to use the feedback opportunity to suggest that further processes should be put in place (by us) in the light of their expressed concerns. Finally, we outline how we took responsibility by creating a further forum for discussion with those who were regarded as having additional “actioning” power.ABET and Youth Developmen

Obsessive-compulsive disorder and trichotillomania: a phenomenological comparison

RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are.Abstract Background Similarities between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and trichotillomania (TTM) have been widely recognized. Nevertheless, there is evidence of important differences between these two disorders. Some authors have conceptualized the disorders as lying on an OCD spectrum of conditions. Methods Two hundred and seventy eight OCD patients (n = 278: 148 male; 130 female) and 54 TTM patients (n = 54; 5 male; 49 female) of all ages were interviewed. Female patients were compared on select demographic and clinical variables, including comorbid axis I and II disorders, and temperament/character profiles. Results OCD patients reported significantly more lifetime disability, but fewer TTM patients reported response to treatment. OCD patients reported higher comorbidity, more harm avoidance and less novelty seeking, more maladaptive beliefs, and more sexual abuse. OCD and TTM symptoms were equally likely to worsen during menstruation, but OCD onset or worsening was more likely associated with pregnancy/puerperium. Conclusions These findings support previous work demonstrating significant differences between OCD and TTM. The classification of TTM as an impulse control disorder is also problematic, and TTM may have more in common with conditions characterized by stereotypical self-injurious symptoms, such as skin-picking. Differences between OCD and TTM may reflect differences in underlying psychobiology, and may necessitate contrasting treatment approaches.Published versio

Metodología del docente de primaria en la clase de educación física en la institución educativa distrital integrado de Fontibon Sede Batavia (C).

La institución educativa distrital integrado de Fontibón sede Batavia jornada tarde de básica primaria presenta una problemática, no cuentan con un docente de educación física, y por tal motivo esta clase está siendo instruida por el director de curso sin tener ningún tipo de estudio ni experiencia sobre esta área; la idea principal de este investigación es describir como es el rol del docente que no es licenciado en educación física conociendo su metodología por medio de una observación directa y una entrevista semi-estructura que se le realizo a los docentes de la institución. Esto con el fin de saber que conocimientos tiene sobre el área de educación física y como lo están implementando en la clase; dando así a conocer la importancia del docente de educación física en básica primaria en la institución educativa