Empowering and disempowering students in student– supervisor relationships

In South Africa, the issue of empowerment or disempowerment in student–supervisor relationships has not been adequately addressed. Research for this article therefore aimed at determining how students are empowered or disempowered in their relationships with their supervisors. The conceptual framework for the research comprised social constructivism, critical pedagogy and theory on the empowerment of students. In the phenomenological case study, 15 master’s and doctoral students with 9 different supervisors from one college at the University of South Africa, and who had recently graduated, were purposefully selected for interviews. The findings of the study revealed that the students were not always empowered through sustained two-way communication in a supportive environment. In order to empower students, supervisory styles need to change from power-centred to facilitationcentred supervision. The study also showed that many supervisors found it difficult to adopt this style in a distance-education environment. The study is significant for generating a model that illustrates the interaction between various forces related to supervisory practices. Some recommendations for improvement were made

The courage to change: challenges for teacher educators

With the introduction of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), the education system in South Africa changed from content-based to outcomes-based education (OBE). The Faculty of Education at the University of South Africa (UNISA) also endeavoured to shift to OBE. In addition, the faculty had been criticised for the poor quality of certain of its distance-education material and, consequently, several lecturers engaged in rewriting learning material. During the transition period, when materials written according to ";old"; approaches and already-updated new materials, were simultaneously in use, research was undertaken to determine the preferences of Honours BEd learners regarding learning material. Questionnaires were mailed to 2 421 Honours BEd learners residing in South Africa and 818 were returned. Analysis of the returned questionnaires indicated that the learners revealed ambiguity in their responses. They recorded a willingness to move towards more meaningful learning approaches. Yet, at the same time they seemed to prefer traditional teaching practices for various reasons. This finding poses special challenges to lecturers if learners are to realise effective learning. To be able to meet these challenges, lecturers need to change their traditional teaching practice and therefore require relevant training. Training should focus on course design, the use of media other than print, and contemporary learning theories. (South African Journal of Education: 2003 23 (1): 6-12

Facilitating spiritual intelligence in South African secondary school learners

This article was motivated by concern for the challenges – on a spiritual level –that secondary school learners in South Africa facein the context of moral decay. It therefore aimsto develop educational strategies that Life Orientation teachers in particular can use to facilitate spiritual intelligence (SQ) in learners,especially when religious and cultural diversity inschools is considered. To this end, a programme to develop SQ was designed based ona literature review, andthen implemented within the framework of socio-constructivism. Purposive sampling was employed to select 10 Grade 11 learners in a secondary school in Pretoria. The programme was implemented with the learners in seven contact sessions over a period ofthree months.To evaluate the programme, a qualitative case study design was employed. Continuous evaluation during implementation wasby means of learnerreflective activities, informal conversation interviews, focus groups, semi-structured interviews, observations and a researcher self-reflective journal. The findings of this exploratory study revealed that certain content and educational strategies can facilitate SQ in secondary school learners. Key words: Spiritual intelligence, secondary school, educational strategies, socio-constructivism  Abstrak:Die fasilitering van spirituele intelligensie by Suid-Afrikaanse sekondêreskool-leerdersHierdie artikel is gemotiveer uit kommer oor die uitdagings van ’n spirituele aard en binne die konteks van morele verval, waarvoor sekondêreskool-leerders in Suid-Afrika te staan kom. Die doel was dus om onderrigstrategieë te ontwikkel wat veral Lewensoriëntering-onderwysers kan gebruik om spirituele intelligensie in leerders te fasiliteer, met in agneming van godsdienstige en kulturele diversiteit. Met dié doel voor oë is ’n program om spirituele intelligensie te ontwikkel uit die literatuur ontwerp en geïmplementeer binne die raamwerk van sosio-konstruktivisme. Doelbewuste steekproefneming is gebruik om tien Graad 11-leerders in ’nsekondêre skool in Pretoria te selekteer. Die program is met die leerders geïmplementeer in sewe kontaksessies oor ’nperiodevan drie maande. Om die program te evalueer het die studie ’n kwalitatiewe gevallestudie-ontwerp gebruik. Kontinue evaluering is gedurende hierdie tyd gedoen deur middel van aktiwiteite wat leerder-refleksie stimuleer, asook informeleonderhoude, fokusgroepe, semi-gestruktureerdeonderhoude, observasie en ’n joernaalmet navorser-refleksies. Die bevindinge van hierdie eksploratiewe studie toon aan dat sekereinhoude en opvoedkundige stragtegieë spirituele intelligensie van sekondêreskool-leerders kan fasiliteer.Kernbegrippe: Spirituele intelligensie, sekondêreskool, opvoedkundige strategieë, sosio-konstruktiwismehttps://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.80.2.222

Academic research at a South African higher education institution : quality issues

The aim of the research was to critically analyse how a university context influences the quality of academics’ research output. Wenger’s social theory of learning was used as theoretical framework. The investigation involved an ethnographic case study of the research culture at one college at the institution. Data collection was mainly by means of participant observation, interviews and document analysis. In the light of Wenger’s theory, the findings revealed that certain institutional practices facilitated high-quality research. These included financial incentives, some training programmes and travel opportunities to interact with other researchers. Practices that inhibited the delivery of quality research related to lack of job security, research support and uninterrupted time as well as excessive institutional control. Training that was disconnected from research practice did not stimulate quality research.Further Teacher Educatio

Active learning approaches in mathematics education at uni- versities in Ethiopia: the discre- pancies between policy and practice

This article aims to examine the extent to which active learning approaches are implemented in mathematics classrooms in selected Ethiopian universities. Constructivist learning theories are used as conceptual framework. In a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, four universities in one state are purposefully selected. In the quantitative phase, 84 lecturers completed questionnaires. The qualitative approach included observation of 16 lessons, and interviews with eight lecturers and four department heads. The study found that, although the application of active learning is emphasised in Ethiopian policies, traditional lecture methods dominate most classrooms. Obstacles that practitioners experienced are identified and recommendations made. The significance of the study lies in the fact that it highlights discrepancies between policy and practice

Oligomeric Coiled-Coil Adhesin YadA Is a Double-Edged Sword

Yersinia adhesin A (YadA) is an essential virulence factor for the food-borne pathogens Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Suprisingly, it is a pseudogene in Yersinia pestis. Even more intriguing, the introduction of a functional yadA gene in Y. pestis EV76 was shown to correlate with a decrease in virulence in a mouse model. Here, we report that wild type (wt) Y. enterocolitica E40, as well as YadA-deprived E40 induced the synthesis of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) upon contact with neutrophils, but only YadA-expressing Y. enterocolitica adhered to NETs and were killed. As binding seemed to be a prerequisite for killing, we searched for YadA-binding substrates and detected the presence of collagen within NETs. E40 bacteria expressing V98D,N99A mutant YadA with a severely reduced ability to bind collagen were found to be more resistant to killing, suggesting that collagen binding contributes significantly to sensitivity to NETs. Wt Y. pestis EV76 were resistant to killing by NETs, while recombinant EV76 expressing YadA from either Y. pseudotuberculosis or Y. enterocolitica were sensitive to killing by NETs, outlining the importance of YadA for susceptibility to NET-dependent killing. Recombinant EV76 endowed with YadA from Y. enterocolitica were also less virulent for the mouse than wt EV76, as shown before. In addition, EV76 carrying wt YadA were less virulent for the mouse than EV76 expressing YadAV98D,N99A. The observation that YadA makes Yersinia sensitive to NETs provides an explanation as for why evolution selected for the inactivation of yadA in the flea-borne Y. pestis and clarifies an old enigma. Since YadA imposes the same cost to the food-borne Yersinia but was nevertheless conserved by evolution, this observation also illustrates the duality of some virulence functions

The doctoral degree and the professional academic identity development of female academics

This longitudinal study explored the professional academic identity development of female academics before and after obtaining their doctoral degrees. The aim was to identify areas to target to support the development of robust professional identities of the academics. Using a narrative research approach, two female academics were interviewed repeatedly over a period of three and a half years. This was complemented by e-mail conversations. Symbolic interactionism and self-efficacy theory were utilised as lens to interpret the data. The research offered three key findings. It revealed that obtaining a doctoral degree does not automatically develop the desired professional identity. The study identified five areas to target when supporting female academics in their identity development. Self-efficacy permeated all five areas

Supporting the development of postgraduate academic writing skills in South African universities

The ability to write according to the conventions and forms of disciplinary academic writing is essential to success at university. Meeting the demands of quality academic writing is a challenge to the increasing number of English Second Language (ESL) students worldwide, from undergraduate to postgraduate level, who choose to study and publish in English. In particular, postgraduate students in South African universities struggle with the rigours of dissertation writing. Drawing on Lave and Wenger’s (1991) theory of collaborative learning in a community of practice (CoP), an exploratory, qualitative inquiry was undertaken to examine the support given by six selected South African higher education institutions (HEIs) to promote the development of academic writing skills among master’s and doctoral students. Data were gathered from a purposeful sample of 10 expert informants through interviews, email communication, and scrutiny of institutional websites. Findings deal with academic writing skills as the core competence necessary for full participation in the academic CoP; the nature of postgraduate student engagement with core members of the CoP, such as supervisors and language experts; and the availability and efficacy of a range of intra-organisational resources, including informal and formal peer interaction with those who have more expertise in writing, books, manuals, visual representations, and technological tools, to develop academic writing among postgraduate students. Based on the findings, recommendations are made for ways in which institutions can strengthen, enrich, and extend the CoP to support academic writing skills of ESL postgraduate students

Active learning approaches in mathematics education at uni- versities in Ethiopia: the discre- pancies between policy and practice

This article aims to examine the extent to which active learning approaches are implemented in mathematics classrooms in selected Ethiopian universities. Constructivist learning theories are used as conceptual framework. In a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, four universities in one state are purposefully selected. In the quantitative phase, 84 lecturers completed questionnaires. The qualitative approach included observation of 16 lessons, and interviews with eight lecturers and four department heads. The study found that, although the application of active learning is emphasised in Ethiopian policies, traditional lecture methods dominate most classrooms. Obstacles that practitioners experienced are identified and recommendations made. The significance of the study lies in the fact that it highlights discrepancies between policy and practice