Ethnography

Religion is central to the everyday experiences of many individuals and communities worldwide. As a force for learning and socialisation and as an important marker of identity, it can provide a sense of membership and belonging within and across generations. The social and cultural practices in religions are shaped by individual as well as institutional, social and ideological forces and processes, instantiated locally, translocally and globally. Specific ways of utilising language and literacy can also be seen as a social practice that individuals draw upon for meaning making and building social relationships (Barton and Hamilton 1998). Language and literacy practices are then historically situated and embedded within power relations and societal discourses of distinction, where some languages and literacies become dominant and others are frequently silenced or considered irrelevant or problematic (Genishi and Dyson 2009). An emergent body of interdisciplinary scholarship has examined the intersection of language, literacy and religion from a social and cultural practice perspective. Methodologically, this body of research uses ethnography as a key conceptual approach to understanding social interaction for systematic knowledge building and the generation of theory

Multilingualism, multimodality and media engagement in classroom talk and action

This volume brings together a range of approaches to the role of media in processes of sociolinguistic change. Its 17 chapters and five section commentaries examine the impact of mediatization on language use and ideologies from five complementary perspectives: media influence on linguistic structure, media engagement in interaction, change in mass and new media language, language-ideological change, and the role of media for minority languages

Prescribing errors at an academic teaching hospital in Johannesburg

A dissertation submitted to the School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences , University of the Witwatersrand in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Medicine (Pharmacology) Johannesburg October 2017Prescribing errors are considered the most preeminent error in medicine and currently there have been no South African published studies which investigated the occurrence and types of prescribing errors in our hospitals. Aims To classify and determine the occurrence of medication prescribing errors in selected ward prescriptions in an academic teaching hospital in Johannesburg. In addition to determine the reasons why these errors occur. Methods This study was a mixed methods study that first investigated prescribing error using a retrospective chart review in four wards (medical, surgical, psychiatric and paediatric wards) over a period of two consecutive months. The second part of the study involved using focus groups to determine the systems factors that led to errors taking place in the hospital. Results The adult prescribing error percentage was calculated at 17.9% and the paediatric error rate was 31.8%. There was a statistically significant difference in the error rate between the medical ward and others with an error rate of 19.97% in the medical ward, 13.28% in the surgical ward, 17.48% in the psychiatric ward and 31.80% in the paediatric ward. Clear systems factors such as lack of supervision, long working hours, lack of clinical pharmacology training and even lack of prescriber feedback were present that lead to errors taking place. Conclusions This was the first study in South Africa to compare four wards and to report on adult and paediatric prescribing errors. There were clear systems factors that could be linked to prescribing errors taking place and recommendations to reduce prescribing errors in the hospital are made.MT 201

Missed opportunities: The rhetoric and reality of social justice in education and the elision of social class and community in South Africa Policy

This article will examine the paradox of post-apartheid education policies which established the formal basis for social justice and equity through legislation while in reality these laudable goals remain unattainable and elusive.The article will be informed by and build on the conceptualisation and analysis of the barriers to social justice and equality in education by global and local critical, postcolonial and political economy of education scholars. It will critically outline the key arguments and studies around these concepts and will show the strengths and limitations of their analyses.Conceptual coherence will be achieved through a theoretical framework which focuses on social class, community and critical education policy. An original contribution will be made by extending and adapting some of these views, beyond their initial application, to support the education initiatives of South African social movements in poor communities. In concert with the latter, local education policy analyses will be critiqued for not paying sufficient attention to issues of social class, context and community voices in education.https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.83.1.233

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders

HIV infection is associated with disturbances in brain function referred to as HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). This literature review outlines the recently revised diagnostic criteria for the range of HAND from the earliest to the more advanced stages: (i) asymptomatic neurocognitive impairment; (ii) mild neurocognitive disorder; and (iii) HIV-associated dementia. Relevant literature is also reviewed regarding the differential impact upon component cognitive domains known to be affected in HAND, which in turn should ideally be targeted during clinical and neuropsychological assessments: psychomotor and information processing speed, learning and memory, attention and working memory, speech and language, executive functioning and visuospatial functioning. A discussion outlining the neuropsychological tools used in the diagnostic screening of HAND is also included. The central mechanisms of HAND appear to revolve primarily around psychomotor slowing and cognitive control over mental operations, possibly reflecting the influence of disrupted fronto-striatal circuits on distributed neural networks critical to cognitive functions. The accurate assessment and diagnosis of HAND depends on meeting the need for statistically sound neuropsychological assessment techniques that may be used confidently in assessing South African populations, as well as the development of relevant norms for comparison of test performance data

Reimagining university–community engagement

This article is based on a keynote address to the second Higher Education Conference in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the environmental and inequality crises confronting South Africa and the world. After an examination of the societal context of universities, the article discusses critical issues in relation to university-community engagement. It attempts to address these issues by firstly providing an overview of the long-standing debates in our country concerning the academy’s responsibilities and accountability to various constituencies beyond the universities gates and the imperative to rethink scholarship to engage communities meaningfully. Secondly, it will provide an appreciation of the overarching political economy of higher education and the corporatisation of universities before drawing conclusions about the processes that impede or allow the university to be responsive to community engagement. The article will provide a few historical and contemporaneous examples of the work of university-based researchers with various communities. The research of those who have an orientation toward working class communities and aim to democratise knowledge production will be highlighted. It will be argued that the latter’s “praxis epistemology” (Amini 2017) assists us in reimagining university-community relations

The assessment and management of dementia

South African family practitioners can expect to contend with rising rates of dementia as the aged segment of the population grows larger and HIV-related neuropsychiatric complications manifest with increasing prevalence. Family practitioners are often the first professional consulted by families concerned with a family member's suspected dementia. This fortunate position facilitates the early identification of cognitive difficulties, which, in turn, greatly increases the likelihood of optimal management. Dementia is best managed with a multidisciplinary-team approach that sees family practitioners fulfilling the role of key support to families and of the coordinators of multidisciplinary referrals and inputs. This article reviews the key diagnostic features of dementia and provides suggestions that may be utilised by physicians in the basic assessment of these features. It concludes with a summary of the most appropriate management plan to be adopted by family practitioners

A study of the reading habits and interests of teachers in grades four to eight in a religious community

Increasing concern regarding both the need and duty of religious educators has led the writer to explore the dimension, character, and quality of the reading habits and interests of a particular group of Sisters in a religious community whose principal work is education. More specifically, this research concentrated on attitudes, interests, and selection of reading materials. The objectives of this study are: 1. To determine how the Sisters feel about their own personal reading status. 2. To ascertain their interest in current trends to improve adult reading power. 3. To find out the amount of time spent in reading, and to learn what generally influences them in book selection. 4. To survey the programs Sisters provide for themselves in professional reading. 5. To ascertain whether reading about new procedures motivates the Sisters to experiment with ideas in their classrooms. 6. To determine at what age interest in reading was first stimulated, the early influences contributing to attitudes toward reading, and experiences causing negative feelings in this regard. 7. To ascertain special interests through surveying the choices of further study favored among the Sisters. 8. To explore the purposes of reading, preferred areas of interest, the sources of materials, and personal evaluation of paperbacks. 9. To survey the type of leisure most preferred as relaxation. 10. To check on the sources and availability of professional books and magazines, and to determine the regularity with which they are read. 11. To discover which books and magazines are most valuable as a source of reference. 12. To survey the purposes and areas of the reading done, the books being read at the present time, or when the last one was read. 13. To check on the availability of newspapers, whether they are read regularly, and the order generally followed in the perusal. 14. To ascertain whether reading about new procedures motivates the Sisters to experiment with ideas in their classroom. 15. To evaluate the greatest obstacles experienced in trying to acquire good reading habits