‘When I see them I feel like beating them’: Corruption and the South African Police Service

South African survey data on citizen attitudes towards police have, for the past ten years, indicated a lack of trust in law enforcers. Similarly, the SAPS has, since the early nineties, developed a public image as a widely corrupt organisation. In 2010 the SAPS reverted to military ranks and adopted a discourse of 'force' in an attempt to improve discipline, effectiveness and image. This paper presents a summary of findings from 15 focus groups conducted in mid-2010 that sought to explore public experiences and perceptions of police and police corruption

Highly Effective Teachers

The question “What makes an effective teacher?” is an ongoing concern for those involved in education and teaching. This article argues the importance of taking into account both pedagogic and dispositional characteristics when examining what it might mean to be a highly effective teacher. In doing so, two theoretical frameworks are described; namely, the New South Wales Quality Teaching Model (QTM) (NSW, DET, 2003) and the Dispositional Cluster Model (DCM) (Faull, 2008)

“Because the country says they have to change” : an analysis of a diversity intervention and its effects on a South African Police Service station

Includes bibliographical references.The shift from apartheid to a constitutional democracy in South Africa, brought with it a plethora of questions concerning ideas of nationhood, citizenship, and organisational transformation. Integrally caught up in the revolution, the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) faces transformative challenges on scales far larger than most other organisations in the country. From being the strong arm of the oppressive elite, it has has to restructure and rearticulate its function while simultaneously attempting to maintain law and order. Like many other corporations and organisations, the SAPS has engaged in interventions aimed at aiding the fluidity of this process. This thesis is an analysis of one such intervention. It attempts to ascertain the extent to which members are changing as a result of particular diversity workshops conducted in a region of the Western Cape

Health and the Spiritual Self: Development and Application of a Theory and Measure of the Process of Healthy Change

The overall goal of the thesis was to investigate the nature of the healthy human self and the process of achieving health. This was undertaken by reviewing established self-theory and presenting a summary of each theory and its position with regard to self-composition, self-agency and the nature of the healthy self. An inclusive self-theory was then developed, congruent with reviewed literature, which positioned spirituality as the essential core of self. From the foundational Spiritual Theory of Self and the findings of the first study in this thesis, the Health Change Process Theory was developed to explain and predict how people achieve sustainable health. Three subsequent studies resulted in the construction and testing of a quantitative measure which enabled scientific investigation of the nature of the healthy self and the process of achieving health. Method The methodology of the four studies in this thesis was based on the instrumental approach which posits that, while there are procedural differences between qualitative and quantitative methodologies, philosophically speaking, there is no fundamental difference as they are both equally applicable and valuable. Consequently, the methodology judged to be the most appropriate instrument to investigate each study's topic of inquiry was chosen rather than allegiance to either qualitative or quantitative methodology. The first study was qualitative, as it investigated the definition of health and the process by which it was achieved from the perspective of 30 people with chronic musculoskeletal impairments. The findings from this study provided the theoretical basis for the three subsequent questionnaire development and validation studies. The second study used qualitative methodology with 59 participants to identify participant-generated items used in a new quantitative holistic health questionnaire and then employed quantitative methods to perform preliminary tests of the reliability and validity of this measure. The third study used quantitative methods with 233 participants to evaluate more robustly the reliability, content and concurrent validity of the original developmental measure and another, behaviourally-orientated assessment instrument, which used the identical item content but re-framed in the past tense. The fourth study employed qualitative and quantitative methods with 205 participants to evaluate the clinical validity of the scale found to possess reliability and validity in the previous investigation. Results The critical review of self-theory concluded with the development of the Spiritual Theory of Self. The initial study supported this theory as a robust explanation and predictor of the determinants of a healthy self. Furthermore, the findings of this study and a review of relevant literature concluded with the development of a Health Change Process Theory, which was based on the Spiritual Theory of Self. The Health Change Process Theory explains and predicts the process by which a healthy self develops. The subsequent questionnaire development and validation studies sought to provide a quantitative holistic assessment tool, congruent with the Health Change Process Theory, and found the 28-item QE Health Scale (QEHS) to be a reliable and valid measure of holistic health. These results also demonstrated that the Health Change Process Theory and the underpinning Spiritual Theory of Self were robust. With regard to clinical application, the QEHS was found to aid assessment, therapeutic intervention, a client-centred holistic approach to healthcare and evidenced-based practice. The Patient Profile, derived from QEHS responses, provided a tool that enabled theory to be applied to practice by identifying the key indicator personal attributes determining holistic health status. Conclusion The research results demonstrated that the Spiritual Theory of Self and the Health Change Process Theory provide valid explanations of the constructs that enable people with musculoskeletal disorders to remain otherwise healthy with such conditions. Furthermore, the relationship between the findings and established self-theories suggest that the Spiritual Theory of Self and the Health Change Process Theory may advance knowledge of the predictors and interventions that enable all people to undertake a health-enhancing process of change when confronted with adversity. The QEHS and associated Patient Profile were found to be reliable and valid tools that facilitated assessment and enhancement of the holistic health status for people with musculoskeletal impairments. These tools identified barriers to achievement of holistic health, predicted by the Health Change Process Theory; facilitated the therapeutic process through a focus on issues meaningful to those receiving healthcare; aided treatment decision making; and enabled quantitative evidence-based evaluation of the efficacy of interventions. Moreover, the overall results have advanced psychological knowledge with implications for all fields of psychology involved in the study of people. The evidence of the research undertaken provides a basis for promoting knowledge and research of chronic healthcare delivery and a spiritually based conception of self and health. The QEHS and associated theories provide a tool and basis for investigations where people are experiencing traumatic, irreversible crises. However, the initial aims of further research should be to refine the QEHS and the associated Patient Profile to enable the use of theory and the QEHS across a diverse range of research populations and to investigate the applicability of these to facilitate the maintenance or achievement of a healthy self

The Australian Curriculum: A Look Through the Lens of Christian Education

The development of the Australian Curriculum is an ambitious task that involves meeting the needs of a large range of interest groups, each with its underlying philosophy and conceptualisation of what constitutes an effective and viable curriculum. The context of independent, Christian education systems and schools adds an important dimension to a discussion of the challenges that confront teachers and administrators as we move towards the implementation of a national curriculum. The observations and questions presented in this paper are not exhaustive, but are based on seminars and consultation sessions, discussions with a variety of teachers and subject coordinators, and wide reading of the documentation that has been forthcoming from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and other sources. The purpose of this paper is to promote discussion and reflection relating to the issues that confront teachers and educational institutions as they prepare for the implementation of the Australian Curriculum, particularly in the context of Christian education

On the record: Interview with Francois Beukman, Executive Director of the Independent Complaints Directorate

The Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) is South Africa’s primary independent agency responsible for investigating complaints against the police. It was established in 1997 under Chapter 10 of the South African Police Service Act. The Act makes the ICD’s sole compulsory mandate the investigation of deaths in police custody or as a result of police action. However, the ICD has also been open to receipt of complaints of police involvement in criminal activity, and failure to comply with the Domestic Violence Act.A new Bill, the Independent Police Investigations Directorate (IPID) Bill, is likely to be adopted in the third quarter of 2011. The new Act will significantly change the current functions of the ICD and will guide the transformation of the ICD into the Independent Police Investigations Directorate (IPID), providing it with its own legislation (independent of the SAPS Act). Under the new legislation the IPID will be mandated to investigate not only deaths in police custody or as a result of police action, but also complaints relating to the discharge of an official firearm by a police official; rape by a police official, rape of any person in police custody; complaints of torture or assault against a police official in the execution of his or her duties; and systemic corruption. The Bill also puts an onus on SAPS managers to report to the IPID on action taken against members following the submission of post-investigation IPID recommendations.Andrew Faull speaks to ICD Executive Director, Francois Beukman, about the changes taking place

The Impact of Theatre Performance in a School Setting on Children's Learning

ABSTRACT This thesis asks how does school-based theatre performance help primary-aged children learn, how is the learning altered or enriched by teacher intervention and how does the impact of the performance change over time? Drawing upon three case-study productions between 2016 to 2018 of Devon based performance company Theatre Alibi, this inter-disciplinary research explores the relationship between the company, schools and centrally the children who have experienced their performances. Using a child-centred, mixed method approach, incorporating quantitative and qualitative analysis and arts-based methods to capture research from over 900 children aged between 5-11 years, this thesis provides new insights into audience reception, educational and longitudinal impact. It also gives feedback on under-researched audiences for theatre makers, educators, academics and policy makers on the impact of theatre on children. This thesis traces the connection between theatre and learning, looking in turn at: the company’s contribution and distinctiveness in the field of Educational Theatre; the emotional impact of a one-off experience; the impact of teacher mediation; and finally, the after-life of the performance. This inter-disciplinary research argues the emotional impact of theatre performance is long-lasting, refuting the ‘common-sense’ assumption that performance is transient, disappearing the moment its eventfulness is over. It offers the academy, theatre practitioners, teachers and policy makers’ research into unheard voices of children, particularly non-traditional theatre goers in the setting of their own school, seeing a performance not as a one-off experience, but as an untapped source for further learning and particularly creativity. It also offers rare insight into longitudinal findings by following the impact on children of a performance of no more than an hour’s duration over a two-year period.AHRC Bursar