The impact of diagnostic methods on the diagnosis of Clostridiodes difficile infection

Background. Clostridiodes difficile is a common cause of healthcare-associated diarrhoea. Laboratory testing for C. difficile infection (CDI) remains an area of confusion, as there is not a single accepted reference standard or a single best test.Objectives. To analyse the impact of different diagnostic methods on reported CDI rates. In addition, CDI incidence rates at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH), Johannesburg, South Africa, were determined.Methods. Results of stool samples submitted for C. difficile testing at CMJAH from 1 January 2014 to 31 August 2017 were reviewed. From January 2014 to July 2016, samples were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or toxin immunoassay, and from August 2016 to August 2017, algorithm-based testing (glutamate dehydrogenase and toxin immunoassay followed by PCR) was performed.Results. A total of 4 829 samples were submitted. For the first period, toxin immunoassay and PCR showed a positivity rate of 11.4% and 21.1%, respectively, with an overall positivity rate of 18.7% (95% confidence interval (CI) 15.6 - 21.9). For the second period, the positivity rate was 15.9% (95% CI 11.3 - 17.7). This rate included samples that were GDH-positive and either showed toxin production or had a positive Xpert result. The CDI incidence for the two periods was different, with an incidence rate of 8.8 and 6.1 per 10 000 patient-days for the first and second periods, respectively.Conclusions. The choice of laboratory testing method has a major impact on the diagnosis of CDI, and therefore on reported rates of CDI. Standardisation of laboratory testing and incidence rate reporting is required in order to obtain robust and reliable data

Learners’ experiences of creative writing in English First Additional Language: Pedagogical implications

This paper is based on a qualitative study that investigated Grade 9 learners’ experiences of creative writing in English first additional language (FAL). Following a social constructivist approach to learning, the paper argues that creative writing is a complex process that demands cognitive and metacognitive skills, so that the language in which learners write matters, since it determines the quality and level of creativity that learners portray in their writing. The study was conducted in a township school in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, and its aim was to investigate Grade 9 learners’ experiences of creative writing in English FAL. Data was collected by means of focus group interviews with selected Grade 9 learners. The key findings of the study indicate that while the learners experienced language-related challenges, they also acknowledged the linguistic and cognitive benefits of creative writing in English. The study concludes that while learners portray positive attitudes towards English, this language remains a barrier to their learning, especially with regard to creative writing that demands imagination and critical thinking. This article recommends that creative writing be given more attention in schools, and that writing in the official languages be encouraged to enhance learners’ creativity and literacy development

Language variation in the Transkeian Xhosa speech community and its impact on children's education

Bibliography: leaves 149-160.This study investigates language variation in the Transkei Xhosa speech community, focusing on the different dialects spoken in this geographical area and their impact on the education of children. As the study focuses on children's education, it is hypothesized that there is a possible correlation between the dialect spoken and the student's academic achievement and life's chances. It is the sociolinguistic view-point that there exists an intimate relationship between the relative status of a speaker's language and his socio-political status. The Transkeian Xhosa speech community comprises various tribes with different speech patterns (i.e. Gcaleka, Bomvana, Tembu, Cele, Ntlangwini, Baca, Hlubi, Mpondo, Xesibe). In the educational context some of these speech forms are labelled as dialectal or as deviations from the norm and therefore stigmatised. This implies that children enter the school setting as winners or losers depending on the dialect or variant they speak

Signposting foundation phase teachers’ professional identities in selected Western Cape primary schools, South Africa

The aim of this article is to report on the Foundation Phase (FP) teachers’ professional identities in two primary schools in the Western Cape. This is meant to serve as a basis for understanding teachers’ identities with regard to their teaching experience, qualifications, specialised knowledge base, and ongoing professional development. The article is based on data collected by means of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with the FP teachers in two township schools where isiXhosa is used as the medium of instruction in the Foundation Phase (Grades R to Three). We argue that while teacher identity research has received attention across the globe in the past four decades, little is known about the implications of teacher professional identity for literacy teaching in South African classrooms, especially where an African language is used as a language of learning and teaching. Our findings reveal the pluricentric nature of the FP teachers’ qualifications and backgrounds. We conclude that FP teachers’ professional identity (TPI) cannot be conceptualised in a simplistic and unidimensional way, but can be viewed as an intersectional construct that impacts on literacy instructional practices

Signposting Foundation Phase teachers’ professional identities in selected Western Cape primary schools, South Africa

The aim of this article is to report on the Foundation Phase (FP) teachers’ professional identities in two primary schools in the Western Cape. This is meant to serve as a basis for understanding teachers’ identities with regard to their teaching experience, qualifications, specialised knowledge base, and ongoing professional development. The article is based on data collected by means of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with the FP teachers in two township schools where isiXhosa is used as the medium of instruction in the Foundation Phase (Grades R to Three). We argue that while teacher identity research has received attention across the globe in the past four decades, little is known about the implications of teacher professional identity for literacy teaching in South African classrooms, especially where an African language is used as a language of learning and teaching. Our findings reveal the pluricentric nature of the FP teachers’ qualifications and backgrounds. We conclude that FP teachers’ professional identity (TPI) cannot be conceptualised in a simplistic and unidimensional way, but can be viewed as an intersectional construct that impacts on literacy instructional practices.Keywords: early childhood; Foundation Phase; identity; isiXhosa; teacher professional identit

Challenges to gender equality and access in education: Perspectives from South Africa and Sudan

The achievement of the target of Education for All (EFA) by 2015 is a global concern. Worldwide many countries have committed themselves to various initiatives and efforts to improve children’s access to education, particularly girls, who are often denied access to education owing to entrenched socio-cultural practices and gender stereotypes. In post-conflict countries like South Africa and Sudan educational changes have taken place over the past decade. As a result, inclusive and non-discriminatory education policies have been adopted in these countries to redress inequalities in education, policies that target not only free and equal access to education but also improving the quality of education, particularly among the poor and marginalised communities in these two countries. Both countries are, however, still struggling to address issues of equal access to education and gender equality owing to cultural and socio-economic factors in the two contexts. This paper explores experiences of female children in primary schools in selected contexts in South Africa and Sudan and the extent to which their experiences reflect unequal opportunities of access to education and gender inequality. Ultimately what becomes clear is that access to education and gender equality should go beyond numbers to include equality in terms of learning opportunities and resources, treatment at school, equal participation and employment opportunities across socio-cultural and racial line

Science teaching and learning through the medium of English and isiXhosa: a comparative study in two primary schools in the Western Cape

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThis thesis compared science teaching and learning in English and isiXhosa in the Intermediate Phase (Grades 4-6) in two primary schools in the Western Cape. It explored the effects of using learners' home language (isiXhosa) and second language (English) as languages of learning and teaching science. The study is part of a broader project called the Language of Instruction in Tanzania and South Africa (LOITASA). The study was conceived against the background of English as a means of social, economic and educational advancement, and the marginalization of African languages in education.South Afric

Indigenous knowledge systems and early literacy development: An analysis of isiXhosa and isiZulu traditional children’s folktales and songs

This paper provides an analysis of IsiXhosa and IsiZulu folktales and traditional children’s songs in order to highlight the relationship between Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and early literacy development in young children. Through the lens of the cognitive and socio-cultural theories, it explores the kind of knowledge embedded in the IsiXhosa and IsiZulu folktales and traditional children’s songs, and the value and relevance of such knowledge in supporting early literacy development. It argues that oral literacy in indigenous languages has always existed, but became dormant and invisible as a result of assimilation and acculturation into the Western norms. The paper concludes with an acknowledgement that folktales and traditional children’s songs are a rich and perennial reservoir through which young learners can acquire not only literacy skills, but also cognitive, linguistic and social skills that can help them to become active citizens in the world and the workplace.IBS

Multilingualism and (bi)literacy development for epistemological access: Exploring students experience in the use of multilingual glossaries at a South African university

This paper reports on the findings of a research project that investigated first-year students’ experiences in using multilingual glossaries. They were enrolled in an electrical engineering course at a higher education institution in the Western Cape, South Africa. Data were collected by means of questionnaires and focus group interviews with isiXhosa-speaking students to gain an insight into how the glossaries facilitated or constrained their epistemological access to concepts in the field of engineering. Drawing on the concepts of epistemological access, multilingualism, and biliteracy to establish a framework, we argue that the use of multilingual resources (e.g., glossaries) does not necessarily guarantee students’ epistemological access to knowledge if their biliteracy skills (reading and writing) are underdeveloped in one of the targeted resource languages. This paper concludes that multilingualism is a necessary transformative approach, but that students’ (bi)literacy development in African languages as targeted languages for transformation should also be prioritised and strengthened to facilitate better learning all round

From theory to practice: Beginner teachers’ experiences of the rigour of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education programme

This article focuses on how recent graduates perceive the rigour of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) initial teacher education (ITE) programme. The article is based on qualitative data collected from a purposely selected sample of 19 beginner teachers who graduated from two higher education institutions that offer PGCE programmes in the Western Cape. Data were primarily collected by means of open-ended semi-structured interviews and triangulated through document analysis. Results revealed how beginner teachers’ conceptions of rigour of the ITE programme differ considerably from those advocated by experts on teacher education. The authors of this paper recommend that if rigour in teacher education programmes is to be understood, voices of student teachers and other stakeholders (e.g. teachers, school principals, communities, policy makers) should be included in the design and development of teacher-education curricula. Inclusion of these voices might constructively complement existing conceptions of rigour and influence ITE curriculum policy for the benefit of all stakeholders. Nonetheless, it should be borne in mind that some of these conceptions of rigour might not be informed by theoretical underpinnings and can therefore not supersede those of the experts.IBS