AA 2012 Volume 44 Issue 2
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Item Open Access Business development and local economic development in South Africa: addressing the disconnect(University of the Free State, 2012) Rogerson, Christian; Rogerson, JayneEnglish: Local economic development is a critical challenge for much of sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in South Africa. This article aims to examine the limits to successful local economic development (LED) in South Africa which emerge from the ‘disconnect’ between business development and LED. One reason for the disappointments surrounding 15 years of LED planning relates to this “disconnect” between business development and LED planning. This issue is now acknowledged as national government has launched a series of initiatives to develop the connections between enterprise development, on the one hand, and local economic development, on the other. The discussion points to four themes, namely the improved market confidence of the private sector in local government; the capacity to identify opportunities for and to exploit competitive advantage; the need to build a business environment friendly for private sector investment, and the intensification of enterprise support at local level for the development of small businesses.Item Open Access An online multiple-choice microbiology game for undergraduate medical students: a case study(University of the Free State, 2012) Struwig, Daleen; Beylefeld, Adri; Hugo, Alwyn; Joubert, GinaEnglish: Educational games are increasingly used in medical curricula to enhance the process of mastering subject content. Students experience medical microbiology as an exceptional challenge because of unfamiliar terminology and the extensive volume of this field of study. Consequently, many students believe that medical microbiology could be a major contributor to failing an academic year. This article describes the use of an online multiple-choice game to improve students’ performance in the Infections module of their medical training programme. The results show that an informal approach to learning may be beneficial to students, even in tertiary institutions.Item Open Access Active learning approaches in mathematics education at universities in Ethiopia: the discrepancies between policy and practice(University of the Free State, 2012) Alemu, Birhanu; Schulze, SalomeEnglish: 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.Item Open Access Teachers’ perceptions about their own professionalism in the Lejweleputswa district, Free State province, South Africa(University of the Free State, 2012) Mosoge, Madimetsa; Taunyane, TlaliEnglish: Education reform in many parts of the world is premised on the view that teachers show lack of professionalism. The solution to this problem lies in increasing teacher professionalism. Education reform, therefore, affects how teachers view themselves as professionals, their work and their effectiveness, and how they compose their identities in schools. The study aims to investigate the perceptions of teachers with regard to the extent to which they practise professionalism in their schools. The data collected tended to refute the view expressed in the literature that teachers lack professionalism.Item Open Access Mentoring unemployed science graduates in South Africa: early lessons learnt(University of the Free State, 2012) Geber, Hilary; Koyana, SiphokaziEnglish: As part of the National Youth Service Volunteers Programme, the Department of Science and Technology implemented the first two-year programme in 2008-2009. Unemployed science graduates were selected to participate. One hundred interns were placed in 22 science centres where they learnt work-related skills while seeking permanent jobs. As all the candidates, aged between 21 and 35, were historically disadvantaged individuals who had graduated from historically black higher education institutions, a mentoring system was implemented to help accelerate their development. This article reports on the experiences of the interns and their mentors and highlights mentoring good practice for such innovative programmes. It also contains some longitudinal data about their employment after the internship ended.Item Open Access The readability of a high stakes Physics examination paper(University of the Free State, 2012) Ramnarain, UmeshEnglish: This article reports on the readability of a Physics examination paper written by grade-12 students. A sample of 500 scripts was analysed for readability problems associated with linguistic features synonymous with scientific writing. The study revealed that where a question displayed a linguistic feature of scientific writing, this contributed to students doing an incorrect calculation, focusing on the wrong aspect of the question, repeating a segment of a question, and misinterpreting a word or a phrase. In view of these findings, the article argues that greater attention needs to be paid to the language of science in the classroom.Item Open Access Community-based tourism and peace parks benefit local communities through conservation in Southern Africa(University of the Free State, 2012) Mearns, KevinEnglish: Community-based tourism is regarded as a potential driver of economic development for rural communities in close proximity to peace parks. The long-term success of peace parks in Southern Africa is only possible if local communities that live within or adjacent to peace parks receive significant benefits. Community-based tourism provides the means whereby such local communities may receive these benefits. This article establishes the spatial distribution of community-based tourism ventures in Southern Africa in relation to the proposed peace parks. A high degree of spatial association was found to exist between community-based tourism ventures and the proposed peace parks.Item Open Access Experience, authority and tradition in the making and playing of classical guitars: a hermeneutic interpretation(University of the Free State, 2012) Bower, RudiEnglish: The making of musical instruments is an ancient human pursuit. However, to a large extent, this art-form has evaded academic and philosophical enquiry. Most of the theoretical work on the subject is illustrative and includes technical or practical approaches. This article links the building of classical guitars, or luthiery, in a South African and global manifestation, with the writings of hermeneutic thinker Hans-Georg Gadamer. It will investigate notions of experience, authority and tradition relating to luthiery. Interviews with selected South African luthiers will be used to substantiate the relevance of Gadamer’s thoughts to luthieryItem Open Access ‘Ons’ en ‘hulle’: ’n ondersoek na kultuurstereotipering in ’n Vlaamse moedertaal-taalhandboek reeks, Markant(University of the Free State, 2012) Engelbrecht, AltaEnglish: Over the past few decades the issue of textbooks and their relevance to society has dominated the international educational reform debate. This article aims to determine the extent to which a Flemish language textbook series fosters cultural stereotyping of the ‘other’. It explains the development of diversity perspectives pertaining to textbook representation in recent years in Flanders. Huckin’s critical discourse analysis strategy, combined with the thematic analysis of Braun and Clarke are used to investigate the visual material. The findings are presented as indicators derived from the critical thematic analysis.