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Access status: Embargo ,
A collaborative exploration of pedagogical refrain within science education
(University of the Free State, 2023) Venter, Elizabeth Petronella (Zettie); Müller, Marguerite
As a science educator becoming an educational researcher, I share this personal narrative hoping to encourage a deepened awareness about everyday experiences and how my integrating of memory and imagination helped me to explore disregarded complexities of life-living. Such intensified awareness could subtly influence the field of science education and remains a topic for future exploration. In this study, characterised as a post qualitative inquiry and a creative experiment folding interchangeable beginnings and endings, I have chosen the concept of refrain to help me understand how I put memory and imagination together during my lived interactions with humans and the more-than-human. Early in my childhood, I discovered that my perception of human and more-than-human relationships differed from that of others and during this study I enhanced my understanding of such relationships by engaging with artistic materials. During this inquiry I have followed William Pinar's interpretation of 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘳𝘦 to narrate my educational journey, highlighting how my curiosity led me to pursue the study of sciences. Throughout various stages of 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘳𝘦 I moved from a quantitative perspective in the sciences to creatively experiment with interchangeable beginnings and endings during art making. Over decades, I delved into conscious modes of knowing and became deeply immersed in Western epistemology. However, I faced increasing frustration in my attempts to convey my perceptions about the complexities of human and more-than-human relationships to others. During my PhD journey, I discovered the transformative potential of artistic expression, specifically through mediums such as drawing, drumming, painting, and poetry. By responding to personal multifaceted, sensory perceptions through artistic means, I experienced a co-existence of actual and virtual encounters and theory collapsed into practice for me. My 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 refrain allowed me to figure out my recurrent inclination to imaginatively undertake unfamiliar tasks and grapple with the challenge of communicating my actions and insights to others. Metaphorically speaking, it felt as though I was weaving a tapestry from behind, resulting in a somewhat chaotic process. However, through collaboration with others and further engagement with artistic practices during this study, I gradually realised that by concurrently performing familiar tasks alongside unfamiliar ones, I could metaphorically, flip the canvas and work on the forefront as well. Thus, my understanding of the transversal connections among information deepened, and likewise, my interaction with artistic materials provided me with the conditions to establish such connections. Consequently, I recognised that, through attentive interaction with artistic materials, educators and educational researchers in science education may attend to disregarded complexities during ordinary life-living and possibly, by way of integrating memory and imagination, acknowledge pedagogical refrains informing their becoming.
Access status: Open Access ,
Exploring principals’ ethical leadership practices in tackling learner-on-teacher violence
(University of the Free State, 2024) Molotja, Siphiwe; Makhasane, S. D.; Mdodana-Zide, L.
This study was about exploring the principals’ ethical leadership practices in tackling learner-on-teacher violence. The phenomenon of learner-on-teacher violence has become a global area of great concern. The frequent reports about learner-on-teacher violence have made many teachers fear for their lives and have thus affected the quality of teaching-learning processes. Section 12 of the South African Constitution stipulates that everyone has the right to be free from all forms of violence, and not to be treated or punished in a cruel, inhuman or degrading way. This legal legislation stipulates that all Government employees in the Department of Education must perform their duties fairly, with morals, and ethically. This study employed two theories the Ethical Leadership Theory and the Social Learning Theory; the ethical leadership theory provided tenets, which can be used to tackle learner-on-teacher violence, while the social learning theory provided understanding on how the learners’ behaviour of violence directed to teachers developed. A qualitative multiple case design was employed in order to explore the principals’ ethical leadership practices in tackling learner-on-teacher violence. The study took place in two secondary schools in the eastern Free State. Purposive sampling was employed in order to select four participants, a principal and a deputy from each school. The data for this study was collected using semi-structured interviews, with the two principals and two deputy principals and their data was supported by document analysis. The data in this study was analysed through thematic data analysis, and from this data, five themes emerged. The findings revealed the challenges of ethical leadership experienced by principals in tackling learner-on-teacher violence. The findings found that when the principals are faced with learner-on-teacher violence, they involve parents, evoke the learners’ code of conduct, involve the school based support team (SBST) and other committees that can assist in this phenomenon. However, despite their strategies to curb this phenomenon of learner-on-teacher violence, they still experienced challenges such as, parents who do not want to be involved, children from child headed families, lack of support from the department of basic education (DBE), inadequate policies. The study thus recommends the building of alternative schools, learners’ code of conduct, South African school administration management system (SASAMS), quality learning and teaching campaign (QLTC) and parental involvement.
Access status: Open Access ,
Caring for perpetrators of sexual violence: a pastoral theological perspective defining sexual violence, possible causes, its impact, and risk factors
(Council for Pastoral and Spiritual Counsellors (CPSC), 2025) Makhanya, Nkosiyezwe Muzothule
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 As a church pastor, I have often observed that many worshippers seek counselling due to their challenges in their various walks of life. These challenges vary widely, ranging from difficulties with children coping with schoolwork to financial and marital problems, which can lead to harmful coping mechanisms such as substance abuse (Miranda & Van Nes 2020:np). Upon closer examination through narrative therapy, it frequently becomes evident that sexual violence is the underlying cause of many of these issues. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 The Impact of the Study Non-pastoral counselling disciplines, which contribute to efforts combating sexual violence, define it as follows: 𝗦𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗯𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 (Jelin 2012:343-345; Blandino et al. 2021:112). These non-consensual sexual acts include criminal offences such as rape, sexual abuse, sexual assault, and sexual harassment (Augustyn et al. 2024:1-32; Ferragut 2022:757-775; Quick & McFadyen 2017:286). 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵'𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀. This understanding will inform the church's role in contributing to combating sexual violence. Given the increasing prevalence of sexual violence in South Africa (Ajayi et al. 2021:7; Devries & Meinck 2018:367-368; Isilow: 2021:np), an examination of related literature indicates that considerable efforts have been made to empower counselling and pastoral care practices for victims of sexual violence (Rudolfsson & Tidefors 2015:453,463-467; Dlamini 2022:238-249; Koloti 2021:108-110). 𝗛𝗼𝘄𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿, 𝗜 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. 𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. To address this gap, I conducted an empirical study to determine whether the church is willing and capable of contributing to the fight against sexual violence perpetration, particularly by providing pastoral care to perpetrators, in addition to its prophetic responsibility.
Access status: Open Access ,
Caring for perpetrators of sexual violence: proclaiming freedom for the captives, and release from darkness: a pastoral theological imperative
(Council for Pastoral and Spiritual Counsellors (CPSC), 2025) Makhanya, Nkosiyezwe Muzothule
The previous article described what sexual violence and perpetrators of sexual violence are in society. It further discusses the causes of sexual violence perpetration behaviour in an individual. Its purpose is to give an understanding of this pandemic to the church so that it can fully understand the enemy that is facing its society. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗶𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. That is to contribute to combating the existing human problems, in this case, sexual violence perpetration, through the will of God by the engagement of the scriptures (Sunday, 2020 & Kalmanofsky, 2017).
Access status: Open Access ,
𝘈𝘤𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘮𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘰 (Rutaceae: Diosmeae) - a new species endemic to the Kamdebooberge, Sneeuberg Massif (Eastern Cape, South Africa)
(Elsevier, 2026) Clark, V. Ralph; Vidal, João de Deus; Barker, Nigel P.
𝘈𝘤𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢 Bartl. & H.L. Wendl. (Rutaceae: Diosmeae) is a genus of 33 aromatic shrub species, which—with the exception of at least three species—is endemic to the Core of the Greater Cape Floristic Region and contributes to the exceptional richness of the Core of the Greater Cape Floristic Region, which is also part of a biodiversity hotspot. We describe the 34th known species, A. 𝘬𝘢𝘮𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘰 V.R. Clark & J.D. Vidal—a narrow endemic confined to the Kamdebooberge (Camdeboo Mountains) in the south-western Sneeuberg massif, near Aberdeen (Eastern Cape, South Africa). Morphologically, it is closest to A. sheilae I. Williams, but differs by the smaller, obovate-lanceolate leaves; alternate phyllotaxy; adpressed to patent leaf insertion; shorter sepals and bracts; and a rounded apical anther gland. Also, 𝘈𝘤𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘮𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘰 occurs primarily on Karoo Supergroup dolerites—rather than on Cape Supergroup sandstones. 𝘈𝘤𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘮𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘰 contributes to a local node of endemism in the western Sneeuberg—including the other, highly localised Kamdebooberge endemic Faurea recondita Rourke & V.R. Clark—and is the only 𝘈𝘤𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢 found north of the Great Karoo, on the Great Escarpment. 𝘈𝘤𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘮𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘰 is the second Eastern Cape endemic in the genus—both being in summer/bimodal autumn–spring climates—out of three species recorded in the province. The Kamdebooberge deserves further botanical exploration and may contain further novelties.
Access status: Open Access ,
Exploring the strategies for teaching reading comprehension to English First Additional Language Grade 9 Learners
(University of the Free State, 2024) Nyathikazi, Bongani Christmas; Chimbi, G. T.; Motaung, H. R.
This study explored the strategies employed by English First Additional Language (EFAL) teachers to teach reading comprehension to Grade 9 learners in South African schools. The research addressed a critical gap in understanding how teachers navigate various challenges, such as large class sizes, language barriers, and limited resources, while developing learners’ comprehension skills. This study utilised and was grounded in the simple view of reading theory, which provides a framework for understanding the essential components involved in reading comprehension. The simple view of reading theory suggests that reading comprehension is a product of two fundamental abilities – decoding skills and linguistic comprehension. According to this theory, decoding skills refer to the ability to recognise printed words and translate them into spoken language accurately and fluently. This involves mastering phonological awareness, phonics, and word recognition abilities. Linguistic comprehension, on the other hand, encompasses the skills necessary to understand the meaning of words, sentences, and texts, including vocabulary knowledge, background knowledge, and comprehension strategies. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis. For this study, a purposive sampling technique was employed to select participants. The data generation methods adopted in this study were semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and observation. The findings reveal that teachers predominantly employed a scaffolded approach, integrating explicit instruction techniques—such as skimming, scanning, predicting, and reciprocal teaching—alongside learner-centred methods to foster engagement and comprehension. However, the study highlights significant challenges in teaching higher-order comprehension skills, such as inferencing and evaluating, due to constraints in professional development, inadequate resources, and learners’ limited English proficiency. Additionally, differentiated instruction emerged as a key strategy to address the diverse needs of learners. The study concludes that while teachers are committed to enhancing reading comprehension, they require more support in terms of ongoing professional development and access to relevant, culturally appropriate resources. Recommendations include providing teachers with continuous training and updated teaching materials that reflect learner contexts. These findings contribute to the broader discourse on improving English language instruction and learning outcomes in multilingual and resource-constrained environments. The study recommends six strategies that teachers can use to improve reading comprehension in Grade 9 EFAL classes. These are: 1) prioritising funding and support for equitable education, 2) strengthening instructional support and collaboration in schools, 3) enhancing professional development on explicit instruction, 4) developing clear lesson plans with explicit strategies, 5) fostering collaborative learning and reflective practice among educators, and 6) enhancing instructional practices through professional development and collaboration.
Access status: Open Access ,
Managing student unrest in a South African university: a case study
(University of the Free State, 2022) Gwama, Unathi Mvuyisi; Omodan, Bunmi I.
Higher education and training institutions in South Africa have been plagued by nationwide student unrest and crises for the past few years. This has been a problem for the nation's colleges and universities. This is not just a problem for higher education in South Africa; similar problems exist in nations like Ghana, Nigeria, the United States among others. Most of these unrests are linked to lack of appropriate forum for dialogue between university administration and the students, and neither side is prepared to yield and make concessions. Therefore, it is necessary to ameliorate the conflictual gap between students and management so that the two can interact without interfering with the learning process. Therefore, this study sought to answer the following question: How can the prevalence of student unrest be managed in South African universities to ensure peaceful university education and its productivity? Using decoloniality theory, the study was underpinned by Transformative Paradigm as the research paradigm. The research design used was Participatory Research (PR) and method of data collection was focus group discussion (FGD). Participants were selected using a homogeneous sampling technique. The data was analysed using Braun and Clarke six-step thematic analysis. The study revealed that lack of the proper structure to manage unrest, failure to involve the student in decision-making, and power differentials between students and university authorities are the challenging factors in the management of student unrest. And the neglect of rural universities, especially those merged with the campus in urban areas, and violent behaviour stems from society are also the two themes that have come as other contributing issues to student unrest in rural universities. And the possible solutions to the above challenges were the development of proper structures, involvement of stakeholders in decision making and development of common ground between the stakeholders could be used as solutions. It was recommended that society be brought into the picture in order to properly address the issue of student unrest. It has been embedded into the society that for your demands to be heard, for example, when you need water, you must burn the library, and this has been inculcated into the youth of the country; therefore, universities must find ways of ensuring that this culture is unlearned among students. Secondly, the integration of students is a much-needed strategy. That is, students from high school need to be properly integrated into the university, which is a new environment for them and that comes with independence. Thirdly, universities that have undergone the merger process need to pay attention to such as it has brought a lot of inequality between the campuses through amalgamation.
Access status: Open Access ,
Creating an action research-based framework for blended Mathematics Teacher Development in Rural South African Schools
(University of the Free State, 2024) la Grange-Taylor, Maryke; Stott, A. E.
This thesis describes a participatory action research study that creates a framework for a blended mathematics teacher development programme in rural South African schools. The literature highlights the importance of integrating cognitive, social, and teaching presence to enhance teacher engagement in blended learning environments. However, a gap exists between practice and theory, particularly in applying blended learning to mathematics teacher development in rural contexts. This study addresses the gap by moving from an online-dominant to a traditional face-to-face (F2F) blended approach, leveraging manipulative and structured curriculum resources to trigger teachers’ interest in Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching (MKT). In this study, this approach led to open conversations, exploration of online MKT resources, and improved engagement. The study employed a mixed-methods instrumental case study design across four action-research cycles, with 46 teachers from seven low-quintile schools participating in the PG Bison Infundo EC Schools Project. Data were collected through questionnaires, classroom observations, workshops, reflective journals, and semi-structured interviews. A combination of inductive and deductive qualitative data analysis was used, with the Community of Inquiry and Engagement Theory providing analytical frameworks for consistent indicator development. The findings showed that teachers engage more meaningfully in the programme activities while following a traditional blended, low-tech approach. I suggest that this is due to low ICT skills and consistent connectivity issues in rural areas. The significance of this research is the explicit explanation of the importance of the low-tech traditional F2F approach to blended learning, how it can be designed and implemented, and the value of Community of Inquiry Theory through facilitating mathematics teacher development programmes. Furthermore, it highlights the difficulty of the online approach to blended learning in rural South African schools. This Blended Mathematics Teacher Development framework should be valuable to programme developers and contribute to educational and teaching practice in rural, under-resourced education contexts.
Access status: Open Access ,
Guidelines for peer physical examination as a teaching tool for health professional students in South Africa
(University of the Free State, 2023) Hattingh, Maryna Gertruida Maria; labuschagne, M. J.; Adefuye, A. O.
Globally, students learn clinical skills and surface anatomy in health professions education using each other as models (Rees, Wearn, Vnuk & Sato 2009:104). In the South African context, with its multicultural student population, practising on one another might bring forth challenges for various reasons, such as differences in gender, ethnicity, age, religion and culture. The researcher could not establish any policy or best practice guidelines regulating the use of PPE as an educational tool at any South African university. The researcher addressed the problem by conducting a study to establish the elements students and lecturers regard essential to include in best practice guidelines when PPE is used as the educational tool of choice at South African universities. The researcher followed a qualitative research design and conducted the study in four phases. During phase one, the researcher conducted a comprehensive literature study to answer the question, 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘗𝘌 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯? In phases two and three, which ran concurrently, the researcher conducted focus groups and semi-structured interviews with students and lecturers, respectively, at the Faculties of Health Sciences of five South African universities. The empirical phase of the study happened amid the global Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in the majority of the interviews being conducted virtually. The researcher transcribed all the interviews verbatim and identified themes, categories, and subcategories. The identified data were compared with the literature on existing guidelines and policies on PPE use at universities in New Zealand and Australia. The results of these two phases answered the last research question, 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘗𝘌 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵? The researcher then compiled preliminary guidelines to use when PPE is the educational tool of choice at South African Faculties of Health Sciences. During the last phase of the study, the researcher asked a panel comprising seven experts to validate the proposed guidelines. With the input of the expert panel, the guidelines were finalised to reach the aim of the study.
Access status: Open Access ,
Taking stock of South African responses to homelessness: advocating for victim-inclusive and protective policy reform
(MDPI, 2025) Pophaim, Jean-Paul
Homelessness remains a neglected and under-prioritized area of policy intervention in South Africa. Without a national policy framework, homelessness is generally overlooked, resulting in intermittent, fragmented and ineffective responses. The lack of attention has contributed to a concerning rise in both at-risk and street-based homeless populations, who continue to face challenges in accessing effective support. Using document analysis, the paper maps the content of six local homelessness policies. The findings reveal that the documents adhere to a rigid and static framework, thereby failing to capture the complex contextual and conceptual factors associated with homelessness. A notable shortcoming is the limited focus on and response to experiences of victimization. Using the Health Policy Triangle (HPT), the paper aligns the key findings with the four dimensions of the framework to advocate for inclusive, protective and victim-sensitive policy recommendations to aid in the development of holistic and humane responses to homelessness in South Africa.