African Journals Online
South African Journal of Higher Education 

Volume 15(3) 2001
Abstracts

Title
A social contract between the public higher education sector and the people of South Africa
Author(s)
A C Bawa, University of Natal
Abstract
The South African university system is facing a crisis as the new policy period unfolds. This crisis stems from factors which are particular to South Africa and others which are due to the transformatory pressures on the nature of universities globally which are a result of salient changes to the processes of knowledge generation and dissemination. This article argues that the resolution of this crisis requires the establishment of a process that is led by the higher education sector that would lead to the development of a social contract between itself and the people of South Africa. It is argued further that this approach differs in very fundamental ways from the policy process that has been engaged in since 1994.

Title
Reflections on learning online - the hype and the reality
Author(s)
L Czerniewicz, University of Cape Town
Abstract
Reflections on learning online- the hype and the reality This article describes a UCT academic's experiences of a twelve week course on networked teaching and learning run entirely online through a British university. She reflects on her experiences of isolation, the difficulties to do with lack of a sense of audience and the challenges of creating an appropriate online persona. She queries the deterministic claims in the literature regarding the intrinsic nature of online learning environments and collaboration. She argues that there has been a misinterpretation of theories of learner-centered approaches which have lead to insufficient structure in the course as well as the downplaying of expert knowledge. She concludes that sophisticated kinds of instructional design are required to provide an appropriate framework for learners for a course of this kind.

Title
Organising South African industry-university partnership programmes for viability
Author(s)
N Dlamini, University of Cape Town
Abstract
South Africa experiences a great need for science, engineering and technology skills. As a counter strategy to the growing skills need local government, industries and universities have entered Industry-University Partnership Programme (IUPP) agreements following the example of international counterparts. Currently a few such programmes exist in the South African context. The organisation of these programmes has however proven to be a difficult and challenging task. This article purposes to propose a model for organising industry-university partnership programmes for viability. The proposed model draws on the work of Stafford Beer in his Viable System Model (Clemson 1984). The research paradigm stems from the fields of cybernetics and system thinking. The IUPP concept is in line with the societal shift of power (the ability to maintain control over use and allocation of crucial life-sustaining resources) from control over land and resources to knowledge, technological competence and human innovation (IFR 1998).

Title
Accounting for change: the micropolitics of university restructuring. Part three: global pressures, local responses
Author(s)
J D Jansen, A Habib, P Gibbon & A Parekh, University of Pretoria, University of Durban Westville, Independent Consultant & Department of Education
Abstract
In this third and final article on "the micropolitics of university restructuring", the links are drawn between globalization pressures on the third world state and the ways in which higher education institutions are affected in the same ways by the state and globalization, given the very different histories, capacities and ideologies of universities even within the same country. But the case study of the University of Durban Westville (UDW) also demonstrates that the quality of organizational leadership is a critical variable not only in shaping institutional micropolitics but in affecting the capacity of universities to respond to the relentless demands of the state under conditions of globalization.

Title
Language policy myths and realities at M L Sultan Technikon
Author(s)
L Kajee, M L Sultan Technikon
Abstract
This article examines the issue of language policy and practice in higher education institutions, by observing the impact of interventionist strategies such as the language policy at the ML Sultan Technikon, which is situated in Durban, KwaZulu Natal. The language issue is assessed against the backdrop of multilingualism and the official 11-language policy, as entrenched in the Constitution. Despite the national call for multilingualism, the medium of instruction at the Technikon, as at most tertiary institutions in South Africa, is English. This article examines recent language debates in the country, then discusses the implementation of the Technikon's language policy. The conclusion is that despite the hegemonic role played by English, attempts must be made to encourage multilingualism or regional bilingualism, or else pay the price of further marginalising the African languages.

Title
Literacy and workplace communication: a South African technikon perspective
Author(s)
S Narsee, M L Sultan Technikon
Abstract
To acquire literacy is much more than to psychologically and mechanically dominate reading and writing techniques. Acquiring literacy does not involve memorising sentences, words or syllables, lifeless objects unconnected to an existential universe - but rather an attitude of creation and recreation, a self-transformation producing a stance of intervention in one's context. The words of Paulo Freire illuminate a view of literacy that is purposeful, contextual and transformative. It places the learner rather than the teacher or the text at the centre of the literacy process and it defines this process as more than the skills associated with reading and writing per se. Literacy is understood as a creative activity through which learners can begin to analyse and interpret their own lived experiences, make connections between those experiences and those of others. In this sense literacy is intimately connected to language itself, grounded in the historical and cultural background of the learner, and centred in the personal and social construction of meaning. The author offers a more culturally sensitive view of literacy practices as they vary from one context to another. One cannot pretend that cultural and ideological assumptions are neutral and universal. Educators should suspend judgement as to what constitutes literacy among their students, until they are able to understand what it means to the students themselves and from which social contexts reading and writing derive their meaning. Literacy must not be seen as simply a neutral skill, practiced in the same manner all over the world. The ideological model of Prinsloo and Breier (1996), recognise that educational and policy decisions have to be based on prior judgements regarding what type of literacy to impart to students in a culturally and linguistically diverse environment and why. It must be pointed out that unlike most countries in the world where English second language students are usually in the minority, in South Africa they form the large majority. It is in this context that this article has been written.

Title
Supervision as transformative leadership in the context of university goals
Author(s)
R P Ngcongo, University of Zululand
Abstract
This article discusses different models of supervision and promotion of Masters', Doctoral and PhD students. It argues that leadership is inherent in and underpins any model of supervision or promotion of students. The article advances a view that supervision and promotion of the said students should be transformative leadership. This approach to supervision or promotion of students suggests enabling them to develop as researchers and contributors to university goals of teaching, research and community service. The involvement of students in these goals is seen as additional and related to their primary task of pursuing their degrees. Furthermore, the article posits that supervision as transformative leadership requires a vision from supervisors and promoters, which upholds students' ongoing growth as researchers and contributors to university goals which have been mentioned. The article concludes by making a few recommendations regarding how university staff can be supported in the practice of supervision as transformative leadership.

Title
A proposal for an incentive tool for development of research capacity at technikons
Author(s)
N A Ogude & N A Motha, Technikon Southern Africa
Abstract
This article proposes a research incentive tool that hopes to address two challenges that face technikon research namely, low research capacity and inadequate incentive schemes given the research climate and realities at technikons. The contention is that technikons require an incubation period in which a sustainable research environment can be established for them to participate meaningfully in research. This period should combine effective management, a nurturing environment and stringent quality improvement. The Research Performance Index (RPI), adapted from a former technikon, Curtin University of Technology, is proposed as a tool with the potential to contribute towards such a nurturing environment. Unlike the SAPSE system which rewards limited categories of research output, it rewards not only a wide range of research outputs but also research-related professional activities. The RPI will be implemented at Technikon Southern Africa (TSA) from 2001. It is proposed that if cautiously implemented, it can contribute towards building a sustainable research culture at technikons.

Title
Crisis in mathematics education. Student failure: challenges and possibilities
Author(s)
J Paras, University of Durban-Westville
Abstract
The mathematics education community has recently submitted a proposal to the Council of Education Ministers about the crisis in Mathematics Education in South Africa. The purpose of the submission was to both outline and define the crisis and to make suggestions regarding the role of both National and Provincial governments in addressing the crisis (Amesa News 2000). This article suggests that there is a similar crisis at the tertiary level where students are failing mathematics. For example, in UDW - this article is about WHY students are failing Mathematics Education one in the School of Educational Studies at the University of Durban-Westville. The article also provides a rationale of the study, the method used in collecting and analysing the data, some of the main findings and recommendations for teacher education institutions in South Africa.

Title
Performance management and academic workload in higher education
Author(s)
P G Parsons & A D Slabbert, Cape Technikon
Abstract
The South African Higher Education system is in a state of rapid flux. Various factors are rendering education vulnerable to destructive influences. It has become imperative for academic managers to ensure that academic staff function productively. Management information systems which will generate correct information as to amongst others, academic workload, has become a necessity. It is important to be able to accurately measure input and output of academics, as this will have a direct bearing on the management of their performance. Six principles should be incorporated in a system of appraising workload and performance, viz validity; reliability; transparency; adaptability; acknowledgement of performance and negotiation of mutually agreed tasks and outcomes. Workload determination and indicators of performance quality would make up the basis for a comprehensive and logical performance management system for higher education.

Title
Academic programme co-operation in South African higher education: imperatives, challenges and threads
Author(s)
A H Strydom & H R Hay, University of the Orange Free State
Abstract
Since 1994 policy documents and initiatives such as the NCHE document (NCHE Report 1996) , the White Paper (RSA DoE 1997) , the Higher Education Act 101 of 1997, the National and Institutional Planning Framework 1998, proposed not only regional co-operation between various higher and further education institutions but also the need for academic programme co-operation between institutions whether on a regional or interregional basis. The rationale behind this initiative is to encourage the development of regional partnerships as means for, amongst others, to reduce the overlap and duplication of existing programme provision in certain regions and to enhance the articulation of programmes and mobility of learners between institutions as described by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) (RSA 1998). But even more critically, regional programme collaboration could be one way of transcending the current divides in the higher and further education system, and could become a "harbinger of new institutional and organisational forms" (RSA DoE 1997:18). The purpose of this article is to furnish insight into the rationale, challenges and quandaries of academic programme co-operation and to describe, as a case study, the progress made by an initiative to develop and implement an interinstitutional Masters' programme in higher and further education studies.

Title
Can postpositivist research in environmental education engender ethical notions within higher education?
Author(s)
Y Waghid & L le Grange, University of Stellenbosch
Abstract
In this article we contend that postpositivist research in environmental education can contribute towards promoting ethical activity within higher education. We argue that postpositivist inquiry breaks with utilitarian and uncritical assumptions about research in environmental education and also creates unconfined spaces for ethical notions such as truth-telling and sincerity, freedom of thought, clarity of meaning, non-arbitrariness, a sense of relevance and respect for people and evidence. Drawing on recent case study research in environmental education involving higher education institutions, we show that ethical notions of postpositivist research can engender self-determination, trust and respectful collaboration among diverse people.top

Title
The efficacy of form-focused instruction on the
syntactic accuracy of second language students
of English at the University of Port Elizabeth
Author(s)
D Ayliff, University of Port Elizabeth
Abstract
This article explores whether a short one semester course in form-focused instruction helps improve the syntactic accuracy in the written work of second language students of English at the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE). The article describes research which combines quantitative and qualitative methodology. The collection of data and the statistical analysis of its results rely on quantitative methodology, while the rationale for its conception and framework rests on the application of a qualitative interpretation of the relevant literature on second language acquisition and error analysis. The results of the experimental group of advanced L2 English students who underwent a one semester course in form-focused instruction in English are compared to a control group.

Title
Some empirical research into students' typographical preferences
Author(s)
W D Coetzee, Vista University

Abstract
This article focuses on some features of typographic layout and design and the possible impact of typography on comprehensibility and reader preferences. Reference is made to works by several authorities on the matter who deal with these issues and also to surveys of reader preference and reader performance conducted in various parts of the world. Some of the findings from these surveys are compared with the outcome of a local survey among in-service teachers studying at a distance whose first language is not English. Reader preference for specified typographical aspects of page layout and design was investigated in this survey, including font type, font size, headings, line justification and margin width.

Title
The factor structure of the self-directed learning readiness scale
Author(s)
K de Bruin, G J Jacobs, W J Schoeman & G P de Bruin, Rand Afrikaans University & University of Stellenbosch
Abstract
The factor structure of the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) was investigated for Afrikaans and English-speaking first-year university students. Five factors were extracted and rotated to oblique simple structure for both groups. Four of the five factors were satisfactorily replicated. The fifth factor appeared to be a methodological artefact and was loaded by items that need to be reverse scored. Second-order factor analyses revealed a single higher-order construct underlying responses to the SDLRS items for both groups. This construct is presumed to reflect readiness for self-directed learning. A factor extension analysis showed that the majority of the individual items relate satisfactorily to the higher-order construct measured by the SDLRS. It is recommended that until more information on the meaning and validity of the first-order factors is obtained, interpretations of SDLRS scores should be done at the higher-order level.

Title
An investigation into the perceptions of academic staff on quality assurance in teaching and learning at selected South African universities
Author(s)
D Hay & M E Herselman, University of the Orange Free State & Port Elizabeth Technikon
Abstract
During the last decade South African higher education has undergone various changes in terms of new policies and legislation, an increasing diverse student population, participating governance structures, declining enrolment figures and different modes of programme delivery. Apart from adjusting to these changing circumstances higher education has to compete in a competitive global and national environment where students have a variety of institutions and delivery modes to choose from, although only one pool of potential students exists. In this competitive environment academics are forced to demonstrate the quality of what they are doing and consider the effectiveness thereof. Academics also have different views regarding a quality assurance system. Some view it as a form of managerial control, while others feel such a system can ensure improvement. This study was therefore initiated to investigate how South African academics perceive the implementation of a quality assurance system that is initiated by government.

Title
Die verband tussen matriekprestasie en eerstejaarprestasie vir opeenvolgende innames aan dieselfde universiteit
Author(s)
G K Huysamen, Universiteit van die Oranje-Vrystaat
Abstract
Die korrelasie tussen matrieksimboolpunttotaal (MST) en die gemiddelde kurrikulumpersentasiepunt (GKMP) is vir verskillende opeenvolgende eerstejaar-innames van wit mans, wit vroue, swart mans en swart vroue aan dieselfde universiteit in die negentigerjare bereken, sowel vóór enige aanpassings in GKMP, as ná aanpassings vir verskille in puntoekenningstandaarde en kursuslading. Die onderhawige korrelasies was deurgaans hoër vir wit as vir swart studente en in die meeste gevalle hoër vir mans as vir vroue. Soos op grond van 'n makliker bereikbare MST-afkappunt en die opheffing van die semesterpuntvereiste as toelating tot eksamens verwag kon word, was daar 'n toename in die onderhawige korrelasies vir wit studente. Die korrelasies vir swart studente het die meeste baat gevind by aanpassings vir kursuslading terwyl die korrelasies vir wit studente die meeste voordeel getrek het uit aanpassings vir punttoekenningstandaarde.
Summary
Admissions to South African degree programmes other than the professionally oriented programmes such as medicine, social work, and nursing, appear to present no problem to matriculants with university exemption. However, this situation is likely to change if the White Paper proposal of the Department of Education (1997) to subsidise only a limited number of vacancies for particular degree programmes at particular institutions, is to be implemented. Typically, admissions research entails investigations into the correlation between one or more predictors (eg, the matriculation symbol point total (MST)) and a criterion of university performance (eg, the mean percentage mark (MCPM) over the courses taken) for a particular sample (intake) of students at a particular institution of higher education. Although interest is usually centered on the predictor(s), the obtained results also may depend on the criterion used and the sample involved (more particularly, its selectiveness). Universities are encouraged to regularly undertake validity studies to determine whether any particular trend in the above predictor-criterion correlation is discernible over a period of time. The 1990s present a particularly significant transition period in South African higher education in general, and at the University of the Orange Free State (UOFS) in particular. During this period several changes took place in the composition of the intake of students, the comparability of MST as predictor for different demographic groups and the strictness of admission to university examinations and hence the heterogeneity of university performance at the institution concerned. Probably the most striking feature at this University as far as enrolments were concerned, was the increased number of registrants from educationally disadvantaged high schools. As is true of all correlations, the present correlation depends on the heterogeneity of the sample on which it is based. Findings reported by Van Rooyen and Huysamen (2000) suggest that during the 1990s it became easier to obtain an MST with exemption so that the present institution has become less selective even though it did not lower the MST cutoff for admission. Secondly, as students from both historically white and historically black high schools in any given province have been writing the same matriculation examination since 1997, the MSTs of black and white applicants from a given province should have become more comparable than before the institution of common examinations - a change which was expected to benefit the present correlation. As far as the criterion measure was concerned, a semester mark of 50% or higher was no longer required for admissions to examinations at the UOFS as from 1997. The relaxing of this regulation may be expected to have increased the heterogeneity of the MCPM of subsequent intakes, and hence to have affected to MST-MCPM correlation positively. By contrast, the differing course loads of black students in particular are likely to have lowered this correlation. The present study was aimed at examining the effects, if any, of these changes on the present correlation from 1992 to 1999 for white and black students. It set out to correlate MST with each of the following: MCPM, the MCPM weighed by the credits carried by the courses taken, the MCPM adjusted for marking standards, and the MCPM weighed by the credits carried by the courses taken after the latter had been adjusted for marking standards. These correlations were calculated separately for white men, white women, black men, black women, white students and black students for each of the intakes of 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 at the UOFS. The results suggested a slow increase in these correlations until 1995 for white men and until 1996 for white women, a decrease for white women afterwards and some fluctuations for white men. For black students a small increase after 1998 was observed although it was considered too early to conclude whether this was a permanent change. In agreement with findings in the United States of America the correlations were higher for white than for black students, but contrary to American findings, they were in most cases higher for men than for women. Whereas the correlations for white students benefitted most from corrections for differences in marking standards, those for black students improved most after they had been corrected for differing course loads. The results

demonstrated the advantages of (I) performing validation studies such as the above on a regular basis, (ii) computing the present correlation for different performing subgroups separately, and (iii) performing corrections for differing marking standards and for differing course loads.

Title
A comparative study of first-year psychological test participants and evaders
Author(s)
G K Huysamen, University of the Free State
Abstract
Black students' failure to complete the psycho-educational test battery that is administered traditionally to all first-year registrants at some historically white universities not only tends to impede admissions research, but also may augur ill for students' optimal integration into university life. The results of a study in which only archival data were available for test participants and test evaders, are reported. The test participant tended to perform better academically, both at high school and at university, than did the test evaders. On average they were younger than the test evaders and they tended to register in the science faculties rather than in the social sciences and humanities. By definition, further explorations of psychological explanations for these findings are precluded by the unavailability of test data for test evaders.

Title
The assessment of research support in a distance learning institution
Author(s)
F G Netswera & T R Mavundla, Technikon SA
Abstract
With technikons becoming universities of technologies, the emphasis is now on their ability to effectively offer research degrees, e.g. master's degrees and doctorates. Some of these institutions are not well developed in terms of research supervision. It is even more difficult, but also very necessary, for a distance education institution to offer such support at its regional centres. A project on postgraduate research supervision was completed, that looked at: $ The assessment of decentralised research support centres at a distance institution of higher learning $ The supervisor's perspective of the research supervision process in a distance learning institution.The findings of these two papers revealed that there is limited research expertise and limited research infrastructure at the institution's regional centres. These centres rely heavily on research expertise and infrastructure at the central campus. The research further shows that students lack research knowledge and skills, which has led to some academic departments devising research support strategies such as the development of research guides and courses, proposal development workshops, the development of research committees, promotion of co-supervision and peer evaluation, and the decentralising of research supervision. In conclusion, both these studies suggest that research support and supervision are in an embryonic stage within the institution. However, the following initiatives have been established: the development of a research support course for postgraduate learners and supervisors, the establishment of a departmental or sub-group research committee, and the realignment of procedures and policies for senate approval of research proposals.

Title
The integration of complementary studies into the university education of engineers
Author(s)
G Pienaar, University of Pretoria
Abstract
Complementary studies are knowledge areas aimed at augmenting and broadening the education of engineering students at the undergraduate level. These studies have become an important international accreditation criterion for modern engineering qualifications. The study of these topics is aimed at developing future engineers in a more holistic manner and preparing them to cope in a rapidly changing world. In addition to having the traditional engineering skills, modern engineers are expected to be more innovative and business oriented, able to manage and communicate effectively, and to be conscious of social, ethical end environmental responsibilities in the execution of their profession. These objectives are discussed in detail in the article. The design of an undergraduate engineering curriculum, together with the application of specific instructional and learning strategies and assessment methods that may address these matters effectively, are proposed and discussed.

Title
Possible effects of an incentive scheme at a technical college: a case study
Author(s)
P Singh, Vista University, Port Elizabeth
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an incentive scheme on staff performance at a technical college. For this purpose, a case study with semi-structured interviews was undertaken at a technical college in Port Elizabeth. The selection of the college was prompted by the need for staff morale to be raised and team spirit to be rejuvenated. The results of the investigation suggest that rewards - tangible or intangible - are linked to performance. Human resources thrive on reward and recognition from those that they interact with and this invariably influences the output of their productivity. The study further found that the absence of an incentive scheme at a technical college holds the key to many of the concerns expressed at such institutions. The findings strongly suggest that an incentive scheme be introduced at technical colleges to enhance performance levels of the staff.

Title
The compatibility of student teacher beliefs with research on supportive classroom climates
Author(s)
P D G Steyn & R Killen, Vista University & University of Newcastle
Abstract
The attitudes, values and dispositions that students hold when they enter teacher education programmes act like powerful filters between them and the new ideas to which they are exposed. Sometimes, these beliefs do not support currently accepted good practice in teaching and there is a danger that teacher education will do little to change students' inappropriate views. The research reported in this article investigated one aspect of this problem. It sought to expose students' beliefs about classroom management and discipline. The findings suggest that the student teachers in this study held strong beliefs on a number of issues, especially on discipline and control, which are not compatible with research-based findings on supportive classroom climates. The article highlights the implications for teacher educators and suggests one approach to addressing the problem.

Title
A whole brain approach to teaching and learning in higher education
Author(s)
A-L de Boer, T Steyn & P H du Toit, University of Pretoria
Abstract
Research on the human brain, and specifically on how we think and learn, has contributed to our understanding of the functioning of the brain. Insights gained from this research has, amongst others, led to the development of a metaphoric four quadrant whole brain model, by which human thinking style preferences can be described. The significance of this model and possible implications for teaching and learning in adult learner contexts have not been widely reported on. This article describes a research project in which the thinking preferences of a group of educators enrolled for the Diploma in Higher Education and Training Practice at the University of Pretoria were determined. The knowledge pertaining to the educators' preferred thinking styles was used as a point of departure to foster an awareness for the whole brain concept and the existence of diversity in thinking style preferences. This diversity poses challenges for all classroom practices.

Title
Implementing an outcomes-based approach to university essay writing
Author(s)
H Goode & C Thomen, Rhodes University
Abstract
In this article we present a case study to illustrate and reflect on the process of developing an outcomes‑based approach to essay writing in a university Economics 101 course. We argue that lecturers need support in the process of changing curricula and developing student writing to meet outcomes-based education policy and course requirements. Implementing an outcomes‑based approach to essay writing proved to be more complex than the lecturer initially anticipated and challenges like making outcomes and marking criteria explicit, changing marking feedback, and improving student essay writing, surfaced during the process. The lecturer reflects on these aspects and how she developed and implemented a second essay‑writing task. The teaching assistant and students' feedback are also discussed. The lecturer's reflections and comments are indicated by indentation.

Title
A four quadrant whole brain approach in innovation and engineering problem solving to facilitate teaching and learning of engineering students
Author(s)
E Horak, T Steyn & A-L de Boer, University of Pretoria
Abstract
Engineering curricula traditionally favour the development of analytical and technical skills. There is a worldwide recognition that this bias needs to be addressed to also develop "non-technical" skills. During 1999 the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI), by which human thinking style preferences can be described, was used as facilitating tool to enhance the learning of non-technical skills of first year civil engineering students at the University of Pretoria. The knowledge pertaining to the engineering students' preferred thinking styles was used as a point of departure to foster an awareness for the whole brain concept and the existence of diversity in thinking style preferences. This diversity has implications for teaching and learning style preferences that pose challenges for all classroom practices. This article demonstrates, with a few selected examples, the application of a four quadrant whole brain approach in teaching and learning facilitation of non-technical skills to first year engineering students.