Mthiyane, Ncamisile Parscaline
English: Given the escalating number of orphans globally, orphanhood and caring for the orphaned has become one of the major challenges faced by societies. In South Africa, the major goal for the supportive initiatives and developments is to meet the needs of a democratic society. This growing numbers of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC’s) may have considerable impact on the higher education institutions (HEIs) and on the lives of higher education (HE) students. One of the consequences of challenges faced by students in HEIs is characterised by the recent access of students from diverse historical, educational, socioeconomic and socio-cultural backgrounds. Access to students from diverse backgrounds previously unrepresented in HE, the disadvantaged and orphaned, is still a challenge for HEIs and to some extent contributes to them giving up their studies or dropping out. Working within the critical emancipatory paradigm, this study seeks to chronicle the experiences of orphaned students at a HEI; to give them a platform on which to voice their perceptions through critical engagement in meaning-making discourses about their lives and circumstances. An eclectic mix of Critical Emancipatory Research (CER) and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (BEST) is utilised with the understanding that orphanhood is a social challenge; and inorder to make any interventions the outcomes are to be psychosocially, historically, politically and culturally responsive or appropriate to individuals who are pushed to margins of the society. While CER in this study addresses issues such as empowerment in contexts, inequality, oppression, domination, suppression, alienation, power and transformation, Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological systems theory is adopted to focus on the quality of interrelationship between HE orphaned students and their contexts. Methodologically, this qualitative study presents how CER and BEST principles are integrated within Participatory Action Research (PAR), an approach which enhances collaborative engagements, and empowers students to take decision by putting theory into practice. A single case study was chosen and utilised to allow for in-depth explorations of the participants’ experiences and how they address orphanhood needs and challenges in a HEI. Purposive snowballing sampling was utilised to identify participants. To generate data from one-on-one and focus group discussions (FGDs), reflection journals and verbal reflections, a Free Attitude Interview (FAI) technique was employed. Considering the sensitive nature of reliving the past in this study, ethical considerations were observed to guard against possible ethical dilemmas, and the less obvious yet harmful effects of research. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach was utilised to analyse written texts and spoken words to reveal the discursive sources of power, dominance, inequality, and bias and how these sources are initiated, maintained and transformed within specific contexts. The findings and conclusions of the study have proved the existence of orphaned students in HEI. Further highlighted is how issues of orphanhood, economic challenges and poverty are embedded in how this impact on academic performance, curricula needs and approaches relevant for pre-service teachers. Therefore, following engagement in transformative and participatory methods that embraces students’ capabilities, form basis for psychosocial empowerment. As a recommendation based on findings and conclusions, I have suggested that further studies on the application, monitoring and evaluation of the strategies for care and support framework of the orphaned in an HEI and how these could be linked to and applied utilising participatory approaches (PAR). Further recommendations include preservice training programmes on psychosocial development; review of HE policies focussing on accessibility and relevancy and creation of ongoing support and mentoring programmes for the students to feel effectively empowered and emancipated in the years spent in HEI an implication for improved rates of input and output.
Afrikaans: Weens die groeiende aantal weeskinders wêreldwyd, het weesouerloosheid en die sorg vir die weesouerlose een van die grootste uitdagings vir die samelewing geword. In Suid-Afrika, is een van die vernaamste doelwitte vir ontwikkeling en ondersteundsinitiatiewe om die behoeftes van ’n demokratiese samelewing na te kom. Die groeiende aantal Wees-en Kwesbare Kinders (WKK) mag ’n aansienlike uitwerking hê op Hoër Onderwys Instellings (HOI) en op die lewens van studente in Hoër Onderwys. Een van die gevolge van die uitdagings wat HOI studente in die gesig staar, word gekenmerk deur die onlangse groeiende toegang tot Hoër Onderwys deur studente vanuit verskillende geskiedkundige, opvoedkundige, sosio-ekonomiese en sosio-kulturele agtergronde. Toegang aan student van diverse agtergronde, wat voorheen onverteenwoordig in Hoer Onderwys was, die minderbevoorregtes en weesouerlose, is nog steeds ’n uitdaging vir HOI en dra tot ’n sekere mate daartoe by dat studente of hulstudies opskop of staak. Deur die gebruik van ’n kritiese vrystellende paradigma, beoog hierdie studie om die ervarings van weesouerlose studente by ’n HOI ten boek te stel; om sodoende ’n platvorm te skep waar studente hul waarnemings kan uitspreek, deur krities om te gaan met diskoerse oor betekenisonderhandeling wat betrekking het tot hul eie lewens en omstandighede. ’n Eklektiese vermenging van Kritiese Vrystellende Navorsing (KVN) en Bronfenbrenner se Ekologiese Sistematiese Teorie (BEST) is gebruik met die verstandhouding dat weesouerloosheid ’n sosiale uitdaging is; sodat, om enige bemiddeling te laat plaasvind, die uitslae psigososiaal, geskiedkundig, polities en kultureel responsief of van pas moet wees vir gemarginaliseerde individue in die samelewing. Terwyl die KVN in hierdie studie strydpunte soos bemagtiging in kontekste, ongelykheid, onderdrukking, oorheersing, vervreemding, mag en transformasie aanspreek, is BEST aangeneem om klem te lê op die gehalte van die binne-verwantskap tussen weesouerlose studente in Hoër Onderwys en hulle kontekste. Metodologies bied hierdie kwalitatiewe studie aan hoe KVN en BEST se grondbeginsels geïntegreer is binne Deelnemende Aksie Navorsing (DAN), ’n benadering wat samewerkende deelname verhoog, en studente bemagig om besluite te neem deur teorie in die prakties toe te pas. ’n Enkele gevalestudie is gekies en gebruik om toe te laat vir ’n in diepte ondersoekende studie van die deelnemers se ervarings en hoe hulle hul behoeftes en uitdagings as weesouerloses in HOI aanspreek. ’n Doelbewuste sneeubal metode is gebruik on deelnemers te identifiseer. Om data voort te bring is van een-tot-een en fokusgroep besprekings (FGS), nadenkende dagboeke en mondelinge oordenkings, sowel as ’n Vrye Gesindheidsonderhoudtegniek (VGO) gebruik gemaak.Deur die inagneming van die sensitiewe aard van die herlewing van die verlede in hierdie studie, is etiese oorwegings gemaak om te waak teen moontlike etiese dilemmas, en die minder klaarblyklike tog skadelike nagevolge van navorsing.’n Kritiese Diskoers Ontledingsbenadering (KDO) is gebruik om geskrewe tekste en gesproke woorde te ontleed om die beredenerende bronne van mag, oorheersing, dominansie, ongelykheid en veroordeling te openbaar asook hoe hierdie bronne ingelei, onderhou en vervorm is binne spesifieke kontekste. Die bevindinge en gevolgtrekkings van hierdie studie het die bestaan van weesouerlose studente in HOI bevestig. Verder is beklemtoon hoe kwessies van weesouerloosheid, ekonomiese uitdagings en armoede ineengebed is en hoe die kwessies akademiese werksprestasie, leerplan behoeftes en benaderings toepaslik vir indiensopleidingsonderwysers, beïnvloed. Dus, vorm die navolging van en verbintenis tot transformerende en deelnemend metodes wat studente se vermoëns omhels, die basis vir psigososiale bemagtiging. As ’n aanbeveling gegrond op die bevindinge en gevolgtrekkings,van die studie, stel ek voor dat verdere studies oor die aanwending, monitor en evaluering van die strategieë vir sorg en ondersteuningsraamwerke van die weesouerlose in ‘n HOI gedoen moet word, asook hoe die begenoemde aspekte gekoppel kan word aan en toegepas kan word deur gebruik te maak van ’n deelnemende benadering. Verdere aanbevellings sluit in indienseopleidingsprogramme oor psigososiale ontwikkeling; ’n oorsigvan HOI beleide met die fokus op toeganklikheid en toepaslikheid, asook die skepping van deurlopende ondersteuning-en mentorprogramme vir die student om doeltreffend bemagtig en geëmansipeer te voel tydens hul jare in ’n HOI, ’n implikasie vir verbeterde inset en uitset.
Moontlikhede en beperkinge van litteraturé engagée: Hans Magnus Enzensberger ﻿
Van den Berg, Johannes Petrus Cilliers (University of the Free State, 2003-11)
English: The aim ofthis study is an inquiry into the phenomenon of "commitment" in literature - both in terms of its potential and limits to cause directly, or facilitate indirectly, changes within a specific socio-political ...
The comic techniques of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett: a comparative study of selected works and an illustration of the role of comedy in science fiction/fantasy ﻿
Bitzer, Catharina (University of the Free State, 1998)
After a brief introduction to the genres that are to be discussed (Comedy, Fantasy, Science Fiction), this study aims in the following chapters to discuss works by Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett and consider how they ...