scholarly journals A systematic analysis of doctoral publication trends in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 116 (7/8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan van Schalkwyk ◽  
Johann Mouton ◽  
Herman Redelinghuys ◽  
Sioux McKenna
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
South African ◽  
Journal Article ◽  
Similarity Index ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
The South ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Publication Rates

It is incumbent upon doctoral students that their work makes a substantive contribution to the field within which it is conducted. Dissemination of this work beyond the dissertation, whether whilst studying or after graduation, is necessary to ensure that the contribution does not remain largely dormant. While dissemination can take many forms, peer-reviewed journal articles are the key medium by which knowledge is shared. We aimed to establish the proportion of doctoral theses that results in journal publications by linking South African doctoral thesis metadata to journal articles authored by doctoral candidates. To effect this matching, a customised data set was created that comprised two large databases: the South African Theses Database (SATD), which documented all doctoral degrees awarded in South Africa (2005–2014), and the South African Knowledgebase (SAK), which listed all publications submitted for subsidy to the South African Department of Higher Education and Training (2005–2017). The process followed several iterations of matching and verification, including manual inspection of the data, in order to isolate only those records for which the link was established beyond doubt. Over the period under review, 47.6% of graduates, representing 22 of the 26 higher education institutions, published at least one journal article. Results further indicate increasingly higher publication rates over time. To explore whether the journal article identified was a direct product of the study, a similarity index was developed. Over 75% of records demonstrated high similarity. While the trend towards increasing publications by graduates is promising, work in this area should be ongoing.

scholarly journals The Structure of the sunflower plant breeders’ rights landscape in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 116 (9/10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charity R. Nhemachena ◽  
Binganidzo Muchara
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
The South ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Agricultural Research Council ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Plant Breeders Rights

Varietal innovations and protection of plant breeders’ rights (PBRs) contribute to the development of any crop’s ability to produce higher yields relatively consistently. Producing yields under adverse weather conditions and the overall characteristic of drought tolerance, make the sunflower an attractive crop for producers in dryland production regions. The main objective of this study was to give an overview of the structure of the South African sunflower breeding programme, focusing on the construction of PBRs and the leading players in sunflower breeding and seed production in South Africa. We compiled a detailed database of sunflower varietal innovations in South Africa from 1979 to 2019 using various sources such as the South African Grain Laboratory, the Department of Agriculture’s Plant Variety Journals and the Crop Estimation Committee. This data set was then analysed using descriptive statistics and trend analysis to determine the main trends in ownership of PBRs and sunflower varieties. We looked at the inclusion of new sunflower varieties on the national variety list for sunflower varietal improvements in South Africa over this period. A total of 76 PBR sunflower varietal applications were lodged for the period – an average of 1.9 applications per year. The principal applicants for varietal inclusions on the national variety list were Pannar with 102 varieties (23.8%), Pioneer seeds with 51 varieties (11%), Saffola seed with 42 varieties (9.8%) and Agricultural Research Council with 10 varieties (2.3%). In order for breeders to benefit from their investment in research and avoid exploitation of their work, they need to be protected and receive returns on their investments. Innovation can be stimulated by proper collaboration between the private and public sectors, aided by broader variety sector legislation that encourages all players to invest.

scholarly journals Present-Day Dillemas And Challenges Of The South African Tertiary System

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 285 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Mouton ◽  
G. P. Louw ◽  
G. L. Strydom
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Education System ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
School Level ◽  
First Year ◽  
Exit Point ◽  
The South ◽  
Higher Education System

The Education White Paper 3 on Higher Education aimed to transform the higher education system. Change within tertiary education included adjusting the size and shape of institutions, the meaning of autonomy and accountability, the nature of higher education, the character of student demographic distribution, management and governance, roles of student politics, models of delivery, the notion of higher education in terms of the relationship between free trade and public good, programme changes and the nature of the academic workplace. At this stage, transformation in higher education is leaping outwards to fulfil the criteria set by international competitiveness and related efficiency criteria that can be attributed to globalisation pressures and to deeper factors inherent in the nature of higher education, especially in terms of its resistance to change and modernization. In this regard, the tertiary higher education system in South Africa is faced with many multi-dimensional challenges that need to be addressed in this article. This includes stating whether Grade 12 results as the outcome of this exit point at school level are, internationally speaking, a reasonable predictor of first-year academic success at university. In South Africa, there is no benchmarking of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination; therefore, first-year students have difficulty in adapting to the university environment as they find themselves devoid of indispensable bases for the pursuit of their studies and the weakness of the level of education given at school level in a large number of instances. Furthermore, five universities were placed under administration in the 2011-2012 period because of appallingly poor levels of management, which adds extra layers of suspicion to the notion of the impact of higher education in South Africa. Many other challenges are facing the South African tertiary education system, which will be analysed and recommendations arrived at that will attempt to contribute to an enhancement of tertiary education in South Africa.

scholarly journals Preliminary development of the Higher Education Hindrance Demands Scale amongst academics in the South African context

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelesh Dhanpat ◽  
Roslyn De Braine ◽  
Madelyn Geldenhuys
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
South African Context ◽  
The South ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
African Context

Orientation: Over the past two decades, since the advent of democracy in South Africa, the country has undergone transformation in virtually all sectors of society. Education is no exception, with higher education institutions (HEIs) also experiencing change. The transformation of HEIs has brought about many new challenges, demands and stresses that may hinder the work performance of academics.Research purpose: This study seeks to determine the ‘hindrance demands’ unique to the South African context by developing and validating the Higher Education Hindrance Demands Scale (HEHDS). This scale includes a set of demands placed on academics’ experiences in this context.Research approach, design and method: Data were collected from 184 academic staff members from HEIs based on a quantitative research design using a cross-sectional survey. Data were analysed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), while the reliability of the scale was obtained through Cronbach’s coefficient alpha.Main findings: The results produced, as anticipated, a six-factor model consisting of: (1) workload, (2) higher education unrest, (3) change management, (4) decolonisation, (5) online teaching and learning and (6) psychological safety. The findings indicated excellent reliability, ranging between 0.74 and 0.90.Practical and managerial implications: Taking into consideration the context in which HEIs operate in South Africa, it is noteworthy that the recommendations in this article will assist in identifying the hindrance demands placed on academic staff. Researchers in the field are therefore called to validate the instrument developed through the use of confirmatory factor analysis.Contributions or value-add: This study adds to the limited research on hindrance demands placed on staff in HEIs.

scholarly journals Rethinking and researching transformation in higher education: A meta-study of South African trends

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Petro Du Preez ◽  
Shan Simmonds ◽  
Anné Hendrik Verhoef
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Urgent Problem ◽  
South African Journal ◽  
The South ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
African Journal ◽  
The Way

Transformation is often loosely defined. We argue that the reason for this is its inherent complexity. Paradoxically, its lack of definition is an asset, which provides an opportunity to rethink and research transformation in higher education, rather than an urgent problem to be solved. In this article, the possibilities for researching and rethinking transformation are based on an exploration of transformation in higher education and the policy directives that influenced its development in South Africa. A meta-study was used to determine the national publishing trends in the South African Journal of Higher Education and the way transformation in higher education is situated in some of the articles in this journal. The population of the study comprised 1050 articles published between 2005 and 2015 in the South African Journal of Higher Education. These were analysed to determine the broad national publishing trends. Thereafter, an in-depth analysis was conducted on 30 of these articles to determine the approach to transformation in higher education and the context in which it was discussed. Based on the findings of the analysis, we recommend future directions for rethinking and researching transformation in higher education.

scholarly journals Die universiteitswese in Suid-Afrika: ’n Bestekopname van huidige tendense en die vooruitsig vir Afrikaans

2016 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 48-56
Author(s):  
Wynand Greffrath ◽  
Theuns Eloff
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Private Higher Education ◽  
Future Perspective ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
The South

Die doel van hierdie artikel is die identifisering en analitiese omskrywing van die mees prominente politieke tendense wat tans die Suid-Afrikaanse universiteitswese beïnvloed, met spesifieke verwysing na Afrikaanse universiteite en hoër onderwys. Die bydrae neem as vertrekpunt die teoretiese beginsel van transformasie, en die spesifieke en eiesoortige ideologiese toepassing van dié konstruk in Suid-Afrika sedert 1994. Die ingrypende invloed van hierdie ideologiese transformasiebeskouing op openbare instellings in Suid-Afrika word bespreek, insluitend die institusionele en sosio-politiese impak op universiteite. Teen hierdie teoretiese agtergrond word sleutelkwessies bespreek wat betrekking het op die Suid-Afrikaanse universiteitswese en die plek en rol van Afrikaans in besonder, insluitend in ʼn bestekopname van die posisie van Afrikaans in die hoër onderwyssektor; ʼn evaluering van die transformasie van die hoër onderwyssektor; die rasionele argumente en gronde vir die behoud en bevordering van Afrikaans in die sektor; en die reaksie vanuit die Afrikaanssprekende gemeenskap teenoor die marginalisering van die taal by universiteite ʼn Evaluerende toekomsperspektief word gebied waarin die behoud van Afrikaans oorweeg word, met inbegrip van aktivisme, geregtelike strategieë en die uitbouing van Afrikaans deur middel van ʼn privaat hoër onderwysinstelling. The purpose of this article is the identification and analytical description of the most prominent political trends which are at present exerting an influence on the South African university sector, with specific reference to Afrikaans universities in the contect of higher education. The contribution has as its point of departure the theoretical concept of transformation, and the specific ideological application of this construct as it has become current in South Africa since 1994. The radical influence of this ideological vision of transformation on public institutions in South Africa is discussed, as well as the institutional and sociopolitical impact of this on universities. Against this theoretical background key issues are discussed which have an impact on the place and role of the South African university scene and the place and role of Afrikaans more particularly, including a survey of the position of Afrikaans in the higher education sector, an evaluation of the transformation of the higher education sector, the rational arguments and grounds for the retention and promotion of Afrikaans in the sector, and the reaction from the Afrikaans-speaking community to the marginalization of the language at universities. An evaluative future perspective is offered in which the retention of Afrikaans should be considered, with the inclusion of a consideration of activism, legal strategies and the promotion of Afrikaans by means of a private higher education institution.

scholarly journals SASRAD: An hourly-timestep solar radiation database for South Africa

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Ciolkosz
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
South African ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Correction Algorithm ◽  
The South ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Agricultural Research Council ◽  
Range Correction

A methodology is presented for the correction and filling of solar radiation data at sites within South Africa, with the aim of creating a continuous, hourly-timestep dataset for multiple locations. Data from twenty sites, collected by the Agricultural Research Council, are analysed with regard to the amount of data requiring offset or multiplier adjustment, as well as the amount of bad data. A range correction algorithm is implemented based on the 90th percentile (10% exceedance) hourly irradiance, as a function of site latitude and elevation. The resulting, corrected data set is given the title: South African Solar Radiation Database (SASRAD). Comparisons are made with two other solar radiation datasets, the South African Atlas of Agrohydrology and Climatology, and a limited set of older historical data from the South African Weather Service (SAWS). Results indicate that the SASRAD dataset matches well with other datasets, with major discrepancies apparently due to problems with the other data sets, rather than the SASRAD data. The Coefficient of Multiple Determination (R2) between the Atlas and SASRAD for monthly radiation is 0.927, and the mean error between three of the SASRAD sites and the corresponding SAWS data is 1.1 MJ m-2 d-1. The fraction of data requiring correction varied from 11% to 100%, depending on the site. The range correction algorithm was successful at correcting data that had been subject to incorrect calibration, and did not remove annual trends in mean radiation levels.

The Higher Educational and Industrial Challenges Facing South Africa

1995 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-114
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Whiston
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Policy Agenda ◽  
The South ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
Global North ◽  
South African Higher Education

South Africa, following the dismantling of Apartheid, now faces enormous educational, industrial and economic challenges. Simultaneously it must address gargantuan social and infrastructural problems, attend to the most urgent basic needs while also encouraging significant economic growth. The author has recently completed an extensive survey and analysis of the South African higher education challenge within the context of the critical, social, industrial and environmental dilemmas which must be ameliorated. In this article, he provides an overview of the problems to be faced and suggests a national policy agenda to address those challenges and dilemmas. In one sense the South African ‘dilemma’ is a microcosm of the global ‘North–South’ divide.

scholarly journals EXPLORING ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN THE PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS (HEIs) IN SOUTH AFRICA (SA)

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 516-520
Author(s):  
Robert Walter Dumisani Zondo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Private Higher Education ◽  
The South ◽  
Private Higher Education Institutions

The role of educators in education is indispensable. Hence, students continuously search for a business education that can equip them with the necessary entrepreneurial knowledge and skills to succeed in running businesses. Consequently, this study evaluates the perception of Academic Managers in the private Higher Education Institutions (HEI) of South Africa (SA) on the significance of entrepreneurship education. It explores the reasons for offering such an education in the private HEIs in SA. There were 78 private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in SA that were identified for participation in this study. These institutions are registered in terms section 54 (1) (c) of the South African Act (SAQA, 2012). For the study to achieve its objectives, the South African Qualification Authority (SAQA) provided a sample frame of all the private HEIs in SA. From the 78 HEIs identified, 22 offered the pastoral courses and were excluded from the study. As a result, a target population of 56 HEIs participated in the study. This research has two objectives. That is, examining the perception of Academic Managers on entrepreneurship education, and the reasons for offering such education in the private HEIs in SA. This study uncovers the need for entrepreneurship education in private HEIs of SA. The results present the value of entrepreneurship education as a practice that develops students into cross functional innovative thinkers. It provides valuable data relating to the significance of entrepreneurship education for developing students into business minded individuals.

scholarly journals The Complexities of South African Xenophobia on Nigerian Nationals

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-83
Author(s):  
Yusuf Kamaluddeen Ibrahim ◽  
Abdullahi Ayoade Ahmad ◽  
Usman Sufyan Duguri
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
African Union ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
The South ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Major Powers

The Nigerian-South African relationship is couched in the paradigm of intricate interdependence. The elements that brought the two African major powers closer include political, cultural, and economic dimensions. Therefore, any dissimilarity of interest between both countries would ruin their relationship and implicate the whole African Union concept that unites Abuja/Pretoria relations. Over 100 South African companies permeate the Nigerian market in several economic sectors and most are successfully operating in Nigeria. Nigerian companies such as First Bank, among others, are also operating in South Africa. As long as South Africa and Nigeria are both dominant powers in their respective sub-regions, a threat like xenophobia needs to be eradicated and coordinate some effective policies for Africa's development. The study employed a qualitative method and library sources, past literature on different xenophobic trends noted in the journal articles, books, and others, on the South African xenophobia and its implications on Nigeria/South African relationship. The study adopted the frustration-aggression theory and it found that incessant xenophobic attacks on Nigerian nationals and other foreigners in South Africa are based on prejudices. The study went further with suggestion to provide some panacea to the catastrophe of South African xenophobia.

Foreigners' Rights to Work and Fair Labour Practices in South Africa: A Review of the South African Labour Legislation and Jurisprudence

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre Mangu
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
South African ◽  
Bill Of Rights ◽  
The South ◽  
Legislation And Jurisprudence ◽  
Foreign Nationals ◽  
Lay Persons ◽  
Democratic State ◽  
Labour Legislation

After several decades of apartheid rule, which denied human rights to the majority of the population on the ground of race and came to be regarded as a crime against humanity, South Africa adopted its first democratic Constitution in the early 1990s. The 1996 Constitution, which succeeded the 1993 interim Constitution, is considered one of the most progressive in the world. In its founding provisions, it states that South Africa is a democratic state founded on human dignity, the achievement of equality, the advancement of human rights and freedoms. The Constitution enshrines fundamental human rights in a justiciable Bill of Rights as a cornerstone of democracy. Unfortunately, in the eyes of a number of politicians, officials and lay-persons, the rights in the Bill of Rights accrue to South African citizens only. Xenophobia, which has been rampant since the end of apartheid, seems to support the idea that foreigners should not enjoy these rights. Foreign nationals have often been accused of posing a threat to South African citizens with regard to employment opportunities. In light of the South African legislation and jurisprudence, this article affirms the position of the South African labour law that foreign nationals are indeed protected by the Constitution and entitled to rights in the Bill of Rights, including the rights to work and fair labour practices.

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