scholarly journals Can the augmented reality sandbox help learners overcome difficulties with 3-D visualisation?

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Evans ◽  
Bridget Fleming ◽  
Gillian Drennan
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
South African ◽  
Topographic Maps ◽  
Dimensional Representation ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
3 Dimensional ◽  
Topographical Maps

Research has shown that students have difficulties in understanding topographic maps and landforms associated with contour patterns and therefore have problems in reading and interpreting topographic maps and relating these 2-dimensional representa-tions to a real 3-dimensional environment. However, maps are a fundamental tool for understanding geographical concepts and solving geographical problems. Current research indicates that this is not uniquely a South African problem and various at-tempts have been made to address this problem such as the use of videos, models and fieldtrips – each with their own limita-tions and difficulties. Nevertheless, the ability to visualize in 3-dimensions from a 2-dimensional representation is an essential skill in understanding and interpreting topographical maps. To address the problem of 3-D visualisation, an augmented reality sandbox (AR-Sandbox) was introduced to a Geography classroom, to Grade 11 students at a Secondary school in Johannes-burg, South Africa. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of using the AR-Sandbox to enhance the learning of – and improve the learner's performance – in mapwork, and thereby address the problems experienced with 3-D visualisation. The results of the pre-test and post-intervention test are presented and show that the AR-Sandbox is an effective tool for en-hancing an understanding of landscapes rather an improving performance in the construction of cross-sectional profiles.

Apartheid Aesthetics and Insignificant Art

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-69
Author(s):  
Stephanus Muller
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
South African ◽  
Cultural Production ◽  
Art Songs ◽  
Cultural Significance ◽  
European Culture ◽  
Small House ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Selection Of

Stephanus Le Roux Marais (1896−1979) lived in Graaff-Reinet, South Africa, for nearly a quarter of a century. He taught music at the local secondary school, composed most of his extended output of Afrikaans art songs, and painted a number of small landscapes in the garden of his small house, nestled in the bend of the Sunday’s River. Marais’s music earned him a position of cultural significance in the decades of Afrikaner dominance of South Africa. His best-known songs (“Heimwee,” “Kom dans, Klaradyn,” and “Oktobermaand”) earned him the local appellation of “the Afrikaans Schubert” and were famously sung all over the world by the soprano Mimi Coertse. The role his ouevre played in the construction of a so-called European culture in Africa is uncontested. Yet surprisingly little attention has been paid to the rich evocations of landscape encountered in Marais’s work. Contextualized by a selection of Marais’s paintings, this article glosses the index of landscape in this body of cultural production. The prevalence of landscape in Marais’s work and the range of its expression contribute novel perspectives to understanding colonial constructions of the twentieth-century South African landscape. Like the vast, empty, and ancient landscape of the Karoo, where Marais lived during the last decades of his life, his music assumes specificity not through efforts to prioritize individual expression, but through the distinct absence of such efforts. Listening for landscape in Marais’s songs, one encounters the embrace of generic musical conventions as a condition for the construction of a particular national identity. Colonial white landscape, Marais’s work seems to suggest, is deprived of a compelling musical aesthetic by its very embrace and desired possession of that landscape.

scholarly journals Projected effects on salt purchases following implementation of a national salt reduction policy in South Africa

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Rhoda N. Ndanuko ◽  
Maria Shahid ◽  
Alexandra Jones ◽  
Terry Harris ◽  
Joel Maboreke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Salt Content ◽  
Meat Products ◽  
Food Product ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Food Category ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Salt Reduction ◽  
Sectional Analysis

Abstract Objective: To assess the contribution of different food groups to total salt purchases and to evaluate the estimated reduction in salt purchases if mandatory maximum salt limits in South African legislation were being complied with. Design: This study conducted a cross-sectional analysis of purchasing data from Discovery Vitality members. Data were linked to the South African FoodSwitch database to determine the salt content of each food product purchased. Food category and total annual salt purchases were determined by summing salt content (kg) per each unit purchased across a whole year. Reductions in annual salt purchases were estimated by applying legislated maximum limits to product salt content. Setting: South Africa Participants: The study utilised purchasing data from 344,161 households, members of Discovery Vitality, collected for a whole year between January and December 2018. Results: Vitality members purchased R12.8 billion worth of food products in 2018, representing 9,562 products from which 264,583 kg of salt were purchased. The main contributors to salt purchases were bread and bakery products (23.3%); meat and meat products (19%); dairy (12.2%); sauces, dressings, spreads and dips (11.8%); and convenience foods (8.7%). The projected total quantity of salt that would be purchased after implementation of the salt legislation was 250,346 kg, a reduction of 5.4% from 2018 levels. Conclusions: A projected reduction in salt purchases of 5.4% from 2018 levels suggests that meeting the mandatory maximum salt limits in South Africa will make a meaningful contribution to reducing salt purchases.

scholarly journals Commitment and the emigration intentions of South African professional nurses

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Bagraim
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Employee Commitment ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Tertiary Hospitals ◽  
Quantitative Design ◽  
The Relationship

The emigration of skilled nurses from South Africa exacerbates the crisis in the provision of public health services. A descriptive, quantitative design was applied to investigate the relationship between intention to emigrate and employee commitment. Over 400 registered nurses (N = 419), working within public sector tertiary hospitals in the Western Cape, responded to a cross-sectional survey questionnaire. Three foci of employee commitment (organisational, professional and national) were examined but only national commitment significantly helped predict intention to emigrate from South Africa in the regression model (beta = -0.0525, p < 0.0001). The implications of the results obtained in this study are discussed.Die emigrasie van verpleegkundiges uit Suid-Afrika vererger die krisis in die verskaffing van gesondheidsorgdienste in die land. ’n Beskrywende, kwantitatiewe ontwerp is gebruik om die verwantskap tussen werknemertoewyding en die voorneme om te emigreer te ondersoek. Meer as 400 verpleegsters (N = 419) wat in openbare tersiêre hospitale in die Wes-Kaap werk, het op die vraelys gereageer. Drie fokusareas van toewyding (organisatories, professioneel en nasionaal) is gemeet, maar net nasionale toewyding het daartoe bygedra om emigrasievoorneme te voorspel (beta = -0.0525, p < 0.0001). Die implikasies van hierdie resultate word bespreek.

scholarly journals Self-perceived employability among undergraduate students at a South African university

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doret Botha
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
The Self ◽  
The South ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Perceived Employability ◽  
Managerial Implications

Orientation: South Africa has been suffering from persistently high levels of unemployment since 2008. The youth is regarded as the most at-risk group in the South African labour market and unemployment amongst the youth is considered one of the most critical socio-economic problems in South Africa. Increasing one’s employability is essential to securing employment and enhancing one’s well-being.Research purpose: This study aimed to explore the self-perceived employability of undergraduate students at a South African university.Motivation for the study: Currently, there is a scarcity of published research on the self-perceived employability amongst undergraduate students at higher education institutions in South Africa.Research approach/design and method: The study was conducted within a positivistic research paradigm. A quantitative-based cross-sectional survey design was used. Convenience sampling was used to select the students who were included in the survey. Data were collected through a web-based survey, using a standardised coded questionnaire that consisted of a five-point Likert-type scale.Main findings: The results indicated that the respondents were relatively confident about their internal employability, but they were less confident about their opportunities in the external labour market.Practical/managerial implications: Understanding one’s employability and the accompanied issues creates awareness of one’s potential, skills and knowledge to become a successful citizen and employee.Contribution/value-add: The study shed light on the self-perceived employability of undergraduate students at a South African university and consequently contributes to the existing literature on employability in the South African context.

scholarly journals SASS: South African Simulation Survey – a review of simulation-based education

2019 ◽  
pp. 12-20
Author(s):  
R Swart ◽  
R Duys ◽  
ND Hauser
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
The Impact

Background: Simulation-based education (SBE) has been shown to be an effective and reproducible learning tool. SBE is used widely internationally. The current state of SBE in South Africa is unknown. To the best of our knowledge this is the first survey that describes the use and attitudes towards SBE within South Africa. Methods: An online survey tool was distributed by email to: i) the South African Society of Anaesthesiologists (SASA) members; and ii) known simulation education providers in South Africa. The respondents were grouped into anaesthesia and non-anaesthesia participants. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Ethics approval was obtained: HREC REF 157/2017. Results: The majority of the respondents provide SBE and integrate it into formal teaching programmes. There is a will amongst respondents to grow SBE in South Africa, with it being recognised as a valuable educational tool. The user groups mainly targeted by SBE, were undergraduate students, medical interns, registrars and nurses. Learning objectives targeted include practical skills, medical knowledge, critical thinking and integrated management. Amongst anaesthesia respondents: the tool most commonly used to assess the quality of learner performance during SBE, for summative assessment, was ‘expert opinion’ (33%); the most frequent methods of evaluating SBE quality were participant feedback (42%) and peer evaluation (22%); the impact of SBE was most frequently assessed by informal discussion (42%) and learner feedback (39%). In anaesthesia SBE largely takes place within dedicated simulation facilities on site (47%). Most respondents report access to a range of SBE equipment. The main reported barriers to SBE were: finance, lack of trained educators, lack of equipment and lack of protected time. A limited number of respondents report engaging in SBE research. There is a willingness in both anaesthesia and non-anaesthesia groups (96% and 89% respectively) to collaborate with other centres. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge this publication provides us with the first cross-sectional survey of SBE in anaesthesia and a selection of non-anaesthetic respondents within South Africa. The majority of respondents indicate that SBE is a valuable education tool. A number of barriers have been identified that limit the growth of SBE within South Africa. It is hoped that with a commitment to ongoing SBE research and evaluation, SBE can be grown in South Africa.

A generic investigation process for South African commercial forensic practitioners

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 587-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacobus Gerhardus J. Nortje ◽  
Daniel P. Bredenkamp
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
South African ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cross Sectional Design ◽  
Investigation Process

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse and discuss the identification of a generic investigation process to be followed by the commercial forensic practitioner in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a cross-sectional design that commenced with a review of the current available literature, highlighting the different approaches, processes and best practices used in local and international forensic practices. The methodology includes primary data collected with questionnaires from commercial forensic practitioner (N = 75) process users. Findings This paper identifies the following five distinct categories in the forensic investigation process, with sub-processes, namely, initiation, planning, execution, reporting and reflection. Research limitations/implications The study focuses only on the South African members of the Institute of Commercial Forensic Practitioners (ICFP) fraternity in South Africa as the ICFP is a leading body that, through membership, offers a recognised professional qualification in commercial forensics. Practical implications An investigation process for commercial forensic practitioners in South Africa could be used by the ICFP that would provide a governance structure for the ICFP. Originality/value The originality of this paper lies in setting out of an account of forensic accounting processes and best practices nationally and internationally. The missing knowledge is that no such research is known to have been conducted in South Africa. Currently, to the authors’ knowledge, no formalised investigation process exists. The contribution of the study is that by using an investigation process, it may enhance the quality of forensic investigations and contribute to the successful investigation and prosecution of commercial crime in South Africa that will be beneficial to all stakeholders.

scholarly journals Augmented Reality (AR) Sandbox: 3-Dimensional Media to Learn Topographic Maps

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4.7) ◽  
pp. 468
Author(s):  
Dian Septi Nur Afifah ◽  
Muhammad Ilman Nafi’an ◽  
Tri Linggo Wati ◽  
Novia Ariyanti ◽  
Sutopo . ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Review Literature ◽  
Topographic Maps ◽  
3 Dimensional ◽  
Device Development ◽  
Good Learning

This research focuses on the literature on the introduction of learning media or apparatus that can introduce topographic maps through augmented reality sandbox in 3-dimensional form. The study presents a specific AR system called Augmented Reality (AR) Sandbox. Data analysis through source triangulation techniques. By validating media feasibility, the AR sandbox is classified as a good learning device when used in learning topographic maps or learning to recognize the shape of the earth's face. However, based on the review literature in these two literature, it has not provided much or less complete references because of the limitations of device development. By using this media, students can distinguish how the shape of the highlands and lowlands, or know the conditions in the ocean to the sea trench. 

scholarly journals Characterizing Herbal Medicine Use for Noncommunicable Diseases in Urban South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail D. Hughes ◽  
Oluwaseyi M. Aboyade ◽  
Roxanne Beauclair ◽  
Oluchi N. Mbamalu ◽  
Thandi R. Puoane
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Medicine Use ◽  
Disadvantaged Area ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Urban South

Economic challenges associated with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and the sociocultural outlook of many patients especially in Africa have increased dependence on traditional herbal medicines (THMs) for these diseases. A cross-sectional descriptive study designed to determine the prevalence of and reasons for THM use in the management of NCDs among South African adults was conducted in an urban, economically disadvantaged area of Cape Town, South Africa. In a cohort of 1030 participants recruited as part of the existing Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study, 456 individuals were identified. The overall prevalence of THM use was 27%, of which 61% was for NCDs. Participants used THM because of a family history (49%) and sociocultural beliefs (33%). Hypertensive medication was most commonly used concurrently with THM. Healthcare professionals need to be aware of the potential dualistic use of THM and conventional drugs by patients, as this could significantly influence health outcomes. Efforts should be made to educate patients on the potential for drug/herb interactions.

scholarly journals The development and investigation of the psychometric properties of a burnout scale within a South African agricultural research institution

2014 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Doris N. Asiwe ◽  
Lené I. Jorgensen ◽  
Carin Hill
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Research Institution ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
New Instrument ◽  
Construct Equivalence

Orientation: Burnout of employees is well documented within South Africa, but researchers have adapted imported instruments with a number of limitations. Therefore there is a need to develop a new instrument suitable for use in South Africa.Research purpose: To give an overview of current burnout measures, identify gaps within the literature and develop a new burnout scale for use within South Africa. The research examined the construct validity, reliability, construct equivalence and item bias of this new scale and investigated any differences that exist in relation to demographic variables.Motivation for the study: This study aimed to address various limitations regarding existing measures by developing a reliable and valid instrument for measuring burnout in South African employees that includes cognitive, physical and emotional (affective) components.Research approach, design and method: This empirical, quantitative research study delivered a cross-sectional survey, including the burnout scale and a biographical data questionnaire, to 443 employees of an agricultural research institution. Items for the burnout scale were written based on a literature review.Main findings: Exploratory factor analysis with target rotations resulted in a three-factor burnout model. Reliability analysis showed that all three scales (1) were sufficiently internally consistent and (2) showed construct equivalence for Black and White employees and speakers of Afrikaans and African languages. A practically significant difference in burnout levels was found in relation to age.Practical/managerial implications: The scale can be used to assess burnout for different cultural groups within research-based institutions.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to knowledge regarding the burnout levels of employees in an agricultural research institution in South Africa and provides a new burnout scale that can be utilised in similar institutions.

scholarly journals Developing And Validating A Measure Of Monitoring And Evaluation For The South Africa Skills Development Context

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 225-238
Author(s):  
Maelekanyo Christopher Tshilongamulenzhe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
The South ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Development Context ◽  
Skills Shortages

Abstract As nations around the world grapple with the deepening challenge of skills crunch, policies, strategies and interventions are being devised to develop and retain a competitive workforce. South Africa is not spared from the global talent war, and the persistence of skills shortages across most economic sectors makes the country vulnerable economically and socially. Legislative instruments and strategies were formulated and implemented to ameliorate the situation, but scientific evidence suggests a looming crisis due to poor monitoring and evaluation systems regarding the success of these instruments and strategies. This study develops and validates a monitoring and evaluation (ME) scale for the South African skills development context. A quantitative nonexperimental cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data from 557 participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS software (version 23.0). The findings show that the ME scale is scientifically valid and reliable and can be used with confidence in the South African skills development context. The findings provide scope for a validation study on an independent sample, and an evaluation of structural invariance of the ME scale across sample subgroups.

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