Kolb’s learning styles of optometry students at the University of the Free State, South Africa

This article reports on a study that examined the levels of young children’s wellbeing and involvement in centre-based provision (birth to five years) at child, group and setting level1 in Free State, South Africa. The study was funded by the FlemishDepartment of Education and was executed in collaboration with the Free State Department of Education and the University of Free State. Nineteen settings were included in the study. The average setting was registered for 121 children (with ratio’svarying from 30 to 326 children registered). Foundation Phase students from the 2nd and 3rd year of study at the University of Free State collected data through observation tools designed by the Centre for Experiential Education at Leuven University, Belgium. The core instrument uses the Leuven scales for well-being and involvement. Results of the study indicate that overall scores for well-being and involvement are low, but also that there are huge differences between different groups and settings. Thus, indicating that early childhood education in centre-based provision makes a difference.

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Pedagogy Is a Messy Affair: A Performative Narrative of Being New

Qualitative Inquiry ◽

10.1177/1077800419874830 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 89-98

Author(s):

Marguerite Müller ◽

Frans Kruger ◽

Nthabiseng Lekoala ◽

Nthabiseng Mokoena

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Free State ◽

Performative Writing ◽

Narrative Space ◽

The Real ◽

The World ◽

Human World ◽

The University

This article uses performative writing to explore the pedagogical entanglement of staff, students, and matter at the University of the Free State, South Africa. It is a collaborative narrative in which different voices share the textual stage. Each author contributes to one of the voices to create a performative narrative of how our experiences occur and emerge in this messy, complex, and volatile context. Our story sketches the backgrounds, in-between spaces, and “negative spaces” that pedagogy produces as relational encounters between human and the more-than-human world. We abandon the world of the real and move into a creative collaborative performative narrative space to explore the entanglements that pedagogies produce.

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Investigating health factors as predictor of early drop-out of rst year accounting students at the University of the Free State, South Africa

Afrika Focus ◽

10.21825/af.v29i2.4729 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Christa Beyers ◽

Hanli Joubert

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Academic Success ◽

South African ◽

Hiv And Aids ◽

Drop Out ◽

Free State ◽

Accounting Students ◽

Health Factors ◽

Group Interviews ◽

The University

Introduction: The future of the South African workforce looks bleak given the challenges posed, not only by health factors, including HIV and AIDS, but also the success and throughput rate of rst year university students. Methodology: The research in this study was conducted in 2013 using a post-positivist approach and applying an interpretive stance using a mixed method approach, which included a quantita- tive non-experimental predictive multivariate design as well as focus group interviews to triangu- late the ndings. Results: We present ndings that psychosocial background factors, physical health and emotion- al health in uence success and non-completion rates among rst year students at the University of the Free State, South Africa. Conclusion: We argue that early identi cation of poor psychosocial background, including health factors, can assist in empowering youths helping them to make healthy decisions and deal with stressful situations in a way that will not compromise their academic success.

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Investigating health factors as predictor of early drop-out of first year accounting students at the University of the Free State, South Africa

Afrika Focus ◽

10.1163/2031356x-02902002 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 9-20

Author(s):

Christa Beyers ◽

Hanli Joubert

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Academic Success ◽

Emotional Health ◽

Hiv And Aids ◽

Drop Out ◽

Free State ◽

First Year ◽

First Year Students ◽

Health Factors ◽

The University

Introduction: The future of the South African workforce looks bleak given the challenges posed, not only by health factors, including HIV and AIDS, but also the success and throughput rate of first year university students. Methodology: The research in this study was conducted in 2013 using a post-positivist approach and applying an interpretive stance using a mixed method approach, which included a quantitative non-experimental predictive multivariate design as well as focus group interviews to triangulate the findings. Results: We present findings that psychosocial background factors, physical health and emotional health influence success and non-completion rates among first year students at the University of the Free State, South Africa. Conclusion: We argue that early identification of poor psychosocial background, including health factors, can assist in empowering youths helping them to make healthy decisions and deal with stressful situations in a way that will not compromise their academic success.

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Delivering equitable distance library services to off-campus users at the University of the Free State in South Africa

Global Knowledge Memory and Communication ◽

10.1108/gkmc-11-2019-0145 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Lianda Coetzer ◽

Patrick Mapulanga

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Qualitative Data ◽

Academic Library ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Free State ◽

Library Services ◽

Content Type ◽

Perceived Satisfaction ◽

Online Library ◽

The University

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the perceived satisfaction of Advanced Certificate in Teaching students and facilitators regarding online library services offered by the University of the Free State (UFS) in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a quantitative approach with open-ended questions that generated some qualitative data. Data has been presented using descriptive statistics in the form of tables, graphs and charts and thematic content analysis for some qualitative data. Findings All learners in this study were adults between 45 and 55 years of age. Of the respondents, 13% lacked online experience, while about 85% had never used online library services and 35% indicated that Google was their primary source of information. The majority of respondents indicated information literacy as a core function of the academic library. High data cost in South Africa came out as one of the major issues affecting distance learners as well as login and password frustrations. The study confirmed computer anxiety, physical discomfort, information overflow and prompt response as some of the perceived challenges and levels of satisfaction respectively of Advanced Certificate in Teaching students and facilitators regarding online library services offered by the University of the Free State (UFS) in South Africa. Practical implications The study revealed that a distance learning library policy is of the essence because it helps to put in place rules and regulations that guide the delivery of distance library services. Originality/value The offering of online and distance library services is a fairly new concept to the UFS library. This study bridges the gap between theory and practice regarding the perceived satisfaction of distance users on online library services and how to improve the current practice.

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#FeesMustFall: An Internet-Age Student Movement in South Africa and the Case of the University of the Free State

Politikon ◽

10.1080/02589346.2016.1238644 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 44 (2) ◽

pp. 231-245 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Thierry Luescher ◽

Lacea Loader ◽

Taabo Mugume

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Student Movement ◽

Free State ◽

Internet Age ◽

The University

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Afrikanerdom, Archives, and Change: The Archive for Contemporary Affairs at the University of the Free State, South Africa

Itinerario ◽

10.1017/s0165115314000333 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 38 (2) ◽

pp. 19-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kate Law ◽

Huibré Lombard

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Political Party ◽

Regional Level ◽

Free State ◽

The Political ◽

National Party ◽

Post Colonial ◽

The Core ◽

History Of ◽

The University

This article examines some of the core holdings within the Archive for Contemporary Affairs at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. Prominent amongst this material are the papers of the National Party (NP), the political party that formalised the structures of apartheid. Paying particular attention to the papers of what Hermann Giliomee has termed ‘The Last Afrikaner Leaders’ alongside recently acquired material concerning post-colonial politics, we argue for the importance of this archive for scholars studying Afrikaner nationalism, at both national and regional level, the rationales and discourses of apartheid and the history of the country more broadly.

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Institutional, gender and racial profiles of South African optometrists

African Vision and Eye Health ◽

10.4102/aveh.v70i3.107 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 70 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

U. Nirghin ◽

N. Ebrahim Khan ◽

K. P. Mashige

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

South African ◽

Population Distribution ◽

Health Professions ◽

Free State ◽

Racial Categories ◽

The North ◽

Kwazulu Natal ◽

Gender Profile ◽

The University

This paper sets out to profile optometric gradu-ates in South Africa. The 2008 register of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) was used to identify the number of registered optometrists, their qualifications and institutions where they obtained their primary optometry qualification. The gender and racial profiles of these optometrists were obtained from the institutions where they qualified. A comparison of the profiles ofthe registered practitioners pre-democracy (1930-1994) and post-democracy (1995-2008) was made. Few (28.1%) of the optometrists were trained in the years 1930-1994, while the rest (71.9%) were trained from 1995-2008. During the period of1930-1994, 64.2% of the optometrists were males and 35.8% were females and from 1995 to 2008, the gender profile changed to 66.4% females and 33.6% males. In the pre-democracy period (1930-1994), almost three quarters (74%) of the registered optometrists were White, 15.3% were Indians, 7.9% were Black and 2.8% were Coloured. Many (56.9%) that were registered pre-1994 were trained at the Technikon Witwatersrand (TWR), 17.1% were trained at the University of Durban Westville (UDW), 11.9% at the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), 6.7% at the University of the North (UNIN) and 7.4% had trained in institutions outside South Africa. The percentage of White optometrists post-democracy (1995-2008) decreased to 44.3%, while those of Indians increased to 22%, Blacks increased to 28.9% and Coloured to 4.8%. Almost half (48.2%) of the optometrists in the post-apartheid era (1995-2008) were trained at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), TWR and RAU, 21.5% at UDW and University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), 23.7% at UNIN and the University of Limpopo (UL), 4% at the University of Free State (UFS) and others (2.6%) had trained outside South Africa. As at 2008, the majority (51.7%) of all registered optometrists were White, 22.2% were Black, 21.9% were Indian while 4.2% were Coloured and included 57.8% females and 42.2% males. The results of this study indicate that the number of females in all racial categories has increased post-democracy. Although the number of Black optometrists has increased in the post-democracy era, the increase does not yet reflect the national population distribution. Optometry departments need to improve on the equity targets.(S Afr Optom 2011 70(3) 123-128)

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