scholarly journals ‘n Kruiskulturele ondersoek na eensaamheid onder studente van die Universiteit van die Vrystaat

Curationis ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Le Roux
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
White Students ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Cultural Background ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Population Groups ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Gender And Age Differences ◽  
The University

Many young people today are lonely and hopeless, and feel that life has no meaning. The existing literature indicates that this phenomenon is taking on near-epidemic proportions in industrialised Western countries. A considerable amount of cross-cultural investigations have already been conducted overseas between different population groups, in order to determine what the causes of this phenomenon are and whether culture plays an important role in the development of loneliness. As far as this type of research is concerned South Africa is currently far behind the rest of the world. Serious efforts shall have to be made to determine whether loneliness is taking on the same proportions locally and if certain population groups are more vulnerable than others, because it could have far-reaching consequences on their physical as well as psychological health. South Africa has a rich population variety which could enable researchers to investigate emotional constructs like loneliness that could contribute to the unravelling of this multifaceted phenomenon. The purpose of this investigation was therefore to determine whether students from different cultural backgrounds at the University of the Free State differ from each other, as far as their experience of loneliness is concerned. Questionnaires were distributed among students and 270 respondents, of which 122 were white and 148 black, took part in this study. A factorial analysis of variance was applied on the data, with loneliness as dependent variable, and cultural background, gender and age as independent variables. The results firstly show that cultural background is a very important variable as far as loneliness is concerned. Black students are significantly more lonely than white students while no gender and age differences between the groups were found.

scholarly journals 2520

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (S1) ◽  
pp. 82-82
Author(s):  
Meghan Spiroff ◽  
Lisa Connally ◽  
Anita Johnson ◽  
Aalap Doshi ◽  
Patricia Piechowski
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Participant Recruitment ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Gender And Age Differences ◽  
The University ◽  
Racial Ethnic ◽  
Research Studies

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Across the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Consortium, participant recruitment into clinical trials is essential to advance science. Without proper participant recruitment, clinical trials do not result in gains in scientific knowledge, wastes time, funds, and other resources (Mahon et al., 2015). METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Participant recruitment programs across the consortium are inconsistent in staffing, program services, and program goals. The participant recruitment program at the University of Michigan’s (U-M) Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR) provides expertise, tools, and resources to facilitate participant recruitment in clinical and health research studies. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We will explain our program infrastructure, staffing, services, and discuss how we maintain an engaged registry with over 27,000 participants interested in research studies at U-M. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Proper recruitment into clinical trials results in findings that are relevant for genetic, cultural, linguistic, racial/ethnic, gender, and age differences (Cottler et al., 2013). We hope to share our best practices that aid in the development and success of participant recruitment across the CTSA Consortium.

Further Validation of a Subtle Racism Scale in South Africa

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 116-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Duckitt
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
White Students ◽  
Strong Correlation ◽  
Subtle Racism ◽  
Preliminary Validation ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
High Level ◽  
The University

Obvious and transparent measures of traditional racism no longer appear to adequately assess anti-black prejudice in more sophisticated samples. This, together with a growing tendency for traditional measures to elicit antagonistic responses from subjects, led in an earlier study to the development and preliminary validation of a South African subtle racism (SR) scale. The current research used a new sample, in which the use of traditional measures of anti-black racism would have been very difficult, to cross-validate the SR scale. It also extended the validation of the SR scale by investigating its association with self-reports of actual interracial behaviour. The findings from 303 white students at the University of the Witwatersrand showed a high level of internal consistency on the SR scale, and a strong correlation with an interracial behavioural intention scale. These findings as well as significant correlations with self-reported interracial behaviour support the validity of the SR scale. Contrary to earlier thinking, the findings also indicate a very powerful relationship between anti-black prejudice and authoritarianism.

The Effect of Culture on Email Use

2011 ◽  
pp. 213-234
Author(s):  
Jonathan Frank ◽  
Janet Toland ◽  
Karen Schenk
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Cultural Background ◽  
The South ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Business Information Systems ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The University ◽  
Academic Content

This chapter examines how students from different cultural backgrounds use email to communicate with other students and teachers. The South Pacific region, isolated, vast, and culturally diverse, was selected as an appropriate research environment in which to study the effect of cultural differences and educational technology on distance learning. The context of this research was two competing distance education institutions in Fiji, the University of the South Pacific and Central Queensland University. Three research questions were addressed: Does cultural background affect the extent to which students use email to communicate with educators and other students for academic and social reasons? Does cultural background affect the academic content of email messages? Does cultural background influence students’ preference to ask questions or provide answers using email instead of face-to-face communication? To address these issues, two studies were conducted in parallel. Subjects were drawn from business information systems and computer information technology classes at the University of the South Pacific (USP) and Central Queensland University (CQU).  Four hundred students at USP were surveyed about their email usage. In the CQU study, postings to course discussion lists by 867 students were analyzed. The results of these studies suggest that there are significant differences in the use of email by students from different cultural backgrounds.

“We sing to touch hearts”: Choral musical culture in Pretoria East, South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah J. Bartolome
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Collective Case Study ◽  
African Identity ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Bridging Social Capital ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The University

The purpose of this study was to explore the culture of choral singing among children and youth in Pretoria East, South Africa. The philosophical underpinnings of the choirs, the roles of choirs within local and national communities, and the perceived values and benefits of participation were examined. This collective case study required the integration of standard ethnographic strategies employed over the course of a month-long period of fieldwork and two shorter follow-up visits. I observed approximately 40 hours of rehearsal and 25 hours of performance, focusing on five choirs in and around the University of Pretoria. I also conducted 22 semi-structured interviews with choristers, directors, staff members, and parents. Participants identified a philosophy of “message bearing” as the primary goal of choral performance. Innovation and diversity in programming and competition were additional emergent themes related to this philosophy. Choirs were found to have multiple roles, including recruiting and marketing, promoting diverse South African musical cultures, and cultivating a national, South African identity. Participants described a wide range of musical, social, educational, and personal benefits associated with participation, with choristers most commonly alluding to choir as a means of “relaxing.” Choir emerged as a source of bridging social capital, encouraging cooperation among participants from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds, promoting intercultural understanding and trust, and cultivating a broadened sense of national South African identity.

The Use of Hand Puppets to Increase Intrinsic Motivation during Science Learning of 6th And 7th Grade Learners in Dikgale, Limpopo Province, South Africa: A Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annelize Potgieter ◽  
R V McCabe ◽  
M J Potgieter
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Intrinsic Motivation ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Extrinsic Motivation ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Gender And Age Differences ◽  
Motivational Changes

One of the most important psychological concepts required for enhanced learning is motivation. This is especially true for science, which is seen by learners as being difficult. This study investigated the motivational changes with regard to studying science and the gender and age differences when using hand puppets in the science classroom. In order to examine this, a 7-week intervention involving the teaching of science by means of hand puppets was conducted in two Grade 6 and two Grade 7 classes in rural-based Dikgale, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The learners’ motivation was assessed in terms of basic psychological needs, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, with a questionnaire before and after the intervention. Data were analysed using a paired sample t-test, an independent t-test and a MANCOVA. The results show an increase in basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation, and a decrease in extrinsic motivation for science, after the use of hand puppets. In addition, it appears that there are no gender and age differences regarding motivational change when using hand puppets in science education. It is therefore concluded that hand puppets are a promising teaching method that positively affects the motivation of school learners studying science. Thus it is recommended that further research in the form of an experimental longitudinal design be undertaken to ascertain long-term motivational changes.

scholarly journals Dental Hygiene Fear: Gender and Age Differences

1999 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia C. Gadbury-Amyot ◽  
Karen B. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Age Differences ◽  
Dental Hygiene ◽  
Dental Anxiety ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Gender And Age Differences ◽  
Fear And Anxiety ◽  
The University

Abstract Studies aimed at examining gender and age differences as they relate to dental anxiety have begun to appear in the literature. The purpose of this investigation was to explore fear and anxiety in a dental hygiene setting and evaluate gender and age differences among four sub-scales of dental hygiene fear. The Dental Hygiene Fear Survey (DHFS) was developed to address patient reaction to dental hygiene treatment. The University of Washington Dental Fears Model was the theoretical model used for it identifies four domains of dental fear: fear of specific stimuli, generalized anxiety, fear of catastrophe, and distrust. Males and females respond differently to dental hygiene treatment with women reporting significantly (p<.05) greater fear overall than males. Examination of the four dental hygiene fear sub-scales show that females report greater fear (p<.05) in relation to specific fear and generalized anxiety. There were no significant differences across age categories on total fear scores or within any of the sub-scales. Characterization of the dental hygiene fear patient along with knowledge of procedures that elicit anxiety can assist the practitioner in recognizing dental hygiene-related fear. With this foundation, the practitioner can then develop management strategies specific to this phenomenon.

ROLE OF LIBRARIANS IN TEACHING INFORMATION LITERACY IN ZIMBABWEAN AND SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Mousaion ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinashe Mugwisi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
Communications Technologies ◽  
Information Skills ◽  
The University

Information and communications technologies (ICTs) and the Internet have to a large extent influenced the way information is made available, published and accessed. More information is being produced too frequently and information users now require certain skills to sift through this multitude in order to identify what is appropriate for their purposes. Computer and information skills have become a necessity for all academic programmes. As libraries subscribe to databases and other peer-reviewed content (print and electronic), it is important that users are also made aware of such sources and their importance. The purpose of this study was to examine the teaching of information literacy (IL) in universities in Zimbabwe and South Africa, and the role played by librarians in creating information literate graduates. This was done by examining whether such IL programmes were prioritised, their content and how frequently they were reviewed. An electronic questionnaire was distributed to 12 university libraries in Zimbabwe and 21 in South Africa. A total of 25 questionnaires were returned. The findings revealed that IL was being taught in universities library and non-library staff, was compulsory and contributed to the term mark in some institutions. The study also revealed that 44 per cent of the total respondents indicated that the libraries were collaborating with departments and faculty in implementing IL programmes in universities. The study recommends that IL should be an integral part of the university programmes in order to promote the use of databases and to guide students on ethical issues of information use.

Book review: Jansen, J. 2017. As by Fire: The End of the South African University. Cape Town: Tafelberg.

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 117
Author(s):  
Jared McDonald
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
The South ◽  
Scholarship Of Teaching ◽  
Creative Commons ◽  
Vice Chancellor ◽  
The University

Dr Jared McDonald, of the Department of History at the University of the Free State (UFS) in South Africa, reviews As by fire: the end of the South African university, written by former UFS vice-chancellor Jonathan Jansen.    How to cite this book review: MCDONALD, Jared. Book review: Jansen, J. 2017. As by Fire: The End of the South African University. Cape Town: Tafelberg.. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South, [S.l.], v. 1, n. 1, p. 117-119, Sep. 2017. Available at: <http://sotl-south-journal.net/?journal=sotls&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=18>. Date accessed: 12 Sep. 2017.   This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document