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This study investigated the developmental influence of collaborative games, in the form of game-based worksheets, on the performance and attitudes of sixth-graders in the mathematics classroom. It is posited that games have the potential to enhance learning through positive emotional experiences. Non-digital game-based learning methodologies are accessible in terms of cost effectiveness, providing opportunities for social interactions while learning, and demanding few prerequisite skills. This study investigated the opportunities for learning that non-digital, textbook-based game worksheets could afford mathematics learners. In this case study, a quasi-experimental design was implemented and pre- and post-tests were conducted around an intervention. From a statistical analysis of the test data, using the Mann-Whitney U-test, it was concluded that the intervention on the topics of multiplication and division had a positive impact on the experimental group of this sample. The experimental group was observed while participating in the games and the observation schedule was member-checked. The Game Object Model provided the conceptual framework. The results indicated that learners benefited from the incorporation of the combination of collaboration and games and that their achievement improved. The findings also suggest that the collaborative games positively influenced learners' confidence, skills and understanding in mathematics.

This study explored the mathematics teacher identity (MTI) of three purposefully selected grade 6 non-specialist primary school mathematics teachers. The participants' subject matter knowledge and didactical skills were explored by means of semi-structured interviews, lesson observations, and document analysis of lesson plans. The data were analysed using thematic analysis; themes were predetermined from the conceptual framework, and codes and categories emerged from the semi-structured interview transcriptions. The conceptual framework describes teacher identity in terms of subject knowledge, teaching and learning knowledge, and the skills and ability to care for the learners as people. The analysis of the data indicated that non-specialist primary school mathematics teachers not only lack subject matter knowledge, but also do not have the teaching skills to recognise and address the learners' lack of understanding of concepts. In turn, this influences the teaching and learning of mathematics in their classroom and results are generally poor. In particular, the three participants demonstrated difficulties in explaining new concepts and in employing a learner-centred approach. It is recommended that in-service training workshops be tailored to teach both content and didactics as well as the skills required to become reflective practitioners to better equip non-specialist mathematics teachers for the mathematics classroom.

The increased emphasis on implementing effective integrated STEM education calls for in-depth student understanding of the nature of each separate discipline. This study examined how South African Grade 9 and 10 students who had completed 'Natural Sciences and Technology' as a school subject, perceived technology and its relationship with science in a South African context. Data were collected using a questionnaire with open-ended and Likert-type questions. We utilised Mitcham's typology of technology to analyse students' descriptions of technology, in combination with Gardner's framework to analyse how students perceived the relationships between science and technology. The results indicate that students hold narrow views of technology, mostly referring to technological objects and activities in their descriptions of technology, but neglecting technology as knowledge and volition. In terms of their perceptions of the relationship between science and technology, students hold several misconceptions. If we are to develop students' scientific literacy and technological capability, we need to ensure that students have opportunities to reflect and engage with the nature of and interactions between science and technology.

As neonatal mortality rates have decreased in esophageal atresia (EA), there is a growing focus on quality of life (QoL) in these children. No study from Africa has reported on this topic. This pilot study aimed to describe disease-specific QoL in EA children and its applicability as part of long-term follow-up in an academic facility in South Africa. Disease-specific QoL in children born with EA was assessed utilizing the EA-QoL questionnaire for children aged 2–17 years during a patient-encounter. The parent-report for children aged 2–7 years compromised 17 items categorized into three domains: eating, physical health and treatment, and social isolation/stress. The 24-item EA-QL questionnaire for children aged 8–18 (child- and parent-report) explored four domains: eating, body perception, social relationships, and health and well-being. A total of 13 questionnaires for children aged 2–7 years were completed by five parents. A negative perceived impact on their child's eating was reported by 46–92% of parents, and less impact in the other two domains. A total of 27 questionnaires were completed by eight children aged 8–17 years and 10 parents. Similar percentages children and parents reported a negative impact in the eating, social relationships, and body perception domains. More than half reported a negative impact on the child's health and well-being. This study supports the concept that assessment of disease-specific QoL should play a vital role in the comprehensive follow-up approach for children born with EA. We identified that parents of younger children were more likely to report eating disorders, whereas parents of older children were more likely to report health difficulties with different perceptions when it came to the child's scar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main and most dynamic challenges confronting South Africa is the high unemployment rate, which has been increasing more rapidly than the country's economic growth. The unemployment rate is increasing every year, supplemented with a financial crisis as the South African economy is experiencing a drastic recession and jobs are getting lost. In 2012, the National Planning Commission (NPC) implemented a new long-term strategy, the National Development Plan Vision 2030 (NDP), which is set over an 18-year period (2012 to 2030). The NDP was introduced to meet the government's objectives, which include economic growth, reducing triple challenges (unemployment, poverty and inequality) and improving service delivery. The main aim of the research is thus to assess the progress of the unemployment reduction targets set by the NDP, as well as recommend strategies that can be implemented to attain the unemployment reduction target and reduce unemployment to (under) 6%. The study employed a qualitative research method and a case study research design. Through literature review, information was compiled through studying budget reviews, the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), press releases from international capital markets (International Monetary Fund and World Bank), official government documents, academic/scholarly newspapers, and relevant legislation. The finding explore that many factors hinder or impede the government from achieving its objectives, such as slow economic growth, the impact of Covid-19 on the labour market, skills gap and mismatch, the education system in South Africa and a severe lack of entrepreneurship. The article makes policy recommendations for improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has opened the world's eyes to the impact that supply chain disruptions have on our society. Supply chain disruptions can result in various long-term effects, of which reputational risk is one of the biggest. A good reputation can create value for all stakeholders of a firm, however it can also expose a firm to risk. Reputational risk has been extensively studied in supply chain management; however, the management of reputational risk during supply chain disruption recovery (SCDR) has been neglected. Objective: This study explores reputational risk management during SCDR, between a logistics triad consisting of third party logistics providers (3PLs), their upstream suppliers and downstream customers within a South African context. Method: A generic qualitative design was employed to collect data from five logistics triads using semi-structured interviews. Results: The study found that reputational risk has a predominantly positive influence on the SCDR process. Furthermore, the study expands on existing literature by identifying additional approaches to manage corporate reputation during SCDR not evident in literature. These approaches include the use of control centres and involvement of the key account manager. Conclusion: This study creates awareness for the importance of reputational risk during SCDR and also provides managers with valuable insight into how reputational risk should be managed during SCDR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Administering patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) by text message may improve response rate in hard-to-reach populations. This study explored cultural acceptability of PROMs and compared measurement equivalence of the EQ-5D-3L administered on paper and by text message in a rural South African setting.Materials and Methods: Participants with upper or lower limb orthopaedic pathology were recruited. The EQ-5D was administered first on paper and then by text message after 24 h and 7 days. Differences in mean scores for paper and text message versions of the EQ-5D were evaluated. Test-retest reliability between text message versions was evaluated using Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs).Results: 147 participants completed a paper EQ-5D. Response rates were 67% at 24 h and 58% at 7 days. There were no differences in means between paper and text message responses for the EQ-5D Index (p = 0.95) or EQ-5D VAS (p = 0.26). There was acceptable agreement between the paper and 24-h text message EQ-5D Index (0.84; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.78-0.89) and EQ-5D VAS (0.73; 95% CI 0.64-0.82) and acceptable agreement between the 24-h and 7-day text message EQ-Index (0.72; CI 0.62-0.82) and EQ-VAS (0.72; CI 0.62-0.82). Non-responder traits were increasing age, Xhosa as first language and lower educational levels.Conclusions: Text messaging is equivalent to paper-based measurement of EQ-5D in this setting and is thus a viable tool for responders. Non-responders had similar socioeconomic characteristics and attrition rates to traditional modes of administration. The EQ-5D by text message offers potential clinical and research uses in hard-to-reach populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In diverse societies such as South Africa, organizations continue to face inclusion challenges when implementing change. This study proposes a different method and new dimension of diversity management within the cognitive diversity construct, namely human niche theory, to tackle the diversity dilemma of exclusivity. The research question asked whether human niche theory, as a defined concept within cognitive diversity, could be utilized by managers to enable inclusion and promote sustainable organizational change implementation. Conceptually, this paper relates human niche theory to seven themes in the change process, namely, communication, training, motivation, resources, control, monitoring, and feedback. An exploratory single case study in a multicultural South African automotive organization that implemented a company-wide technology change project was used as a unit of analysis. The single case study revealed a new understanding of change implementation processes using the human niche theoretical framework related to radical technological change implementation. Data collection included in-depth interviews, focus group sessions, solicited company data, field notes, and observations. Content and comparative data analysis were used to present findings. This research showed that managers' awareness of human niche theory in terms of cognitive diversity could assist in managing diversity, enabling inclusion, and change effectiveness in the organization, while minimizing emotional exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Organisational silence' refers to employee groups intentionally withholding information. Little is known about managers' behaviours and motives associated with organisational silence. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the behavioural practices and motives for organisational silence of private and public sector middle managers in South Africa during a period of socio-economic and political turmoil. A qualitative research approach embedded in an interpretivist paradigm was used to analyse 20 narrative transcripts received from a purposive and convenient sample of middle managers. This study found that organisational silence is a common behavioural practice among South African middle managers, and that this can have an adverse impact on communication flow, decision-making and overall organisational performance. The main motives for middle managers' organisational silence include a fear of victimisation (defensive silence); a sense that speaking up is not worth the effort (ineffectual silence); cutting off communication (disengaged silence); and protecting others (relational silence). If organisational silence became habitual among middle managers it would become destructive, creating a serious risk to strategy implementation. The study concludes with limitations and recommendations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diagnostic assistance using mobile technology is instrumental to timely and adequate care in resource-scarce settings, particularly for acute burns. Little is known, however, as regards to how remote diagnostic consultation in burns affects the work process. This article reviews a doctoral thesis on this topic based on four studies conducted in the Western Cape, South Africa prior to and in a very early phase of the implementation of an app for burn remote diagnostic assistance. The aim was to increase knowledge on how remote diagnostic assistance for burn injuries can influence the role and work of medical experts in a resource-poor setting. The congruence model was used as a reference framework to study the 'input' (study 1), 'tasks' (studies 2 and 3) and 'people' (study 4) involved. The results show higher burn incidence in young children (75.4 per 10 000) and gender differences primarily among adults. The quality of images was considered by experts as better when viewed on smartphones and tablets than on computers. The accuracy of burn size assessments was high overall but low for burn depth (ICC = 0.82 and 0.53 respectively). Experts described four positions pertaining to remote consultations: clinical specialist, gatekeeper, mentor and educator. They perceived images as improving accuracy of consultation and stressed the need for verbal communication among clinicians during critical situations. In conclusion, experts are satisfied with the quality of images seen on handheld devices and can accurately assess burn size using these, yet burn depth assessment is more challenging without additional clinical information. mHealth for diagnostic assistance can benefit current image-based consultation by systematising information quality, introducing enhanced security and improved access to experts. Remaining challenges include the necessity of verbal communication in some instances and replacing existing informal organisational practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In South Africa, traditional medicine remains a key source of health care, however majority of the plants used as medicines by traditional health care practitioners have not been investigated for their in vitro biological activity. The purpose of the present study was to examine the antityrosinase, anti-acne, antioxidant and cytotoxic potential of 25 ethanolic extracts from 16 different plant families which were collected in the Jongilanga community in the Mpumalanga province. The tyrosinase inhibitory activity was evaluated using the mushroom tyrosinase enzyme to determine potential plant extracts that could treat skin hyperpigmentation. Six of the plant extracts showed a fifty percent inhibitory concentration (IC 50) lower than 200 μg/mL, of which Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile (12.97 ± 1.07 μg/mL) showed the highest activity, followed by Schotia brachypetala Sond. (35.07 ± 0.71 μg/mL) and Combretum collinum Fresen. (47.92 ± 1.13 μg/mL). The anti-acne potential of the extracts was evaluated by determining their antibacterial activity against Cutibacterium acnes. The highest activity was noted for Harpagophytum procumbens (Burch.) with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 31.25 μg/mL, followed by S. brachypetala (125 μg/mL) and C. collinum, Ozoroa sphaerocarpa R. Fern & A. Fern and Pterocarpus rotundifolius DC. which all showed MIC values of 250 μg/mL. The antioxidant studies revealed that the majority of the plant extracts showed strong DPPH radical scavenging activity. The 2,3-Bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxyanilide salt (XTT) method was used to assess the cytotoxic effect of the plant extracts, of which only two extracts showed strong cytotoxicity against the non-cancerous human keratinocyte (HaCat) cell line namely; H. procumbens and Ipomoea oblongata Hook. The remaining extracts showed low to moderate cytotoxicity. The promising antityrosinase activity of A. nilotica , S. brachypetala and C. collinum as well as the promising antibacterial activity of O. spaerocarpa , P. rotundifolius and S. brachypetala , together with their low to moderate cytotoxicity against HaCat cells, merits further investigation of these species. • Biological activity of plants traditionally used in the Mpumalanga region. • Acacia nilotica showed notable antityrosinase activity (IC 50 : 12.97 ± 1.07 μg/mL). • Anti-acne potential of Ozoroa sphaerocarpa , Pterocarpus rotundifolius and Schotia brachypetala. • Low to moderate antiproliferative effects on non-cancerous human keratinocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Little is known about gender differences in aetiology and management of acute burns in resource-constrained settings in South Africa.Method: This cross-sectional study is based on burn case reports (n=1915) from eight emergency centres in Western Cape, South Africa (June 2012-May 2013). Male/female rate ratios by age group and age-specific incidence rates were compiled for urban and rural areas along with gender differences in proportions between children and adults for injury aetiology, burn severity, length of stay and patient disposition.Results: Children 0-4 years in urban areas had the highest burn incidence but only among adults did male rates surpass females, with fire burns more common among men 20-39 years and hot liquid burns among men 55+ years. Men had a higher proportion of burns during weekends, from interpersonal violence and suspected use of alcohol/other substances, with more pronounced differences for hot liquid burns. Despite similar Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) scores, men were more often transferred to higher levels of care and women more often treated and discharged.Conclusion: Burns were far more common among children although gender differences arose only among adults. Men sustained more injuries of somewhat different aetiology and were referred to higher levels of care more often for comparable wound severity. The results suggest different disposition between men and women despite similar AIS scores. However, further studies with more comprehensive information on severity level and other care- and patient-related factors are needed to explore these results further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Society of Cardiology together with the European Atherosclerosis Society published updated dyslipidaemia guidelines in 2011. SA Heart and the Lipid and Atherosclerosis Society of Southern Africa oficially adopt these guidelines. This statement adapts aspects of the guidelines to the South African situation. Using the updated Framingham risk charts, interventional strategies are based according to the cardiovascular risk score and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. The Framingham risk score refers to the 10-year risk of any cardiovascular event, and includes four categories of risk. Treatment targets are those of the European guidelines. The LDL-C goal is 1.8 mmol/l for the very high-risk group (>30%), 2.5 mmol/l for the high-risk group (15 - 30%), and 3 mmol/l for those below 15% risk. Intensive management of dyslipidaemia in South Africa will signiicantly reduce the cardiovascular disease health burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Society of Cardiology together with the European Atherosclerosis Society published updated dyslipidaemia guidelines in 2011. SA Heart and the Lipid and Atherosclerosis Society of Southern Africa officially adopt these guidelines. This statement adapts aspects of the guidelines to the South African situation. Using the updated Framingham risk charts, interventional strategies are based according to the cardiovascular risk score and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. The Framingham risk score refers to the 10-year risk of any cardiovascular event, and includes four categories of risk. Treatment targets are those of the European guidelines. The LDL-C goal is 1.8 mmol/l for the very high-risk group (>30%), 2.5 mmol/l for the high-risk group (15 - 30%), and 3 mmol/l for those below 15% risk. Intensive management of dyslipidaemia in South Africa will significantly reduce the cardiovascular disease health burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The study investigates the epidemiology of fatal burns in the predominantly rural province of Mpumalanga, South Africa. Method: The study is cross-sectional and investigates region specific data extracted from a National Injury Mortality Surveillance System (NIMSS) and originally gathered at mortuaries. Fatal burns sustained during the 2 year period 2007 and 2008 are analysed (n =304 cases). Mortality rates by age group, sex and district were compiled and attention was paid to manner of death, location, and temporal characteristics (time of day, weekday, season). Results: The overall fatal burn rate was 3.8 per 100,000 inhabitants (95% CI 3.4–4.3). The highest rates were among the oldest age group (8.2/100,000; 95% CI 6.1–10.7), males (5.3/100,000; 95% CI 4.6–6.2) and in one of the three districts, Nkangala (4.8/100,000; 95% CI 3.9–5.6). Most burns were accidental (68.4%) and intentional ones (13.5%) occurred in particular among older people and in the home. Burns were sustained frequently at home (55.6%), between midnight and 5a.m. and towards the end of the week. Seasonal variations were more pronounced in Nkangala. Conclusions: Fatal burns could be less common in rural than urban South Africa. As in urban South Africa, however, older people, young children, and males are more at risk. Not surprisingly, the occurrence of fatal burns is strongly related to living conditions and lifestyle, which vary even within rural areas of South Africa. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article focuses on how the houses and walls in South Africa have transformed the behavior of people and created a quality social relationship. It discusses the relationship of the interior order of the house to the culture, society, and social order. It mentions how the walls influence the domestic interior of the house in the country. It also explores how the walls of modern houses offer certain kinds of people and dispositions.

The police force was the most hated and visible representation of South Africa's apartheid state. The massive crime wave after 1994 and the new anxieties in a democratic South Africa have made security the primary concern in everyday life in the country. This article explores the paradoxes of policing, state violence and community involvement in security in a township in Durban. An important theme is the change of the symbolic locus of sovereignty from being a distant and impersonal state to becoming the local community in the township. The central proposition is that policing under democratic conditions is more complex and more imperative than before — both as performative and visible law-maintaining violence, as well as spectral and effective law-making violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's views on music, taxicabs and racial imagination in urban South Africa. He discusses the success of taxi trade in the country. He elaborates the definition of the South African term charou. He also discusses the dominance of taxicabs in the street life in Chatsworth, England.

This article explores theatre performances and radio shows with ethnographic material from South Africa with emphasis on how the post-apartheid melancholia among ordinary South African Indians is expressed in a range of performances on stage, on radio and in the everyday work in the township. The social situation of the performance itself adds to the experience of ethnic closure. It also presents an overview of the one-man show "Out of Bounds," an Indian play about the story of a boy's journey from an innocent childhood in the old Indian area of Inanda north of Durban.

This article provides an example of one form of action research, collaborative enquiry, in the health sector. It argues that collaborative inquiry is a powerful tool to develop reflective capacity among health workers and can facilitate the ownership of learning and the production of usable knowledge. It reports the results of a research project investigating the roles and functions of clinic supervisors in three districts in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Background: Clinics are the cornerstone of the new district-based health system. They are staffed primarily by nurses and are often the only contact point for large parts of the rural population. In conditions of remoteness and isolation, clinic staff depend upon personal interaction with clinic supervisors to enable them to function productively. Yet experience has shown that supervisors do not always fulfil this role. This project aimed at gaining insight into the status of clinic supervision, understanding the factors that hinder effective supervision and making recommendations for improvements. Methodology: Using a participative approach of Collaborative Inquiry , a team of 10 clinic supervisors and the research co-ordinator collected data reflecting on their own practice over a period of 5 months. These data were then jointly analysed and written up . Conclusions: The participating clinic supervisors went through several periods of uncertainty, when many of them asked themselves why they agreed to this project. However, the engagement with stakeholders and colleagues and the joint analysis of research data soon proved to be a valuable source of insight. There was unanimity in the end that the research process had been very valuable and enabling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses how the lively tradition of Indian community theatre has reflected and contributed to the formation and contestation of identities among Indians in Durban since the 1960s. Starting from a popular piece of political satire, Mooidevi's Muti, staged in 1998, the recent history of South African Indian theatre is described as the emergence of a canon: two main genres, political satire and the family drama, that since the 1960s have developed within an 'Indian public sphere', and which today seem to constrict the opening of this rich tradition towards other forms of theatrical expression. It is argued that this closure of theatrical forms correlates with the broader tendency towards 'ethnic closure' among Indians in post-apartheid South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compares accountability structures within traditional and democratical approaches to school management in South Africa. Drawbacks of the traditional hierarchical approach to school management; Increase in teacher participation in decision-making processes and rise in teacher accountability as a result of democratic school management.

Background: Traumatic injury is a serious global health burden, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where medical care often lacks resources and expertise. In these contexts, diagnostic telemedicine could prove a cost effective tool, yet it remains largely underused here, and knowledge on its potential impact is limited. Particularly scarce is the view of the expert user physicians, and how they themselves relate to this technology.Methods: This qualitative study investigated tele-experts' (n = 15) views on the potential for image based teleconsultation to be integrated in trauma and emergency care services. A semi-structured interview guide was used to gather data concerning an mHealth app for burns diagnostics in the acute care setting, in the Western Cape, South Africa. Questions examined challenges and opportunities in user acceptance and outcomes, in specific case management and in the wider healthcare system. Resulting data were subject to qualitative content analysis.Results: Experts perceived remote diagnostic support through mHealth as linking directly to several key ideas in medicine, including barriers to care, medical culture and hierarchy, and medical ethics within a society. Ideas running through the data pertained to the widening and narrowing of inherent gaps in the healthcare system, and the formalisation of processes, practices and relationships, effected by the introduction of an app. Wide consensus was stated on positive outcomes such as increased education opportunities, improved professional relationships and a better ability to advise and diagnose, all further facilitated through greater ease of access. The belief was that these could achieve a narrowing of systemic divides within healthcare, although it was acknowledged that the possibility to induce the opposite effect also arose. Differing opinions were voiced relating to the involvement of allied health professionals and feedback.Conclusion: Experts see several aspects to an mHealth app for remote diagnostic support which could enhance provision of trauma and emergency care in a resource poor setting, relating to reduced delays, streamlined care and improved outcomes. Attention is also drawn, however, to specifics of the environment which would demand further and careful consideration for success - time pressure, intensity and the wide range of subspecialties to be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]