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The lack of equivalence between African languages on the one hand and Afrikaans and English on the other hand under the governments that ruled South Africa until the collapse of apartheid has seriously undermined the status of African languages. Indigenous South Africans experienced decades of marginalisation -- so much, in fact, that many, including African scholars, have come to view the study and use of African languages in education in an unfavourable light. Even more astounding is the view that Africans who study African languages beyond secondary school are regarded as "academically weak". The perception that scholars studying African languages do not meet the requirements has resulted in fewer Africans studying their indigenous languages in school. This article aims to explore students' attitudes towards Sesotho and probe the factors linked to students' attitudes. The study employs a mix-methods research approach for data elicitation. Methodological triangulation (questionnaire and interviews) was used to maximise the validity and credibility of the findings. The conclusion of this study is that most of the students have a positive attitude towards Sesotho at the University of the Free State. Students feel that Sesotho should be developed meaningfully so that it can be used as a medium of instruction in classes. Students overwhelmingly support the notion of meaningful development of indigenous languages (such as Sesotho) so that they can contribute to the development of South Africa. The data in this study also suggest that indigenous languages should not be allowed to die out.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore to what extent a flipped classroom pedagogy (FCP) design as a digital pedagogical tool enhances student teachers' learning in economics education at an open distance e-Learning (ODeL) university. Design/methodology/approach: This exploratory study used a quantitative approach and online survey design. The sample consisted of 214 Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and 157 Baccalaureus Educationis (BEd) (senior and further education and training phase) student teachers. A closed structured online questionnaire, Flipped Classroom Pedagogy Questionnaire, designed on a four-point Likert scale, was used to collect data. Descriptive and inferential data were computed to explore student teachers' learning to teach an economics education in a teacher education course. Ethical clearance was granted and therefore adheres to the policy on research ethics of the university. Findings: Empirically, the findings of this paper revealed that the FCP digital pedagogy enhanced economics students' academic performance and perceptions in an online open distance learning environment. Furthermore, student teachers perceived that the functionality of the FCP experience as an online strategy was useful and effective for their learning. Therefore, these findings confirmed and extended what is revealed by earlier research studies regarding the debate on the usefulness of the FCP approach as a powerful technology-integrated teaching design in teacher education courses. Research limitations/implications: The findings of this investigation could not be generalised because a small sample was selected. Further investigation is needed regarding comparing other similar modules of the PGCE/BEd (senior and FET phase) programmes over a longer investigative period in the college. Further research should be explored, employing a mixed-methods approach on how student teachers perceived academic support in the FCP strategy towards self-directed learning. Practical implications: Ultimately, several implications for using the FCP approach emerged, in particular for rethinking teacher education programmes to support and accommodate the digital learner. To implement this approach successfully, faculties should formulate clear intended outcomes for implementing the FCP pedagogical approach. In addition, faculties at higher education institutions should seriously consider the merits of the FCP approach in order to avoid becoming redundant. Therefore, lecturers who intend to use this strategy either through a contact, blended or ODeL mode of delivery, are compelled to provide consistent, ongoing constructive feedback and monitoring required learning tasks. Social implications: The paper empowers PGCE/BEd (senior and FET phase) students to teach the subject in a diverse society. Originality/value: This research study has shown that student teachers perceived an FCP approach in an online platform as an empowering tool that is both effective and useful and that positively impacts on their lived experience in an ODeL context. It extends the epistemology (subject of knowledge) of the effectiveness of the FCP strategy as an enhancer for student learning in an ODeL environment, teacher education in particular. Furthermore, a noteworthy contribution is made towards the application of the FCP as one of the digital pedagogies in teaching economics in an ODeL context. This exploratory study also makes a methodological contribution to the validation of an online data collection instrument for use in future studies.

Midwives play a pivotal role in women's health in the face of increased deaths related to backyard abortions. Since the commencement in South Africa of the Name of the Act No. 92 of 1996 that allows abortion services, there has been a moral divide among healthcare workers in South Africa. This article reflects the opinions of preregistration midwifery students regarding abortion-related services. Narrative data were collected from 34 preregistration midwifery students and were analysed using open coding. The opinions of the students before the value clarification exercise were categorised into against abortion, for abortion and abortion under special conditions. After the value clarification process, the views were translated into pro-life choice, reserved judgement and autonomy. The results demonstrate that the integration of the value clarification process into midwifery preregistration education saw transformative learning and intellectual growth among learners in this study. We recommend that current social issues should engage students in transformative learning activities that entail a process of value clarification.

Education is the business of both the schools and the homes. A school's success is more assured with joint efforts of teachers, pupils, parents and the local communities. However, translating home-school partnership into positive impact is dependent on how partnership is conceived since it is this that determines the approaches to and the forms or practices characteristic of the partnership. Thus, to understand how homes and schools interact together to positively influence school, or the educational process, the conceptualisation of home-school partnership, including in terms of attitudes to it, the benefits expected to be derived from it and its characteristic practices, need to be examined. The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of home-school partnership, or how homes and schools in Kwazulu Natal province of South Africa interact together to influence learning and development of children. Two hundred and thirteen participants (127 parents and 86 teachers) who volunteered to participate in the study were requested to indicate practices of home-school partnership they were aware of existing between homes and schools in their communities. The study also sought participants' opinions regarding their attitudes to, the benefits of and what they consider as barriers to home-school partnership. A structured questionnaire was employed to gather relevant information. The results revealed that participants were unaware of many partnership practices presented to them on the questionnaire although they expressed favourable attitudes to partnership and agreed to suggestions regarding benefits of partnership presented to them on the questionnaire. A major implication of the results is the need for teacher education programmes to feature training of teachers in strategies for encouraging parental involvement in children's education through the design, initiation, and implementation of effective programmes that foster home-school partnership. (Contains 4 tables.)

This paper analyses the take-up of proposals for a national quality assurance system in South Africa using different approaches to quality assurance to classify stakeholder responses to survey and interview questions. The context of the study was the introduction of an external quality assurance system for South African higher education by an agency of the Department of Education, the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) in 2004. A conceptual framework using Habermas' distinctions between system and strategic action on the one hand and lifeworld and communicative action on the other was set up to map different approaches to quality assurance and to analyse the data. Stakeholder opinion on the HEQC's proposals for institutional audit and programme accreditation was gathered using survey questionnaire and depth-interview instruments. Given that quality assurance in South Africa has been conceived as a means of furthering the state's "transformation agenda" for higher education, different and sometimes conflicting approaches to quality assurance exist in the higher education community--underpinned by different values, discourses and purposes for higher education. The study shows that these differences of opinion were shaped more strongly by the respondents' position in the social structure (apartheid defined class and race position) than by their social role (academic, manager, quality assurance manager) in the policy-making process. The paper concludes by suggesting that this finding may be explained if one understands the adoption and intended implementation of quality assurance policy to be a lifeworld matter. The contribution of Habermas' notions of lifeworld and system to conceptualising and understanding quality assurance systems is put forward. Interview schedules used in the empirical study are appended. (Contains 1 figure and 4 notes.)

King's comments and opinions on the following aspects of South African apartheid are presented: (1) similarities to and differences from America's racist system; (2) the role of western countries and their pressure; (3) the role of black Americans; (4) the role of multi-racial coalitions; and (5) the role of religious groups. (PS)

Copyright of African Journal of Reproductive Health is the property of Women's Health & Action Research Centre and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of African Journal of Reproductive Health is the property of Women's Health & Action Research Centre and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Nurse training in South Africa requires placing learner nurses in real-life setting for them to gain practical experience. To complete their training and be competent practitioners, learner nurses must have expectations and aspirations when they go for practice. Aim: This study sought to understand learner nurses' expectations at clinical learning areas during placement. Setting: Four clinical learning areas in the Limpopo province were purposely sampled. Tertiary, regional and district hospitals were sampled to obtain information from different levels of care. Methods: A qualitative, descriptive and contextual design was used to explore the expectations of learner nurses during clinical placements. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from various bodies and ethical considerations were ensured. Nonprobability purposive sampling was used, and six focus groups were formed. Each focus group discussion (FGD) had six to eight participants. The FGDs were according to level of study, with the third and fourth levels each having two FGDs because of the number of participants. Results: The following three themes emerged: milieu in the clinical learning areas, learning in the clinical areas and self-actualisation. Conclusion: The clinical learning areas are institutions of promoting learning through practice. They should promote learning and offer support to learners so that learners meet their expectations, which may prevent discouragement and attrition. Contribution: This study adds to the body of knowledge in nursing education and practice because when students' expectations are met, their training outcome might be positive leading to competent professional nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been encouraging governments to assume an active role in recruiting traditional healers to be part of primary health care. However, studies in many parts of the world have reported mixed results regarding health care practitioners' opinions of traditional healing. This study aimed to investigate South African-based western-trained health care practitioners' opinions about traditional African healing. Three hundred and nineteen health care practitioners participated in this study. Participants were conveniently sampled from state hospitals and clinics in two provinces in South Africa, namely Limpopo and Gauteng. The study used the Opinions of Traditional Healing Questionnaire for data collection. Results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test revealed a significant difference in opinions of traditional healing across the four categories of health care practitioners [Psychiatrists (n = 25), Physicians (n = 37), General nurses (n = 168) and Psychiatric nurses (n = 89)], X² (3, n = 319) = 9.45, p = 0.024. The results revealed that health care practitioners working with psychiatric conditions had more positive opinions than general physicians and general nurses. By implication, if South Africa were to investigate the integration of traditional healers into primary health care, as the WHO proposes, psychiatric services and institutions would be the first logical contact for optimal integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The Transnet-Phelophepa Health Care Trains provide primary healthcare services to patients in under-resourced rural communities across South Africa. Selected final-year pharmacy students work on the trains for 1 week. The aim of the study was to determine the experiences and document the work-based activities of pharmacy students engaged in., Methods: A hyperlink to an online questionnaire was sent to 106 pharmacy students from five Pharmacy Schools (70.75% response rate). Both closed- and open-ended questions were included. Data were captured in Excel., Key Findings: Respondents expressed that their motivation to volunteer to work on the train was threefold: they wanted to help the community, experience this unparalleled work environment, as well as having heard positive responses from previous volunteers. Students were exposed to a variety of pharmacy-related activities; however, the majority of their time was spent dispensing. Although less than half (n = 33) found it difficult to communicate with patients, almost all responded that the translator helped them communicate with patients. A few saw this as an opportunity to learn a new language. The pharmacy staff was described as approachable, knowledgeable and willing to teach. Most respondents agreed that they were able to apply their knowledge and skills whilst working on the train (mean 4.52 ± 0.93; n = 75)., Conclusions: Pharmacy students felt valued by the community and found it to be a rewarding experience while reporting to apply knowledge and information, improve their communication skills and work as part of a team., (© 2018 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.)

Background: The misuse of codeine is of increasing concern in a number of countries, particularly as this relates to over -the-counter pain and cough relief medication, and is also supplied as a prescription medicine. The study aimed to obtain and analyse the opinions and experience of pharmacy staff with regard to codeine misuse., Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey of pharmacy staff's perspectives on this issue was administered through professional or regulatory bodies and completed by samples drawn in South Africa (n = 124), Ireland (n = 464) and the United Kingdom (n = 129)., Results: The majority of participants reported combination codeine-containing products as most popular, but significantly more pharmacy staff in South Africa reported codeine-containing cough syrups as most commonly popular (X 2  = 122.7(2), p < 0.001). Codeine use was also seen significantly more of a public health problem in South Africa than in the other two countries (X 2  = 7.6(2), p = 0.02). There was no difference across countries in the level of codeine misuse reported by pharmacy staff. Further findings indicate that professional training and education is desired, with unequivocal findings for the need for greater codeine control (X 2  = 12.0(2), p = 0.002)., Conclusion: In conclusion, there were some inter-country differences, but overall the findings seem to suggest that pharmacists across all three countries view codeine misuse as a problem among their customers. Recommendations centre on risk management, surveillance and staff training.