ResearchSpace
ResearchSpace is the institutional repository of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, unlocking knowledge, empowering impact, and preserving UKZN's research legacy.
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Teachers' reflections on their support for learners with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in the foundation phase.
(2023) Soobramoney, Kalaivani.; Jairam, Visvaranie.
The purpose of this study was to explore teachers' reflections on their supporting of learners with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the Foundation Phase as well as to understand their interpretation and perspectives of the meaning of ADHD and what intervention strategies they use in dealing with these learners. The theory guiding this study was based on the ecological systems theory by Urie Bronfenbrenner (1979). This theory focuses on the interaction between the person and the environment. One needs to look at the influence on the child by not only the family but also the immediate surroundings, community networks, and cultural systems, all of which are subject to change. This study was qualitative in nature and was based on the interpretivist paradigm. It is a case study of six teachers teaching in the Foundation Phase at a remedial school in the south of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, selected using purposive sampling. The researcher utilised semistructured interviews to explore whether the participants received support and the challenges they face in managing learners with ADHD.
The study revealed that a lack of required skills to teach learners with ADHD as well as inadequate supports from the SMT, the DBST, and parents were among other challenges facing teachers who are working with learners with ADHD as reflected on by the study participants. The teachers are not suitably trained to deal with learners that have ADHD. The study recommends that the Department of Education to devise in-service programmes to assist teachers with knowledge on how to teach a learner with ADHD. The need for parental awareness or enlightenment on the need to provide emotional supports for their children with ADHD, is suggested. Undergraduate studies should include a compulsory module on special needs education. The Department of Basic Education needs to review its strategy and policy in the best interests of the learner.
The effects of teenage pregnancy on the academic performance of learners in a South African high school.
(2023) Ruthan, Shivani.; Ndinisa, Sibusisiwe.
Teenage pregnancy remains a social phenomenon globally and, to date, is on a constant rise. Approximately five per cent of females aged 14 to 19 years old in South Africa stated that they were going through different stages of pregnancy within the last 12 months. Based on this information, it is evident that teenage pregnancy is a largely increasing phenomenon. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish the effects of teenage pregnancy on the academic performance of learners in a South African high school. The study was conducted in a High School in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal. The chosen research design uses a case study methodology which was used to understand complex situations while evaluating how people respond. This researched used the interpretivist paradigm where meaning was created rather than found. The chosen research approach was the used of qualitative data whereby a more realistic view of the world was obtained. The researcher purposefully selected four participants to conduct research who were high school teachers at the chosen school. The researcher used interviews and questionnaires as the chosen data generation methods to collect information. The researcher gained insight into how teenage pregnancy affects academic performance through these two data collection methods mentioned above. The chosen data analysis was the use of thematic data analysis. Themes and sub-themes were constructed giving the reader a comprehensive view of the data that was derived. The study’s results showed the emergence of various themes that posed as common occurrences of teenage pregnancy. The researcher then further elaborated on the maintenance of trustworthiness and the ethical considerations that were adhered to. The chosen framework to analysis this research was Urie Bronfrenbrenner’s ecological theory which was used in order to explore the various systems of influence that surround teenage mothers and the effect that they have on their academic performance. The results showed that teenage pregnancy affects teenagers academically, socially, emotionally, and mentally. Teenage pregnancy impacts learners’ capabilities in the classroom and, therefore, limits their potential as individuals, with emphasis put on their academic performance. Teachers feel unequipped to handle a teenage pregnancy within their classroom and they often feel like a teenage learner causes disturbances and distractions in the classroom. The researcher provided various recommendations for schools, for healthcare, for policy makers and for the community.
The effect of edible insects on the colour and nutritional value of maize porridges.
(2025) Zondo, Sindiswa.; Hlongwane, Zabentungwa Thakasile.; Munyal, Thinandavha Caswell.; Slotow, Rob.; Siwela, Muthulisi.
Food and nutrition insecurity are global problems, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The limited access to nutritious food contributes to various forms of malnutrition, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, obesity, and stunting. Edible insects were recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) as a cheap and sustainable solution to address food and nutrition insecurities in developing countries because they are high in protein, zinc, iron, and essential amino acids. Therefore, fortifying commonly consumed staple cereal grain food products such as uphuthu (crumbly maize meal porridge) and thin maize porridge with edible insects should significantly improve their nutritional value. This study aimed to assess the effect of edible insect meal on the nutritional value and colour of maize porridges. This was done by (1) reviewing and analysing the existing literature on the nutritional value of food products supplemented with edible insects globally (2) determining the effect of insect meal on the colour of thin and crumbly porridges supplemented with edible insects (3) determining the effect of the addition of different insects’ meals on proximate composition, mineral, and amino acid profile of thin and crumbly maize porridges.
A search was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines to identify relevant peerreviewed publications on food products enriched with edible insect meal. Three edible insect types: mopane worm, termite (workers of an unidentified species of genus Macrotermes) and caterpillar in an unidentified species of genus Gynanisa, were selected and processed into separate insect meals. Each of these was used to supplement thin and crumbly maize porridges at different concentrations. The thin and crumbly porridge samples were prepared using the standard methods, but maize meal was partially substituted with 5% and 10% (w/w) edible insect meals. The systematic review search resulted in 61 eligible papers listing 26 edible insects that were used to supplement 12 different food products across different locations in the world. Bakery products were the most used food products, followed by snacks, whilst roti and soup were the least used food products, supplemented with insects. Results of the assessment of the edible insect meal on the colour and nutritional value of the maize porridges showed that the thin and crumbly porridge became darker as the concentration of insect meal was increased. A 10% termite meal concentration resulted in the darkest thin and crumbly porridge, followed by 10% mopane worm, whilst 10% of Gynanisa caterpillar meal caused the lowest darkening of the thin and crumbly porridges. Supplementing thin and crumbly porridges with edible insect meals significantly increased their protein, zinc, and iron content compared to the control. The highest protein levels were observed in porridges with 10% termite meal, while the highest zinc and iron content were found in porridges with 10% mopane worm and Gynanisa caterpillar, respectively. However, termites caused the most darkening, potentially reducing consumer acceptability. Therefore, the two insect types (mopane worm and Gynanisa caterpillar) are suitable candidates for fortifying maize food products without causing unacceptable darkening of the porridges. This increase in nutritional value upon the addition of insect meal indicates that edible insects can play a role in mitigating the risk of malnutrition in rural and resource-poor communities of South Africa, where thin and crumbly maize porridges are popular staple maize food products. Further studies are recommended to evaluate nutrient bioavailability and consumer acceptability of the insect meal supplemented maize porridges.
Phenotypic and physiological responses of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) to three commonly used anaesthetics: clove oil, 2-Phenoxyethanol (2-PE), and MS-222.
(2025) Sosibo, Langelihle Nkanyiso.; Vosloo , Andre.; Vosloo, Dalene.
The use of chemical anaesthesia in fish reduces the risk of mechanical injuries or stress in any husbandry practices or handling procedures in aquaculture, research, transport, surgery, or other veterinary practices. However, the type of the anaesthetic agent needed, the dosage required to induce a desired level of anaesthesia, and the physiological effect incurred can differ between species of fish. Since zebrafish are the most held lab fish and widely used in the aquarium trade, it is essential to determine protocols to anaesthetise zebrafish to reduce the risk of injury and stress due to their high demand and importance in these fields. It is also key to understand the physiological consequence of the anaesthetics for the benefit of studies centred around the use of physiological endpoints. This study focussed on assessing the efficacy and the metabolomic consequence of the three most used anaesthetics for fish: clove oil, ethyl 3-aminobenzoate methane sulphonic acid (MS-222), and 2-phenoxyethanol (2- PE). The study exposed adult zebrafish to various concentrations of the three anaesthetic agents and recorded the anaesthetics induction times and made observations of the phenotypic responses to each concentration. The time it took to recover from each exposure was recorded along with the phenotypic changes that occurred. The exposures were repeated using only dosages that induced the fish to stage IV (surgical) anaesthesia in 60-90 s and samples were taken for metabolomics analyses. Clove oil at 60 mg/L and 100 mg/L was the recommended anaesthetic for fast induction of surgical anaesthesia. For maintaining fish in surgical anaesthesia for an extended duration without artificial respiration, 2-PE at 500 mg/L was most effective, and for fish transport, 2-PE at 100 mg/L was suitable. Induction time was faster at higher concentrations across anaesthetics. Anaesthesia with clove oil yielded the shortest induction time at effective concentrations but required longer for full recovery at lower doses. However, recovery was comparably rapid at higher concentrations. Fish anaesthetised with MS-222 recovered quickly, as did those with 2-PE. The metabolic consequence of clove oil anaesthesia was less widespread and severe than that of 2-PE and MS-222-anaesthised zebrafish, while MS-222 affected a wider range of metabolic pathways and metabolites in comparison to 2-PE and clove oil. While all three anaesthetics elicited a stress-related metabolic response, 2-PE and clove oil did not induce a response indicative of acute or life-threatening physiological disruption. These findings serve as a basis for selecting suitable anaesthetics and dosages for zebrafish, striking a balance between physiological safety and procedural requirements to promote both animal welfare and the integrity of scientific findings.
Morphological and molecular characterization of amphistomes from wild ruminants and their snail intermediate hosts in Matebeleland region of Zimbabwe.
(2024) Sibula, Madeline Siyazisiwe.; Samson Mukaratirwa, Samson.; Malatji, Mokgadi Pulane.
Amphistomosis is a tropically neglected disease that affects both wild and domestic ruminants. The disease is not well understood as to date most amphistome species have no known intermediate hosts. Wild ruminants harbor several amphistome species which they share with domestic ruminants,
however, very few studies have focused on amphistomes of these wild ruminants. The lack of molecular information on amphistomes of wild ruminants and their intermediate host snails prompted the need to do a study on the identity of amphistomes species of wild ruminants in Zimbabwe. The main objectives of the study were to (a) conduct a systematic review of amphistomes found in wild ruminants across Africa (b) to conduct molecular and morphological characterization of amphistomes present in the wildlife ruminants, and (c) to detect the presence of DNA of these amphistomes in the intermediate host snails collected from wildlife conservancies and game parks in Matebeleland region of Zimbabwe. The study sites for all this work were areas Matebeleland, located in the southwestern region of Zimbabwe. A systematic search of literature on the amphistomes of wild ruminants in published between 1900 and 2022 in Africa showed that there are a total of 38 amphistome species belonging to the genera Calicophoron (C.), Gastrothylax (G.), Carmyerius (Car.), Cotylophoron (Cot.), Leiperocotyle (L.), Bilatorchis (Bi.), Paramphistomum (P.), Stephanopharynx (S.) and Gigantocotyle (Gi.) identified and recorded in wild ruminants. It was observed that most studies on amphistomes of wild ruminants were conducted and documented before the year 2000, which not only show the paucity of data in this area but also highlighted the less attention given to these group of parasites by researchers. Studies done post 2000 mostly shifted and focused on amphistomes and other helminth parasites of domestic animals such as schistosomiasis including zoonotic diseases such as fascioliasis which are more common and have a higher impact on public health in Africa. This is understandable as domestic animals are seen as an investment and of economic importance to most countries in Africa. As a result, current amphistome prevalence estimates in Africa may not completely reflect the diversity of host species or geographical areas. Results also revealed that only one study has been done to date on molecular characterization of amphistomes of wild ruminants and future research gaps were identified. A total of 313 hunter-killed wild ruminants from game parks and wildlife conservancies from Hwange,
Nyamandlovu and Beitbridge, were randomly selected and assessed for amphistome infection. The wild ruminant species were identified as Syncerus caffer (African buffalo), Aepyceros melampus (impala), Redunca arundinum (reedbuck), Kobus ellipsiprymnus (waterbuck), Hippotragus niger (sable), Tragelaphus strepsiceros (kudu), Connochaetes taurinus taurinus (blue wildebeest), Sylvicapra grimmia (common duiker), Tragelaphus sylvaticus (bushbuck) and Damaliscus lunatus (tsessebe). From these, amphistome infections were found in African buffalo, sable, waterbuck, kudu, eedbuck and blue wildebeest. The overall prevalence of infection was 10.22% (32/313), with the highest infection rate recorded in 63 % (7/11) in waterbuck. The highest prevalence of amphistomes per locality was in Hwange at 35% (7/20) whilst the lowest prevalence was observed in Nyamandlovu at 5.62% (15/267). Morphology revealed eight amphistome species which included C. raja, C. microbothrium, C. phillerouxi, C. clavula, L. gretillati, G. crumenifer, Gi. symmeri and Orthocoelium (O.) dicranocoelium. Molecular analysis using ITS-2 region confirmed identity of some of the isolates with a percentage identity of above 97%. This is a first record of Gastrothylax crumenifer, Leiperocotyle gretillati and Orthocoelium dicranocoelium in Zimbabwe. This was followed by a study on detection of amphistome DNA and identification of snail intermediate hosts of amphistomes from the following six areas in the Matebeleland region of Zimbabwe; Matopos, Inyathi, Beitbridge, Nyamandlovu, Ntabazinduna and Esigodini. A total of 487 freshwater snails were collected from 9 of 19 surveyed water points (from the six mentioned areas) where wild ruminants had been spotted or frequently drink and were morphologically identified as Biomphalaria (Bio.) pfeifferi, Bulinus (B.) tropicus, B. truncatus, B. globosus, Lymnaea (Radix) natalensis, Physa (Phy.) acuta, Bellamya spp. and Melanoides (M.) tuberculata. Of these snails, species identifcication was confirmed for Bio. pfeifferi, Bul. tropicus, Bul. truncatus, Bul. globosus, L. (R.) natalensis, based on the Cox1 gene. Bulinus tropicus and Phy. acuta were collected in abundance. Amphistome DNA was detected in 11.9 % (58/487) snails, with the highest infection rate being detected in B. globosus (44.4 %). Amphistome DNA from M. tuberculata was successfully sequenced and identified as C. microbothrium. An additional band was detected in M. tuberculata, B. tropicus and B. trancatus which showed a 96.42% similarity to Paragonimus spp. sequence in the GenBank.
Although mapping was done in the review paper, it shows that there still is a lack of current information on amphistomes of wild ruminants. More work therefore needs to be done on wild ruminants as they may be potential reservoirs of amphistomes. In conclusion, this study revealed how wild ruminants harbor diverse amphistome species, some of which have not been documented before in Zimbabwe. This may be attributed to either movement of wild animals across barriers or establishment of new and invasive snails in different parts of the country. Furthermore, the detection of Calicophoron microbothrium DNA in snails such as Melanoides tuberculata shows that there could be many more snail intermediate hosts of amphistomes. Future work should focus on screening more snails for amphistome infection.