ResearchSpace
ResearchSpace is the institutional repository of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, unlocking knowledge, empowering impact, and preserving UKZN's research legacy.
Recent Submissions
The effects of Zingiber officinale (ginger) extract on inflammation, innate immune system, haematological factors and cardiovascular diseases in diet-induced prediabetic rats.
(2025) Langa, Bonakele.; Mabuza-Mashaba, Lindokuhle Patience.; Khathi, Andile.
Prediabetes, characterized by intermediate hyperglycemia, is frequently accompanied by chronic inflammation, disrupted haematological profiles, and an elevated risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease. This study examines the effects of Zingiber officinale (ginger) extract on inflammation, innate immune system, haematological parameters and cardiovascular complications in diet-induced prediabetic rats. Thirty-six (36) male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into six groups (n=6 per group) and were induced with prediabetes using high carbohydrate for a period of 20 weeks. After induction, the groups were treated as follows for a period of 12 weeks: a prediabetic (PD) control; a dietary intervention (DI) control; Zingiber officinale treatment groups in the presence (ZO+DI) and absence [ZO+HFHC] of DI; as well as metformin in the presence (MT+DI) and absence (MT+HFHC) of DI. An additional six animals were kept on a standard diet and served as a non-prediabetic control (NPD). At the end of the treatment period, parameters measured included homeostatic model assessment index (HOMA-IR), body weight, anti-inflammatory cytokine (adiponectin), pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF α, IL-6 and CRP), neutrophils cell count, MDA levels, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NFE2L2). As well as fasting blood glucose (FBG), oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), triglycerides (TG), heart-to-body weight ratio, RBC and platelet indices, as well as mTOR and erythropoietin (EPO) expression. Treatment with Zingiber officinale significantly improved glucose tolerance and decreased HbA1c and triglyceride levels. It normalized RBC and platelet counts, aligning with previous findings where ginger ameliorated haematological disturbances in diabetic rats. Expression of mTOR and EPO was modulated, suggesting reduced inflammation and attenuated cardiovascular risk. Zingiber officinale also demonstrated cardioprotective benefits, echoing earlier studies showing structural recovery and improvement in cardiac biomarkers in prediabetic rat models. Zingiber officinale extract enhances glycaemic control, restores normal haematological function, and mitigates early cardiovascular complications in diet-induced prediabetic rats. These findings support its potential as a nutraceutical therapeutic to prevent progression from prediabetes to T2DM and related cardiovascular conditions.
An exploration of grade 7 teachers’ topic specific pedagogical content knowledge when teaching electric circuits at lower Umvoti Circuit of the Ilembe District of KwaZulu-Natal.
(2023) Khanyile, Millicent.; Moodley, Merventharan Perumal.
This study offered insight into the teachers' Topic Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TSPCK) when teaching electric circuits. There was a need of conducting this study to ascertain the grade 7 teachers’ TSPCK since the researcher is responsible for supporting the teachers when teaching electric circuits. In addition, the research in this regard is limited. The TSPCK involves changing what is taught to a form that could be comprehended by the learners at topic level. The study focused on TSPCK and electric circuits as a topic since this topic is regarded as difficult and abstract, hence it was anticipated that the teachers benefitted from this study. The researcher also benefited from the study in terms of understanding the teachers’ TSPCK when teaching electric circuits. The research questions for this study read: What is the level of grade 7 teachers’ content knowledge when teaching electric circuits? What is the nature of grade 7 teachers’ topic specific pedagogical content knowledge when teaching electric circuits? What is the correlation between grade 7 teachers’ content knowledge and topic specific pedagogical content knowledge when teaching electric circuits? The first research question assisted in capturing the teachers’ content knowledge (CK) of electric circuits. The second research question helped in capturing teachers’ TSPCK when teaching electric circuits. The third question aided in ascertaining the correlation between TSPCK and CK when teaching electric circuits. The paradigm that was employed in this study is pragmatic paradigm. A pragmatic paradigm was used in this research because it was a mixed methods approach. Qualitative and qualitative methods are employed to comprehend the problem and to answer the research questions. In this study, the teachers’ experiences and views involving their knowledge were taken into cognisance to understand their TSPCK. The study involved multiple case studies that focused on the teachers’ TSPCK when teaching electric circuits. The case studies were used for comparing and getting insight into the teacher’s TSPCK. A sample of four teachers was used to collect data. Data collection employed a mixed methods approach in which the qualitative and quantitative data were collected. The convergent method was used since quantitative and qualitative data were collected independently, and the results were compared. TSPCK data were collected using a TSPCK assessment tool questionnaire, and CK data were collected using a CK assessment tool questionnaire. The questions on a TSPCK questionnaire were aligned to categories, including learner prior knowledge and misconceptions; curriculum saliency, difficult ideas to teach in electric circuits, representations, conceptual teaching strategies of electric circuits, learners' diversity for inclusive teaching of electric circuits, technologies for teaching electric circuits, various contexts in which teaching electric circuits takes place, assessing electric circuits and teaching resources for electric circuits. These categories were intended to ascertain the teachers' TSPCK when teaching electric circuits.
These categories became the themes of this study. The rubric was used to rate qualitatively TSPCK questionnaires’ responses. The questions in the CK assessment tool were linked to misconceptions and intended to ascertain the teachers misunderstanding when teaching electric circuits. The memorandum was used to score CK assessment tool questions. Data analysis involved analysing TSPCK and CK assessment tools qualitatively and quantitatively independently. CK and TSPCK data were compared using the Pearson moment correlation and regression correlation. The results revealed that the teachers’ TSPCK is developing and CK is at level 2. The relationship between CK and TSPCK is a positive weak relationship, which means TSPCK predict CK even though the relationship is weak. The gaps and good practices were identified. The study recommended that workshops should be conducted to capacitate the teachers with regards to electric circuits. This study also contributes to the literature considering teachers’ TSPCK when teaching electric circuits in grade 7.
Occupational therapy interventions for substance-related disorders in the public primary health care sector in the city of Johannesburg.
(2024) Ferrett, Kirsty.; Mpanza., December Mandlenkosi.; Mkhize, Phakeme Zinhle.
Introduction: Substance-related disorders pose significant intersecting health and social challenges in South Africa. The 2023 Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Use. Disorders Policy emphasizes involving service users in intervention planning, integrating support groups, and incorporating vocational rehabilitation. However, occupational therapy interventions for substance-related disorders in primary health care settings remain unclear. Methods: An exploratory qualitative study investigated substance-related disorder interventions provided by occupational therapists in the City of Johannesburg’s public primary health care facilities. Purposive heterogeneous sampling was used to select eighteen participants consisting of occupational therapists (n=8), multidisciplinary team members (n=6) and service users (n=4). Semi-structured interviews were audio-recorded,
written, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Results: Six themes emerged: (1) Individualised approaches to substance-related disorder interventions, (2) Campaigns and screenings, (3) Barriers to service delivery, (4) socioeconomic and contextual influences on substance use, (5) Service users’ experiences with occupational therapy, and (6) Proposed solutions for improved substance-related disorder interventions.
Conclusion: Despite challenges in South African public health services—such as underfunding, resource limitations, and staff shortages—occupational therapists in primary health care settings provide numerous occupation-based interventions for substance related disorders. These interventions address occupational performance in individual and group settings, with gardening groups being the most common form of group intervention.
Implications for practice: The findings suggest that occupational therapy interventions for substance-related disorders primarily focus on leisure, education, work, psychoeducation, coping skills development, and referrals to learnerships. However, health promotion and substance-related disorder prevention are often underemphasised, with the primary focus remaining on addressing physical ailments. The findings align with the 2008 Prevention of and treatment for Substance Abuse Act, which suggests that occupational therapists, as mental health practitioners, should focus on increasing awareness, prioritising substance abuse campaigns and screenings, and fostering collaboration within multidisciplinary teams.
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.