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ResearchSpace is the institutional repository of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, unlocking knowledge, empowering impact, and preserving UKZN's research legacy.

 

 

Recent Submissions

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An exploration of social interaction through the built environment: towards a recreational center in KwaDukuza.
(2022) Naidoo, Preben.; Ogunsanya, Lawrence Babatunde.
This abstract looks at social interaction when referring to the constructed environment, particularly emphasising a recreation facility in KwaDukuza. The study aims to investigate how social dynamics and community involvement affect built environment design. Inclusion and diversity will be emphasized in the design of the recreation facility, which will provide a range of recreational opportunities and amenities to accommodate a range of age groups, interests, and abilities. The design and layout will be carefully considered to promote chance encounters, teamwork, and visitor socialization. A qualitative method approach was used to conduct an exhaustive review of relevant information, enabling a thorough comprehension of the topic. Qualitative interviews were held to learn more about a smaller group of participants' experiences and viewpoints. The study and triangulation of the results from the data provided an in-depth and complete grasp of the research issue. This method ensured a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the exploration issues by permitting an in-depth exploration of social interaction in the built environment. It will become clear from the study's findings that the recreational center is crucial for promoting social cohesiveness and neighbourhood ties. It can be a focal point for various social events, such as sporting events, cultural gatherings, and educational courses. The centre aims to give locals a venue for meaningful interaction, connection, and relationship-building, ultimately enhancing the KwaDukuza community's social fabric. The center's effectiveness as a gathering place will also be aided by its advantageous location, accessible infrastructure, and eco-friendly features. Green areas, seating areas, and gathering places were incorporated to promote social interaction and community among the visitors. Overall, studying social interaction in KwaDukuza's built environment will emphasize the value of well-designed recreation areas as engines for civic participation and cohesiveness. Future urban planning projects will be informed by the study's findings, which highlight the importance of including social interaction components in the design of public places to build stronger communities.
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Mathematics Heads of department experiences of the implementation of technical mathematics: a case study of three technical schools in Pinetown district
(2023) Khoza, Mfundo Mondli.; Ngcobo, Annatoria Zanele.
Curriculum reform in the South African education system has faced a number of changes in the post-apartheid era. The changes in the curriculum aimed to redress the imbalances of the past while addressing the challenges of the future. The major curricular reform that has taken place in the past two decades includes the introduction of the subjects of Mathematical Literacy in 2006 and Technical Mathematics in 2016. Technical Mathematics has been piloted and is being implemented across technical schools in South Africa – which means that Departmental Heads (DHs) face a challenge in being ready to implement it. Therefore, knowledge of the experiences of those who have piloted and implemented Technical Mathematics in their schools is essential. The DHs, as curriculum leaders, must demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the subjects they manage. In this qualitative study, three Technical Mathematics DHs in Pinetown District in KwaZulu-Natal shared the duality of their teaching roles while managing the new subject. Using Samuel’s (2008) Force Field Model, professional forces were used to analyse this study. These forces enabled or constrained the DHs’ implementation, management, and teaching of Technical Mathematics in their respective schools. The conceptual framework used in this study is a modification of Shulman’s (1986) pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and Ball et al.’s (2008) Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT), which provided clearer lenses for understanding the study phenomenon. Findings revealed that DHs understand what is needed, but this knowledge is not demonstrated all times; their understanding of their roles is more inclined toward teaching rather than managing the subject. The results of this study showed that suitable teachers, continuous evaluation and support, including practical assessment tasks (PAT), and providing professional development for Technical Mathematics teachers were perceived as enablers. Inhibiting factors were the six-year delay in including PAT, a lack of professional development targeting DH management roles, crumbling content, and learners’ apathy towards the subject. I argue that DH needs targeted support for their role and capacitation in knowledge of implementing and managing Technical Mathematics in order to execute their roles efficiently.
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An architectural response to informality: a proposed mixed-use community hub in Komani Informal Settlement, Eastern Cape.
(2024) Kwaza, Simphiwe Ntandazo.; Govender, Viloshin.
Global urbanisation is accelerating as most people move from rural villages, farms, and the countryside to urban metropolises. This is the way that things are done in South Africa. Previously, colonialism and apartheid left behind a legacy of injustices and inequalities, and a sizable portion of the South African population is still disenfranchised or impoverished today. Many citizens reside in abandoned buildings on the outskirts of the major business centre, areas of persistent poverty, and extremely dangerous settings. This study is being conducted in Komani, an Eastern Cape town that is close to the Stormberg mountains. About 25% of its population lives in informal settlements. Officials have been forced to alter their plans for informal settlements and work toward integrating them into the fabric of South African cities due to the fact that these communities have turned into insurgents and are fighting for their "right to be part of the central business district area" and a better quality of life. In this situation, it is vital that architecture reconsiders how it may address the problems that informal settlement groups experience in order to reimagine the social imperatives of modernist architecture in these rebellious places. This study investigates how place theory, informality, culture, and empowerment of informal settlement groups might influence architecture to provide more adaptable and successful interventions that deal with the problems these communities face. Understanding the conditions of urban informality, the way of life and daily struggles of the occupants of informal settlements, and strategies for resolving the issues these communities face through a combination of formal and informal processes are made possible by a variety of literary works, theories, precedents, and case studies. Theories like empowerment, informality, culture and place-making may provide light on what it is like to live in an informal community daily. The objective of this study's architectural approach will be the conceptualisation of a planned mixed-use community hub in the Eastern Cape's Komani Informal Settlement. The goal of this thesis is to improve the community's quality of life by addressing its daily demands and problems.
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The prevalence of hand pathology in regional orthopaedic hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal: a cross sectional study.
(2023) Thabit, Swaleh Hassan Abdalla.; O'Connor, Megan.
Hand pathology in the international context is common, and contributes to; time off work, loss of income, change or loss of occupation and residual dysfunction. In South Africa, investigation has been performed into traumatic and infective hand pathology and its ramifications for occupation. The broader burden of hand pathology, other than traumatic and infective pathology, had not been investigated locally. This observational cross-sectional study aimed to quantify the burden of hand pathology on regional hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) that offer orthopaedic services, over the course of a single week. In addition, the investigation determined which patients are affected by these pathologies and which pathologies cause the greatest burden, by number, to the KZN health system. The results of which identified focus areas that need more attention and directs future research to address areas of concern. Hand pathology broadly encompasses infection, degenerative and inflammatory arthropathy, trauma, peripheral neuropathies, tumours, and congenital deformities. We conducted an observational, cross-sectional data collection, from patient and hospital records, for the course of a week at all 10 regional hospitals that offer orthopaedic services in KZN. Data was captured for all patients who presented to the orthopaedic services at these facilities. With this information, we calculated the prevalence of hand pathology at regional health facilities that offer orthopaedic services in KZN. We were able to describe the patients most commonly affected by hand pathology, and determined which pathologies occur most commonly. This epidemiological study provides important insights. Hand pathology represents around one fifth of the presentations to regional orthopaedic facilities in KZN, and nearly a quarter of trauma cases presenting to these facilities occur in the hand. Resource allocation and training should be directed toward awareness, education and management of these common pathologies.
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An analysis of strategic knowledge management and sharing: a case of Eswatini Water Services Corporation.
(2022) Simelane, Vusane Qiniso.; Mtembu, Vuyokazi Ntombikayise.
Abstract available in PDF.