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An explanatory case study of Nigerian female domestic workers perspectives on coping strategies as live-in employees: towards decolonial reflections.
(2024) Adegbenjo, Oluwapelumi Temitope.; Nzimande, Bhekani David.; Masondo, Kgari-Masorole.
In Nigeria and many other countries, the continuous employment of women as domestic workers is a widespread phenomenon. This practice, among other factors, contributes to the stratification of the economy and to the division of labour characterized by the oppression of women. Nigeria has a large domestic sector that is dominated by women, with workers often demeaned as housemaids or house helpers. In the domestic sector, these workers are subjected to exploitation, abuse, and violence in the homes of their employers, and they are also forced to adapt or adjust to the challenges they face daily. The abuse and maltreatment of women domestic workers in Nigeria has been extensively studied empirically, however, there has been little research on the coping strategies these women use, especially in a decolonial context. This study adopted a qualitative research design with semi-structured interviews to explore the coping strategies adopted by female live-in domestic workers. Twenty live-in female domestic workers participated in the study. The research incorporated three theoretical frameworks: Coping Theory, Intersectionality, and African Feminism. Building on these theories, the study argues that African women across various cultures employ diverse strategies and initiatives to navigate and negotiate their roles with employers. The strategies they employ are often derived from what they perceive to be life lessons, which they have acquired because of negotiating several other spaces as women within a highly patriarchal society. The findings revealed that patience, wisdom, perseverance, social interaction, telling jokes, cultural practices, the use of waist beads, conflict resolution, and spirituality were among the adaptive resilience strategies used by these workers. Nonetheless, the study shows that coping strategies grounded in a decolonial perspective enable women to utilize their indigenous knowledge to negotiate duties and overcome challenges as domestic workers. This research discussed how these coping strategies are employed by female live-in employees when faced with adversity. Furthermore, the study suggests that the well-being of female live-in domestic workers should be prioritized, and that employers should be thoroughly vetted and evaluated before hiring domestic workers. Failing to manage the abuse of female live-in domestic workers undermines their well-being and perpetuates exploitation. Despite their resilience and coping strategies, unchecked abuse can lead to severe physical and mental health issues, perpetuating cycles of poverty and vulnerability.
Leading for Learner Retention: Learning from Secondary schools' management team members.
(2024) Mkhize, Simangele Mary-Jane.; Myende, Phumlani Erasmus.; Khumalo, Samukelisiwe Dorothy.
The South African Constitution under the Bill of Rights states that everyone has the right to basic education. The government invests a large portion of state funding into education to achieve its targeted goal, which is to promote learning opportunities for all by 2030 and 2063. The achievement of these goals by the Department of Basic Education demands that School Management Team members, together with other school stakeholders, play a crucial and dynamic role in ensuring that learners are retained. This study adopted a qualitative interpretive paradigm and employed a case study design to explore and understand how School Management Team members lead for learner retention in secondary schools. This study asks three key research questions: What meanings do School Management Team members attach to learner retention and leadership for learner retention? How do School Management Team members in secondary schools enact leadership for learner retention? Why do School Management Team members in secondary schools enact leadership for learner retention the way they do? The two methods of generating data used were one-on-one semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. I conducted the study in the province ofKwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Through purposive sampling criteria, I recruited 14 School Management Team members, comprised of three principals, one deputy principal and 10 DHs from three schools under Umlazi and Pinetown Districts. The combination of Downton’s transformational leadership theory, Maslow’s theory of motivation and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory formed the theoretical frameworks that guided this study. Thematic analysis was used to interpret and analyse the generated data. The data generated by School Management Team members in the three participating schools show that learner retention does not have a single meaning. For instance, three perspectives were shared collectively by all participants in this study. Another issue that emerged as a major concern was the use of policies that are not specific to learner retention. The participants revealed that they used policies that were intended to increase the learner retention rates in the schools but were not specific to learner retention. The participants viewed these policies as indirectly pushing learners away from school and negatively influencing other learners who copied them and did likewise. The finding of this study is that participants adhere to these policies out of obligation to implement directives from the Department of Education. However, the Department did not provide explicit guidelines regarding the procedures to follow when children discontinue with their schooling. The findings indicated that in the process of leading for learner retention, School Management Team members are exposed to limited or sometimes no support from various levels of the education system. It is argued that the manner that people do things is influenced by how they link their understanding to reality. Research of this nature can be advantageous to alleviate social ills such as crime, substance abuse, and the continuing rise of ‘amaphara’ (derived from the word ‘parasites’ as they steal from families and communities) in South Africa. There is a need for similar studies that involve a wider category of participants, such as parents, community members, and school dropouts.
Transthoracic echocardiograph in a neonatal intensive care unit indications yield and spectrum of congenital heart disease identified: a retrospective descriptive cross sectional study.
(2024) Adzosii , Della.; Hoosen, Ebrahim.; Naicker, Thirona.
Overview available in a PDF.
The long-term implications of maternal childhood victimisation and betrayal trauma on parenting attitudes, behaviours and parent outcomes: a scoping review.
(2024) Olden, Rachel Mary.; Valjee, Sachet Rabindranath.
Childhood experiences of interpersonal victimisation are shown to have detrimental effects on an individual’s well-being. When the perpetrator of these violations is a caregiver or other close individual, the victim experiences “betrayal trauma” (BT). The long-term implications of childhood BT are largely unknown. The current scoping review study aims to map the existing literature on the topic of BT as it relates to parenting attitudes and behaviours, with consideration towards intergenerational trauma and the associated child outcomes. Informed by attachment theory (Bowlby, 1988) and Betrayal Trauma Theory (Freyd, 1994), the current study examines the effect of childhood BT on parenting practices, to conceptualise and situate this topic within research. This scoping review aims to synthesise existing literature on maternal childhood victimisation and its subsequent effects on parenting, examining whether emotional dysregulation is a prevalent pattern among mothers who have experienced betrayal trauma. The methodology follows Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) scoping review framework, utilising Braun and Clarke’s (2006) reflexive thematic analysis alongside descriptive statistics. A total of five studies were included, comprising various maternal populations who experienced childhood BT. The data was analysed to identify key themes related to emotional dysregulation, parenting behaviours, and the intergenerational transmission of trauma via child outcomes. The findings revealed two main themes: the Effect of Betrayal Trauma on Parenting Practices and the Consequences of Childhood Betrayal Trauma. The findings reveal that BT significantly influences maternal perceptions of parenting practices, with emotional dysregulation emerging as a critical mediator in the development of maladaptive parenting behaviours. Additionally, the research highlights the role of trauma in the transmission of emotional and behavioural dysregulation across generations. These findings underscore the importance of addressing emotional dysregulation in trauma-informed interventions for mothers and lay the foundation for future studies to explore BT within the South African context to develop clinical interventions targeting intergenerational trauma transmission.
Secondary treatments for paediatric patients with persistence/chronic primary ITP specialised at haematology clinic in Durban, South Africa.
(2024) Zwane , Collen Noluthando.; Jeena, Prakash Mohan.
Overview is availabe in a PDF.