DSpace Repository

Welcome to the NWU Repository, the open access Institutional Repository of the North-West University (NWU-IR). This is a digital archive that collects, preserves and distributes research material created by members of NWU. The aim of the NWU-IR is to increase the visibility, availability and impact of the research output of the North-West University through Open Access, search engine indexing and harvesting by several initiatives.

Now showing 1 - 17 of 17

Recent Submissions

When the unthinkable happens: protecting moms and babies in the hospital
(North-West University, 2025-08-24) Bam, N.E
Imagine a hospital’s maternity ward: new mothers are recovering, babies are nestled in cribs, and some, born too soon, are in incubators, fragile and dependent. Now, picture a sudden crisis, a fire, a flood, or a major power outage. What happens to these incredibly vulnerable patients and the dedicated nurses caring for them? Are they truly ready? This vital research, from a Master’s research study supervised, explored this exact question in a public hospital in South Africa, where most of the nation's births occur. It uncovered a crucial reality: while our nurses are immensely dedicated and understand what a disaster is, they often feel profoundly unprepared to act effectively when one strikes in their obstetric unit.
Frogs of the greater Nature's Valley Area: Biodiversity and conservation
(North-West University (South Africa), 2025) Botha, Tiaan; Du Preez, Louis Heyns; Coetzee, H.C; Tarrant, J; Du Preez, Louis Heyns- 12308218
The Nature’s Valley area in the Western Cape of South Africa is a topographically unique region with immense conservation potential. Amphibians are classified as the most threatened group of vertebrates globally, yet they remain largely neglected, underfunded and overlooked in terms of conservation and research, especially in this area. CHAPTER ONE discusses the extent of threats facing amphibian and conservation trends globally, then narrows down to the need for biodiversity studies, threatened species conservation and human-frog interaction interventions that could support viable frog populations in the Nature’s Valley area. CHAPTER TWO aims to contribute to the need for updated amphibian distribution maps by conducting the first thorough amphibian biodiversity assessment in this area since 1987, with the use of modern passive acoustic monitoring technology. This chapter expands on the species list for the area by sharing insight in habitat selection, circadian vocal patterns, seasonal change in chorus composition, and associated weather affinity of each species. CHAPTER THREE utilises modern statistical software to add to the description and analysis of the calls of the Knysna leaf-folding frog (Afrixalus knysnae). R coding language is frequently used in various fields for statistical analysis but was only recently made suitable for acoustic analysis. This chapter expands on the use of this coding language in the description and analysis of the two-part call of this endangered frog, contributing to future taxonomic studies. Behavioural observations made in situ forms an important part of this chapter – building on what was thought to be known of this species. CHAPTER FOUR solely reports on the effect that various environment factors have on tadpole development of A. knysnae. Knowledge obtained from this could contribute to future ex situ conservation – probable and possibly effective conservation action according to the second Global Amphibian Assessment. CHAPTER FIVE explores a potential threat to effective amphibian conservation in South Africa , namely human behaviours, attitudes and actions towards the environment. In this chapter, various factors that influence human behaviours and attitudes towards frogs are explored, discussed and applied in the Nature’s Valley context. Important future conservation interventions – taking local communities (and their views and beliefs) into consideration – are discussed. CHAPTER SIX contextualises all that is discussed above and attempts to discuss this in a practical sense to contribute to effective frog conservation approaches in the Nature’s Valley area. Aims and objectives, conclusions and recommendations are revisited and expanded upon.
Automated autoencoder neural network architecture design
(North-West University (South Africa), 2025) Boonzaaier, Z; Du Toit, Jan Valentine; Du Toit, Jan Valentine- 10789901
Within recent years, there has been a sharp rise in the volume of raw data produced, analysed, and utilised across various fields. With the rapid evolution of technology, information systems, and data acquisition methodologies, this exponential growth necessitates advanced systems capable of efficiently processing, analysing, and interpreting large datasets. Autoencoders, a class of neural networks, have demonstrated significant potential in applications, such as dimensionality reduction, feature extraction, anomaly detection, thereby making them powerful tools for managing vast amounts of data. However, the manual design and development of autoencoder architectures are complex, time-consuming, and resource-intensive tasks that require expert knowledge, often leading to suboptimal models. The primary aim of this study is to develop an automated algorithm for constructing accurate autoencoder neural network architectures. The proposed Automated Autoencoder Neural Network Architecture Design (AANNAD) algorithm automates the hyperparameter selection process, iteratively generating and improving autoencoder models until a predefined resource limit is reached. This study follows a positivistic research paradigm and employs a Design Science Research methodology to evaluate the performance of the AANNAD algorithm across three datasets consisting of different data types originating from various application areas. These include the MNIST, SOCOFing, and credit card fraud detection datasets. The algorithm's performance is measured against traditional methods using reconstruction error metrics. The results demonstrate that the AANNAD algorithm consistently produces high-performing autoencoder architectures, often surpassing models specifically designed for their respective tasks. These findings suggest that the AANNAD algorithm may significantly streamline the development process of deep learning models, reducing time and human effort while maintaining or improving accuracy.
Teachers’ perspectives on strategies for the moral regeneration of secondary school learners in Gauteng Province, South Africa
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2025) Janeke, Margaret; Botha, Albertus Johannes; Twine, Cornelia; Botha, Albertus Johannes- 21734038; Twine, Cornelia- 20572611
South African society and schools have been at the crossroads for a long time, facing the turmoil of moral degeneration. There is an urgent need to find and effect solutions to redress the moral crisis. The depravity of values and destructive behaviour have reached a level where the entire teaching profession is under threat of collapse and intervention is required. The origins of the Moral Regeneration Movement was initiated in June 1997 by the late State President, Nelson Mandela, and aimed to address the degeneration of South Africa into a ‘moral slum’. Moral regeneration would confront crime, women and child abuse, domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse, drug trafficking, and corruption through a principled commitment to a Code of Conduct (Richardson, 2003:5-7). Moral apathy left a vacuum where none of the objectives were addressed, leading to a tacit acceptance of unacceptably high levels of moral degeneration. An inclination for the regeneration of this vision of Nelson Mandela provided the impetus for this study, which explored teachers’ lived experiences of moral de/regeneration of secondary school learners, gaining insights on how strategy development for moral regeneration could be optimised in South African secondary schools. A qualitative research approach situated in an interpretive phenomenological paradigm was adopted. The sites selected for the study were ten schools within five education districts of the Gauteng province, South Africa. The methodology comprised the purposeful sampling of teachers within these schools along with semi-structured interviews to generate data; thematic data analysis was employed. Methods of ensuring trustworthiness, as well as the necessary detail to ethical considerations, were emphasised. Implementation was made of the normative paradigm of interpretivism to generate new knowledge by through the lived experiences of secondary school teachers. Exploration of teachers’ experiences lead to the findings where four broad themes emerged of moral degeneration in secondary schools. Themes centred on these aspects: teachers’ views on morals and moral degeneration; challenges in facilitating a value-based education; evolving discourses on morality; and strategies for moral regeneration. Discoveries in theme four were incorporated into the strategy development for the moral regeneration of secondary schools in South Africa. The conceptual and theoretical framework revealed the importance of positioning the conceptual model in a value landscape, and played a significant role in the development of a value-based education framework. Considering the complexity and interrelation of concepts, the purpose of moral mechanisms, principles of human morality and moral character traits, moral foundations theory and reasoning, the pillar approach and moral reasoning, moral prototypes and the model for moral motives were considered for the seven strategies developed. Each of the seven strategies contributed towards the development of a value-based education framework. There is much literature about the moral complexities within the education system and how moral deterioration is mainly responsible for the regression of learners’ behaviour. Most research studies have focused on the problem, and how unruly, disrespectful and disobedient behaviour negatively affects the teaching and learning environments in school contexts. A dearth of strategies exists in the intervention and provision of moral education. Exploring teachers’ experiences appear to have been overlooked in research on moral degeneration and the establishment of frameworks for moral development. The strategies developed in this study for the moral regeneration of secondary schools in South Africa is a contribution to the body of knowledge, aiming to promote moral regeneration of secondary school learners in South Africa. These seven strategies individually and collectively address moral degeneration, and aim to promote moral regeneration through the intentional implementation of each strategy. Each strategy has its own specific rationale for implementation, its role players, its methods of implementation, and its desired outcomes. These strategies contribute to a value-based education framework where important aspects are addressed, allowing the assimilation of core values to become embedded within the education system (at school and community level). The strategies create opportunities for training and involvement by important role players, allowing individuals to learn from one another and to engage in the fostering of moral turnaround. This study not only addresses the moral crisis within our education system, but provides a value-based education framework where the seven strategies developed aim to contribute to learners’ and teachers’ long-term ethical reasoning, their moral judgement and social interaction, and to the inculcation of positive attitudes. Nelson Mandela’s intention for initiating the Moral Regeneration Movement could possibly be partially achieved by implementing these strategies developed for a value-based education model in South African secondary schools.
Teacher perceptions on the role of departmental heads in their professional development
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2025) Mabala, Funani; Tapala, Thomas Tshepo; Tapala, Thomas Tshepo- 24156949
This study investigates secondary school teachers’ perceptions regarding the role of departmental heads (DHs) in their professional development, with a specific focus on schools in the Kenneth Kaunda District of the North-West Province, South Africa. Departmental heads are instrumental in fostering effective teaching within their departments by guiding and supporting teachers’ development. However, the extent to which teachers perceive DHs as effective in this role remains unclear, particularly concerning the responsibilities as outlined in the Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM) document. Understanding these perceptions is essential as DHs’ leadership significantly impacts teaching quality and, ultimately, learner outcomes. Employing a qualitative research approach, this study collected data through semi structured interviews with twelve teachers, selected from secondary schools in the Kenneth Kaunda District. This method allowed for an in-depth exploration of teachers’ experiences and viewpoints on the support they receive from DHs. The findings of this study provided valuable insights into both the strengths and areas for improvement in the professional development support provided by DHs. By shedding light on teachers’ perspectives, this study offered practical recommendations that can help school administrators and DHs enhance professional development initiatives. These insights have the potential to foster a more supportive environment for teacher development; thereby contributing to improved teaching practices and improved performance.