https://td-sa.net/index.php/td/issue/feedThe Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa2024-03-18T12:00:03+01:00AOSIS Publishingsubmissions@td-sa.netOpen Journal Systems<a id="readmorebanner" href="/index.php/td/pages/view/journal-information" target="_self">Read more</a> <img style="padding-top: 2px;" src="/public/web_banner.svg" alt="" />https://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1392Exploring Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants’ pedagogical growth in United States universities2024-03-18T12:00:03+01:00Nhlanhla Mpofunmpofu@sun.ac.za<p>This research addresses the scarcity of studies examining how participants in higher education exchange programmes, specifically the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) programme, use situated learning experiences to develop professional knowledge. To fill this gap, the study examined how FLTAs construct and reconstruct teaching knowledge during their fellowship. Grounded in situated learning theory and experiential learning, the phenomenological design aligns with interpretive and qualitative traditions. The 2017–2018 cohort, comprising six FLTAs, participated in focused group discussions. Data analysis, utilising grounded theory approach, revealed that FLTAs constructed knowledge through structured programmes and personal-social experiences, employing introspective, retrospective, and prospective reflection practices. Additionally, participants emphasised the impact of accommodating and adapting beliefs, values, and dilemmas in challenging assumptions about higher education teaching and learning. This study contributes to a novel understanding of how planned activities and authentic experiences form the basis for professional knowledge construction across continents.</p><p><strong>Transdisciplinary contribution:</strong> The transdisciplinary nature of this study allows for a holistic exploration of the process of teaching knowledge construction. By integrating insights from teacher knowledge construction, cognitive psychology, higher education teaching, inter-cultural practices and continuous professional development, this research provides a comprehensive understanding of how Fulbright FLTAs construct their professional knowledge during their fellowship. The study highlights the complexity of knowledge development, considering the cognitive processes involved, and addresses the context of higher education teaching and inter-cultural experiences. By emphasising the importance of continuous learning and growth, this research contributes to the field of teachers’ knowledge development.</p>2024-03-18T12:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2024 Nhlanhla Mpofuhttps://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1382Nurturing youth film literacy: Post-qualitative arts-based inquiry into critical self-awareness2024-02-01T13:21:21+01:00Wendy Smidtart.wendys@gmail.comZayd Waghidwaghidz@cput.ac.za<p>Post-digital, as a timeframe set, raises specific concerns for young adults engaged in artistic and cultural activities, seeking to establish a sustainable livelihood within a semi-rural South African context. They grapple with issues such as determining their positionality within a world marked by fading boundaries between the physical and digital. To better understand the post-digital impact on experiential learning opportunities for young adults, the authors explored the specific ways and extent to which active engagement in shortfilm-making contributes to developing critical self-awareness among the participating post-school youth. An assemblage of transformative theories and concepts, rather than pre-determined methodologies, guided this inquiry that extended beyond the development of career and workplace competencies. The strengths of spaciousness and in-between boundary positions provided by the spider’s thread metaphor served as a useful methodological tool. Moving beyond the limitations of traditional discourse and content analysis, multimodal discourse analysis in combination with a modified, six-category measuring instrument was used to explore (analyse) the evidence (data) created as products of active participant engagement in a shortfilm-making project, over a 10-month period in 2020. Findings revealed that, for the participants, it was by moving from physical self-centred understandings of reality to experiential creations of authentic reality (shortfilm-productions) and involving an expanded awareness of those alternative possibilities that nurtured their potential transpersonal growth.</p><p><strong>Transdisciplinary Contribution:</strong> A synthesis of arts-based, post-qualitative and developmental phenomenographic approaches was employed to create, explore and communicate evidence in ways that present a holistic picture of alternative pathways to knowledge production.</p>2024-01-30T06:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2024 Wendy Smidt, Zayd Waghidhttps://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1399Boundary knowledge in conversation: Imagining higher education through transdisciplinarity and decoloniality2024-01-10T13:08:58+01:00Felix Maringefmaringe@uok.ac.rwOtilia Chirambaotiliac@uj.ac.za<p>Transdisciplinarity and decoloniality are two ideas that share much in common and which we believe have the potency to underpin meaningful transformation in post-colonial African universities. Transformation in post-colonial higher education sectors in Africa has been a key developmental goal; however, progress in achieving transformation has been slow. While much has been achieved on the continent that evidences the symbolism of change and transformation, we argue in this article that the epistemic and ideological dimensions of transformation have barely been altered. As a theoretical and conceptual input, the article provides a discussion of the theoretical terrain of the idea of boundary knowledge systems and suggests that the higher education systems have developed over the years and continue to do so on the assumptions behind bounded disciplinary knowledge systems. However, as globalisation intensifies, and as the world faces many complex challenges, disciplinary knowledge models have little potential to contribute to an adequate understanding, let alone resolution of these complex challenges. We also argue that we do not yet have truly African universities but universities in Africa, many of which are copycats of Western models of higher education. We provide seven propositions, which we believe can be used as a competent framework for rethinking the future of higher education in Africa.</p><p><strong>Transdisciplinary contribution:</strong> The article explores the concept of transdisciplinarity and its potential contribution to addressing the challenges faced by post-colonial African universities. It also provides a theoretical and conceptual framework for understanding its potential to transform higher education.</p>2023-12-19T06:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2023 Felix Maringe, Otilia Chirambahttps://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1412Acknowledgement to reviewers2024-01-09T13:41:00+01:00Editorial Officepublishing@aosis.co.zaNo abstract available.2023-11-17T12:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2023 Editorial Officehttps://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1369Design principles for integrating language and communication skills into engineering education2024-01-09T08:37:00+01:00Tharina Spoelstrastolstharina@gmail.comGary W. Collinscollinsgw@tut.ac.za<p>Developing competencies in language and communication is becoming increasingly important for the contemporary engineering student if career success and community engagement are to be enhanced. The integration of language, and other ‘soft-skills’, into broader engineering education could assist in preparing students to become more employable and improve their overall engineering ability. This study adopted a design-based research strategy to develop design principles regarding the integration of language and communication skills into engineering education. Eleven participants were purposefully sampled to form part of a design team that became responsible for this development. The principles that emerged emphasised the role culture plays in the process of learning, highlighting the importance of embracing cultural diversity in ways that frame it as a strength to be exploited. Differing abilities and levels of English language proficiency need to be accommodated, requiring lecturers to build in a feedback process to manage progress and effective student engagement. It is advisable to adopt a holistic approach to teaching and learning, and to pay careful attention to appropriate learning strategies. An integrated learning environment necessitates the dismantling of the traditional silos that have characterised engineering education and greater cooperation among various disciplines needs to be encouraged.</p><p><strong>Transdisciplinary contribution:</strong> The integration of language and communication into engineering education goes beyond the boundaries of individual disciplines and involves collaboration between the faculties of engineering and humanities as well as industry partners, and accreditation bodies. The diverse range of expertise required, range from linguistics and pedagogy to engineering and instructional design.</p>2023-11-13T06:50:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2023 Tharina Spoelstra, Gary W. Collinshttps://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1411Transdisciplinarity as engaged scholarship2024-01-09T08:37:00+01:00Izak van Zylvanzyliz@cput.ac.zaNo abstract available.2023-11-13T06:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2023 Izak van Zylhttps://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1347Small and medium business transformational leadership and supply chain management2024-01-09T08:37:00+01:00Irvine Langtonirvinemakena7@gmail.comChengedzai Mafinichengedzaim@vut.ac.za<p>The performance-related problems facing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa are well known. Efforts to find lasting solutions are ongoing and include empirical research focusing on various business practices and models. Applying leadership practices and supply chain management to SMEs provides fertile ground for groundbreaking solutions. This study tested the relationship between transformational leadership, supply chain execution and supply chain performance in manufacturing SMEs in South Africa. The study uses structural equation modelling to examine this empirical connection using data collected from 411 professional employees drawn from SMEs in three South African provinces. The study found that idealised influence and intellectual stimulation exert a positive impact on supply chain execution. Supply chain execution is positively linked to four supply chain performance factors, namely agility, reliability, cost optimisation and responsiveness.</p><p><strong>Transdisciplinary contribution:</strong> The study connects transformational leadership, which is an organisational behaviour construct to supply chain management, the latter of which is an emerging business discipline. The study recognises that business strategy is implemented by people whose conduct and practices are pivotal to strategic success. In addition, the study has an entrepreneurship orientation as it addresses the challenges facing manufacturing SMEs in South Africa.</p>2023-10-30T06:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2023 Irvine Langton, Chengedzai Mafinihttps://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1321(Non)fungibility of socio-cultural capital for rural-based students in South African universities2024-01-09T08:37:00+01:00Nonhlanhla P. KhumaloNonhlanhlaz2@dut.ac.zaNyamadzawo Sibandamaxnkn@gmail.com<p>The number of university students coming from rural areas has significantly increased in South Africa in the last two decades. While this is a positive sign of inclusive social growth and development, the fact that 70% of South African universities are still located in urban areas creates challenges for a number of these students. This is also compounded by the fact that most rural schools in South Africa offer sub-optimal preparation for post-school activities. As such, the first barrier for most of these students is negotiating various levels of access to higher education (HE), using forms of social and cultural capital that may be incommensurate with urban-based HE institutions. Using an in-depth review of literature on the subject of rural education, transition to higher education, student success and reflections on the professional experience of the authors in student support services in higher education. This study argues that since most South African universities are “urban enclaves”, students from rural areas take time to adapt and accumulate relevant socio-cultural capital to enable them to thrive and succeed. The transition of students from rural schools to urban-based universities is a socio-cultural as much as it is an epistemological mobility. As such, this “troubled transition” of rural students can be ameliorated through a trans-sectoral or transdisciplinary transitional intervention to simultaneously enable epistemological access and create commensurate socio-cultural capital. However, previous interventions on student transition have been generic and lacked the nuanced intersectional analysis of rurality on student access and success.</p><p><strong>Transdisciplinary contribution:</strong> The study proposes a trans-sectoral or transdisciplinary transitional space in which education institutions (basic and HE) collaborate with government and non-state partners to ensure sufficient and effective transition, especially for rural school learners.</p>2023-08-31T13:48:00+02:00Copyright (c) 2023 Nonhlanhla P. Khumalo, Nyamadzawo Sibandahttps://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1325Historical inquiry: Overcoming interdisciplinary methodological challenges in health sciences2024-01-09T08:37:00+01:00Gisela H. van Rensburgvrensgh@unisa.ac.zaJohanna M. Esterhuizenjoanest1@gmail.com<p>Historical inquiry is seldom used in South African nursing research and South African historians seldom conduct research into the historical contributions nurses made in South African healthcare, specifically the nursing discipline. In this article, the authors discuss the challenges of conducting historical inquiry within a South African nursing (health sciences) context and from nurses’ perspectives. Several challenges relating to the compilation of the research report were identified, as the traditional nursing research format differs from the typical historical inquiry format. The authors explain how critical realism philosophy influenced the research objectives and deepened their understanding of historical inquiry as a research methodology and thus assisting them in gaining new insight into historical events in South African nursing and guiding the writing of the historical narrative. The authors concluded that an interdisciplinary approach to research that allows for flexibility in report writing is recommended to contribute to the historical inquiry of discipline-specific histories. Such flexibility encourages fresh viewpoints and insights into historical inquiry as a research method.</p><p><strong>Transdisciplinary contribution:</strong> This article illustrates how historical inquiry as a methodology, informed by critical realism philosophy, was applied in the health sciences field of research.</p>2023-08-24T10:27:00+02:00Copyright (c) 2023 Gisela H. van Rensburg, Johanna M. Esterhuizenhttps://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1349Co-designing a framework for a persuasive educational technology tool for motivating female students for enrolment into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics disciplines2024-01-09T08:37:00+01:00Aisha M. Abdullahiam.abdullahi@fud.edu.ngBester Chimbochimbb@unisa.ac.za<p>Goal five of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals calls for increased female participation in socioeconomic growth and development. Achieving this goal requires promoting females’ participation in fields such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) which facing a dire shortage of personnel. However, existing efforts to increase female participation in STEM professions in Nigeria are limited in two ways: firstly, they are not focused on young females between the ages of 11 and 18. Secondly, most existing studies are not focused on the affective aspect of learning. Given the claims in existing literature that females’ disinterest in STEM professions is affective rather than cognitive, this article employs the attitude-change approach, also known as the persuasion approach, to motivate females to pursue STEM pathways. We conducted an empirical study among young female students, STEM teachers and STEM professionals from Nigeria. Based on the empirical study, a framework indicating the key components that educational technology designers should consider when developing technologies to motivate young females in Nigeria to pursue STEM professions is presented.</p><p><strong>Transdisciplinary contribution:</strong> This study is unique in that it combines strategies from various fields. The framework’s persuasive strategies are drawn from the field of psychology, the innovative pedagogies are drawn from the field of education and the design science research approach is drawn from the field of information systems. This implies that increasing female participation in socioeconomic growth requires transdisciplinary research. This also has implications for how other United Nations Sustainable Development Goals can be met through transdisciplinary research.</p><strong></strong>2023-07-11T10:10:00+02:00Copyright (c) 2023 Aisha M. Abdullahi, Bester Chimbo