STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE AND APPROACHES TO PROBLEM SOLVING IN PHYSICS AT A SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSITY

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leelakrishna Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
South African

scholarly journals Analysis of Rural-Based Pre-Service Teachers Spatial-Visualisation Skills in Problem Solving in Vector Calculus Using MATLAB

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
Godfred Amevor ◽  
Anass Bayaga ◽  
Michael J. Bosse
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
South African ◽  
Mathematical Problem ◽  
Interdisciplinary Studies ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Vector Calculus ◽  
Rural Settings ◽  
Second Year ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Method Approach

In science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for instance, interdisciplinary studies have noted positive correlation between spatial-visualization (SV skills) and mathematical problem solving. The majority of these studies sharing a link between SV skills and problem solving were contextualized in urban settings and only a few in rural settings. This investigation analyses how rural-based pre-service teachers apply their SV skills in problem-solving in a South African university, in the context of vector calculus. One hundred rural-based pre-service teachers in a second year vector calculus class at University of Zululand (UNIZULU) were randomly selected into control and experimental groups. MATLAB was used as a dynamic visual tool to analyse how research participants applied their SV skills. A mixed method approach was employed in data collection (quantitative and qualitative). Our findings revealed that the rural-based pre-service teachers’ SV skills correlate with their problem-solving skills in vector calculus.

Leading Creative Problem Solving

2021 ◽  
pp. 110-132
Author(s):  
Crystal Yolande Herborn ◽  
Frances Scholtz
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
South African ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Dispositional Mindfulness ◽  
Creative Problem Solving ◽  
Mindfulness Intervention ◽  
Creative Problem ◽  
Ict Industry ◽  
The Impact

This chapter explores the potential of mindfulness as a tool to assist us to think creatively when attempting to solve a problem. The study was conducted within an organisational setting and aimed to explore the impact of a mindfulness intervention on the creativity of leaders. A mixed methods research strategy was implemented, and an intrinsic case study employed in the study. The sample consisted of fourteen leaders of an organisation within the South African ICT industry. The data was collected using interviews, MAAS (mindfulness awareness attention scale) questionnaires, alternate uses tasks, and a creative problem-solving exercise. The findings highlighted that exposure to a brief mindfulness intervention seems to have positively impacted the dispositional mindfulness of leaders, as well as appear to have positively impacted their ability to creatively solve a problem. Participants highlighted the notion of pausing, reflecting, and resetting when dealing with daily challenges, which resulted in the PRR model being constructed.

TREATMENT ADHERENCE AND COPING WITH STRESS AMONG BLACK SOUTH AFRICAN HAEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

2004 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 777-782
Author(s):  
Ntombizodwa L. Khechane ◽  
Kelvin Mwaba
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
South African ◽  
Treatment Adherence ◽  
Coping Strategy ◽  
Hospital Data ◽  
Adherence Behavior ◽  
Coping With Stress ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Interdialytic Weight Gain ◽  
Social Support Seeking

Chronic illness is often experienced as stressful both physically and psychologically. The purpose of this study was to investigate how haemodialysis patients cope with treatment-related stress and to establish whether or not coping is related to treatment adherence. Subjects were a convenience sample of 50 black patients undergoing haemodialysis at a South African hospital. Data on coping were collected using the Coping Strategy Indicator (CSI) while treatment adherence was measured by interdialytic weight gain (IWG). The results showed that avoidance and social-support seeking were the most used coping strategies while problem solving was used least. The latter was the only coping strategy significantly associated with treatment adherence. It was concluded that intervention oriented toward problem solving may be helpful in enhancement of adherence behavior.

scholarly journals The cultural context of development: language as a means for thinking and problem-solving

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Azwihangwisi Muthivhi
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
South African ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Concept Development ◽  
Cultural Tradition ◽  
Classroom Learning

The present study, located in the socio-cultural tradition of research in developmental psychology, uses experimental tasks, adapted from the groundbreaking Lurian study (Luria, 1979, 1976) to investigate South African children’s acquisition and development of thinking and concepts – involving classification and generalisation, and how these concepts are linked to the specific cultural context of their manifestation.The paper provides new ways of understanding possible causes of contemporary problems that children encounter during classroom learning by examining the developmental roots of the specific modes of thinking and concept development in their concrete learning and developmental settings and specific tradition of learning within their schooling.

scholarly journals The effectiveness of problem solving therapy in deprived South African communities: results from a pilot study

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edith van't Hof ◽  
Dan J Stein ◽  
Isaac Marks ◽  
Mark Tomlinson ◽  
Pim Cuijpers
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
South African ◽  
Problem Solving Therapy

Problem-Solving Appraisal in the Association of Life Stress and Depression: A South African Study

1992 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 855-862 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Brian Pretorius
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
South African ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Stress Buffering ◽  
Black South African ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

This study focuses on the role that appraisal of problem-solving skills plays in the relationship of stress to distress. 450 black South African university students completed the Life Experiences Survey, the Problem Solving Inventory, and the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Multiple regression analysis indicated a direct effect for problem-solving appraisal on depression, but no support could be found for the stress-buffering effects of problem-solving appraisal.

Improving cooperation to make the South African fresh apple export value chain more competitive

2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Hardman ◽  
Mark Darroch ◽  
Gerald Ortmann
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
South African ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Joint Problem ◽  
Delivery Scheduling ◽  
Joint Problem Solving

This paper investigates aspects of cooperation between South African (SA) apple producers, packers and exporters in the Western Cape and Langkloof East areas during 2001 in order to show where these players need to commit more resources to make the SA fresh apple export value chain more competitive. A recursive Ordinary Least Squares model shows that higher levels of trust led to more cooperation (joint problem-solving and communication) between these players. Higher levels of joint problem-solving and communication, in turn, encouraged producers to commit more human resources to working with packers and exporters to find ways of making the chain more competitive. Results also suggest that the players need to particularly improve cooperation in production planning, delivery scheduling and quality control. Packers and exporters ranked climatic conditions as the top constraint currently facing the SA fresh apple industry, probably reflecting their concerns over the annual "pack-out" (quality distribution) of the apple crop. Other factors affecting competitiveness include the recent withdrawal of government export incentives, restrictive labour policy, high real interest rates, a lack of market information, and the growing and marketing of inappropriate apple varieties.

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