Ruth Albertyn

Academic writing for publication is a challenging process for which academics are often ill-prepared. Being consistently successfully published in peer-reviewed publications is one measure of academic worth and scholarliness. Becoming a scholar is a rite of passage, an iterative process with liminal spaces, thresholds, transitions and transformations, which cannot be achieved without support, guidance and mentorship. We used collaborative autoethnography to describe the types of liminality we encountered as managers, facilitators, critical readers and editors of academic writing for publication capacity development events. We identified three facilitation features: that facilitators act as agents of disruption, that they provide a generative and safe holding space, and that balance and mutuality are foundational elements. Application of these three features by facilitators, supervisors or managers could contribute to providing transformational writing spaces and support at various university levels during the iterative process and journey of scholarship development.

The need for social transformation in South Africa is intrinsically linked to the transformation of corporate South Africa. Strong senior leadership is required to ensure that organisations remain sustainable during this transformation. There is, however, a shortage of skilled senior leaders, hence the need for leadership development. When leaders transition into senior positions, they face a plethora of personal and systemic challenges. Many fail with resulting disastrous effects on individual (micro) and organisational (macro) levels. This research investigates the challenges faced by newly promoted senior leaders in order to lay the groundwork for designing support strategies for individuals and organisations. The qualitative findings suggest that leadership transitions present unexpected challenges on a personal and systemic level to such individuals and that they do not receive adequate support from their organisations. For transformation to be successful and sustainable on mac...

Orientation: Coaching is sometimes used in organisations to assist and support people when they are promoted into senior leadership positions. These coaching interventions are not optimally designed.Research purpose: The objective of this research was to investigate how a transition coaching intervention should be designed to cater specifically for people promoted into senior leadership positions.Motivation for the study: Leaders face daunting challenges when promoted into a senior position. Coaching could offer powerful support, but very little research exists on how to design a transition coaching intervention specifically aimed at supporting recently promoted senior leaders.Research design, approach and method: A constructivist, grounded theory approach using purposeful, theoretical sampling was used to identify 16 participants (recently promoted senior leaders, coaches, Human Resource [HR] partners and a line manager) from various organisations with whom open-ended interviews we...

Gender-related vulnerability is described as a crucial factor contributing to increased susceptibility of women to HIV, accounting for more women than men being infected. At the same time, empowerment interventions are being promoted as effective strategies for increasing the ability of women to adopt protective behaviours. The aim of the review was to identify, collate and categorise the factors determining the gender-related vulnerability of women to sexually transmitted HIV. A review of literature from theoretical and empirical studies using diverse methodologies was undertaken. Reports included those identified through electronic and manual searching. Twenty factors, forming five clusters, were identified as influencing the ability of women to adopt protective behaviours. Each factor was analysed to describe its component parts and the relationship between a factor, gender-related vulnerability, HIV risk level and empowerment status. Further analysis provided a description of ma...

ABSTRACT Transitions in an era of globalisation and universal change impact on postgraduate training of students at higher education institutions. This study aimed to determine completion rates for postgraduate programmes in Education at one higher education institution, to identify the students' needs and to investigate their experiences of postgraduate studies. Questionnaires were administered to students who had graduated and who suspended their studies between 2000 and 2006 (n=78). In this cohort, more Ph.D. students completed their studies and in a shorter time than M.Phil. students. The research component was regarded as the most difficult aspect of postgraduate studies. The need for supervision support in research skills was noted by more M.Phil. students than Ph.D. students. Academic input of assessing progress and evaluating quality were regarded as the most important supervision need for students. Personal attributes, support from supervisors and institutional support are noted as factors contributing to success. Addressing the postgraduate students' needs is essential in an era characterised by transition to ensure accountability and quality within higher education.

The role of assessment and evaluation in postgraduate research is problematic due to varying perceptions of standards and criteria regarding expectations of a postgraduate research thesis. To improve the standard of evaluation of theses and dissertations, a set of criteria, as well as rating scales for each criterion, was developed. These criteria and rating scales were applied to the evaluation of theses by over 150 academics in six workshops on the assessment and evaluation of theses and dissertations at different South African universities. The outcomes of each participant's evaluations were compared to the formally appointed examiner's evaluation of that thesis. The findings from applications in workshops reflect a greater consistency in the use of criteria, more comprehensive holistic coverage of all criteria, greater accountability by the examiner and an easier process in writing an examiner's report. The rating scale provided a standardised approach across disciplines, but proved to be less lenient to the candidate.

Abstract: Postgraduate students need to explore their research question (s) from different angles, take ownership of the research process, and develop their own scholarly voice. Supervisors are often ill-equipped to guide students in a strategic and learner-centred ...

A week long, live-in multi-disciplinary educational programme was offered to rural, diabetic patients in Kwazulu to determine whether their knowledge had increased after this time. The way this clinic was planned and organised, is described and the results evaluated: educated diabetics were more willing to take part in this programme than uneducated patients; newly diagnosed diabetics learnt the most, and the most effective learning will take place if it satisfies the individual's immediate goals. It is emphasized that there is a "teachable moment" in the life of a patient (mostly soon after a diagnosis) when maximum change can be obtained, and this should be used.

Students often battle to complete the research component of postgraduate studies. This challenge may be due to postgraduate students having a primary interest in theoretical and practical knowledge rather than research in the era of credential inflation. Research leaders may embark on researcher development initiatives but unless both parties in the postgraduate supervision relationship are considered, these interventions may not achieve their aim. Student research challenges were explored from both student and supervisor perspectives using an Interactive Qualitative Analysis research design. Through conducting four focus groups and 14 individual interviews, issues emerged related to educational input, support and identity development. Findings revealed contrasting student and supervisor views on research challenges. Identification of both perspectives of research challenges led to the formulation of a framework of strategies for multi-level researcher development. These strategies could guide researcher development activities and contribute to ensuring accountability, enhancing quality, ensuring timely completion of postgraduate studies.

Emerging disciplines often lack an evidence base and, consequently, sacrifice credibility in practice and impact in knowledge creation potential. Coaching is a relatively new discipline with scope and reach into business and management. Finding ways to facilitate change is one of the challenges facing organisations. In this article, we report on an action research intervention to improve decision-making during individual and team coaching amongst senior managers. Action research appears to be an appropriate rigorous methodology in the sequential process of coaching. Coaching in turn utilises tools that action researchers could employ in their practice to facilitate change. Based on the findings, we propose three key elements to guide future action research of coaching for change interventions, namely individual development, mediated process and collective interaction. The rigour provided through the application of action research could make an academic contribution to strengthening the knowledge base of emerging disciplines.

The higher education sector needs to prepare youth for the fast changing innovative focused economy. Visionary leadership is needed to facilitate this knowledge transfer for novelty creation. A collaborative initiative could facilitate leadership development and foster knowledge sharing in this context. The initiative with three stakeholder groups started with an Interactive Qualitative Analysis exercise to identify needs and formulate a collaboration charter to ensure reciprocal benefits. A programme evaluation research design was applied three years after implementation using a logic-model framework. Process evaluation entailed collecting data from 103 questionnaires and 11 semi-structured interviews. Based on interpretation of data according to an integrated framework for sharing knowledge across boundaries, we identified three areas for further development: contextual knowledge, collaborative partnerships and common vision. Working collaboratively across institutional and knowledge boundaries towards a common vision could enhance leadership development and contribute to longer-term transformation and sustainable change in complex environments.

Introduction Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has received increased scientific, clinical and public attention over the past few decades and is now recognised as a common neurodevelopmental disorder, present throughout life, with a chronic, costly and debilitating course if untreated. Unfortunately, many patients suffering from ADHD remain undiagnosed, or if diagnosed, they do not receive optimal treatment. Improved outcomes are possible if patients suffering from ADHD receive a timely and accurate diagnosis, and receive comprehensive care, which would include psychopharmacological interventions, behavioural interventions and support. Previous research established the knowledge gap amongst general practitioners (GPs) with regard to adult ADHD. 1 In South Africa (SA), poor identification and treatment of common mental disorders at primary healthcare level, limited access to specialist resources and a large service delivery and treatment gap remain problematic. In the current environment of a pressured health care system, GPs will play an increasingly important role in the early identification and management of adults with ADHD. 2,3 In this article, we argue that unless the lack of knowledge with regard to adult ADHD is addressed, the barriers to access to diagnosis and treatment will continue to prevail. Strategies to break down these barriers include research, education, information and communication through multiple stakeholder engagement. Literature review The notion that ADHD is a disorder of childhood prevailed until the 1990s. However, rigorous research, including longitudinal studies, has now firmly established the existence of adult ADHD. ADHD affects 2% – 16% of the school-age population. 4 Estimates of the prevalence of adult ADHD range between 2.5% and 4.3%. 5,6 Extrapolating from population statistics (based on StatsSA population statistics for SA) and known prevalence information, we calculated the expected number of adults in SA between the ages of 20 and 50 affected by ADHD to be around 1 million. In the first South African study exploring the situation with regard to the prevalence and treatment Background: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder, with a chronic, costly and debilitating course if untreated. Limited access to diagnosis and treatment for adults with ADHD contributes to the cost of the disorder and the burden of disease.

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