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.

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Décollage - méthode de français langue étrangère pour débutants (Décollage - textbook for French as a foreign language for beginners)
(2026) Barkhuizen, Albertus; Grobler, Carina; Schmid, Karin; Stewart, Alexandra
The Décollage project was designed by a South African team of teacher-researchers to meet their students' need to identify with the teaching resources used in French as a Foreign Language (FLE) classrooms-not only with the characters featured, but also with the places where those characters are located. For this reason, the Décollage textbook aims to highlight South African cultures by offering characters, situations, and explanations in which learners can see themselves reflected. The fictional journey proposed in this method enables learners to discover certain African and European countries where French is spoken. This manual seeks to promote a variety of Francophone cultures, as well as the learner's own culture of origin. This colourful manual, enriched with images and icons, is intended for absolute beginners, but it does not adhere to any specific language reference framework. Décollage aims to meet the requirements of school and university curricula in South Africa. It follows a communicative and inductive approach, inviting learners to discover grammatical rules through examples or problem-based situations. It is therefore an active learning approach, meaning that the learner takes an active role instead of being a passive recipient of knowledge. The vocabulary in this manual is rich, varied, and drawn from different Francophone countries. Placing the learner at the centre of their French learning journey, Décollage promotes plurilingualism by encouraging learners to engage with the French language without excluding their primary language of reference. Furthermore, the instructions for the discovery activities are written in the first person. This "I" draws the learner into the book. Décollage includes eleven units. Each unit, or Escale (Layover), has four lessons of varying length and can be used sequentially or as stand-alone content. Each lesson includes a Carte culture (Culture Map), written or audio trigger documents, global and detailed comprehension activities, Précision langue (Language Focus) boxes to explain key vocabulary, activities for noticing and hypothesising about grammatical structures, Points grammaire (Grammar Points) to clarify rules, some Précision culture (Culture Notes) boxes to introduce important cultural conventions, and a Survol (Overview) of the lesson in English. The Survol explains the metalanguage and grammar rules to enable learners to study independently, without relying on a teacher or other third party. This important grammatical component aims to provide learners with tools that make communication possible, without placing too much emphasis on flawless communication or constant correction. The Survol is followed by communicative and grammatical reinforcement exercises. The clear and precise explanations of the grammatical metalanguage and language rules are intended to support students in a university context where the ability to discuss and analyse language is expected. These explanations may also assist someone learning French independently in a linguistically isolated environment. Décollage is published in an interactive PDF format. This format allows users to enter answers, make notes, or add annotations in the active fields and to save these changes on their device (smartphone, tablet, computer). In this way, each person creates a personalised copy that can be accessed at any time. The learner's device thus becomes an essential learning and teaching tool: for learners as a complete resource to adapt to their needs, and for teachers as a document to use in the classroom. This teaching material is accompanied by around sixty professionally recorded audio files. Learners have the opportunity to hear different voices and accents, which prepares them to interact with speakers from various backgrounds. The audio files can be downloaded for free. This resource does not come with a teacher's guide. Everything both teacher and learner need for successful language acquisition is included in the explanations found in the Survol and the various sections. The structure of the lessons is designed so that any teacher and any learner can easily understand the proposed approach. No answer key is provided for the activities, as making one freely and publicly available could prevent learners from truly discovering the French language - something the textbook aims to encourage. Ready for take-off? The editorial team invites you to climb aboard and let yourself be carried away by this exciting linguistic and cultural journey, rich in discoveries and lasting learning.
Victim empowerment strategy for female partner abuse in North West: A social work perspective
(North-West University(South Africa)., 2026) Nthutang, Funky Segomotso; Van der Merwe, M
This study focuses on the development of a victim empowerment strategy for female victims of partner abuse in the North West province of South Africa from a social work perspective. Female partner abuse is a significant social and public health issue in the province, characterised by multiple, intersecting forms of violence and subjugation. Underpinned by Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological theory, the study recognises the multifaceted and interdependent dynamics across individual, interpersonal, institutional, community, and societal domains that influence experiences of abuse and pathways to empowerment and recovery. A multi-phase qualitative research process enabled a multi-layered understanding of the research phenomenon and informed the development of the victim empowerment strategy. The population for the study included three groups: 21 female victims of partner abuse, 32 entry-level social workers, and 16 supervisors and managers within the North West Department of Social Development. The districts included were Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati and Dr Kenneth Kaunda Districts. Volunteer sampling was used for the female victims of partner abuse and purposive sampling for the entry-level social workers, managers and supervisors. To enhance triangulation and crystallisation, three data collection strategies were used: semi-structured interviews, World Café and focus groups. The exploratory phase included a literature review, individual semi-structured interviews with victims of female partner abuse, and World Café sessions with entry-level social workers to identify key elements for the draft victim empowerment strategy. Narrative inquiry guided the semi-structured interviews with female victims of partner abuse, using timelines and resource loss and gain spirals to gather rich data. A qualitative descriptive design informed the World Café process. In Phase 2, the development phase, the researcher compiled a draft victim empowerment strategy based on elements identified from literature, female victims of partner abuse and entry level social workers. Phase 3 focused on refinement and finalisation of the victim empowerment strategy. The draft strategy was sent to managers and supervisors ahead of focus group discussions. Suggestions for refinement from the focus group discussions were included in the previi final strategy that was emailed to the managers and supervisors for their final input. Adaptations were made, and the strategy was finalised. Thematic analysis identified five primary forms of abuse experienced by participants: emotional, economic, physical, psychological, and sexual. It was found that most female victims of abuse experienced overlapping forms of abuse, which severely affected their mental health, economic stability, and social well being. Emotional and psychological abuse were the most reported, often manifesting in manipulation, threats, and isolation. Economic abuse included financial control and restriction of access to employment. Physical and sexual abuse included acts of aggression, coercion, and humiliation. Victims faced systemic barriers when seeking support, including limited access to social services, inadequate police response, and lack of safe accommodation. It was evident that the female victims of partner abuse need emotional, practical and psychological support to facilitate recovery and regaining resources. Entry level social workers provided insights into victim empowerment strategies, needs, and challenges while supervisors and managers refined the mission, vision, objectives and various elements of the female victim empowerment strategy. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996, provides a robust normative framework for addressing gender-based violence (GBV) by grounding protection in fundamental rights. Section 9 enshrines the principle of equality, prohibiting discrimination based on sex, gender, and sexual orientation, while Section 10 affirms the inherent dignity of every person, which GBV directly undermines. Section 12 guarantees freedom and security of the person, explicitly recognising the right to be free from all forms of violence, whether from public or private sources, and safeguarding bodily integrity and reproductive autonomy. Based on the findings, the study proposes a victim empowerment strategy aligned with the socio-cultural and institutional realities of the North West province, South Africa. Recommendations are directed towards various stakeholders, particularly social workers who are at the forefront in empowering female victims of abuse. For the police, the study emphasises increased visibility, specialised training, and victim-sensitive responses. The Department of Social Development should enhance psychosocial support services, strengthen referral systems, and develop victim and social worker capacity through ongoing training and capacity building sessions. The Department of Justice is urged to improve access to justice through simplified legal processes, protection orders, and legal aid for survivors. This study underscores the significance of adopting an integrated, bio-ecological approach in developing interventions and services for female victims of partner abuse. It calls for collaborative, multi-sectoral engagement to implement a sustainable and contextspecific victim empowerment strategy. The study contributes to social work practice, theory, and policy, addressing gender-based violence and victim support in a specific South African region.
The contribution of interprofessional education in developing competent undergraduate nursing students: integrative literature review
(Springer, 2023) Zenani, Nombulelo Esme; Sehularo, Leepile Alfred; Gause, Gopolang; Chukwuere, Precious Chibuike
Background Effective interprofessional team collaboration is one of the necessary domains for successful interprofessional collaborative practices in healthcare (IPCP), which is crucial for the delivery of safe and quality healthcare services. Therefore, understanding the contribution of interprofessional education in nursing students is vital to improving collaboration practices in nursing students, in preparation for the dynamics that await after registration in practice amongst the interprofessional team. Thus, the aim of the study was to summarise the contribution of interprofessional education in nursing education in developing competent undergraduate nursing students. Design The integrative literature review design as described by Whittemore and Knafl was adopted for the review. The review consists of five steps, namely, problem identification, literature search, data analysis, data interpretation, and the last step was data presentation. Three databases were searched for the articles, namely CINHAL, Scopus, and Science Direct. Articles were retrieved using Search terms such as "Competence," "Contribution,", "Development," "Interprofessional education" and "Undergraduate nursing students" retrieved Articles published between 2018 and 2022 were selected. Results Three themes emerged from the review, namely the promotion of patient safety in nursing practice, the socialisation of nursing students in interprofessional collaboration, and the promotion of the development of professional identity. Conclusion This study is the first step in determining the contributions of early interprofessional education to nursing education. It could set the stage for further studies that examine strategies the undergraduate nursing curriculum can adopt and develop sound interprofessional competencies that promote patient safety and quality healthcare by nursing students. Impact The developers of the nursing curriculum and nursing educators can use the results in developing a curriculum that includes interprofessional education with the aim of improving the quality of teaching and learning that advances competent and safe nursing students.
The integration and associated challenges of mental health competencies in undergraduate nursing education: a scoping review
(Springer, 2025) Chukwuere, Precious Chibuike; Zenani, Nombulelo Esme; Mthimunye, Katlego; Godbold, Rosemary; Shahrour, Ghada
Background Educational institutions play a pivotal role in meeting healthcare needs by educating future professional nurses and other healthcare professionals. However, nursing education encounters challenges such as insufficient competencies among undergraduates and a gap in theory-practice integration in the curriculum. This scoping review aimed to map out the existing literature on integrating Mental Health Competencies in undergraduate Nursing Education and associated challenges. Methods The electronic databases of CINAHL, MedLine "PubMed", Scopus, Science Direct, and Emerald Insight were searched for peer-reviewed articles on the subject, utilizing English search terms. Two authors independently reviewed the identified articles that met the inclusion criteria. The screening and selection process was conducted in the following phases: Firstly, the search results were imported into EPPI reviewer software, and duplicates were removed using the software's built-in function. Secondly, careful screening of the titles and abstracts of all imported studies was followed based on the inclusion criteria. Thirdly, the reference list of the identified articles was screened to foster a comprehensive coverage of evidence. Full-text screening was conducted for all the identified articles, and the research team carefully scrutinized this process. Results The initial literature search generated 717 articles. Upon identification and careful screening, 17 eligible articles met our inclusion criteria. Two key themes were reported: Integrating Mental Health Competencies in Undergraduate Nursing Education and Challenges to integrating Mental Health Competencies in undergraduate Nursing Education. Conclusion The findings of this scoping review indicated that various efforts are being made toward integrating mental health nursing into undergraduate nursing education. However, these efforts are constantly confronted by different challenges, such as societal stigma, patient behaviours, unequal student contributions in group work activities, and difficulties in understanding patients' symptoms. Meaningful efforts should be made towards addressing these challenges to prepare future nurses with the necessary mental health competence.
Strategies to enhance resilience to cope with workplace adversities post-COVID-19 among ICU nurses
(Sabinet African Journals, 2022) Zenani, Nombulelo E; Gause, Gopolang; Sehularo, Leepile
Background It is critical for intensive care unit (ICU) nurses to develop resilient coping strategies to cope with workplace adversities. The coping strategies will mitigate the development of maladaptive psychological disorders prone to working in a stressful environment. Objectives The aim of this study is to analyse previous literature conducted on strategies that enhance resilience in ICU nurses to cope with workplace adversities beyond the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study was conducted by examining all available global literature in the context of the aim of the study. Method An integrative literature review was chosen for the study. Purposive sampling method was used to select the relevant databases to answer the review question, namely Google Scholar, EBSCOhost, Medline and Nursing/Academic Edition. The search terms used were 'strategies', 'resilience', 'intensive care unit nurses', 'coping', 'workplace adversities', 'beyond COVID-19' and post 'COVID-19'. Results Three themes emerged from the study, namely promoting personal attributes, effective relational support and active psychological support. Conclusion Enhancing resilience among ICU nurses requires both intentional individualised care from the ICU nurses and a systematic approach by nursing management that will meet the psychological needs of ICU nurses when working in a stressful ICU environment. Contribution The findings of the review have highlighted specific strategies of improving resilience in ICU nurses, which can ultimately create a safe working environment in the ICU.