Assessment In South Africa Research Articles

Assessment of professional perceptions in business evaluation in South Africa

This paper seeks to evaluate proficient perceptions within business assessments in South Africa, where such perceptions play a significant role in the evaluation process, encompassing the selection of standards and the establishment of evaluation frameworks. The evolving economy of South Africa is marked by fluctuating economic circumstances and potential growth, compounded by inadequate benchmarks and a scarcity of relevant market information. Forecasting growth rates are further complicated by macroeconomic uncertainties, leading to a reliance on proficient perceptions when industry-specific guidelines and easily comprehensible alternatives to the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) are lacking. A mixed-methods strategy is employed in this study, combining quantitative and qualitative data, along with surveys set benchmarks for business assessments. The outcomes reveal that modifications based on judgment are necessary for variables like organizational size due to the absence of CAPM alternatives. This study stresses the importance of translating scholarly discoveries into practical applications, emphasizing the challenges and uncertainties that call for proficient perceptions in business evaluations. It advances the comprehension of these obstacles and proposes that further exploring macroeconomic variables and industry-specific guidelines could offer valuable insights. The study suggests that biases in evaluations, influenced by client interests, present a promising area for future inquiry.

Advancing an agenda for psychological assessment in South Africa

Advancing an agenda for psychological assessment in South Africa

“This is an illness. No one is supposed to be treated badly”: community-based stigma assessments in South Africa to inform tuberculosis stigma intervention design

BackgroundThough tuberculosis (TB)-related stigma is a recognized barrier to care, interventions are lacking, and gaps remain in understanding the drivers and experiences of TB-related stigma. We undertook community-based mixed methods stigma assessments to inform stigma intervention design.MethodsWe adapted the Stop TB Partnership stigma assessment tool and trained three peer research associates (PRAs; two TB survivors, one community health worker) to conduct surveys with people with TB (PWTB, n = 93) and caregivers of children with TB (n = 24) at peri-urban and rural clinic sites in Khayelitsha, Western Cape, and Hammanskraal, Gauteng Province, South Africa. We descriptively analyzed responses for each stigma experience (anticipated, internal, and enacted), calculated stigma scores, and undertook generalized linear regression analysis. We conducted 25 in-depth interviews with PWTB (n = 21) and caregivers of children with TB (n = 4). Using inductive thematic analysis, we performed open coding to identify emergent themes, and selective coding to identify relevant quotes. Themes were organized using the Constraints, Actions, Risks, and Desires (CARD) framework.ResultsSurveys revealed almost all PWTB (89/93, 96%) experienced some form of anticipated, internal, and/or enacted stigma, which affected engagement throughout the care cascade. Participants in the rural setting (compared to peri-urban) reported higher anticipated, internal, and enacted stigma (β-coefficient 0.72, 0.71, 0.74). Interview participants described how stigma experiences, including HIV intersectional stigma, act individually and together as key constraints to impede care, leading to decisions not to disclose a TB diagnosis, isolation, and exclusion. Stigma resilience arose through the understanding that TB can affect anyone and should not diminish self-worth. Risks of stigma, driven by fears related to disease severity and infectiousness, led to care disengagement and impaired psychological well-being. Participants desired counselling, identifying a specific role for TB survivors as peer counselors, and community education.ConclusionsStigma is highly prevalent and negatively impacts TB care and the well-being of PWTB, warranting its assessment as a primary outcome rather than an intermediary contributor to poor outcomes. Multi-component, multi-level stigma interventions are needed, including counseling for PWTB and education for health workers and communities. Such interventions must incorporate contextual differences based on gender or setting, and use survivor-guided messaging to foster stigma resilience.

Establishing reliability and construct validity for the revised Emotional Social Screening Tool for School Readiness (E3SR-R)

School readiness assessments in South Africa still predominantly focus on the assessment of cognitive skills. The Emotional Social Screening Tool for School Readiness (E3SR) was developed to bridge the perceived gap in assessing emotional-social skills as a domain of school readiness. An emerging body of research reports exists on the psychometric properties and factor structure of the E3SR. An initial validation study recommended a 6-factor solution instead of the theoretical 9-factor model that was proposed in the development of the E3SR. The E3SR (Revised) was also reduced in length. We report here on a pilot study of which the aim was to establish the reliability and construct validity of the E3SR (Revised). A cross-sectional survey design was used to gather data from 9 pre-schools in Cape Town, South Africa. Pre-school teachers (n = 24) constituted the respondent group who completed the E3SR (Revised) screening questionnaires on Grade R learners (n = 394). Analysis was conducted on 321 completed screening questionnaires. With the data analysis we aimed to: a) summarise sample characteristics of teachers and children; b) establish reliability estimates; and c) establish construct validity and confirming the factor structure. Ethics clearance was given by the Humanities and Social Science Research Ethics Committee (HSSREC) of the University of the Western Cape. The study adhered to stipulated ethics requirements. Data failed to show multivariate normality; however, this violation of normality was expected and was theoretically supported. The sample size (n = 321) was sufficient for factor analysis of a 36-item scale. All subscales showed excellent reliability: Cronbach’s alphas ranged between .939 and .971. CFA results demonstrated a good model fit. The E3SR (Revised) was found to be reliable and valid for use. The use of a rigorous methodological process including the decision-making matrix represent good research practice that can be used in instrument development across cultures.

Professionalising health technology assessment in South Africa

Health technology encompasses interventions developed to prevent, diagnose or treat medical conditions; promote health; provide rehabilitation or organise healthcare delivery. The intervention can be a test, device, medicine, vaccine, procedure, program or system.[1] Health technology assessment (HTA) is a multidisciplinary evaluation process that assesses the properties of health technologies and interventions. It uses specific methods to determine the value of a health technology at different points in its lifecycle. The purpose of the HTA is to inform decision-making to promote equitable, efficient and high-quality health and health care systems. [1,2] It bridges the gap between the realms of research, policy making and service delivery.

The gendered context of women charged with violent offences in the forensic psychiatric setting.

Women charged with violent offences may be referred by courts for forensic psychiatric assessment to determine whether mental disorder or intellectual disability impacts their fitness to stand trial and/or criminal responsibility. The profile of these women is a poorly researched area in South Africa. This study examined the socio-demographic, offence-related, and clinical profile of South African women charged with violent offences referred for forensic assessment. Fort England Hospital (FEH), a forensic psychiatric institution in the Eastern Cape. The clinical records of 173 women referred by courts for forensic psychiatric evaluation over a 24-year period (1993-2017) to FEH were systematically reviewed. Most women were single, black mothers with dependent children, who were unemployed and socio-economically impoverished. Many had backgrounds of pre-offence mental illness, alcohol use and alleged abuse. The majority were first-time offenders whose victims were known to them. Most child victims were biological children killed by their mothers. Likely primary motives for violence were related to psychopathology in half of cases, and interpersonal conflict in a third. Forensic assessment most frequently confirmed psychotic disorders and dual diagnoses. Half the cases were fit to stand trial and under half were criminally responsible. Violent female offending occurs within a gendered context, with high rates of prior trauma, alcohol use and psychosocial distress in perpetrators. An emphasis on gender-sensitive psychosocial interventions is required. This study highlights the nature and context of violent offending by women referred for forensic psychiatric assessment in South Africa.

Groundtruthing cumulative impact assessments with biodiversity data: Testing indicators and methods for marine ecosystem condition assessments in South Africa

Abstract Accurate assessments of ecosystem condition are needed to inform management processes such as systematic conservation planning and protected area expansion, marine spatial planning and other effective area‐based conservation measures. Yet measuring the condition of dynamic and often largely inaccessible marine ecosystems is extremely difficult and presents a global challenge. Broad‐scale cumulative impact assessments have been used in South Africa as a proxy for marine ecosystem condition in national assessments and reporting because the data are more readily available, and knowledge exists on the impacts of various human activities (or pressures) on marine ecosystems. While useful for national reporting, assessments based on in situ ecological data are also needed at finer scales relevant to management. Applying the HELCOM BEAT approach, this study used in situ ecological data to identify potential methods and indicators that can be applied in South Africa to conduct integrated ecosystem assessments and to assess the suitability of current cumulative impact assessments as a proxy for condition. Aggregated fish indicators demonstrated greater sensitivity to varying human pressures compared with benthic community indicators, with responsiveness differing by location. Notably, site‐level differences in empirical condition emerged that broad‐scale cumulative assessments often missed. The study thus highlighted the varying suitability of cumulative impact scores as proxies for condition, indicating their reliability for fish communities. However, this is also dependent on the pressure types included, the biotic indicators used and the area of focus. Conservation decisions based solely on cumulative impact scores could misrepresent the actual condition of the environment, which makes it difficult to make management decisions, especially at finer scales. As such, conservation initiatives need to be regionally adapted to effectively address the unique pressures and conditions of each area and should be tailored to account for fine‐scale variability, instead of adopting a one‐size‐fits‐all approach.

Longitudinal associations between self-reported sleep duration and cardiometabolic disease risk in corporate executives

ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the longitudinal associations between self-reported sleep duration and cardiometabolic disease (CMD) risk in corporate executives. MethodsSelf-reported sleep duration and lifestyle, occupational, psychological, and anthropometrical, blood pressure and blood marker variables were obtained from 1512 employees at annual health risk assessments in South Africa between 2016 and 2019. Gender-stratified linear mixed models, adjusting for age, lifestyle, occupational and psychological covariates were used to explore these longitudinal associations. ResultsAmong women, shorter sleep duration was associated with higher body mass index (BMI) covarying for age only (ß with 95% confidence intervals: −0.19 [−0.36, −0.03]), age and occupational factors (−0.20 [−0.36, −0.03]) and age and psychological factors (−0.20 [−0.37, −0.03]). Among men, shorter sleep was associated with both BMI and waist circumference (WC) covarying for age only (BMI: −0.15 [−0.22; −0.08]; WC: −0.62 [−0.88; −0.37]); age and lifestyle factors (BMI: −0.12 [−0.21; −0.04]); WC: −0.016 [−0.92; −0.29], age and occupational factors (BMI: −0.20 [−0.22; 0.08]; WC: −0.62 [−0.88; −0.36]), and age and psychological factors (BMI: −0.15 [−0.22; −0.07]; WC: −0.59 [−0.86; −0.33]). Among men, shorter sleep was also longitudinally associated with higher CMD risk scores in models adjusted for age and lifestyle factors (CMD: −0.12 [−0.20; −0.04]) and age and psychological factors (CMD: −0.08 [−0.15; −0.01]). ConclusionCorporate executives who report shorter sleep durations may present with poorer CMD risk profiles, independent of age, lifestyle, occupational and psychological factors. Addressing sleep health in workplace health programmes may help mitigate the development of CMD in such employees.

Take Stock of Fracking Risks and Count the Costs Towards an Ecosystem Services Assessment in South Africa

Take Stock of Fracking Risks and Count the Costs Towards an Ecosystem Services Assessment in South Africa

Government responses to COVID-19 and impact on GBV services and programmes: comparative analysis of the situation in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria

As governments impose restrictive policies to contain infectious disease outbreaks, pre-existing gender-based inequalities are often exacerbated, increasing the risk of gender-based violence (GBV). Despite international guidance on the need for continued provision of GBV services during emergencies, governments often de-prioritise GBV services and programmes. We conducted a rapid assessment in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria to examine the impact of COVID-19 policies on the availability of GBV prevention and response services. The study team interviewed 80 stakeholders representing different GBV services in the four countries. The interviews revealed strikingly similar government mis-steps that disrupted the availability of comprehensive GBV services. In all four countries, the government’s failure to exempt the provision of multi-sectoral GBV services from initial lockdown restrictions led to confusion and disrupted the provision of critical GBV services such as clinical management of rape, legal and judicial services, psychosocial services, availability of shelters, and community-based prevention activities. The government’s imposition of curfews, stay-at-home orders, and transportation restrictions further diminished access to services. Governments must strengthen currently available GBV prevention and response services and be better prepared for future pandemics. Following international guidelines, governments should deem GBV services as essential from the beginning with clear implementation plans. Governments must invest in community-based solutions and the expansion of digital tools to ensure everyone, especially those likely to be structurally excluded, have access to critical services during an emergency.

A Rasch analysis of the High Potential Trait Indicator: A South African sample

The reliability and validity of the six traits comprising the High Potential Trait Indicator (HPTi) were evaluated using Rasch analysis. Focus was designated to the unidimensionality and local independence of each subscale; fit to the Rasch model; person reliability and separation; and differential item functioning (DIF). Secondary data, obtained from intellectual property rights holder Thomas International, were used for analysis with a sample of 1257 South African respondents. One of the six traits, Curiosity (0.73), was found to be reliable. Traits Adjustment (0.69) and Competitiveness (0.69) border on the accepted cut-off of 0.70. Risk Approach (0.64) obtained the lowest reliability, closely followed by Conscientiousness (0.65) and Ambiguity Acceptance (0.65). Six of the 78 HPTi items did not fit the Rasch model, all of which underfit the model. Trait Curiosity was found not to be unidimensional, while the Ambiguity Acceptance scale approached the value at which a scale is considered multidimensional. One item was identified to be threatening the unidimensionality of the Curiosity scale based on both the factor loadings of the principal components analysis of the residuals and underfitting the Rasch model. The differential item functioning (DIF) analysis found no item bias between genders, female and male. Eleven items displayed DIF across ethnicities and home language groups. The most severe instance of DIF occurred in trait Competitiveness, yet it had only one item experiencing DIF. Trait Conscientiousness, however, contained four items experiencing various severities of DIF.Contribution: This study highlighted the shortcomings of the current HPTi in the South African context through Rasch analysis. The findings illustrate the difficult nature of creating ideal personality instruments in the South African context, thus contributing to the body of knowledge of personality assessments in South Africa.

Controlling for inequality in neuropsychological assessment: using Crawford and Howell’s (1998) single-case methodology with norms from demographically homogeneous groups of South Africans

The practice of neuropsychological assessment in South Africa is complicated by the lack of norms that are representative of clients’ educational and linguistic experiences. In an attempt to address this challenge, we argue that Crawford and Howell’s Single-Case Methodology in Neuropsychology is a good option for the neuropsychological investigation of cases that are not well represented by the available norms. This research design and inferential statistical method compares the scores of one case to the performance of a carefully matched sample of modest size. In order that practitioners and researchers might use this methodology, we provide a set of norms for South Africans with specific demographic profiles on a range of well-researched and commonly used neuropsychological tests. We provide an illustrative case study to demonstrate the application of Crawford and Howell’s Single-Case Methodology, which shows how the selection of an appropriately matched norm (control) group is an effective way to reduce test biases for individuals who are not represented by the original test norms.

Integrating Conceptual Framework and Platform Information of IPBES to Refine Existing Ecosystem Services Assessments in South Africa

Integrating Conceptual Framework and Platform Information of IPBES to Refine Existing Ecosystem Services Assessments in South Africa

An Assessment of South Africa’s Vulnerability to Terrorism Financing and the Counter-Terrorist Financing Framework

Terrorism financing poses a direct threat to South Africa’s national security as well as the integrity and reputation of its financial system. Terrorism financing has the potential to finance and enable terrorist activities locally and abroad. Over and above posing a security threat, it also impacts the integrity of non-financial institutions such as charities and non-profit organizations which could be exploited, often unwittingly, for the financing of terrorism. Terrorist groups make use of multiple methods to raise move, store and/or use funds and exploit the inherent vulnerabilities of countries’ regulatory, financial, law enforcement and security frameworks. Their techniques vary and depend on the sophistication and objectives of terrorists, terrorist organizations and their sympathizers. Terrorism financing investigations are usually extremely complex, particularly with regard to the identification of financiers and ultimate end-users of the generated funds. This is due to the myriad financial transaction mediums such as cash and crypto assets, the international nature of transfers between financial jurisdictions, the informal financial sector (e.g. Hawala), as well as the capacity and capability challenges faced by financial institutions, regulators, supervisory bodies and law enforcement agencies. Funds intended for terrorism related activities may be derived from legitimate as well as from illicit sources, making terrorism financing particularly difficult to detect, disrupt and prevent. The constant evolution of terrorism financing methods in response to new and increasingly sophisticated countermeasures remains a continual challenge locally and for international financial oversight bodies such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and its regional-style bodies. This paper will investigate and assess South Africa’s vulnerability to terrorism financing and the counter-terrorist financing framework to effectively combat terrorism financing. The key issues to be appraised include an assessment of factors that contribute to SA’s vulnerability to terrorism financing. A counter-terrorist financing framework adopted by SA.

Value Pluralism in Practice: Integrating IPBES to Refine Ecosystem Services Assessments in South Africa

As global biodiversity loss continues to increase, effective valuation of natural capital is a prerequisite for effective environmental planning decisions. The introduction of Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) in 2005 brought the concept of ecosystem services into the limelight. After that, The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) mirrors the MA's original use of the term ecosystem services and goes further by openly embracing concepts from multiple worldviews on human-nature relationships and knowledge systems. The emergence of the latter promises to provide new and improved suggestions for existing assessment methods in many countries around the world. One such example is Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) in South Africa. By summarizing the current assessment methodology of the NCA in South Africa, this paper summarizes the current limitations of the NCA and suggests that the integration of the IPBES method into the NCA can effectively solve the above problems. The paper also analyses the first national form of IPBES organization, the Brazilian BPBES, to illustrate the need to tailor IPBES selectively to the specific problems of the country to achieve the best results. This paper is an attempt to optimize the methodology of the South African national-level ecosystem services assessment and an exploration of the application of IPBES, a conceptual framework linking nature and people.

Workplace-based assessment - a new era of surgical training competency assessment in South Africa

Workplace-based assessment - a new era of surgical training competency assessment in South Africa

Enhancing Career Interest Assessment in South Africa: Lessons Learned From the Development of the South African Career Interest Inventory-IsiXhosa Version.

Career interest assessment is a vital component of career guidance and counseling. Ensuring fair and ethical assessment practice is, however, complex and challenging in a diverse multicultural setting such as South Africa. A myriad of factors—including culture, and language—may moderate individual performance on career interest assessments. For this reason, it is imperative to acknowledge these factors when developing career interest assessments in the South African context. Particular attention was paid to the issues of language and culture during the recent development of the South African Career Interest Inventory (SACII) and South African Career Interest Inventory-isiXhosa version (SACII-X). In this paper, we discuss some of the crucial considerations that informed the conceptualization and development of the SACII-X. The promising initial reliability and validity demonstrated by these assessments provide support for the use of career assessments based on imported career theories if sensitivity is afforded to contextual, language, and cultural considerations during the development of such assessment measures.

The cost-effectiveness of in-patient care for COVID-19: implications for health technology assessment in South Africa

Health technology assessment aims to enable the prioritisation of efficient and equitable services and enhance responsiveness to population preferences. Resting on foundations of distributive and procedural justice, it is a fundamental component of a universal health coverage system. The required decision-making for the COVID-19 response stimulated the demand for evidence-informed processes and provides an opportunity to demonstrate how health technology assessment can be conducted in the South African environment. This chapter contributes to strengthening health technology assessment by reflecting on insights gained from research on the cost-effectiveness of in-patient care for COVID-19. Rapid economic evaluations of in-patient interventions for COVID-19, including intensive care, dexamethasone and remdesivir were conducted. These evaluations aimed to inform urgent health policy decisions related to the COVID-19 response and to demonstrate the use and feasibility of a pragmatic approach to health technology assessment. Costs from the health systems perspective, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted were estimated. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were compared to the estimated marginal productivity of the public health system to gauge cost-effectiveness. Open access models were published to encourage transparency and policy translation. Results indicated that purchasing private sector intensive care was unlikely to be cost-effective, dexamethasone was cost-effective, and remdesivir was cost-saving. Corresponding national policy included a signed service-level agreement to purchase private ICU beds for public patients, and recommendations in favour of dexamethasone and against remdesivir. Policy decisions did not align with findings of two of the three economic evaluations. These analyses and associated policy dissemination demonstrate that health technology assessment need not wait for the perfect system. Rigorous, transparent and rapid economic evaluation to support such assessment for urgent, priority policy decisions can be conducted in the South African context. Institutionalising health technology assessment, including strengthening capacity and funding of analyses, will assist decision-making and sustainability in the National Health Insurance environment.

Bayesian Hierarchical Modelling of Historical Data of the South African Coal Mining Industry for Compliance Testing

Bayesian hierarchical framework for exposure data compliance testing is highly recommended in occupational hygiene. However, it has not been used for coal dust exposure compliance testing in South Africa (SA). The Bayesian analysis incorporates prior information, which increases solid decision making regarding risk management. This study compared the posterior 95th percentile (P95) of the Bayesian non-informative and informative prior from historical data relative to the occupational exposure limit (OEL) and exposure categories, and the South African Mining Industry Code of Practice (SAMI CoP) approach. A total of nine homogenous exposure groups (HEGs) with a combined 243 coal mine workers’ coal dust exposure data were included in this study. Bayesian framework with Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation to draw a full P95 posterior distribution relative to the OEL was used to investigate compliance. We obtained prior information from historical data and employed non-informative prior distribution to generate the posterior findings. The findings were compared to the SAMI CoP. The SAMI CoP 90th percentile (P90) indicated that one HEG was compliant (below the OEL), while none of the HEGs in the Bayesian methods were compliant. The analysis using non-informative prior indicated a higher variability of exposure than the informative prior according to the posterior GSD. The median P95 from the non-informative prior were slightly lower with wider 95% credible intervals (CrI) than the informative prior. All the HEGs in both Bayesian approaches were in exposure category four (poorly controlled), with the posterior probabilities slightly lower in the non-informative uniform prior distribution. All the methods mainly indicated non-compliance from the HEGs. The non-informative prior, however, showed a possible potential of allocating HEGs to a lower exposure category, but with high uncertainty compared to the informative prior distribution from historical data. Bayesian statistics with informative prior derived from historical data should be highly encouraged in coal dust overexposure assessments in South Africa for correct decision making.

South Africa’s technologies enhancing contact tracing for Covid-19: A human rights and techno-politics assessment

This paper assesses South Africa’s recent development and actual use of digital health surveillance tools from a comparative and human rights perspective. We first summarise the debate and emerging evidence regarding whether and how digital health surveillance tools could assist the public health response to the pandemic. Here, we develop a tentative integrated analysis of the intersecting human rights implications of these tools. Our assessment of South Africa’s actual use of digital health technologies to combat the pandemic then interweaves two themes. First, South Africa’s abrupt and still largely unexplained decision to abandon the original Tracing Database, while clearly in line with global trends in constraining the ambit of covid apps to preserve privacy, may have missed the opportunity to develop and deploy a more effective but still rights-protective model for digital health surveillance. Second, and conversely, South Africa’s approach to developing the Tracing Database, including its laudable and innovative oversight structure, reflects a troubling lack of engagement with relevant stakeholders, including human rights and community groups, as well as the private sector. It also reflects a limited public capacity to assess relevant technologies and to partner both with those stakeholders and the private sector in a genuine private/public space.