Namibian Context Research Articles

Men's Accounts of Passion Killings in the Namibian Context.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global social problem, which may result in intimate partner homicide (IPH). Much of the research concerned with IPH is based in developed nations and as such this study explored men's explanations for IPH (known locally as "passion killing") in the Namibian context by interviewing 10 individuals who were convicted and sentenced for the murder of their female intimate partners. A semi-structured interview was conducted with the offenders and the resulting transcripts were analyzed by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Findings confirmed and extended previous research stating that the intertwined influence of cultural beliefs and attitudes, external influences, as well as lack of emotional control and problem-solving skills, influence IPH. However, the study discovered that culture-specific factors, such as witchcraft, also play a role in some IPH cases in Namibia. The findings suggest approaches to work with young men and perpetrators to reduce their rate of initially committing IPH or repeating it. Furthermore, understanding cross-cultural differences may help in developing appropriate, culturally specific, programs aimed at reducing and/or preventing IPH.

Potential Stakeholders and Perceived Benefits of a Digital Health Innovation Ecosystem for the Namibian Context

This paper presents the result of a study which aimed at identifying the potential stakeholders and perceived benefits of a digital health innovation ecosystem for the Namibian context as part of a larger study. Combining semi-structured interviews and qualitative questionnaires, a group of professionals from within the Namibian context and the global context were purposively selected to provide insights about the potential stakeholders and perceived benefits of a digital health innovation ecosystem for the Namibian context. The study adopted a qualitative approach. The main findings of the study suggest that stakeholders of a digital health innovation ecosystem include patients, professionals from various disciplines as well as government institutions, research institutions and innovation companies. The findings suggest that the implementation of a digital health innovation ecosystem for the Namibian context could improve healthcare services as a result of the collaborative and innovative platform. The findings of this study contribute to the emerging body of literature on digital health innovation ecosystems, specifically in developing countries. Furthermore, the findings of the study will inform relevant healthcare policy makers within the Namibian context in planning and implementing a digital health innovation ecosystem.

Determinants of house prices and new construction activity: An empirical investigation of the Namibian housing market

The demand for and supply of housing are heterogeneous and differ across countries, provinces and cities. In the Namibian context, the housing market has experienced a substantial increase in house prices. Such an unexpected growth rate in house prices suggests that the Namibian housing market may not be sustainable in the long term. This means that there is a high probability of a housing price bubble in Namibia if the house prices continue to increase. The aim of this study was to conduct an econometric analysis of endogenous and exogenous determinants of house prices and new construction activity in Namibia. This study also attempted to establish whether there is evidence of overvaluation of house prices in the Namibian housing market and this is important in identifying the possibility of a housing price bubble in Namibia. In addition, the study is relevant during the current period where Namibia is faced with a continuous increase in house prices. A restricted VAR model with a Johansen cointegration approach was used to analyse monthly data from January 2000 to December 2014. The selection of the data set was aimed at providing representatives for various housing demand drivers and housing supply determinants. For modelling on the supply side, new construction investment as a percentage of GDP was employed. The other variables incorporated as exogenous variables include the economic growth rate, the consumer price index, nominal wages as a percentage of GDP, the short-term interest rate, mortgage loans as a share of GDP and population in the 15-64 cohort as a percentage of GDP. Results show that the house price index in Namibia has proved more sensitive to changes in population, mortgage loans and inflation; whereas the construction activities were found to be more sensitive to the house price index and inflation. Granger causality results show that there is a bidirectional causality between the house price index and new construction activity in Namibia. The study therefore found evidence of overvaluation of house prices in the Namibian housing market, which may lead to a house price bubble in the Namibian economy. Namibian policymakers, through the Bank of Namibia, should come up with policies which ensure that the majority of mortgages given by the banks are for constructing new houses instead of financing the purchase of existing houses.

Examining the Nature of Learning within an Afterschool Mathematics Club: A Case Study of Four Learners

This study examined the nature of learning within an afterschool mathematics club established by the South African Numeracy Chair project. This study sought to establish what sort of progress in mathematical learning occurred in a grade 3 afterschool maths club, using assessment instruments associated with the Learning Framework in Number. The study also sought to understand the nature and effects of mentor mediation in the maths club, using Vygotsky’s notion of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) together with the notion and practice of scaffolding. This study was interpretive in nature drawing on qualitative methods with some elements of quantification in relation to learners’ progression. The club consists of 10 learners of mixed ability (5 girls and 5 boys) at a township school in Graham’s town, South Africa. Learners in this case study were selected through purposive sampling. As part of the data collection strategies, the learners were interviewed twice in terms of their numeracy proficiency.The assessment interview results revealed that, in terms of proficiency in early arithmetical learning, all four learners showed progress after spending four months in an afterschool maths club. This study also recommended Wright et al.’s (2006) LFIN framework to be used in assessing learners’ progress in mathematics, as it could inform the refinement of instructional design within the school curriculum and teachers’ education in the Namibian context.

Customer Interaction in Software Development: A Comparison of Software Methodologies Deployed in Namibian Software Firms

AbstractSoftware methodologies provide guidelines for the development of software applications. Studies reveal that customer interaction in the software development process improves the chances that software applications will meet customers’ needs. Despite a number of software methodologies introduced and a comparison of these methodologies, there is a dearth of studies that empirically investigate customer interaction between these software methodologies within the Namibian context. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in customer interaction between software methodologies deployed in Namibian software firms. The study adopted a qualitative, case study approach. Data was collected through standardized, open‐ended interviews. The findings show that the methodologies deployed in Namibian software firms include the waterfall model, Scrum, iterative model, eXtreme Programming (XP), and rapid application development (RAD). The findings also reveal that although there was in‐depth customer interaction in Scrum, the iterative model, XP and RAD, customer interaction in the software development process could also be challenging. The findings provide useful insights in software methodologies deployed in Namibian software firms and the experience within the Namibian context. An implication for software project managers and software developers is that customer interaction should be properly managed to ensure that the software methodologies for improving software development processes are effectively deployed.

Nurse Task Shifting for Antiretroviral Treatment Services in Namibia: Implementation Research to Move Evidence into Action

BackgroundEvidence from several sub-Saharan countries support nurse-initiated antiretroviral treatment as a feasible alternative to doctor-led models characteristic of early responses to the HIV epidemic. However, service delivery models shown to be effective in one country may not be readily adopted in another. This study used an implementation research approach to assist policy makers and other stakeholders to assess the acceptability and feasibility of task shifting in the Namibian context.MethodsThe Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services implemented a Task Shifting Demonstration Project (TSDP) at 9 sites at different levels of the health system. Six months after implementation, a mixed methods evaluation was conducted. Seventy semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients, managers, doctors and nurses directly involved with the TSDP. Physician-evaluators observed and compared health service provision between doctors and nurses for 40 patients (80 observations), documenting performance in agreement with the national guidelines on 13 clinical care indicators.ResultsDoctors, nurses, and patients interviewed believed task shifting would improve access to and quality of HIV services. Doctors and nurses both reported an increase in nurses’ skills as a result of the project. Observation data showed doctors and nurses were in considerable agreement (>80%) with each other on all dimensions of HIV care and ≥90% on eight dimensions. To ensure success of national scale-up of the task shifting model, challenges involving infrastructure, on-going mentoring, and nursing scope of practice should be anticipated and addressed.ConclusionIn combination with findings from other studies in the region, data from the TSDP provided critical and timely information to the Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services, thus helping to move evidence into action. Small-scale implementation research projects enable stakeholders to learn by doing, and provide an opportunity to test and modify the intervention before expansion.

The influence of selected teacher inputs on students’ academic achievement in the junior secondary school certificate mathematics in Namibia

This study explored the link between teachers’ inputs and students’ academic achievement in the JSC Mathematics for the period 2006 to 2010. One hundred and fifty secondary schools selected from 573 secondary schools in the country constituted the target population. One hundred and sixty-four JSC mathematics teachers from the 150 secondary schools participated in the study, with the final JSC Mathematics results of the students serving as the dependent variable of the study. Mathematics teachers’ input data (academic qualifications, teaching experience and subject specialisation) were collected from a questionnaire developed by the researchers. Standard multiple regression was used to analyse the link between teachers’ inputs and students’ academic achievement in JSC Mathematics at P < 0.05and P < 0.10 respectively. The study found that teachers’ academic qualifications and subject specialisation had a significant and positive relationship with students’ academic achievement in JSC Mathematics. Teachers’ gender, however, was not significantly related to students’ academic achievement in JSC Mathematics. This is the first time within the Namibian context that we have empirically demonstrated the link between teachers’ inputs and students’ academic achievement in JSC Mathematics. The study therefore provides support for the policy initiatives that seek to link teachers’ academic qualifications, subject specialisation and teaching experience to employment and classroom allocation.

The role of local policy knowledge in the implementation of Namibian tourism policy

The paper introduces a concept of local policy knowledge which is argued to complement the conventional policy knowledge in the Namibian tourism policy process. Local policy knowledge refers to the qualitative material gathered from 16 Namibian tourism enterprises. The perceptions and experiences of the representatives of these enterprises regarding two policy goals, namely poverty reduction and black economic empowerment, are analysed in order to illustrate the challenges involved in policy implementation. The paper concludes that local policy knowledge can be applied beyond the Namibian context and even in other policy related research.

Applying Applied Ethics through ethics consulting

Applied Ethics is frequently described as a discipline of philosophy that concerns itself with the application of moral theories such as deontology and utilitarianism to real world dilemmas. However, these applications often remain restricted to the academic world. The focus of new versions ethics consulting has since the mid-1980s shifted from what the ethicist knows to what the ethicist does or enables. This shift remodelled the ethicist’s role to that of a facilitator in an inherently social process of moral inquiry. Applying these developments in the Namibian context has already proved to be of great value to the local health care industry.

Entrepreneurship and witchcraft in Namibian indigenous communities

This article explains the relationship between witchcraft and entrepreneurship from the viewpoint of the extended family and the entrepreneur in Namibia. When one addresses the issue of witchcraft in the Namibian context, it is clear that it is due to the unequal distribution of resources within the country, whereby the top 30% elite receives more than 90% of the resources and the majority of the population only receives 10% of the resources. As this is a national problem within the country, it has also an impact on how the communities work together in their daily activities. Communities have a tendency to be jealous of each other, although none of them are better than the other. This forces some communities to practice witchcraft, which is called traditional medicine (bieljas) in the Namibian context.

An entrepreneurial education model for the Namibian Higher Education system

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to develop an entrepreneurial education model for implementation in the Namibian Higher Education system. Namibia, just like South Africa, has an objective to develop small, medium and micro enterprises to enhance economic growth and reduce unemployment. Development of such a model is supported by the government of Namibia. This paper investigates appropriate entrepreneurial education models used in South Africa for this purpose.Design/Methodology/Approach: This research is an exploratory research design based upon secondary data mainly provided by the Namibian Economic Policy Research Unit (NEPRU) that enabled the researcher to understand and identify the problems that Namibia encounter in their small business environment. Theories, as developed by the University of Pretoria based on entrepreneurial education, were explored and formed the base of the theory exploration. Findings : The researcher investigated an existing entrepreneurial education model being used for the South African context, as well as a comparison of two models, and an integrated model based on the cited models. These models are used to show the importance of such models and the need to develop one for Namibia. Implications: This paper presents a model that can solve the basic need expressed by the Namibian Higher Education System to find an appropriate model to implement. Originality/Value: This paper provides a foundation from which an entrepreneurial education model can be implemented and improved / customised for the Namibian context.

The role of a resource center in national development: The Namibian context

The role of a resource center in national development: The Namibian context

Needs assessment and the critical implications of a rigid textbook/ syllabus for in-service education and training for primary english teachers in the United Arab Emirates

This article explores the application of a needs assessment model for in-service education and training (INSET), developed and used effectively in a Namibian context, to an INSET programme for primary English teachers in the United Arab Emirates. The model is drawn from Roth's (1978, cited in Witkin, 1984) model: X –Y = N, where X is the actual state, Y is the target state, and N is the gap between them (need). The model was found to be effective in the Emirati context. There were, however, some differences between the use of the model in the Emirati and Namibian contexts, particularly in the effectiveness of the strategies used to collect data concerning the actual state. Efforts to apply the model highlighted a number of issues: the limitations of the syllabus/textbook; the extent to which curriculum centralisation and the use of a rigid syllabus/textbook affect teaching practices; and their implications for in-service programmes.

IMPLICATIONS OF PROGRESSIVE TITLE REGISTRATION FOR CADASTRAL INFORMATION PRODUCTION CASE STUDY OF NAMIBIA

Under the premise that land administration is one of the necessary components of sustainable development and better land management, this article reviews the effects of the implementation of a progressive titling approach on land administration components, such as cadastral acts and organisations, cadastral survey regulations and processes and cadastral databases. The study is largely based on the experiences of implementation of progressive titling in Namibia, where there are changes in both the legal acts governing titling as well as in cadastral survey acts and regulations. The article comes to the conclusion that the progressive titling approach as proposed for the Namibian context and its subsequent implications for cadastral information production shows that there is a need to rethink the structure and objective of cadastral surveying and a need to look for alternative models for cadastral information systems which support land administration.

IMPLICATIONS OF PROGRESSIVE TITLE REGISTRATION FOR CADASTRAL INFORMATION PRODUCTION CASE STUDY OF NAMIBIA

Under the premise that land administration is one of the necessary components of sustainable development and better land management, this article reviews the effects of the implementation of a progressive titling approach on land administration components, such as cadastral acts and organisations, cadastral survey regulations and processes and cadastral databases. The study is largely based on the experiences of implementation of progressive titling in Namibia, where there are changes in both the legal acts governing titling as well as in cadastral survey acts and regulations. The article comes to the conclusion that the progressive titling approach as proposed for the Namibian context and its subsequent implications for cadastral information production shows that there is a need to rethink the structure and objective of cadastral surveying and a need to look for alternative models for cadastral information systems which support land administration.

Educational ideologies and national development needs: the ’African University‘ in Namibia

Although a new institution, the University of Namibia is facing the same problems of curriculum, funding, and access which hinder academic effectiveness elsewhere. Research on the future prospects for the university was facilitated by the senior author‘s prior involvement in the effort to construct a modern Namibia in the post-colonial period. Such involvement included several advisory assignments relating to the emerging university. This shared experience provided unusual access for in-depth and confidential interviews with national and university decision-makers. Based on these discussions and previous research, the authors outline a process for facilitating the government and academic leadership so crucial to evolving a responsive university. They discern that success for higher education in the Namibian context will require merging the roles of the University and the Polytechnic and transcending imported models to develop an institution responsive to Namibian needs.

Who talks to whom about what? Reflections on some recent experiences in education in Namibia

Abstract At the heart of the formal educational endeavour lie questions of the nature of that endeavour: questions of the values which a specific educational operation serves and embodies, of the legitimacy of those values, and of the means by which ends may be attained. The purpose of this article is. in part, to reflect on those questions, particularly as they relate to ideology and language, and the realisation of these in education in the present reformist phase of apartheid in the Namibian context. These questions will be mediated through an account of recent events in which I, and the educational institution of which I am a member, the Academy in Windhoek. Namibia, have recently been involved. As a necessary prelude to these reflections, some theoretical perspectives will be presented.