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This article discusses the influence of historically disadvantaged background on the culture of reading in some primary school learners from a school district. Investigation for this article was administered through a qualitative research approach, assisting in attaining first-hand information directly from the participants, thereby generating nonnumerical data. Embedded in this qualitative investigation was a case study design. As qualitative research concentrates on acquiring a comprehended understanding of how individuals perceive lived experiences, the main purpose of entrenching a case study was to dig deep into the in-depth descriptions coupled with the personal experiences of the subjects. It draws from semi-structured interviews conducted with primary school language teachers. The interview schedule specifically designed for this inquiry contained open-ended question types. During interviews, recordings were made in their natural settings through interacting with each participant. Data coding and analysis were informed by the iterative approach. The main findings of this investigation indicate that (i) teaching reading remains one of the basic skills in learning but was (ii) compromised by the lack of reading material, stemming from the disadvantaged background of the studied schools. Also, though motivation by parents seems to yield good results, there seemed to be (iii) a lack of influence and intervention strategies regarding available resources in the learners’ homes. I argue that family background does correlate (have an impact on learner reading ability) with learners’ reading ability. I conclude and propose that teachers need to employ teaching and learning methods that accommodate various cultural notions learners bring to school, as this is likely to impart positively on their academic performance.

The influence of macroeconomic variables on aspects of business and the country's economy has been a subject of robust discussion. This study was conducted to identify the effect of macroeconomic variables, namely inflation rate, economic growth, exchange rate and share price, on listed companies in South Africa. The goal was to study the long run and short run effects of macroeconomic volatility on company performance because of the world’s recent pandemic experience. To achieve this objective, the study applied the panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model on annual panel data from 2010 to 2020 to analyse the short run and long run effects of macroeconomic variables on a company’s performance. The study results suggested a positive impact of economic growth, exchange rate and share price on asset returns, whilst a company's equity return is supported by economic growth and share price in the long run. The short run revealed that none of the independent variables has a sufficiently significant effect to influence a company's performance changes in the short run. Based on the findings, it was recommended that policymakers and economic authorities should introduce and implement strategies that favour and enhance the country's economic growth and stable exchange rate in order to improve company performance. Additionally, given that the company's short-run performance may highly depend on internal factors such as corporate governance, internal policies and business strategies, these decisions should be taken with precaution and a high level of professionalism.

Given that undergraduates, graduates and tertiary institutions of higher learning are uncertain Given that undergraduates, graduates, and tertiary institutions of higher learning are uncertain regarding the expectations of employers in the work organizations on the skill that graduates possess, the study presented in this paper attempts to provide some meaningful clues in that directions. The study followed a research question that interrogates what employability skills employers expect graduates to possess for an entry-level job. Designed as a descriptive study, a quantitative research approach was chosen, where the survey method of data collection was employed through a closed-ended structured questionnaire. The study targeted employers (managers) of public and private work organizations in the health and education sectors in a South African town Mthatha, from where a sample of 41 participants (representing organizations) was drawn. The study employed a stratified random sampling in selecting the participants, which ensured that the principle of selecting representatives of the target population was met. Data collected from the participants were analyzed by the use of selected descriptive tools. The analyzed data revealed that all employers expect graduates to possess all the 13 skill areas that employees require to function in the workplace. Surprisingly, the employers mostly expect least from the young graduates in terms of quantitative skills and leadership capabilities. While this finding corroborates what exists in the literature, it provides a new dimension with regard to priority skills needed by employers in the South African labor market. The study, therefore, recommends that the work organizations and higher institutions of learning should form a partnership and a close relationship so that they can assist one another in building the employability skills of graduates.

Substance abuse is one of the most pervasive problems facing our nation, especially in the townships. Curbing this problem requires an integrated approach in which community stakeholders and society work together to improve safety by tackling the fundamental causes of criminality through mobilising state and non-state capacities and resources at all levels. This study seeks to assess the strategies and successes of community initiatives and circumstances that bestow on the path towards helping to fulfill the community’s aim to prevent and combat drug abuse. This study made use of a sample of 90 respondents 18 years and older who responded to the survey. A purposive sample of 10 staff members from the community-based organisations participated in oral interviews, while a simple random sample of 80 community members responded to questionnaires. Furthermore, secondary data sources were consulted to back up the claims that emerged from this study. While the study evaluated community strategies and documented some of the successes, including the rehabilitation of drug addicts, it also highlighted the lack of capacity of community organisations to make meaningful contributions in this regard. In particular, the lack of cooperation/collaboration and trust between the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the community stakeholders is a cause for concern that may hinder any efforts to combat drug abuse. This study, therefore, highlights strategies that require a collective effort from government stakeholders.

The study examined corporate governance and corporate sustainability impact on the performance of South African listed companies. Data retrieved from 30 companies for the period 2010-2020 was analysed using panel fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) methods. Dependent variables were grouped into the Accounting-based approach and the Market-based approach. Explanatory variables were also grouped into Corporate Governance and Accounting ratios. Findings revealed a strong relationship between corporate governance and company performance. This was substantiated by the result from Board gender diversity, which revealed both positive and negative relationships that were significant under both approaches. Directors’ remuneration revealed a positive but insignificant relationship under both approaches, while Board size revealed a negative relationship under both approaches. Further findings also revealed a strong relationship between corporate sustainability performance and company performance. This was established by the results from the ESG and ROA and ROE, which revealed negative but significant relationships under the first approach and became positive and significant under the second approach. Lastly, a strong relationship between corporate governance and corporate sustainability performance was revealed as shown between ESP and directors’ remuneration and a negative but significant relationship with board size and gender diversity. A cross-country based investigation to ascertain whether the same results can be achieved should be carried out.

Business organizations face more issues due to globalization and continually changing customer expectations. To overcome these challenges, businesses must invest in the training and development of their employees. Training and development are essential nowadays. Employee performance is improved via training and development. A company's personnel determine its efficacy. In this era of globalization, training is crucial for the competitive and challenging corporate environment. The nerve must contribute to raising employees' quality of life at work and expanding the business. This paper aimed to investigate the impact of training and development programs on employee performance and productivity in the selected municipality of OR Tambo District Municipality, South Africa. To conduct this study, the researchers embraced an exploratory qualitative approach. The rationale for implementing qualitative methodology emanates from the need to understand the effectiveness of training programs in the Oliver Tambo district municipality in Eastern cape province, South Africa.The administration of the Nyandeni Local municipality conceded permission. The researchers acquired the letter, which permitted them to gather information from employees from the local municipality. Ethical clearance was affirmed genuinely. Non-probability sampling was used for its convenient strength. Precisely, data was obtained using semi-structured face-to-face interviews for this study. Thirty-five participants were included in this research study. According to the results, poor training and development were seen as a cause for the poor performance of employees. Capacity building was seen as a tool to increase employee commitment. Training programs were only visible to some in the municipality and the present study recommended that the Skills office conduct roadshows so that all employees could understand the office's role in the municipality. The study further recommended that training and development be closely monitored to determine its effectiveness.

The teaching of Economic Management Sciences (EMS) in Senior Phase (SP) classrooms, particularly in Grade 7, still needs to be researched. This paper examines the pedagogical practices of Grade 7 EMS teachers when teaching financial literacy (FL). We employed a qualitative research case study. Two schools were purposively chosen in the Chris Hani District, serving as the case under exploration. A data set of six participants were observed and interviewed for six months. The main findings of the study indicated that (i) the teachers adopt pedagogical practices that are based on experience and subject area content knowledge,(ii) teachers with experience and subject content knowledge were found to deliver learner-centered, creative lessons while emerging teachers relied on the textbook and taught in teacher-centered ways, (iii) lack of training on the relatively new content of FL in EMS, lack of resources and complicated language of FL concepts resulted in teachers relying on standard pedagogical practices. The study proffers recommendations and interventions that teachers could use to better their skills of pedagogic practices. Amongst these are training EMS teachers by higher education institutions, workshops, and induction of newly hired EMS teachers.

This paper explores the relevance of the industry stakeholder in the production of skilled electrical installation and maintenance technical college (TC) graduates in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. One research question was set in the study: What is the relevance of stakeholder partnerships in the production of skilled Electrical Installation and Maintenance Trade (EIMT) Graduates? A qualitative exploratory case study involving a Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR) approach was used to purposively select ten participants. The data were generated through individual interviews and focus group discussions and were analysed thematically. Experiential learning theory was employed as a theoretical framework in the study. The study's findings revealed the emergence of the following themes: development of willingness to learn, exposure/development of new relevant trade-related skills, exposure/development of practical skills, challenges of the technical college programme, and innovative teaching. From these findings, the study concludes that the industry stakeholder is necessary for producing skilled EIMT graduates in line with the objectives of the TC programme in Nigeria. Thus, the study contributes to the body of existing knowledge on the Technical College programme and within the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) on the relevance of industry stakeholder partnership in the production of skilled EIMT. Recommendations were also made based on the conclusion.

This paper aims to investigate whether home language teaching has an impact on enhanced additional language learning pedagogies. Participants, as data sources, were four university teachers purposely identified because of the task assigned to them, assessing student teachers in diverse schools during TP. Data for this inquiry was collected through semi-structured interviews. It was divulged as the main findings that (i) time constraints caused by consistent code-switching to acquaint with the unfamiliar medium, and (ii) learner dropout rate were challenges. This paper concludes that policies need to be redefined for enhanced language proficiency so that the ultimate end is learners who can communicate globally in a wide range of linguistic constituencies.

As qualitative research, this paper aims to identify the impact of the necessary significance of enhanced digital learning strategies in rural senior secondary schooling. The main findings about improved digital learning strategies in rural schools are (i) limited availability of digital resources coupled with (i) motivation as a factor for teachers and learners as recipients of the schooling process. As a result, this paper concludes by outlining the necessary significance for teachers and learners to have upgraded skills for viability in the digital world. Therefore, this paper recommends that teachers require more professional support and development to transform teaching strategies.