Information Studies

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Browsing Information Studies by Author "Buthelezi, Simiso Cebo"

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    The strategies used by the University of Zululand for documenting, disseminating and accessing indigenous knowledge
    (University of Zululand, 2021) Buthelezi, Simiso Cebo
    Indigenous knowledge is a type of knowledge that is specific to a community and was developed for the survival of rural communities. The study's goal was to investigate and assess the University of Zululand's practices for documenting, sharing, and accessing indigenous knowledge. Five (5) research objectives led the study: to determine how IK is developed at the University of Zululand; to determine how IK is documented at the University of Zululand; to determine how IK is accessed or shared, both internally and externally, at the researched institution; to determine the obstacles that IK faces at the University of Zululand; and to provide a strategy for IK development at the University of Zululand. The research was guided by Nonaka's (1994) SECI model which depicts four key elements, which are: socialisation, internalisation, combination and externalisation. The study adopted both interpretivist and positivist research paradigms. Ultimately, qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. The qualitative research approach was used to collect data from academic and non-academic staff members. Interviews were conducted with 18 academic staff members and 5 with support staff members. An in-depth literature review, interviews and document analysis formed part of the qualitative content analysis. The quantitative research approach was used to collect data from IK theses and dissertations from UNIZULU Institutional Repository between 2009-2019. The results of the study revealed that many departments and faculties across the University of Zululand were involved in the creation of IK-related content. The Faculty of Arts, more especially the department of African Languages, was noted to be more involved in the creation of IK related content. Additionally, the most involved academic in the creation of IK-related content was identified within the Department of African languages. Noticeably, IsiZulu was the most widely used term in theses and dissertations. The documentation of the content related to IK in the university of Zululand is done frequently, but is not readily known. It was found that the creation and documentation of indigenous knowledge by different departments faced a number of challenges. The common challenges relate to a lack of interest among IK owners in sharing their knowledge, the local language as a barrier, a shortage of proper tools for recording and capturing IK. This study contributes to current literature and discourse on indigenous knowledge systems and its documentation; interrogates the applicability of knowledge creation theory and models to IK research; adds fresh data, information, and knowledge on IK research, particularly in South Africa; and proposes practical solutions on the documentation and application for IK development. One of the study recommendations is the need for IKS policy to be in place at the University of Zululand. The study was limited to the University of Zululand only, yet a study of this nature needs to be conducted across the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The study will be of great use to academics, researchers, students, all departments in the University of Zululand and in South Africa. The full thesis is available in the University of Zululand Institutional Repository and other publications from the thesis.
University of Zululand