Browsing by Author "Ocholla, Dennis"

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    Cataloguing and Classification Education (CCE) and training in Library and Information Science/Studies departments in South Africa
    (LIASA, 2014) Ocholla, Lyudmila; Ocholla, Dennis
    Recent reports complain about the lack of cataloguers in South Africa to support Library and Information Services. The purpose of this study is to investigate the nature, level, status and challenges of teaching cataloguing and classification in LIS schools in South Africa. Qualitative and quantitative methods, through a survey and content analysis, were employed in this study. All twelve LIS/IS departments in South Africa were targeted. Within these departments, the main sources of research data were the department heads and/or lecturers teaching cataloguing and classification, as well as the course outlines or study guides of cataloguing and classification modules or courses. Survey data was collected through interviews and largely through questionnaires that were emailed to the respondents in the various LIS departments. Content analysis was employed for curriculum and syllabus analysis. Most respondents agreed that CCE should be offered in its current form and some uniformity in the titling of courses should be achieved. While most CCE challenges are not new, intervention is still required, particularly with regards to Resource Description and Access (RDA) which must be addressed by LIS schools as soon as possible. This study informs cataloguing and classification education in South Africa, and perhaps elsewhere, by providing baseline information for the planning, teaching, marketing and recruiting of graduates qualified in the two research domains.
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    The changing library and information research landscape: an analysis of Library and Information Science Research in South Africa by LIS academics in the last decade (2007–2016)
    (Russian National Public Library, 2017) Ocholla, Lyudmila; Ocholla, Dennis
    Library and Information Science, along with research in the domain, is changing in South Africa. Building on a previous 2007 study, this paper explores Library and Information Science (LIS) research in South Africa by LIS academics from 2007–2016 through the analysis of research publications indexed in the LISTA and SCOPUS databases. This particular analysis focuses on author and university or institutional productivity, collaboration, subject, publication trends, and sources. It is noted that a large number of LIS academics do not appear in journals indexed by LISTA or SCOPUS, two databases that are known for in-dexing the largest number of scholarly research in LIS and all its respective categories. Most publications occur in local South African (SA) scholarly journals that are accredited by the government for research sub-sidies. LIS research publication trends over the course of the decade reveal an insignificant increase during this period. While traditional LIS research subjects are still dominant, emerging technology driven domains are growing increasingly popular. Research collaboration in LIS in South Africa has grown beyond 50% and is steadily expanding, although most collaborations occur within institutions. Challenges relate to LIS research capacity building, poor visibility of LIS academics/ faculties on university or institutional web-sites, and some indexing omissions in the databases which make searching cumbersome. Although this re-search is still in progress, the paper provides some insight for LIS research development in South Africa. The findings may also interest research in LIS outside the region.
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    Insight into ethical cyber behaviour of undergraduate students at selected African universities
    (University of Zululand, 2020-10-08) Ocholla, Dennis; Aderibigbe, Nurudeen, A
    Background: Worldwide, immoral cyberspace users have continued to use the Internet to commit crimes; this has caused unease and has called for quick response to the problem especially within the educational sector. The practical value of this study is in its benefit to other researchers who may be attempting to understand South African or Nigerian cyber technology user‘s behaviour; it may also help relevant educational authorities to get relevant understanding of behaviour in the realm of cyberspace. Objectives: This study examined undergraduate students in relation to cyber technology at the University of Zululand (UNIZULU), South Africa, and the Federal University of Agriculture in Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Nigeria. Method: A survey design, questionnaire as the tool for data collection was adapted and samples for the study were drawn from undergraduate students in two conveniently selected universities in South Africa and Nigeria. Overall, 450 undergraduate students were invited to participate in the survey; 380 respondents completed and returned the questionnaire, resulting in a response rate of 84.4%. Results: Most of the respondents from the sampled universities reported that they were aware of what constitutes unethical cyber behaviour. Furthermore, the participants revealed that they hardly received orientation at the universities on cyber behaviour. The challenges that the students faces were reported. Conclusion: This study recommends that universities should sustain orientation and/or training programmes on cyber-ethics and cyber security awareness at the start of each academic year. The results of this study may spark further discussions and research on cyber technology access and use in contemporary society.
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    The research trends of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Research at the University of Zululand
    (University of Zululand, 2010) Ocholla, Dennis; Mostert, Janneke
    The Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences departments play a fundamental role in university education and in promoting the vision and mission of the University of Zululand. This paper explores definitions of Humanities and the Social Sciences, and the terms ‘research’ and ‘research output’, and examines the status and challenges of research management at the University of Zululand to evaluate research in the cited departments. A bibliometric method was used to analyse the trends and challenges of Humanities and Social Sciences research by using research data reflecting on ongoing and completed Arts, Humanities and Social Science research publications submitted by staff and students from 1994 – 2008 to the university’s Research Office. Data was analysed by categorising research output according to overall research publication by department, publication in accredited (SAPSE) journals by each department, author productivity, and research output by categories. Pearson’s correlation analysis was applied to test whether there was any correlation between registered research projects and research publications. Results indicate that strong AH&SS research engagement and publication exist at the university. Most research output was in the form of journal articles and conference papers. There was also growing postgraduate research output in the form of Masters and Doctoral dissertations. AH&SS research is generally multidisciplinary in nature. We noted that the system for capturing completed Masters and Doctoral research reports at the university is inadequate. The paper raises other issues that are important for AH&SS research and development.
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    The research trends of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Research at the University of Zululand, 1994 - 2008
    (University of Zululand, 2010-01) Ocholla, Dennis; Mostert, Janneke
    The Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences departments play a fundamental role in university education and in promoting the vision and mission of the University of Zululand. This paper explores definitions of Humanities and the Social Sciences, and the terms ‘research’ and ‘research output’, and examines the status and challenges of research management at the University of Zululand to evaluate research in the cited departments. A bibliometric method was used to analyse the trends and challenges of Humanities and Social Sciences research by using research data reflecting on ongoing and completed Arts, Humanities and Social Science research publications submitted by staff and students from 1994 – 2008 to the university’s Research Office. Data was analysed by categorising research output according to overall research publication by department, publication in accredited (SAPSE) journals by each department, author productivity, and research output by categories. Pearson’s correlation analysis was applied to test whether there was any correlation between registered research projects and research publications. Results indicate that strong AH&SS research engagement and publication exist at the university. Most research output was in the form of journal articles and conference papers. There was also growing postgraduate research output in the form of Masters and Doctoral dissertations. AH&SS research is generally multidisciplinary in nature. We noted that the system for capturing completed Masters and Doctoral research reports at the university is inadequate. The paper raises other issues that are important for AH&SS research and development.