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July 2023

NWU delivers research for a better world

Welcome to the fifth edition of the North-West University's newsletter, Research@NWU. The aim of the newsletter is to showcase research projects, researchers and related events. This newsletter is one of seven, distributed to academic staff and researchers during the year.

UNESCO chair continues to open doors to education

A key United Nations agency has shown its confidence in the NWU by relaunching the Chair on Multimodal Learning and Open Educational Resources for a second term of four years.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has approved the NWU's submission for a renewal of the chair, which was initially awarded to the university in 2019.

Using technology to prepare language teachers for the future

While debates about the quality of teacher education intensify, the NWU is exploring solutions, including mixed reality, that will ensure that well-prepared and effective teachers enter the country's classrooms.
The recent findings of the 2021 PIRLS study, indicating that 81% of South Africa's Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning, have reignited the debate about the quality of pre-service teacher preparedness in the education sector.

Study explores use of medicinal plants to treat childhood diseases

Dr Tshepiso Ndhlovu, an NWU PhD graduate, has completed promising research on the use of medicinal plants to treat children's diseases. Childhood illnesses make a major contribution to infant mortality rates worldwide, and the high cost of conventional treatment exacerbates the problem by putting a financial strain on rural populations. South Africa, with its high poverty and unemployment rates, particularly in rural regions, is no different.

African populations and Eurocentric cell research

Why did some people experience more severe coronavirus symptoms than others during the Covid-19 pandemic? International researchers believe part of the answer may lie deep within human cells, specifi-cally in the mitochondrial DNA.

Spotlight falls on the role of parents in disciplining learners

Many studies have found a strong correlation between learners' discipline levels and academic performance, with the latter improving as discipline levels improve. However, what is the role that parents play in disciplining their children?

Solar telescope expands research horizons

Located on the roof of building G5 at the NWU's Potchefstroom Campus, the solar telescope of the Centre for Space Research has garnered attention from organisations such as the BBC and the Royal Astronomical Society.

Meet our researchers

Researchers across our faculties are doing exciting work in their fields of expertise. We introduce the work of three researchers:

Dr Byron Bunt, subject group leader and senior lecturer in History in Education,
Prof Susan Coetzee van Rooy, researcher in the UPSET (Understanding and Processing Language in Complex Settings) research focus area, and
Dr Katlego Moloto, senior lecturer in Space Physics in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

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Please share your comments and input by sending an email to the newsletter editor, willie.duplessis@nwu.ac.za