Academic research

LitNet Akademies is LitNet's accredited academic journal. An extended English abstract is published with every article.

Heinrich Bullinger’s commentary on the Letter to Philemon

D. Francois Tolmie Academic research 2026-08-03

"Bullinger [...] was a prolific and influential figure in the Reformation, authoring more works than Luther and Calvin combined."

Potential utility of ChatGPT-4o in jewellery design, factors driving its use, and guidelines for responsible use in higher education studios

Eric Holmes, Christina Johanna (Christa) van Staden Academic research 2026-07-30

"The primary purpose of this study was therefore not merely to test a technology, but to develop grounded guidelines for the responsible educational use of GenAI models in jewellery design studios. To achieve this, we answered three sequential research questions: (1) To what extent can ChatGPT-4o be useful during jewellery design? (2) Which factors may drive its use? and (3) How can responsible use be promoted in higher education studios?"

Foreign policy principles of President Donald Trump: Part 1

Riaan Eksteen Academic research 2026-07-30

"The analysis is grounded in a comprehensive literature review of US international relations during Trump’s presidency and employs analytical frameworks to understand the implications of his policies. It also considers the roles of Congress and the Supreme Court, highlighting the complexities and challenges of the USA’s diplomatic strategies."

Fanonism as enemy of peace: A skilled response from the anti-revolutionary tradition

J.A. Schlebusch, Paul Maritz Academic research 2026-07-27

"Fanon’s thought, deeply rooted in the dialectical philosophy of [...] Hegel and the historical materialism of Karl Marx, reconfigures these traditions by placing race – rather than economic class – at the centre of historical development."

An investigation into Afrikaans family festival attendees and their attendance motivators at Aardklop Nasionale Kunstefees

Walter Wessels Academic research 2026-07-27

"The findings suggest several practical implications for festival organisers, marketers, and theatre producers. From the demographic profile, it is evident that the festival programming should consider the ages of the family unit and align its offerings with the evolving needs of this market segment to encourage repeat visitation."

An investigation into the explanation for the complex relationship between users’ level of qualification and their experience of plain language documents

Annie Burger Academic research 2026-07-22

"Burger suggests that participants with a higher level of qualification have more experience with the types of documents tested, and therefore have more knowledge to evaluate the documents critically. In the current study this hypothesis is tested using qualitative data to analyse carefully the nature of this relationship."

Doubtful developments concerning the role of expert evidence in damages claims hearings in three recent judgments of the Gauteng Division of the High Court

Magda Slabbert, Melodie Labuschaigne, Magdaleen Swanepoel Academic research 2026-07-16

"In this article we provide a critical examination of recent South African court decisions concerning damages claims in medical negligence and Road Accident Fund cases, highlighting the challenges posed by unreliable expert testimony and the speculative nature of quantifying damages, particularly future loss of income."

Investigating the role of affective and cultural factors in learning Afrikaans First Additional Language among Grade 10 learners

Cameron Jo Benjamin, Elbie Adendorff Academic research 2026-07-13

"This research contributes to the literature on second‑language learning by empirically linking affective states and cultural instruction to learners’ engagement with Afrikaans as a first additional language in a South African secondary‑school context."

Ecocriticism: new possibilities for textual analysis at high school level

Schalk J Lubbe, Susan Meyer, Elize Vos Academic research 2026-07-08

"Literature is directly linked to the intellectual and spiritual enrichment of learners. Literary texts can, for example, provide the context for expressing one’s own ideas, views and emotions with confidence, thereby fostering independent and analytical thinking – one of the key objectives in the learning of additional languages."

A world view of clinical legal education: Latin America and North America

Riette du Plessis Academic research 2026-06-30

"Law clinics and externships, the primary forms of CLE, each have their own pedagogical norms and best practices. A distinct clinical methodology was developed to prepare students for the actual practice of law and to inculcate the values of the profession, with an emphasis on reflection as a critical component."

Levinas and the postcolony: from abstract alterity to concrete justice

Benda Hofmeyr Academic research 2026-06-30

"The central research problem concerns whether Levinas’s ethical philosophy – especially his concepts of alterity, responsibility and the ethical relation to the Other – can meaningfully contribute to postcolonial debates despite the apparent Eurocentrism, racism, and political ambiguities present in his work."

From language learning to interpreting learning (part 2): Creating cognitive and metacognitive interpreting-learning strategies for process-oriented interpreter training

Kanja van der Merwe, Elbie Adendorff Academic research 2026-06-29

"In this article, cognitive and metacognitive interpreting-learning strategies are discussed as they facilitate task performance and enable learners to coordinate the interpreting-learning process."

Solidariteit en AfriForum Afrikaanse Onderwysberaad: ’n beraad wat uitsluit?

Danie van Wyk SA Skoleseminaar | Schools Seminar 2026-06-29

"As daar dus oor die toekoms van Afrikaanse onderwys beraadslag word, en oor die toekoms van gehalte- Afrikaanse onderwys, moet dit ’n nasionale gesprek wees wat nie slegs tot die Voortrekkermonument beperk word nie. Soos die viering van die 100ste herdenking van Afrikaans as ’n amptelike taal, so sal daar ook ’n nasionale gesprek oor die toekoms van Afrikaanse onderwys beplan en gehou moet word, want Afrikaans is inderdaad groot en vind ’n tuiste in van die kleinste gehuggies tot die grootste stede en dorpe, in die noorde – en in die Wes-Kaap."

Poetry as an emotional bridge: an analysis of poems for Grade 8 Afrikaans First Additional Language

Lydia Barnett, Emma Groenewald Academic research 2026-06-25

"The study argues that poetry, as a literary genre, is uniquely suited to developing these competencies in adolescent learners because of its concentrated emotional power, its use of imagery and sound devices, and its capacity to reflect universal human experiences in accessible and memorable ways."

A world view of clinical legal education: The United Kingdom and Ireland

Riette du Plessis Academic research 2026-06-18

"Another benchmark measures universities on the different ways in which they engage with external partners. As academics are no longer viewed solely as teachers, the impact on law clinic teachers is that they have holistic, multidisciplinary opportunities for study, service and impact."

The Humpty Dumpty dilemma of curriculum: an exploratory study of pre-service teachers’ understanding of curriculum

Chris-Mari Le Hanie Academic research 2026-06-11

"In curriculum discourse this dilemma reflects the persistent challenge that curriculum is interpreted differently by scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. Despite this theoretical richness, curriculum is often understood in educational practice in a narrow and technical sense, typically reduced to policy documents, syllabi, or prescribed content which teachers must deliver."

Operation Savannah: The "slight mistake" that economically hurt the apartheid state

Kobus du Pisani Academic research 2026-06-08

"Operation Savannah had far-reaching military, diplomatic, political and economic consequences for the Republic of South Africa (RSA). The international community condemned the apartheid state’s violation of the international law principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of another state."

Innovative curriculum design for sustainable development: Whole Brain®-based Coding and Robotics curriculum

Soené Botha-Zietsman Academic research 2026-05-20

"The study contributes to the field of technology and curriculum studies by providing an empirically grounded example of how cognitive diversity frameworks and sustainability agendas can be integrated into primary school Coding and Robotics education."

Epistemic expectations and realities in stock price returns

Abie Bouwer, Eben Maré Academic research 2026-05-07

"[This article] explores how returns should behave if they are entirely driven by information and compares these theoretical expectations to actual market data. The central question is whether the statistical features of price returns can be reconciled with the notion that prices reflect only the arrival and processing of new information."

Adrianus van Selms (1906–1984) unlocks the Arabic-Afrikaans literature against the background of the origin and development of the Afrikaans language

Piet Boshoff Academic research 2026-04-14

"Arabic-Afrikaans is coined and defined by Van Selms as Afrikaans written in Arabic script. The community where these texts were used consisted of the offspring of the slaves and tradesmen shipped to the Cape by the Dutch East Indian Company. They established Islam in South Africa."

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