Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/37990
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Item The Mental Health Needs of South African Mainstream High School Learners: Teachers’ Experiences and Perceptions(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Abreu, Leandra Imilia; Amod, ZaytoonThis qualitative study set out to explore teachers’ experiences and perceptions of South African high school learner mental health. Mainly, what teachers believe to contribute towards learner mental health, what they deem to be the barriers and how they believe these barriers can be addressed. The study aimed to provide insight into facilitative factors and challenges concerning adolescent learner mental health in addition to offering support to teachers in managing the mental health of their learners, an important factor in assisting the overall development of South African learners. To better understand these views, twelve qualified and registered teachers practicing in South African high schools were interviewed using a non-probability, purposive sampling technique and following an interpretive phenomenological approach. The use of semi-structured individual interview questions was used to ascertain the perceptions and experiences of 12 teachers in South Africa. The teachers were approached via online platforms, due to social restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data was analysed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis to establish the main themes brought up by the participants. The findings uncovered numerous themes and subthemes surrounding teachers’ perceptions of aspects contributing to the mental health of their learners namely: challenging households and the role of parents, social pressures and stressors, anxiety, depression, ADHD and the influence of self-esteem. The impacts of COVID-19 were also prominent due to the interviews being conducted during the initial lockdown period in South Africa. The teachers identified a lack of resources and teacher mental health training/knowledge, stigma and poverty as three of the major barriers to learners accessing mental health support. Finally, the teachers identified multilayered responsibilities, interventions pertaining to teacher training and curriculum adaptions as possible approaches to address these barriers. These findings suggest that managing the mental health of learners is extremely burdensome for teachers who feel unsupported. Obtaining teachers’ perceptions, experiences and beliefs about learner mental health is thus important to improve school psychological services. The findings contribute to research regarding factors influencing learner mental health and adds to the limited empirical research available surrounding South African teachers’ experiences and perceptions. It is recommended that future research be carried out on several different aspects surrounding adolescent mental health in South Africa.Item Stakeholder perceptions of the job skills and job roles required by Industrial psychologists in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Kekana, Lerato Valencia; Isreal, NickyThe Fourth Industrial Revolution and recent Covid-19 pandemic have brought large changes to the way work is defined and enacted, and these transitions have placed a unique demand on Industrial/Organisational Psychologists (IOPs) to help organisations and employees manage these workplace changes. This has further emphasised the need for the clarification and reassessment of the job roles and job skills required of Industrial/Organisational psychologists (IOPs) in South Africa. This study explored and compared the perceptions held by I/O psychology students and trainers (i.e., lecturers and supervisors) with regards to the job role and job skills required of IOPs in South Africa. Based on the review of literature, an online survey was designed and distributed to a group of 60 (59.4%) I/O psychology students and 41 (40.6%) I/O psychology trainers (n = 101) who voluntarily completed the survey. The survey collected both quantitative and qualitative data and this was analysed using a combination of statistics and content analysis. Both students and trainers in the sample emphasised the psychological and facilitative roles of IOPs in the workplace, with their facilitative functions taking precedence. Both groups distinguished IOPs from human resource practitioners based primarily on daily processes. Students rated most roles as significantly more important than trainers however both groups identified organisational development, employee wellbeing and work life, change management, training, psychological assessments, motivation and rewards, and research as the most important roles that IOPs fulfil in the workplace. There was agreement from both groups that the roles of IOPs would change at least moderately in the next five years. With regards to the job skills required of IOPs, a degree of congruence was observed in the top five skills that both groups noted, which included the four key skills of critical thinking; responsibility and reliability; honesty and integrity; and communication. Students prioritised people management as their fifth top skill while trainers prioritised emotional intelligence. Both groups emphasised practical work experience as the most important skill to be adequately prepared for the workplace and also identified interpersonal, communication and social skills; emotional intelligence; problem-solving; analytical and critical thinking; boldness; and business acumen as important. The findings of the study provide greater insight and possible directions for education and training of IOPs in South Africa, although further research in a broader range of stakeholders is needed.Item The Provision of School Social Work Intervention Services: A Case Study of Schools in Johannesburg(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Smith, Lerelle Keshia; Nathane-Taulela, MotlalepuleSchool Social Work has been practised for decades in countries such as the United States of America, Australia, and the United Kingdom. However, in South Africa although social work is widely practised, not many of these professionals are placed in schools. School social work intervention is described as the first experience of psychological support that most children receive. However, many schools in South Africa are without access to school social workers. Hence, they rely on one regional social worker who services multiple schools. Wealthy schools have access to multiple professionals such as educational psychologists and social workers, to provide learner support. The use of non-probability purposeful sampling was applied in this qualitative study, 10 social workers, who were placed in: public schools, governing-body schools, and private schools, which represent different socio-economic communities in Johannesburg. Data were collected through interviews and the use of a semi-structured interview schedule and thematic coding was utilised for data analysis. Findings reveal the complex and ununified state of school social work They also shed light that there is a need to train more school social workers, especially those rendering services to learners with special needs. Additionally, there is a need for more resources, and staff to be made available, especially in public schools totally dependent on the government for funding to ensure the provision of high-quality school social work services. The main findings also indicate that many school learners occasionally experience some form of psychosocial challenges, which requires support from a social worker. However, many schools’ social workers are inundated with high caseloads. Therefore, the study concludes that there is a need for more school social work services. This is because many children in public-schools are more disadvantaged due to inaccessibility of school social workers. Thus, the burden is placed on teachers to teach while they also identify learners’ need and support themItem Remote work and work-life conflict during the Covid-19 pandemic: A scoping review(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Njoli, Lihle; Donald, FionaIn December 2019, the viral respiratory disease ‘Covid-19’ was first identified in Wuhan, China (Buchanan et al., 2021). The virus swiftly spread to neighbouring nations, prompting the global declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the alarming rates of death caused by the virus, drastic policy changes needed to be made by organisations around the world. Remote work, which entails employees working anywhere else but the office, such as at home, had to be implemented to try and reduce the rate at which the virus was spreading (Buchanan et al., 2021). Since employees had to work from home while also spending time with their families, including their children, working remotely became a concern for many people (Anderson & Kelliher, 2020). Thus, the current study aimed to examine the relationship between remote work and work-life conflict during the Covid-19 pandemic. To accomplish this, it used a scoping review to examine the body of current literature. The literature was reviewed using the five-stage research technique for scoping reviews developed by Arksey and O'Malley (2005). The study followed the checklist of items and methodology of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta- Analyses (PRISMA) to enhance the reporting of the scoping review and minimise bias (Moher et al., 2009). The conservation of resources theory (Hobfoll, 1989), boundary theory (Bulger et al., 2007), spillover theory (Zedeck & Mosier, 1990), and compensation theory (Edwards & Rothbard, 2000) are the theoretical frameworks that have been used to understand the relationship between remote work and work-life conflict in pre-pandemic literature. Overall, this study aimed to explore the findings that were established on remote work and work life conflict in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, it aimed to determine the types of theories, samples, and research designs that were used in the studies. To achieve the aim of this study, a thorough search was conducted, and 14 relevant studies were identified and examined for this scoping review. Based on the findings, it is evident that work-life conflict varied among employees working remotely from home during the pandemic. It is noted that work-life conflict increased for some employees while decreasing for others. The existence or absence of children in the home, the amount of job and personal obligations, and the support system in the household all had an impact on the experiences of work-life conflict among remote workers. The results of this study add to the body of information on the topic and helps identify research gaps and implications for future remote and hybrid work.Item Perceptions of Employee Assistance Practitioners of South Africa on the factors that influence professional ethics in Employee Assistance Programmes(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Ncube, Likwa; Dlamini, BusisiweThe workplace faces various challenges that impact employee functioning and the general mood of the work environment. Employment Assistance Programmes (EAPs), as a workplace response to the human and environmental challenges, have played an important contribution in the South African workplace since 1980. Benefits of using EAPs in the workplace include improved productivity, staff retention, reduced absenteeism and many other economic and social benefits. Professional ethics of EAP vendors in South Africa lack standardisation. Working from a person-in environment (P-I-E) perspective, this qualitative study explored factors that influence professional ethics with sixteen (16) EAP practitioners identified through a non-probability purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were administered. EAP practitioners were drawn from different work backgrounds and qualifications in Gauteng province, in South Africa. Data was analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The results showed that EAP is making a significant contribution to the South African corporate and government workforce and the workplace. There are several socio-economic benefits linked to having an EAP in the workplace. However, an unlegislated EAP practice, unaccredited EAP programmes and unlicensed EAP practitioners threaten the credibility of the EAP professional ethics and the effectiveness of the interventions. This study recommends that to standardise EAP practice and intervention outcomes, EAP practitioners must be licensed by one professional body. Employee Assistance Professionals Association of South Africa (EAPA- SA) is suggested as a viable option with credible standards and ethics documents that meet international EAP best practice guidelines.Item The experiences of COVID-19 related lockdown and social media usage among the youth in Vosloorus, Mfundo Park, Gauteng(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Dlamini, Lindokuhle Sibahle; Langa, MaloseThis research sought to understand how the COVID-19 lockdown affected young people from the Vosloorus Township as well as their social media usage throughout the lockdown. The study targeted seven individuals, both male and female, through semi-structured interviews to gain rich data for this research. The research used a qualitative approach that allowed the researcher to adequately document these individuals’ life experiences in a naturalistic and interpretive way. Additionally, the interpretive phenomenological approach (IPA) which allowed the researcher to get an in-depth understanding of how the research participants understand or interpret their world, more especially how they describe their personal experiences. The findings have shown that young people from townships have suffered significantly from the impact of the pandemic. They experienced notable psychological distress at the hands of the military and police who were sent to maintain order in the townships during the lockdown. They were forced to adapt to a new way of life which included letting go of traditional burial rituals. The social distancing measures meant that the majority of the population could not express their final goodbyes to relatives who have passed on in order to control the rate of infection. Furthermore, the social recession had a more devastating impact on these young people as they naturally thrive under social interaction for their growth and developmental trajectory. The lack of social and/or physical interaction with peers affected not only their growth, but it also affected their academic performance. Social media became the only digital tool they relied on for any form of learning and communication with peers, relatives as well as educators. Although social media provided these young people with some form of connection to the outside world, it became an eminent threat to their overall welfare. The spread of fake news about the virus caused a lot of confusion, chaos, emotional and psychological stress among these young people.Item On The Nature and Rationality of Desire(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2018) Mtshali, Khondlo; Leon, MarkItem Would You Drink It? An Exploratory Study Gauging the Public’s Perceptions and Attitudes on the Use of Reclaimed Wastewater in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Prins, Franciscus X.; Thatcher, Andrew; Etale, AnitaIncreasing population figures globally, and in South Africa, and other factors, such as climate change could result in countries and regions suffering severe water scarcity. Alternative water sources, such as wastewater reclamation, are available which could bridge the supply and demand gap. Historically consumers have been against the use of water from water reclamation plants. This study aimed to determine consumers’ attitudes and key trade-offs toward alternative water sources, and to inform policy-and decision-makers for improved future public engagement. This could potentially improve the support for, and success, of future water reclamation plants. With the use of traditional surveys consumers’ willingness to consider alternative water sources are often determined after having assumed that they have existing knowledge of often complex topics. In this study, a decision pathway design allowed for information provision within an adaptive online survey with a set of linked questions. This encouraged the deliberate construction of opinions and views. In this way, respondents’ choices were more likely to be based on correct information before being asked to provide their opinions. By selecting one pathway information was revealed about respondents’ trade-offs and reasoning processes. Quantitative data were collected, and various demographical variables and responses were explored. Respondents’ most preferred water alternatives were provided at two points (at the start and at the end of the survey). The data revealed that there were changes between respondents most preferred alternative at the start and end of the survey. Furthermore, under situations of severe water scarcity most South African consumers would be in support of direct reclamation, however, respondents’ level of trust in the government, and the associated level of affect, could play a determining factor in the future successful implementation and operationalisation of water reclamation plants.Item Sculpting physical form: Muscular gay men’s subjective engagement with their bodies and training(2020) Cameron, Clinton; Eagle, GillianThe gay male body is defined by society as well as the gay community and culture within that society. Yet it is also defined by the individual gay men that inhabit their bodies. This research study explores the perceptions muscular gay men have of their bodies and the bodies of other men, the training they engage in to achieve their bodies and how the socio-cultural contexts in which they operate influence them. Seven self-identified muscular gay men were interviewed with a semi-structured interview schedule. The transcribed interviews were then analysed by making use of computer-aided critical thematic analysis. The findings suggest that all of the participants agree on the ideal body being muscular, lean and athletic. Even though participants desired the ideal body for themselves, they did not apply the same standards when it came to the bodies of other men, particularly partners with obesity being the exception. Participants were also narcissistically invested in the hard work they had put into their own bodies which remained unquenched by a constant desire for self-improvement. They also feared losing the bodies they had worked for and found particular enjoyment and affirmation in the admiration others had for their bodies. Participants also found training to be either a pleasure or a chore. Interestingly, those that found it a pleasure were also more likely to find a sense of community at gym. Participants also located their bodies as a way to belong or defend themselves within hegemonic masculinity.Item Perceptions of secondary school teachers on the proposed grade nine exit plan policy: the case of two secondary schools in Johannesburg, Gauteng(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022-06) Mohammed, Adillah Abdallah; Pretorius, EdmarieThe Department of Basic Education (DBE) intends to introduce the General Education Certificate (GEC). The GEC would allow learners to exit the mainstream schooling system at the end of grade nine for vocational training or jobs. The GEC policy aims to reduce the high dropout rates between grades ten and eleven. This study sets out to establish the perceptions of grade nine teachers on the introduction of GEC. The critical theory framework underpinned the study, which questioned how the education system can best offer education to all learners irrespective of their socioeconomic status. This study used a qualitative research approach. The study sample comprised of fourteen participants from two public schools in Johannesburg. Seven participants from each of the two schools. Purposive sampling was utilised to select the participants. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Face-to-face interviews were conducted on an individual basis. The data was analysed utilising thematic analysis. The participants perceive the GEC to be inclusive in nature as it accommodates all leaners with different learning needs and abilities. The GEC is perceived as a path to implementing inclusive education for equitable opportunities for all learners, for a just and less discriminative society. A noted concern was that the learners may use the GEC as an exit ticket from the schooling system. Participants indicated that a mechanism to ensure that all learners leaving the schooling system get absorbed in technical colleges for further training is required. They noted that the learners are too young to decide on their career paths at grade nine. A selection criterion to guide the identification of learners permitted to exit at grade nine, further engagement with key stakeholders, expansion and opening of more skills-based colleges, training, and funding of schools and skills-based colleges were recommended.