3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Exploring teachers' experiences in idealing with social problems faced by adolescent learners : the case of two high schools in Diepsloot and Tembisa, Gauteng(2017) Bekwa, FezileAdolescence is often a difficult transitional period and adolescents need to feel supported in all aspects of their lives. They desire social and emotional support to reach psychosocial wellbeing. Researchers world-wide are of the same opinion that due to the adolescent stage having many challenges, children in this phase of development require support in order to cope as they continue to develop. As learners spend most of their time within the school environment it is vital for schools to have both formal and informal support systems in place that will serve as support for adolescents in dealing with the social problems that they face. The objective of the study was to explore the experiences of teachers in dealing with social issues faced by learners given the available resources within the educational context. The research approach employed was qualitative in nature and collective case studies were utilized as the research design. The participants comprised of educators of two high schools, one in the Diepsloot and a second in Tembisa in Gauteng. Purposive sampling was used to select 10 participants, five from each of the schools. In-depth interviews were used to collect data and a semi-structured interview schedule was utilized as the research instrument. Thematic content analysis was applied as the method of data analysis. The findings of the study showed that the most prevalent social issue occurring within school communities is the issue of child- headed households. Other prevalent social problems that were identified were teenage pregnancy, drug/substance use, conditions of unemployment or poverty and bullying. The lack of parental support or parental involvement as well as not being adequately equipped to assist were majorly reported as challenges faced by teachers in dealing with learners’ facing social problems. The School-Based Support Team was identified as the most utilized and most often, the only internal resource. Lastly, a lack of training, equipping teachers to assist learners facing social problems was majorly reported majority reported in this study. The argument underpinning this study is that teachers are mandated to teach and as such, should be expected to teach and not fulfil a counselling role. Thus based on the findings, the recommendations made include the development of policies that will promote collaborative family-school partnerships as well as create a supportive psychosocial school climate. There is a need for improvement of internal support systems in schools which can include learner involvement. The Department of Education can assist with the provision of support services or systems such as social workers and other allied health professionals as well as ensuring that teachers are adequately trained to assist learners. Lastly, collaborative relationships between schools and support service providers in communities should exist.Item Transition for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder : parent and professional perspectives.(2014-02-20) Meiring, MeaganAdolescents with Autism and their families experience a significant increase in the number and nature of challenges faced when leaving the structure of the formal education system. Increased support and planning is required in order to prepare for and better manage this period, as a successful transition is associated with family well-being. An ecosystemic approach was used in order to better understand the experiences of the individual, the family, the school and the community during this period. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of parent and professional perspectives on various elements of the transition process, including planning and support, predicted outcomes and the feelings experienced, in order to develop awareness, improved planning and consequently; outcomes. A sample of 14 participants (7 parents and 7 professionals) was engaged in semi-structured interviews. The results indicate that both parents and professionals feel an overwhelming sense of fear and uncertainty with regards to the future of the adolescent with Autism; however a sense of optimism and hope also exists, as participants reported effective interventions were beginning to occur. The knowledge and understanding of the needs of these individuals is continuously growing within the parents and professionals who are directly involved in the lives of adolescents with Autism; however increased awareness is required within the community and government sectors in order to gain increased access to resources and services. With the appropriate support, individuals with Autism can experience increased quality of life within residential, employment, social and community settings. The results of the current study are discussed with reference to previous research studies, and recommendations for further research are provided.Item A comparison of males and female's identity processing style in relation to academic achievement and self esteem.(2011-03-28) Gafoor, Leila AbdoolThe adolescent years are typically marked by the exploration of different roles and lifestyles with experience culminating into a crystallized sense of self (Chae, 2001). According to de Man, Harvey, Ward and Benoit (2008) adolescents who have achieved ego identity generally have higher levels of self-esteem and tend to be more decisive, self-directed, good at problem solving and able to cope with changing environmental demands. Currently there is a lack of identity research in South Africa that encompasses gender, self-esteem and academic achievement. The purpose of this research study sets about to fill such a gap. This study attempted to investigate the differences in males and females’ identity processing style in relation to academic achievement and self-esteem. A sample of 428 first year psychology students at a well known South African university participated in this study. A biographical questionnaire, the Identity Style Inventory (ISI-3), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES) and 2009 June examination results were utilized. Findings of the study revealed no significant differences in males and females’ identity processing style in relation to academic achievement and self-esteem. There was however significant difference between the three identity processing styles, in favour of the Informational group on academic achievement. A significant difference was found between the gender groups only on the Normative variable in favour of the females. Implications for further theory and practice and recommendations for future research are provided.Item The relationship between gender identity development and career decision-making process among high school learners.(2010-06-22T07:38:27Z) Rammutla, Lara LetlhogonoloAccording to Erikson (1968), adolescents and young people are greatly engaged in the process of identity development with the intentions to evade a state of diffusion and role confusion. Not much research in the areas of identity formation and career development has explored the possible relationship between these two phenomena. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between gender identity formation (identity statuses) and career decision-making process among high school learners. In addition the study explored if there are gender differences between males and females on identity statuses, as well as on career decision-making process. A sample of 156 Grade 12 learners participated in the study. The Revised Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (Bennion & Adams, 1986) and the Study Choice Task Inventory were administered to the learners. Findings of the study showed correlation between the identity statuses of Diffusion, Foreclosure and Moratorium for males and females and the career decision–making process. No statistically significant differences were found between males and females on the variables, namely, identity statuses and aspects of career decision-making processes. Implications for theory and practice and recommendations for future research are provided.Item The prevalence of personality pathology in adolescence.(2009-09-03T06:12:35Z) Card, MelissaOver the past twenty years, there seems to have been an increased interest on the topic of adolescent personality pathology among researchers and clinicians in the field of psychiatry and clinical psychology. There have been many contentious debates on the topic, the most prominent being around the possibility of diagnosing a personality disorder or variant thereof in adolescence. With this in mind, the researcher attempted to understand some of the most pertinent debates as well as investigate some of the hypotheses proposed in the arguments. The main focus of the study was on the possibility of diagnosing personality pathology in adolescence and whether or not this was being achieved in an inpatient psychiatric ward. The present study quantitatively investigated the prevalence of personality pathology as well as the extent to which health care professionals in South Africa are diagnosing various personality pathologies among adolescents admitted to an inpatient psychiatric ward. The data collected has been analysed using the statistical study of frequencies and correlations, in order to assess whether there were positive correlations between genders, Axis I disorders, a set of reported problematic or pathological behavioural symptoms and having an Axis II diagnosis. The results reveal that clinicians are cautiously diagnosing personality pathology in an inpatient adolescent psychiatric ward, with the borderline personality pathology being the most prevalent.Item The role of Rap/Hip Hop music in the meaning and maintenance of identity in South African youth.(2009-03-06T05:50:54Z) Cohen, DrorAlthough music has seemingly always formed an integral part of human culture, technological advances in contemporary society have increased both its accessibility and portability, allowing for unprecedented production and consumption of a medium that allows individuals to enact and display various social identities during day-to-day life. Furthermore, recent research has demonstrated that youth consume more music that any other age group. Thus music may be considered as a primary cultural influence in the lives of youth. While the bulk of the research conducted in understanding the form and function of this influence has been located in the disciplines of sociology and musicology, Psychologists in Europe and America have become increasingly interested in understanding the role of music in constructing and maintaining identity during this critical period of development. As a contribution to this field of application outside of these contexts and located within a qualitative framework, this study explored the role of Rap/Hip Hop music, as one of the most popular global and local genres of music, in the meaning and maintenance of identity in a cohort of South African youth. The resultant thematic framework illustrated the complex tensions negotiated by youth through assuming Hip Hop culture membership in South Africa. Importantly, the study showed that the nature of Hip Hop culture; its emphasis on self-expression, individuation and critical social awareness dovetails with many of the traditional psychological developmental theories of youth identity. Hip Hop consumption also implied appropriating identity markers from a wide range of social influences, posing challenges to the application of traditional social identity theory in accounting for in and out groupings. This was most pronounced in the way that ‘remixing’, as a governing musical principle in Hip Hop seems to resonate as key mode of identity and identification amongst its South African consumers. Thus, it seems fitting that South African youth currently in the midst of cultural, economic and political transitions would embrace an eclectic rather than rigidly bounded genre of music with such enthusiasm. In some ways then Hip Hop in South Africa, appears to provide youth with the means to remix past and present, old and new, global and local, self and other.