1,720,983 research outputs found
The impact of type 1 diabetes on the psycho-social well-being of adolescents
Full text linkDissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017.The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the impact of type 1 diabetes (T1D) on the psycho-social well-being of adolescents in a resource-constrained community. Historical and contemporary literature on the psycho-social issues of adolescents with this disease draws attention to the complexity of individual’s experiences in this regard. This study contributes to a context-specific understanding of T1D, by exploring adolescents’ subjective personal, family, school and hospital lived experiences. The relational impact that T1D has on adolescents is further situated in the context of its importance to their psycho-social well-being.
This research study adopted Engel’s Biopsychosocial Model, Systems Theory and Phenomenology for the theoretical framework. The researcher consulted relevant literature relating to diabetes, specific to T1D; the adolescent with T1D, defining adolescence and disease-related adjustment; epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, glycaemic control, management and complications of adolescents with T1D; family centred care for T1D and health related quality of life. A qualitative research approach was applied, guided by an interpretive phenomenological paradigm. Five adolescents, between the ages of 15 and 18 years, described their lived experiences of having T1D during semi-structured interviews. The data was subsequently analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).
Five main themes emerged from the transcripts, each of which is discussed separately as well as in relation to other prevalent literature. The critical investigation of the findings presented in this study revealed divergent aspects to those found in some of the current literature, as well as considerations comparable with earlier research.
The meanings that emerged from these adolescents’ stories revealed complex cognitive, emotional, social and biological distress, all of which highlight the subjective experience of having T1D, the impact thereof, and the multi-faceted stress it has on their psycho-social well-being.Educational PsychologyMEdUnrestricte
Exploring sandplay as an intervention with early adolescence in a resource-poor environment
Full text linkDissertation (MEd (Learning Support, Guidance and Counselling))--University of Pretoria, 2022.The focus of this study was an in-depth exploration of early adolescent sandplay (SP) in a resource-poor environment. The participants aged 9–14 were selected for their age from a children’s home environment. Silent, group SP was offered weekly for six consecutive weeks. SP was tendered in multiple layers of temenos. Of interest was the experience of SP during early adolescence. The qualitative exploration was considered from a Jungian perspective and conducted as a single case study. Research methods included researcher observation, the generation of six sand images of each of the five early adolescent participant’s SP process, interviews with childcare staff and researcher reflections. Initial sand images and childcare staff descriptions of the children highlighted themes of wounding. Initial sand images portray chaotic, overwhelming and threatening scenes, indicative of trauma and vulnerability and the need for containment. Final sand images display balanced, harmonious scenes that support healing. Varying encounters with the Self were depicted in centring actions and subsequent sand scenes included signs of integration and belonging. Indications of transpersonal encounters were characterised by numinous scenes and supported by childcarer descriptions of outstanding interactions with the children. Positive changes included activation and desire to play, increased cooperative and collaborative behaviour as well as a more open and calm demeanour, which reinforces the positive effect of silent group SP. The implications are potentially far-reaching in terms of the relative affordability, accessibility and suitability of this intervention that is not reliant on the verbal skills of the participant or the therapist.Educational PsychologyMEd (Learning Support, Guidance and Counselling)Unrestricte
Challenges in implementing alternatives to corporal punishment in secondary public schools
Full text linkMini Dissertation (MEd (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2022.The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges faced by teachers in implementing alternatives to corporal punishment (ATCP) using two public secondary schools, in the Gauteng province, as sources of data. It was envisaged that the undertaking of this study would help to rethink the concept of ATCP. Corporal punishment was banned in the year 2000, and from then on, teachers were expected to use ATCP to enforce discipline in schools. Extant literature shows that public secondary schools experience many challenges in implementing ATCP. The study explored the ATCP strategies that are implemented in public secondary schools using qualitative interviews. It also explored teachers’ perspectives on what can be done to enhance the efficiency of ATCP. Furthermore, the study investigated how the ATCP have been able to address indiscipline in public secondary schools. Moreover, the study explored the types of challenges that public secondary school teachers encounter in identifying practical ways to mitigate the challenges of indiscipline. This study adopted a qualitative research methodology aimed at obtaining an in-depth understanding of the research problem. Two data collection methods were used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven teachers and two principals from two different public secondary schools. The study also utilised document analysis to reflect on the challenges experienced by teachers in implementing ATCP in public secondary schools. Findings suggest that, for the implementation of ATCP to be successful, there is a need for all stakeholders to be pro-active and supportive, to cooperate with teachers, to strive to cultivate conducive home environments, to see to the supervision of learners in classrooms, to promote a low teacher to learner ratio and to adopt progressive school rules.Educational PsychologyMed (Educational psychology)Unrestricte
Parents’ perspectives of online learning for learners with ADHD
Full text linkMini Dissertation (MEd (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2023.Owing to school closures in 2020 and 2021 in South Africa because of the COVID-19 national lockdown, several schools turned to online learning to continue teaching and learning despite not physically attending school. Online learning was an ideal solution to school closures; however, several disadvantages were noted, especially for learners with learning challenges and special learning needs, such as learners with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This study analysed parents' experiences throughout the online learning process to establish if it was a beneficial mode of learning and teaching such children. The study aimed to achieve this by examining the perspectives of parents, teachers, and the deputy head principal at a primary school on the advantages and challenges experienced by children with ADHD participating in online learning. The study followed a qualitative, interpretivist approach using semi-structured interviews. An exploratory case study research design was used, and a thematic inductive data analysis was conducted to analyse the data collected. The study findings suggest that parents did not find the online learning experience enjoyable or beneficial for their children. Several factors influenced this sentiment, including substantial parental involvement, the absence of socialisation opportunities leading to hindered learning, increased distractions within the home learning environment, and a perceived lack of professional attention from teachers compared to a traditional classroom setting. Teachers and the deputy head principal support the parents’ opinion that online learning is not an ideal mode for children who experience difficulties associated with ADHD. Based on the study findings, such children experienced challenges with online learning, therefore the data indicated that in person learning is recommended for children with ADHD.Educational PsychologyMEd (Educational Psychology)UnrestrictedFaculty of Educatio
The value of facilitators for learners with special needs
Full text linkMini Dissertation (MEd (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2021.Within the South African context, significantly scarce amounts of research examine facilitation. This study aimed to extend this research by examining what potential value facilitators have in an inclusive school. The researcher aimed to achieve this by examining the perspectives of three essential individuals within LwSs lives, i.e., teachers, facilitators, and parents of LwSs. This study examined the opinions of each participant about the potential value facilitation has and how it has been utilized within our context. This study used a social constructionism epistemology within a qualitative methodological approach that utilized a multiple-case study research design and thematic content analysis. Two cases with three types of participants were interviewed for each case. The findings of the study indicate that the implementation of facilitation within the South African context, teachers and parents agreed that the true value of facilitation necessitates the balance of ‘finding the right fit’ for a LwS learning barriers. Although findings indicated that when the right facilitator was found, LwSs had a platform for their complex needs to be met, stakeholders need to be cautious and selective in implementing facilitation due to the recognised dangers within the facilitation process. These challenges were evident in the lack of training all participants had in the varying understanding facilitation took, the boundaries, expectations, and role definition of facilitation; the potential academic, social, and physical dependencies facilitators created; the lack of trained facilitators had and their need to preform, as well as educators’ perceptions and utilization of facilitation.Educational PsychologyMEd (Educational Psychology)Unrestricte
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Challenges experienced by special education and learning support educators during the COVID-19 pandemic
Full text linkThesis (PhD (Learning Support Guidance and Counselling))--University of Pretoria, 2024.This study aimed to pinpoint the unique challenges faced by special education teachers and learning support educators in Gauteng amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Four secondary research questions guided the inquiry: (1) What were their primary
concerns during this time? (2) What strategies did they employ to tackle these
challenges? (3) What were the most significant barriers to effective communication
and collaboration among special education teachers, learning support educators,
students, and parents during the Covid-19 pandemic? (4) How did the shift to remote
and hybrid learning environments during the Covid-19 pandemic affect the
instructional methods and support strategies used by special education teachers, and
learning support educators? The main research question focused on identifying the
specific obstacles encountered by these professionals during the pandemic. This
research was conducted as a single exploratory case study within a qualitative
research framework. The study explored the challenges experienced by ten
participants through qualitative questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and a
focus group discussion. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was employed
to interpret the participants' subjective experiences.
The study drew on two theoretical frameworks: the Conservation of Resources Theory
and the Coping-Competence-Context Theory. The findings revealed several
challenges faced by the participants, including a lack of resources, work-life balance
issues, difficulties in implementing COVID-19 regulations, inadequate online teaching
skills, low motivation and self-efficacy among teachers, the need to adapt teaching
styles, communication issues between teachers and learners, teacher burnout, and
stress; challenges in the implementation of the Screening, Identification, Assessment
Support policy; challenges in the creation and implementation of the Individualised
Education Plan.
These challenges affected both the personal and professional lives of the educators,
impacting their well-being, teaching quality, and the learning outcomes of special
school students. This study sheds light on the profound impact of the pandemic on
special education, and emphasises the need for targeted support to address these
challenges effectively.
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A framework was developed from this study which will assist special education
teachers and learning support educators in managing challenges more effectively and
strengthening their resilience during times of crisis. The framework derived from this
research shows that the participants in this study faced many obstacles during the
COVID-19 pandemic, but their capacity to overcome these obstacles suggests that
they had resources available to help them navigate their way through through these
obstacles. Recommendations made from this study include enhancing teacher training
for online pedagogy, providing psychological support, improving communication with
parents, and promoting curriculum flexibility. Proper resource allocation, workshops,
and online counselling are emphasised to address the challenges faced. Future
research should involve school management teams and mainstream schools to better
understand special education challenges. This study contributes to understanding
how SETs and LSEs cope during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating
their resilience and resourcefulness. It underscores the need for comprehensive
support systems and adequate resources to help educators manage their roles
effectively in adverse conditions.Educational PsychologyPhD (Learning Support Guidance and Counselling)UnrestrictedFaculty of EducationSDG-04: Quality Educatio
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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