published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

<p>Enacted in 1998, the New South African Water Act has introduced a new approach to water resource management, founded on the principle of decentralization of the management of water resources to regional and local levels and the public participation. The approach has been captured in the new National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998), which allows the establishment of Catchment Management Agencies. The overall purpose of this study was to understand the trends of public participation in the establishment of Catchment Management Agencies in South Africa, by presenting the case of the Berg Catchment Management Agency.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Sydney, Nepean, 1998. / "A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy." "May, 1998." Bibliography : leaves 250-277.

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The study focuses and explores citizen participation in the policy and planning process in local government in Lesotho. The study argues that citizen participation in the policy and planning process is important. This is because it is through citizen participation that the government is rendered accountable and responsive to the needs of the local community. Secondly, citizen participation is important in that it helps in the deepening of democracy. In Lesotho, citizen participation has been encouraged by the different governments since the era of Moshoeshoe to the present regime. Lesotho held the first democratic local government elections in 2005. One of the objectives of introducing local government is to foster citizen participation in policy and planning processes. The interviews conducted reveal that citizen participation is taking place even though at a minute degree. Several challenges exist in local government that hinder active and effective citizen participation in local government in Lesotho. One of the major challenges impeding citizen participation is the statutory framework regulating citizens’ participation in local government. This study has found that there is no direct legal or policy framework regulating or enforcing citizen participation in local government. Coupled with this challenge is another crucial challenge relating to the structure and mechanisms that are used for citizen participation. The study reveals that the structures and mechanisms are not adequate to enhance and encourage citizen participation. Pursuant to this, the study proposes some reforms with a view to improving citizen participation in Lesotho. Firstly, the study proposes that the policy and legislative frameworks be improved so as to provide enough scope and space for citizen participation. These frameworks should provide for adequate structures, mechanisms as well as processes and areas that can improve citizen participation in local government. Secondly, crucial instruments for community participation in planning such as the IDP, budget process and the performance management in South African context can be designed with specific cognisance of the structures established. Thirdly, the government must encourage, educate and sensitize citizens to actively take part in local government, through capacity building programmes. It can take the advantage of the NGOs already working with the communities and citizens as a strategy to enhance citizen participation. / Public Administration and Management / M. Admin. (Public Administration)

Thesis (M. Dev. (Development and Planning)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The central emphasis of this study was to investigate the determinant of public participation in Integrated Development Planning (IDP) of Polokwane Local Municipality, Limpopo Province. To this culmination, precise working objectives were formulated as follows: to study the typologies and processes of public participation; to explore the roles of stakeholders in public participation; To examine the phases in Integrated Development Planning and to examine the levels of public participation in Integrated Development Planning. This dissertation studies the determinant of public participation in Integrated Development Planning. Douglas Huber (2008); Franks, Sharma, and Dayaratna (2004); Kimathi (2016) found that there is a positive relationship between public participation in the Integrated Development Planning locally and globally. From a South African perspective, the study shows that public participation is the strongest element for successful development planning. To operationalise this study, descriptive statistics were used to analyse data and data analysis was performed using inferential statistics mainly correlation and linear regression. The data collected from the Capricorn District Municipality Socio-Economic Impact Assessment Study of Integrated Development Planning (2012) was analysed using the 2013 Microsoft Excel Software for raw data and Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) to compute variables that represent the determinants of public participation in Integrated Development Planning into factors. The results of this study show that generally, there is a strong positive relationship with public participation in Integrated Development Planning in Polokwane Local Municipality with an average magnitude of 0.75 correlation. However, the most interesting discovery is that the economic factor is a determinant of public participation in Integrated Development Planning in Polokwane Local Municipality.

As soon as the school realise that a student has special needs, they must make an Individual educational plan (IEP). When the IEP is made both child and parents should participate according to Swedish educational law and United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This participation should, among other things, include the opportunity for the child to describe its own needs, plausible interventions and evaluate the support it has been given.    The purpose of this study has been to investigate more closely the perceived feeling of parents that they and their children were made involved in the creation of the IEP.  As a theoretical basis and starting point for analysis, Shier's and Hart's participation models have been used, supplemented with Lundy's participation model. Concepts from Foucault's theory of power and Bourdieu's theories of capital have been used as a complement. The design of the study was a qualitative interview study with a phenomenological focus where the focus was on the informants' own experience. Based on this, a thematic analysis was carried out. The themes that emerged were an experience of communication but not of participation, that the IEP is seen as a document that does not reflect reality, that the children´s participation is extremely deficient and that the parents are used as mouthpieces for the child. In the majority of the interviews, it emerged that the child was not asked at all about its opinion regarding its needs and the interventions it was offered.  This study was limited to the parents´ experience of their and their children´s participation in the establishment and evaluation of the IEP. Future studies could explore other perspectives on the phenomenon, such as the school´s or the child´s own perspective. However, after seeing how the results of the study reflect the shortcomings demonstrated by several years of studies in the field, future research should instead focus on how the school can practically increase participation and create a culture that values children´s participation highly and sets this as a priority. / Så snart skolan uppmärksammar behov av särskilt stöd ska ett åtgärdsprogram upprättas. I upprättandet av åtgärdsprogrammet ska barn och föräldrar göras delaktiga, både utifrån Skollagen och Barnkonventionen. Delaktigheten ska bestå i att barnet bland annat ges möjlighet att själv beskriva sina svårigheter, tänkbara åtgärder och får utvärdera insatser.  Syftet med denna studie har varit att närmare undersöka den upplevda känslan hos föräldrar av att de och deras barn gjorts delaktiga vid framställandet av åtgärdsprogrammet.  Som teoretisk grund och utgångspunkt för analys har använts Shiers och Harts delaktighetsmodeller som kompletterats med Lundys delaktighetsmodell. Begrepp från Foucaults maktteori och Bourdieus teorier om kapital har använts som ett komplement. Studiens design var en kvalitativ intervjustudie med fenomenologisk inriktning där fokus var på informanternas egen upplevelse. Utifrån detta genomfördes en tematisk analys. De teman som framkom var en upplevelse av kommunikation men inte av delaktighet, att åtgärdsprogrammet ses som ett dokument som inte speglar verkligheten, att barnens delaktighet är ytterst bristfällig och att föräldrarna används som språkrör för barnet. I majoriteten av intervjuerna framkom att barnet inte överhuvudtaget tillfrågats om sin åsikt kring sina behov och de insatser det erbjudits. Denna studie begränsades till föräldrarnas upplevelse av deras och deras barns delaktighet i upprättandet och utvärderingen av åtgärdsprogrammet. Framtida studier skulle kunna utforska andra perspektiv på fenomenet, som skolans eller barnets eget perspektiv. Efter att ha sett hur studiens resultat speglar de brister flera års studier inom området påvisat så bör dock framtida studier i stället fokusera på hur skolan praktiskt ska öka delaktigheten och skapa en kultur som värderar barns delaktighet högt och sätter detta som en prioritet.

Pour qui s'intéresse à la participation citoyenne aux affaires publiques et politiques, il apparaît de plus en plus clairement que certains canaux institutionnels sont délaissés au profit de nouveaux canaux et de nouvelles manières de prendre part. En urbanisme, ces nouvelles méthodes sont moins formelles et à échelle réduite, mais ont un impact immédiat sur le milieu local. Par exemple, des projets de verdissement émergent en milieux urbains, qui remettent en question la planification urbaine et ses pratiques et expriment le souhait populaire d'agir sur le milieu. Dans ce contexte de transformation de l'action publique et de l'action collective, ce mémoire de maîtrise en aménagement du territoire et développement régional (M.ATDR) s'intéresse à la contribution des citoyens dans l'adaptation des milieux de vie. Par la recherche-action, il examine le cas des projets de ruelles vertes à Québec. Ces initiatives sont de nature citoyenne, mais elles ne sont pas entièrement autogérées. L'organisme Nature Québec coordonne les projets et offre une expertise à titre de facilitateur. Concrètement, la recherche s'intéresse à la portée de ces implications citoyennes autour d'une action ou d'un projet sur 1) l'engagement citoyen ; 2) le rapport entre citoyens et organisations publiques ou communautaires ; 3) le milieu urbain. L'étude amène à constater que l'engagement à ces initiatives n'est pas celui des populations les plus novices, ni même les plus vulnérables. Certains apprentissages se font tout de même. Relativement à l'accompagnement fourni par l'organisme, il est plutôt d'ordre technique. L'organisme possède des ressources humaines et financières, de même que des compétences en aménagement qui facilitent les démarches. Finalement, les actions posées sur le milieu urbain sont concrètes, relativement faciles à réaliser et le résultat est immédiat. L'impact des initiatives de verdissement reste toutefois limité sur la qualité de l'environnement. Ces initiatives sont ainsi perçues comme une première étape et comme un message clair aux décideurs quant au souhait des citadins d'améliorer le paysage urbain par le verdissement. / For those interested in civic engagement, whether in public or political affairs, it is becoming increasingly clear that some institutional channels are being abandoned in favour of new modes of participation. In urban planning, these new methods are less formal and smaller in scale, but have a much more immediate impact on the local space. For example, within urban areas, greening projects have emerged to address issues such as climate change or to challenge institutional urban planning and practices. In a context of the transformation of public and collective action, this master's thesis in territory planning and regional development focuses on the contribution of citizens in the adaptation of the living environment. Based on research-action, this research examines the case of green alley projects in Quebec City (QC, Canada). These initiatives are citizen driven, but they are not entirely self-managed. The organization Nature Québec coordinates the projects and offers expertise as a facilitator. The research focuses on citizen initiatives around green alley projects in relation to 1) civic engagement, 2) the relationship between citizens and public or community organizations and 3) the urban environment. The study shows that the engagement to these initiatives is not that of the most novice or even the most vulnerable populations. Also, the organization offers support that is mainly technical. It provides human and financial resources, as well as urban planning skills that facilitate the process, but does not address urban issues more broadly. Finally, the actions taken on the urban environment are concrete; they are relatively easy to achieve and the result is immediate. However, the impact of greening initiatives remains limited regarding the quality of the environment. These initiatives are thus seen as a first step and as a clear message to decision-makers about the desire of urban dwellers to improve the urbanscape through greening.

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence and level of parental involvement in the FET phase in Greater Delareyville and to identify the causes of poor parental involvement in learning and teaching. Parents have capabilities and responsibilities of creating vibrant learning areas to promote learners' performance. On the other hand, it is believed that a child, who has not developed any sense of security and competence at home, will fail to explore his/her world and develop a sense of curiosity that is essential for learning and teaching. It is further noted that situational analysis is the best effort to be carried out by parents to ensure that the environment/context in which the children learn is appealing and attractive to fulfill their needs. The problem is while parents should be interested at all costs in the life of their children, watch their moves, guide, advice them regularly, control their work and ensure that they are free to do their work without disturbance, many parents seem not to be interested. This also affects the children and parents of schools in the Greater Delareyville Area. In other instances, teachers blame parents for their lack of interest in their children's education. Data was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. A computer aided statistical analysis was employed to compute the results of the study. The population for the study was drawn from the secondary schools of the Greater Delareyville APO. Out of the 200 secondary schools in the Greater Delareyville APO. 50 schools were randomly selected for the study. From each of the 50 randomly selected secondary Greater De!areyville APO: a principal, deputy principal, departmental head and an educator were requested to complete the questionnaire. The sample of (N=200) was composed of a total of (4 ) respondents from each of the 50 randomly selected secondary schools in the Greater Delareyvile APO. From the findings of the empirical study and literature review, it is revealed that parental mvolvement in the teaching and learning should be effective. !t !s r.ooed ~1:2: by implementing vaiious decisons made by the committee developed by schools, parents will be more involved in the teaching and learning of their children as they feel that their decisions are seriously considered. The following key words are important in the study as they sum up the writer's ideas in his work. They are thus briefly explained in terms of how they relate to one another in order to reflect a concrete topic of research. Parental involvement is a broad term that includes several forms of participation in education and with the schools in which parents can support their children's schooling by attending school functions and responding to school obligations such as parents- teacher conferences. The primary aim of this involvement is to improve their children's schoolwork, providing encouragement, arranging for appropriate study time and space, modelling desired behaviour, monitoring home-works and actively tutoring their children at home. (Cotton & Wikeland, 2009; 235) Learning is an activity in which the person being taught actively wishes to benefit from the teaching and absorbs particular learning content or by constructing meaningful and structured information in his or her own mind. As acts of teaching and learning are thus polymorphous, indicating that they take many forms (Van Heerden , Van der Merwe, Grobler and Loggerennberg; 2004: 61) Teaching is an act of appropriately displaying some subject matter with the intent that someone learns it. fcl phase refers to Further Education and Training made of various providers such as senior secondary school, technical colleges, National Government Organisations, private training centres, private companies, industry training centres and community colleges, (Policy Document, 1997: 9). However, this study focuses on parental involvement in high schools. / Thesis (M. Ed) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2012

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence and level of parental involvement in the FET phase in Greater Delareyville and to identify the causes of poor parental involvement in learning and teaching. Parents have capabilities and responsibilities of creating vibrant learning areas to promote learners' performance. On the other hand, it is believed that a child, who has not developed any sense of security and competence at home, will fail to explore his/her world and develop a sense of curiosity that is essential for learning and teaching. It is further noted that situational analysis is the best effort to be carried out by parents to ensure that the environment/context in which the children learn is appealing and attractive to fulfil their needs. The problem is while parents should be interested at all costs in the life of their children, watch their moves, guide, advice them regularly, control their work and ensure that they are free to do their work without disturbance, many parents seem not to be interested. This also affects the children and parents of schools in the Greater Delareyville Area. In other instances, teachers blame parents for their lack of interest in their children's education. Data was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. A computer aided statistical analysis was employed to compute the results of the study. The population for the study was drawn from the secondary schools of the Greater Delareyville APO. Out of the 200 secondary schools in the Greater Delareyville APO. 50 schools were randomly selected for the study. From each of the 50 randomly selected secondary schools in the Greater Delareyville APO: a principal, deputy principal, departmental head and an educator were requested to complete the questionnaire. The sample of (N=200) was composed of a total of (4 ) respondents from each of the 50 randomly selected secondary schools in the Greater Delareyville APO. From the findings of the empirical study and literature review, it is revealed that parental involvement in the teaching and learning should be effective. It is hoped that by implementing various decisions made by the committee developed by schools, parents will be more involved in the teaching and learning of their children as they feel that their decisions are seriously considered. The following key words are important in the study as they sum up the writer's ideas in his work. They are thus briefly explained in terms of how they relate to one another in order to reflect a concrete topic of research. Parental involvement is a broad term that includes several forms of participation in education and with the schools in which parents can support their children's schooling by attending school functions and responding to school obligations such as parents- teacher conferences. The primary aim of this involvement is to improve their children's schoolwork, providing encouragement, arranging for appropriate study time and space, modelling desired behaviour, monitoring home-works and actively tutoring their children at home. ( Cotton & Wikeland, 2009; 235) Learning is an activity in which the person being taught actively wishes to benefit from the teaching and absorbs particular learning content or by constructing meaningful and structured information in his or her own mind. As acts of teaching and learning are thus polymorphous, indicating that they take many forms ( Van Heerden , Van der Merwe, Grobler and Loggerennberg; 2004: 61) Teaching is an act of appropriately displaying some subject matter with the intent that someone learns it. FET phase refers to Further Education and Training made of various providers such as senior secondary school, technical colleges, National Government Organisations, private training centres, private companies, industry training centres and community colleges, (Policy Document, 1997: 9). However, this study focuses on parental involvement in high schools. / Thesis (M.Ed) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2012