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Thesis (M.Tech.: Chiropractic)- Dept. of Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, 2007. xv, 168 leaves. / Choosing a career is something which all learners are expected to do between the ages of fifteen and eighteen. A school learner who is at their final year of study in their academic career will be required to think of career options for their future and it is generally assumed that the learner has sufficient information in order to make this often life changing decision

This research examines the impact of marketisation on Pacific Islands students in Christchurch high schools. Specifically, this study targeted the Tomorrow's Schools policy released in 1990 with particular interest in the changes in zoning laws. These changes theoretically allowed the consumers of education (the parents and students) equal access to all secondary schools by breaking down the zones and creating a free market where 'choice' and competition reigned supreme. However, this study along with others found that in actual fact it was the 'popular' schools with enrolment schemes who had the power to choose what students they preferred. Schools were left to compete for those students deemed' undesirable' by popular schools. This study found that a dis-empowerment of the schools' enrolment schemes needs to occur in Christchurch. Obviously, on the other hand, an empowerment of Pacific Islands parents and students through the increase of information also needs to occur. Although the government has made small steps toward making the problem more visible, more definitive work needs to be done in this area. This study also examined the achievement of Pacific Islands students at a national and at a sample level and discovered that has been very little improvement in this area over the time the Tomorrow's Schools policy has been in operation. Therefore, this study ventures into an analysis of this problem and suggests possible remedies. Again, this study argues that students must be actively empowered by teachers, schools, the government, and by their own people, in order to break down the physical, mental and even spiritual battles that Pacific Islands students face in the New Zealand education system.

The purpose of this research study was to determine the impact of a sustainable design learning cycle on students’ reported attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge regarding sustainability. This research used a quasi-experimental design, employing a pre and post test within group design. Students in a high school construction course at small rural school in New York State were the subjects of the study. Subjects were given a pre test to measure their attitudes and behaviors regarding sustainability, then a treatment, consisting of a learning cycle regarding sustainable design in residential construction. Following the treatment, subjects took a post test identical to the pre test in order to compare changes in reported attitudes and behaviors. Also, during the course of the treatment, subjects made entries in a logbook which then underwent a content analysis for connections to the domains of sustainability and learning objectives. Given that this study was only conducted with one group of students in one school district, it should be noted that the results of this study cannot be generalized to the population. The results of this study show that there were no measured impact on students’ attitudes and behaviors regarding sustainability. / Department of Technology

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine the impact of five 50-minute experiential lessons developed by the researcher on high school students’ knowledge about, attitude toward, and consumption of fruits and vegetables. Subjects in this study included a convenience sample of 41 high school students enrolled in Family and Consumer Sciences classes at Crothersville Junior/Senior High School in Crothersville, Indiana, in the spring semester of 2011. A pretest was given to students in the Adult Roles class (control; n=19) and the Nutrition and Wellness class (treatment; n=22), after which students in the treatment group received five lessons containing additional depth and laboratory experiences where students prepared and tasted various fruits and vegetables. At the conclusion of the lessons, and nine weeks after the unit, the posttest was given to the control and treatment groups. Results indicated the lessons significantly increased students’ knowledge compared to the control group (7.8 ± 1.5 vs. 4.6 ± 2.4, F=26.27; p = 0.000), and nine weeks after the curriculum test (6.9 ± 2.1 vs. 5.3 ± 2.9; F=4.46, p=0.041), but had a modest impact on these high school students’ attitudes toward and consumption of fruits and vegetables. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

The social structure of high schools is characterized by a hierarchy of various groups to which adolescents can identify. These crowds provide reputation-based identities which are particularly salient among adolescents. Although research has provided information regarding crowd structure, less is known about effects of membership. An adolescent's crowd membership can be an important source of social identity and positive self-esteem. Social identity theory is useful in explaining this process by describing how people's psychological motivations interact with their understanding of a social situation to influence cognition. For members of low-status groups, affiliation does not readily provide a source of positive social identity. Therefore, individuals use identity-maintenance strategies to maintain self-image. In this study, I explore perceptions of ingroup homogeneity as an identity-maintenance strategy within adolescent crowds. I also examine whether membership in the more stable racial and gender categories influence the use of homogeneity perceptions in identity management. My findings indicate that membership in one group influences cognition regarding membership in a group with an entirely different social structure. / Department of Sociology

The purpose of this study was to determine, under experimental conditions, the effects values clarification (VC) strategies might have upon the self concept of secondary students as measured by the Total Positive Score (TP) of the Tennessee Self Concept Scale (TSCS). Thus, the research question was: Does VC affect self concept among ninth and tenth grade students?The research was conducted at the H. H. Arnold High School in Wiesbaden, Germany, which serves an American military community. The population consisted of 50 freshmen and sophomore English students, 46 (34 male and 12 female) of whom were randomly divided intoa treatment and control group. The treatment consisted of 14 selected VC strategies conducted during a 50 minute class period Tuesdays and Thursdays of weeks two through eight of a normal nine week academic quarter. The control group viewed 35 selected films during the times the treatment was being conducted with the treatment group. All films shown to the control group were previewed by independent judges to insure content and level of interest was appropriate to the subjects. Effort was also made to insure the films shown did not promote examination of values in the same way as expected of VC strategies. During all other class periods of the quarter when the specific control and treatment activities were not being conducted, the normal curriculum of career development was maintained. For ethical reasons, each group was offered the other's experimental condition at the conclusion of the research period. No data were recorded at that time.Both groups were conducted by qualified secondary teachers. The treatment group was conducted by a 36-year-old female with 15 years of teaching experience, two master's degrees, and VC training from Sidney Simon. The control group was conducted by a 44-year-old female with 23 years of teaching experience, a baccalaureate degree and no VC training.The research design used in this experiment parallels Tuckman's Posttest Only Control Group design. The TP of the TSCS was used as the operational definition of self concept. The treatment effects were analyzed through a t test for independent means to compare the mean posttest TP scores of the two groups. A confidence level of .05 was considered necessary for testing signficance of the research hypothesis.The experimental hypothesis stated that there would be a difference between the treatment and the control groups in the self concepts of the subjects as measured by the TP of the TSCS. However, the findings revealed no statistically significant difference when the means of the treatment and control groups were compared. Clearly, the VC treatment did not have a statistically significant effect upon the self concept of the treatment group.The implications of the present research are particularly relevant to educators. Despite positive subjective observations by the students and teacher about the VC experiences, if the results are viewed as absolutely true, school systems will need to consider that VC in school curricula is not having a positive influence upon students' self concepts. Regardless of the grass-roots growth of the VC movement in public schools, the need for accountability demands a clearcut justification for continued use of VC methodology in classes. Such justification might be achieved through future research which could include: longer treatment conditions, more sensitive and specifically aimed test instruments, the use of younger subjects and the generation of a method of systematic interrogation aimed at the students subjective experience. The inescapable conclusion of the present study is that, with respect to the definitions and limitations of the present research, VC was clearly ineffective as a modifier of self concept.

Adolescents’ (N = 272) psychological changes were examined at a residential academy for gifted junior and senior high school students in the Midwest. The School-Based Conception of Giftedness (Coleman & Cross, 2005) was drawn on to understand how school environment influences student development. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used to inform the study. Outcome measurement data from the Youth Outcome Questionnaire Self-Report 2.0 (YOQ-SR) tracked students’ level of psychological distress over the course of an academic year. Using Latent Growth Curve Model (LGM) analysis, the initial level of distress did not impact how students’ stress levels changed over time. The results indicated a strong negative correlation (r =-.884) between the slope and quadratic change; meaning, the more a students’ level of stress increased the more rapidly they were able to reduce it over time. Overall, the change in stress formed an inverted-U shape, as students adapted to the challenges of the school. Phenomenological interviews were conducted with 9 senior students with a wide range of YOQ-SR scores at the beginning of their junior year. Four categories emerged from the interviews about student experiences at the academy: Psychological Changes, Academic Adjustment, Social Adjustment and Social Comparison. In essence, when participating in the academy, students experienced advanced personal development, improved management skills and developed a sense of readiness for college. / Department of Educational Psychology

This study investigated the ego development of a group of dropouts who had returned to school. The specific purpose was to explore and evaluate, systematically, the ego development of the former dropouts, and to compare their levels of ego development and their school performance to a group of students who were considered to be at risk to drop out of school. A group of students who were not considered to be at risk to drop out served as a control group. Seventeen high school students served as the subjects in this investigation. The main sources of data were: the results of the Washington University Sentence Completion Test for Ego Development that was developed by Dr. Jane Loevinger, grade and attendance reports, and interviews with the students and their teachers. The findings indicated that while the former dropouts had levels of ego development that were higher than the at risk subjects, the difference was not great enough to be statistically significant. The interviews were examined for indications of the subjects' levels of ego development in the manner in which they spoke about their experiences. The limitations of this investigation are considered, and some suggestions for further research are offered.