The purpose of the research is to explore social workers' listening skills pertaining to listening as communication skill during an experimental social work interview. The research methodology comprised unique application of a social work interview. A sample of five participating social workers was invited to listen to a video recording of a social work interview requesting them to identify information presented by the client through observation and listening by applying a set of predetermined theoretical conversation elements. The participation and involvement of participating social workers during the listening experiment was video recorded for subsequent evaluation. The conclusion reached from research findings indicates that the unique approach adopted by participating social workers' achieved mixed results towards hypothetic assistance offered to the experimental client. The researcher recommends that social workers be developed and trained in the art of maintaining effective listening skills during social work interviews to improve assistance to clients. / Social Work / M. A. (Social Work)

Text in Afrikaans / In the light of two literature studies, the nature, origin and consequences of early perceptions of marriage, the form of identities and frames of reference, as well as the resultant origin of an internalized marriage have been explored. An empirical survey was undertaken, with the aid of a specially formulated questionnaire, to investigate the influence of early perceptions of marriage, and thus marriage expectations, on a person's own marriage. The research outcomes show that children do internalize aspects of their parents' marriage and transfer these to their own marriage. There seems to be an important similarity between pattern of communication and conflict management in the original family of questioned subjects and their marriage. Although some subjects have denied the influence of their original family on their marriage, there seems to be a transfer of patterns nevertheless. / Educational studies / M.Ed.(Voorligting)

This study aimed at exploring chronic illness from both the perspectives of the patient, living with the illness and the professional, treating the illness. The epistemological framework is social constructionism. Qualitative research was selected as the research approach. Three in-depth interviews with three patients, suffering with a chronic illness were conducted, as well as three interviews with professionals, who had experience with patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses. Thematic analysis was the method used for the analysis of data. The stories of the participants were reconstructed in terms of themes. A comparative analysis for both participants groups was done, and linked to the relevant literature This study created an understanding of the complexity of chronic illness. The themes identified, highlighted the importance of the patient-professional relationship, specifically in the context of chronic illness. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / The problem that motivated the study was that siblings of children with cancer may experience the relationships within the family differently after cancer treatment. The purpose was to investigate and describe how family dynamics are experienced by the siblings of a cancer patient after his/her treatment for cancer. The research methodology includes qualitative research of an explorative and descriptive nature. Data were collected through unstructured interviews with siblings of children who had received treatment for cancer. From this data eight categories were identified accordingly. Although the data do not indicate that siblings experienced family dynamics after treatment as problematic, as expected, the information contributes by making parents of cancer patients more aware of the siblings' emotions and needs. / Social Work / M.Diac (Spelterapie)

The three interviews at the back of thesis are in Tswana / Teenage delinquency is a growing phenomenon in the Sebokeng area. Parents with teenagers perceived as “difficult”, feel unable to parent and discipline their children. It is not known what their perceptions are regarding their realities in relation to their children’s uncontrollable behaviour. A qualitative study was conducted to answer the following questions: What is the perception of parents with teenagers perceived as “difficult” in relation to their children’s uncontrollable behaviour? What does delinquency communicate? This study found that the behaviour of the parents and children communicates something about themselves as people, their needs, feelings and identity, sometimes on an unconscious level, as well as about their perceptions regarding the interaction between them. Neither the behaviour of the parent nor of the child should be seen in isolation. Therefore, social workers should consider what delinquency communicates about each member of the family, as well as the family as a whole. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Science (Mental health))

This study investigated the communication rules in the family structures of the Maasai and the Akamba cultures with the aim of comparing the core symbols emanating from the rules. The researcher used the qualitative design to identify and compare the communication rules of the rural Maasai of the Rift Valley Province and the rural Akamba of the Eastern Province of Kenya. The study focused on male and female adult individuals in family situations who were familiar with the traditional expectations of their cultures. Data was collected through focus group and in-depth interviews. From the data it was concluded that although the Maasai and the Akamba are from two different ethnic groups of Africa, namely the Nilo-Hamitic and Bantu respectively, the core symbols of their communication rules that are similar far outnumber those that are different. This phenomenon was noted when comparing the different levels of relationship within the family structures, namely, communication between spouses, communication between parents and children, and communication between siblings. One of the important findings of this study is that there are more similarities than differences in the cultures of the Maasai and the Akamba at family level. Therefore, the similarities of core symbols could imply that ethnic differences should not lead to the assumption that cultural practices will be significantly different. However, similar cultural practices or core symbols might not necessarily rule out conflict, as was indeed the case with the Maasai and the Akamba.Another finding was that the most outstanding core symbol in both cultures was respect, which was the fulcrum of most of the other core symbols in the communication rules. / Communication Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication)

Conflict is an inevitable occurrence in any human interaction setting and organisations are no exception. Communication is an essential an important aspect of conflict. People run organisations and without interaction through communication, organisational existence would be next to impossible. This dissertation aims to explore the role of interpersonal communication in managing peer co-worker conflict in a Non-Governmental organisation, SILC KENYA, Eldoret. This study adopted a qualitative case study. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data from fifteen employees of the same hierarchical level. The study revealed various causes of conflict amongst the peer co-workers. Exchange of resources amongst peer co-workers was seen to better interpersonal relations in the workplace and it was further noted that interpersonal communication plays an important role in conflict management. The study recommends that peer co-workers should be equipped with interpersonal communication skills through frequent teambuilding activities and training workshops to aid in conflict management. / Communication Science / M. A. (Communication Science)

PhD (Psychology) / Department of Psychology / The aim of the study was to develop a conceptualized model that will enhance language acquisition of children between 0 and 3 years. Language is a use of words and symbol to convey message, or communication. Generally, from birth to the age of four months children express their needs through crying and are soothed by the sound of voices or by low rhythmic sounds. When adults talk to children, children later imitate adult’s tongue movements and start to make sounds, coos and gurgles. Providing children with developmental stimulation and exposing them to learning opportunities increases their cognitive and social-emotional skills/abilities. Strategies to enhance language development are fundamental in children and can reduce many literacy related problems in later childhood. The objectives of the study are: to describe activities done by caregivers to influence language development; to identify factors that influence language development; to describe the importance of language development and to explain the disorders that are associated with language development. This study was qualitative in nature and it utilised an explorative design. This research design enabled the researcher to investigate the nature of acquisition comprehensively as well as the development of language and other factors that are related to it. The study was conducted at Vhembe District Municipality. Three villages were selected, namely Tshikuwi, Tshirolwe and HaMatsa villages, which are found in Makhado Municipality under Limpopo Province, South Africa. Purposive sampling was used to sample participants for the study. The individuals selected were those judged to have certain special characteristics as well as the ability to provide in-depth information for the purpose of the study. Thirty participants were selected to participate in the study. The semi-structured face to face interview and the interview guide with open-ended questions were used for data collection. Pre-testing of the interview guide was done to check if the guide would produce the expected results, three women from three different villages were selected for pretesting. All questions in the interview guide were addressed during data collection. Collected data were transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis. The study adhered to the following research ethics: informed consent, anonymity, confidentiality, voluntary participation, no harm to the participants and dissemination of results. The study revealed that language is an important tool which is used to convey information from one person to the other. The findings indicate that language helps children to communicate and relate with other people. Language was also explained as a tool which is used to educate children, either at school or at home. The study shows that when children are learning language, they will also be stimulating their reasoning, thinking and problem-solving skills. In addition, it was also indicated that cognitive development reduces problems such as poor language development, a low self-esteem and isolation. The findings of this study show that there are a number of activities that can be used by caregivers and parents to foster the development of language in children. Those activities include, communicating with a child, reading of books, watching TV, naming of objects and explaining meaning of words. The study also identified several environmental factors that can be used to foster the development of language in children. The following environmental factors were identified in the study: communication, parental level of education, home socioeconomic status, caregiver’s personality and the availability of other children in the family. Lastly, the findings show that there are many disorders that may affect the development of language in children. The language disorders that the study identified include expressive language disorder, dyslexia, and inability to understand spoken. However, the study also reveals that these disorders may be treated. The findings of this study lead to the development of a conceptualized model to facilitate language acquisition in children between 0 and 3 years was developed. The meaning of one concept, namely reinforcement was explained in detail, in order for users of the model to understand its operational definition in the model. Reinforcement was explained because it has a diversity of meanings. The model enabled the researcher to create a link between research and what is happening in a society. Model validation was done to verify if the developed model relates to practical life, research and language development. The model for this study was validated for its applicability and usability. The drafted model was given to psychologists, speech therapists and parent to determine its usability and applicability. Keywords: language, language acquisition, language development model, language disorders. / NRF

Modeling the "thick description" of photographs began at the intersection of personal and institutional descriptions. Comparing institutional descriptions of particular photos that were also used in personal online conversations was the initial phase. Analyzing conversations that started with a photographic image from the collection of the Library of Congress (LC) or the collection of the Manchester Historic Association (MHA) provided insights into how cultural heritage institutions could enrich the description of photographs by using informal descriptions such as those applied by Facebook users. Taking photos of family members, friends, places, and interesting objects is something people do often in their daily lives. Some photographic images are stored, and some are shared with others in gatherings, occasions, and holidays. Face-to-face conversations about remembering some of the details of photographs and the event they record are themselves rarely recorded. Digital cameras make it easy to share personal photos in Web conversations and to duplicate old photos and share them on the Internet. The World Wide Web even makes it simple to insert images from cultural heritage institutions in order to enhance conversations. Images have been used as tokens within conversations along with the sharing of information and background knowledge about them. The recorded knowledge from conversations using photographic images on Social Media (SM) has resulted in a repository of rich descriptions of photographs that often include information of a type that does not result from standard archival practices. Closed group conversations on Facebook among members of a community of interest/practice often involve the use of photographs to start conversations, convey details, and initiate story-telling about objets, events, and people. Modeling of the conversational use of photographic images on SM developed from the exploratory analyses of the historical photographic images of the Manchester, NH group on Facebook. The model was influenced by the typical model of Representation by Agency from O'Connor in O'Connor, Kearns, and Anderson Doing Things with Information: Beyond Indexing and Abstracting, by considerations of how people make and use photographs, and by the notion of functionality from Patrick Wilson's Public Knowledge, Private Ignorance: Toward a Library and Information Policy. The model offers paths for thickening the descriptions of photographs in archives and for enriching the use of photographs on social media.

Current practice in language teaching based on communicative approaches emphasizes the development of language skills. Opportunities are created for students to develop their language skills through social interaction based on pair and group work. Such interaction requires the use of interpersonal skills. If students do not feel confident about their interpersonal skills, they may be reluctant to take part in communicative activities, which require social interaction. Interpersonal skills are also important if students are to use their language skills in real life situations effectively and confidently. Gender and cultural differences related to interpersonal communication may have an impact on how successful students learn a foreign language. The study explores student confidence in interpersonal skills, the role that gender may play in interpersonal relationships, and also in fostering cultural activities that are aimed at the development of interpersonal communication. Such relationships have potential implications on the teaching of a foreign language in the classroom situation. This research was conducted at a Japanese university where the researcher is a lecturer and had full access to all the resources he needed. The same research was also conducted at Chinese, Russian, and Ghanaian universities, as well as at an international school in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using questionnaires. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the problem, and to probe the issues involved more extensively. Quantitative data was collected by means of a questionnaire that consisted of multiple-choice questions. Qualitative data was gathered by means of open-ended questions. Questionnaire results were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The research findings indicate that some students may lack confidence in social situations where the use of interpersonal skills is neglected. This research also found that females may be more comfortable and adept in interpersonal exchanges owing to some biological and cultural reasons. Findings also indicate that cultural differences that impact on interpersonal communication situations did not entirely support the findings from the literature review, particularly concerning the use of nonverbal communication by Japanese students. Recommendations based on research findings, are given concerning the development of interpersonal skills. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics and Curriculum Studies)