Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / During Apartheid, South African education policies were largely based on a system of racial segregation, resulting in unequal educational opportunities between black and white students. Current education policies centred on Access and Equity have been ratified to address the education issues of the past. However, there still remains a concern about the poor performance and consequently, the high drop out rate, particularly amongst black South African university students. The findings of various studies have shown that the factors that contribute to poor academic performance range from inadequate pre-university schooling and financial issues to poor language proficiency, inadequate social support and insufficient social integration. The present study employed a qualitative approach to explore first-year students perceptions of the influence of social integration on academic performance. Tinto Student Integration Model provided the conceptual basis for the conduction of the study. Three focus groups were used to collect the data which were analysed according to thematic analysis procedures. The main finding of the study was that academic and social experiences were intrinsically linked in the first year of study. Moreover, the findings indicate that friends, belonging to nonacademic organisations and lecturer-student interaction (as three indicators of social integration) influenced first-year students academic performance. South African contextual factors such as socio-economic status and language were found to be a potential hindrance to good academic performance. The implications of these findings are discussed. / South Africa

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / This thesis seeks to answer the research question, if and how youth-oriented empowerment trainings like the one of the Chrysalis Academy are able to contribute positively to the social integration of ‘youth-at-risk’. The theoretical framework as the basis for the empirical field research includes the key concepts ‘youth-at-risk’, ‘socialization/social integration’, empowerment and resiliency. Using socialization theories, Gidden’s sociological structuration theory and Amartya Sen’s approach of development as freedom, the researcher assesses the Chrysalis Academy’s empowerment training as an alternative socialization process that aims at developing ‘youth-at-risk’ into self-aware, resilient and integrated role models with expanded choices. The research methodology utilized is the case study, combining different quantitative and qualitative research methods as participant observation, questionnaires, face-to-face interviews as well as focus group interviews to evaluate the long-term impact of the empowerment training from the graduates’ perspective. The outcomes of the data collection and analysis confirm the hypothesis that the Chrysalis Academy’s empowerment training has a positive effect on integrating young people ‘atrisk’,also through the higher level of resiliency that enables them to cope better with their challenging environments. To sum up, the Chrysalis Academy presents a good practice example for empowering ‘youth-at-risk’, however, it still needs to improve its aftercare program for the graduates to achieve sustainable success.14. November 2008

This thesis is an account of the transformation of my personal thinking and practice, as I developed my own new living theories about my practice. As I chose an action research approach for my research, my research is practice based, as outlined by Whitehead (1989), McNiff, Lomax and Whitehead (2003), McNiff and Whitehead (2005b), and Whitehead and McNiff (2006). As McNiff et al. (2003) explain, action research focuses on learning and embodies good professional practice and praxis; it will hopefully lead to personal and social improvement; it is a response to a social situation; it demands critical thinking and political intention; and the focus is on transformation within this thesis. The thesis comprises an account of my learning at both theoretical and practical levels, as I discovered how to live my values more fully in my practice. Inclusivity and leadership establish a set of values and purposes that underpins the educational process in a school. The individual commitment of the teachers and leader drives the values and purposes into reality. Values without implementation do little for school improvement. It is in dealing with the challenge to change and improve, often by confronting unacceptable practices, that teachers and leaders show their educational values. The thesis is the story of how I learned to speak for myself and came to regard her as a person who has something to say for herself in the context of the impoverished schools of South Africa. My thesis is an articulation of my belief that teachers and learners should be counted „among those with the authority to participate both in the critique and in the reform of education‟ (Cook-Sather, 2002:3). It also articulates my commitment to a scholarship of teaching that allows teachers to learn from pedagogical experience and exchange that learning in acts of scholarship that contribute to the wisdom of practice across the profession (Shulman, 1999:17). Collaborative and reflective discussion allowed me to capitalise on the social nature of learning. I not only considered how education could be used to assist children‟s growth, learning and development, but also applied the same concepts in the development, growth and learning of their teachers. I would argue that through my own work, I have attempted to establish a community of enquiry within my school that draws on a multi-generational model of knowledge production through bringing together teachers, researchers, students and critical friends.

This thesis presents four distinct studies of psychological and social integration of homeless and vulnerably housed individuals. The first study presents a predictive model of psychological integration, defined as a sense of belonging and membership to one’s community. The second study presents a predictive model of social integration, defined as how an individual engages with others in the community. The third study presents a mixed methods comparative analysis of homeless and vulnerably housed individuals with “high” and “low” levels of psychological and social integration. The fourth study presents a reflexive analysis of conducting interviews with homeless and vulnerably housed individuals. Data for this research comes from a two-year longitudinal study conducted in Ottawa, Ontario. Participants were men and women, over the age of 18 (Baseline: N = 397; Follow-up 1: N = 341; Follow-up 2: N = 320) who were either homeless or vulnerably housed at the study’s outset. Quantitative data analyses occurred at Follow-up 1 and 2 and utilized hierarchical multiple regression. Qualitative data analyses used a general inductive approach utilizing a First Cycle and Second Cycle coding method (Saldana, 2009). Social support was a significant predictor of both psychological integration and social integration. Individuals with high levels of social support had high levels of psychological and social integration. Social support proved to be the only predictor to be significantly associated with social integration at both Follow-up 1 and 2. Psychological integration was positively associated with several variables at Follow-up 1 and 2: increased age, living in high quality housing, and residing in a neighbourhood that is perceived as having a positive impact. The mixed methods analysis uncovered several salient themes that affected psychological and social integration, including substance use in one’s housing and neighbourhood, neighbourhood safety and location, and housing quality. The reflexive component of the thesis highlighted the importance of location when conducting interviews and the power dynamics of the interview process. The results are discussed in terms of implications for service delivery and policy.

The purpose of this study was to explore whether traditional and nontraditional students who transferred from 2-year to 4-year institutions experienced differences in transfer shock, academic integration, and social integration. A substantial body of knowledge comparing transfer students to native students on transfer shock exists, while only a few qualitative studies have focused on how transfer students experience academic and social integration at the transfer institution. Further, the major studies examining transfer student behavior group all transfer students into a single category by the one thing they share in common- a transition experience. Due to the increasing numbers and diversity of transfer students it is important to examine how their unique characteristics influence transfer and subsequent integration into their new environment. The sample for this study was taken from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS: 04/09). The large, nationally representative data set was filtered to include only students who transferred from 2-year institutions to 4-year institutions, creating a much smaller sample of students. The main independent variable in the analyses was age. For this study traditional students were defined as those less than 24 years of age, while nontraditional students were those 24 years or older. Linear regression was used to examine whether traditional and nontraditional students experienced differences in transfer shock, level of academic integration, and level of social integration following transfer. The findings from this study suggest that there is no relationship between age and transfer experiences. Further research is necessary to determine whether the absence of a relationship truly exists or whether the small sample size in this analysis influenced the outcome.

The increasing diversity, globalization and aging of the U.S. workforce have put pressure on organizations to better understand and manage diversity (Perry & Li, 2019). While there are various ways in which companies can “manage” this diversity, increasing attention is being paid to the role that leaders play (Avery & McKay, 2010). More specifically, a number of authors have begun to discuss the potential benefits of inclusive leadership in managing increasingly diverse employees (Randel et al., 2018). Despite discussions about the potential benefits of inclusive leadership, there is relatively little consensus about what inclusive leadership is and how best to measure it (Randel, Dean, Ehrhart, Chung, & Shore, 2016). The purpose of current research is to highlight the limitations of previous measures and to begin to develop a more theoretically grounded and empirically valid measure of inclusive leadership. Based on a review of inclusion and inclusive leadership literature, a measure of inclusive leadership was designed, evaluated by six subject matter experts, and administered to a large MTurk sample (N = 529). The current research found that inclusive leadership is a multi-dimensional construct that includes leadership behaviors of treating all work unit members with fairness, equality, and respect; encouraging integration of and synergy among all work unit members; and translating (i.e., compliance and implementation) organizational diversity and inclusion related policies and programs that support inclusion and prevent exclusion into explicit diversity and inclusion practices in the work unit. The current research established a content, construct, convergent, discriminant, and criterion valid and reliable measure of inclusive leadership, the Inclusive Leadership Questionnaire (ILQ), that can be used to help academics better understand what inclusive leadership is, how best to measure it, and assess its impact on work-related processes and outcomes. Additionally, practitioners can use this measure to assess the strengths and development opportunities of leaders; develop inclusive leadership capabilities; facilitate the incorporation of behavior based inclusive leadership criteria into the talent management system; and continuously make progress toward the goal of creating an inclusive workplace and gaining long-term organization health and growth.

In spite of Australia’s border closure during the pandemic, the number of displaced people seeking refuge has continued to rise. For those lucky ones that are granted a visa to Australia, social inclusion and connectedness in the host country are crucial and closely linked to the indicators often used when measuring resettlement success. Yet refugee women particularly struggle with creating social connections. This thesis aims to investigate the role of social media in refugee women’s process of gaining social capital. In the context of this research, social capital refers to Bourdieu’s definition of the concept and is complemented with his notion of field.            To determine the role of social media for acquiring social capital, this research is based on interviews with 11 women from refugee backgrounds in Sydney and Wollongong, NSW. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted in a one-on-one setting, while five women participated in a focus group. The results from these interviews revealed various barriers to using social media for social capital and reinforced the claim that refugee women face significant challenges when forming social connections especially with those of differing social identities. The responses revealed lack of trust, together with gender socialisation and cultural differences, to be one of the more critical obstacles to utilising social media.             This research thus highlights the importance of considering the special needs and abilities of refugee women when incorporating social media in services aiming to increase their social inclusion. Where online means are deployed, further emphasis should be placed on including trusted agents to connect refugee women with the online channels. Moreover, this thesis underlines the pressing need to bridge the connection gap between refugee women and the general population in order to diminish social inequalities, which often manifest in reduced access to services, employment, wellbeing, and social exclusion.

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A conflict that ensued between Senegal and Mauritanian in 1989, led many Mauritanians to seek refuge in Senegal. Though the exact number is not known, an estimated 20,000 Mauritanian refugees continue to live in northern Senegal 16 years after being expelled from their home country. The exact number could not be ascertained because the attempted registration exercise which started in December 1999 was unfortunately abandoned in 2000. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2011. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / nf2012 / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

Student academic progress has been at the centre of concern to all higher education institutions in South Africa. It is understood that student progress emanates from a range of dynamics that gives students different educational experiences. The student cohort at University of Pretoria (Abdulghani et al., 2014) come from diverse cultural backgrounds in South Africa, aptly called the rainbow-nation, and subsequently bring different levels of proficiency and world experiences to the higher education sector. The student population is like a tapestry interwoven from different cultures and includes students from all 'walks of life', rich and poor, alternative lifestyle and background, as well as students who are disabled, and students who have diverse sexual orientations. The transition from school to university is regarded as a time of extreme stress for students arriving at the university door for the first time. The expectations of students are mostly unknown, but educators know that students entering university come from positions of extreme inequality, not only in terms of schooling, but also of financial and other resources. It is well-documented that in addition to all the other changes, a large number of students arrive at the university lacking the necessary knowledge and skills that will help them cope at university. These are largely students that come from underprivileged schools that still bear the ravages of apartheid education. To assist students in overcoming the lack of these skills and bridging the educational gap, higher education has to address these needs. Hence, it is the intention of this research to "explore the undergraduate Information Technology experience of an extended programme". The research is a four-year longitudinal study of IT students in the extended (four-year) IT degrees at UP, and has analysed interviews conducted with IT graduates in a range of professional settings. Taken together, these components have been designed to expand the researcher's understanding of undergraduate IT experience (extended programmes) and the transition from university to the workplace. Furthermore, it focuses on how students in Information Technology experience their education, how they gain knowledge of what Information Technology is, and what their post-graduation plans are. Based mainly on the theoretical framework of Vincent Tinto (1975), this study provides an analysis of research regarding student experiences, retention and withdrawal in the extended four-year programme (E4YP) in IT. The research methodology used to conduct this study includes a mixed methods approach undertaken from more than one point of view. The researcher used a combination of qualitative and quantitative research features. The data was generated by surveys (online questionnaires and mini-questionnaires), mini-essays and the results of statistical analysis using academic results and Students� Academic Readiness Survey (STARS) scores. The findings of this study paint a portrait of typical first-year students irrespective of study direction. Their experiences and journey during the first-year are fraught with issues such as finance, accommodation, transport, gender inequality, institutional hiccups, loneliness and exhaustion, and difficulty in finding their way around campus. However, many expressed experiencing the euphoria of freedom from school/parental rules, meeting new friends and socialising, and enjoying the general feeling of being a university student. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Informatics / PhD / Unrestricted