Worldwide millions of children are victims of neglect and physical and mental harm, including sexual abuse and exploitation. South Africa, however, is widely believed to have not only one of the highest incidences of rape in the world, but also one of the highest levels of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) transmission. With research findings showing that HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are rapidly increasing globally, young people are, and continue to be, at the forefront of the AIDS pandemic. Therefore, it is suggested that prevention programmes should be aimed particularly at the young. Schools have specifically been recognized as the setting for preventative Life Skills Programmes, having the potential to reach billions of children worldwide. The aim of this study is to explore and describe the perceptions of grade eight and nine learners with regard to the Life Skills Programme that focuses on HIV/AIDS and STI's, rape and child abuse education in the Port Elizabeth region. In order to fulfil the above aim, a qualitative study was undertaken within an exploratory descriptive approach. A non-probability sample of four schools was selected. Focus groups, utilising an unstructured interview, were used to gather qualitative data on the learners' perceptions of the Life Skills Programme. The focus groups consisted of 10 - 12 grade eight and nine learners who were selected using simple random sampling. The data was thematically analysed using Tesch's approach. The major findings of the present study, based on the six general themes, include the following: 1. Most of the learners perceived the educators, as well as the teaching methods utilised by the educators, positively. 2. Although the learners perceived the presenters of the Life Skills Programme positively, it was suggested that teachers, health care professionals, family members and peers should be involved in presenting the Life Skills Programme. 3. Learners reported various levels of comfort discussing different topics presented in the Life Skills Programme. 4. Learners of all the schools perceived the Life Skills Programme to be very relevant. 5. Learners recommended that more children, especially children from deprived communities, should be included in the programme. In addition, learners felt that counselling services should be available in conjunction with the Life Skills Programme. 6. Differences were noted in completing the first and the second questionnaire. Learners reported that they felt more comfortable completing the second questionnaire. They perceived the interviewing process positively.

Schools play a major role in shaping the attitudes, opinions and behaviour of young people and so are ideal environments for teaching the social, as well as biological aspects of HIV and AIDS. However, literature indicates that learners are displaying “AIDS fatigue” and may be resistant to teaching around HIV and AIDS. In order to enhance learner engagement and learning, there is therefore a need for teachers to employ interactive teaching and learning strategies that are interactive, inexpensive and fun. This dissertation outlines the research design of an investigation into how such strategies can be used in HIV and AIDS prevention education. An action research design was made use of in this study and the manner in which several teachers presented HIV and AIDS education to his/her learners was initially observed. In addition, qualitative interviews were used to determine the teachers‟ need for development in this regard. Based on the findings of the problem identification step, teachers were introduced to active teaching and learning strategies and supported to implement them. Evaluation and refinement of the strategies, developmental workshops and training followed, which in turn lead to recommendations and the formulation of guidelines to influence teacher education with regard to HIV and AIDS prevention education.

M.A. (Psychology) / The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has become one of the major challenges that the health care system has had to face and will continue to present a significant health challenge well into the 21st century. Up to the present time no effective treatment method has been found as the retroviral agents typically only cause a temporary inhibition of the progression of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HlV) and not a permanent cessation of the activity ofthe virus. Psychosocial approaches to the management of HlV have been moderately successful, but more successful then the retroviral agents during the HIV but non Clinical stage. Considering the proportions of the HlV disease, there are few studies in South-Africa, that describe the therapeutic effects of a stress management package consisting of aerobic exercise, group-based cognitive behavioural therapy and relaxation training on mood state changes of asymptomatic and early symptomatic HIV sufferers. Psychological measures, like depression and anxiety have been found to be associated with lowered immune responsivity, thus enhancing the underlying immunodeficiency found in HlV/AIDS sufferers. Past research has also illustrated the benefits that may be derived from aerobic exercise on the physiological mechanisms of the body. The intention of this research, was therefore to further reinforce the positive effects of aerobic exercise by using a biopsychosocial approach in the treatment of HIV, leading to an overall improvement in the immunological status, depression and distress levels of HlV patients, as well as their ability to cope with the disease. The study took place within the context of a wider project, forming a component of the AIDS research conducted by Prof. E.Wolff (Rand Afrikaans University). The study assessed the relevance of this intervention for the South African Setting.

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Includes bibliography. / The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has increasingly become a serious public health threat, reaching pandemic proportions. Against this background, the role of health care professionals is becoming progressively more important due to the multi-faceted impact of the disease on the lives of HIV-infected and AIDS-patients. The psychosocial impact of the disease compels social workers to contribute their services. The skills of clinical social workers however distinguish them from their counterparts in generic settings in that it enables them to create a therapeutic milieu conducive to the successful treatment of the AIDS-patient. Social workers in private practice may however be regarded as being in an even better position to deal with AIDS-patients due to the autonomous nature of their work environment. Several studies have been done both locally and abroad, on the role that knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of health care professionals play with regard to the treatment of the AIDS-patient. No such studies have however focussed on social workers in private practice as a population. Al though this population have sets of skills most appropriate for the treatment of these patients, the question however recurs as to whether they are adequately equipped regarding AIDS-education, and if they do perhaps share similar feelings of fear, stigma and attitudes of discrimination towards these patients as have surfaced in the studies mentioned above. This study therefore has as its main objectives the following: To establish whether social workers in private practice feel adequately equipped to deal with issues of HIV, AIDS and human sexuality; and to determine the degree of correlation among attitudes to AIDS-patients, homosexuals, terminally ill patients and sexuality, and other variables such as experience, gender and knowledge on the subject of AIDS.

Thesis ( M.Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / In 2010, the Development Facilitation and Training Institute (DevFTI) (University of Limpopo) embarked on the process of expanding the Sex and Relationships Education Programme, Boys 2 Men as part of its projects. During the process, it became apparent that there was a need to evaluate the implementation process of the B2M programme by CBOs in the selected district municipalities in the Limpopo Province. The B2M project is a programme that was first put into place in 2000 as one of the ways of addressing issues of sex and relationships education for young men in especially rural areas that have limited access to such programmes. To evaluate this programme, this current study intended to explore enabling and/or hindering factors as well as experiences of trained facilitators in the implementation of the B2M programme. A qualitative case study research design was conducted using semi-structured face-to-face group interviews. As the targeted population was small a census was used (i.e. total sample =24). Content analysis method was used, looking at themes given by respondents to highlight the facilitating and/or hindering factors as well as experiences of the trained facilitators during the implementation of the B2M programme. The results indicated that, amongst others, the significant enabling factors for implementation included support by the community, host CBO and university partners; availability of facilitation material as well as infrastructural and financial support. Whilst, the significant hindering factors included lack of finance; lack of interest from the host CBOs, limited resources; and unclear terms of reference. Based on the results, it was therefore recommended that the programme set clear and specific terms of reference; facilitators be given tokens of appreciation; clear monitoring and evaluation tools be put into place; sufficient support be provided by university partners continuously; funding that is specific for the implementation of this programme be sought so as not to drain CBO financial and manpower resources; and work with facilitators and CBOs that have interest in issues that are almost similar to those that are addressed by the B2M programme. From the research results it could be concluded that this programme is valuable and it is therefore important to consider continuing with it provided that the above recommendations are considered in future implementation

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology, Information Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2013. / This study reports on the application of decision making core technology adoption theory to empirically examine youth preferences for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) preventive actions. In order to contribute to the open discourse on whether technology adoption rate is higher for male or female, goal desire, goal intention, action desire and action intention elements of decision making core theory were tested. A mobile health information system was implemented as an HIV information disseminating tool and used for experimentation to determine adoption by youths. A dataset of 118 pupils from two high schools was used for pilot investigation. A dataset of 292 undergraduate youths aged 10-24 years from two universities in South Africa was generated to validate the research model. The Partial Least Square (PLS) analytic modelling technique was used to determine the predictive power of decision making core model from the input dataset. Results of experimentation show that regardless of the gender youth accepts to use mobile information system to access HIV information. The predictive power of the decision making core model was found to be independent of gender factor, which was also not found to moderate the relationship between Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC) and action intention. In addition, gender was not found to moderate the order of importance in factors that predict youth preferences for HIV preventive action. PBC, action desire and goal desire were selected as the most important predictors of HIV preventive actions. The factor of action desire was found to mediate the relationship between PBC and action intention such that the mediation effect was stronger for male youth (68%) than for female youth (19%). Finally, the decision making core model better predicted youth preferences for HIV preventive actions as compared to two models based on Theory of Reason Action (TRA) and Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB).

Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: AIDS is stigma, disgrace, hatred, hardship, abandonment, isolation, exclusion, prohibition, persecution, poverty, privation. AIDS is a metaphor. It is a threat, a tragedy, a blight, a blot, a scar, a stain, a plague, a scourge, a pestilence, a demon, killer, rampant, rampaging, murderer. It is made moral. It is condemnation, deterrence, retribution, punishment, a sin, a lesson, a curse, rebuke, judgement (Pillay, 2008:21). The above quotation represents societal perceptions, discourses and responses to the AIDS pandemic. Sadly, in the early days of this pandemic, some theologians and churches held the above-mentioned perception, creating the fear in sufferers of the disease that they might be judged. Communities, families and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) also still hold this view. The aim of this study is to investigate the judgemental attitudes in pastoral care and spiritual counselling for women living with HIV/AIDS. One of the aspects that contribute to the spread of the HIV pandemic is the stigma attached to it as it is the stigma that causes the silence. This study aims to explore the definition of stigma and investigate its causes and results as well as looking into the judgemental attitudes of the community, church, society, family and counselling of the HIV/AIDS sufferer, their identity crisis and their question of meaning. Furthermore, the study aims to investigate the theological reflection on the notion of God, through the doctrine of judge ment (how God is presented as a judge in both the Old and the New Testaments), as well as Old and New Testaments’ views on illness. Using these sources, this study investigates whether or not HIV is a punishment from God. Using case studies, the resurrection of hope and the role of hope in a person was explored. This study also investigates how pastoral care and spiritual counselling can empower and bring hope and healing to PLWHA. This was done through the use of Louw’s five-phase model of counselling PLWHA, an externalising method from a narrative approach. This study seeks to determine the judgemental attitudes in pastoral care and counselling towards women living with the HI virus in the local township of Lwandle. It is said that the people most vulnerable to the HI virus and most infected are women and especially those living in the poor townships of South Africa. Their lack of education and poverty put these women in a more dangerous situation than their counterparts. In the township churches, women are in the majority. This study speculates about the role of pastoral care and counselling in empowering these women, in particular those living with HIV and AIDS and seeks to explore how the faith community, society and their families judge these women. It also investigates how pastoral care can dispute irrational and unrealistic constructs applied to the interpreta tion of the pandemic and how the Christian community can contribute to constructive pro cesses of de-stigmatisation. In the early days of the pandemic, the church regarded intercourse as intended solely for procreation (Van Dyk 2008:318). Therefore, since it is well established that HIV and AIDS is a desease that is mostly contracted through sexual activity, those who contracted the disease were regarded as being not morally sound or upright members of society. This resulted in pastoral counsellors finding it difficult to counsel without discussing the causes of this disease as when they did so, they often appeared to be condemning the infected persons by judging them. This study focuses on the judgemental attitudes and stigmatisation, a theological reflection on the notion of God, as well as on women living with the HI virus in a specific context. In order to determine the attitudes of pastoral care and counselling, an empirical study was done to assess the attitudes in the above-mentioned location to PLWHA in that community. The aim of the empirical research was not to create statistical evidence, but rather to reflect the stories of the women living with the virus in this community. For the study, a certain group of women was selected from the support group of women who are living with HIV/AIDS. The co-ordinator of the support group helped the researcher to access the people from the Ikhwezi clinic. A questionnaire was used for the findings. The study showed the pain, vulnerability as well as the bravery of these women. Through the case study, the researcher was able to demonstrate how hope can change the lives of PLWHA. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Vigs is stigma, haat, swaarkry, verlating, isolasie, uitsluiting, verbod, vervolging, armoede, ontbering. VIGS is 'n metafoor. Dit is 'n bedreiging, 'n tragedie, 'n vloek, 'n klad, 'n letsel, 'n vlek, 'n plaag, 'n kastyding, 'n pestilensie, 'n demoon, 'n doodmaker, wild, vervloek, 'n moordenaar. Dit is sedelikheid gemaak. Dit is veroordeling, afskrikking, vergelding, straf, 'n sonde, 'n les, 'n vloek, teregwysing veroordeling (Pillay, 2008:21). Bostaande aanhaling verteenwoordig sosiale persepsies, gesprekke en reaksies betreffende die VIGS pandemie. Tragies om te sê, in die begin van die pandemie was bostaande persepsie die standpunt van sommige teoloë en kerke, wat die vrees by lyers van die siekte geskep het dat hulle veroordeel sou word. Gemeenskappe, gesinne en mense wat lewe met MIV/VIGS (MWLMV) huldig nog steeds hierdie seining. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die veroordelende houdings by pastorale sorg en berading van vroue wat lewe met MIV/VIGS, te ondersoek. Een van die kwessies wat bydrae tot die toename van die MIV- pandemie is die stigma wat daaraan kleef, omdat dat die stigma is wat die verswyging daarvan veroorsaak. Hierdie studie beoog om die definisie van sigma te verken, en om die oorsaak en die gevolg daarvan te ondersoek, asook as om ’n kykie te kry in die veroordelende houdings van die gemeenskap, die kerk, die samelewing, die familie en die berading van die MIV/VIGS-lyer, hulle identiteitskrisis en hulle soeke na betekenis. Verder beoog die studie om die teologiese besinning oor die idee van God n.a.v., die leerstelling van oordeel (hoe God voorgestel word as Regter in sowel die Ou en Nuwe Testament), sowel as die Ou Testamentiese en Nuwe Testamentiese sienings oor siekte, te ondersoek. Deur die gebruik van hierdie bronne will hierdie studie ondersoek of MIV ’n straf deur God is. Hierdie studie ondersoek ook hoe pastorale sorg en berading kan bemagtig en hoop kan bring vir MWLMV. Dit is gedoen deur die gebruik van Louw se vyf fase beradingsmodel vir MWLMW-’n eksternaliseringsmetode vanuit ’n narratiewe benadering. Deur gebruik te maak van gevallestudies is die opwekking van hoop en die rol van hoop in ’n persoon verken. Hierdie studie poog om die veroordelende houdings by pastorale sorg en beranding van vroue wat leef met die MI-virus in die plaaslike dorpie Lwandle, vas te stel. Daar word gesê dat die kwesbaarste vir die MI-virus en die mees geïnfekteerde persone die vroue is, en by uitstek die wat in die arm dorpies van Suid-Afrika woon. Hulle gebrek aan geletterdheid en hulle armoede bedreig hierdie vroue meer as hulle mans. In die dorpskerke is vrouens in die meerderheid. Hierdie studie besin oor die rol van pastorale sorg en berading in die bemagtiging van hierdie vroue, in besonder hulle wat met MIV/VIGS lewe in die studie poog om te verken hoe die geloofsgemeenskap, die samelewing en hulle gene hierdie vroue beoordeel. Dit ondersoek ook hoe pastorale sorg irrasionele en onrealistiese opvattings rakende die interpretasie van die pandemie kan betwis, en hoe die Christengemeenskap kan bydrae tot ’n opbouende proses van destigmatisering. In die vroeë dae van die pandemie het die kerk gemeenskap gesien as uitsluitlik bedoel vir voorplanting (Van Dyk 2008:318). Aangesien dit algemeen aanvaar word dat MIV en VIGS ’n siekte is wat meestal opgedoen word deur seksuele aktiwiteite, is hulle wat hierdie siekte opgedoen het, nie gesien as moreel, of as onkreukbare lede van die gemeenskap nie. Dit het daartoe gelei dat pastorale beraders dit moeilik gevind het om te beraad sonder om die oorsaak van die siektetoestand te bespreek indien hulle dit wel gedoen het, en het dit dikwels gelyk asof die geïnfekteerde persoon veroordeel is deurdat hulle geoordeel is. Hierdie studie fokus op die veroordelende houdings en stigmatisasie-op ’n teologiese besinning oor die idee van God, sowel as op die vroue wat met die MI-virus binne ’n bepaalde raamwerke leef. Ten einde die houdings van pastorale sorg en berading teenoor MWLMV te bepaal, is ’n empiriese studie in daardie gemeenskap gedoen. Die doel met die empiriese navorsing was nie om statistiese bewyse te skep nie, maar eerder om te besin oor die verhale van die vroue wat met die virus leef in hierdie gemeenskap. Vir die studie is ’n bepaalde groep vroue geselekteer uit die ondersteuningsgroep vroue wat met MIV/VIGS leef. Die koördineerder van die ondersteuningsgroep het die navorser gehelp om die mense van die Ikhwezi kliniek te bereik. ’n Vraelys is gebruik vir die bevindinge. Die studie het die pyn, verwondbaarheid, sowel as die moed van hierdie vroue getoon. Deur die gevallestudie het die navorser aangetoon hoe hoop die lewens van MWLMV kan verander.

Thesis (DPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The focus of my study was to investigate an existing professional development programme for HIV/AIDS education in schools using e-learning as a delivery method. I investigated aspects of pedagogy that provide efficient workplace training for educators, such as constructivist approaches to adult teaching and learning, assessment strategies, creating opportunities for communication and a focus on learners’ voices as crucial elements of in-service training. I reviewed the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning as a delivery method and discussed the trade-off between richness and reach in education. I focused on interpreting and making meaning from the experiences of the educators who participated in the e-learning pilot study. I scrutinised the participants’ electronically submitted journals in which they documented their experiences of the HIV/AIDS and Education module. My aim was to interpret their descriptions of how they experienced their growth as educators and to analyse their views on how the module enabled them to implement courses on HIV/AIDS across the curriculum. My research methodology was a combination of interpretative and critical research, focusing on interpreting and making meaning from the experiences of the individuals who took part in the study. To produce data I used a cyclical process where the participants performed key roles, giving regular feedback, recording their experiences and contributing to the upgrading of the programme. HIV/AIDS and its possible impact on education have changed the rules of many aspects of classroom learning programme development, including sex and sexuality education. The Department of Education alone can therefore not sustain quality HIV/AIDS education, and it is imperative that departmental efforts should be augmented by tapping into existing professional development programmes offered by higher education institutions. I also support the international tendency that integrates aspects of HIV/AIDS education into all the Learning Areas because HIV/AIDS affects all aspects of life. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die fokus van hierdie studie was om ’n bestaande professionele ontwikkelingsprogram, vir MIV/vigs-onderrig in skole te ondersoek. E-leer as ’n geskikte onderrigmetode het deel van hierdie ondersoek gevorm. Ek het verskeie pedagogiese aspekte ondersoek wat geskikte indiensopleiding vir opvoeders bied, onder andere konstruktivistiese benaderings tot volwasse onderrig-en-leer, assesseringstrategieë, die skep van kommunikasiegeleenthede asook ’n besinning oor die belangrikheid van deelnemers se opinies. Die voordele en nadele van e-leer as ’n geskikte onderrigmetode en die balans wat tussen reikwydte (“reach”) en volheid (“richness”) gehandhaaf moet word, is krities bespreek. Ek het die elektronies ingehandigde joernale, waarin deelnemers hulle ervarings van die HIV/AIDS and Education-module gedokumenteer het, bestudeer om hulle ervarings te ontleed en te vertolk. My doel was om hulle sienings oor hulle persoonlike groei as opvoeders en hoe die module hulle bemagtig het om MIV/vigs-onderrig in alle leerareas oor die kurrikulum heen te kan implimenteer, te dokumenteer. My navorsingsmetodologie was ’n kombinasie van interpretatiewe en kritiese metodologie en ek het gefokus op die interpretasie en meningvorming van die deelnemers na aanleiding van hulle ervarings. Om data te genereer (produce) het ek ’n sikliese proses gebruik waarin deelnemers sleutelrolle vervul het, soos om gereelde terugvoer te lewer, ervarings aan te teken en bydraes te lewer om die program te verbeter. MIV/vigs en die moontlike impak wat dit op onderwys en onderrig kan hê, het die reëls van leerprogramontwikkelling verander, met inbegrip van onderrig oor seks en seksualiteit. Die Nationale Departement van Onderwys (NDvO) kan nie alleen MIV/vigs-onderrig van gehalte verseker nie, dit is dus noodsaaklik dat die NDvO se pogings ondersteun moet word. Die NDvO behoort gebruik te maak van bestaande hoër opvoedkundige instansies se professionele ontwikkelingsprogramme. Ek ondersteun ook die internasionale tendens waar MIV/vigs-onderrig in alle leerareas geïnkorporeer word, aangesien MIV/vigs ’n impak op alle aspekte van die lewe het.

This research explores the development of community-based media for HIV/AIDS education and prevention. The theoretical framework for the research was based in semiotic, cultural studies and participatory action research perspectives and is critical of conventional approaches to communication and media production. Conceptual ideas for the media products emerged through interaction with small groups of participants utilising participatory action research and focus group methodology. A series of posters were produced and distributed within the communities studied. The research demonstrates a practicable and replicable methodology for deriving community perspectives around a range of issues and articulating these via small media products. The methodology is relevant to health education, but may also be applicable to a range of community-based initiatives that seek to facilitate social change. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, 1994.