Children in care (e.g., foster care) are at risk of a variety of negative developmental outcomes. Of particular concern are their often poor academic outcomes. Indeed, children in care often have below grade-level performance on math and reading, increased rates of school drop out, and learning disabilities. Despite these difficulties, relatively little research has been conducted to try to ameliorate the problem. The present thesis, consisting of three independent randomized controlled trials (RCTs), sought to address the need for improved educational outcomes for children in care. The first RCT was an evaluation of a one-on-one tutoring program, TutorBright. Children in care were randomized to either a tutoring group or a waitlist control group and assessed on their math and reading skills, as well as on other educationally relevant domains (executive functioning, behaviour, and caregiver involvement in school-related activities), pre and post test. ANCOVA via multiple regression revealed that the children in care that had received tutoring, compared to the waitlist control group, made significantly greater gains in reading comprehension (Hedges’ g = 0.34), reading fluency (g = 0.16), and math calculation (g = 0.39). Moreover, executive functioning and self-reported symptoms of PTSD (for older children) were significant moderators of the effects of tutoring. No significant spill-over effects of tutoring were found. The second RCT, building upon previous RCTs by Flynn et al. (2012) and Harper and Schmidt (2016), evaluated whether a shorter version (i.e., 15 weeks) of a one-on-one Direct Instruction tutoring program, Teach Your Children Well (TYCW), was as effective as a longer version of TYCW (i.e., 25 weeks) on improving the math and reading skills for children in care. ANCOVA via multiple regression did not reveal any significant group differences in academic performance for any of the WJ-III subtests. Collapsing across the two intervention conditions, follow-up paired samples t-tests revealed significant improvement in Letter-Word Identification (Cohen’s d = 0.22), Reading Fluency (d = 0.36), Calculation (d = 0.38), Math Fluency (d = 0.47), Applied Problems (d = 0.30), and Broad Reading (d = 0.30) and Broad Math (d = 0.40) composite scores, suggesting that the 15-week and 25-week TYCW programs were equally effective in improving math and reading skills. Moreover, an attribute-treatment interaction analysis revealed that children with higher executive functioning benefited more from the shorter tutoring dosage for Calculation. The third RCT was a small pilot study that aimed to assess whether working-memory training (WMT) can enhance: 1) working memory capacity, in the short and longer term (i.e., immediately following the completion of WMT and 6-months later), 2) symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (i.e., inattention, hyperactivity, and executive functioning) in the short and longer term, and, 3) math and reading skills at 6-months post WMT. The findings from this study suggested that WMT can improve verbal working memory (g = 0.35) as well as visuo-spatial short-term memory (g = 1.10) in the shorter term but not in the longer term. Moreover, WMT did not have a significant impact on improving symptoms of ADHD or math and reading skills. Together, the results of this dissertation indicate that the math and reading skills of children in care can be improved via tutoring. The findings highlight the importance of providing children in care with effective academic supports in order to help them reach their full potential.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / It is often assumed that postgraduate students and neophyte academics have the capacity to conduct research independently. Thus, upon qualification, it is expected of postgraduate students and academics to conduct research independently, publish their findings, meet publication targets and to supervise student research towards completion. However, the transition from postgraduate student or clinician to academia is considered very challenging as they are often not prepared for the multiple changes they will embark on upon entry into the Higher Education sector. As a result, various programmes and frameworks have been introduced to assist new academics in enhancing their research capacity. Such strategies included but were not limited to, writing retreats, peer monitoring, and dedicated time. However, these interventions reported on in literature are from primary sources and fail to comment on either the methodological rigour or the quality of the studies investigating these interventions. Thus there exists a gap in the literature for filtered information that has been systematically evaluated for methodological rigour and coherence. The present study aimed to establish an empirical base (filtered evidence) of literature reporting on strategies or interventions aimed at addressing research productivity in new academics. The study incorporated a systematic review methodology to identify appropriate literature for inclusion, evaluate literature for methodological quality and provide a meta-synthesis of the findings of included studies. The review considered studies, reporting on strategies or interventions with new academics during the period of 2000-2013. The review was conducted along three levels. Firstly, identification of potential titles, whereby keywords were combined and a comprehensive search of databases available at the University of the Western Cape library was initiated. Published research was also retrieved through mining the reference list of all included reports and articles. Secondly, a pair of reviewers worked together by screening the abstracts which were retrieved based on the titles identified, and thirdly, the abstracts that were successfully screened moved forward to full text reading. These studies were evaluated for methodological quality using the critical appraisal tool. Eligibility for inclusion was determined by a threshold score of 61%. As a result, the title search yielded a search result of 755, from these only 63 titles were selected for possible inclusion. The abstract screening resulted in the exclusion of 35 articles and 28 were included. After the critical appraisal, 15 articles were excluded. The findings of the present study revealed that there is good quality research on research capacity building for neophyte academics, as assessed on methodological rigour and coherence. Seven articles attained the threshold score (61% and above) for inclusion in the final summation and meta-synthesis. Evidence suggested that there are various interventions which have been implemented successfully to enhance research capacity building. The meta-synthesis revealed four core approaches to developing research capacity, namely mentoring approaches, theoretical formulations, research/evidence-based investigation as well as a multidimensional and integrated approaches. These approaches were aimed at bridging that gap between research and teaching and developing competent researchers. The core feature that emerged from these approaches was that successful or effective strategies have to include numerous components such as individual characteristics (motivation), effective leaders and institutional characteristics (rewards, incentives and resources). It was found that these components were integrated and often reciprocally influencing. Ethics clearance was obtained from the relevant committees at UWC. Furthermore, plagiarism and collaboration was taken into account as this study forms part of a larger project.

A web portal can be defined as a Web site for a specific audience that aggretates an array of content and provides a variety of services including search engines and directrories, news, e-mail, chat rooms and online shopping. This study investigates the factors that must be considered during the design of a web portal for academics. Guidelines for the design of such a portal were developed on the basis of a literature study and an empirical study. A web portal for academics must support their personal management of academic information and knowledge. Personal interviews were conducted with academics in order to identify the content, functions, appearance and value of an academic portal. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Humanities Education / Unrestricted

This study is the result of an examination student social skills conducted at two elementary schools to determine kindergarten necessity.

Externalizing behaviors among adolescents continue to concern researchers and clinicians nationwide, especially among Latinos who are part of the largest and fastest growing minority population in the U. S. This dissertation begins by describing an eco-developmental model, which provides the theoretical framework used to conceptualize the systemic factors being studied and by reviewing the relevant literature regarding the influence of parental warmth, parental behavioral control, the adolescent-teacher relationship, and academic achievement on externalizing behavior among Latino adolescents. This study uses the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health survey (Add Health) data to analyze direct and indirect effects of parenting and school-related factors on externalizing behavior among Latino adolescents over four waves of time. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), latent growth curve modeling, bootstrapping, and latent scoring were all employed to test the hypothesized models. Results indicated that higher levels of maternal warmth, the adolescent-teacher relationship and academic achievement were all negatively associated with initial levels of externalizing behavior and in some cases negatively predicted the rate of change of externalizing behavior. Paternal warmth, behavioral control and academic achievement were all found to be positively associated with academic achievement. In terms of indirect effects, paternal warmth negatively predicted initial levels and the slope of externalizing behavior through academic achievement. Behavioral control was also negatively predictive of initial levels and the slope of externalizing behavior through academic achievement. Finally, direct and indirect effects were found between the adolescent-teacher relationship and both initial levels and the slope of externalizing behavior through academic achievement. Implications for these findings are discussed according to an eco-developmental framework, and culturally appropriate recommendations for clinicians and educators are offered to facilitate the increase of parental warmth and behavioral control in Latino families and for improving the adolescent-teacher relationship in school systems. A culturally adapted parenting training model and a strong evidence-based, family therapy intervention is recommended to clinicians to address these issues in Latino families and critical race theory (CRT) and Latino critical race theory (LatCrit) are implemented to inform recommendations offered to educators to address the academic-specific factors influencing externalizing behaviors among Latino adolescents.

There is a global trend towards using part-time lecturers to reduce unit labour costs and raise institutional efficiency. At the same time there is pressure on academics to develop their skills in an academic career path. The use of part-time lecturers is a recognised phenomenon at the University of Pretoria. This study set out to determine how part-time academics in Humanities manage and sustain their careers. The conceptual framework for this study juxtaposes key aspects of the part-time academic career with features of the traditional career model on the one hand, and those of the boundaryless and protean career on the other. This study was undertaken as a quantitative survey designed for self-completion. The aim was to describe trends in the data provided about the sample. It was found that the boundaryless and protean career models have relevance in describing the careers of part-time academics in Humanities. These lecturers measure career success by accumulated knowledge, a developed skills portfolio as well as psychologically meaningful work leading to an inner feeling of achievement. They respond to the tenuous nature of their employment situation by working across organisational boundaries and developing networks of career contacts, so as to sustain a career. Aspects that are not conducive to a part-time academic career such as early career stage, experience of positional insecurity and lack of inclusion into the collegium were identified. Those aspects that support a part-time academic career are flexibility and work-family balance. Recommendations for improvements at individual and institutional level were drawn from current literature and relevant research findings. These include the need for institutional planning, inclusion of part-time lecturers into the collegium, investment in the part-time human resource and consideration of improved contractual arrangements. Part-time lecturers need to invest in their transferable skills and maintain a career network as part of a planned strategy for obtaining their career objectives. They may need to function in boundaryless fashion in multiple positions. The significant priority accorded by respondents to the accumulation of knowledge and the development of skills may hold a key to a mutually beneficial work relationship between the institution and these part-time lecturers. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

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大学における知的財産の事業化に関して、バイドール法の施行に伴う日本と米国の影響は異なる結果となった。バイドール法は、日本の大学における研究活動活性化に対して、重要な影響を与えていなかったのに対し、米国では大学における研究活動を活性化させるのに寄与したと判断できる。また、発明を商業化するための特許取得に関する行動でも、影響の小さかった日本に対し、米国では発明からの収益を最大化させるような行動を高めたことが示された。 / Liberalizations of Japan's and America's policies on academics' intellectual property commercialization resulted in different outcomes. Japan's results show no significant change resulting from liberalization, while US results showed both significant improvement in academics' retention of research work after the system changed and that improvement aligned US academics with the level of participation present in Japan both before and after its policy change. This overlapping finding suggests that Japan's academics were already optimally involved in inventive activities when liberalization occurred. / 博士(技術経営) / Doctor of Philosophy in Technology and Innovative Management / 同志社大学 / Doshisha University

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