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Submitted in partial fulfillment for the requirements of the Degree of Master of Education in the Department of Philosophy of Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 1999. / This study focused on the use of media as resource in art outcomes-based class (OBE). The research was conducted mainly in black schools. The researcher established that media could be used as an effective educational tool, for the new school curriculum- This study attempted to emphasise the feet that schools should be provided with both print and electronic media. It also tried to emphasise that rural schools should be taken into consideration, by improving the mfrastnicture and supplying them with media equipment and material. Of importance was the discussion of various critical outcomes and how media can make them practical. The study showed that educators need support from education authorities, school management and parents. Former, educators need more workshops where they could be equipped with sew teaching methods. This could motivate and inculcate confidence in educators. In order to have motivated and confident learners, we need dedicated educators. The we need dedicated educators. The researcher looked into various media resources and few steps on bow they can be employed were suggested The researcher looked at the new approach to teaching and learning, which is outcomes-based education. It was established that a learner-centred approach, group work and activity-based learning could be easier with the use of media. However, as has been mentioned above, in order to be successful an educator needs proper training. Since the researcher found that very few schools employed media for the effective implementation of OBE, it was suggested that parents, schools, NGO's, the government, the department of education and the private sector collaborate in order to devise mechanisms of making media available in schools. This collaboration would also help in the provision of infrastructure in schools as the available media will need to be kept in storerooms, strongrooms or locked classrooms and laboratories. It emerged from this study that the future of OBE was bright as educators were given a chance of attending workshops and seminars by their school managements). Of importance, however, is the suggestion mat the government, parents, the VTll NGO's, the private sector and schools should assist in establishing more media centres that may help augment the work that is done by schools alone. The researcher also found that there is a strong feeling that media have to be employed as early as the level of play and pre-primary schools. This is in line with the idea of activity-based learning which emphasises the fact that learning should be as concrete as possible. It also emerged from the study that the use of media can really help make the educator and the learner partners in the teachmg-Iearaing situation. It became abundantly clear that when educators used media on outcomes-based education, and more importantly as facilitators, a culture of learning was enhanced. Undoubtedly, learners learn when learning was enjoyable and they found success in it.

A lack of knowledge and training on the topic of gay, lesbian, and bisexual persons (GLB) in mental health graduate programs can lead to a culture of ignorance and ineffective treatment for a subset of the population. Multicultural competency is defined as having self-awareness of one's own values and biases, knowledge, and skills to work with a given population; and it is important in order to ensure appropriate mental healthcare. The purpose of the current study was to identify if there is a difference in GLB competency among graduate students and faculty (dependent variables) from mental health programs that are accredited by organizations like the APA and CACREP versus those from nonaccredited programs (independent variables). The key theoretical foundation that grounded this study was Multicultural Counseling and Therapy Theory (MCT). The research questions explored herein center on whether GLB competency differs between graduate students and faculty from accredited programs versus those from nonaccredited programs. Results of this quantitative comparative research design study were derived via a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) procedure in order to compare mean scores among the four groups. Results identified a significant difference between the groups in skills and knowledge; however, mean averages for graduate students from accredited programs (Skills M = 2.54, Knowledge M = 3.83) were below four, indicating little to no skills/knowledge. In order to optimize mental health treatment for the GLB community, graduate students in mental health programs must be exposed to GLB counseling training curriculum. The implications for social change focus on policy and accreditation standards set forth by APA and CACREP accrediting bodies.

Online education has evolved over the last 18 years as technology continues to advance. Starting at age 5, children are able to forego traditional classrooms and begin attending school from a computer in their homes. Research has not identified significant academic differences between traditional and online schools; however, there is limited research on differences in social competency in these settings. Bandura's social learning theory was used as a framework to compare social competency skills in traditional (n = 113) and online (n = 28) high school students living in Pennsylvania using the Social Skills Inventory (SSI). Participants were recruited using a private research consulting company. When comparing overall SSI scores of online and traditional students using an ANOVA, a significant difference was found (p = .04), with traditional students scoring significantly higher in social skills than online students. However, ANCOVA analyses showed that after controlling for age and years enrolled in each school setting, there were no significant differences in SSI between the two groups (p = .08, and .09 respectively). These results should be interpreted with caution due to the disparate group sizes. It remains unclear if online school students are socially impaired compared to their peers in traditional brick and mortar schools; however, no such differences were identified in this research. The findings of this study may impact social change by serving as a pilot to inspire the development of new measures and identify a need for future studies. A longitudinal study may provide more insight about social development in online school students. In addition, development of a measure that encompasses modern socialization and variables that are applicable to all school aged children could assist with more clearly identifying any relation between school type and social development.

An Examination of Competency Restoration Training in a South Florida Community-based Setting by Josephine J. Tang, M.S. Doctor of Philosophy, Nova Southeastern University, 2010 Dr. David Shapiro, Chairperson The deficiency in competency restoration programs according to the literature (Grudzinskas & Clayfield, 2004) is that this intervention only provides a limited treatment to satisfy the legal requirements. There is also lack of research that examines the efficacy of treatment for incompetent defendants and the duration of competency restoration (Nicholson & McNulty, 1992). The present study examined a competency restoration program for pre-trial individuals. Those (BAP group) who received psychotherapy, competency restoration training, and medication were compared with those (BA group) who did not receive psychotherapy to determine which group will obtain competency faster and maintain it longer. The survival analyses did not find any significant difference between the groups in regard to duration of competency. Propensity scores were based on the logistic regression of psychotherapy on other covariates. Psychotherapy was not statistically significant in three way analyses. When all covariates were unadjusted, the hazard ratio was 2.09 (p = 0.13). When using the propensity score as a continuous variable, the hazard ratio was 1.75 (p = 0.70) and when using the propensity score in quintiles, the hazard ratio was 1.84 (p = 0.42). The probability is that participants in the BAP group are twice as likely to obtain competency as participants of the BA group. Although this result did not reach a significant level, the effect size is meaningful. The three analyses yielded similar results and identical direction. Logistic regression was used to examine the correlation between the treatment time and being judged incompetent among the individuals who were initially judged competent. Individuals of the BA group had slightly lower odds of being judged competent and later to relapse than those in the BAP group. Relapse of competency occurred more frequently in individuals diagnosed with psychotic symptoms, low intellectual functioning, and/or neurological deficit. The findings suggested that severe and persistent mental disorder is a chronic condition that requires long-term care and consideration for more comprehensive treatment.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The purpose of this research was to investigate the social and cultural constructions of leadership and how search committee members evaluate candidates for leadership positions. Moreover, how they conceptualize, measure, and evaluate leadership potential of candidates. To explore this issue, the following research questioned were answered: How do members of an executive search committee construct their views of leadership?; In what ways do the individual, social, and cultural constructions of leadership held by search committee members influence behaviors and outcomes of a search committee? In this study, I investigated how members of a search committee constructed their views of leadership and in turn how this influenced the search process for an executive leader. In order to explore this issue, this study is approached through the constructivism paradigm and informed by critical inquiry, using case study methodology. I followed one executive search process from the charge meeting until the committee made its recommendation to the hiring authority. The unit analyzed in this search employed a leadership competency model and tools which mapped to this model, in an effort to mitigate the influence of bias. I used semi-structured interviews with committee members to understand their views on leadership. I supplemented interviews with observations and document analysis as means of collecting data for the study. Three findings emerged through data analysis: the role of background and identity on views of leadership, the influence of personal and societal constructions of leadership on individual behaviors and search outcomes, and the application or utility of using a leadership competency model. Through my findings, I demonstrated how individual’s background and identity shaped their perceptions of what it meant to be a leader. Additionally, how they rated and talked about candidates matched their individual views about leadership rather than the leadership competency model they were asked to use. More specifically, analysis illuminated that minoritized search committee members had drastically different beliefs about leadership and experiences serving on the search committee. I concluded the study by outlining implications for policy, future practice, and future research, including offering a conceptual framework and tools for an equity-minded search process.

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This investigation was concerned with whether linguistic competence with printed material is related to the retention of information contained in prose passages of high readability. The specific purpose of the study was to investigate relationships between linguistic competence and free recall, immediate, delayed, and practiced, after the reading of a passage of high readability. In a review of related literature, indications were found that linguistic competence could be expressed by test scores of reading achievement. Therefore, in this study linguistic competence was operationally defined by scores of literal and inferential reading comprehension.