The extensive amount of research conducted internationally in the field of John Bowlby's attachment theory indicates that an insecure attachment between a child and the primary caregiver has a detrimental effect on both social and emotional development in childhood, as well as having a profound effect on psychological development and functioning in adulthood. The present study aimed to explore and describe the therapeutic process of a nine year old with an insecure attachment style within a therapeutic framework, namely Theraplay. The therapeutic process was embedded within Ann Jernberg's Theraplay framework and the case was further contextualized within Bowlby's attachment theory. The case study method was utilized with a purposive sampling technique employed to select the participant. Irving Alexander's content-analytic framework in conjunction with Guba's model of trustworthiness was employed for data analysis. Two needs emerged during the therapeutic process namely the need for nurturance and affection as well as the need for power, control and safety.

Thesis (M.A. (Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / The aim of the present study was to explore and describe the psychosocial experiences of secondary school learners from child-headed households in Mankweng area, Limpopo province. A qualitative research approach, specifically the phenomenological research design was used in this study. Ten grade 8 to 10 learners (male = 5; female = 5), aged between 16 and 18 years were purposively selected and requested to participate in the study. Data were collected through structured interviews. The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method was used to analyse the data. The following three categories of themes were identified: a). Circumstances leading to child-headed households; b). Socioeconomic themes category; and, c). Psychosocial themes category. Each of the three categories yielded a number of themes. There were nine psychosocial category themes that emerged from the data. These among others included the following: a). Poor scholastic performance by learners from child-headed families; b). Increased levels of sexual abuse and teenage pregnancy for the girl child; and, c). Psychosocial trauma. With regard to coping strategies, the study found that girls tended to engage in risky sexual behaviour as a way to access financial support and to cope with their challenges when compared to boys who tended to engage in more positive behaviour like garden work in order to earn a living. Based on the above findings, the study recommends that learners from child-headed households should receive counselling support from school based support teams. Special consideration should be given to the orphaned girl child who is more vulnerable to psychosocial risks when compared to a boy child from a similar family background. The study further recommends that community support centres be established in order to support learners from child-headed families with after-school care, meals and recreational activities. There is also a need for community forums to be established and to prioritise the safety of their neighbourhoods in order for all children to feel appreciated and safe in their environments. The Department of Social Development should also continue to provide the support grant to learners who have reached the age of 18 who live in child-headed households as they still need care and support.

The aims of this research were to describe in rich phenomenological detail the recollected childhood experiences described by three South African adults of growing up with animals in the context of a traditionally African cultural perspective in South Africa; as well as to document the emotional, physical and social effects of inter-species relationships as described by these participants, in order to explore and situate these experiences in relation to broad international perspectives on the contribution of animals to human development. The question of how these described experiences correlate with broad international perspectives on the contribution of animals to human development comprised the hermeneutic of the study. Here it was found that the experiences of these South African individuals were generally in keeping with the trends found in the literature. Participants attributed to their childhood relationships with animals a variety of benefits. These benefits occur on a range of levels, from the physical to the cognitive, and the psychosocial. The emotional attachment of the participants to animals with whom they had interacted in childhood correlated with the nature of interspecies relationships as anticipated by the literature. Cultural differences in the conceptualisation of inter-species relationships, between western and traditionally African ideologies, appeared to influence the moral and ethical positions assumed by the participants, while the subjective nature of the described attachment between participants and animals remains qualitatively similar across cultures, when explored in relation to international research. The similarities between the experiences of the participants and international research findings lend credence to Wilson’s hypothesis that all human beings are potentially able to connect in deep and profound ways with their natural environment, and that this connection contributes to the development of social and cognitive skills, as well as constituting emotional support and stability. The research concludes with an examination of its own limitations and suggestions are made for further research.

This study was conducted in order to assess the effects of cognitive stimulation in early childhood. The quantitative study set out to test a target group of 40 children, ranging in age from two years to three and a half years, in order to determine the importance of stimulation and intervention from a young age. A pre-test evaluated the initial level of each child‟s cognitive abilities (mathematics, literacy and life skills). This was followed by a random selection of the subjects into experimental and control groups. The experimental group underwent an eight-week intervention programme which focused on the primary concepts in each area of cognitive development. The control and experimental groups continued with their normal school learning programmes. The results indicate that the impact of stimulation on young children is significant and there is a great difference in the abilities and understanding of concepts for those children which were stimulated individually, as compared with those children who were not so stimulated. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

This study was conducted in order to assess the effects of cognitive stimulation in early childhood. The quantitative study set out to test a target group of 40 children, ranging in age from two years to three and a half years, in order to determine the importance of stimulation and intervention from a young age. A pre-test evaluated the initial level of each child‟s cognitive abilities (mathematics, literacy and life skills). This was followed by a random selection of the subjects into experimental and control groups. The experimental group underwent an eight-week intervention programme which focused on the primary concepts in each area of cognitive development. The control and experimental groups continued with their normal school learning programmes. The results indicate that the impact of stimulation on young children is significant and there is a great difference in the abilities and understanding of concepts for those children which were stimulated individually, as compared with those children who were not so stimulated. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

There are many challenges that face children in residential care. Among those challenges is the little or no interaction between the children in residential care and their biological family. This study investigated if biological family involvement in the lives of children in residential care had any effect on the children's development while they were in care. The study was a comparison between children with biological family involvement and children without any biological family involvement. The comparison focused on two main variables, namely, academic performance and behaviour characteristics. This was qualitative, multiple case study research where triangulation was used as a tool for collecting information. Ten children participated in this study i.e. five children with biological family involvement and five children without any biological family involvement. Data used in this study was collected from children, their housemothers and from children's files. Findings from this research indicated that there was a difference between children with biological family involvement and children without such family involvement in terms of academic performance and behaviour characteristics. Children with biological family involvement performed better academically and displayed fewer negative behaviour characteristic than children without biological family involvement. Findings also suggested there was a need for further research on this topic in order to find ways to assist children in residential care to develop optimally. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

MA (Psychology) / Department of Psychology / See the attached abstract below

PhD (Sociology) / Department of Sociology / The purpose of this study was to critically determine the impact of communal child-rearing approach on the prevalence of teenage pregnancy in Vhembe District, in order to develop facilitation tools from which the parents can be empowered on the constructive parenting approaches, specifically for a girl-child and teenage girls against the prevalence of teenage pregnancy. This study further empowers the teenage girls in particular growing-up in Vhembe District with the chance of healthy development and future favourable womanhood. A combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches was used to conduct the study, with a quantitative description and exploratory study design. A total of 400 participants, mainly teenage girls, participated in a quantitative approach. Then 16 pregnant teenage girls, 19 teenage mothers, 6 key informants and 23 parents of pregnant teenage girls and mothers participated in a qualitative approach. The participants for the quantitative approach were sampled using the stratified random sampling technique because of the age-specific (13-19 years). Close-ended questionnaires were administered to them. The participants for in-depth interviews were sampled using the purposive and snowball non-random sampling technique. They were high school principals, teachers, and community leaders, pregnant teenage girls and teenage mothers, and their parents. Data collected through close-ended questionnaires were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) programme. Frequencies tables were created to categorize variables and cross-sectional frequencies tables were further created to show associations between the variables. The data collected through structured interviews, matrices were created using content thematic analysis. The responses were grouped thematically and, with the emergence of subthemes, broad categories were generated to differentiate and explain the thoughts expressed by the participants. The study findings suggest that the prevalence of teenage pregnancy is purely a social behavioral problem develop through critical parenting practices and approaches. The study concluded that the total blame for the prevalence of teenage pregnancy is in the way parents raise the teenage girls, whether influenced by their socio-economic status, cultural values, availability or absence of the other parent, etc. the primary lack of sensitive parenting recognition of the prevalence of teenage pregnancy, critically placed the teenage girls in Vhembe District in the prevalence of teenage pregnancy. / NRF

PhD (African Studies) / Department of African Studies / Literature and media reports constantly show increased incidences of ill-discipline and lawlessness amongst the youth. These misdemeanours adversely affect communities and the behaviour of the youth as active, responsible and proactive members of the society and community members. Unfortunately, there are insufficient conversations about morality across social strata. The elders often seem disenfranchised by the popularity of the rights-based approach and modernity. In addition, communities are not proactive in coming up with initiatives that encourage on-going nyambedzano between the elders and the youth on issues around morals and discipline. Nyambedzano is a Venda concept that does not seem to have the exact English translation, so in this study I will use the concepts communication, conversation and dialogue interchangeably. Furthermore, there is a continuous blame game in the community about who should lead effective conversations that should buttress the development of responsible youth citizens. The purpose of this study was to explore the relevance of nyambedzano between the youth and elders about African morality among the youth. The study also aimed to investigate factors that were hindering nyambedzano to take place. I conducted qualitative appreciative focus group discussions with the elders and youth (who were in and out of school) that were purposively selected. Data was analysed thematically in relation to the stages of an Appreciative Inquiry approach. Findings revealed that nyambedzano between the elders and the youth about youth morality is relevant; however, its application is complicated by several factors which include the changing family structure, the changing parenting age, media and technology influences, a rightsbased approach to child rearing, and the denigration of cultural values at home, school and in the community. These findings were synthesised to develop a facilitative nyambedzano programme. Contrary to Vhavenda cultural practices, nyambedzano would have to be a two-way communication process between the elders and the youth. It would take place at different contexts, the home being the starting point. There would have to be some compromise between the rights- based contemporary approaches and traditional cultural ways of dealing with morality. This study makes methodological, empirical and theoretical contributions. An Appreciative Inquiry approach was applied to the Vhavenda ethnic group to explore the possibility of Nyambedzano between the youth and elders. The empirical contribution is that this study is the first to address nyambedzano as a process for promoting morality among the youth, within the context of the Tshivenda culture. The theoretical contribution of this study lies in the development of the facilitative nyambedzano programme that describes how nyambedzano between the elders and the youth should take place, taking into consideration the cultural values of the Vhavenda people. The recommendations are based on the creation of supportive parents, families, teachers, schools, churches, community members and policy makers. / NRF

Text in English with abstracts in English and Sesotho / The purpose of this study was to describe the role of Life Orientation (LO) in the development of altruistic behaviour among adolescents aged 14 t0 16 years in one rural school of Limpopo Province. The participants were purposively selected. Most communities struggle to involve adolescents in voluntary activities such as home-based care, cleaning campaigns, conducting study groups, and others, if there are no incentives such as money. The study collected data through semi-structured interviews and the altruism scale questionnaire. The latter is not a psychometric measure but a screening tool that gives a qualitative value that can be analysed. The findings of the study have shown that LO has not yet played a critical role in developing altruism in youth, especially adolescents. Participants having reported lack of perceived seriousness taken by their LO teachers on the topics during LO lessons resulted in their different perspectives and experiences regarding the subject. In addition, altruism has not been included in LO curriculum. Therefore, further investigation of the cause of belief in superstition amongst adolescents and downgrading of LO is important. / Morero wo mogolo wa dinyakišišo tše e be e le go hlalosa karolo ye bohlokwa yeo e bapalago ke Thuto ya Tshedimošo ya Bophelo (Life Orientantion) gore bana bao ba golago ba thoma go tšwa mahlalegading ba hlalefa, ba mengwaga ye lesome-nne leba lesome-tshela ba godišwe le go rutwa mekgwa ye mebotse mo sekolong se sengwe seleteng sa Limpopo, Afrika Borwa. Batšeikarolo dinyakišišong tše ba kgethilwe ka maikemišetšo gore ba ntšhe maikutlo a bona ka moka mabapi le tabakgolo yeo monyakišiši a bego a e nyakišiša. Batho ba bantšhi mo setšhabeng ba palelwa ke go huetša bana bao ba golago mo mešomong ya go ikgafa moo elego gore a go na moputso wa tšhelete. Mediro ye ya boikgafo e akaretša go nea balwetši ditirelo tša kalafo ya ka gae, masolo a go thlwekiša, dihlopha tša go ithuta mmogo, magareng ga tše dingwe. Dinyakišišo tše di šomišitše mokgwa wa seka-dipoledišano go tšea tshedimošo gammogo le sekala sa dipotšišo tša go šomišwa go dira diteko tša go utulla mediro ye mebotse ya Mosamaria wa kgaugelo mo setšhabeng. Maikemišetšo a sekala se sa dipotšišo ga se go dira diteko tša monagano, eupša ke sefetleki sa go dirišwa go tšea tshedimošo le go seka-seka maikutlo mabapi le gore batšeikarolo ba ikwa bjang ka tiragalo ye itšeng yeo e nyakišišwago (e sego go seka-seka dipalopalo). Dipoelo tša dinyakišišo tše di laetša gore Thuto ya Tshedimošo ya Bophelo ga e sešo ya fihlelela morero wa go aga mekgwa ya botho mo bathong ba baswa. Batšeikarolo ba nyamišitšwe ke ka mokgwa woo barutiši ba thuto ye ba se nago maikemišetšo ka gona mabapi le go ruta thuto ye ka mafolofolo. Se se ile sa ba le khuetšo ye mpe go barutwana moo bailego ba hlokomologa thuto ye ka go se e tšeele hlogong gomme ba e bona ka leihlo le šele. Godimo ga moo, thuto ya go kwela batho bohloko le go ba hlankela ga se ya akaretšwa mo thutong Tshedimošo ya Bophelo. Bjalo go nyakega dinyakišišo mo go tumelo ya dinonwane magareng ga baswa bao ba golago le go nyenyefašwa ga Thuto ye ya Tshedimošo ya Bophelo. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)