Descriptive research was conducted to describe the relationships among host and environmental factors and immunization compliance in two year old children. Secondary data was collected from a sample of 306 well baby clinic records in a public health department in a Southwestern state. Results revealed statistically significant differences between the compliant and noncompliant groups for income and number of children living at home. Higher income, higher maternal age, fewer number of children, and races other than of Spanish origin were significantly correlated with children who received all immunizations at the appropriate age. Significant relationships were found between children who received all immunizations at the public health department versus children who received immunizations from both a public and private provider. Compliant children made more visits for immunizations and fewer other visits than noncompliant children. These factors can assist in identifying children at highest risk for failure to receive immunization on time.

Children in upper primary school who have not made progress along the Swimming and Water Safety Continuum may be at a greater risk in an aquatic environment because they have not developed the swimming competency, endurance and skills needed for survival in threatening aquatic situations. Three groups representing different socio-economic and geographical areas were selected to explore the relationships between psycho-social factors and the development of swimming ability among year seven students. Two groups from lower socio-economic areas were chosen. The first group was directly on the coast with easy access to the beach, while the second group was inland in the foothills of Perth. As higher socio-economic areas in Perth are generally not far from the coast only one group from a higher socio-economic coastal area was chosen. The participants were 540 year seven students, 282 of whom were males and 258 of whom were females. The primary variable of interest was the current swimming stage of year seven participants, and the differences between genders and/or locality groups. The primary research questions investigated differences between locality groups and/or genders for; a) perceived athletic competence and global self-worth, b) perceived swimming competency, confidence in deep water and importance placed on learning to swim well. c) perceived social support for sport and swimming activities and d) attendance at Interm, Vacswim and other swimming programs and aquatic venue experience. Relationships between swimming stage and the above variables were analysed. The secondary research questions investigated the most frequent reasons given by the students for not attending or discontinuing participation inVacswim, and whether there were differences between locality groups or genders. Findings indicated that the lower socio-economic groups had a significantly lower swimming stage and lower perceived self-worth than the higher socioeconomic group. Students from the lower socio-economic inland area had the lowest mean swimming stage as well as lower perceived social support for sport and swimming than either of the other two groups in the study. The two lower socioeconomic groups also attended less swimming instruction and placed less emphasis on the importance of learning to swim well than the higher socio-economic group. Despite these findings, the lower socio-economic groups did not view themselves as any less able in terms of athletic and swimming competence. However, as the two lower socio-economic groups have not progressed along the Swimming and Water Safety Continuum to the 'desirable standards' of the RLSSA (1999), these groups could be viewed as at-risk in an aquatic environment. At the same time, there was evidence that attendance at Interm along with attendance at another swimming program enabled participants to reach the 'desirable standards' of the RLSSA (1999). Girls generally had a higher swimming stage than boys in the lower socio-economic areas, attended year seven Interm and Vacswim more than boys, reported more social support for sport and swimming, and placed more emphasis on the importance of learning to swim well than boys. While many of these relationships between swimming stage and psycho-social factors have been intuitively accepted within the swimming teaching industry, we now have a better understanding of the strength and direction of these relationships.

The HIV/AIDS orphan crisis is one of the humanitarian and developmental challenges facing the global community. Providing a home, medical care, education, psychosocial support and basic needs for these children is part of the challenge that faces our generation. The purpose of this study was to explore whether an AIDS CARE pilot project implemented at DCS was able to successfully place ten HIV/AIDS infected orphans in fostercare. The ecological perspective provided the theoretical framework within which the study was conducted. This perspective guided the selection of the study samples and the analysis of data. Sample one comprised ten foster parents who resided in various townships and suburbs in Durban. Sample two comprised of semi professional and professional staff that were involved in the daily care of the HIV infected orphans and well as ensuring their placement in fostercare. The study found that recruitment, training and support were vital aspects in preparing foster parents to care for the HIV/AIDS infected child. The study also found that while residential child care institutions will continue to play a role in the care of children affected by HIV/AIDS, the magnitude and social impact of the disease renders it necessary that alternate models of care (this study proposes one model), within a community development paradigm be developed. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

In a small town in a Canadian prairie province where spots, particularly football and basketball, are the chief activities, many young men in school define their self-worth based on their thletic ability. To determine the impact that sports had on the young men in this particular town, 20 boys between the ages of 15 and 19 were selected for interviews. Due to the importance placed upon sports in the school and the small size of the school, all 20 of the boys had some association with football and basketball. They either played on one of the sports teams but spent much of the time sitting on the bench, or they desired to play but failed to qualify for team play. Only one of the boys had never tried to play on one of the teams. The boys were interviewed about how they fit into the circle of sports and how their participation or non-participation has influenced them. It was determined that sports did influence their self-esteem. Many of the boys, both those who were part of the team and those who had been cut from the team, felt left out and began to dought their abilities and their worth. The study confirms much of the current literature. Recommendations include making coaches and administration aware that boys were being negatively influenced by a successful sports program, as well as calling for further research to determine the extent and depth of the negative influence of sports on boys who are not the stars of the team. / viii, 83 leaves ; 28 cm.

This qualitative study is an exploration of the sexual subjectivities of a group of Coloured high school girls aged 16-17. These girls emerge from both working and middle class backgrounds in the former Coloured suburb of Sydenham in Durban. The study sought to understand what the Coloured girls in this study regard as risky sexual behaviour, what types of risky sexual behaviours they engage in, as well as how they both accommodate and resist male power, with regard to their sexual attitudes and practices. Gender-power and poststructuralist theories were used to show how gender and (male) power are implicated in sexual risk. The findings show that these Coloured girls accommodate, challenge and resist persisting gender norms, traditional sex roles and racial stereotypes. Focus group and individual interviewing techniques elicited responses that show the variegated sexual identities and evidence of sexual agency crafted in their attempts to assert themselves as young women who are able to subvert discourses of male sexual privilege and power. The findings also illuminate how many of the girls in this study demonstrate a certain amount of agency, where they are able to negotiate safe sex practices with their partners. Such resistance and agency has important implications for sexual decision making and girls’ empowerment. Findings of this study were used to develop strategies in order to raise greater HIV and AIDS awareness, encourage safer sex practices as well as build more caring, loving and cohesive relationships. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Thesis (M.Phil. (Social Work))--University of Stellenbosch, 1984. / 367 leaves printed on single pages,preliminary pages i - xiv and numberd pages 1-351. Includes bibliography and 3 figures. Digitized at 600 dpi grayscale to pdf format (OCR), using a Bizhub 250 Konica Minolta Scanner. / Please refer to full text.

This study aims to analyze three popular U.S. children’s TV shows – Dora the Explorer (Nickelodeon), Maya & Miguel (PBS) and Handy Manny (Disney Channel) – in terms of their incorporation of Spanish. Qualitative and quantitative measures were used to assess the frequency and types of code switching both in the context of bilingualism and language pedagogy. The study revealed different strategies of language choice and socio-cultural objectives for each show. A close analysis of language choice in the three children’s TV programs revealed distinct approaches to TV writing in the name of raising awareness of ethnic diversity, developing cultural literacy, and brand marketing. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The school environment is one of the primary contexts for children's social, emotional and cognitive development. While teachers are likely to be primarily focused on students' motivation and learning, for adolescents, one of the most enjoyable and important aspects of school life is likely to be centered around the time spent interacting with peers. It is well recognized that peers socialize one another but although many studies have examined the influence of peers on adolescents' risky behaviors far fewer have focused on the influence peers may have on individuals' positive behaviors. As a result this study focuses on academic development replicating previous research designed to examine whether peer group affiliation has an effect on student academic engagement. A cohort of 343 seventh grade students, primarily Caucasian, 52% male, was followed for a period of one school year. Teachers reported on students' academic engagement in the fall and again in spring using a 14-item scale (Wellborn, 1991), and students reported on their teachers' and parents' involvement in fall using 8- and 4-item scales respectively. Student grades were collected from school administrative records. To identify individual student's network affiliations socio-cognitive mapping procedures were used (Cairns, Perrin & Cairns, 1985), and then peer group profiles of engagement were calculated based on the average rating of engagement across each individual's affiliates. During the academic year peer group membership turnover was 49%, despite this, the quality of peer group profiles of engagement remained similar from fall to spring. Groups also tended to be and remain motivationally homogenous across the year. In general, girls' networks tended to be more highly engaged than boys' and networks that were more highly engaged tended to be more stable across the year. Structural equation modeling was used for the major analyses to assess whether peer group academic motivation in the fall could predict individual motivation in the spring. The results indicated that while controlling for individuals' earlier engagement, as well as for processes of group selection and parent and teacher influences, the quality of individuals' peer group engagement in the fall was significantly predictive of students' later engagement in the spring. It should be noted that within the major models academic performance was also strongly related to later engagement. While this study provides further evidence to underscore the importance of the peer group in the socialization of students' academic motivation, particularly when one considers the snowballing effects in motivation this influence may have across a student's entire academic career, it also illustrates the important role performance may play in academic motivation for young adolescents.

published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing in Advanced Practice

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Human Performance / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy