In this unique time of nation building in South Africa, education is seen as the key foundation stone to prosperity and development. However, despite a decade of restructuring, many differing groups of children still do not receive the quality of education they deserve. Amongst those are children with special needs, including those who have a hearing impairment. These children are the focus of the present study. It is a widely accepted principle that early assessment and intervention is necessary to maximise a child’s potential. It is for this reason that the global aim of this study was to explore and describe the developmental profile of hearing impaired children on the Revised Extended Griffiths Scales. Further aims were to compare the performance of the clinical sample to a normal South African sample. A quantitative, exploratory-descriptive research design was employed. The sample of hearing impaired children (N = 58), between the ages of 36 and 95 months, attended the Carel du Toit Pre-School in the Western Cape, South Africa and were obtained by means of a non-probability, purposive sampling procedure. The normal sample (N = 58) was drawn from an existing database created for the revision of the Scales. Information was collated using clinical files, biographical data as well as the results of an assessment on the Revised Extended Griffiths Scales. The major findings of the study are summarised below. The general performance of the hearing impaired sample on the Revised Extended Griffiths Scales was average. The performance of the children on the six subscales ranged from below average to average, with major fall-outs occurring on the Hearing and Speech and Practical Reasoning Subscales. The normal sample performed significantly better than the hearing impaired sample on all of the subscales of the measure. However, significant differences were found on four of the six subscales, namely, the Locomotor, Personal-Social, Hearing and Speech and Practical Reasoning Subscales. Generally, the results of the current study suggest that a specific developmental profile is obtained for hearing impaired children. In addition, this study has highlighted the success with which the Revised Extended Griffiths Scales can be utilised on a hearing impaired population.

This study determined the effect of a water-based programme on the motor proficiency of children with Development Coordination Disorder (DCD). The water-based programme promoted an alternative environment for DCD children, involving all dimensions of movement. Thirty-one (31) children from Port Elizabeth participated, with an experimental group (n=15) following the eight-week water-based programme, while a control group (n=16) carried on with daily activities. Motor proficiency was measured during three tests, utilizing the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP). Results indicated positive effects of the intervention on all the variables of the BOTMP (p < 0.05). Confirming this, three variables obtained practical significance with Cohen’s d > 0.8, and one with 0.2 < d < 0.8. At the end of the three-month duration of the study, the experimental group indicated better performances at the end of the study than at the start, thereby confirming the positive and lasting effect of the water-based intervention programme. Therefore, the use of a water-based programme in improving motor proficiency is supported. However, implementation of the programme over a longer period is recommended.

Despite a widespread perception that the number of children coming to clinical attention with Autism Spectrum Disorders has greatly increased, limited South African Research has been conducted on children with Autism. Thus a need exists to accumulate knowledge about the cognitive, psychological and personalsocial growth of children diagnosed with Autism. This study is aimed at exploring the performance of children with Autism between the ages of 7 years (from 72 months) and 8 years (to 95.9 months), in South Africa (SA), utilising the Revised Extended Griffiths Scales of Mental Development (GSMD). The sample comprised an experimental group of 30 children with Autism from four schools for Specialised Education for learners with Autism in SA, and a control group comprised of 30 “normal” children, where normalcy can be broadly defined as “an absence of any sensory, physical or mental handicap”. The six areas of general development assessed included Locomotor, Personal- Social, Language, Eye and Hand co-ordination, Performance, and Practical Reasoning. A non-probability, purposive sampling method was applied. The major findings of the present study were as follows: (i) Children with Autism (years 7 & 8) showed a characteristic cognitive profile when tested with the revised Extended Griffiths Scales. Their performance indicates lower performance on Subcales B, C and F than on the other Subscales. (ii) Some children with Autism experienced major fall-outs, whereas others were slightly below average. The general performance of children with Autism was, however, in the range “cognitively impaired”. (iii) There was significant difference between the Autistic sample and the normal sample on the GQ. xiv In view of the findings, it is recommended that the results of the study, which focused on the children’s areas of developmental weakness, be widely disseminated. This could facilitate the development of therapeutic programmes, so as to allow for appropriate stimulation for children with Autism.

The aim of the study was to determine the Body Mass Index with regards to overweight and obesity of Black African children between the ages of six and nine years who were enrolled in three rural public schools within Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The researcher used a quantitative descriptive research design. Each child’s weight and height was measured and their BMI and BMI percentile for gender and age calculated. According to the BMI percentile calculations for gender and age for the sample which consisted of 902 children, three percent were defined as being underweight, 79 percent as being normal weight, 11 percent as being overweight, and seven percent as being obese. In the sample there were also 21.3 percent children who were at risk of becoming overweight (3.5 percent) and obese (17.8 percent). Without intervention these at risk learners may in their adolescent and adult years be adversely affected by the physiological and psychosocial consequences related to their condition. Suggestion is made to utilise a Forum through which various stakeholders can pool their expertise and resources to develop a programme of intervention with the aim to prevent escalation of overweight and obesity, as well as reversing the current prevalence as identified within the research population.

The focus of this research was to establish how black primary school principals in some Port Elizabeth schools manage the problems of poverty, vandalism and non-payment of school fees. The aim of this research was to improve these burning issues at my own school, but also to assist other schools which are encountering similar problems with regard to these three issues. Qualitative research methods were used. Data was collected by studying relevant literature and conducting semi-structured interviews and participant observation. Composite case studies of the schools were compiled. Content analysis was used to analyse the data and recommendations for improvement were made. The results of the research indicate that since 1994, when democracy and equal human rights were declared, primary schools have actually been experiencing escalating problems in terms of poverty, vandalism and school fee payment. As the school system is closely intertwined with the socio-economic and political dimensions of society, these challenges can only be effectively addressed if all stakeholders in education collectively take up ownership of these problems and commit themselves to finding unique and effective solutions in the Port Elizabeth urban and rural areas.

The aim of this investigation was threefold : to determine origins and perceptions of the street child problem nationally and internationally ; to explore the way in which children experience life in the streets ; and to devise strategies to enable these children to develop optimally. Literature indicates that the street child phenomenon is a global issue that presents many challenges. It is a socio-educational problem precipitated by multi-factorial events in the home, community and by children's personality attributes. Street children experience rejection, suffering, shame and anxiety. Deprivation of an environment conducive to positive development leads to maladjustment, anti-social behaviour and marginalisation. The empirical research was undertaken by means of semi-structured interviews conducted among fourteen children of the Khayalethu shelter and by administering questionnaires in the community of Port Shepstone. The findings culminate in recommendations for suitable assistance programmes and strategies to handle the problem in South Africa. / Educational Studies / M.Ed.(Socio-Education)

The aim of this investigation was threefold : to determine origins and perceptions of the street child problem nationally and internationally ; to explore the way in which children experience life in the streets ; and to devise strategies to enable these children to develop optimally. Literature indicates that the street child phenomenon is a global issue that presents many challenges. It is a socio-educational problem precipitated by multi-factorial events in the home, community and by children's personality attributes. Street children experience rejection, suffering, shame and anxiety. Deprivation of an environment conducive to positive development leads to maladjustment, anti-social behaviour and marginalisation. The empirical research was undertaken by means of semi-structured interviews conducted among fourteen children of the Khayalethu shelter and by administering questionnaires in the community of Port Shepstone. The findings culminate in recommendations for suitable assistance programmes and strategies to handle the problem in South Africa. / Educational Studies / M.Ed.(Socio-Education)

This study investigated which childhood behaviours and emotions are considered "acceptable" and "not problematic" by Black isiZulu speaking parents and caregivers. It further investigated which childhood behaviours and emotions were considered "unacceptable" and "problematic" by Black isiZulu speaking parents and caregivers (N=97). Data were collected by the use of the Behaviour Screening Questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 39 words describing the way children of 4 or 5 years feel and behave. The selection of the health domains included in the questionnaire was guided by the research on developmental psychopathology, the dimensional approach. The item format in the questionnaire was categorical: Not concerning, concerning and very concerning. The collected data were ordinal in nature, thus necessitated the utilization of non-parametric method of analysis. Data were then analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (Chi square). Findings indicated that 88% of the behaviours and emotions listed on the questionnaire were considered to be "unacceptable" and "problematic" by the participants in the study. These were largely the externalizing types of behaviours (57%). Thirty-two percent of these were internalizing types of behaviours and emotions. Only 11,6% of the behaviours and emotions listed on the questionnaire were considered to be "acceptable" and "not problematic" for 4 or 5 year old children. The findings of this study confirm the findings of previous research conducted both internationally and locally on the types of behaviours and emotions considered to be "problematic" and "unacceptable" as well as those behaviours and emotions considered to be "acceptable" and "non-problematic" by parents and caregivers in 4 or 5 year old children. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / This research inquiry employs the Rasch model of measurement to assess the contemporary quality of the items that constitute an intelligence test developed in South Africa during the 1980s. The Rasch model of measurement will be used as an analytical tool for exploring the quality of items constituting the performance scales of a translated version of the Junior South African Intelligence Scales (JSAIS). The JSAIS was translated into Sesotho and was used to assess grade 1 Sesotho home language learners. This study is part of the Soweto Panel Research Programme (SPRP), which aims to investigate the development of children in a specific Soweto school from preschool (grade R, age 5 and 6) to the end of the Foundation Phase (grade 3). Within this school, the research projects include the assessment of cognitive abilities, numeracy, literacy and the households of the children. I am involved in assessing the cognitive abilities of these children and work in collaboration with three Educational Psychology Master’s students from the University of Johannesburg. The cognitive abilities project aims to assess and track the cognitive development of young children from grade R to grade 3 over a period of four years. Cognitive development focuses on how children learn, process information and attain a veridical view of the world (Gopnik & Meltzoff, 1997), it entails the development of the thinking and organizing systems of the mind, and is composed of language, thinking, reasoning, problem solving, and memory development (Oakley, 2004).

This thesis offers a critical reflection of a study I initiated to enhance self-esteem for self-actualization. The research process involved enhancing my own self-esteem before facilitating the enhancement of the self-esteem of my participants. This endeavour included the simultaneous exposure given to researcher and researched, with the aim of helping to attain the respective transformative potentials of the latter. An action research methodology was used, intending to improve my own practice and to involve and learn from the participants in order for all relevant stakeholders to capitalize from the learning experience. Whilst undertaking this study, I learned to reflect on my values, attitudes and relationships with my learners. I also became aware of how individuals‟ perceptions of themselves can influence other aspects of their development. This awareness enabled me to become more sensitive to the emotional needs of the learners in my care and also led to a greater understanding of their individuality. I came to comprehend the impact of a positive self-esteem on the learning process that aided me in developing an understanding of the positive impact an enhanced self-esteem has on how my learners view themselves. In the course of the research, I developed an awareness of the need to create a caring practice centred on values of gentleness, respect, kindness, awareness and recognition of individual strengths. These afore-mentioned values are premised on the recognition and acknowledgement of basic human rights, inclusivity, equality and social justice; principles reflecting my own living standards. This heightened vii awareness influenced the ways I organized the learning and teaching process in my classroom. Enhancing my own self-esteem and those of my learners basically involved interchangeable interventions such as encouraging involvement, allocating responsibilities, creating opportunities for assertiveness and being generous with affirmation, praise and motivation. These endeavours occurred within a social constructivist approach, enabling participants to construct their own epistemologies within their respective ontologies. My findings offer new conceptualizations about how an enhanced self-esteem can help individuals realize their fullest potential.