Stuttering has been a complex problem ever since the early history of man. It has been found to exist in some cultures to a greater extent than in others. In certain primitive cultures the phenomenon of stuttering was reported to be unknown, yet when members of these cultures were influenced by western environments some incidence of stuttering occurred among them. The influence of the environment therefore cannot be disregarded when considering causes of stuttering. Although much research has been done by speech pathologists among various world cultures they have by no means completed their task for there are many groups, living in a variety of societies, which are yet to be studied. The present rudimentary investigation into stuttering among Indians living in Durban may be regarded as a contribution to the knowledge that has already been accumulated. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1971.

This study asserts that the everyday life, daily activities and mobility interaction remains peripheral within the Sociology of Childhood and Mobilities in particular and sociology in general. This is not to say that there are no sociological studies on child mobility. Instead, existing studies usually focus on the impact of child mobility on adult mobility, their daily lives and schedules with children’s voices, experiences and needs remaining obscure. This generates a passive, univocal, skewed and constrained portrayal and (re)presentation of the child. These unreflected habituations have particular implications for children’s inclusion, participation, and well-being in society; and are in conflict with contemporary and global shifts in childhood and mobility studies. This dissertation, then examines the conceptualisation and problematisation of child mobility in current studies, statistics, policies and interventions, with a particular focus on South Africa. This encompasses questions about the epistemological worldview and evidence-base supporting the various policies and practices. In terms of the reification and privileging of some paradigms, Max Weber’s analysis of ‘social action’, ‘social closure’ ‘domination’ and ‘monopolization’ is appropriated and redirected. Closure (exclusion) rests on the process of subordination, whereby dominant groups close opportunities to groups it categorises as inferior, or ineligible. Children’s subordinate roles in hierarchical structures in societies are derived based on, amongst other factors, culture, age, gender and generation. These codes are used to exclude or include individuals or groups. The utility of closure theory is in the theorising of adult roles; rationalisation of adult dominance; and the limiting of children’s agency and autonomy in institutions in societies. This includes adult roles in research and policy-making communities. This suggests that we need to reflect on, re-evaluate and reframe our approach to listening, talking, thinking and writing on, and about, children. The study asserts the relevancy of the pragmatic and critical constructivist lens in mediating the paradigmatic and epistemic shifts necessary for sociological (re)engagement and reframing of the discourses and debates on child mobility. The approaches are compatible with current developments in field (s) and are important to producing sociologically relevant knowledge on and about children. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / The aim of this study is to establish whether there is significant differences between the aptitudes of succesful freshmen in the B.A. (Law)-, B.Com. (Accountancy)- and B.Sc. (Biological Sciences) fields of study, as well as between succesful freshman male and female students. This study consists mainly out of two parts. Firstly a literature study discussing the concepts aptitude and aptitude testing. Futhermore aptitude and vocational guidance are discussed from an Educational Psychological perspective. Secondly an empirical study was done to establish differences in various aptitudes of the above mentioned fields of study and between male and female students. According to the literature study aptitude can be seen as a combination of factors which enables an individual to achieve a certain level of performance or to develop a certain skill with the necessary training. It is apparent from the literature study that aptitude is inherited; as well as influenced by environmental factors. In early childhood it varies considerably but stabilizes in later years. Slight similarities are present between aptitude and intelligence but a very clear distinction can be drawn. Aptitudes and interests influence each other but according to research, correlations very seldom exist. Differences appear between the aptitude patterns of males and females. The process of vocational guidance consists of three components, namely diagnosis, process and outcome. Vocational guidance is an educational matter which places a responsibility on each educator. Self-knowledge and career-knowledge are a prerequisite for a meaningful choice of a career. In the empirical study a random sample (n = 357) was taken from the successful freshmen at the Rand Afrikaans University for the years 1985, 1986, 1987 from the B.A. (Law)-, B.Com. (Accountancy), and B.Sc. (Biological Sciences) fields of study...

M.A. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Too many students leave school without even the essential skills (ACT, 2011), and many others are so drained by the experience they lack a desire to continue on to a post-secondary education. Academic engagement has emerged as a construct representing students’ personal investment in school (Greenwood, Delquadri, & Hall, 1984), and may be a psychological variable which can be intervened on. However, interventions must occur as quickly as possible to maximize their efficiency (Heckman, 2007). Students’ peer groups may be a particularly potent venue of intervention, however several options exist for how to go about measuring their social networks. In this thesis, social networking data of the only middle school of a small town in the north-eastern United States is analyzed to determine the properties of two collection methods (self-reported networks and participant observations) and four network identification methods (probability scores, reciprocal nominations, factor-analyses, and rule-based). Analyses overwhelmingly supported participant observations as a more inclusive, less biased data collection method than self-reports. Meanwhile, hypothesis tests were somewhat mixed on the most inclusive, least biased network identification method, but after a consideration of the findings and the structural properties of each network, the probability score method was deemed the most useful network. Implications, future research, strengths, and limitations are discussed.

This pilot study attempts to assess the correlation between language ability and a projective Tree-drawing test. The hypothesis tested is that expounded by Sandra Michel, a psychologist working with Dr. A. A. Tomatis at the Language Centre in Paris. The theory of Language from which her work derives is that put forward by A. A. Tomatis in Vers l'écoute humaine (Towards Human Hearing), (1977) and Education and Dyslexia trans . , Louise Guiney, (1972). This hypothesis states that the Tree-drawing can give a clear indication of the kind of dialogue the testee will be able and willing to use. The claims for projective Tree-drawing 'tests' or techniques have been mainly concerned with personality or psychological assessments and sometimes with intelligence testing since Charles Koch first began his work in this field in the early forties. Sandra Michel in "The Tree Test", translated by T . Brown, (unpublished paper), Tomatis Centre (Scarbrough, Ontario, 1980) discusses a Tree-drawing scale that indicates both the developmental level of the child's language ability and his/her motivation towards dialogue and communication at this level. To test this hypothesis a sample of 1094 Tree-drawings was used. The drawings were done by Primary School children of both sexes from Sub. A. to Std . 5, collected over four years of research. These drawings were studied to see if the Tree scale of drawings described by Michel did in fact occur and if they occurred in the sequence she suggests. As a result of these preliminary investigations a developmental scale was devised and proposed as a refinement of Michel's scale. Scores from these two Tree-scales were correlated with English language scores using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and the Spearman Rank techniques. The sample for this correlation study was a group of 54 Std. 5 pupils whose English language ability was evaluated by (i) a school English Examination mark, (ii) a Questionnaire scoring receptive and expressive language behaviours and (iii) Verbal I.Q. scores. The positive correlation between these language scores and the Tree-drawing projective test scores are discussed and the implications for English language teaching and suggestions for further research mentioned.

D.Phil. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. (Social Work) / As a result of the ruling Government's policy, a diverse group of individuals and organisations identified certain critical needs of black people - through their own initiative. In doing so they utilised basic community development principles which forms part of a new approach regarding need satisfaction in the new South Africa. The focus of this particular study is on one such a non-Governmental organisation, which developed from grass roots level to satisfy the needs of black children and their parents with regard to teaching and education. In the light of the growing demand for an educational service and the school's need to effectively address this problem, a need-sassessment was required in order to identify the needs of the children in the context of the school, from the perspective of key-persons and parents. Given the institution's development from grass roots level through community development principles, the institutions requirement of a needs-assessment as well as the fact that implementation of community development will ensure that community needs be addressed, this study will therefore be done in the framework of community development.

D.Ed / Please refer to full text to view abst

M.A. / The aim of sentencing a child to a reform school is to effectively deter the child from further criminal acts and prevent recidivism. Research into the area of crime and juvenile delinquency stresses that those traditional approaches encompassing frameworks of punishment and retribution, as methods of eliciting behavior change do not work. Incarceration of a child offender should be a last resort and only utilized when all other possible interventions have failed to achieve a modicum of success with the child in conflict with the law. The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Young People at Risk states that "the approach to working with young people in trouble with the law should focus on restoring societal harmony and putting wrongs right rather than punishment. The young person should be held accountable for his / her actions and where possible make amends to the victim", (IMC, 1996:18). The approach of restoration and repair falls within the ambits of a Restorative Justice Model, a contemporary approach to child justice that is achieving far greater positive results, if managed appropriately than the traditional Retributive Model of child justice. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of professionals working with children in conflict with the law towards reform schools as a sentence option for children and, where possible to generate alternatives to this sentence. Key roleplayers identified for this undertaking were selected from the Departments of Social Services, Justice, Education, Detention Centers, A Reformatory, and, Community based NGO's. The role-players were identified from documents perused by the researcher pertaining to the reform school issue. A focus group as well as individual interviews was conducted with participants from the above-mentioned professional arenas. The study was contextualised to the South African situation; however participants in the study originate from Gauteng and the Western Cape Province.