M.Ed. / Unruly behaviour in schools are becoming more of a problem each day. As an educator I am finding it difficult to teach and control the classes. Handling and controlling the classes are sometimes very difficult, because people are complex. According to Carl Rogers' person-centered theory one should rather concentrate on the person as a unique individual. Some educators focus on the bad behaviour of learners and not on the person as a whole. In this study the focus is on the experiences of the adolescents in the handling of unruly behaviour by the educators in the school. This was a qualitative study. Interviews were be conducted with adolescents between the ages of 13 -17 years. A sample group was purposively selected on the basis of adolescents showing unruly behaviour. The interviews were audiotaped and transcribed and data were analysed according to Tesch's method of analysis. All ethical measures were adhered to and discussed in greater detail in the study. A clean set of data were given to an external coder to be analysed. A consensus interview was held so that corresponding, different and unique themes within the data could be found. After the themes were discussed guidelines were set according to these themes. Themes that were found after data saturation were: Learners and educators treat each other with• disrespect. Educators do not handle unruly behaviour in a consistent manner and are not strict enough. According to these themes guidelines were set. Both the themes and guidelines were verified in the appropriate literature. Limitations and recommendations for further studies were also discussed.

M.Ed. (Socio-Education)) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. (Psycho-educational programme development) / The wide spread concern, pertaining the alarming rate of adolescents leaving school before completing Grade12 is a South African problem. The experiences of those adolescents vary greatly. In line with the South Afncan School Act (84 of 1996) education is accessible and compulsory for all. Unfortunately that provision is targeted only for grade 1to grade 9, of which grade 9 is considered an exit point for General Education and Training. There is no clear cut intervention strategy in place in the educational system toassist adolescents leaving school before completing Grade 12 in order to cope with their situation It is for this reason that the researcher took the initiative of exploring the adolescents' experiences of leaving school before completing Grade 12. The researcher realises that adolescents form alarge percentage of our country's population. Therefore they should be retained inschools in order to be capacitated, so that they can develop and sustain economic structures of a country that has a future that depends on the expertise of the youth. Retaining adolescents in schools is a necessity. As a result, in this research, an attempt is made to alert the educational stakeholders to assist the adolescents who have left school before completing Grade 12 to cope with their situation. This research study is aimed at describing the adolescents' experiences of leaving school before completing grade twelve, to provide guidelines and to make recommendations for other educational stakeholders on how these adolescents can be assisted. The setting of the study is in the informal settlement of Ekurhuleni metropolis. Thestudy is conducted through the combination of individual interviews and participant observation. The research method that was followed was qualitative, explorative, descriptive, and contextual in order to investigate what the adolescents' experiences are. Sampling was done purposively because the respondents had to be adolescents who have left the secondary school before completing grade twelve. A pilot interview study was done. Thereafter phenomenological interviews were conducted with twenty of these adolescents. During the interviews, ethical measures were adhered to and steps to ensure trustworthiness were also followed. The data was analysed as per Tesch's method of data analysis. The services of an independent coder were also employed. The results were based on the phenomenological in-depth interviews on adolescents' own experiences of leaving secondary school before completing Grade 12. The recommendations from this study were made with specific reference to the education department. educators, parents and non-governmental organisations Guidelines were described according to themes and categories of experiences. objectives and strategies.

Both children and adults share a common, culturally distinct view of what it means to be male or female. These gender stereotypes are pervasive in society and daily social interactions, and influence all aspects of gender development (Golombok & Fivush, 1994). The inherent physical differences of boys and girls may have triggered the speculation and accompanying myths surrounding the existence of gender differences in childhood development. Many people believe that boys and girls follow a different developmental path that lead to gender differences in intellectual ability. An up-to-date and integrative review of theory and research on gender indicates two opposing perspectives on the topic, with substantial information supporting each view. However, this is the first study to examine and compare a sample of South African pre-school boys and girls from a truly holistic developmental perspective on the recently released Griffiths Mental Development Scales-Extended Revised (GMDS-ER). Developmental theorists have emphasized the profound impact early childhood development has on subsequent development, as it shapes the course of an individual’s life. Contemporary cognitive developmental theories, such as Demetriou’s (2000; 2004) developmental model of cognitive development, advance that child development does not progress in a fixed and predictable manner. Instead, Demetriou proposes that development occurs in a wave-like fashion, where the processes and functions of the various levels of the mind may be at differing points in their cycle of development. When one function progresses to a higher level, it unlocks the possibility for another function to advance to a different point in its cycle (Demetriou et al., 2002). As the significance of understanding the process of early childhood development more fully increases, so does the need to establish with more confidence the value and role of developmental assessment in the early identification of problems. The overall purpose of this study was to generate comparative information regarding the general development of a sample of 5- and 6-year-old South African pre-school boys and girls. Specifically, the study aimed to explore and describe the developmental profiles of pre-school boys and girls within the abovementioned age group with respect to their overall performance on the GMDS-ER as well as their performance on the six Subscales. Then, the mean General Quotients (GQ) and developmental profiles of the pre-school boys and girls obtained on the GMDS-ER were compared. An exploratory-descriptive quantitative research method was used. The sample (N = 64) was selected through a combination of non-probability, purposive and convenience xiii sampling. Within this framework, a between-subjects design in which matching was used to control extraneous variables, was employed. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and independent sample t-tests to compare the GQs of the gender groups. A Hotellings T2 was used to compare the Subscale profiles. No significant gender differences were found when comparing the overall developmental and Subscale profiles of the boys and girls on the GMDS-ER. However, certain interesting trends did emerge from a review of the findings when compared to the literature review and previous studies. The information generated from this study has contributed to our knowledge base of the performance of South African children on the recently released GMDS-ER.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree in Masters in Health Sciences in Nursing, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / Introduction Malnutrition continues to be a major public health problem, especially in children under 5 years of age. Nutritional status is one of the indicators of overall well-being and human resources development of a nation. Aim of the study The aim of the study was to explore and describe experiences of Community Care Givers regarding the assessment of malnutrition in children under 5 years of age in eThekwini District Health Sub-district North area six. Methodology A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study was used to conduct the study. Semi-structured individual face to face interviews were conducted with 13 participants. The study was guided by Pender’s Model of Health Promotion. Results The findings of the study revealed that participants were dissatisfied with mid upper arm circumference training. They reported lack of support and supervision in their performance such that mid upper arm circumference was non-prioritized. They were dissatisfied with remuneration and they worked under unsafe conditions. Conclusion In order to combat malnutrition in children under 5 years in the community, Community Care Givers need to be vigorously educated on the rationale of malnutrition assessment of children under 5 years in the communities so that they can have insight into what they are doing. Community Care Givers have multiple roles and may need to prioritize their work; this is not easy and requires specific guidance and training from skilled health professionals. / M

LL.M. / This research is a comparative study of the provisions for guardianship and custody, including maintenance of the South African common law and customary law. In customary law the emphasis is on the law of the Bafokeng people which is a tribe chosen as group of the research. The purpose of this research is to analyze the provisions of guardianship, custody and maintenance applicable to these legal systems. The analysis is divided as follows: • Guardianship and custody: (i) during the marriage; after divorce; after death of parent(s); of an extra-marital child. • Maintenance of children: (i) during the marriage; after divorce; after death of parent(s); born outside marriage (extra-marital children). The objective is to highlight the similarities and differences between the provisions of these legal systems and to come up with the conclusion whether the one is more favourable than the other in catering for the needs and interests of its subjects. The conclusion will be governed by the following issues: • Which legal system caters for the interests of its subjects? • Which legal system accords with the provisions of the Constitution Act? • Which legal system protects the interests of the child best? Having come to that conclusion, the researcher aims at indicating laws which should be considered for reform.

M.Ed. (Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. (Mathematics Education) / This dissertation was on mathematical proficiencies that learners displayed in their response to final examination questions on sequences and series, differential calculus, analytical geometry and trigonometry. The main focus was on four mathematical proficiencies, procedural fluency, conceptual understanding, strategic competence and adaptive reasoning. The initial goal was to review examination questions to identify mathematical proficiencies that the examination questions demanded and then an analysis of learners’ scripts to identify the mathematical proficiencies that the learners displayed in their response to examination questions. Review of literature first focused on the theoretical framework of the study, constructivism, its guiding principles and how it contributes towards mathematics learning. The framework for mathematical proficiency was shown with an aim of viewing other underlying issues on mathematical proficiency. The four mathematical proficiencies; conceptual understanding and procedural fluency constitute mathematical knowledge and strategic competence and adaptive reasoning are mathematical skills. Mathematical tasks are reviewed as properties of well-structured mathematical tasks in which examination questions were also mathematical tasks. The taxonomy of learning was discussed with an aim of finding properties of the taxonomy that inform the structure of the examination questions. Examination questions on sequences and series, differential calculus, analytical geometry and trigonometry were reviewed, to find mathematical proficiencies that the examination questions demanded and those that learners display in their responses.

In South Africa children are required to testify under oath or admonition. The shortcomings of the competency test are of particular relevance to children with developmental disabilities, since courts are not equipped to adequately assess the competency of these children to give evidence. One component of testimonial competency, namely the understanding of the concepts truth and lies, is overemphasised and is examined with questions that are developmentally inappropriate for child witnesses in general. For children with cognitive disabilities, such questions create barriers for participation in the truth-seeking process. Consequently, convictions have been set aside on appeal owing to procedural irregularities found in the implementation of this test. In the literature review on testimonial competency, attention was given to restrictions that specific developmental disabilities impose on the perceptual, cognitive, communication and moral development of children. Two of four components – narrative ability and moral capacity – were studied in a sample of 184 children in middle childhood. Participants’ ability to give coherent and detailed accounts of events, their understanding of the concepts truth, lies, promises and the oath, and the Lyon and Saywitz oath-taking competency test, were investigated. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used for data analysis. Three groups were identified: those children with very limited, average or full testimonial competency. Their capacities were found to be related to maturation of cognitive functions and level of intellectual functioning. Participants were better able to demonstrate their understanding of truth and falsity by responding to the oathtaking test than giving verbal descriptions of these concepts. Whereas 1 percent of participants had a conceptual understanding of an oath, 15 percent understood the concept of a promise. Syncretism and confabulation compromised the narrative accounts of a substantial number of participants. Syncretism relates to immature narrative ability: correct details are combined in an illogical fashion. Confabulation refers to filling memory gaps with fabricated information. Guidelines on the competency determination of children with developmental disabilities were compiled. It is suggested that the competency examination be replaced by a formal, pre-trial competency assessment. The court should also receive expert evidence on how to facilitate meaningful participation when a child with sufficient testimonial competence is the witness.

This study explored and described the relationship between early attachment to the father figure and self-esteem and current adult attachment style. Specifically, the present study explored and described the impact of the internal working model of early paternal attachment upon adult attachment styles and levels of self-esteem. The data for this study was obtained by utilizing the following four questionnaires: The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) Part 2 as a retrospective measure, the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ) and Battle’s Culture Free Self-Esteem Inventory (CFSEI). An exploratory descriptive design using a non-probability, convenience sampling method was employed for the present study. A sample of 105 adult participants from a religious institution within Port Elizabeth was selected. Participants, including both males and females, representative of all cultures and socio-economic status, were interviewed using the above self-report measures. The data for this study was analyzed using descriptive and correlational and inferential statistics. The findings indicated that the majority of the sample had a preoccupied attachment style, with Intermediate self-esteem levels.