Studies suggest that diversity is advantageous to group work. As lighting design teams become increasingly diverse, there is an increased opportunity for innovation as well as miscommunication. In an effort to improve communication and inter-team empathy, this master’s thesis explores the implications of gender on the architectural lighting design collaborative team.  Based on previous research, a survey was conducted of architectural lighting designers of any gender located in the US. This thesis concludes that a gap exists in the gendered perceptions among colleagues in a lighting design environment. In addition, it cannot be assumed that tendencies seen in the general public are representative of architectural lighting designers. This research culminates in the conclusion that increased diversity within teams strengthens and supports design problem solving, in line with previous work done on this topic.

This thesis explores the benefits of using Building Information Modeling (BIM) during the programming and conceptual design phase of a project. The research was based on a case study undertaken dealing with the decisions and assumptions made during the design phases of the Center for Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The project team used a traditional approach to project plan development. The finding of this study was that the project process would have greatly benefited utilizing BIM tools and a collaborative team approach in the programming and conceptual design phase. Because decisions made early in the project have enormous implications to aesthetics and cost, the increase in analysis of design options afforded by the use of BIM tools would have minimized inaccurate, incomplete and unreliable information, and allowed the design team to work in a more efficient, collaborative manner transmitting through all phases of the project.

Boys in their middle childhood placed in clinic schools experience severe emotional and behavioural problems. Most of these boys have been sexually abused. The trauma of this sexual abuse may contribute to their problem behaviour. If the learners can be effectively supported in addressing the trauma of the male child sexual abuse during their time at the clinic school, some of their emotional and behavioural problems may also be addressed. Without these emotional and behavioural problems they may be able to develop without hindrance of the male child sexual abuse and may be integrated into the mainstream educational setting before they reach the age of twelve years. This study consisted of three phases. During the first phase the experiences of seven sexually abused boys placed in clinic schools in Gauteng Province in South Africa were explored in order to develop a better understanding of their support needs. It was achieved by means of three in-depth interviews with each participant. For the purpose of the first phase a qualitative design was used, which was of a phenomenological, descriptive and exploratory nature in order to explore and describe the phenomenon of male child sexual abuse. To obtain a clear picture of the unique view and subjective experiences of a participant in a clinic school, the phenomenon of male child sexual abuse was investigated. From the results it was clear that sexually abused boys placed in clinic schools exhibit intensified emotional reactions, as well as certain problems associated with male child sexual abuse. The intensified emotional reactions include a deep sense of sadness and helplessness, a sense of guilt and shame, a sense of dissociation and numbness, avoidance of situations associated with male child sexual abuse, fear of recurring incidents and the re-experiencing of the trauma. The problems associated with male child sexual abuse include concerns regarding their own sexuality, difficulties in interacting with other people, dealing with anger and aggression, displaying self-destructive behaviour and difficulties to cope with schoolwork. During the second phase of the study twenty-four psychologists, social workers, counsellors, teachers and child and youth care workers were included. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with each of them to identify critical aspects to support victims of male child sexual abuse. For the purpose of the second phase the interpretive descriptive design was used. The results suggest that the following critical aspects should be considered in the conceptualisation of a proposed support strategy: Relationships as basis for support; strengthening the male child sexual abuse victims to deal with behavioural and emotional challenges; facilitating the safety of the male child sexual abuse victims to avoid continued exposure to abuse; providing a structured environment and coordinated support efforts to ensure sustainability. The third phase of this study consisted of the conceptualisation of a support strategy for male child sexual abuse victims. Two focus groups were conducted with fourteen psychologists, social workers, counsellors, teachers and child and youth care workers to conceptualise the support strategy. The proposed support strategy suggests the incorporation of different role players in a collaborative team approach for a multilevel support approach. The proposed support strategy involves three main facets, namely strengthening of the male child sexual abuse victim as an individual, sustaining a deep/trusting relationship, as well as the facilitation of a supportive context for the male child sexual abuse victim. / PhD (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Boys in their middle childhood placed in clinic schools experience severe emotional and behavioural problems. Most of these boys have been sexually abused. The trauma of this sexual abuse may contribute to their problem behaviour. If the learners can be effectively supported in addressing the trauma of the male child sexual abuse during their time at the clinic school, some of their emotional and behavioural problems may also be addressed. Without these emotional and behavioural problems they may be able to develop without hindrance of the male child sexual abuse and may be integrated into the mainstream educational setting before they reach the age of twelve years. This study consisted of three phases. During the first phase the experiences of seven sexually abused boys placed in clinic schools in Gauteng Province in South Africa were explored in order to develop a better understanding of their support needs. It was achieved by means of three in-depth interviews with each participant. For the purpose of the first phase a qualitative design was used, which was of a phenomenological, descriptive and exploratory nature in order to explore and describe the phenomenon of male child sexual abuse. To obtain a clear picture of the unique view and subjective experiences of a participant in a clinic school, the phenomenon of male child sexual abuse was investigated. From the results it was clear that sexually abused boys placed in clinic schools exhibit intensified emotional reactions, as well as certain problems associated with male child sexual abuse. The intensified emotional reactions include a deep sense of sadness and helplessness, a sense of guilt and shame, a sense of dissociation and numbness, avoidance of situations associated with male child sexual abuse, fear of recurring incidents and the re-experiencing of the trauma. The problems associated with male child sexual abuse include concerns regarding their own sexuality, difficulties in interacting with other people, dealing with anger and aggression, displaying self-destructive behaviour and difficulties to cope with schoolwork. During the second phase of the study twenty-four psychologists, social workers, counsellors, teachers and child and youth care workers were included. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with each of them to identify critical aspects to support victims of male child sexual abuse. For the purpose of the second phase the interpretive descriptive design was used. The results suggest that the following critical aspects should be considered in the conceptualisation of a proposed support strategy: Relationships as basis for support; strengthening the male child sexual abuse victims to deal with behavioural and emotional challenges; facilitating the safety of the male child sexual abuse victims to avoid continued exposure to abuse; providing a structured environment and coordinated support efforts to ensure sustainability. The third phase of this study consisted of the conceptualisation of a support strategy for male child sexual abuse victims. Two focus groups were conducted with fourteen psychologists, social workers, counsellors, teachers and child and youth care workers to conceptualise the support strategy. The proposed support strategy suggests the incorporation of different role players in a collaborative team approach for a multilevel support approach. The proposed support strategy involves three main facets, namely strengthening of the male child sexual abuse victim as an individual, sustaining a deep/trusting relationship, as well as the facilitation of a supportive context for the male child sexual abuse victim. / PhD (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

There is a need for information regarding the relationship of phonological awareness to reading and spelling in the multilingual learner in South Africa. The speech-language therapist has a role to play as part of the collaborative team assessing and treating the learner with reading and spelling difficulties. The aim of the study was to examine the relationships that exist between phonological awareness, written spelling and oral reading abilities in four groups of school-aged learners. A quantitative research design was employed in the form of a descriptive survey. Twenty test subjects were selected randomly from Grade 2 classes at an English-medium inclusive school in Pretoria, South Africa. Their class teachers on their final school report of the year had rated the learners as having good or poor literacy ability. They were organized into four research groups which differed with respect to their home language (English or English as Additional Language) and with respect to their literacy ability as judged by their teachers (Good or Poor literacy ability). A questionnaire was designed to ascertain parental perspectives pertaining to the learners’ case history and literacy development. A test battery composed of the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation (Goldman&Fristoe, 1986), the Phonological Assessment Battery (Frederickson, Reason&Frith, 1997), the ESSI Reading and the ESSI Spelling Test (Esterhuyse&Beukes, 1997), and the TOLD-P: 2 (Newcomer&Hammill, 1991), as well as a Class Spelling List and a Reading Comprehension Task developed by the researcher, was administered to all test subjects. Findings of subjects’ performance in this study supported international findings regarding the strong relationship between phonological awareness ability and performance on reading and spelling measures. In addition, multilingual learners in this study were found to have delays in language development that negatively impacted on their literacy rating. The language development of the English-speakers with poor literacy ability in this study also negatively affected their reading and spelling performance. The test battery used in this study, with the exception of the Reading Comprehension Task, proved useful in differentiating subjects with good and poor literacy abilities and appears to be applicable for use in the South African situation. The results provide useful insights for the assessment and treatment of these learners. Furthermore, relevant research topics in the field of literacy development in an inclusive education setting were presented. / Dissertation (M (Communication Pathology))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / unrestricted