Ten years after the introduction of the new democratic political dispensation in 1994, violence in schools are as rife as before. There has been no significant decrease in school violence during this period. Violence has only increased and become part of people's everyday lives. School violence remains a serious problem for both learners and educators. Various factors contribute to school violence and it has become necessary to determine to what extent school violence influences the learners of South Africa. Education is available for everyone to utilize. For learners to achieve optimally, safe environments need to be created. In order to eradicate the problem of school violence, it is important to know what the concept school violence entails, which factors contribute to school violence and to what extent school violence has influenced the schools up to date. It is also important to keep track of international trends which promote health in schools globally. Health is undoubtedly linked to educational achievement. The World Health Organization has initiated a project to promote health and healthy lifestyles universally. To counteract the persisting violence in schools, the possibility of creating health promoting schools in South Africa deserves attention. In order to unravel the phenomenon of violence in schools, a qualitative method of research was used, with data being collected by means of focus-group interviews, through intentional sampling. The transcriptions were subjected to descriptive analysis. The findings of the research are presented with an overview of school violence in the West Rand region. Factors contributing to school violence in this region have been identified as: drug and alcohol abuse, gangsterism, gambling, intolerance and the influence of educators. Physical and Psychological violence are the two main categories of violence identified in this region with various sub-categories which include fighting, harassment, sexual abuse, intimidation and victimization which enhance the violence and violent behaviour in this region. A nation's wealth lies within the youth of a country. They assure the future and our children are the most important natural resources we possess, therefore we need to respond to the challenges -violent behaviour and crime in our schools. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Ten years after the introduction of the new democratic political dispensation in 1994, violence in schools are as rife as before. There has been no significant decrease in school violence during this period. Violence has only increased and become part of people's everyday lives. School violence remains a serious problem for both learners and educators. Various factors contribute to school violence and it has become necessary to determine to what extent school violence influences the learners of South Africa. Education is available for everyone to utilize. For learners to achieve optimally, safe environments need to be created. In order to eradicate the problem of school violence, it is important to know what the concept school violence entails, which factors contribute to school violence and to what extent school violence has influenced the schools up to date. It is also important to keep track of international trends which promote health in schools globally. Health is undoubtedly linked to educational achievement. The World Health Organization has initiated a project to promote health and healthy lifestyles universally. To counteract the persisting violence in schools, the possibility of creating health promoting schools in South Africa deserves attention. In order to unravel the phenomenon of violence in schools, a qualitative method of research was used, with data being collected by means of focus-group interviews, through intentional sampling. The transcriptions were subjected to descriptive analysis. The findings of the research are presented with an overview of school violence in the West Rand region. Factors contributing to school violence in this region have been identified as: drug and alcohol abuse, gangsterism, gambling, intolerance and the influence of educators. Physical and Psychological violence are the two main categories of violence identified in this region with various sub-categories which include fighting, harassment, sexual abuse, intimidation and victimization which enhance the violence and violent behaviour in this region. A nation's wealth lies within the youth of a country. They assure the future and our children are the most important natural resources we possess, therefore we need to respond to the challenges -violent behaviour and crime in our schools. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Delayed access to antenatal care (ANC) has been linked to maternal and foetal mortality and morbidity. Early and regular attendance of antenatal care by pregnant women is very important as it could identify birthing complications and includes amongst others, measuring of blood pressure to exclude pregnancy induced hypertension and measuring of weight to exclude intrauterine growth restriction. The purpose of the study was to explore the factors contributing to late antenatal booking around Thulamahashe local area so that interventions can be done to ensure that all pregnant women start antenatal care as soon as they miss a period, at twelve weeks at the most or before 20 weeks of gestation. The study was conducted at Thulamahashe local area which consists of 4 eight hour clinics and 1 twenty- four hours community health centre, at Bushbuckridge sub district, Ehlanzeni district, Mpumalanga province in South Africa. Data was collected using a researcher designed questionnaire which is a list of questions which were asked from respondents and which gave indirect measures of the variables under investigation. The structured questionnaire consisted of both open and close ended questions, which were used to collect information directly from pregnant women. The population of the study was pregnant women who had started antenatal care after 20 weeks of gestation, who were 18 years and above. The sample size consisted of 25 pregnant women who had booked late for antenatal care who were drawn from each facility by simple random sampling method and the total sample size was 127 respondents. The results indicated that most women initiated ANC later than the recommendations by World Health Organization (WHO) which is less than twelve weeks of gestation. Factors that were identified as associated with late antenatal booking were midwives’ attitude distance to the clinic, poor infrastructure, unplanned pregnancy, lack of education and unemployment. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Magister Commercii - MCom / One of the most important decisions adolescents are confronted with in the transitioning period from high school to tertiary institutions, is making career decisions. Young adults and adolescents may experience high levels of stress when they are expected to make decisions pertaining to a desired career. The stressful period may be too overwhelming for them.As a result it may have adverse implications on the quality of their career choice. The applicability of career indecision amongst undergraduate university students is considered an inability to choose a university major or occupation (Brogan & Hiebert, 2006).According to Creed, Patton and Prideaux (2006), career indecision is linked to issues related to career development and problems in making career related decisions, society’s expectations and perceptions, as well as the role of the family which may have an impact on the student’s ability to make career choices. In a study conducted by Creed and Patton (2003) it was revealed that age, gender and career indecision were predictors of career maturity knowledge. Joordan, Smithard and Burger (2009) postulate that career indecision influences career related thoughts and career decisions and plays an important role in the way individuals formulate career goals. Gordon and Meyer (2002) are of the view that it is not atypical for individuals to experience a certain level of developmental career indecision, this may be resultant to not having adequate experience and sufficient knowledge pertaining to the world of work. Developmental career indecision amongst students is viewed as a wholesome state which may ultimately prompt the student to explore careers and set goals (Feldt,2010).Brown, Brooks and Associates (1996), delineate that a career choice is an act which replicate an individual’s motivation. This action compels the individual to work toward their goals and to achieve it. As students venture on attaining their goal (career choice) they are confronted with many challenges, some of which include the transition from secondary school to tertiary level and the adaptation to an academic environment.This emphasizes the importance of career guidance, and that it should not be neglected. Stead and Watson (1999) conducted a study on first year university students in the Western Cape which revealed that students from disadvantaged schools were unable to choose study directions at tertiary level due to negligence of not providing career guidance at school level.Resultant to this, students were not afforded the opportunity to make informed decisions pertaining to career choices. Brown et al. (1996) presume the more informed an individual is about career choices and their abilities, the more likely they are to make career choices as they are more prepared to do so.The current study aimed to examine career indecision experienced by undergraduate university students at an academic institution in the Western Cape. The study examined the differences in career indecision based on gender and age, it also examined the relationship between a lack of information and career indecision and lastly access to a career counsellor and career indecision. A biographical questionnaire and the Career Decision Making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ) were administered to undergraduate university students. The sample (n = 224) consisted of first, second and third year male and female undergraduate commerce students. The results indicated that there are significant differences in career decision making based on gender and age. In addition, the results revealed that there is a moderate relationship between lack of information and career indecision and findings also indicated a significant relationship between access to a career counsellor and career indecision.The results of the current study should however, be interpreted with caution as a convenience sampling strategy was utilized thus limiting generalizabilty to the broader population of students. Furthermore limitations are put forth and the study concludes with recommendations for further research and for academic institutions for consideration.

EXPLORATION OF THE EXPERIENCES OF CHILD CARE WORKERS AS EDUCATORS IN A PLACE OF SAFETY SUMMARY OF THE STUDY: This study aims to explore and describe the experiences of child care workers in their role as educators at a place of safety, in order to gain a better understanding of what they see as their educational task and the difficulties they experience in executing this task. The literature review provides a survey of the purpose of a place of safety, what education of children entails and the specific needs of children who experience trauma in their lives. Some of the factors that influence the way the care workers execute their task as educators, are discussed briefly. This qualitative case study is approached from the interpretative paradigm. Child care workers were engaged in individual interviews and a focus group discussion. The data-analysis leads to the following conclusions: • Although child care workers show understanding for the needs of the children in their care. And have a basic understanding of what education entails, aspects were identified in which they need training and support. • Child care workers show symptoms of burnout and reveal the need for supervision. • The way the institution is managed leaves child care workers dissatisfied, which leads to feelings of passivity, negativity, demotivation and a vengeful attitude. / Dissertation (Magister Educationis (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

Det finns en identifierad ökad otrygghet i Helsingborgs stad (Helsingborg 2022). Tidigare forskning visar att det främst är unga kvinnor som upplever denna otrygghet (Brå 2021; Skr. 2007/08:39; Yates & Ceccato 2020). Studiens syfte är därmed att få en djupare förståelse om vilka faktorer som påverkar unga kvinnors upplevda otrygghet, samt vilka tänkbara åtgärder kvinnorna upplever är nödvändiga för att öka deras trygghet i Helsingborgs stad. Studiens resultat skulle senare kunna bidra till ett fortsatt preventivt arbete kring tryggheten i Helsingborg genom ett förbättrat kunskapsläge. Frågeställningarna som studien bygger på är således; Vilka faktorer påverkar intervjudeltagarnas upplevda otrygghet i Helsingborgs stad? och Vilka tänkbara åtgärder upplever intervjudeltagarna krävs för att öka tryggheten i Helsingborgs stad? Föreliggande studie baseras på 12 semistrukturerade intervjuer med kvinnor som är mellan 20-30 år bosatta i Helsingborg. Resultatet bekräftade bilden som tidigare forskning visar då faktorer såsom rykte och media, utsatthet samt olika yttre faktorer såsom mörker, en plats utformning och människors närvaro har en påverkan på kvinnors upplevda otrygghet. Människors närvaro, avsaknaden av belysning samt kvälls- och nattetid, hade störst påverkan på kvinnornas otrygghet. Åtgärder som ansågs nödvändiga för att öka kvinnornas upplevda trygghet var övervakning i form av belysning och kameraövervakning, närvaro av aktörer samt mer och tydligare information. Kvinnorna berättade även om egna strategier de använde sig av för att öka deras trygghet. De mest önskade åtgärderna var en ökad närvaro av olika aktörer samt belysning. Vidare vore det av intresse att även undersöka andra målgrupper i Helsingborg för att se om det skiljer sig i vad de anser bidrar till deras upplevda otrygghet samt vilka åtgärder de anser kan minska den. / There is an identified unsafety that increases in the city of Helsingborg (Helsingborg 2022). Earlier research shows that it is mostly young women who experience unsafety (Brå 2021; Skr. 2007/08:39; Yates & Ceccato 2020). The aim of this study is thereby to get a deeper understanding about those factors that affect young women’s perceived unsafety, and what possible actions they feel are necessary to increase their safety. The result of this study may later contribute to the continued preventive work on security in Helsingborg by an improved state of knowledge. The questions on which this study is based on are; What factors affect the interview participants perceived unsafety in the city of Helsingborg? and What possible actions do the interview participants think are necessary to improve the safety in the city of Helsingborg?The present study is based on 12 semi-structured interviews with women between the ages of 20-30 living in Helsingborg. The results confirmed what earlier research demonstrated where factors such as rumor and media, vulnerability and external factors such as darkness, area planning and people´s presence have an impact on women’s perceived unsafety. People´s presence, evening and night time, as well as lighting had the greatest impact on women's perceived unsafety. Actions that were considered necessary to increase women´s perceived safety were surveillance in the form of lighting and CCTV, presence of actors, and more and clearer information. The women also talked about strategies they used to increase their safety. The actions they requested the most were increased presence of various actors, as well as lighting. Furthermore, it would be of interest to examen other target groups in Helsingborg to see the difference in what they believe contributes their perceived unsafety and what actions they think are needed to reduce it.

This study focuses on how students in ninth grade at a Sweden school experience the security of their high school. Which factors affect safety the most and whether there is any difference between how girls and boys view security. The study is qualitative with a hermeneutic approach and the empirical data was collected through semi-structured group interviews with a total of 10 students. To analyze our results, we have chosen to use Scheff's social bonds, Bourdieu's social capital and Foucault's analysis of panopticon. The results showed that the interviewees perceive the general security at their school as good, but that there are situations that are uncomfortable and groups that contribute to an unsafe environment. Furthermore, it turned out that a strong unity, good relations with staff and classmates as well as camera surveillance were seen as security-creating factors.

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / PURPOSE OR OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that contribute to the relapse of substance abusers post rehabilitation at South African National Council On Alcoholism And Drug Dependence (SANCA) Polokwane. METHOD: A quantitative research method or approach, and a descriptive research design were employed respectively to conduct the study. Data was collected using group-administered questionnaires / surveys amongst substance abusers who relapsed post rehabilitation at the SANCA, and a total number of sixty-one (61) respondents at the centre responded to the questionnaires. FINDINGS: Findings revealed that personal factors that predisposed the relapse of substance abusers post rehabilitation include lack of coping mechanism; less committed and motivated towards staying clean or sober; having a craving for drugs; challenged with too many triggers; lack of believe in themselves; thinking they could deal with their emotions by using drugs; thinking they could be able to control my use; community members still look down on them for using drugs; peer pressure from peer group; easily influenced by others; significant relationship in their lives ending; social group still abusing drugs; finding it difficult to avoid social gathering; lack of financial support; feeling lonely and being bored. Findings also indicated that substance abuser receive sufficient support from their family. On the contrary, however, findings further show that respondents have indicated that they receive poor from their friends, community members, peers and the rehabilitation centre attended. CONCLUSION: The study successfully identified, and discussed diverse causes or factors that contribute or influence relapse amongst substance abusers post rehabilitation at SANCA, as listed above. Furthermore, also assessing the availability of social support systems post rehabilitation.

This thesis brings a much-needed focus on the quality and scholarship of teaching as it pertains to educational and faculty development. The main purpose of this paper is to outline what more than 200 faculty members across a wide variety of disciplines have focused on over a three-year period to make significant (a 1.5 standard deviation increase or higher in online student ratings) and sustained improvements in their teaching. The top three factors of improvement include active/practical learning, teacher/student interactions, and clear expectations/learning outcomes. The researcher also discusses how institutions and faculty communities of practice, research, and faculty personality contribute to teaching performance. The findings of this research build upon the literature review on the scholarship of teaching. The researcher provides vignettes of faculty who have gone through a change process to improve their teaching, highlights important teaching areas for faculty to focus on in each college, provides practical application for change, and concludes by providing suggestions for future research. This thesis is full of hope and encouragement for all faculty and administrators, regardless of their personality, their current skill level at teaching, or the subject matter they teach.

Thesis (M. A. (Criminology and Criminal Justice)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / This study was conducted to explore the perceptions of community members on contributing factors of rape in the selected Mankweng communities, namely: Mentz, Ga-Makanye and Ga-Thoka, following a qualitative research approach, with an exploratory research design. The non-probability sampling: Purposive sampling was adopted to sample 30 participants. Three Focus Groups Discussions (FGDs), consisting of 10 individuals formed part of this study and the Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) was used for analysis. The consulted seminal studies were reviewed and coupled with the Differential Risk Model as the adopted theoretical framework, in order to identify different categories that would explain the contributing factors of rape in the selected study locations. From the studies on this subject and information gathered from the selected participants; four (04) major contributing factors to rape in the Mankweng selected areas emerged, demarcated as follows; 1) Structural factors which include men that are raised in families with strong patriarchal structures which are more likely to become violent and force themselves on women because they feel superior to women, 2) Socio-cultural factors which entail the societies that normalise women being violated and rape because they believe that women are inferior to men and should be submissive, 3) Psychological factors consist of all the effects that both the victims and the community endure due to the crime committed; and lastly, 4) Economic factors explain how women are exposed to chances of being raped because of material gains in exchange for sexual favors. This study recommends that youth in the selected communities should be trained to become peer educators to learn more about rape, understand the associated effects/ impacts on society and potential victims, and programmes should be hosted within these communities to alert residents about the scourge of rape. The study further recommends that the police officials change their attitudes towards the community members and work with them in preventing rape from occurring.