Recent legislation passed by the South African Parliament has sharpened attention on the importance of mediation in the process of divorce. Without the understanding and cooperation of the legal profession, and of attorneys in particular, there appears to be small chance that this will be adequately recognised and brought to fruition. The research reported in this dissertation reflects the results of an investigation of Cape Town attorneys working in the field of divorce. Their attitudes to and knowledge of the concept of divorce mediation are reported, and the prospects of collaboration between a social work agency and the legal profession in divorce mediation have been analysed. It is clear that some collaboration is achievable between the social work and legal professions in this area. A methodology has been developed and validated that is generally applicable, and which could also be used for investigation of other professional groups. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

M.Ed. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. (Socialis Scientiae) / The aim of social services in the SAPS is to achieve, maintain and promote optimum social functioning in order to improve the productivity of members of the SAPS. As a result of -their unique working conditions which are often characterized by a great deal of stress and frustration, statistics regarding marital problems in the SAPS are high compared to other social problems. This study was undertaken to design a marriage programme to be utilized by social workers and social coworkers in the SAPS, and to evaluate its utilisation value during trial use and developmental testing by submitting the programme to the social workers and social coworkers. The research purpose of the study was to develop and evaluate a social work programme. Development research as put forward in Edwin Thomas's model (1978, 1979, 1980, 1984) was used as research design. In order to evaluate this development objective, the following development targets for research were set: To obtain information about the influence of the work of SAPS members on their marriages. To identify additional contributory causes of marital problems. To study literature on marriage counselling. To design a programme for marriage counselling in the SAPS within the structure of a developmental research more. To evaluate the utilization value of the programme by submitting it during trial use and developmental testing to social workers and social coworkers in the SAPS .

M.A. (Psychology) / Post-traumatic Stress Disorder has been used to describe an individual's reaction to an event "outside the range of usual human experience". South African society is one fraught with violence, to the point where authors have contended that South Africans have become accustomed to a "culture of violence". Children and Adults are victims of this violence, whether they be directly or indirectly affected by it. In such an unstable society the school can provide children with a setting which offers them stability and a normative influence. In order to make the school effective in the aid it offers its students, teachers have to be assisted in developing and strengthening already existing con-structive ways of detecting and handling of children's problems. Teachers themselves also need to be provided with support in order to assist them with their own personal problems. This study examines the effects of trauma on the teacher-pupil relationship by providing Work, for teachers in order to learn from them and guide them in the assistance they give to children who have been profoundly affected by the violence in their environment being direct or indirect victims thereof. It is my hope that this exploratory study will broaden the understanding of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and provide useful guidelines in an understanding of the impact violence has on children.

D.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / The problem of high dropout rate or early school leaving is causing widespread concern amongst educators. This study is undertaken as part of a group project on school dropout or premature school leaving, which is undertaken by the Rand Afrikaans University of South Africa (RAU) and the Ben Gurion University of Israel. The purpose of this project is to identify the at-risk pupil, research the causes of school dropout, and identify the consequences of early school leaving in order to determine preventative measures. The following 4 factors have been studied in the profile of the school dropoutsocio- econornic factors social support political factors; and issues relating to the school itself In South Africa the high dropout rate in Black schools especially is a cause for concern. Under the new educational system, desegregation of schools is the ideal. This will, however, probably not be achieved overnight, and the problem of school dropout in Black schools will remain a problem for some time to come. Even if desegregation has been fully achieved, it can be argued that certain causes of dropout will always remain the same because not all causes are school-related. The cultural and home situation of potential dropouts will not necessarily improve on account oftheir being in desegregated schools. The focus of this study, therefore, will remain relevant.

M.Ed.(Counselling Psychology) / Throughout the world HIV infection and AIDS pose a public health problem. Statistics show that the disease is spreading at an alarming rate in South Africa. Adolescents can be regarded as a high-risk group for AIDS infection because of their engagement in sexual relationships with many partners at a relatively young age. In the absence of a cure or vaccine at present, the only effective route of reducing HIV transmission is through changing risk behaviour that leads to infection with the HIV. This can only be done by means of education. As parents do not always fulfill their duty in this respect, the school will necessarily have to play a greater role in AIDS guidance ...

Guidance was introduced into Black Schools in 1981. Its aim was to help students so that they could understand themselves and the world they live in. At present it appears that very little Guidance is taking place in the Mdantsane High Schools. This was supported by these research findings. In the research five High Schools were investigated to discover the state of Guidance in these High Schools. The writer made use of an interview schedule which was presented to the principals of the five High Schools. Questionnaires were given to twenty seven Guidance teachers from the same High Schools and to two hundred and fifty student respondents. In each High School fifty student respondents were chosen, that is, ten from each standard. The research findings suggested that Guidance is not receiving its rightful place in these five High Schools since it is not effectively taught. The findings were generalised to other High Schools. Reasons for the ineffective teaching of Guidance were given by both the principal and teacher respondents. Recommendations are made as to how this state of Guidance can be remedied and improved.

Satisfaction (fulfillment of one’s wishes, expectations and needs or the pleasure derived from this) has been shown by studies to be manifested through various things, including marriage. It has been found that marriage and the satisfaction experienced are positively correlated to higher levels of happiness. Marital satisfaction (also referred to as marital quality and marital happiness) is defined as one's subjective evaluation of favourability towards one’s spouse and the marital relationship and the mental state of perceived gains and losses of the marriage. Research shows that the factors that affect marital satisfaction vary across cultures as well as geographic space within cultures, as well as gender. The present case study explored marital satisfaction as experienced by a Xhosa woman who resides in a rural setting in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. This qualitative exploratory-descriptive study utilised an in-depth case study method and the subject was selected by purposive sampling. Thibaut and Kelley’s (1959) Interdependence Theory, in conjunction the life-cycle stages of marriage as proposed by Markey (2005), were used as a framework to understand dynamics that occur in the course of a marital relationship as well as the variations in satisfaction in the different stages of marriage. Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews and a content analysis approach proposed by Miles and Huberman (1994) was followed as a framework for data analysis. The findings of the present study are presented according to two broad groupings: 1) marital satisfaction arises from one’s state of mind, and 2) the participant provided lessons on dealing with issues that arise in marriage. These in turn permitted the identification of sub-themes connected to each main theme allowing recommendations for future research to be deduced.

D.Ed. / Guidance is essential in a child's development because most traits of human life, with the exclusion of genetic characteristics, are learned (City Press, 1998:7). The learning process raises the question of where and from whom these characteristics are acquired. This, according to Ferron (1990:45), implies that maximum performance of man is a result of good and sound guidance. This may be an oversimplification, but even if it is only partly true, guidance cannot be neglected without detrimental effects for the children involved. Furthermore, the question of school guidance becomes increasingly important as shifts in family structures and values - such as are common today - affect the quality of interaction between parents and children. According to Godbold (1994:6) an increasing number of children face deteriorating family bonds, lack of shelter, out-ofwedlock births, abortion, and drug and alcohol related crimes. Ferron (1991:72) adds bullying, truancy, delinquency, lack of motivation, peer pressure and parental relationship problems to this list. Many children experience grave educational neglect - virtually none of their needs are cared for. There even are rural children who are left alone by parents who have gone to the cities to work, and who have no one to take care of them. They often have no one to turn to for sustenance and advice. As a result guidance teachers must be more than ever involved in helping children with various personal problems (Moraba, 1996:3), which were traditionally handled by parents. When schools fail to address the immediate family and social needs of learners, learning becomes difficult and relatively unimportant (Godbold, 1994:7). According to Chuenyane (1990:10), through the school guidance activities, learners should be assisted to know who they are, to accept themselves, to master selfimprovement and self-direction, and to develop good life skills. With regard to socialisation, they should learn to relate to others by interacting with them and becoming sensitive to their feelings and being appreciative of their views and beliefs. Our youth is seen as our most precious resource and the future leaders; therefore, they must be mature and increase their peaceful co-existence (Chuenyane, 1990:10). Guidance in the secondary school is chiefly concerned with meeting the physical, social, emotional and educational needs of learners (Rooth, 1995:54). Vocational guidance is included in the needs list and is an important facet. The purpose of school guidance is to help each child make a satisfactory adjustment to life, both in school and out. Although Kallaway (1988:1) does not focus explicitly on school guidance, his remark that " ... the crucial relation between schooling and society is often and systematically denied" is of extreme importance. As this subject is ideally suited to emphasise this relation, it is a service that should be provided to all learners, and not only those who have behaviour problems, learning difficulties and emotional disturbances. Normal, well-adjusted learners also need to be guided in their thinking, their attitudes and their personality development. They must be prepared for all challenges in the future job market and life in general. The gifted, talented ones are often also in need of special help in gaining social approval and in finding suitable outlets for their interests (Sowetan, 1996:12). If the school is seen as an agent for change, it must implement career counselling (vocational guidance) to help the child in self-understanding, self-acceptance, interests, aspirations, experiences, as well as in physical, intellectual, psychological and spiritual development (Chuenyane, 1990:46). These are considered important because it helps learners to appreciate and utilize their aptitudes, interests and values (Sedibe, 1991:4). This will help them to gain insight into their limitations with regard to their coping strategies, which concern problems they are confronted with on a daily basis. Furthermore it must be kept in mind that certain elements in the school situation that influence learners can be identified; these include the impact teachers' and peer groups' behaviour has on children. One aspect that comes to mind, for example, is that of substance abuse, especially alcohol. Chuenyane (1991:46) reports that almost 70% - 80% of all learners in his research were drinking and abusing drugs. As drugs and alcohol have a negative effect on the education and health of the learner, and it is indicated by Raikane (1996:28) that drugs and alcohol have a strong relationship to crime, frustration and aggression, such learners need proper guidance and counselling. Adolescents, especially, need guidance and counselling as they are in a difficult developmental phase, and often have negative attitudes towards school (Wiseman, 1991:71).

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