Thesis (M.A.)--Wheaton College, 2005. Action Research Paper (M.A.)--Wheaton College, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (l. 125-129).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-148).

The research has been designed to study the effects of the rapid urbanization in and around the Roodepoort, targeting mainly the sprawling informal settlements across the area and the existing townships of Dobsonville, Doornkop (Snakepark) and Kagiso. The researcher, who is a practising pastor in the area, had been challenged by a number of issues related to the process of urbanization. The CODESA process that culminated with the elections of 1994 and the subsequent change of government had raised very high hopes among the majority of South Africans who lived in poverty and foreigners, in their own land, for decades. The turnover at the elections, inspired by leaders such as Bishop Desmond Tutu, was a clear indication that an ordinary South African was yearning for a better life. This was a new beginning as many people had been restricted by the apartheid laws to work and live where they wanted. The repeal of all the apartheid laws saw the beginning of influx from the rural homelands to the cities. The hope that job opportunities were available near the cities was the main force of attraction. This unplanned process resulted in creation of massive informal settlements as there were no houses to cater for the massive movement. This process is called rapid urbanization. Not very long, the reality of the past indicated that there were no major changes with the new government. The economy still remained in the hands of few individuals, majority of whom still being white, as the new government came through negotiations and not complete take over (Coup D’état.) Few blacks managed to shoot up the economy ladder through processes such as BEE and the GEAR leaving the majority of people in abject poverty. The great trek did not only happen within the borders of the country, millions of people from the African, Asian and East European countries also moved into South Africa to try their luck at the new South African economy. Highly qualified professionals left their struggling countries to seek better life in South Africa. This category came legally through the recruitment processes but the larger contingency came illegally into the country. They took the advantage of lack of internationally recognised immigration instruments to regulate movement in and out of the country. This process saw the country soaring with illegal economic migrants as well as genuine refugees and asylum seekers. The rapid urbanization process brought about the following challenges: <ul><li> Culture shock </li><li> Declining family structures/ life and Social problems </li><li> Drug trafficking </li><li> Education </li><li> Exploitation of foreigners </li><li> Exploitation of informal settlement dwellers and “Shack farming” </li><li> Human trafficking. </li><li> Inadequate housing and homelessness</li><li> Institutional harassment and unfair discrimination </li><li> Lack of Employment </li><li> Poverty in urban areas</li><li> Refugees and economic migrants </li><li> Social benefit exclusion </li><li> Stigmatization on HIV and AIDS, Crime, including serious crimes</li><li> Xenophobia </li> </ul> The challenges, as tabled above, brought about a series conflicts between the South African internal migrants and the foreigners which culminated into a bitter xenophobic outburst of 2008. The main reason for the conflict was that South Africans felt that jobs were being taken away by foreigners and also that the government was neglecting service provision to the local community in favour of foreigners. A number of service delivery protests have become a common sight, particularly in the informal settlements. Lack of basic facilities and the irregular allocations of the RDP Houses, crime and poverty have waned the patience of residences of informal settlements. The resent protests in Zandspruit, Rietfontein and Diepsloot informal settlements north west of Johannesburg are some of the concrete examples. The situation could not be ignored by the Church and this research was an attempt to understand the extent of the problem in order to find a way to improve ministry to the affected communities. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

The purpose of this research was to investigate the nature of the South African late adolescent’s adjustment whilst on a working holiday in the United Kingdom. In order to achieve this goal a thorough literature study was done with attention afforded to late adolescence, the developmental tasks of this life stage, culture and culture shock and the adjustment to the latter. An empirical study was conducted whereby semi-structured interviews were utilized as a data collection method. During these interviews questions were posed to the respondents to ascertain what they regarded as pleasant as well as unpleasant in relation to their working holiday in the United Kingdom, the perceived cultural differences between South Africans and Britons, problems experienced with the adjustment, homesickness, triggers thereof including ways in which to cope with it. Ten respondents were individually interviewed during this research. An exploratory research design was followed as the researcher explored the trend of late adolescents who embark on a working holiday in the United Kingdom. The researcher performed qualitative research to answer the research question. The research question that was formulated for the purpose of this study was: what is the nature of the adjustment of the late adolescent whilst living and working in the United Kingdom? The researcher applied the one-group posttest-only design as research procedure because interviews were conducted following a period of at least four months in which the respondents had lived in the United Kingdom. Empirical data was obtained by means of an interview schedule and the following themes were identified: -- Late adolescents experience culture shock upon arrival in the United Kingdom. -- Environmental differences are experienced. -- Cultural differences between South Africans and Britons are noted. -- Independency increases. -- Work experience is gained and money earned in order to meet needs. -- Cohesion and solidarity are experienced with fellow South Africans in London. -- Exposure is experienced. -- Homesickness is experienced. The researcher concludes that the late adolescent experiences initial culture shock that is absorbed by the support of fellow South Africans and results in increased independence. Homesickness is experienced and is dealt with in ways that had been tested. / Dissertation (MSD (Play Therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Social Work / unrestricted

More students at college and universities are taking advantage of the opportunity to study abroad. During their time overseas, many will confront culture shock. Upon their return, they may also encounter a difficult transition, resulting in reverse culture shock. This study explores the various long term effects of reverse culture shock among study abroad alumni at a land grant institution. The alumni in this sample represent a variety of study abroad programs as well as experiences with reentry shock. By contributing further evidence regarding the influence of reverse culture shock over an extended period, it can provide incentive for universities to increase the level of reentry support for their students. Furthermore, by assisting students through the challenges of their reentry, educators can enhance the level of cultural learning from the experience as well as contribute to the students’ personal development.

The nature of the adjustment process for international students, upon initial enrollment in American colleges and universities, has not been adequately described by researchers. The most accepted model used to describe the adjustment process is the U-Curve model (Lysgaard, 1955; Oberg, 1960) even though research has not shown much empirical support of this model. Juffer's (1983) Culture Shock Adaptation Inventory II (CSAI II) was used to examine the adjustment process of first-semester Virginia Tech graduate students from the People's Republic of China and India. A pre-test, post-test design was used to examine differences among Chinese and Indian graduate students. Four subscale dimensions and total dimension measuring between culture shock and cultural adjustment were analyzed. There were no significant differences between Chinese and Indian graduate students in the pre-test scores and the change scores. There were significant differences in the Control of Emotions and Physical Well-Being dimensions in the post-test scores. The results of the remaining dimensions for the post-test scores were not significant. These results revealed that, at the onset, graduate students from China and India are at similar adjustment levels. However, after approximately three months, Chinese students may exhibit more problems with their emotions and their physical well-being. Overall, however, it seems that the examination of individual rather than group differences may be the best way to more effectively understand the adjustment process of international students. / Master of Arts

In a survey conducted, as part of this research, 83,33% of participating South African diplomats indicated that the effects of cultural diversity and culture shock are underestimated. As South African diplomats are expected by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) to work effectively in a crosscultural environment abroad, the psychological disorientation caused by culture shock could have a negative effect when working and living abroad. Severe culture shock could cause a high level of strain, which could influence the ability of diplomats to adapt effectively abroad, including spouse or partner dissatisfaction resulting from culture shock depression. This could lead to a diplomat requesting to return to his or her home country, with the associated high financial costs. Cultural diversity training is defined by various authors as one aspect that could assist in minimising culture shock since training provides knowledge, insight and skills to deal with the negative effects of culture shock when deployed abroad. Furthermore, the South African Public Service Act [1994] requires that human resource managers within government departments, such as DIRCO, have the responsibility to ensure that staff are effectively utilised and trained. The question that subsequently directed this research was the following: What should be included in the curriculum of a training programme aimed at minimising culture shock among South African diplomats? The research assessed the current culture shock training programme at DIRCO against international best practice, and it was found that a cultural diversity training programme in culture shock should comprise specific fundamentals, components and defining attributes relevant to definitions and explanations on culture, culture-specific information, cross-cultural skills, conflict resolution and dealing with culture shock in terms of cultural diversity, which has the potential of reducing culture shock among South African diplomats effectively. This research also found that there appears to be a gap in the scholarly literature and knowledge within the field of Public Administration on the defining attributes of a cultural diversity training programme with the potential of reducing culture shock among diplomats. Ongoing research is encouraged and recommended in this particular field of study within the public sector. / Public Administration / D.P.A.

The Apartheid Philosophy resulted in creating a heterogenous society in South Africa, with each group having its own distinctive culture and value-orientation. Organizational values, influenced by personal value-orientation employed by White managers, could be challenged by appointing members of this heterogenous society into positions previously held by White managers, thereby emphasizing the need for congruence between organizational and personal value-orientation. The literature study revealed not only the existence of both Individualism and Collectivism, but the co-existence thereof in individual value-orientation and the existence of Ubuntuism as another form of collectivism - the latter being analogous to humanism. Through this empirical study the value-orientations of managers from either Black or White cultural backgrounds, were assessed, using a value-orientation questionnaire. The findings of the present study, although inconclusive, demonstrated that Black and White managers do not differ significantly in terms of their value-orientation at work. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

This study examines the expatriate spouses’ cross-cultural adjustment to the host country. The cross-cultural adjustment experience of the expatriate spouse differs vastly from that of the expatriate. Literature was consulted to understand the cardinal role that the spouse portrays during an expatriate assignment and to highlight the importance of a well-adjusted spouse. This study engaged in qualitative research methodology using five expatriate spouses residing in Rome, Italy. Spouses were from two different countries and represented different age groups. Data collection methods included interviews and a focus group session to gain an in-depth understanding of spouses’ cross-cultural adjustment experiences. Results showed that spouses arriving in the host country experienced a loss of identity. Identity in this study was divided into three categories namely personal, situational and social. Once spouses went through a period of identity reformation they were able to become well-adjusted spouses. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

by Katy Wai Kwan Ho. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-153). / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgments --- p.iii / Chapter Chapter One: --- The Chinese Wanderers in the United States --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter Two: --- Cultural Fragmentation and Psychical Split: The Wanderer in Dis-placement --- p.35 / Chapter Chapter Three: --- Chinese (Ethnic)-American (Cultural) Hybridity --- p.75 / Chapter Chapter Four: --- "The ""Unhomed"" and Multiplicities of Identity" --- p.98 / Chapter Chapter Five: --- The Images of Wandering --- p.130 / Bibliography --- p.146