Improvements in diagnostic measures over the years have resulted in more accurate diagnosis of ADHD. Whilst many studies have focused on ADHD as a disorder, few studies have looked at the experience of raising a child with ADHD. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of Black parents raising children with ADHD. The sample consisted of five Black parents who live the experience of raising children, between the ages of six and twelve years, with ADHD. An interview schedule with semi-structured open-ended questions was used. The study followed a qualitative research design with descriptive phenomenology as the worldview. The themes that emerged from the data were around the experience of their child, the experience of ADHD and the experience of self. Black parents experienced their children’s behaviour as hyperactive and uncontrollable. They also believed their children were socially withdrawn and isolated. Problems with inattention, not listening and being unable to concentrate were highlighted as experienced at school and at home. Black parents also stated that their children were clever and popular at school and at home, but had problems with speech. However, most were hopeful for their children’s future. Black parents raising children with ADHD had a reasonable understanding of ADHD as a disorder, even though the results of the study suggest that ADHD is still misunderstood in the Black population. Black parents experienced others as insensitive and blaming. The support from professionals was experienced as not satisfactory and there were concerns about the medication. Black parents experienced their style of parenting as harsh but accommodating. They experienced guilt and shame, blaming themselves for their children’s condition. They also felt trapped, frustrated, alone, lonely, helpless, in despair and even depressed at times. However they viewed themselves as generally coping well. Core values such as respect for others, discipline and boundaries have remained in how they parent. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

This study examines the phenomenon of contemporary a cappella music making found in high school settings as curricular and extra-curricular offerings. Past music and music education literature has focused exclusively on contemporary a cappella at the collegiate level. Through application of a descriptive phenomenological method and incorporation an educational-sociological lens, this study advances an understanding of the educational benefit and social value of membership in contemporary a cappella at the high school level. Six recent members from three regions of the United States provided data through individual open-form interviews in which questions were derived from the participants’ own speech. I incorporated phenomenological reductions and processes to negate researcher bias during data collection, analysis, and the formation of a general structure and constituent meanings of membership in high school contemporary a cappella. Participants utilized traditional music skills, individual talents, conceptions of popular culture and music, and in-group socialization to facilitate music making and reify membership. Expressing the value of group membership, individuals acted to benefit the group by cultivating social bonds, developing and fostering personal/shared connections to songs, identifying and purposing individual talents and skills, and gaining an understanding of each members’ unique contribution to membership. Discussion includes implications for music education and suggestions for future research.

Creating is the highest level of intellectual functioning in the cognitive domain. As standardized testing has increased, U.S. K-12 education has shown a decline in creativity for students. Mindfulness meditation (MM) increases creativity and could serve as a solution to this dilemma. This study's purpose was to enrich findings regarding MM's role in enhanced creativity by conducting an exploration regarding lived experiences of creating for individuals who practice MM. A gap in the literature exploring the topics of MM and creativity together using qualitative methods was identified; therefore, research understanding lived experiences of creating within the experiential context of MM was necessary. The main research question, followed by 3 closely related questions, examined the subjective meaning of the experience of creating for MM practitioners. To provide lived experiences regarding creating, 3 participants colored in a mandala and were interviewed. Descriptive transcendental phenomenology was used to explore the act of creating from the perspectives of these 3 individuals. Participants' described experiences supported Sternberg's theory that creativity developed as a habit and suggested that MM actuated Csikszentmihályi's creative flow. Positive societal implications of bringing MM into U.S. K-12 schools as a conduit for creativity cannot be overrated. MM offers an integrated modality to increased creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking, or the 4 Cs. Future studies regarding MM and creativity's relationship are recommended to further enrich current literature and address the existing gap.

This study qualitatively investigated older adults’ experience of Second Life from a descriptive phenomenological perspective. Second Life is a virtual world found on the Internet and is considered to be a cyber reality that simulates aspects of everyday real life. The participant group comprised of five individuals, between the ages of 60 and 79 years of age, who have been participating in Second Life for longer than six months. All of the participants reside in the United States and all of the participants have a tertiary education. The research revealed three essential themes to older individuals’ experience of Second Life that deals with: (1) Familiarisation with Second Life; (2) Connecting in Second Life; and (3) Second Life as a Place of Recreation. The research indicated that older adults seem to find value in their Second Life participation and tend to be actively involved and contributing members in this virtual world. These findings have implications for developmental theories in psychology that address later stages in life, and the researcher especially considers Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory of development. Additional implications for adults in the later stages of life and the discipline of psychology are also considered. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Psychology / unrestricted

No description available.

Purpose: The primary goal of this research study was to describe the experiences of South African spectators as it pertains to the 2010 FIFA World Cup (WC) South AfricaTM . As this study focused on spectators' experiences before, during and after the 2010 FIFA WC, three secondary goals were identified, namely to describe South African spectators' experiences prior to the 2010 FIFA WC, to describe South African spectators' experiences during the 2010 FIFA WC and to describe South African spectators' experiences after the 2010 FIFA WC. Methodology: The researcher adopted a descriptive phenomenological research position, in particular the Duquesne Phenomenological Research Method (DPRM). With reference to this study, an objective phenomenon (the 2010 FIFA WC) was primarily understood by the researcher through the participants' (South African spectators) subjective descriptions of their first-hand experience of this phenomenon. This objective phenomenon presented itself within the mind of the individual and the researcher had access to this reality through the participants' written accounts and consequent interviews. Therefore two methods of data collection was used. The notions of reduction, bracketing, and free imagination were used in order to keep the researcher's personal biases and prior knowledge from contaminating the knowledge of the objective phenomenon. Findings: From the experiences prior to the 2010 FIFA WC there were four essences that emerged. Firstly, there was a sense of anticipation in SA in the build up towards the tournament. Participants were excited about socialising with foreigners, the performance of the South African national team as well as the opportunity to showcase SA's capabilities to host such an event. The second essence that emerged was the descriptions of the atmosphere in SA. There were some mixed emotions experienced leading up to the tournament with some being excited and others feeling pessimistic about SA's ability to host the tournament successfully. Thirdly, there was a sense of companionship between the participants and their friends as well as within SA as a nation. The final essence focussed on obtaining tickets, where some found it to be a complicating process while others had a surprisingly positive experience. From the experiences during the tournament there were again four essences. Firstly, participants had mostly positive experiences of attending the live matches. Secondly, participants made mention of the impressive organisation of the event. The third essence related to the enjoyable social interactions that they experienced. The final essence was a description of their experiences of the Vuvuzelas that came to be very popular during the tournament. From the experiences after the tournament, there were four essences. The first essence describes how there was a sense of unity among SA as a nation but it seemed to have faded quite quickly after the tournament. Secondly, the participants discovered a lot about themselves during the tournament and the essence of the positive experiences of socialising was once again prevalent. Finally, the participants were impressed with the improvements in infrastructure that left a physical legacy of a “once in a lifetime” event / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Psychology / UPonly

This study used descriptive phenomenology to address the research question: What is the experience of parents who have a child with any disability in selecting a school for their child? Nine parents of a child with any disability from the Greater Vancouver area participated in this study. Through one-on-one in-depth interviews, the parents shared their experiences in selecting a school for their child. Using Colaizzi's descriptive phenomenological method for analysis, six broad themes were revealed that described the parents' experience of finding a school: a) the school itself, b) the child's needs, c) the parent's own experience, d) the family's involvement in the decision, e) non-school supports; and f) availability or lack of choice. Findings were discussed in relation to relevant literature, implications for both parents and school systems were addressed, and further research options were offered. / Graduate

O objetivo desta Dissertação é analisar a práxis dos integrantes do Jornal Boca de Rua, Projeto integrado à ONG ALICE. Por meio dessa iniciativa concretizada em 2000, a ONG orienta moradores de rua de Porto Alegre na produção e na venda de um veículo de comunicação alternativa voltado ao seu cotidiano. Nesse trabalho, o Boca de Rua, campo empírico da pesquisa, foi estudado a partir da perspectiva do desposicionamento dos Estudos Organizacionais, a qual enfatiza a natureza processual da organização e a construção local de identidades, considerando a organização social como fluida, plural, móbil e transparente. A Dissertação foi elaborada em duas etapas. Na primeira, com base em uma postura fenomenológica, é elaborada a apresentação do Boca de Rua. Quanto ao Referencial, ele está organizado em torno dos seguintes Eixos Teóricos, respectivamente: a Teoria Crítica da sociedade, a proposta de Alberto Guerreiro Ramos para uma Sociedade Multicêntrica, com destaque a elementos centrais da sua teoria para a delimitação de sistemas sociais, ou paradigma paraeconômico, e a Ética da Alteridade, de Emmanuel Lévinas. Na segunda etapa deste estudo, com base nos dados empíricos, foi realizada a análise teórico-empírica dos processos de organização do Boca de Rua. A sua consecução, em uma perspectiva crítica, teve como suporte os princípios da Fenomenologia Dialética. / The aim of this thesis is to analyze the praxis of the members of Jornal Boca de Rua, a Project of the NGO ALICE. With this initiative, established since August, 2000, the NGO supports homeless people from Porto Alegre in the production and selling of an alternative vehicle of communication which concerns their daily life at the streets. In this study, Boca de Rua is approached since the project of depositioning Organization Studies which highlights the processual nature of organizations and local construction of identities, working towards the dislocation, displacement or depositioning of traditional conceptions of organization. What is evident in these discourses is a tendency to consider social organization as fluid, plural, mobile, transparent and locally constructed. The research was arranged in two phases. In the first one, the author assumes a phenomenological approach in such a way that required references were organized in three main theoretical axles: the Critical Theory of society, Alberto Guerreiro Ramos’s proposal for a multicentric society, stressing important elements for his theory of social systems delimitation, and the Ethics of Otherness of Emmanuel Lévinas. In the second phase of this research, based on empirical data, the author presents his theoretical-empirical analysis of the organization processes of Boca de Rua. This moment constitutes a critical reflection upon these processes, based on theoretical and empirical elements which were organized according to Dialectics Phenomenology principles.

O objetivo desta Dissertação é analisar a práxis dos integrantes do Jornal Boca de Rua, Projeto integrado à ONG ALICE. Por meio dessa iniciativa concretizada em 2000, a ONG orienta moradores de rua de Porto Alegre na produção e na venda de um veículo de comunicação alternativa voltado ao seu cotidiano. Nesse trabalho, o Boca de Rua, campo empírico da pesquisa, foi estudado a partir da perspectiva do desposicionamento dos Estudos Organizacionais, a qual enfatiza a natureza processual da organização e a construção local de identidades, considerando a organização social como fluida, plural, móbil e transparente. A Dissertação foi elaborada em duas etapas. Na primeira, com base em uma postura fenomenológica, é elaborada a apresentação do Boca de Rua. Quanto ao Referencial, ele está organizado em torno dos seguintes Eixos Teóricos, respectivamente: a Teoria Crítica da sociedade, a proposta de Alberto Guerreiro Ramos para uma Sociedade Multicêntrica, com destaque a elementos centrais da sua teoria para a delimitação de sistemas sociais, ou paradigma paraeconômico, e a Ética da Alteridade, de Emmanuel Lévinas. Na segunda etapa deste estudo, com base nos dados empíricos, foi realizada a análise teórico-empírica dos processos de organização do Boca de Rua. A sua consecução, em uma perspectiva crítica, teve como suporte os princípios da Fenomenologia Dialética. / The aim of this thesis is to analyze the praxis of the members of Jornal Boca de Rua, a Project of the NGO ALICE. With this initiative, established since August, 2000, the NGO supports homeless people from Porto Alegre in the production and selling of an alternative vehicle of communication which concerns their daily life at the streets. In this study, Boca de Rua is approached since the project of depositioning Organization Studies which highlights the processual nature of organizations and local construction of identities, working towards the dislocation, displacement or depositioning of traditional conceptions of organization. What is evident in these discourses is a tendency to consider social organization as fluid, plural, mobile, transparent and locally constructed. The research was arranged in two phases. In the first one, the author assumes a phenomenological approach in such a way that required references were organized in three main theoretical axles: the Critical Theory of society, Alberto Guerreiro Ramos’s proposal for a multicentric society, stressing important elements for his theory of social systems delimitation, and the Ethics of Otherness of Emmanuel Lévinas. In the second phase of this research, based on empirical data, the author presents his theoretical-empirical analysis of the organization processes of Boca de Rua. This moment constitutes a critical reflection upon these processes, based on theoretical and empirical elements which were organized according to Dialectics Phenomenology principles.

O objetivo desta Dissertação é analisar a práxis dos integrantes do Jornal Boca de Rua, Projeto integrado à ONG ALICE. Por meio dessa iniciativa concretizada em 2000, a ONG orienta moradores de rua de Porto Alegre na produção e na venda de um veículo de comunicação alternativa voltado ao seu cotidiano. Nesse trabalho, o Boca de Rua, campo empírico da pesquisa, foi estudado a partir da perspectiva do desposicionamento dos Estudos Organizacionais, a qual enfatiza a natureza processual da organização e a construção local de identidades, considerando a organização social como fluida, plural, móbil e transparente. A Dissertação foi elaborada em duas etapas. Na primeira, com base em uma postura fenomenológica, é elaborada a apresentação do Boca de Rua. Quanto ao Referencial, ele está organizado em torno dos seguintes Eixos Teóricos, respectivamente: a Teoria Crítica da sociedade, a proposta de Alberto Guerreiro Ramos para uma Sociedade Multicêntrica, com destaque a elementos centrais da sua teoria para a delimitação de sistemas sociais, ou paradigma paraeconômico, e a Ética da Alteridade, de Emmanuel Lévinas. Na segunda etapa deste estudo, com base nos dados empíricos, foi realizada a análise teórico-empírica dos processos de organização do Boca de Rua. A sua consecução, em uma perspectiva crítica, teve como suporte os princípios da Fenomenologia Dialética. / The aim of this thesis is to analyze the praxis of the members of Jornal Boca de Rua, a Project of the NGO ALICE. With this initiative, established since August, 2000, the NGO supports homeless people from Porto Alegre in the production and selling of an alternative vehicle of communication which concerns their daily life at the streets. In this study, Boca de Rua is approached since the project of depositioning Organization Studies which highlights the processual nature of organizations and local construction of identities, working towards the dislocation, displacement or depositioning of traditional conceptions of organization. What is evident in these discourses is a tendency to consider social organization as fluid, plural, mobile, transparent and locally constructed. The research was arranged in two phases. In the first one, the author assumes a phenomenological approach in such a way that required references were organized in three main theoretical axles: the Critical Theory of society, Alberto Guerreiro Ramos’s proposal for a multicentric society, stressing important elements for his theory of social systems delimitation, and the Ethics of Otherness of Emmanuel Lévinas. In the second phase of this research, based on empirical data, the author presents his theoretical-empirical analysis of the organization processes of Boca de Rua. This moment constitutes a critical reflection upon these processes, based on theoretical and empirical elements which were organized according to Dialectics Phenomenology principles.