Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2006.

The purpose of this study was to document, by means of a literature review and empirical research, the phenomenon of resilience among adolescents with learning difficulties (LD). My study was motivated by a gap in current literature. Although there are some South African studies that explore the personal antecedents of resilience in youth with LD, there were almost no studies explaining what interpersonal antecedents might contribute to resilience. The aim of the empirical study was to investigate the phenomenon of resilience among adolescent learners coping with LD. This was done by conducting phenomenological research with ten learners who have LD and attend a school for learners with special learning needs. The findings of the study are in accordance with previous studies that suggest that resilience is encouraged by dynamic processes that are both interpersonal and intrapersonal. This study makes a contribution to theory in that it suggests that resilience among adolescent learners with LD is also encouraged by their home environment and the positive relationship with siblings that might be brought on by parents treating all their children impartially. This has not been noted in previous studies. This study also raises questions about whether inclusion of all learners in mainstream schools are beneficial to learners with LD. Because my study identified interpersonal processes (unconditional acceptance, safe spaces, championship and pedagogical expertise) that promoted resilience among those participants who took part in my study, my study contributes to what was understood about the process of resilience in learners with LD and in so doing contributes to practice in that guidelines could be drafted for Life Orientation teachers based on the findings of this study. These guidelines can enable dedicated teachers to adapt their classroom environment so that a learner with LD can benefit. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

The purpose of this study was to document, by means of a literature review and empirical research, the phenomenon of resilience among adolescents with learning difficulties (LD). My study was motivated by a gap in current literature. Although there are some South African studies that explore the personal antecedents of resilience in youth with LD, there were almost no studies explaining what interpersonal antecedents might contribute to resilience. The aim of the empirical study was to investigate the phenomenon of resilience among adolescent learners coping with LD. This was done by conducting phenomenological research with ten learners who have LD and attend a school for learners with special learning needs. The findings of the study are in accordance with previous studies that suggest that resilience is encouraged by dynamic processes that are both interpersonal and intrapersonal. This study makes a contribution to theory in that it suggests that resilience among adolescent learners with LD is also encouraged by their home environment and the positive relationship with siblings that might be brought on by parents treating all their children impartially. This has not been noted in previous studies. This study also raises questions about whether inclusion of all learners in mainstream schools are beneficial to learners with LD. Because my study identified interpersonal processes (unconditional acceptance, safe spaces, championship and pedagogical expertise) that promoted resilience among those participants who took part in my study, my study contributes to what was understood about the process of resilience in learners with LD and in so doing contributes to practice in that guidelines could be drafted for Life Orientation teachers based on the findings of this study. These guidelines can enable dedicated teachers to adapt their classroom environment so that a learner with LD can benefit. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2006.

The purpose of this essay is to describe what difficulties and challenges are for teachers of religious education at upper secondary school. The essay is written from a teacher's perspective, where the focus is on the teacher's perceptions of the difficulties and challenges of teaching religious education. The methodology for the collection of information was done through qualitative interviews. Previous research shows that one of the challenges in the teaching profession is the interpretation of the curriculum, and then which of those is correct. The essay shows that the biggest challenges that teachers experience in the subject of religious education is the students' prejudice against different religious groups, and also the difficulty of getting students to understand the purpose of what is being taught. I have examined how teachers handle these difficulties and challenges as well as the didactic choices that are at the forefront of the teachers' strategies.

The subject of this thesis, career choice for young adults with (specific) learning disabilities, deals with two main issues. The first concerns the decision-making difficulties of young adults with learning disabilities as compared with their nondisabled peers. The second and major part of this thesis, deals with the development and validation of a self-report screening method for identifying those are likely to be at risk of being learning disabled. The primary purpose of this device is to provide career counsellors and other professionals, who generally receive only superficial training in the area of specific learning disabilities, with a tool for identifying individuals likely to have learning disabilities. It is important to emphasise from the outset that screening is not diagnosis. Even a very good screening tool can at best identify those at high risk for LDS. Also screening may identify problem areas but no information is available regarding aetiology or source of the problems. Finally screening is necessary because a large section of the population has been identified as potentially containing large numbers of LDS (Singleton et al. 1998). However, before beginning the research, a thorough review of the issues of definition that plague the field is undertaken. While the issues raised cannot be resolved in this thesis, they form a necessary background to the research done. In principle, learning disabilities are understood to be characterised by poor automisation of learning skills due to neurological malfunction, contrasted by at least average intelligence. Therefore the goal of screening is to identify the presence of these difficulties, while explanation of their causes remains the proper area of expertise of diagnosticians who bear the onus of showing evidence of neurological malfunction. The present research, then, is three-phased. First, the Career Decision Difficulties (CDD) questionnaire (Gati et al. 1996) is applied to establish empirical support for the hypothesis that young adults with specific learning disabilities have greater difficulties making career decisions than their non-disabled peers do and to identify problem areas of particular difficulty for these young adults. The second phase of the research is based on the assumption that the majority of adults with specific learning disabilities have not been diagnosed and are unaware of the reasons for study problems that they encounter. Against this background, a parsimonious and easily administered screening device is needed. The second part of the thesis focuses on the development and validation of a self-report model - the Strengths and Weaknesses Academic Profile (SWAP) - and a questionnaire based on it, and their use as a counselling tool. The questionnaire based on the SWAP model was administered to a sample of about 500 young adults in Israel studying in preacademic schemes, of which 117 were previously diagnosed as learning disabled. The data was then analysed for validation. Finally, the results were normed on a larger sample of just over 900. The third phase was undertaken in order to address outstanding issues of validation resulting from the inherent methodological weakness of the Israeli research, a further sample was tested in Sheffield, UK. Unlike the Israeli sample, the non-diagnosed were tested to reveal any hidden dyslexics and they were subsequently removed from the control group. I present here an epidemiological sample validating a research tool in a real life scenario. In order to check the construct validity of this tool, a stricter research definition of LD was adopted, and the same process was undertaken using a well-defined sample known to be dyslexic and non-dyslexic. In conclusion, the results of this empirical demonstration show that the SWAP model predicts to a satisfactory degree those individuals who are at high risk of dyslexia. This thesis combines the strengths of an experimental qualitative approach with those of a quantitative empirical approach. In the main sample, the Israeli sample, scores were normed and converted into percentiles. Preliminary data regarding the predictive success of the use of SWAP for referral for diagnosis is presented. In addition, several case studies are included as examples of the use of SWAP as a counselling tool.

Objective: To explore the decision making approaches used by nurses who chose to work in critical care and factors influencing the process of decision making. Design and methods Qualitative descriptive methods using semi-structured interviews with nurses who had chosen to work in critical care within the past year. Results Ten nurses weighed staying in their current positions with moving to critical care. Two nurses considered two or more specialty units. The nurses used rational-intuitive and satisficing decision making approaches in making their employment decision. Limited knowledge and unrealistic expectations of work life in critical care, pressure from others, and inadequate professional support made nurses’ employment decisions more difficult. Social support, personal values for growth and learning, and paid educational incentives within employment offers facilitated their employment decisions. Conclusions Several factors negatively influenced nurses’ decision making approaches to making an employment decision. Findings revealed the need for decision support interventions focused on making employment choices for nurses.

No description available.

Introduction: Dyslexia is the most common specific learning difficulty, affecting of about 6% of the population. In medicine, the numbers of learners disclosing a diagnosis of dyslexia is rising. Small-scale studies have begun to venture into the effects of dyslexia on the education of medical students, and doctors in foundation year training and beyond. There is a call for research to develop a more nuanced understanding of how dyslexia affects doctors during their training and practice. Methodology: Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, this project aimed to develop a greater understanding of the ways in which dyslexia affects the training and practice of doctors. The data collection followed a three-phase approach, employing semi-structured interviews, a Self-Characterisation Sketch exercise, and Critical Incident Reflection audio-diaries. Analysis: In-depth, idiographic analysis of anonymised case studies for 10 doctors in training across a variety of specialties, from England and Wales was undertaken. The detail of the analysis cannot be adequately captured in a short summary but the overarching themes identified in the data included: Self; Belonging; and Coping. Each theme is supported by subthemes: good enough, chaos and power of the label; black sheep, conformity, and community; and difficulties and capabilities, agency and attribution, and strategies and risk, respectively. Notable ‘pearls’ within the data included the notion of partitioning, and that of brute failure. Discussion: The in-depth analysis of these doctors’ experience of their dyslexia, with reference to their education, training and practice, provides a unique insight into an unstudied aspect of lived experience of doctors. The analysis of the data from these doctors offers a unique understanding of self-concept, attribution and learned helplessness. These findings bear significance for engaging with, and seeking help from the team and wider structures in medical education. Synthesis of this analysis with wider literature would suggest a role for self-compassion and individual counselling approaches in medical education.

INTRODUCTION: Feeding difficulties are commonly multifactorial in nature, and no uniformly agreed-upon classification system for feeding difficulties currently exists. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-V included a new diagnosis called Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), created in order to address the weaknesses of the DSM-IV-text revision (TR) classification system by better capturing the range of feeding difficulties typically found in clinical practice. Little is known about the clinical characteristics associated with meeting the ARFID criteria, and no studies have investigated ARFID prevalence and associated clinical characteristics in patients below the age of 8 years. AIM: To describe the clinical characteristics of a sample of patients referred to Boston Children Hospital’s Growth and Nutrition Program, including the prevalence of ARFID, and identify clinical characteristics associated with meeting the criteria for ARFID. METHODS: We examined prospectively collected data from 69 subjects, age 9 months to 7 years, referred to the Growth and Nutrition Program for feeding difficulties and/or malnutrition between November 2013 and April 2016. Data was collected from caregiver-completed questionnaires, including the Behavioral Pediatrics Assessment Scale (BPFAS), and each patient’s electronic medical record. RESULTS: Premature birth (32.3%), digestive conditions (69.2%), developmental conditions (56.9%), food allergy (20.3%), and meal duration of over 30 minutes (36.2%) were common. Problematic feeding behaviors such as refusing to eat (62.1%) and gagging or vomiting when given new foods (29.2%) were also common. Strategies caregivers used to increase food and liquid consumption included offering only foods the child likes (60.9%) and feeding in front of the television or electronic devices (30.4%). 90.8% had a BPFAS score above threshold. 83.1% of the sample met criteria for ARFID. No statistically significant relationship was found between meeting ARFID criteria and having a BPFAS score above threshold, and there was no statistically significant relationship between meeting ARFID criteria and having a food allergy, having a first-degree relative with a food allergy, or with any of the feeding behaviors or strategies we investigated. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the majority of patients between the ages of 9 months to 7 years with feeding difficulties referred to the Growth and Nutrition Program meet the criteria for ARFID. While no statistically significant relationship was found between ARFID and the investigated clinical characteristics, further analysis involving a larger sample of patients will be useful for better understanding the clinical characteristics associated with ARFID, and assessing ARFID’s clinical utility. / 2019-07-11T00:00:00Z