published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Thesis (Ed. S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Educational Psychology, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 48-50).

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1978 S37 / Master of Science

This dissertation was initiated to investigate the preprimary teacher's role in identifying and assisting learning disabled preprimars. The literature section consists of a study of the normal process of child development and the phenomenon of learning disability and its manifestation in preprimars. The philosophy of inclusion and a number of existing programmes for learners with learning disabilities were examined. The empirical research assessed the responses of preprimary teachers from the Eastern Cape to a questionnaire, their experiences in dealing with preprimars with learning disabilities in a typical preprimary group were analyzed and a summary of the findings was made. Recommendations have been given to teachers regarding the identification of learning disabilities in preprimars, the assistance and support needed to enable the teacher to assist the learning disabled preprimar and the need for additional training to equip her to do so. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Orthopedagogics)

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to identify and enhance specific resilience qualities within families having a child with a learning disability. The study was devided into two phases, namely the descriptive phase, which aimed to identify resilience qualities that enhance family adaptation in these families and an the intervention phase, which aimed to develop, implement and evaluate an intervention programme that enhances the utilization of family time and family routine, important qualities identified in the descriptive phase of this study. The study was essentially exploratory and descriptive in nature and directed to develop scientific knowledge and theory in the field of family resilience. The family system theory (Minuchin, 1974), serves as the theoretical departure point to determine the processes, factors and dynamics underlying the impact of learning disability on the family, while the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation (McCubbin & McCubbin, 1996, 2001) was operationalised to measure resilience qualities in terms of stressors, risk, protective factors and familiy adaptation. The 110 participants in the descriptive phase were identified according to the nature of the crisis (learning disability). The study focused mainly on families residing in the Western Cape, South Africa. Quantitative and qualitative measures of investigation were used for data collection. The quantitative results were predomently analysed according to correlation and regression analyses techniques, while the qualitative data was categorized according to themes and frequencies using content analysis. Twenty one of the 24 measured independent variables positively related to the dependent variable (family adjustment). The independent variables which related positively to the dependent variable included: family time and family routine, child routines, couple togetherness, sharing meals together, parent-child togetherness, relative connection, family chores, family management , family hardiness, family commitment, family challenges, locus of control, availability and mobilizing of community sources, faith, problemsolving skills and family communication. A randomized pretest-post test control group design was applied during the intervention phase of the study. The 47 participants were identified in the initial phase of the study. Data was again collected using quantitative and qualitative measures and was analysed using repeated measures of variance analysis, post-hoc Fisher Least Significant Differece analysis and content theory analysis. The results of the intervention phase indicated statistically significant change in family adaptation following the implementation of the workshop. The results implicated that the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation (McCubbin & McCubbin, 1996; 2001) may be used to map (outline) variables that are associated with family adjustment within families with a child with learning disabilites. The study opens new opportunities and possibilties for further research. Resilience factors are identified which promote family adaptation and an intervention programme was developed which can be adapted by other professionals wishing to initiate similar services. The value of such a proactive, well being orientated perpective is important within the South African context where sources and studies regarding family resilience factors and suitable intervention programmes, which involves families at risk, are limited. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om veerkragtigheidskwaliteite in gesinne met ʼn kind met ʼn leergestremdheid te identifiseer en te bevorder. Die studie bestaan uit ʼn beskrywende fase, waar veerkragtigheidsfaktore geïdentifiseer is, en ʼn intervensiefase. Die doel met die intervensiefase was om ʼn program te ontwikkel en te evalueer waartydens een van die geïdentifiseerde veerkragtigheidsfaktore verder ontwikkel is ten einde gesinsaanpassing binne dié gesinne te verbeter. Gesinstyd en gesinsroetine is in die huidige studie as die veerkragtigheidsfaktor geïdentifiseer om gesinne met ʼn kind met ʼn leergestremdheid by te staan met die aanpassingsproses. Hierdie studie was verkennend en beskrywend van aard en daarop gerig om by te dra tot wetenskaplike kennis oor gesinsveerkragtigheid. Gesinsisteemteorie (Minuchin,1974) dien as teoretiese vertrekpunt om die prosesse, faktore en dinamika wat verband hou met ʼn kind met ʼn leergestremdheid in ʼn gesin te verstaan, terwyl die Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation (McCubbin & McCubbin, 1996, 2001) geoperasionaliseer is om veerkragtigheidskenmerke te identifiseer in terme van stressors, risiko’s, beskermende faktore en gesinsaanpassing. Die 110 gesinne wat aan die beskrywende fase deelgeneem het, is op grond van die aard van die krisis (leergestremdheid) geïdentifiseer. In die studie is gesinne met ʼn kind met ʼn leergestremdheid betrek wat woonagtig is in die Wes-Kaap, Suid-Afrika. Kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe datainsamelingsmetodes is gebruik. Die kwantitatiewe data is ontleed met korrelasie- en regressietegnieke, terwyl die kwalitatiewe data met behulp van inhoudsontleding in temas en frekwensies gekategoriseer is. Van die 24 gemete onafhanklike veranderlikes het 21 statisties beduidend positief gekorreleer met die afhanklike veranderlike (gesinsaanpassing). Dit sluit gesinstyd en gesinsroetine, kind-roetines, egpaar-saamwees, gesamentlike etes, ouer-kind-saamwees, kontak met familie, gesinstake, gesinsbestuur, gesinsgehardheid, gesinstoewyding, gesinsuitdaging, lokus van kontrole, beskikbaarheid en mobilisering van gemeenskapsbronne, geloof, probleemoplossingsvaardighede en gesinskommunikasiepatrone in. ʼn Ewekansige voor- en nameting kontrolegroep navorsingsontwerp is tydens die intervensiefase van die studie gebruik. Tydens die beskrywende fase van die studie is 47 persone geïdentifiseer wat aangedui het dat hulle graag aan die intervensiefase van die studie wou deelneem. Beide kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe data is ingesamel en ontleed met behulp van herhaalde-metingsvariansieontleding, Fisher post-hoc kleinste betekenisvolle verskil-ontledings en inhoudsontleding. Die resultate dui daarop dat gesinsaanpassing statisties beduidend oor tyd verander het. Dit is ʼn betekenisvolle bevinding en impliseer onder andere dat die Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation (McCubbin & McCubbin, 1996; 2001) gebruik kan word om veranderlikes te omlyn wat geassosieer kan word met gesinsaanpassing in gesinne met ʼn kind met ʼn leergestremdheid. Die bevindinge skep nuwe geleenthede en moontlikhede vir verdere navorsing. Verskeie veerkragtigheidsfaktore wat in toekomstige navorsing verder beskryf of as intervensieprogramme ontwikkel en geëvalueer kan word, is geïdentifiseer. Die intervensieprogram wat in hierdie studie ontwikkel is, kan as vertrekpunt dien vir die ontwikkeling van soortgelyke intervensies. Die waarde van ʼn pro-aktiewe welwees-geörienteerde perspektief is belangrik binne die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks waar bronne en navorsing oor gesinsveerkragtigheidsfaktore en gepaste inteintervensieprogramme en gepaste intervensie-programme beperk is.

The research has set out to examine the motives that contribute towards the decision to adopt a disabled child. Increased knowledge about placing disabled children for adoption is particularly important as they are regarded as the category hardest to place (Adoption Register 2009). Despite the wide gaps in knowledge, the negativity associated with the social construction of disability has been seen as a cause of disabled children’s disadvantage (Cousins 2009). Synthesising a Critical Realist framework with Grounded Theory methods; to examine both the efforts of local authorities to place a disabled child for adoption, as well as the narratives of those adopters who take on disabled child. The findings reveal that social workers often take a tentative approach to placing a disabled child, which impacts upon adoption outcomes, both in the way they represent disabled children and in the way they recruit and assess adopters. The Rationalistic Habitus is a concept used to reflect the way social workers reason their way through particular issues before arriving at a practice judgement. The study, also examines the narratives of adopters and their journey through the process of adopting a child with a significant impairment. Instances where adopters embark on adopting a disabled child are significant because they are making a decision in opposition to a prevailing discourse where disabled children are conceptualised as a burden to their families (Jordan and Sales 2007). An examination of these adopter’s motives requires one to think more deeply about how motives are processed. By focusing on the Habitus and reflexivity this research has attempted to bring new insights into how people process the prospect of becoming a parent to a disabled child. However, while the decision to adopt a disabled child might appear unconventional it is not so abnormal that we cannot make sense of their motives. The lifelong nature of the adoption role demonstrates that commitment is at the heart of these adoptions. The notion of a Commitment Habitus is reflected when adopters express an innate drive to nurture. In effect, this research contends that the motive to adopt a disabled child is wrapped in an orientation to invest in social relationships.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

There has been much controversy concerning the comparability of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability (WJTCA). Previous research has raised the issue of a mean score discrepancy between the tests when used with the learning disabled. This study analyzed and compared performances on these two tests by re-evaluated and newly referred LD students and newly referred non-LD students. In addition, subtypes of LD students were formed on the basis of achievement test scores. These students' test performances were also analyzed and compared. The results of this study were consistent with previous research. The Full Scale scores from the two tests were highly correlated in all three groups, but the WISC-R was significantly higher than the WJTCA for each group. Across the identified LD subtypes there was a significant difference between the Full Scale scores from the two tests. However, meaningful patterns of strengths and weaknesses across aspects of cognitive functioning were not uncovered. These results indicate that the WISC-R and WJTCA result in significantly different estimates of the cognitive ability of LD and referred students. This difference can be attributed to a combination of three possible explanations--the effects of the use of non-random samples, the use of different norm groups when the tests were standardized, and the tests contain different content.