ABSTRACT This study aims to explore, the nature and the extent of parental involvement in the career development of young adolescents through the perceptions of disadvantaged young adolescents. The two-fold goals were to identify the role of parents and the awareness of other barriers in the career development of young adolescents. Therefore, qualitative research method of semi-structured interviews was applied to fourteen volunteers (eight boys and six girls) from a Secondary School at Mabopane Township in the North West Province. In accordance with previous trends, parental involvement was revealed by young adolescents to be an important factor and was further categorised as constructive and destructive parental involvement. Furthermore, the effects of parental involvement in the development of the young adolescents’ career self-concept and self-efficacy were revealed. Destructive parental involvement and low household incomes were identified as career barriers. Most young adolescents demonstrated a strong resilience in overcoming these barriers. The study also illustrated a dire need for attention to and funding of career programmes aimed at empowering disadvantaged parents and young adolescents. Keywords: Parents, parental involvement, career, career development, young adolescents, disadvantaged communities, career barriers, career counselling, career self-concept and self-efficacy.

L’impulsion donnée par les organes déconcentrés de l’État et la municipalité a contribué au développement des pratiques socio-sportives rennaises, grâce à l’action de structures appartenant à des secteurs divers. Cette dynamique à laquelle nous avons été associée nous a incitée à entreprendre une thèse afin de dresser un portrait du paysage socio-sportif local. Financée par le Cercle Paul Bert, la Ligue de l’Enseignement et l’UFOLEP, notre recherche s’est attachée à comprendre, à travers une démarche sociologique et qualitative, comment ce dernier se développait et se structurait. L’élaboration d’un « espace des « socio-sports », construit à partir de deux axes : l’approche de la pratique sportive et celle des publics en nous appuyant sur la théorie de l’intégration de R. Castel (1995), nous a permis d’identifier les acteurs et actrices qui se revendiquaient du « socio-sport » et de comprendre leur positionnement à la fois symbolique et pratique. La diversité des approches et des démarches observée sur le terrain contredit l’idée d’une unicité du « socio-sport » et d’un accord sur une définition unique, légitime. Une tension est présente entre plusieurs modèles, principalement celui reposant sur le modèle du sport de compétition et un autre modèle plutôt intégrateur voire inclusif. Ces tensions se cristallisent autour d’enjeux matériels, de moyens humains, financiers et symboliques : identitaires, territoriaux. Toutefois, l’analyse des approches et des démarches a fait ressortir des convergences, de possibles « caractéristiques » du « socio-sport », notamment une démarche d’« aller vers » les publics les plus éloignés de la pratique sportive et la nécessité, pour intervenir efficacement sur les territoires, de développer des partenariats. Ce travail de thèse répond à la volonté de proposer aux protagonistes un regard sur le paysage socio-sportif rennais leur permettant de ne plus l’envisager principalement sous l’angle concurrentiel mais complémentaire. / The impetus given by the decentralized state’s organs and municipality contributed in the social and sports practices development in Rennes thanks to the structures action belonging to various sectors. We have been associated to this dynamic, has prompted us to undertake a thesis in order to draw a portrait on the socio-sports landscape. Funded by the Cercle Paul Bert, La Ligue de l’Enseignement and UFOLEP, our research focused on understanding, through a sociological and qualitative approach, how this last one developed and structured itself. The elaboration of a "sociosports" space, built from two axes: the approach of sport’s practice and the one of the public, based on the theory of the integration of R. Castel (1995), allowed us to identify the actors and actresses who claimed to be "socio-sport" and to understand their positioning, both symbolic and practical.The diversity of approaches and approaches observed on the situation contradicts the idea of a single "socio-sport" and an agreement on a single and a legitimate definition. There is a tension between several models, mainly one based on the sport competition model and another rather integrative or inclusive model. These tensions crystallize around material issues, human, financial and symbolic means: identity, territorial. However, the analysis of approaches and processes revealed some convergences, some possible "characteristics" of "socio-sport", including an approach of "going towards" the most remote publics of the sport and the necessity, to intervene effectively in the territories, to develop partnerships. This thesis work responds to the desire to offer to the protagonists a look at the Rennes socio-sport landscape allowing them to no longer consider it primarily from a competitive perspective but from a complementary one.

In January 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind legislation into law. The law established new standards of accountability for individual students, schools, and school systems. Because of No Child Left Behind, the penalties for schools with poor academic performance in our country are the loss of reputation, student enrollment, and financial support. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in standardized test scores in reading and math between fourth-grade students in Title I schools and those in NonTitle I schools. The study focused on the following subgroups: gender, economically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities. The data were gathered from an analysis of standardized test scores in reading and math of fourth-grade students in 172 elementary schools located in 21 East Tennessee school systems. The data were collected from the 2002-2003 Terra Nova Standardized Assessment Test scores. The Terra Nova test is a standardized test used to evaluate academic progress in the state of Tennessee. In summary, there were some differences between Title I and NonTitle I fourth-grade students in the subject areas of reading and math. Significant differences were noted within the subcategory of gender in both reading and math. Significant differences were also noted within the subcategory of students with disabilities in the content area of math. No significant differences were found in reading for students with disabilities. There were no significant differences between Title I and NonTitle I schools in reading and math within the subcategory of economically disadvantaged students.

Federal legislation known as the No Child Left Behind act has required states to close achievement gaps. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between special education spending by districts in the state of Tennessee and standardized achievement for students with disabilities. Secondary data were obtained from the Tennessee Department of Education’s website (www.tn.gov/education). Data from each local education association were collected for the years of 2010-2014 in the areas of special education spending, special education population, and TCAP proficiency percentages in reading and math grades 3-8. Data from each local education association were collected for the years of 2011-2014 for gap size percentages between students with and without disabilities for reading and math grades 3-8 and the percentage of economically disadvantaged students. The researcher performed 6 Pearson correlation coefficient tests for this analysis. The findings showed a positive correlation between spending and performance on standardized assessments in the areas of reading and mathematics for students with disabilities. The analysis indicated that per pupil expenditures in special education has not had a statistically significant impact on reducing the gap size between students with and without disabilities. However, the percentage of economically disadvantaged students in a local education association inversely impacted the gap size. Those local education agencies with a higher population of economically disadvantaged students were more likely to have smaller gap sizes between students with and without disabilities in reading and mathematics on standardized testing.

<p>Ungdomsåren är en omtumlande period av förändring och identitetsutveckling. När det rör sig om utsatta ungdomars hälsa är denna grupp exponerad för en eller flera riskfaktorer samtidigt. Enligt internationella och nationella styrdokument är ungdomar en prioriterad grupp då det finns studier som visar på en ojämlikhet i hälsa bland målgruppen. Studiens referensram innefattar tre olika dimensioner av begreppet utsatthet, vilka är sårbar, riskfylld och missgynnad. Syftet med denna studie var att få en ökad förståelse för nyckelpersoners uppfattningar gällande social utsatthet bland ungdomar i åldern 13-19 år. Studiens avsikt har även varit att identifiera utsatta ungdomars behov samt nuvarande och framtida insatser inom problemområdet. Tio enskilda djupintervjuer genomfördes inom sex olika arenor i Västerås stad. Resultatet visade att nyckelpersonernas uppfattningar överensstämde inom många aspekter när det rör sig om social utsatthet bland ungdomar. Resultatet visade vidare på att alla ungdomar är utsatta på ett eller annat sätt men att utsattheten är mer påtaglig bland ungdomar med bristande skyddsnät och ett negativt socialt nätverk. Vidare efterfrågades empowerment och meningsfulla fritidsaktiviteter av nyckelpersonerna samt ett ökat samarbete mellan olika aktörer i syfte att motverka denna utsatthet i Västerås.</p> / <p>The adolescence years can be seen as a critical period due to developmental changes. When it comes to the situation of vulnerable and disadvantaged adolescents, this group is often exposed to several risk factors simultaneously. According to international and national public health documents inequalities in health among adolescents prevail and they are therefore seen as a prioritized group in society. The study's frame of reference includes three dimensions such as vulnerable, hazardous and disadvantaged adolescents. Furthermore the purpose of the study was to explore different key persons' understanding of the target group in the age of 13-19, as well their knowledge of present activities to counteract this problem. In addition, the need for new activities and initiatives are identified within the purpose of the study. Ten indepth interviews were conducted at six different arenas which were associated with adolescents in one way or another. The result of the study indicated that most of the adolescents were negatively exposed in one way or another. However the most exposed were the adolescents with a lack of social support and a negative social network. The different key persons' concept of vulnerable and disadvantaged adolescents is mutual in many aspects. According to the study objects there is consequently a need for empowerment and meaningful recreational activities, as well as a need for an extended collaboration between different actors regarding the prevalent youth work in Västerås.</p>

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of Emotional Intelligence (EI) on the educator's role as a manager of change. The study explored the role of the educator as manager of change, to what extent EI contributes to workplace success and how change impacts disadvantaged, mixed and ex-Model C schools. The ultimate purpose was to develop a possible framework to assist educators to manage the process of change in an emotionally intelligent way. In developing such a framework, the focus was on the following aspects: To present an overview of the educator as manager of change. To delineate EI as important contributor to workplace success. To explore the change management process in disadvantaged, mixed and ex-Model C secondary schools in the Gauteng Province and the Eastern Cape Province. The literature study revealed that the emotional well-being of the educator and the learner is increasingly recognised as an important predictor of success in school, family and work life. Furthermore, EI is widely accepted as foundational to getting along with others in the workplace, as well as being a primary managerial and leadership competency. EI is also believed by many to be the determinant of who advances most quickly in an organization, and EI skills may be particularly useful when the organization is undergoing change. Emotionally intelligent managers are therefore better able to cope with the inevitability of change within the organization, tolerate uncertainty, build employee commitment, motivate others, communicate effectively, manage conflict, reduce employees' anxiety and thus enhance performance. The empirical study consisted of a structured questionnaire distributed to a sample population of educators and learners in the Gauteng Province and the Eastern Cape Province. It was aimed at gathering information about the process of change in six secondary schools and how educators and learners cope with change. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with members of the School Management Team (SMT) and the School Governing Body (SGB) members at each school. The main findings of the empirical investigation revealed that educators and learners lack the tools to deal with change in school and in their everyday lives effectively. An EI competency framework for change was proposed to assist educators to deal with change in an emotionally intelligent way. The framework was structured to provide Gauteng and Eastern Cape schools with a usable tool for implementing EI so that they may cope effectively with change. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education Management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2008.

<p>When it comes to education, the legacy of apartheid in South Africa has had major implications for the higher education system. The White population group long dominated the nrolment of students in higher education institutions, although they were, and still are, one of the minority population groups in the country. The under-preparedness of black students means that they require structures to prepare and assist them within the higher education environment. In order to assist these disadvantaged students, higher education institutions have established certain Academic Support Programmes. One such programme is the Career Preparation Programme (CPP) being offered at the University of the Free State. This study attempts to measure the success rate of the Career Preparation Programme and to time to completion of graduates.</p>

<p>This study, located within the systems theory framework, recognises that resilience is multidimensional and multi determined and can be understood as the product of connections with, and between multiple systemic levels over time, and further understands that risks factors are seen as influences that occur at the individual, family, community and societal level. The quantitative study used a secondary analysis survey of data and utilised a sample of 281 students from UWC - 90 male and 190 female. In drawing from the literature the study examined the relationship between gender, Socioeconomic status (SES) and exposure to violence and resilience. Results of the factorial MANOVA indicate a statistically significant association between low SES and exposure to violence (p &lt / 0.05 = 0.036). There were no statistically significant results for the associations between gender and exposure to violence and resilience, as well as the association between SES and resilience. These results were contrary to what was predicted. The results of the present study suggest that in the South African context, both males and females have managed to find ways of coping when faced with adversity as well as being able to draw from their protective influences. It is also possible that the selected variables (gender and SES) may only be significant in relation to other variables. The limitations of the study were also discussed, and recommendations for future research were put forward.</p>

Ungdomsåren är en omtumlande period av förändring och identitetsutveckling. När det rör sig om utsatta ungdomars hälsa är denna grupp exponerad för en eller flera riskfaktorer samtidigt. Enligt internationella och nationella styrdokument är ungdomar en prioriterad grupp då det finns studier som visar på en ojämlikhet i hälsa bland målgruppen. Studiens referensram innefattar tre olika dimensioner av begreppet utsatthet, vilka är sårbar, riskfylld och missgynnad. Syftet med denna studie var att få en ökad förståelse för nyckelpersoners uppfattningar gällande social utsatthet bland ungdomar i åldern 13-19 år. Studiens avsikt har även varit att identifiera utsatta ungdomars behov samt nuvarande och framtida insatser inom problemområdet. Tio enskilda djupintervjuer genomfördes inom sex olika arenor i Västerås stad. Resultatet visade att nyckelpersonernas uppfattningar överensstämde inom många aspekter när det rör sig om social utsatthet bland ungdomar. Resultatet visade vidare på att alla ungdomar är utsatta på ett eller annat sätt men att utsattheten är mer påtaglig bland ungdomar med bristande skyddsnät och ett negativt socialt nätverk. Vidare efterfrågades empowerment och meningsfulla fritidsaktiviteter av nyckelpersonerna samt ett ökat samarbete mellan olika aktörer i syfte att motverka denna utsatthet i Västerås. / The adolescence years can be seen as a critical period due to developmental changes. When it comes to the situation of vulnerable and disadvantaged adolescents, this group is often exposed to several risk factors simultaneously. According to international and national public health documents inequalities in health among adolescents prevail and they are therefore seen as a prioritized group in society. The study's frame of reference includes three dimensions such as vulnerable, hazardous and disadvantaged adolescents. Furthermore the purpose of the study was to explore different key persons' understanding of the target group in the age of 13-19, as well their knowledge of present activities to counteract this problem. In addition, the need for new activities and initiatives are identified within the purpose of the study. Ten indepth interviews were conducted at six different arenas which were associated with adolescents in one way or another. The result of the study indicated that most of the adolescents were negatively exposed in one way or another. However the most exposed were the adolescents with a lack of social support and a negative social network. The different key persons' concept of vulnerable and disadvantaged adolescents is mutual in many aspects. According to the study objects there is consequently a need for empowerment and meaningful recreational activities, as well as a need for an extended collaboration between different actors regarding the prevalent youth work in Västerås.

This dissertation focuses on the relationship between accessibility to job opportunities, travel mode choices and employment outcomes of the disadvantaged. In past research examining the impact of accessibility on employment outcomes of the underprivileged, it has been an implicit assumption that a poor individual's employment status is directly connected to accessibility to transport modes and job opportunities. This dissertation challenges such a fundamental assumption and argues that due to unique travel needs of the poor, a high level of access to transportation means or job accessibility provided by a given travel mode does not automatically determine the choice of that particular travel mode. What is missing in the existing literature is examination of how accessibility affects travel mode choices for low-income individuals, and how travel mode preferences subsequently influence their employment outcomes. The objective of this dissertation is to shed new light on current understanding of the relationship between transportation and employment of the disadvantaged. The study focuses on explaining what factors influence low-income individuals in their choice of a transportation mode, and more importantly, how modal preferences, along with job accessibility, affect employment of the poor. Household travel survey data from the San Francisco Bay Area and the Atlanta Metropolitan Region were used to examine this interrelationship. The research findings show that higher modal and job accessibility do not always determine the choice of a particular travel mode, defying the assumption of the previous studies. What is important for enhancing one's employment is whether or not a low-income person has regular access to cars and an individual circumstance allows the poor to utilize existing automobiles rather than the efficiency of highway network. In terms of public transportation, higher job accessibility by transit network is associated with better employment outcomes for transit users. Nonetheless, when transit riders had to access transit systems by walking, job accessibility did not have meaningful impact on employment. It is important to note that the impact that job accessibility by transit has on employment is found only in a transit-friendly Bay Area. Policy implication from this dissertation is discussed. / text