Le concept de services écosystémiques est de plus en plus utilisé par différentes disciplines scientifiques et pris en compte dans les sphères politiques pour attirer l'attention sur les bénéfices que l'Homme reçoit des écosystèmes. Ce concept mène à étudier les liens complexes entre l'homme et son environnement. Cependant, la majorité des recherches actuelles restent théorique et peu de cas d'étude mettent à l'épreuve ce concept dans une démarche transdisciplinaire. Cette thèse à donc pour objectif principal de combler ce manque en explorant et analysant les dynamiques et processus des services écosystémiques en terme d'offre et de demande, y compris les effets de rétroactions, par une approche socio-écologique dans un contexte de changement planétaire. A cette fin, une étude transdisciplinaire a été conduite sur les prairies subalpines de la commune de Villar d'Arène (Hautes-Alpes) où l'élevage ovin et bovin domine. Des techniques de modélisations statistiques et de systèmes d'informations géographiques ont été combinées pour analyser la fourniture potentielle de services écosystémiques, conduisant à une cartographie de ceux-ci à l'échelle du paysage. La demande en services écosystémiques à quant à elle été étudiée par l'intermédiaire d'entretiens individuels et de groupes avec les acteurs locaux ainsi que des jeux de rôle avec les éleveurs de la commune. La co-construction de scénarios prospectifs avec les acteurs locaux ont permis d'étudier l'évolution de l'offre et la demande en services à un horizon 2030. / The ecosystem service (ES) concept is increasingly used in different scientific disciplines and is spreading into policy and business circles to draw attention to the benefits that people receive from biodiversity and ecosystems. Nevertheless, while the number of case studies considering various dimensions of the interactions between ecosystems and land use via ES has been steadily increasing, integrated research addressing interrelationships between biodiversity, ES and land use has remained mostly theoretical. This thesis aims through a socio-ecological approach to understand: (1) Which ES are potentially delivered given ecological dynamics, (2) how these ES are perceived by stakeholders in terms of value and knowledge, (3) how human management affects ES delivery, and (4) how ES are taken into account in land management decisions, thereby considering feedbacks from ecosystem to the land use system through ES. To address these questions, an interdisciplinary study was conducted on Villar d'Arène (French Alps) a municipality where the subalpine landscape is shaped by extensive mountain livestock farming. Statistical modelling and geographical information systems where combined to analyse the determinants of the spatial distribution of biodiversity and ES within the landscape using ecological (including plant functional traits), biophysical and land-use data. The following ES were mapped: agronomic value, aesthetic value, water quality, carbon storage, soil fertility, soil moisture, conservation of plant diversity and pollination. These allowed us to quantify trade-offs and synergies in the current landscape and to identify key management types supporting multifunctionality. The dynamics of ES was projected under four different scenarios integrating climatic, socio-economic and land-use changes, which were developed using a participative approach with regional experts and local farmers. Analyses of projected scenario impacts showed that ES synergies and trade-offs evolve differently when considering direct effects of climate on ecosystems, and/or their indirect effects through farmers adaptive responses. Interviews with local stakeholders (experts from nature conservation and agricultural extension, farmers and inhabitants) of mountain grasslands showed that the ES concept is still relatively unknown in explicit terms. Nevertheless after defining ES to interviewees, they expressed a variety of relevant interests and knowledge. Although all stakeholders valued a common set of ecosystem services (agronomic value, aesthetic value, water quality, and conservation of plant diversity), we identified negative and positive representations of the effects of grassland management on ecosystem services, depending on stakeholders perceptions of the relationships between soil fertility and biodiversity, and biodiversity and the other services. Finally, a role-playing game explored how ES cognition mediated environmental feedbacks on farmers' behaviours. Results emphasized the influence of other factors such as socio-economic or climatic context, topographic constraints, social value of farming or farmer individual and household characteristics, on the link between ES and land-management decisions. This case study demonstrates the interest of an integrated approach decomposing the feedback loop from ecosystems to land use when studying ES for scientific or policy purposes.

Esta tese tem como tema o conjunto de recursos comuns naturais e os formatos de gestão que permitem novos sistemas de governança nos espaços rurais no entorno de áreas protegidas. Como questão central, busca responder como os diversos atores afetados pelo processo de criação de uma área protegida organizam-se e desenvolvem ações coletivas para a gestão dos recursos comuns no entorno destas áreas. Têm-se como hipótese que há uma aproximação entre os atores conforme seus objetivos em relação aos recursos comuns naturais, o que remete a configuração de um novo sistema de governança que propicia o desenvolvimento de ações coletivas próprias de gestão dos recursos comuns. Outra hipótese é que a ação do Estado, por meio de políticas governamentais, apresenta efeito limitado na coordenação das ações e na promoção do consenso entre os atores. Desta forma, o objetivo deste trabalho é estudar a ação coletiva dos atores sociais na gestão dos recursos comuns no entorno do Parque Nacional da Serra da Bodoquena (PNSB), o qual abrange áreas dos municípios de Bodoquena, Bonito, Jardim e Porto Murtinho no Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul. Por meio da abordagem institucional no estudo da auto-organização e autogovernança em situações de gestão do conjunto de recursos comuns desenvolvida por Elinor Ostrom, buscou-se a fundamentação teórica para explicação dos fenômenos e problemática identificada. Metodologicamente trata-se de uma pesquisa de campo e documental, a qual apresenta um delineamento de estudo de caso small-N, aplicando-se o framework para análise de sistemas sócio-ecológicos (SES), procedendo-se também uma sistemática análise documental próxima à meta-análise. Conclui-se que a esperada mobilização de grupos de indivíduos em busca de objetivos comuns encontra duas vertentes neste caso, com os participantes da arena de ação criando distintos objetivos e distintas ações coletivas de acordo com seus interesses, produtivos ou ambientais, sendo que governo dos comuns permanece sob o controle dos interesses produtivistas arraigados na cultura de produção agropecuária local. / This thesis has as its theme the common natural resources and the management models that allow new governance systems in the rural areas in the surrounding of protected areas. As central question, seeks to answer how the various actors affected by the process of creation of a protected area organise themselves and develop collective actions for the management of common natural resources in the surroundings of this area. There has been hypothesised that there is a closeness among the actors as their goals in relation to common natural resources, which refers to setting up a new governance system that promotes the development of collective actions specific to the management of common resources. Another hypothesis is that state action, through government policies, has limited effect on the coordination and promotion toward a consensus among actors. In this sense, the objective of this work is to study the collective action of social actors in the management of common natural resources in the surroundings of the National Park of Serra da Bodoquena (PNSB), which covers areas of the municipalities of Bodoquena, Bonito, Jardim and Porto Murtinho in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. Based on institutional approach for the study of the self-organisation and self-governance in common-pool resources situations developed by Elinor Ostrom, the investigation sought the theoretical explanation of phenomena and problem identified. Methodologically this is a documentary and field research, which has a feature of small-N case of study, proceeding an applying of the framework for analysing social-ecological systems (SES), conducting also a systematic analysis of documents close to a meta-analysis. The conclusions point out that the expected mobilisation of groups of individuals in the pursuit of common goals is twofold in this case, with the participants of the action arena creating different goals and different collective actions according to their interests, environmental or productive, and that the govern of the commons remains under the control of agribusiness interests rooted in the culture of the local agricultural production.

O sistema de produção de café orgânico vem surgindo como uma alternativa tecnológica e economicamente rentável, que visa eliminar os impactos ambientais provocados pelo uso irracional dos recursos naturais. Muitas experiências e análises apontam a biodiversidade como precursora da estabilidade biológica encontrada nesses agroecossistemas produtivos diversificados (SAFs). No entanto, são incipientes os estudos científicos sobre o efeito da biodiversidade nos sistemas agrícolas de produção. Assim, o maior desafio da pesquisa foi identificar qual o sistema de manejo propiciava mais sinergismos biológicos, serviços ecológicos-chaves, tais como o controle biológico da principal praga do cafeeiro. E é nesse sentido que a presente pesquisa foi desenvolvida, com o objetivo de avaliar se a biodiversidade presente nos agroecossistemas está relacionada com a estabilidade ecológica, ou seja, com o equilíbrio dinâmico da população de insetos, que em determinados níveis podem causar elevados danos econômicos à cultura do café. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida na região do Pontal do Paranapanema, nos sistemas agroflorestais conduzidos pelos agricultores assentados sob responsabilidade técnica do IPÊ (Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas), instituição responsável pela implantação dos SAFs, por meio do projeto intitulado \"Café com Floresta\". Tal estudo possibilitou um melhor entendimento do efeito da biodiversidade sobre agroecossistemas cafeeiros diversificados que não utilizam inputs externos (fertilizantes e agrotóxicos), além de propiciar uma análise e sistematização dos sistemas de manejo agroecológicos existentes nos assentamentos rurais, bem como a caracterização do manejo e das práticas agroflorestais realizadas pelos agricultores familiares, que envolvem aspectos socioeconômicos da produção. Dessa maneira, a pesquisa tem grande relevância científica, visto que, possibilitou averiguar que os arranjos agroflorestais estudados na região possibilitaram uma menor incidência da principal praga do cafeeiro (Coffea arabica), o bicho-mineiro (Leucoptera coffeella), mostrando que os SAFS são uma alternativa ecológica e social apropriada à agricultura familiar, uma vez que confere maior resiliência aos agroecossistemas. / The system of production of organic coffee is emerging as an alternative technology and affordable, which aims to eliminate the environmental impacts caused by irrational use of natural resources. Many experiments and analyzes indicate biodiversity as a precursor of biological stability found in these diverse productive agroecosystems. However, are incipient scientific about the effect of biodiversity on agricultural production systems studies. Thus, the biggest challenge of the research was to identify which system management propitiated more synergisms biological, ecological services - keys, such as biological control of major pest of coffee. And that is what this research was developed with the aim of evaluating whether the present biodiversity in agroecosystems is related to ecological stability ,ie, the dynamic balance of the insect population , which at certain levels can cause major economic damage the coffee culture. The research was conducted in the Pontal region in agroforestry systems driven by farmers settled under the technical responsibility of IPE (Institute for Ecological Research), the institution responsible for the implementation of the SAF, through the project entitled \"Coffee with Forest\". This study allowed a better understanding of the effect of biodiversity on diversified coffee agroecosystems that do not use external (fertilizers and pesticides) inputs, as well as providing an analysis and systematization of existing agroecological management systems in rural settlements, as well as the characterization and handling of agroforestry practices carried out by farmers, involving socioeconomic aspects of production. Thus, the research has scientific importance, since possible to ascertain that the studied agroforestry arrangements in the region allowed a lower incidence of major pest of coffee (Coffea arabica ) , the leaf miner (Leucoptera coffeella) , showing that the diversified coffee agroecosystems (SAF) are an appropriate ecological and social alternative to family farming, since it gives greater resilience to agroecosystems.

No Nordeste do Brasil, o estuário do Rio São Francisco apresenta extensas áreas de manguezais (32 km2) cujos recursos são utilizados por populações humanas. Este estudo considerou a metodologia de sistemas sócio-ecológicos complexos para analisar a pesca nos manguezais desse estuário, com ênfase no caranguejo Ucides cordatus. Por meio da integração de dados de diferentes áreas (etnobiologia, levantamentos socioeconômicos, estrutura populacional do caranguejo, características da vegetação, arranjo espacial da paisagem, sensoriamento remoto e geoprocessamento) em uma análise multicritério foi determina e mapeada a aptidão dos manguezais para a conservação e a pesca dessa espécie. Uma diversidade de recursos pesqueiros do manguezal (por exemplo, peixes, caranguejos e moluscos), constitui a principal base da economia de subsistência local, em que o caranguejo U. cordatus é o mais importante. As populações locais possuem um vasto conhecimento sobre o tamanho populacional e corporal, ciclo de vida, diferenciação sexual e habitat dessa espécie, e aplicam práticas conservacionistas no uso da redinha. A estrutura populacional do caranguejo revelou um alto potencial pesqueiro, com maior abundância de caranguejos de tamanho comercial do que os de tamanho não comercial. Os manguezais mais aptos para a conservação de U. cordatus (9,4 km2) estão localizados próximos à foz e apresentam alta abundância de caranguejos não comerciais, baixa densidade de caranguejos comerciais e baixo grau de utilização para a pesca. Os manguezais mais aptos para a pesca (10,2 km2) estão distantes da foz e apresentam alta abundância de caranguejos de tamanho comercial, baixa densidade de caranguejos em tamanho não comercial, caranguejos grandes, médio a alto grau de uso e estão próximos aos povoados. Os mapas de aptidão gerados podem auxiliar as agências governamentais no delineamento de áreas extrativistas e de exclusão da pesca, como sugerido no Plano Nacional de Gestão para o Uso Sustentável do Caranguejo-uçá / In Northeastern Brazil, the São Francisco River Estuary comprises a significant mangrove area (32 km2) used by local human populations. This study considered the framework of socio-ecological systems to analyze the mangrove fishery in this estuary, with emphasis on the crab Ucides cordatus. By the integration of data from different fields (etnobiology and socio-economic surveys, crab population structure, vegetation features, landscape arrangement, remote sensing and geoprocessing) in a multi-criteria analysis, we determined and mapped the suitability of the mangroves for the conservation and fishery of this species. We found that a diversity of mangrove fisheries (e.g. fish, crabs and mollusks) constitute the main base of the local subsistence economy, wherein the Ucides cordatus is the most important. The local populations have a substantial knowledge about this crab population and body sizes, life cycle, sexual differentiation, behavior and habitat, and apply conservation practices in the use of the \"redinha\". The population structure of the crab U. cordatus revealed a high fishery potential, with higher abundance (frequency and density) of crabs in commercial size than the non-commercial sized crabs. The mangroves more suitable for the crab conservation (9.4 km2) are those close to the river mouth, showing high abundance of non-commercial crabs, low density of commercial crabs and low degree of use for fishery. On the other hand, the mangroves more suitable for the crab fishery (10.2 km2) are those located far from to river mouth, showing high density and frequency of crabs in commercial size, low density of crabs in non-commercial size, big sized crabs, medium to high degree of use, and are close to the fishery villages. The maps of suitability can aid government agencies in delineating extractive and fishery exclusion areas, as stated by the Proposal of a National Management Plan for this crab, in order to achieve a sustainable fishery

Submitted by Marlene Santos (marlene.bc.ufg@gmail.com) on 2016-07-18T17:28:13Z No. of bitstreams: 3 Tese - Marisol Rivero Herrada - 2013- 1.pdf: 180378 bytes, checksum: ad7f5d791203434c2303c0d26ceccfc3 (MD5) Tese - Marisol Rivero Herrada - 2013- 2.pdf: 1277161 bytes, checksum: 8d52da7f4db833077f13941531125c61 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-07-19T11:21:06Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 3 Tese - Marisol Rivero Herrada - 2013- 1.pdf: 180378 bytes, checksum: ad7f5d791203434c2303c0d26ceccfc3 (MD5) Tese - Marisol Rivero Herrada - 2013- 2.pdf: 1277161 bytes, checksum: 8d52da7f4db833077f13941531125c61 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-19T11:21:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 Tese - Marisol Rivero Herrada - 2013- 1.pdf: 180378 bytes, checksum: ad7f5d791203434c2303c0d26ceccfc3 (MD5) Tese - Marisol Rivero Herrada - 2013- 2.pdf: 1277161 bytes, checksum: 8d52da7f4db833077f13941531125c61 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-10-04 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The study was on the effect of agroecosystems in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L). The objective was to evaluate phytotechnical aspects and soil quality in agroecosystems using legumes in monoculture and intercropped with millet system and conventional tillage in the common bean. The legumes studied were beans pork (Canavalia ensiformes), Crotalaria (Crotalaria juncea), Mucuna (Stizolobium dierrigianum) , Guandu (Cajanus cajan) in monoculture and intercropped with millet (Penicetum glaucum) under conventional and no-tillage system. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design. Dry biomass, nutrient content, nutrient accumulation of plants for roofs, growth (height and stem diameter) of plants, yield of common bean and the physical , chemical and biological soil properties were evaluated . It was found that all legumes in monoculture and intercropped with millet provide high accumulation of nutrients in the biomass, contributing to the improvement of soil fertility and crop productivity in the common bean agroecosystem , the production of dry biomass cover crops were exceeding 9.000 Mg ha-1 , stood out the pigeon pea and bean Mucuna with the largest production fitomasssa and levels of N, P , Ca , Mg and Zn. The cropping system -tillage and legume consortium with millet allow better growth of the common bean. The yield of common bean was high for all systems, the highlight was the bean pork with the highest yield. The soil physical properties were not affected by agroecological systems. Chemical and biological soil properties were altered with high accumulations of nutrients supplied to the ground in agroecosystems. The system was used as a cover crop showed the lowest metabolic coefficient, and the system more efficient. / Estudou-se o efeito de sistemas agroecológicos no feijoeiro comum (Phaseolus vulgaris L). O objetivo foi avaliar aspectos fitotécnicos e qualidade do solo em sistemas agroecológicos utilizando leguminosas em monocultivo e consorciadas com milheto em sistema convencional e plantio direto no feijoeiro comum. As leguminosas estudadas foram: feijão de porco (Canavalia ensiformes), crotalária (Crotalaria juncea), mucuna rajada (Stizolobium dierrigianum), guandu (Cajanus cajan) em monocultivo e consorciadas com milheto (Penicetum glaucum), em sistema convencional e plantio direto. O experimento foi conduzido com delineamento de blocos ao acaso. Foram avaliadas a fitomassa seca, teor de nutrientes, acúmulo de nutrientes das plantas de cobertura, crescimento (altura e diâmetro do caule) das plantas, rendimento do feijoeiro comum e os atributos físicos, químicos e biológicos do solo. Verificou-se que todas as leguminosas em monocultivo e consorciadas com milheto forneceram elevados acúmulos de nutrientes na fitomassa, contribuindo para a melhoria da fertilidade do solo e produtividade da cultura do feijoeiro comum no sistema agroecológico. A produção de fitomassa seca das plantas de cobertura foram superiores a 9,000 Mg ha-1, destacou-se o feijão guandu e a mucuna com as maiores produções de fitomasssa e teores de N, P, Ca, Mg e Zn. O sistema de cultivo semeadura direta e o consórcio das leguminosas com milheto possibilitaram melhor crescimento do feijoeiro comum. O rendimento do feijoeiro comum foi alto para todos os sistemas, destacou-se o feijão de porco com o maior rendimento. Os atributos físicos do solo não foram alterados pelos sistemas agroecológicos. Os atributos químicos e biológicos do solo foram alterados com elevados acúmulos de nutrientes fornecidos ao solo nos sistemas agroecológicos. O sistema onde foi utilizado o feijão de porco como planta de cobertura mostrou o menor coeficiente metabólico, sendo mais eficiente este sistema.

We live in a world that faces several social and environmental problems and achieving sustainable development in contexts where it is necessary to alleviate poverty without eroding the capacity of the ecosystems to support future generations is challenging. Therefore, fostering sustainable development requires enabling both society and environment to cope with disturbances, adapt to and shape change (resilience). Literature suggests that adaptive co-management practices are appropriate for building resilience and fostering sustainable development. Additionally, studies have highlighted the role of bridging organizations in coordinating and facilitating adaptive co-management. However, adaptive co-management has not been studied in poverty contexts. This thesis aims to understand what the main tasks of bridging organizations are, and how they facilitate and stimulate adaptive co-management in poverty contexts and their role in nurturing sustainability. The Environmental Monitors Programme of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve was chosen as a case-study. Biosphere reserves are considered learning sites for sustainable development. The programme was studied through the lenses of a bridging organization. Semi-structured interviews and participatory observation with stakeholders identified: 1) the importance of existing networks and collaborations; 2) monitoring contribution to the identification of social and environmental issues, experimentation contribution to the implementation of sustainable harvesting practices; 3) environmental education combined with social learning lead to community empowerment and adaptive responses that e.g. address erosion; 4) environmental monitors have a crucial role in linking organizations and communities; 5) challenges related to low income settings include communities’ basic needs. This study illustrates the need to address both social and ecological problems in a concerted manner, by capacitating and empowering communities while conserving the environment. Additionally, points out the need of studying alternative co-management strategies that give focus on different priorities regarding stakeholders’ interests and the influence of power in decision-making in poverty contexts.

This paper explores a case study of a Swedish tool steel company undergoing a transition from traditional environmental management practices to an enterprise identifying its place as part of a social-ecological system. The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review (ESR) was utilized by the company to begin this process by focusing on ecosystem services to determine how an ESR approach contributes to environmental management in practice. What resulted moved beyond the ESR to a tailored methodology, the internalization of a systems perspective, and a proposed new environmental management system. The results of the study provide a concrete, effective method for internalizing a systems perspective through a focus on ecosystems and presents a case for further analysis into what made it successful. It also provides an example of translating theory into practice, illustrating how a company can engage in sustainable development by valuing and managing the resilience of social-ecological systems through identifying their place in that system. The value of the results can be high for the case study company as well as for business in general.

A comprehensive literature review indicated that there is a dearth of research focusing on female youth sex offenders and even less is known about the perceptions of female youth sex offenders regarding the factors that contributed to their offending. This study explores the perceptions of female youth sex offenders regarding their reasons for offending. The female youth sex offenders in this study indicated that various factors as discussed below contributed to their offending. The empirical findings of this study confirmed that female youth sex offenders are of the opinion that certain problems within their families possibly contributed to their offending behaviour. Some of these characteristics include factors such as divorce, poor parenting skills, domestic violence, substance abuse and lack of basic care and safety, just to mention a few. Female youth sex offenders’ lack of assertiveness, low self-esteem and identity issues were other factors that most probably contributed to their sexual offending. When taking into account that the majority of the participants’ parents were unemployed, poverty was another factor that most likely played a contributory role. Due to poverty in the household some of these youth were forced to relocate to Girls’ Homes, change schools or drop out of school. In order to curb female youth sex offending one would need to address these factors in a multidisciplinary and holistic manner. This study reports an in-depth qualitative understanding of the perceptions of female youth sex offenders regarding factors that contributed to their offending. In addition the last objective of this study will be the formulation of recommendations to address female youth sex offending more effectively. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Social Work and Criminology / Unrestricted

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / Substance abuse is recognised as one of the greatest health and social problems in South Africa (SA). There is a need to explore the problem of substance use in the South African context in terms of the Bio-ecological Systems Theoretical Framework. All of the reviewed local and international studies on instruments that are used to measure factors associated with adolescent substance use, while yielding useful information; do not adequately address the issues of an instrument that successfully includes all the levels of the Bio-ecological Systems Theoretical Framework at the dimension level. As a result, a need for an applicable instrument exists. The overall purpose of the current study was to evaluate the content validity of the dimensions of the proposed self-administered questionnaire in terms of the Bio-ecological Systems Theoretical Framework, which will assist the factors associated with youth at risk of substance abuse in low socio economic status communities in the South African context. The study was framed in psychometric test theory focusing specifically on the procedures for content validation. It is being increasingly recognized that the development of a valid test requires multiple procedures, which are employed sequentially, at different stages of test construction. Validity is thus built into the test development from the outset. Participants were selected by means of purposive sampling. The sampling method was appropriate since the participants were required to meet certain inclusive criteria. The participants comprised of two groups of community leaders within two different communities on the Cape Flats. An adapted version of the Nominal Group Technique method was employed to collect data. The data for aim one was collected using a self administered questionnaire (Content Validity Questionnaire) consisting of two sections. The first section was presented in the form of a ranking scale with all relevant factors associated with adolescent substance use. The second section of part 1 was in the form of open-ended questions. The second aim was collected in the form of focus groups. Data was analysed quantitatively and qualitatively in the relevant sections. Data collected from the Content Validity Questionnaire (CVQ) was analysed quantitatively by means of statistical analysis making use of frequencies, and the open-ended questions of the content validity and data from the focus groups was analysed qualitatively by means of thematic analysis. The study concluded that all factors presented in the CVQ are important factors associated with adolescent substance use in the two low socio-economic statuses communities that were analysed in both the quantitative and qualitative components of the study.

Current learning support in an effort to address the learning needs of learners with learning disabilities tends to focus on their language abilities (reading and writing), without enough emphasis on the cognitive manifestations that could contribute to barriers to learning, if not addressed appropriately from within the school system. In this study the organisation skills of learners with learning disabilities were studied to determine their true nature. The research was undertaken with Grade 8 and 9 pupils in a private school for learners with learning disabilities. The research was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, assessment data of the learners with learning disabilities were analysed. Three different categories of learning needs regarding the organisation skills of learners with learning disabilities were identified. In the second phase, these categories of learning needs were explored using an Ethnographic Approach with Action Research as design. The outcomes of the action research were examined by analysing behaviours and written products of the learners, consistently within the context of the learning situation. It was established that the barriers to learning regarding the organisation skills of these learners are at least in part intrinsic and therefore make a strong appeal to the learning system for support. Learning support should be seen as an integral part of the teaching and learning process in all schools. It was therefore clear that a Systemic approach should be used to address the barriers to learning that learners with learning disabilities experience. A different perspective than that of the fragmented medical model was taken in exploring and addressing these needs. It was a shift towards a more holistic Ecological Systemic Approach. / Thesis (PhD (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted