The main research question guiding this study is: “What strategies can be established to enhance parental involvement in primary schools in disadvantaged communities in the Northern Areas of Port Elizabeth”? To answer this question, this study examines parents’ and teachers’ practices concerning parental involvement in the Northern Areas of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan. Parents and teachers were purposely selected from participating schools. In this qualitative study, the researcher proposed strategies to enhance parental involvement at primary schools. Qualitative research methods, associated with phenomenological inquiry were employed to explore the life-world of the participants who have had personal experience with the phenomenon of parental involvement. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with parents and teachers. This allowed the researcher to gather in-depth information about opinions, beliefs, practices and attitudes concerning the involvement of parents in their children’s education. Bronfenbrenner’s ecosystemic theory served as the theorectical framework of this investigation. Since this study is about parental involvement in primary schools educational policies like inclusive education as well as different models of parental involvement were investigated in the literature study. The results of the study indicated several barriers to the enhancement of parental involvement for instance communication barriers between parents and teachers. The researcher established four strategies for the enhancement of parental involvement and recommended that these strategies should be employed by schools and other stakeholders. She also made further recommendations for parents, teachers, school principals, Department of Basic Education and professionals in the community.

This qualitative study was designed to explore the experiences and perceptions of a group of mothers whose elementary school-aged children met the criteria for intellectual giftedness in an Ontario school board. Guided by Beach and Mitchell’s image theory and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, the study sought to identify (a) the meanings mothers ascribed to the concept of giftedness, (b) their experiences of the assessment, identification and placement process, and (c) the factors deemed important to educational decision making. A postpositivist orientation and rigorous qualitative research methods were employed. Data were collected in two phases: an internet-based survey comprised of demographic items and open ended questions, followed by in-depth interviews with five purposefully selected participants. Resultant data from 45 surveys and 15 interviews were coded and organized according to the survey questions and central elements of the theoretical framework. Eight research findings revealed that the experience of mothering gifted children was complex, challenging, emotional, and at times, isolating. Many mothers struggled with the concept of giftedness and how it pertained to their children. As mothers navigated the assessment, identification and placement process, the lack of accessible, timely, and consistent information from the school board posed a considerable barrier, prompting many to reach out to other parents of gifted children for information and support. Factors deemed important to decision making about educational placement included maternal perceptions related to the various options, child specific and practical considerations, and the attainability of specialized gifted programming. Educational decision making was identified as the most difficult aspect of the maternal experience. Given that the study participants were unusually well educated and well resourced, the findings were particularly revealing. The study findings add to a small but growing body of research that furthers our understanding of image theory in real life decision making. In addition, the findings give voice to the experience of mothering children identified as gifted, thus making a valuable and original contribution to the literature.

Despite initiatives and management efforts to minimize exacerbation and adverse outcomes, asthma remains a leading cause of childhood chronic disease in the United States. Environmental, personal, and social factors have been associated with an increase of asthma morbidity. However, little is known about how they cumulatively affect children's quality of life. This study applied a multifactorial conceptual model grounded by the ecological systems theory framework to ascertain which environmental, personal, and social factors were cumulatively associated with adverse health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children with asthma ages 5-17 years. A national, cross-sectional survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Asthma Call-back Survey, of 2,968 (unweighted) participants were used to identify the association between the factors and HRQoL outcomes, symptom-free days, missed school, and activity limitations. Multiple linear regression and cumulative regression models for complex survey data were used to assess the associations. Factors associated with the HRQoL outcomes included cost barriers to asthma medications and primary care physicians, insurance status, having an insurance gap, the type of health insurance, the presence of mold in the school, the guardian's diminished mental health, and environmental tobacco smoke. Understanding which factors influence asthma HRQoL may foster positive social change by enlightening and empowering the child, caregivers, health care professionals, and other stakeholders to become active participants in the asthma management process. Therefore, quality of life is optimized by all participants taking an active role in the asthma management process through conversations and developing synergistic strategies.

Daily communication between home and preschool is central to the preschool's operations. The aim of this study is to contribute to knowledge about how preschool teachers experience communication with caregivers in cases where there are language barriers at pick-up and drop-off. The study is qualitative and we have conducted semi-structured interviews with preschool teachers who have experience in communicating with caregivers where there are language barriers. The chosen theory for further analysis of the empirical evidence has been Bronfenbrenner's ecological system theory where we used the concepts microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem.   The participating preschool teachers talk about how they define the concept of language barrier as a broad concept but which mainly refers to when communication is limited in some way by language barriers. The preschool teachers portray that they see language barriers as both an opportunity and an obstacle, in different perspectives. An essential strategy that is presented is their own approach, which indicates a positive attitude towards the caregivers. The participating preschool teachers present smaller groups of children and more employees as a prerequisite for creating favourable communication with caregivers in cases where there are language barriers at pick-up and drop-off. This would result in more time with each individual guardian, which the preschool teachers point out as essential for favourable communication. Previous research on the subject is scarce, and the regulatory documents for preschool do not provide answers to how preschool teachers should communicate with caregivers in cases where there are language barriers in daily communication. Overall, this indicates that more research in the subject is relevant for the preschool teaching profession. / Daglig kommunikation mellan hem och förskola är centralt i förskolans verksamhet. Syftet med studien är att bidra till kunskap om hur förskollärare upplever kommunikation med vårdnadshavare i fall där det finns språkbarriärer vid hämtning och lämning. Studien är kvalitativ och vi har genomfört semistrukturerade intervjuer med förskollärare som har erfarenhet av att kommunicera med vårdnadshavare där det finns språkbarriärer. Den valda teorin för vidare analys av empirin har varit Bronfenbrenners ekologiska systemteori där vi använt begreppen mikrosystem, mesosystem, exosystem, makrosystem och cronosystem.     De deltagande förskollärarna berättar om hur de definierar begreppet språkbarriär som ett stort begrepp men som i huvudsak syftar till när kommunikationen på något sätt begränsas av språkliga hinder. Förskollärarna redogör för att de ser språkbarriärer som både en möjlighet och som ett hinder, i olika avseenden. En väsentlig strategi som presenteras är det egna förhållningssättet, som indikerar på ett positivt bemötande gentemot vårdnadshavarna. De deltagande förskollärarna framställer mindre barngrupper och fler anställda som en förutsättning för att skapa gynnsam kommunikation med vårdnadshavare i fall där det finns språkbarriärer vid hämtning och lämning. Detta skulle resultera i mer tid med varje enskild vårdnadshavare, vilket förskollärarna poängterar som väsentligt för en gynnsam kommunikation. Den tidigare forskningen inom ämnet är begränsad, och styrdokumenten för förskolan ger inte svar på hur förskollärare ska kommunicera med vårdnadshavare i fall där det finns språkbarriärer vid den dagliga kommunikationen. Sammantaget indikerar detta på att mer forskning inom ämnet är relevant för förskollärarprofessionen.

This is a candidate’s thesis for the programme for Social Workers at the Linneaus University in Växjö. This study has the purpose to understand what protective-factors that may be important for children who grow up in a risk environment. This has been done through reading autobiographies written by adults who have been born and raised in destructive environments. The data has been collected with the use of a narrative analysis. The result has then been viewed and analyzed with the help of attachment-theory, a salutogene perspective and with ecological systems theory. The results from this candidate’s thesis shows that we have been able to identify protective factors in three major categories; Individual attributes, relationships and factors that exists outside of the family environment. These factors have been analyzed and explained through the perspective of attachment-theory, a salutogene perspective and with ecological systems theory. Our findings suggest that there exists several important relationships between our result, the previous research and what the theories suggest is important for children as protective factors. They are: basic need of security, need of development and understanding and finally an importance in the needs for children to have a sense of coherence.

Syfte Syftet med uppsatsen är att försöka få reda på ny kunskap om vad som kan vara den optimala miljön för en fotbollsspelare på pojksidan. Tanken med studien är också att jämföra hur kulturen i Stockholm och Halmstad ser ut gällande prestige, högsta serie, selektering, specialisering, föräldrar, värdering av att vinna i ung ålder, tränarens roll, faciliteter och vad har föreningarna för möjlighet gällande träningstimmar (bilaga 4). Dessa faktorer kan vara avgörande i varje individs utveckling. Frågeställningar Vad är en optimal miljö för en pojkfotbollsspelare att utvecklas i? Vad är skillnaderna och likheterna mellan miljön i Stockholm och Halmstad? Metod Detta är en kvalitativ studie bestående av intervjuer med en semistrukturell intervjuguide. Tre spelare från Stockholm och tre spelare från Halmstad har intervjuats och de svar som framkommit har analyserats och diskuterats med hjälp av tidigare forskning inom ämnena: faciliteter, familj, tränare, filosofi & kultur, skador, status i skola och nyckeln till framgång. Resultat Resultaten visade på att alla individer är olika, och att det som hjälper en person att slå igenom och ta sig till landslaget kanske inte fungerar för en annan. Flertalet intervjupersoner har lyft familjen som den viktigaste faktorn för att de ska ha lyckats, medan andra har lyft fram deras inre motivation som den avgörande faktorn för deras fotbollsspelande. Gällande plantider så fanns det betydligt fler i Halmstad än i Stockholm sommartid, men under vintern så var det Stockholm som hade flest tider och detta berodde på tillgängligheten till konstgräsplaner. Slutsats I studien så har svaren från intervjupersonerna analyserats och mikrosystemet var den delen som ansågs vara viktigast av stegen ur utvecklingsekologin. Då genom att du måste känna en trygghet i den närmiljö du har. Att hela tiden känna att du kan lita på någon och få feedback från dessa personer. Detta kan både fälla eller stärka en spelare. Vissa spelare passar bättre in med mer regler medan andra passar in med fria tyglar. Här gäller det för spelarna att hitta sin egna väg att gå. De andra nivåerna påverkar givetvis också människan, men i den här studien fann vi mikronivån den viktigaste nivån.

Although much research has been conducted on violence, its effects, and which circumstances put an individual at risk of becoming a potential victim, there is a paucity of studies that focus on the perpetrators of violence. Much of the literature available on this subject is dated, providing information which is already dated and, frequently no longer relevant. This research has sought to explore and understand violent crimes from the psychological and emotional standpoint of the individual who perpetrated them. One objective of the study was to facilitate the development of a profile of youths who chronically commit crime, and more specifically crimes of violence. This study utilised the qualitative research design of Phenomenology, which allows for the exploration of the phenomena from the perspective of the participants. The sample for this study consisted of five male individuals who are currently incarcerated in a correctional institution situated in the Eastern Cape. The sample was chosen according to the non-probability purposive-sampling technique, based on their relevance to the study. The selected male offenders from the correctional institution ages ranged between 18 and 31. Specific criteria were identified against which participants were measured in order to be selected to participate in the research. Data was obtained from the participants via a questionnaire, a journal, and semi-structured interviews conducted by the researcher. Other data for the study was obtained from official documents. The study was embedded in the ecological theory of Bronfenbrenner, which provided the psychological framework in which to explain and understand the results of the study and the development of violence. The major findings of this study include; growing up violently, the reasons for violence, justificationa and perseptions of violence, society and the culture of 10 violence, and the environmental impact. These findings will contribute to the development of treatment programmes, which better facilitate the reformation and rehabilitation of criminals.

No description available.

Uppsatsens syfte var att öka förståelsen för hur utredande socialsekreterare i arbetet med barn och unga förhåller sig till insatsen kontaktfamilj och vad som påverkar deras bedömning av den. I studien användes en kvalitativ metod och sammanlagt genomfördes nio intervjuer med yrkesverksamma socialsekreterare som arbetar med barn och unga. De teoretiska perspektiv som använts i studien är utvecklingsekologi och gräsrotsbyråkrati. Studiens resultat visar att kontaktfamiljsinsatsen är en insats med blandade åsikter och erfarenheter av. Det skiljer sig emellan socialsekreterarna vad som bedöms vara barnets bästa och det finns även en delad bild gällande om barnen har nytta av insatsen om den är riktad till barnets vårdnadshavare. Resultaten visar också att det saknas kriterier för när insatsen ska användas samt att de få riktlinjer som finns belyser när insatsen inte ska användas. / The purpose of the study was to increase the understanding of how Child welfare social workers address the intervention contact family and what factors impact their assessment of it. The study uses a qualitative method, and nine interviews were made with social workers who work with children and youngsters. The theoretical perspectives used in the study is ecological systems theory and street-level bureaucracy theory. The result of the study shows that the contact family is an intervention with divided views and experiences. What is seen as the best interest of the child differs between the social workers and there is also a divided opinion regarding the benefits for the children if the intervention is targeted at the parents. The results also show a lack of criteria of when the intervention should be used, and the few existing guidelines highlight when the intervention should not be used.

The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyse how professionals within school and social services experience collaboration between them when working with children and youth who are abused or are thought to be at risk of being abused. Furthermore, the intention was to illustrate which factors that teachers and social workers consider to be successful for collaboration, and how they consider that the existing law of confidentiality affects the collaboration. Qualitative interviews with six respondents were conducted, three teachers and three social workers. The six respondents who took part in the study worked in two different municipalities of different sizes. This enabled us to make comparisons between smaller and bigger municipalities. The content of the interviews was coded and analysed using a thematic analysis. The ecological systems theory was applied during the process of the thematic analysis, to create an understanding around how different systems affect the child’s development. The result of the study illustrates which factors teachers and social workers, who work with youths, experience are critical for success, although it also emerges what they experience to be obstacles to collaboration and how they would like to change the collaboration. All the respondents’ raised that collaboration was facilitated by having personal relationships to the professionals they were collaborating with, since this benefited communication and trust. Moreover, the respondents brought up that collaboration is more easily accomplished in smaller municipalities, since this can make it easier to establish personal relationships between different professionals. Furthermore, the teachers experience the law of confidentiality as very frustrating, they argued that it restricted their work since it stopped them from getting information about the particular student and the support the student was gaining from the social services. Lastly, it emerged that all respondents wish for a closer connection between school and social services, but several respondents express that it is not possible due to insufficient resources. / Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka och analysera hur yrkesverksamma inom skola och socialtjänst upplever samverkan som rör barn och unga som far illa eller som riskerar att fara illa. Intentionen var att synliggöra vilka faktorer som lärare och socialsekreterare för fram som framgångsrika i arbetet samt hur de beskriver att den rådande sekretessen påverkar samverkan. Med en kvalitativ utgångspunkt genomfördes intervjuer med sex respondenter inom skola och socialtjänst, tre lärare och tre socialsekreterare. Urvalet representerar sex yrkesverksamma från två kommuner av olika storlek i syfte att få en jämförelse kring hur samverkansarbetet upplevs i en mindre respektive större kommun. Innehållet i intervjuerna kodades och analyserades med hjälp av en tematisk analys. Det utvecklingsekologiska perspektivet applicerades under processen av den tematiska analysen för att skapa förståelse kring hur olika system inverkar på barnets utveckling. Studiens resultat synliggör vad lärare och socialsekreterare som arbetar med barn och unga upplever är såväl hinder som framgångsfaktorer för samverkan mellan skola och socialtjänst. Studien presenterar också hur yrkesverksamma inom skola och socialtjänst önskar utforma samverkan utifrån deras erfarenhet och kompetens. Samtliga respondenter lyfter att samverkan underlättas av personliga relationer mellan de samverkande aktörerna. De personliga relationerna underlättar kommunikationen och bidrar till ökat förtroende mellan verksamheterna. Samtliga respondenter för fram att samverkan gynnas av att arbeta i en mindre kommun, då det kan vara lättare att forma personliga relationer där. Vidare menar lärarna att sekretessen skapar frustration och hinder för samverkan. Lärarna säger att det är svårt att samarbeta kring ett barn när dem inte delges information om barnets situation, information som de även uttrycker är nödvändig för att de ska kunna ge de stöd och hjälp som barnet behöver. Slutligen, framkommer det att samtliga respondenter önskar en tätare kontakt mellan skola och socialtjänst, vilket de uttrycker inte är möjligt för tillfället på grund av tidsbrist och otillräckliga resurser.