How African individuals perceive the family life cycle, is the topic of this research. This qualitative study was facilitated with two individuals. Constructivism was used to explore how individuals create their reality. The Person-Centred Approach was studied to understand the importance of the Self- concept in the individual, and the role played by perceptions created in an ever-changing environment. Systems theory helped understand the interaction of family members as a system (family), especially the creation of stability after a state of disequilibrium – in this case, transitions between stages of the life cycle. Only with one respondent were some differences identified compared to the Western view of the life cycle. It was thus concluded that the family life cycle can be used as a guideline during therapy, regarding difficult transitions people (including African people) have to make, for therapists working from both the Person-Centred Approach and the systems perspective. / Social Work / (M.A. (Social Work (Mental Health))

The global rise in divorce since the 1960s has brought into question the idealised view of the nuclear family which has for centuries been awarded special status in western societies and has been regarded as the primary social institution. According to contemporary research parental divorce has become a reality for every one in six children in South Africa. Until recently, little consideration had been given to how divorce affects black South African families, as it was considered to be an occurrence which only took place in white, mainly middle-class, families. The proportion of black South African couples divorcing has been increasing over the past decade, and in 2008 was said to contribute to 35% of all divorce in South Africa. Most research to date on the children of divorce has focused on young white children and adolescents and is largely concerned with those who have found parental divorce particularly difficult, and are manifesting adjustment and other behavioural problems. The research which has been done on the effects of parental divorce on young adults focuses mainly on clinical studies with middle-class families based either in the United States or in the United Kingdom. This research, using an experience-centred, life-story narrative approach, explores the stories which young black South African adult women between the ages of 18 and 25 tell, to give account to the ways in which recent parental divorce has affected their lives, views on family life, and what it has meant to them. The use of an experience-centred, life-story narrative approach allows for a process of rupture, acceptance and re-storying to be accounted for, as the participant’s narrative shifts from past, to present and the future. Five young black women from a South African university each participated in two narratively sequenced semi-structured interviews based on McAdams’ personal narratives protocol, which includes six core themes, namely: Key Events, Significant People, Stresses and Problems, Personal Meanings and Life-Lessons, Future Script, and Life Theme. Crossley’s narrative analysis was then used to identify emergent themes and images in each individual narrative, after which they were woven together into a coherent story linked to previous literature. This study found that divorce involves a highly complex transition and reconfiguration process perhaps not fully accounted for in the existing idea and images associated with it. Despite being young adult women who had moved away from home and were engaged in their own lives, it became apparent that parental divorce was still a difficult and complicated experience, but that it is possible to tell both pessimistic and optimistic stories of parental divorce and its consequences.

This study looked at the opportunities and challenges faced in promoting smallholder farming as an element in rural economic development. The main objective is to highlight the key factors affecting smallholder production; and how those factors affect smallholder farmers in rural areas of Buffalo City Municipality, and hence identify the ones likely to predict success for future use in intervention programs. The content and scope of this study is limited to the socio-economic constraints (economic activities, household assets e.g. natural assets, physical assets, financial assets etc.) faced by rural households and therefore prescribe the necessary interventions to enhance rural livelihoods. Data was collected through review of secondary sources, direct observation through field visits and interviews with households. Questionnaires were used as the main tool of inquiry to gather data from households in selected villages within Buffalo City Municipality. The collected survey data was coded and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 19.0. The study used Descriptive, Gini Coefficient and Binary Logistics model to analyze the collected survey data. For the descriptive model, the main pointers that were employed for this study were frequencies and mean values. The Gini Coefficient model was used to measure the contribution of different sources of income to overall inequality. The binary logistic regression model was used to uncover the correlates of the household income for different rural groups (famers and non-farmers). The results reveal that farm income has a strong association to overall household income per capita. Unearned income sources also have a substantial contribution to household income. Remittances and child grants were significant to non-farming household income per capita. Given the diminishing farm size of smallholder-led agriculture; these results suggest that a diversified household income portfolio is vital in addressing poverty in rural areas. Based on the results this study concluded that agricultural activities cannot solely enhance food security.

Globalisation raises hopes that communities will become self reliant through development success and thus become an integrated whole (Offiong 2001). But the creation of global village leads to fragmentation of communities, a loss of norms and local values. This study focuses on communities of the Eastern Cape Province, exploring the nature of and extent to which children use alcohol as a consequence of cultural rituals. The researcher aims to develop a culturally sensitive psycho-social approach to address alcohol use among children. The purpose of the research was to investigate the extent to which certain cultural practices contribute towards alcohol use among children in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape Province. Thus exploring the nature and extent to which children use alcohol as a consequence of cultural rituals and to explore whether families and communities are aware of the impact of alcohol use by children in the community. The research was qualitative in nature and through semi-structured interview schedules the researcher was able to gain insight in the area of substance use amongst children in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape Province. Community members, learners from schools, educators and probation officers formed part of the research sample. The research findings suggest that community members are aware that the traditional rituals that are carried out in the rural areas have been contributing to the issue of children using alcohol. However, the community members feel challenged as they become conflicted by their traditional rituals and this impacts upon children using alcohol.

Die 21ste eeuse postmodeme samelewing word gekenmerk deur dinamiese veranderinge op aile gebiede wat die kwaliteit van die gesinslewe en opvoedingsbegeleiding binne gesinne bepaaL Hierdie studie poog om aan die hand van 'n omvangryke literatuurstudie en kwalitatiewe ondersoek, die aard, omvang en invloed van sodanige samelewingsverskynsels op verhoudingstigting- en onderhouding en die kwaliteit van opvoedingsbegeleiding in eietydse stadsgesinne te bepaal. Bevindinge toon dat sommige gesinne, as gevolg van hierdie veranderinge, uiters kwesbaar is, dat verhoudinge ontaard en opvoedingsbegeleiding ontoereikend voltrek. Die verval van norme en waardes is veral verswarend vir opvoeding en volwassewordingshulp. Ouers en kinders moet onder verswarende omstandighede die verantwoordelikheid opneem om harmoniese en Iiefdevolle verhoudinge in die gesin te stig en te onderhou. Ondersteunings- en begeleidingsprogramme vir ouers en kinders om toereikende opvoedingsbegeleiding en selfaktualisering te verseker, word aanbeveel. Hierdie programme moet op die mikro-, meso- en makrovlak van die samelewing geloods word. / The post-modem society of the 21st century is characterized by dynamic changes which determine the quality of family life and educational support in families. This study aims to determine, by means of a comprehensive literature study and qualitative investigation, the nature, extent and influence of social phenomena on the constitution and maintenance of relationships as well as the quality of educational support in contemporary urban families. Findings show that some families are vulnerable, that relationships deteriorate and that educational support is inadequate as a result of these changes. The decline of norms and values is an aggravating factor in education and adolescence support. Parents and children have to take responsibility to establish harmonious and loving relationships in the family. Support and guidance programmes are recommended for parents and children to ensure adequate educational support and self-actualization. These programmes must be launched on the micro, meso and macro level of society. / Educational studies / M. Ed. (Sosio-Opvoedkunde)

This study was undertaken to determine whether a disrupted family life and school climate has an impact on the self-concept of the adolescent. This problem was tackled and investigated from different angles : factors within the home, factors outside the home, intrapsychic factors, interpersonal factors and school factors. An analysis of the above factors and their impact on the self-concept of the adolescent was done by means of measuring instruments in the form of a questionnaire. The results of the empirical research indicated that the more positive the family and school climate, the more positive the academic, social and emotional self-concept of the adolescent. The educational implications of the findings of the literature and the empirical study are discussed to assist teachers and parents to identify and eliminate factors that cause adolescents from disrupted families to underachieve and have negative self-concepts. / M.Ed. (Socio Education)

Die 21ste eeuse postmodeme samelewing word gekenmerk deur dinamiese veranderinge op aile gebiede wat die kwaliteit van die gesinslewe en opvoedingsbegeleiding binne gesinne bepaaL Hierdie studie poog om aan die hand van 'n omvangryke literatuurstudie en kwalitatiewe ondersoek, die aard, omvang en invloed van sodanige samelewingsverskynsels op verhoudingstigting- en onderhouding en die kwaliteit van opvoedingsbegeleiding in eietydse stadsgesinne te bepaal. Bevindinge toon dat sommige gesinne, as gevolg van hierdie veranderinge, uiters kwesbaar is, dat verhoudinge ontaard en opvoedingsbegeleiding ontoereikend voltrek. Die verval van norme en waardes is veral verswarend vir opvoeding en volwassewordingshulp. Ouers en kinders moet onder verswarende omstandighede die verantwoordelikheid opneem om harmoniese en Iiefdevolle verhoudinge in die gesin te stig en te onderhou. Ondersteunings- en begeleidingsprogramme vir ouers en kinders om toereikende opvoedingsbegeleiding en selfaktualisering te verseker, word aanbeveel. Hierdie programme moet op die mikro-, meso- en makrovlak van die samelewing geloods word. / The post-modem society of the 21st century is characterized by dynamic changes which determine the quality of family life and educational support in families. This study aims to determine, by means of a comprehensive literature study and qualitative investigation, the nature, extent and influence of social phenomena on the constitution and maintenance of relationships as well as the quality of educational support in contemporary urban families. Findings show that some families are vulnerable, that relationships deteriorate and that educational support is inadequate as a result of these changes. The decline of norms and values is an aggravating factor in education and adolescence support. Parents and children have to take responsibility to establish harmonious and loving relationships in the family. Support and guidance programmes are recommended for parents and children to ensure adequate educational support and self-actualization. These programmes must be launched on the micro, meso and macro level of society. / Educational studies / M. Ed. (Sosio-Opvoedkunde)

This study was undertaken to determine whether a disrupted family life and school climate has an impact on the self-concept of the adolescent. This problem was tackled and investigated from different angles : factors within the home, factors outside the home, intrapsychic factors, interpersonal factors and school factors. An analysis of the above factors and their impact on the self-concept of the adolescent was done by means of measuring instruments in the form of a questionnaire. The results of the empirical research indicated that the more positive the family and school climate, the more positive the academic, social and emotional self-concept of the adolescent. The educational implications of the findings of the literature and the empirical study are discussed to assist teachers and parents to identify and eliminate factors that cause adolescents from disrupted families to underachieve and have negative self-concepts. / M.Ed. (Socio Education)

The present study examined the relationship between parenting styles and the socioemotional adjustment of children at school. A sample size of 90 research participants was selected and included black South African grade I school children aged between 6 and 7 years from single parent households in Pretoria Central. Factor analyses and Cronbach's alphas were determined in order to establish the validity and reliability (alpha= 0.89 and 0. 72 respectively) of the measurement instruments. In general, results were inconsistent with previous findings: The three parenting styles had no direct relationship with children's socio-emotional adjustment at school. Except for two links, non- significant relations between parenting styles and six subscales of socio-emotional adjustment were detected. However, maternal age, preschool attendance and gender of the child interacted in different combinations with four of the six subscales of socio-emotional adjustment. Future studies investigating parenting styles should take account of other areas of adjustment. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / Die herscomgestelde gesin word in hierdie navorsingstudie ondersoek as 'n kompleksa alternatiewe gesinstruktuur met eiesoortige strukturele kenmerke, probleemarecs en rituele wat nie aan die norm von die kerngesin ontleen kan word nie. In die literotuuroorsig word hierdie aspekte van nader beskou en tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dot die belangrike rol van die eie ouer in die hersoomgestelde gesin grootliks misgekyk word. Die verbondenheid van die eie ouer aan beide die ouer-kind- en die nuwe egpoorsisteme mack ditvir hom/hoar moontlik om 'n sleutelrol te vervul tydens gesinsinteroksies, eenheidsvorming en die opvoedingsgebeure in die hersoamgestelde gesin. Dit is moontlik vir die eie ouer om vanuit 'n unieke posisie as 'n buffer te dien in die problemotiese stiefouer-stiefkindverhoudinge. Hierdie maontlikheid bestaon egter slegs indien die eie ouer oor voldoende kennis, insig en voardighede beskik. 'n Uitgebreide kwalitatiewe ondersoek aan die hand van semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met die lede van ses hersaamgestelde gesinne het die volgende tendense aan die lig gebring: • Eie overs verwag van nuwe egliede om kinders in die hersaamgestelde gesin uit die staanspoor te aanvoor en lief te he. • Eie overs koester konflikterende gevoelens ten opsigte van die dissiplinering van hul kinders deur die stiefouer. • Eie ouers, sfiefouers en kinders in hersaamgestelde gesinne goon dikwels gebuk onder d\e los van onverwerkte gevoelens van verdriet en verlies. • Die hantering van finansies ten opsigte van inwonende eie en stiefkinders, asook nie-inwonende kinders en vorige egliede skep spanning en bemoeilik goeie verhoudinge. • Eie ouers is dikwels so verdeeld tussen die belange van nul kinders en die van hul nuwe moats dot hulle dit moeilik vind om in 'n tweede huwelik 'n betekenisvolle verhouding met hul nuwe lewensmaat op te bou. Genoemde tendense het 'n bepolende rol gespeel in die ontwikkeling von 'n begeleidingsprogram vir eie ouers. Agt sessies met doelwitte geboseer op hierdie probleemoreas is gestruktureer om die eie ouer met noodsaaklike kennis en vaardighede toe te rus ten opsigte van harmoniese verhoudingstigting en -onderhouding in hersaamgesfelde gesinne. Die begeleidingsprogram is deur middel van 'n fokusgroeponderhoud aan die evaluering von vier ouerpare in hersaamgestelde gesinne onde&Werp en is aon die hand van hul aanbevelings verfyn en gefinaliseer. / Educational Studies / D. Ed.(Psychology of Education)