Current research in the field of geriatric audiology focuses on the audiological assessment and management. However there is a lack of published work describing the perspectives of the geriatric individuals with a hearing loss regarding the audiological service delivery received. This study aimed to determine the perspectives of the geriatric individuals with a hearing loss in this regard. Convenience sampling was utilised to recruit 50 geriatric individuals who wore hearing aids, in Gauteng. A two phase methodology was employed in this study. Phase one included a questionnaire aimed to determine the geriatric individuals’ perspectives of the audiological assessment and management processes conducted by the audiologist. Phase two, a focus group discussion regarding audiological service delivery, included 7 geriatric individuals who were randomly selected from the 50 geriatric individuals in phase one of the study. Results revealed that geriatric individuals with a hearing loss; perceived the audiological services received as adequate. However the results obtained from the questionnaire indicate that the majority of these geriatric individuals were not provided with a full test battery of assessment and management procedures as required. Therefore South African audiologists need to evaluate the assessment and management procedures used when working with the geriatric population. AFRIKAANS : Resente navorsing in die veld van geriatriese oudiologie fokus hoofsaaklik op oudiologiese evaluering en behandeling. Daar bestaan egter beperkte literatuur wat geriatriese individue met ‘n gehoorverlies se persepsies beskryf oor die proses van evaluering en dienslewering. Gevolglik was die doel van hierdie studie om geriatriese individue met ‘n gehoorverlies se persepsies aangaande oudiologiese dienste te bepaal. ‘n Twee-fase metodiek is in hierdie studie aangewend. ‘n Vraelys is in fase een gebruik om 50 geriatriese individue met ‘n gehoorverlies en wat gepas is met gehoorapparate, se persepsies aangaande oudiologiese dienslewering te bepaal. Sewe geriatriese individue het deelgeneem aan die tweede fase, naamlik ‘n fokusgroepbespreking aangaande oudiologiese dienslewering. Resultate dui daarop dat geriatriese individue met ‘n gehoorverlies die oudiologiese dienste wat hulle ontvang het as voldoende ervaar, Die meerderheid van die geriatriese individue het egter aangedui dat ’n.volledige oudiologiese toetsbattery nie tydens die evaluasieproses uitgevoer is nie en toepaslike gehoorapparaatevaluering- en passingsprosedures nie gevolg is nie. Die implikasies hiervan is dat oudioloë werksaam in Suid-Afrika die evaluering- en behandelingsprosedures wat toegepas word vir die geriatriese populasie, voortdurend moet evalueer en aanpas. Copyright / Dissertation (M. Communication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / unrestricted

AFRIKAANS: Die navorsingsdoel van hierdie studie is om insig te verkry in die rol van handboeke in die instandhouding en legitimering van etniese magsverhoudinge, in die besonder deur middel van die bevestiging van kulturele stereotipes onderliggend aan die nie-geformuleerde, maar effektiewe verspreiding van norme, waardes en houdings. Gegrond op die aanname dat handboeke sosiale en politieke werklikhede weerspieël, ondersoek hierdie kwalitatiewe studie die voorstellingspraktyke in Nederlandse, Vlaamse en Afrikaanse taalhandboeke. 'n Kritiese diskoersanaliseontwerp, ondersteun deur 'n tematiese analise en fokusgroepbesprekings, word aangewend om die visuele materiaal in een handboekreeks van elk van die drie gemeenskappe te ondersoek. Ter aanvang word die drie Dietse tale se moontlike invloed op mekaar, ook ten opsigte van diversiteit, bespreek. Die teoretiese begronding is geanker in die veld van houding-, kultuur- en visuele studies. Die kennisbasis aangaande handboekvoorstellings in die onderskeie gemeenskappe word ontgin. Die bevindinge word as indikators van die fokusgroepbesprekings in die drie tersaaklike gemeenskappe, sowel as 'n tematiese analise van die visuele voorstellings in die handboeke aangebied. Daar is in die Nederlandse en Vlaamse data stereotipering gevind. Die bevindinge toon dat die visuele materiaal in die Nederlandse data as ideologiese retoriek van die dominante wit groep dien, wat die 'ander' as problematies, arm en 'anders' voorstel. Die Vlaamse reeks toon enkele voorbeelde van kulturele uitsluiting, maar gebruik ook teensimbole om self-refleksiwiteit onder leerders aan te moedig – wat outomatiese stereotipering teenwerk. As gevolg van Afrikaans se politiese verlede oorbeklemtoon die Afrikaanse handboeke 'n utopiese ‘nuwe Suid-Afrika’ waar ras en verskil non-issues is. Geen tekens van apartheidmeestersimbole kon in die Afrikaanse handboeke gevind word nie en Afrikaans as witmanstaal is in 'n groot mate gedemitologiseer. As gevolg van die sterk hekwagtersrol wat handboekbelanghebbendes soos die onderwysdepartement en uitgewers in Suid-Afrika speel, kan die Afrikaanse handboekdata slegs in 'n geringe mate met die Nederlandse en Vlaamse data vergelyk word. Anders as wat aanvanklik vermoed is, toon hierdie studie dat taal die belangrikste, indien nie die enigste, gemene deler tussen die drie gemeenskappe is. ENGLISH: The research goal of this study was to provide insight into the role of textbooks in the maintenance and legitimization of ethnic power relations, specifically the reproduction of cultural stereotypes informing the unstated, but effective distribution of norms, values and attitudes. Based on the assumption that textbooks serve as a mirror of the social and political order, the purpose of this qualitative study is to determine the extent to which Dutch, Flemish and Afrikaans language textbook series foster cultural stereotyping of the 'other’. Data sources for the critical discourse analysis are constituted by the visual material of one textbook series from each of the three language communities. The contextualisation includes an explanation of how the three Pan Dutch languages might influence each other, and their perspectives on diversity. The conceptual framework comprises an explication of the concepts and theories on attitude, culture and visual studies. Influential issues in the literature on textbook representation, language and identity are described in the literature study. The findings are presented as indicators derived from focus group discussions in the three countries, as well as a thematic analysis of visual representation in the textbooks. Traces of stereotyping were found in the Dutch and Flemish data. The findings show that visual material in the Dutch data serves as ideological rhetoric of the dominant white group, projecting the 'other' as problematic, poor and different. The Flemish series shows indications of cultural exclusion, but incorporates counter-symbols to encourage self-reflectivity among Flemish learners, thus countering automatic stereotyping. The Afrikaans textbooks, because of their highly politicised past, over-emphasize a utopian ‘new South Africa’ where race and difference are non-issues. No signs of apartheid master symbols could be found in the Afrikaans textbooks and Afrikaans is demythologised as a 'white' language. As a result of the controlling nature of the gatekeeping function in South Africa of the education department and textbook publishers, the Afrikaans textbook-data can be compared to the Dutch and the Flemish textbook-data to a limited extent only. This study has shown that the major characteristic the three communities share is language. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Humanities Education / unrestricted