The present study explores Rhodes students' perceptions and attitudes towards HIV/Aids issues. This study focuses on risk behaviour, stigmatisation, social perceptions and voluntary counselling and HIV testing (VCT). There is a lack of research on student attitudes, knowledge and behaviour at Rhodes University. It was therefore deemed pertinent to research this topic in that context. It was envisaged that the study would provide insights to be used in the formulation of improved strategies for HIV/Aids programs and education, ultimately impacting on the exponential increase of the pandemic in the Southern African region. A sample of six hundred and seventy five Rhodes University undergraduates completed a survey and its findings were interpreted in terms of relevant literature. A mixed methods approach using qualitative and quantitative methods was used. A focus group consisting of seven post-graduate students informed the development of the survey along with relevant literature. Four departments from the faculties of Commerce, Humanities, Science and Law were randomly sampled for the survey phase. Statistica was used to calculate descriptive statistics while the chi-square statistic was applied to examine the relationships between the variables. The findings show that the majority of students have high intention levels in planning to use preventative behaviour. However, in practise, this may not be the case. Many students feel that they belong to high or medium risk groups, as opposed to the low-risk groups. In terms of motivation levels, only sixty three percent of students are highly motivated to protect themselves from HIV/Aids and one third of respondents felt that they could not ask their partner to accompany them for an HIV/Aids test. In addition, students who had received VCT were more likely to be positive about the counselling process.

Educators play an essential role within the education system as role models. Many educators, in addition to being affected by learners living with HIV and AIDS, are themselves living with HIV and struggle to cope. SMTs have to play a role in the provision of psychosocial services. The purpose of this study was to explore the types of psychosocial services provided to ELWHIV by their SMTs in order to gain insight and understanding and to make suggestions on how psychosocial services can be improved. A qualitative study was undertaken in 2008. Fifteen interviews were conducted with ELWHIV and members of SMTs at four primary schools in Bela-Bela, Limpopo Province. The findings reveal that SMTs are failing to implement government policies and are not providing adequate support for ELWHIV. None of the participating schools had a functional AIDS policy. Support structures were found to be inadequate and ineffective. Disclosure was identified as one of the major obstacles to the provision of effective services. / Sociology / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of PhD (Community Psychology), Faculty of Arts, University of Zululand, 2008. / HIV and AIDS present a catastrophic public health threat that is reaching crisis proportions among adolescents and young adults. There is a need to educate pre adolescent female learners before they reach puberty, as females are especially at risk of contracting HIV because of the interplay of biological, economic and cultural factors. This study explored the nature and extent of the pre-adolescent female learner's knowledge, attitudes and skills regarding HIV and AIDS. An experimental research design, namely, a no-treatment group design with pre test and posttest was applied. An HIV and AIDS prevention intervention programme was designed and implemented. The objectives were to help learners acquire knowledge, attitudes and skills to make informed decisions and practice health promoting behaviours. Life skills, sex and sexuality education and HIV and AIDS as a gendered epidemic were addressed. The science and art of health education was used to frame the intervention and ensured that the learner not only received the correct message but also incorporated it into her repertoire of behaviour. The findings of the study highlighted five critical areas that were vital within an HIV and AIDS education intervention. Firstly, pre adolescent female learners were very interested in sex and sexuality and information on physiological changes during puberty must be disseminated. The issue of morality was attached to sex and sexuality and this reinforced the biopsychosocial and cultural factors that came into play. The importance of peer education was emphasised, as parents were reticent to address these issues. It was found that basic information on all dimensions of HIV and AIDS education was still a powerful tool. It was vital to incorporate more than the ABC messages and look at the social constructs of health promotion and focus on critical thinking and an education for liberation. A manual with a set of guidelines was formulated and presented to educators for use with preadolescent female learners. This would help reduce the casualties of HIV and AIDS, as early intervention would protect a vulnerable group in society.

Quantitative, descriptive research, using self-completion questionnaires, was conducted to determine the level of HIV/AIDS knowledge of the learners in Sefhare. The sample, comprising 92 learners, was selected from forms 1-3. Of the learners, 53.4% knew what HIV/AIDS stand for, but only 13.6% said AIDS is caused by HIV and only 4.5% said AIDS is an incurable disease. The ABC of protecting oneself against HIV (abstain from sex, be faithful to one sex partner, use condoms) was mentioned by merely 57.6% of the learners. The learners’ lack of knowledge should be addressed by school HIV/AIDS programmes offered at schools in Botswana. As 81.5% of the learners were willing to be tested for HIV, this service should be made available with simultaneous confidential personal HIV/AIDS education, irrespective of the HIV test results. Teachers’ and parents’ HIV/AIDS knowledge should also be updated regularly. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

The UNAIDS report on the global AIDS epidemic (2010:9-11), stated that for the estimated 33.3 million people living with HIV, sub-Saharan Africa has a staggering 22 500 000: South Africa having the highest figure of 5 600 000. The question arises: Why has HIV/AIDS spread faster in Africa than on any other continent, despite similar international strategies? The challenge in Africa is that several HIV/AIDS beliefs and misconceptions distorting management of HIV/AIDS. South African learners receive HIV/AIDS education from the school culture, community, government and the international community, whereas they should be partners in collaborative education: yet, they are not. The research finding indicated that for effective educational strategies, education managers should be aware of these different voices affecting HIV/AIDS education. Education managers should be the main voice in dealing with this menacing epidemic. Countries that have approached HIV/AIDS scientifically and speak with one voice successfully reduced their HIV/AIDS statistics. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

This study explored film as a supplementary aid in teaching adults about HIV/AIDS in the Igueben area of Edo State (Nigeria). It drew on the theory and practice of film to enhance the awareness of HIV/AIDS campaign strategies in ways that are not possible with other teaching aids. The findings of the study supported the literature, which indicates that unlike film,reading materials are not accessible to illiterate adults in rural communities. Two hundred (200) participants were used in the first approach (quantitative), while fifteen (15) illiterate adults were purposively selected from the area to participate in the second approach (qualitative). The research was undertaken within an interpretivist framwork in the sense that it was a communal process informed by participating illiterate adults, and was sensitive to the role of context (Alvermann, D.E., & Mallozzi, C.A. 2010). The study confirmed the role of film, particularly Nigerian movies, in promoting information and education on HIV/AIDS. The findings highlighted the need for on-going education about HIV/AIDS and its treatment, especially among the rural illiterate. The study, in summary established that the programmes offered by HIV/AIDS organisers (governmental and nongovernmental) would be more effective if film is included in the campaign against the disease. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

Education is a human basic right. The process of education and learning is the key to social, cultural and political participation, personal and community economic empowerment and national development. Human immunodeficiency virus and Acquired Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) represent the largest single threat to this education process. In 2004, the estimated number of people living with HIV in the Eastern Cape Province was 828 993. HIV prevalence in the Eastern Cape showed an increase from 28% in 2004 to 29, 1% in 2005, which is comparative to the overall prevalence in South Africa. Based on the research findings, school principals need training to get knowledge, managerial and counseling skills and management strategies to write, implement and monitor a school HIV and AIDS policy and how to integrate HIV and AIDS education in curriculum in all grades. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Zero new infections, zero AIDS related death and an HIV free generation is an attainable reality. But it is an attainable reality that requires the involvement of every member of the society. This is because the pandemic is touching every sector of human life. Without cure thirty years later, this calls for the world to identify their strong areas and utilize it to reach to the ultimate goal. Young people, have the power in their hands to take the world to the next level of an HIV free world. All they need is proper guidance, accurate information, enhancement of their skills for manage the pandemic. Life skills education (LSE) is an adult-led, educational platform created for young minds to get them involved in the management of the disease. LSE, focus mainly on HIV education and skills development. Some of the major skills are communication skills, negotiation skills, self esteem and interpersonal skills. These skills and others are necessary for young people in postponing the age their first sexual debut. They also come handy when negotiating safe sex, assessing their vulnerability and most importantly in decision making. Other skills such as empathy, anger management and other focus more addressing issues such as discrimination and stigmatization. Despite all the merits of this program LSE there has been a decline in the number of schools offering the approach. Most schools have been removing it from the school curriculum. This is where the research problem identified: What are the barriers of teaching LSE among teachers in the Leribe District? The research establishes the causes that have led to the exclusion of LSE. It looked into attitudes and opinions, the influence of the community on LSE. Based on the nature of the study, the mixed approach was used. This method, a combination of the qualitative and quantitative method has an advantage over the two as it has a combined effect of their strengths. Simple random selection was used for the research. The study found that lack of training and others were the major challenge faced by the LSE teachers. Recommendations were made which would help in successful re-implementation of the program. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen nuwe infeksies, geen vigsverwante sterftes en ’n MIV-vrye generasie is ’n haalbare realiteit. Dit is egter ’n haalbare realiteit wat die betrokkenheid van elke lid van die samelewing verg, aangesien die pandemie elke sektor van menslike lewe raak.By gebrek aan ’n middel teen dié siekte 30 jaar sedert dit die eerste keer aan die lig gekom het, rus die verantwoordelikheid nou op die internasionale gemeenskap om hul sterkpunte te bepaal en aan te wend om die einddoel te bereik. Jongmense hét wat dit verg om ons na die volgende vlak van ’n MIV-vrye wêreld te neem. Ál wat kortkom, is behoorlike leiding, akkurate inligting en die versterking van hul vaardighede om die pandemie te bestuur. Lewensvaardigheidsopvoeding (LVO) is ’n opvoedkundige platform onder volwasse leiding wat geskep is om jongmense by die bestuur van die siekte te betrek. LVO konsentreer hoofsaaklik op MIV-opvoeding en vaardigheidsontwikkeling. Van die belangrikste vaardighede is kommunikasie, onderhandeling, selfvertroue en interpersoonlike skakeling. Met hierdie én ander vaardighede kan jongmense hul eerste seksuele ervaring tot ’n latere ouderdom uitstel. Dit is ook nuttig in die onderhandeling van veilige sekspraktyke, die bepaling van hul eie kwesbaarheid en, bowenal, besluitneming. Ander vaardighede, soos empatie, woedebestuur, ensovoorts, konsentreer weer op kwessies soos diskriminasie en stigmatisasie. Ondanks die meriete van die LVO-program, is daar egter ’n afname in die aantal skole wat dit aanbied. Trouens, die meeste skole skrap dit uit die skoolkurrikulum. Vandaar die navorsingsprobleem wat in hierdie tesis aan bod kom: Wat verhinder onderwysers in die Leribe-distrik om LVO te onderrig? Die navorsing bepaal die oorsake vir die uitsluiting van LVO. Dit verken houdings en menings sowel as die invloed van die gemeenskap op LVO. As gevolg van die aard van die studie is ’n gemengde navorsingsbenadering gevolg. Hierdie benadering hou die voordeel in dat dit oor die sterkpunte van sowel die kwalitatiewe as kwantitatiewe metode beskik. Eenvoudige ewekansige seleksie is vir die navorsing gebruik. Die studie bevind dat ’n gebrek aan opleiding een van die hoofuitdagings is waarvoor die LVO-onderwysers te staan kom. Aanbevelings word gedoen wat sal help om die program met welslae weer in te stel.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The national Department of Education prioritised their HIV/AIDS response; implementing HIV/AIDS education within the subject Life Orientation for all phases. The study focuses on establishing how teachers perceive HIV/AIDS education since their perceptions affect effective implementation of related content. A qualitative research approach was use for data collection from a sample of 16 teachers at Kylemore High School; convenience sampling technique was used. The data collection method was semi-structured individual interviews together with qualitative content analysis. Discussions of the findings was based on the following themes: The research environment, demographic profile of the participants, career and education background of participants, the school environment and HIV/AIDS, the HIV/AIDS knowledge of participants and the concept of HIV/AIDS education. Findings indicate the different perceptions of teachers, which are impacted by various factors. Teachers were unanimous regarding the importance and needfulness of HIV/AIDS education. Recommendations were subsequently made that will influence how teachers perceive this content. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die nasionale Departement van Onderwys het hul MIV/VIGS reaksie geprioritiseer; implimentering van MIV/VIGS onderwys binne die vak Lewensorientering vir alle fases. Die studie is gefokus daarop om vas te stel hoe onderwysers MIV/VIGS onderwys bespeur, siende dat hul persepsies effektiewe implimentering van verwante inhoud affekteer. `n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering was gebruik vir data invordering van `n steekproef van 16 onderwysers by Kylemore Hoërskool, gerieflikheidsteekproefneming tegniek was gebruik. Die data invorderingsmetode was semi-gestruktureerde individuele onderhoude tesame met kwalitatiewe inhoud analise. Besprekings van die bevindinge sal gebaseer wees op die volgende temas: die navorsingsomgewing, demografiese profiel van die deelnemers, loopbaan en opvoeding agtergrond van deelnemers, die skoolomgwewing en MIV/VIGS, die MIV/VIGS kennis van deelnemers en die konsep MIV/VIGS onderwys. Bevindinge dui aan die verskillende persepsies van onderwysers, wat geimpakteer word deur verskeie faktore. Onderwysers was eenparig rakende die belangrikheid en nodigheid van MIV/VIGS onderwys. Aanbevelings was gevolglik gemaak wat `n invloed sal hê hoe onderwysers die inhoud bespeur.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / Please refer to full text to view abstract.