A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University Of Zululand, 2018 / The rapid increase in HIV/AIDS infections and its effects in families and communities are vast. Around the world, young people are at the centre of the HIV epidemic. They are at high risk for HIV/AIDS infection and are, therefore, in need of targeted interventions. As a result, South African Government has established HIV/AIDS Care and Support Program to be implemented in schools by educators. The purpose of this study is to explore educators ‘attitudes towards this HIV/AIDS Care and Support Program for high school learners in Zululand District. The study seeks to explore how educators in high schools view schools as centres of care and support for learners infected and affected by HIV/AIDS; and also explore their beliefs about HIV/AIDS Care and Support Program being implemented in schools by educators; as well as factors that affect the effective implementation of the program. The results of this study should contribute to the research in the area of Sexuality Education in schools and influence the design and the implementation of HIV/AIDS Care and Support Program in high schools. The structured interviews with ten educators from ten high schools in Zululand District, comprising of five females and five males Life Orientation educators were conducted. The results reveal that the educators have positive attitudes towards HIV/AIDS Care and Support Program. However, they believe that the implementation of the program does not form part of their responsibility as educators due to lack of expertise, time, and support from school management and parents. The study also found that factors such as lack of effective training, lack of support from school management, lack of parental involvement, as well as confidentiality, hinders the effective implementation of HIV/AIDS Care and Support Program.

Thesis (MScPhysio (Physiotherapy))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The Western Cape Education Department initiated a project that aims to provide all the learners from the province with computer access and to promote computer use in schools. Prolonged sitting in front of computers and psychosocial factors have been associated with musculoskeletal symptoms internationally. However, the impact of computer use on musculoskeletal pain among South African high school learners is yet to be determined. Objective The objective of the study was to determine whether sitting postural alignment and psychosocial factors contribute to the development of upper quadrant musculoskeletal pain in grade ten high school learners working on desktop computers. Study design An observational analytical study was performed on a sample of 104 asymptomatic high school learners. Methodology Six high schools in the Western Cape metropole were randomly selected 322 grade ten learners who are using desktop computers, were screened for upper quadrant musculoskeletal pain. Measurements at baseline were taken of the 104 asymptomatic learners, 49 girls and 55 boys. The sitting postural alignment was measured by using the Portable Posture Analysis Method (PPAM), which measured head tilt; cervical angle; shoulder pro- and retraction angle and thoracic angle in the sagittal plane. Depression and anxiety were described by using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) respectively. The exposure to computer use was described in terms of duration and frequency of daily and weekly computer use. At three and six months post baseline, the onset and area of upper quadrant musculoskeletal pain was determined by using the Computer Usage Questionnaire. Results After six months, 27 of the 104 learners developed upper quadrant musculoskeletal pain due to seated or computer-related activities. There was no difference in computer exposure between the learners who developed upper quadrant musculoskeletal pain symptoms and the learners who remained asymptomatic. An extreme cervical angle (<34.75° or >43.95°; OR 2.6; 95% CI: 1.0-6.7) and a combination of extreme cervical and thoracic angle (<63.1° or >71.1°; OR 2.19; 95% CI: 1.0-5.6) were significant postural risk factors for the development of upper quadrant musculoskeletal pain. There was a tendency for boys to be at a greater risk for upper quadrant musculoskeletal pain than the girls (OR 1.94; 95% CI: 0.9-4.9). Weight greater than 54.15kg and a depression score greater than 11 was found to be significantly associated with a poor posture (OR 3.1; 95% CI: 1.0-9.7; OR 1.02; 95% CI: 1.0-1.1). Discussion and conclusion The study concluded that poor posture, relating to extreme cervical and thoracic angles, is a risk factor for the development of upper quadrant musculoskeletal pain in high school learners working on desktop computers. South African boys were at a greater risk of developing upper quadrant musculoskeletal pain than the girls. However the study found no causal relationship between depression, anxiety and upper quadrant musculoskeletal pain among South African high school learners and computer usage.

<p>This is a study of the discourses of empowerment and disempowerment that emerge from the critical discourse analysis (CDA) of life-histories written by two classes of Grade 11 high school learners in a township school in Cape Town, South Africa. The line of argument presented by this thesis is that there are political, socio-economic, familial and institutional factors and the discourses that construct them which affect learners&rsquo / resilience.</p>

<p>This is a study of the discourses of empowerment and disempowerment that emerge from the critical discourse analysis (CDA) of life-histories written by two classes of Grade 11 high school learners in a township school in Cape Town, South Africa. The line of argument presented by this thesis is that there are political, socio-economic, familial and institutional factors and the discourses that construct them which affect learners&rsquo / resilience.</p>

Thesis (MPhil (General Linguistics))--Stellenbosch University, 2009. / This study examined the impact of SMS speak on the written school work of English first language (L1) and English second language (L2) high school learners. The general aims of the study were to establish how widespread the use of SMS language is among high school learners, and to assess whether there is any evidence of the use of features of SMS speak in the English written work of these learners. Eighty-eight learners from an English-Afrikaans dual medium school in a middle class neighborhood in the Western Cape participated in this study. The participants included 43 grade 8s and 45 grade 11s, of which 51 were English L1 speakers and 37 English L2 speakers. The participants completed questionnaires from which the frequency and volume of their SMS use was determined, as well as the features of SMS speak they reportedly use while SMSing. In addition, samples of the learners’ English written work were examined for specific features of SMS speak. These features included (deliberate) spelling errors, lack of punctuation, over-punctuation, the omission of function words, the use of abbreviation or acronyms, and the use of emoticons and rebus writing. The results of this study indicate that high school learners are avid users of SMS and/or MXit. All participants reported using features of SMS speak in their SMSes, and many reported using SMS speak in their written school work. Despite this, the samples of written work did not contain a great number of incidences of SMS speak features. It seems that the general lack of SMS speak in the written work of these learners is a result of being able to assess when it is and is not appropriate to use a certain variety of language: These learners are proficient in SMS speak and use it when chatting to friends on MXit, but they can produce written work that adheres to the formally approved standards of written high school English. That said, a number of SMS speak features were indeed present in their formal written work, which indicates that SMS speak had some impact on the written work of these learners, which could in turn be attributed to the high frequency of their SMS usage. However, not all of the non-standard features of their written English could necessarily be attributed to the influence of SMS speak; specifically some of the spelling and punctuation errors could be unrelated to SMS speak, as they have been noted in the written English of high school learners from before the advent of cellphones. The learners in this study were from a school that has a strict language policy, one which does not tolerate the use of SMS speak in written work. Seven of the teachers completed a questionnaire compiled for all teachers at the school in question. Responses to this questionnaire, especially those of the language teachers, indicated that teachers either deduct marks for features of SMS speak in written language or refuse to mark written work that does not conform to the formally approved standards that the school has set in place. It is possible that the actions of the teachers and the language policy of the school play a significant role in the lack of SMS speak features in the written language use of the learners.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This is a study of the discourses of empowerment and disempowerment that emerge from the critical discourse analysis (CDA) of life-histories written by two classes of Grade 11 high school learners in a township school in Cape Town, South Africa. The line of argument presented by this thesis is that there are political, socio-economic, familial and institutional factors and the discourses that construct them which affect learners&rsquo; resilience. / South Africa

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Background: The Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has become a global public health challenge amid the growing concern of adolescent risky sexual behaviour, influenced by biological and psycho-social factors. There is an increasing demand for adolescent sexual risk reduction interventions, especially in sub-Saharan Africa which remains the hub of HIV epidemic worldwide. Sport-based HIV prevention programme has been identified as one of the interventions, in addition to other approaches to provide young people with appropriate HIV knowledge and skills to either delay or reduce risk-taking behaviour. Despite the potential of sport-based programme for sexual risk reduction, there is limited information on how to adapt it to meet adolescent needs in terms of design, contents, and delivery. This information is necessary to provide sufficiently strong evidence to support widespread implementation of sport-based programme, especially in rural African schools. Therefore, the study aimed to measure the impact of a sport-based HIV prevention intervention in the reduction of HIV related sexual risk behaviour among rural high school learners aged 13-18. Method: The overall study design was a concurrent mixed method, utilizing both the quantitative and qualitative approach. The population for the quantitative and the qualitative studies was made up of two high schools in a predominantly “Coloured” community in Ceres. Two classes each were randomly selected from grades 8-10 in both intervention and control school. The intervention was developed through a process of focus group discussions with the Grassroot Soccer (GRS) staff and it was guided by the Social Cognitive Theory. The intervention was delivered to grade 8-10 learners by GRS peer facilitators using the GRS generation skillz curriculum that consists of 12-week sessions in the intervention school. Quantitative data were analysed with multivariate statistical techniques and qualitative data with thematic analysis approach. Results: The data that assessed the behavioural and protective factors to understand why learners in rural schools engage in risky sexual behaviour showed that about 27.2% of the learners reported being sexually active. Of the sexually active learners, 48.7% reported engaging in sex by 14 years or younger and nearly 42.2% reported multiple sexual partners with significant higher proportion of boys than girls. Nearly 55.2% of the sexually active learners reported irregular condom use and 46.3% did not use a condom at the last sexual encounter. The majority of the learners (87%) did not know their HIV status. Being male (OR = 6.60;95% C I = 1.62 – 26.84) and peer influence (OR = 3.01; 95% CI = 1.97-4.60) were the strongest predictors of reporting sexual intercourse and early sexual activities before the age 15 respectively. Though the knowledge of HIV was low, those with greater knowledge of HIV were more likely to use a condom at last the sexual encounter (OR = 1.22; 95% C I =1.03-1.44). The learners who participated in sport-based intervention were 1.43times likely to report higher self-efficacy to refuse sex compared to the control group (OR = 1.43; 95% C.I =1.07-1.92).The process evaluation indicated that the sport-based intervention was well received among the learners as it gave them free space to freely express themselves. Conclusion: The findings have shown that sport-based intervention can be successfully implemented in school and is a promising approach to reduce risks associated with risky sexual behaviour in learners. However, the quality of the programme delivery was hampered by irregular session‟s schedule and language of instruction. The process suggests for a longer exposure period and because of social-cultural diversity, learners must be provided with the ownership of the programme in schools.

Magister Educationis - MEd / The rate at which the spread of human immunodeficiency virus/auto immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is increasing in the world has brought with it the realization that the disease is more complex and extensive than imagined. The alarming increase in the rate of infection combined with the fact that researchers have not found a cure has considerable socioeconomic implications. The peculiarity of HIV/AIDS, has caused almost all countries of the world to introduce different types of intervention programmes for the youth in order to reduce or eradicate the disease. South Africa, being one of the countries in the world that has the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS, has introduced a Life Orientation Programme (LOP) into the school curriculum as a preventive measure. HIV/AIDS prevention programmes as part of the LOP are designed to increase the knowledge and skills of youths in order to adopt and maintain good sexual behaviours that can virtually eliminate the risks of becoming infected with the HIV. This study evaluates the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance and impact of LOP on the sexual behaviours of the learners in a high school in Cape Town. The study was motivated by the fact that, despite the introduction of different intervention and prevention programmes in high schools, there seems to be no significant reduction in the spread of HIV/AIDS among the youths. In order to make this evaluation worth the while, four instruments, (questionnaires, semistructured interviews, a classroom observation schedule and a test), were used in the study with the consent of the participants and the school authorities. The participants (the teachers and learners) were contacted independently by an educator who was introduced to me by the principal, so that the researcher would not influence the information provided.

D/deaf people typically are not employed, or work in menial jobs, although they have been through high1 school in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The researcher has not observed them in professional careers. However, there is no empirical evidence why the D/deaf are excluded from the formal labour market after schooling. Understanding the underlying factors influencing such observations was important. The problem manifested in unemployment in the formal labour sector, but the researcher wanted to understand the root cause of this problem in depth. The aim of the study is to explore and critically analyse the D/deaf high school learners' construction of their careers and the supports available to them in constructing and realising their career aspirations. The international literature reviewed identifies knowledge gaps concerning career construction and supportive imperatives of D/deaf high school learners. The theory of career construction by Savickas (2005) frames this study and has been used throughout to guide and inform the study. This is a descriptive qualitative case study of career construction and support (Creswell, 2013). It was conducted in two of the five schools for the Deaf in two districts of the Eastern Cape. The learners came from rural, semi-rural and semi-urban homes. The schools (rural and semirural) were purposefully selected to participate in the study. The study population includes four participant groups; the deaf learners in high school (grade 10 -12), their parents, the teachers involved in the career guidance of the learners and members of the Department of Basic Education who were responsible for career guidance in deaf high schools. The data was collected using multiple methods: focus group discussions, individual interviews and document reviews. The findings indicate that careers are constructed under adverse conditions. These lead to learners' perceptions of limited support. The challenges with learning the school curriculum was a barrier to acquiring basic skills required for their careers. The challenges include an inability to use of South African Sign Language, a critical barrier affecting communication across participants (learners, teachers, Department of Education officials and parents). This impacted on teaching, learning, support, guidance and general communication. The contextual challenges and limited support structures negatively influence the way D/deaf high school learners in the Eastern Cape Province construct their future careers, their parents, the education system and the role played by organisations of Deaf people. The study shows that careers are constructed in a context of both positive and negative influences. The combination of both the negative influences and limited supports impacts more heavily on career construction than do the positive influences. D/deaf people in the Eastern Cape have limited opportunities to obtain employment in professional occupations because of the way the education system and society prepares them for such careers. The issues of colonialism and the previous apartheid regime still influence both the education system and the South African society.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Substance abuse among adolescents is a Public Health concern globally with approximately 25 million adolescents (aged 13-15 years) who smoke tobacco, one in every ten girls and one in every five boys. In low- and middle-income countries, 14 % of girls and 18% of boys (13-15years old) are engaged in alcohol use. The Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health of 2018, reports that among the 15- to 19-year-olds, greater than a quarter were current alcohol drinkers. Cannabis (marijuana/dagga) is highly used globally with approximately 3.8% between 15 and 64 years, about 188 million people used it once or more times in 2017. The most commonly abused substances are alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis (marijuana/dagga). In South Africa, most adolescents are found in schools and the average age of drug experimentation is 12 years with early onset of use at about ten years of age.