Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2006. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 44-06, page: 2534. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-114).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Andrews University, School of Education, 2008. / Vita. Bibliography: leaves 209-234.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education at the University of Zululand, 2004. / The present investigation consists of two objectives. The first aim is to investigate the nature of career aspirations of Black high school learners. The second aim is to find out whether learners' characteristics have an influence on their choice of a career. A questionnaire was administered to a group of 102 learners from grades ten to twelve. The findings indicate that a high percentage of respondents hold positive attitudes towards career aspiration. Results also indicate that variables such as year of study, age, gender and educational stream have no significant influence on career aspirations.

Young people learn about and interact with health and fitness through multiple pedagogical sites, including after-school programs, print and social media, fitness centers, families and peers. As such, the purpose of this dissertation was to explore the ways in which Black and Latinx youth interacted with health and fitness in an urban after-school context. To do so, a visual ethnographic approach was used over 18-months, working with youth in different ways over that time period. Data generation methods included participant observation (field notes, informal conversations), semi-structured interviews, participant-driven visual diaries and a scrapbooking project. Data analysis involved various inquiry techniques such as thinking through (affect) theory, Maggie MacLure’s interpretation of coding, and collage as analysis. Affect theory, from a new materialist and feminist lens, framed this dissertation. Using these theoretical and methodological approaches, I share three manuscripts that highlight affective flows produced at different points in the dissertation research. These involve (1) a focus on beginning to experiment with visual methods and five youth; (2) a pedagogical encounter between four youth, two fitness professionals and myself; and (3) a collage-as-analysis that held potential to de-territorialize research practices as usual. Through these manuscripts, I argue that this dissertation begins to create (non-traditional) ways to reimagine health and fitness so that all bodies (Black/Latinx youth and fitness professionals, White woman researcher, images, texts, words) come to matter for research and pedagogical practices with high school-aged youth in an urban after-school context.

The aim of this study was to investigate the causes of learner dropout in secondary schools around Johannesburg South, Gauteng Province. Twenty-seven participants from three secondary schools in Orange Farm area were purposively sampled for the study. A qualitative design was used. In-depth interviews were conducted to collect data to allow the researcher a platform to ask open-response questions and to explore the participants’ perspectives about the causes of learner dropout. The data was analysed thematically by carefully identifying and describing significant themes that emerged from educators, learners, parents, SGB chairpersons and principal’s responses to interview questions. The study revealed that teenage pregnancy, lack of parental involvement, substance abuse and peer pressure, among others, were the causes of learner dropout. The study recommends that schools put more efforts on abstinence programs, sex education and the use of contraceptives such as condoms, pills and injectables; training of educators on the management of drugs and pregnancy, and resuscitation of extra-mural activities. Recommendations for further research were made. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

The aim of this study was to investigate the causes of learner dropout in secondary schools around Johannesburg South, Gauteng Province. Twenty-seven participants from three secondary schools in Orange Farm area were purposively sampled for the study. A qualitative design was used. In-depth interviews were conducted to collect data to allow the researcher a platform to ask open-response questions and to explore the participants’ perspectives about the causes of learner dropout. The data was analysed thematically by carefully identifying and describing significant themes that emerged from educators, learners, parents, SGB chairpersons and principal’s responses to interview questions. The study revealed that teenage pregnancy, lack of parental involvement, substance abuse and peer pressure, among others, were the causes of learner dropout. The study recommends that schools put more efforts on abstinence programs, sex education and the use of contraceptives such as condoms, pills and injectables; training of educators on the management of drugs and pregnancy, and resuscitation of extra-mural activities. Recommendations for further research were made. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Thesis (MEdPsych))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: School violence is a reality in South African township schools contaminating the school environment and jeopardizing the educational process. The aim of this study is to explore adolescent learners' experience of school violence in township high schools in order to develop and recommend a school prevention intervention programme/strategy. The study is explained in the theoretical framework of the bio-ecosystemic theory where violence is discussed as a reaction and as an action that occurs through reciprocal interaction between systems and the social environment. Through this interaction, adolescent learners are exposed to individual, family, school and community risk factors which place them at risk. Literature shows that schools in the township are sites of widespread violence; and these impacts on learners‟ emotional well-being. School violence also reflects the relationship that exists between what occurs in schools and what happens in learners' homes and communities. The specific design selected for this study is a case study and is qualitative and explorative in nature. Unstructured interviews were conducted with individual learners and focus groups to gather information regarding adolescents' experiences of school violence. The data was analysed with three main themes emerging during the participants' interviews. The findings revealed that a significant number of adolescent learners in the township school have experienced some form of gender-related violence at school, and that boys are more often the perpetrators of this school violence. The findings further showed that lack of safety and class management is another cause of violence and the violent activities within the school are a symptom of the social ills of the community within which the school is situated. Conclusions drawn from the study are that school violence is a multifaceted phenomenon and, based on these findings, it is recommended that a 'whole school' and an integrated approach be taken when dealing with violence in schools. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Toenemende geweld in skole in Suid-Afrikaanse townships bederf die skoolomgewing en belemmer die opvoedkundige proses. Die doel van hierdie studie is om leerders se ervarings van geweld in hoërskole in townships te verken, ten einde 'n voorkomingsprogram/-strategie vir skole te ontwikkel en aan te beveel. Die studie gebruik die teoretiese raamwerk van die bio-ekosistemiese teorie waarbinne geweld bespreek word as 'n aksie en 'n reaksie wat plaasvind deur wedersydse interaksie tussen die sisteme en die sosiale omgewing. Hierdie interaksie kan adolessente leerders aan individuele, gesinsverwante, skool- en gemeenskapsrisikofaktore blootstel. Die studie wys dat skole in townships die ligging is van wydverspreide geweld wat 'n uitwerking het op leerders se akademiese prestasie. Dit wys ook dat geweld in skole 'n weerspieëling is van die verhouding wat bestaan tussen gebeure in die skool en gebeure in die leerders se huise en gemeenskappe. Die navorsingsontwerp vir hierdie studie is dié van 'n gevallestudie. Dit is kwalitatief en verkennend van aard. Ongestruktureerde onderhoude is met leerders en fokusgroepe gevoer om inligting rakende hulle ervarings van geweld in skole in te win. Die data is ontleed na aanleiding van drie temas wat tydens die onderhoude na vore gekom het. Die bevindinge het gewys dat 'n noemenswaardige aantal adolessente leerders in townshipskole een of ander vorm van geweld ervaar het, en dat seuns gewoonlik die aanrigters van die geweld is. Die studie het voorts gevind dat akademiese prestasie ernstig beïnvloed word deur geweld wat binne en buite die skoolgronde plaasvind, en ook dat geweld binne die skole 'n simptoom is van die sosiale euwels van die gemeenskap waarbinne die skole geleë is. Die studie se gevolgtrekking is dat geweld in skole 'n veelvlakkige fenomeen is. Die aanbeveling wat op hierdie gevolgtrekking berus is dat 'n "heel skool" geïntegreerde benadering gevolg moet word wanneer daar met geweld in skole gewerk word.

This transformative mixed-methods research study, uniquely designed as a 12-week curriculum to facilitate critical media literacy, drew upon the principles of critical pedagogy to investigate Black adolescents ‘perceptions of the impact of media on their racial identities. Responding to the high rate of media consumption among Black youth, the Critical Encounters Unit engaged 79 Black high school students in the southeast United States in examining how they made sense of their media encounters. Data on participants ‘perceptions of the role media plays in constructing Black identities and societal perceptions of Blacks were gathered through pre-post study surveys of all participants‘ self-identities and media literacy, interviews with 15 participants, 467 student journals, and 15 video observation field notes. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The purpose of this study is to investigate factors that affected the poor performance of students in Afrikaans FAL1 at grade twelve level in three schools in the Pietermaritzburg region. The critical questions addressed relate to the attitudes of learners and educators towards Afrikaans as a subject; the factors that influenced the choice of Afrikaans FAL as a subject; the influence of teacher qualification on the results; and the effect of assessment techniques on student performance. A preliminary review of related literature suggested that no research has been carried out in Pietermaritzburg with regard to Afrikaans - Second Language or in any other subject in relation to grade twelve results. This research is designed to address these gaps that exist especially with regard to research on performance in Afrikaans - Second Language in grade twelve and to expose areas of weaknesses that contribute to poor performance. Krashen's (1982) Multiple Hypothesis Theory will underpin the theoretical framework of this study. I will also draw on Cook's (1991) theory about the role motivation plays in the learning of an additional language. This study employed both qualitative and quantitative techniques for data collection. This involved the use of structured interviews and questionnaires that were administered to educators, questionnaires that were administered to learners and checklists that were filled in by the principals to indicate the level at which their schools were resourced. An interview with learners and a weeklong observation schedule with educators would have added valuable data. Data analysis was carried out with the aid of a computer package called SPSS (Statistical Packages for Social Science). Pre-coded questionnaire responses were entered into a computer spreadsheet file and sorting and statistical comparisons of responses were carried out as appropriate. The study concluded with the finding that the use of a mother tongue and its impact on the acquisition of an additional language plays a major role in performance. In addition to this, the negative attitudes of African learners towards Afrikaans also had a disastrous impact on the results in grade twelve. Thirdly, the fact that learners did not study Afrikaans - Second Language prior to entering grade 10 made it difficult to grasp the language without any grounding that is normally acquired in primary school. Furthermore, students are fixed into course streams from grade 10 and Afrikaans Second Language is forced upon them if they choose certain subject packages. Finally in spite of one of the educators not being suitably qualified to teach Afrikaans - Second Language in the secondary school they were not exposed to professional development courses. Having identified certain factors that led to the poor performance of learners in Afrikaans - Second Language at grade 12 level, I hope that this information will be useful to the subject advisors, district managers and educators to address areas of concern. My recommendations are based on language policy, and professional development of educators. In terms of language acquisition, a second language should be introduced at grade three level. Secondly, I recommended that the Department of Education support the educators of Afrikaans FAL in the form of workshops and in service training and development. I suggest further research should be carried out with African learners but in different learning environments so that a comparison could be made between the two groups. A limitation of my study has reference to research tools. 1. Afrikaans FAL [First Additional Language] is also referred to as - Afrikaans Second Language. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

Despite evidence highlighting the crucial role of principals in driving school change and creating equitable learning environments, there remains a need for more robust research and operational guidance concerning principal anti-racist leadership development and practice. Recent studies have indicated Principals were not only unprepared to lead in schools with predominantly minoritized students and unable to articulate meaningful discourse around racial equity and implement policy that would respond to racial issues, but they also had not received anti-racist leadership preparation and support. (Gooden & O’Doherty, 2015; Khalifa et al., 2016; Miller, 2021; Young et al., 2010). Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study is to partly address this issue and contribute to the existing body of research on principal anti-racist leadership development and practice. I posed the following questions to guide my research: 1. How do urban secondary school principals say they have been prepared and supported to be anti-racist leaders? 2. How, if at all, do these principals say they implemented anti-racist practices in their schools? 3. How, if at all, do these principals say it is having impact on reducing racial disparities in their schools? This study examines principal perceptions and experiences receiving preparation and support to be anti-racist leaders, and the extent to which it may be used to inform practice and pedagogy for reducing racial disparities in schools. Specifically, as six principals attempt to enact anti-racist leadership in low-income urban secondary school settings serving a majority of students of color, this study utilizes insights from Welton et al. (2018) and draws upon a significant body of literature to examine their journey, reflecting on their anti-racist leadership development, practice, and impact. This study draws on the essential nature of anti-racist leadership, which involves recognizing the significance of race within educational settings, elevating racial awareness, and actively working towards dismantling racial disparities (Aveling, 2007; Brooks & Watson, 2019; Diem & Welton, 2020; Lewis et al., 2023). It examines racial identity development and self-reflection as integral components of anti-racist leadership preparation and development, and classifies participants’ interview data according to Cross’ (1995) The Psychology of Becoming Black" (Tatum, 1997) racial identity model and Helm’s (1995) White racial identity model. The study further explores the extent to which participants engage in anti-racist leadership practices and how they say it is having impact on reducing racial disparities in schools, by referencing Welton et al.'s (2018) anti-racist leadership conceptual framework. This framework, encompassing both individual and systemic levels - attitudes, beliefs, policies, and practices - guided my investigation into informing anti-racist principal practice for reducing racial disparities in schools. The study concludes by theorizing how its findings can be used to better understand the intersection between principals’ anti-racist leadership development, practice, and impact. This study is significant because it contributes towards operationalizing Welton et al.’s (2018) anti-racist leadership conceptual framework, elucidating principal anti-racist preparation, development, and practice, and methods to accomplish it. By investigating the extent to which participants engage in anti-racist leadership practices and their impact on reducing racial disparities within schools, this research offers practical insights for advancing racial equity in predominantly Black and Brown secondary schools. Such contributions not only provide valuable guidance for current principal anti-racist leadership practices, but may also spark new thinking and approaches for further research and ongoing efforts towards systemic improvement in anti-racist educational leadership.