Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2008. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-59).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

This study examined the nature and prevalence of ego strength among early adolescent learners in grade nine attending an independent school. An in-depth literature review was conducted in order to explore the role and theories of ego development. Thereafter, theories and key aspects of various dimensions of adolescent development were highlighted. The empirical investigation included both quantitative and qualitative research methodology. A questionnaire was administered to one hundred and ten grade nine learners in order to obtain a broad measure of the respondents' ego and superego strength. Thereafter, two learners were selected in order to explore their experiential life worlds. The findings of the empirical investigation were compared with information that emerged from the literature study. The study was concluded by offering recommendations to parents, educators and professionals working in the field of psychology of education in empowering them in addressing the phenomenon of ego development among early adolescent learners. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

The deseg regation of schools in the post-1994 era in South Africa has led to an exodus of African children from township schools to multicultural suburban and inner city schools. This migration places African children in a multicultural school environment where the dynamics pose challenges for coping and adaptation if these children are to succeed academically. The challenge is even greater for adolescents who are also wrestling with critical developmental issues of adolescence in their quest for identity development and consolidation. Goleman (1995: 34) asserts that in order to succeed in any aspect of living, an individual requires emotional intelligence. Likewise, African adolescents who attend school in multicultural environments need to be emotionally literate to cope successfully and to adapt to the demands of the new schooling environment. In the light of this assertion, this study aimed to determine the extent to which emotional intelligence mediates the identity development of African adolescents in multicultural schools. The five domains of emotional intelligence investigated in this respect were: self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy and effective relationships. Six schools were selected for the empirical investigation: three from the townships and three from the suburbs. 226 African adolescents from suburban and 240 from township schools participated: a total of 466 participants. The findings revealed that self-awareness, empathy and effective relationships play stronger mediating roles in the identity development of African adolescents in township schools while self-regulation plays a stronger mediating role for African adolescents in suburban multicultural schools. The two groups did not, however, differ significantly regarding the mediating role of self-regulation in their identity development. Further mediating roles of emotional intelligence to the identity development of African adolescents were investigated according to gender, stage of adolescence and a preferred language for learning and teaching. Finally, a model was proposed for developing empathy among African adolescents who attend schools in suburbs. / (D.Ed. (Psychology of Education))

The research was undertaken to determine the way in which the Black adolescent forms a pupil identity. Special attention was focussed on the various relationships formed by th~ Black adolescent within and outside the school environment. Literature indicates that pupil-identity is one of a variety of identities formed. Once a positive pupil-identity is established, the adolescent is in a position to actualise himself adequately. The empirical research was undertaken by administering a questionnaire to 555 Black secondary school pupils. The questionnaire comprised four categories namely, the adolescent's relationship with the self, parents, peer-group and the school. It was found that each of the four categories showed a significant positive correlation with pupil-identity formation. As this research project could not cover all aspects of the Black adolescent, recommendations for future research have been made. / Psychology of Education / M.Ed. (Psychology of Education)

M.A. (Industrial Sociology) / Identity construction amongst the youth is a vital process as it shapes who they are and what they want to be. Rapid social change contributes a great deal to the ways people create and shape their identities. This study focuses on youth identity construction in South Africa, specifically among young people at The Zone, a shopping mall in Rosebank, Johannesburg. In South Africa much research has been done on youths mainly focusing on delinquency. There is thus a knowledge gap with regard to youth identity and the positive aspects of life. This study, therefore, aims to shed light on the positive aspects of identity construction among the youth. Previous studies on youth identity construction have shown that youth identities are constructed in a world where popular culture dominates people’s existence. The construction of youth identity at The Zone is examined by focusing on music, fashion and technology as the main elements of popular culture. The theoretical framework of this study is derived mainly from scholarly work on identity formation, popular culture and youth culture at The Zone. For this study, both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in which the following data gathering processes were applied: focus groups, semi-structured face-toface interviews, and questionnaires. The findings of the study show that identity construction amongst the youth is done through their interaction with one another as well as the images, styles and entertainment that form part of popular culture. Democratic South Africa has opened doors of choices for young people. Within certain constraints, they are able to do what they like, become who they like and explore their identities. The findings show that even though they come from different backgrounds, their aspirations to be hip and sophisticated, as dictated by popular culture, are similar.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

M.A. / The search for identity is an important developmental task during adolescence. During this period teenagers also evaluate their physical identity against existing external standards. Evaluation of the body is often done in comparison with the Western norms of beauty. These norms are however not universally attainable and can lead to negative evaluations of the body’s attractiveness, resulting in both negative evaluations of the body and body dissatisfaction, which creates concern due to the link that exists between body dissatisfaction and dieting. Diet behaviour has also been established as an etiological factor in the development of certain eating disorders. On the other hand positive evaluations of the body’s appearance and abilities are associated with higher levels of life-satisfaction. It is therefore necessary to develop interventions that could enhance female adolescents’ body evaluations, body-esteem and possibly also life-satisfaction albeit indirectly. Interventions that focused on more realistic evaluations of the self and attempted to enhance teenage girls’ self-esteem have already been implemented in the USA and Australia, but with mixed results. Existing research within the South African context that focus on female adolescents’ body evaluations, body-esteem and life-satisfaction are also limited and no studies could be found that investigated all three facets. The aims of this study were to develop and evaluate a psychosocial training programme (PTP), to enhance female adolescents’ body evaluations, body-esteem and life-satisfaction. A group of adolesscent girls (experimental group)(n = 39) participated in the PTP, while the control group (n = 33) looked at magazine photos and then answered questions about these photos. Both groups completed the following measurement scales before and after the completion of the PTP: Body evaluations (Body-Image Self-evaluation Colouring Lens, BISCL) (Gusella, Clark & van Roosmalen, 2003), body-esteem (Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults, BES) vi (Mendelson, White & Mendelson, 1996) and life-sattisfaction (Satisfaction with Life Scale,SWLS) (Diener, Emmons, Larson & Griffen, 1985). Firstly the experimental group’s mean averages on all measuring instruments were calculated before and after the completion of the PTP then compared to get an indication of the significance of differences in mean scores within the group. The programme resulted in statistically meaningful changes on al three the measured fascets. After the PTP the body evaluations of participants in the experimental group were less negative towards the form and function of their bodies (BISCL-v (p= .00) and BISCL-f (p= .00). The change in mean scores on the BES full scale (p= .003) and the subscales appearance (p= .01), attribution (p= .03) and weight (p= .00) indicated that evaluation of body- esteem was also more positive. Participants’ life-satisfaction was significantly higher after they participated in the PTP (p= .03). Effects sizes for the significance of difference in mean scores were also calculated, yielding a large effect on effect body evaluation (0.19 tot 0.20), a medium to large effect on body-esteem (0.12 tot 0.20) and medium effect on life satisfaction (0.11). These effect sizes suggest that the results also have practical significance. Secondly the mean scores of the experimental and control groups prior to and after the PTP were compared. No statistically meaningful difference was noted between the mean values of these two groups in terms of body evaluations, body-esteem or life- satisfaction. This is possibly due to the small sample size and variables such as age and ethnicity. In conclusion the psychosocial training programme shows promise as an intervention to enhance female adolescents’ body evaluations, body-esteem and life-satisfaction.

The current study examined the possibility of using cluster analysis to classify attachment styles in middle childhood. Attachment classifications were measured by looking at child coping strategies and perceived maternal behavior. The attachment classification was then tested for construct validity by examining whether it can predict adjustment outcomes in interpretable patterns. The adjustment outcomes examined were a self-reported global self-worth scale and peer-reported internalizing and externalizing behaviors measured using a Peer Nomination Inventory. The current study had 199 third through eight graders and provided evidence for the cluster analysis approach and also showed that the disorganized attachment was associated with the most adverse adjustment outcomes. That is, results showed that disorganized attachment was linked with the lowest levels of global self-worth and the highest rates of internalizing and externalizing behaviors and was significantly different from the securely attached cluster on each measure. The implications and possible underlying causes are discussed. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Many of the academic and popular treatments of hip-hop overlook the complexity of the phenomenon. Hip-hop is often portrayed solely as a source of corruption and regressive tendencies or, alternatively, as a sort of savior for otherwise marginalized individuals and source of revolutionary power. This thesis situates hip-hop between these poles and draws out its progressive and regressive aspects for analysis. Considering its vast global influence and a growing body of academic literature, hip-hop has been notably understudied in the field of psychology. Alternatively, educational theorists and practitioners have realized the power of hip-hop in revisualizing an emancipatory education that fosters critical consciousness. This project goes beyond other hip-hop education projects in that it attends more directly to the psychological phenomenon of identity. As youth develop a strong connection to social and political identity and increase their level of critical consciousness (an additional goal of this and most other hip-hop based curriculums) they are more likely to participate and have the tools to be successful at actions aimed at progressive social change. This thesis grew out of a larger project titled Moving to the Beat, a community-based multi-media endeavor that includes both the Moving to the Beat documentary film and curriculum guide. The Moving to the Beat curriculum guide strives toward the goals of emancipatory education. The film and the curriculum guide stay near the experience of hip-hop identified youth while attempting to avoid generalizations and stereotypes. Further, the developments of the film, curriculum guide, and this thesis have been guided by academic literature from a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, sociology, cultural studies, and education. The thesis focuses on two primary questions: (1) How do youth engage the Moving to the Beat curriculum guide and documentary film? (2) Do the Moving to the Beat materials facilitate the development of critical consciousness and/or social identity in youth? Two primary waves of data collection were conducted to answer these questions. At each location, Moving to the Beat was shown and an outside facilitator guided youth through the curriculum discussions and activities that centered on identity. During these workshops, multiple sources of qualitative data were collected, including participant observations, interviews, student produced lyrics, and feedback forms. These sources of data pointed to six primary themes across locations and sources of data: traditional gender roles, "everyone is all equal", "you doing you", the new hip-hop generation, development and maturity, and youth resistance. This thesis represents the first assessment of the Moving to the Beat documentary and curriculum, the results of which will be used to alter the curriculum guide and prepare it for publication.