The purpose of this study is to investigate the stress experienced by teenage mothers attending school and the need for multi-faced and strength-based stress management programs. Trends of teenage pregnancy in developing and developed countries are looked at. Causes and consequences of teenage motherhood stress are also explored. One of the consequences of teenage motherhood is stress. There are programs aimed at alleviating stress of teenage motherhood. Some of these programs are evaluated. The findings of this study indicate that there is a need for multi-faced and strength-based interventions for teenage mothers. After the literature study, an empirical research was conducted to explore challenges faced by teenage mothers. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews with ten teenage mothers attending school and ten educators teaching teenage mothers. Collected data was analysed using the thematic data analysis approach. The major findings of the study include opinions that teenage mothers do not get assistance from school, home and in the community; teenage mothers are not ready for motherhood; they experience a feeling of vulnerability and poor performance at school. There is a need for educators to be trained in handling teenage mothers, as well as the need for multi-faceted and strength-based interventions. However, it was evident through empirical research that some teenage mothers cope with their lives through talking to caring parents, spending quality time with their children, having a vision, keeping themselves busy and accepting that having a child while attending school is a challenge. Lastly, conclusions from the literature study and empirical research are presented in chapter five. Recommendations for practice, the contribution of the study, limitations of the study and recommendations for further study are also detailed. Motivation for designing and implementing intervention programs is also outlined. / Thesis (MEd (Learner Support))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Intimate partner violence (IPV) as it stands today still exists in many violent cases involving intimate relationships. Intervention programs seek to address this issue, however, fails to meet their intended outcomes to reduce prevalence rates of IPV. The research study evaluated the use of a prevention program and measures its effectiveness among high school students. This study sought to explain IPV prevention programs, making it explanatory and necessitates a quantitative research design. This study used secondary data analysis to assess effectiveness of this particular prevention program. Data was collected from 130 high school students within the Inland Empire who completed pre-surveys and post-surveys. Through data analysis, the study found the prevention program was effective by increasing the high school students’ knowledge about local resources for those experiencing IPV, specifically where to go for help. Another key finding revealed a majority of the participants were able to correctly define types of relationships and communication styles. However, the prevention program does not necessarily assess for participants’ knowledge on how to address conflict in a healthy manner, as measured by questions asked within the pre-surveys and post-surveys. This is not to say this particular prevention program was not effective in some areas. Still, there is room for improvement as far as future research; collaboration with seasoned researchers, school administrators, and social workers; and policy recommendations on this topic of school-based IPV prevention programs.

This qualitative study used naturalistic methods to compare a local implementation of a state funded early intervention program (EIP) with its stated goals. A large suburban elementary school began serving academically at-risk students through small, self-contained classrooms after funding for more inclusive practices was cut from the state budget. This study took place within two fifth grade classes, situated within a non-Title I elementary school. Participants included EIP teachers, system administrators and mother/child dyads. Each participant was interviewed twice. Information from a pilot study, classroom observations, program guidelines and archival records were used to provide additional depth to interview data using recursive strategies. Data analysis procedures included constant comparison among interview data, formal and informal observations, ongoing dialogue with participants, and archival data. This research study was informed by constructivist learning theory, literature on classroom environment, parent involvement, and educational policy. Findings suggested students were placed in self-contained classrooms based on informal data, either from teachers or past educational performance, rather than formal criteria from the state department of education. Results highlighted the impact of classroom context, student-teacher relationships, and the impact of state policy at the local level. Participant satisfaction with the program was influenced by the student-teacher relationship. Two groups of students, thrivers and survivors emerged. The former were students who developed strong teacher relationships, which seemed to benefit academic performances as well as peer status. Parents and teachers of these students felt the small group EIP was beneficial. In contrast, the second group, the survivors, had less positive relationships with teachers. These students demonstrated less engagement in the classroom dialogue and expressed little understanding of their learning strengths or weaknesses. Parents of survivors described placement in the EIP self-contained as having a negative impact on their child’s achievement and self-esteem.

Energy intervention programs have gained prominence in governmental policies and development agendas as a prevailing practice of improving rural livelihoods and protecting local environment and resources in developing rural areas since early 1970s. In spite of the increasing evidences of small-scale renewable energy systems being advantageous over traditional ones towards rural sustainability, the introduction and diffusion of the new energy systems in many developing rural areas has suffered program ineffectiveness in terms of slow construction, limited utilization, and high risks of being idled or abandoned by the adopters. While there are substantial studies documenting the challenges of rural energy planning, few scholars have devoted to the processes and efficacy of the planning practice. Literature has obvious gaps between planning theory and rural energy planning practice as no prior academic efforts were uncovered to use planning theory to examine the rural energy planning practice and to provide directions to future practice. Meanwhile, literature suggests that the integration of efficacy-oriented and context-dependent principles of planning theory into the energy planning processes can contribute to the effectiveness of rural energy intervention programs. Vital to the integration is the conduct of a study that critically assesses the rural energy planning processes against the insights drawn from planning theory and then provides policy implications for bridging the gaps between theory and practice. A review of literature on energy, planning, and community development in relation to sustainability led to an evaluative framework containing 24 criteria which were aggregated into six groups of principles, i.e., equity, flexibility, efficiency, participation, continuity and reflectivity. The principles were coupled respectively focusing on the operationalization, implementation, and monitoring processes of rural energy planning. Employing a primary case study design, the researcher conducted the field study in southern China’s Hainan province to examine whether the aggregated criteria were upheld and performed in local practices. In the field research, the author collected relative information and data through interviews, surveys, secondary sources, and direct observation. The data were analyzed in a mix of inter-related qualitative and quantitative methods. Where possible, the author used triangulation to limit individual and methodological biases. Hainan’s rural energy intervention programs of introducing and diffusion renewable energy systems such as anaerobic digesters and solar heaters in developing rural areas were significant contents of the provincial eco-village program and eco-province strategy. Although the energy programs had satisfactory effectiveness sporadically in a few villages, the majority of the programs suffered from problems like slow construction, limited utilization, and high risks of being idled or abandoned by the adopters. A number of challenges were recognized and mentioned by the administrative interviewees, including financial, technical, social, cultural, institutional and other constraints that support and conform to the discussions in literature. The study advances the understandings by identifying the gaps between planning theory and local rural energy planning practice in Hainan. Specifically, the equity principle was recognized but not totally fulfilled; the flexibility principle remained contentious and singularly executed; the efficiency principle was accepted but performed without enough scrutiny; the participation principle was emphasized but challenging; the continuity principle was aware of but not compulsorily executed; and the reflectivity principle was vague and overlooked. The author further analyzes that there will be barriers at the micro, meso, and macro levels to impede the integration of planning theory into rural energy planning practice. Extending the findings to a broader discussion on planning for development projects in developing rural areas, the author highlights a number of external and internal problems that harm the program effectiveness and calls for immediate and meaningful attention to ensuring program effectiveness. Several suggestions are provided for policy reconsideration and reorientation.

Obesity has been described as a global health crisis due to the rapid increases seen worldwide (Whitlock et al., 2005; Harris et al., 2009; Yetter, 2009). The consequences of obesity are far-reaching and include the physiological and psychological implications for obese individuals, as well as the financial impact it has on both the individual and national health care. Children, especially those of minority ethnic background and lower socioeconomic status, are at increased risk for developing obesity (Yetter, 2009; Veldhuis et al., 2009). Intervention programs targeting underlying causes of childhood obesity have been developed, but little consistent success has been achieved (Summerbell et al., 2005; Sherry, 2005). One factor that could be influencing the lack of success is the stigmatization that can be felt by children taking part in intervention programs. Furthermore, many programs have targeted behavior change without determining underlying attitudes about behaviors. It is critical that effective obesity intervention programs be developed for children at high risk of developing obesity. This study used indirect messaging to address health issues related to overweight and obesity in children. An education program about animal health was presented to two groups of eight and nine year old children. The program included a combination of classroom instruction and practical application both in the classroom and at the Palm Beach Zoo with real animals. The children's attitude, knowledge, and practice of healthy behavior was measured before and after exposure to the program to evaluate its effect. It was hypothesized that learning about what being healthy entails for animals will have positive implications for the children's own health. It was found that children who participated in this study were already knowledgeable about healthy behaviors and also had overall positive attitudes towards health. However, they did not have high levels of health behavior practices. Participation in the program did not significantly improve the knowledge, attitudes, or practice of health behavior in the children. Zoos should consider designing program that specifically target increasing the practice of health behaviors in children.

På senare år har antalet slutenvårdsplatser i Sverige minskat. Detta har lett till att patienter med psykisk ohälsa själva behöver bli experter på sin sjukdom. I flera delar av landet erbjuds därför psykopedagogiska interventioner som komplement till farmakologisk behandling vid behandling av bipolär sjukdom. Interventionerna har olika struktur och innehåll, men alla syftar till att stärka patienten och ge denne verktyg för att kunna hantera sin sjukdom. Syftet med denna studie var att belysa deltagarnas erfarenheter av att ha deltagit i den psykopedagogiska interventionen som Psykiatri Södra i Stockholm erbjuder, vilka nya kunskaper de har fått och vad de har tyckt varit givande/ mindre givande. Studiens design var kvalitativ och genomfördes med hjälp av personliga intervjuer. Vi tillfrågade 25 personer vilka samtliga har deltagit i psykopedagogiska interventioner. Av dessa tackade sju ja till intervjuerna. Innehållsanalys användes som metod vid bearbetandet av intervjuerna. Resultatet visar att deltagarna hade blivit stärkta i sig själva, att de hade lärt sig att separera sig själva från sjukdomen och att de hade fått större förståelse för vad de kan göra för att förhindra uppkomsten av nya skov. Framför allt visar dock resultatet att deltagarna hade blivit en del av en grupp, det vill säga fått en känsla av sammanhang, vilket de flesta dittills hade saknat i livet. Psykiatrin har en viktig roll i att aktivt bjuda in patienter och anhöriga till psykopedagogiska interventioner. Trots att forskningen påvisar att det bara finns fördelar med psykopedagogiska interventioner, finns det alldeles för få utbildningsplatser för att täcka patienternas behov. En del av specialistsjuksköterskans roll blir att se till att psykopedagogik implementeras i den psykiatriska vården. / During the last years institutional care in Sweden has decreased, which has led to the fact that patients need to become experts on their own disorder. In several parts of the country psycho educational interventions are offered as a complement to pharmacological treatment when treating people with bipolar disorder. The intervention programs have different structures and contents, but they all aim to strengthen the patient and provide him or her with tools to manage the disease. The aim of the study was to illuminate the participants’ experiences of taking part in a psycho educational intervention program offered by Psykiatri Södra in Stockholm, what sort of new knowledge they acquired, what was good/ less good. The design of the study was qualitativeand it was performed through personal interviews. Everyone who participated in the last intervention was asked to participate in the study. The sample was based on the above, and in the end seven people accepted taking part in an interview. A qualitative content analysis was used to process the interviews. The results showed that the participants felt empowered, they had learned to separate themselves from the disease, they had a bigger understanding for what they themselves could do to prevent new relapses, but most of all they had become a part of a group, and they finally felt a sense of coherence which they previously lacked in life.  Psychiatric caregivers have an important part in actively inviting people with bipolar disorder and their relatives to psycho educational intervention programs. Even though research shows that there only are benefits in psycho educational intervention programs, there aren’t enough programs to cover all in need.  A part of the specialist nurse’s roll therefore is to implement psycho educational intervention programs in psychiatric care.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the stress experienced by teenage mothers attending school and the need for multi-faced and strength-based stress management programs. Trends of teenage pregnancy in developing and developed countries are looked at. Causes and consequences of teenage motherhood stress are also explored. One of the consequences of teenage motherhood is stress. There are programs aimed at alleviating stress of teenage motherhood. Some of these programs are evaluated. The findings of this study indicate that there is a need for multi-faced and strength-based interventions for teenage mothers. After the literature study, an empirical research was conducted to explore challenges faced by teenage mothers. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews with ten teenage mothers attending school and ten educators teaching teenage mothers. Collected data was analysed using the thematic data analysis approach. The major findings of the study include opinions that teenage mothers do not get assistance from school, home and in the community; teenage mothers are not ready for motherhood; they experience a feeling of vulnerability and poor performance at school. There is a need for educators to be trained in handling teenage mothers, as well as the need for multi-faceted and strength-based interventions. However, it was evident through empirical research that some teenage mothers cope with their lives through talking to caring parents, spending quality time with their children, having a vision, keeping themselves busy and accepting that having a child while attending school is a challenge. Lastly, conclusions from the literature study and empirical research are presented in chapter five. Recommendations for practice, the contribution of the study, limitations of the study and recommendations for further study are also detailed. Motivation for designing and implementing intervention programs is also outlined. / Thesis (MEd (Learner Support))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Energy intervention programs have gained prominence in governmental policies and development agendas as a prevailing practice of improving rural livelihoods and protecting local environment and resources in developing rural areas since early 1970s. In spite of the increasing evidences of small-scale renewable energy systems being advantageous over traditional ones towards rural sustainability, the introduction and diffusion of the new energy systems in many developing rural areas has suffered program ineffectiveness in terms of slow construction, limited utilization, and high risks of being idled or abandoned by the adopters. While there are substantial studies documenting the challenges of rural energy planning, few scholars have devoted to the processes and efficacy of the planning practice. Literature has obvious gaps between planning theory and rural energy planning practice as no prior academic efforts were uncovered to use planning theory to examine the rural energy planning practice and to provide directions to future practice. Meanwhile, literature suggests that the integration of efficacy-oriented and context-dependent principles of planning theory into the energy planning processes can contribute to the effectiveness of rural energy intervention programs. Vital to the integration is the conduct of a study that critically assesses the rural energy planning processes against the insights drawn from planning theory and then provides policy implications for bridging the gaps between theory and practice. A review of literature on energy, planning, and community development in relation to sustainability led to an evaluative framework containing 24 criteria which were aggregated into six groups of principles, i.e., equity, flexibility, efficiency, participation, continuity and reflectivity. The principles were coupled respectively focusing on the operationalization, implementation, and monitoring processes of rural energy planning. Employing a primary case study design, the researcher conducted the field study in southern China’s Hainan province to examine whether the aggregated criteria were upheld and performed in local practices. In the field research, the author collected relative information and data through interviews, surveys, secondary sources, and direct observation. The data were analyzed in a mix of inter-related qualitative and quantitative methods. Where possible, the author used triangulation to limit individual and methodological biases. Hainan’s rural energy intervention programs of introducing and diffusion renewable energy systems such as anaerobic digesters and solar heaters in developing rural areas were significant contents of the provincial eco-village program and eco-province strategy. Although the energy programs had satisfactory effectiveness sporadically in a few villages, the majority of the programs suffered from problems like slow construction, limited utilization, and high risks of being idled or abandoned by the adopters. A number of challenges were recognized and mentioned by the administrative interviewees, including financial, technical, social, cultural, institutional and other constraints that support and conform to the discussions in literature. The study advances the understandings by identifying the gaps between planning theory and local rural energy planning practice in Hainan. Specifically, the equity principle was recognized but not totally fulfilled; the flexibility principle remained contentious and singularly executed; the efficiency principle was accepted but performed without enough scrutiny; the participation principle was emphasized but challenging; the continuity principle was aware of but not compulsorily executed; and the reflectivity principle was vague and overlooked. The author further analyzes that there will be barriers at the micro, meso, and macro levels to impede the integration of planning theory into rural energy planning practice. Extending the findings to a broader discussion on planning for development projects in developing rural areas, the author highlights a number of external and internal problems that harm the program effectiveness and calls for immediate and meaningful attention to ensuring program effectiveness. Several suggestions are provided for policy reconsideration and reorientation.

Abstract This pilot study examined the efficacy of Peer Support Australia’s anti-bullying module for primary schools’. A quantitative questionnaire was used to survey 77 students from two primary schools (mean age 10.1 years) in the greater Sydney, Australia area. One school implemented the anti-bullying intervention module, Speaking Up, (intervention school) the other school did not (non-intervention school). Students completed a survey containing questions relating to bullying behaviours in their school. This questionnaire was developed from Peer Relations Assessment Questionnaire Students (PRAQ) devised by Rigby and Slee (1993). This study has provided further evidence to suggest intervention programs are effective in reducing bullying behaviours. It has quantified the assumptions made regarding the efficacy of Speaking Up as a module which reduces bullying behaviours which was the principal purpose of this study. The current study into the anti-bullying intervention module, Speaking Up, provided further evidence for the following: • students developed friendships across the year groups; • students were more inclusive of others; • students developed the skills to support target students; and • students developed the skills to report bullying behaviours. The anti-bullying intervention module, Speaking Up, was shown to: • reduce the incidence of bullying behaviours; • change attitudes towards bullying behaviours in the culture of the school; • provide greater awareness of the different types of bullying behaviours; • provide support for the longer term benefits of the intervention program. Peer Support Australia’s primary schools anti-bullying module, Speaking Up, is an effective intervention strategy supporting students to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to make a positive contribution to the creation and maintenance of a safe school environment by reducing bullying behaviours. The findings of the current study make a contribution to research already undertaken in this area.

Esta dissertação tem como objetivo analisar as novas dinâmicas que se estabelecem no trabalho docente a partir da inserção de programas de intervenção pedagógica. O trabalho também tem como objetivo examinar os âmbitos macro e microssociais para a compreensão da complexa relação existente desde a elaboração de uma determinada política pública até sua implementação. A investigação foi construída a partir do entendimento do Estado gerencialista, contexto no qual se insere a política de adoção de programas de intervenção pedagógica. Há um breve panorama histórico mundial e do contexto brasileiro, no qual se trata sobre a reestruturação do estado e as principais mudanças que passaram a existir em relação às políticas educacionais, examinando, de forma especial, a inserção da lógica do mercado na educação. O estudo conta com um exame atento do trabalho docente e das implicações que o Estado gerencialista trouxe para o exercício das professoras em sala de aula, analisando, principalmente, questões como controle, intensificação, desqualificação e requalificação. O conceito de ciclo de políticas acompanha a dissertação e é peça fundamental, pois é através dele é examinada a relação entre os contextos macro e microssociais. Tendo em vista o conceito de ciclo de políticas, houve a opção por examinar documentos do Instituto Alfa e Beto – instituição cuja metodologia havia sido adotada nas escolas estudadas –, documentos da Secretaria de Educação do Rio Grande do Sul durante o Governo Yeda Crusius (2007-2010) e a realização de entrevistas com pessoas ligadas ao Instituto Alfa e Beto e à SEC. Tais opções visaram a compreensão do contexto de influência e do contexto da produção de texto. Para a análise do contexto da prática foram feitas entrevistas com professoras, supervisoras e diretores das escolas estudadas e observações nas salas de aula. Os dados obtidos permitem verificar algumas das novas dinâmicas que se estabeleceram no trabalho docente quando da implementação de programas de intervenção pedagógica, apontando para o estabelecimento de uma nova concepção de trabalho docente, escola e educação a partir dessa política pública. / The present thesis aims at analyzing the new dynamics that settled in teacher’s work from the placing of pedagogical intervention programs. It also intends to look at the macro and micro social scopes for understanding the complex relationship from the formulation of a given public policy to its implementation. This research was built from the understanding of the managerialist State, in which the policy of pedagogical intervention programs adoption is a practice. This study also presents a brief overview of world history and the Brazilian context, in which the restructuring of the State and the main changes that have come to exist in relation to educational policies are stated, examining, in particular, the insertion of market logic in education. Moreover, it relies on a close examination of teacher’s work and the implications that the managerialist State brought to the practice of teachers in the classroom, analyzing mainly issues like control, intensification, disqualification and re-qualification. The concept of policy cycle underlies this thesis and is a vital piece, because it is through this concept that the relationship between the micro and macro social contexts is analyzed. In view of the concept of policy cycle, there was the option for researching documents from the Alfa e Beto Insitute – institution whose methodology had been adopted in schools studied –, and documents from the Education Secretariat of the Rio Grande do Sul during the Yeda Crusius Government (2007-2010) as well as conducting interviews with people connected to the Alfa e Beto Insitute and to SEC (Culture and Education Secretariat). Such options sought the understanding of the context of influence and the context of text production. And also, interviews with teachers, school directors and supervisors from the schools researched were made for the analysis of the context of practice. The data obtained allow to verify some of the new dynamics that were settled in teacher’s work when implementing pedagogical intervention programs, indicating the establishment of a new conception of teacher’s work, school and education from this public policy.