Magister Artium - MA / Domestic violence has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. Every year, 275 million children globally are exposed to domestic violence. Witnessing domestic violence during childhood has been linked to various risks such as potential health risks, unemployment, deviant behavior, susceptibility to other subsets of family violence, various psychopathologies, as well as potential perpetration and revictimization. Boys are twice as likely to become perpetrators of abuse in adulthood if they have witnessed domestic violence in comparison to boys from nonviolent homes. Girls exposed to domestic violence were shown to be more accepting of abusive married life than girls from non-violent homes. The aim of the study was to describe the perceptions of childhood exposure to domestic violence as a predisposing factor for revictimization in adulthood. The study used a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional correlational design. The sample consisted of 77 female participants from shelters across Cape Town, Western Cape. The study employed an adapted version of The Child Exposure to Domestic Violence (CEDV) Scale. The questionnaire was divided into three sections, namely demographic details, types of exposure to domestic violence the adult may have experienced as a child, and lastly current adult experiences of domestic violence. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences V21 (SPSS). Results suggest that there is a significant positive relationship between past perceived experiences of domestic violence and present perceived experiences of domestic violence. Limitations and recommendations are stipulated for proposed intervention strategies and further study expansion on this topic

The first purpose of this study was to investigate whether different modeling conditions (Aural and Aural/Notated Transcription) produced significant differences for improvisation achievement. Another purpose was to investigate whether music learning theory-based improvisation instruction had an effect on students' self-efficacy for improvisation and for instrumental music. Participants (N = 76) from an accessible population of 6th through 8th grade instrumental music students were assigned to either an aural model group or an aural and notated transcription model group based on scores from Gordon's Harmonic and Rhythmic Readiness Records (1998). All students were administered two researcher-designed self-efficacy scales before and after a 10 treatment session music learning theory-based improvisation instruction. Following the treatment sessions, each participant was individually recorded and assessed by three experienced music educators. The posttest improvisation scores were subjected to an ANOVA, while the pretest to posttest scores of the students' self-efficacies for music improvisation and instrumental music were subjected to two repeated measures ANOVAs. The Bonferroni technique was used to adjust the alpha level from .05 to .017. The statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference in improvisation achievement for the modeling conditions of aural and aural/notated transcription. Further statistical analyses showed there were significant increases in students' self-efficacy for improvising and for instrumental music following improvisation instruction. This study's results suggest that music educators should consider using either modeling technique for improvisation learning experiences. Results also suggest that music educators may wish to consider using a music learning theory-based improvisation approach to facilitate greater confidence in improvising. Additionally, results suggest that classroom music educators may wish to consider improvisation instruction as a means for achieving greater student confidence in instrumental music. This study concludes with issues for further study.

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Fathers play a major role in their son’s lives. From teaching them how to play football to having the birds and the bees talk with them. Statistics show that a son is greatly affected by whether his father is around or not. So that leaves the question of are girls just as affected as boys are by a father’s presence? For example, what did Mulan, the movie character, have in her life that some girls do not? A rare, yet healthy bond with her father could be the very factor that affected her attitude, values, and beliefs tremendously. The Social Learning Theory and nature versus nurture ideology are used to explain how this factor could be the very difference in her overall development. Briefly discussed is the Social Learning Theory, nature versus nurture ideology, Chinese culture, Mulan’s relationship with her father and how it correlates with Mulan’s overall development.

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The purpose of this study was to explore how television influences the sexual attitudes and behaviour of adolescent girls in Mabopane Township. Though the area of adolescent sexual behaviour has been researched to a considerable degree elsewhere, there seemed to be lack of information regarding adolescent sexual behaviour and attitudes relating to Africa, especially South Africa, which inspired the researcher to embark on this study. The researcher explored the adolescent girls’ experiences using qualitative approach and in-depth individual interviews, and undertook a content thematic analysis of the textual data she gathered from girls who participated. A qualitative research design was adopted for this study as it allowed the researcher to obtain rich data from the participants. Purposive random sampling was also used to select participants. The four participants were between age 16 and 17, studying in grades 11 and 12. The results of this study indicated that adolescent girls from Mabopane Township feel that television does influence their sexual attitudes and behaviour. They also indicated that television does not display the consequences of sex, thus influencing adolescents to engage in such behaviour. Related to this was the finding that adolescents view characters on television as their role models because the latter are ‘in the limelight’, therefore enhancing the possibility of them doing what they see their role models doing. Furthermore, the participants indicated that television alone is not the only influence in their lives; other factors such as parental guidance and peer pressure also contribute to shaping their sexual attitudes and behaviours. They also indicated that frequent viewing of television is more likely to result in adolescents altering their sexual beliefs and adopting what is being done on television. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

This qualitative case study addressed the impact of administration and school leadership on teachers who encounter burnout. The purpose of this project study was to examine this phenomenon through the experiences of Grades 9-12 classroom teachers, which ultimately could reduce the amount of early retirees, reduce the amount of illnesses among teachers, and increase the enthusiasm and vitality of educators. The conceptual framework was based on Bandura's social learning theory. Interview data were collected from four high school educators using purposive sampling, through semi structured face-to-face inter-views, and were coded using a line-by-line content analysis for emergent themes. Findings included positive and negative experiences of teacher burnout, the encounter of change and flexibility, and the importance of professional collaboration. Through the findings of this study, teachers are encouraged to engage in direct coping strategies such as improving class management skills to help with a positive workday. Indirect coping strategies include participation in sports activities outside school hours. Strategies are offered for administrators to support teachers on fostering empathy, relationship building, and communication. The outcomes are beneficial to local school and district administrators to support a positive working environment for teachers in which all students can learn. Positive social change at the local level includes senior district administrators making decisions on the allocation of human and capital resources to help burned out teachers.

Within a Northeast urban school, there is little empirical evidence to indicate the effectiveness of the district professional development (PD) program. Elementary teachers at the study site reported that they encountered problems accessing professional development programs applicable to their needs. The purpose of this case study was to examine teacher perceptions of district PD programs and to discover teacher perceptions of PD best practices. Knowles' adult learning theory provided a frame of reference for this study. The research questions assessed teachers' perceptions of the format, content, and process of professional development programs and examined how teachers applied new knowledge, concepts, and skills offered in professional development training. A case study design was used to gather focus group data from a critical case sample of 6 elementary teachers who were participating in PD training or who had participated in PD within the past 3 years. Emergent themes were identified from the data. Findings were developed and validated with member checking. The findings indicated that these 6 teachers desired more involvement in planning relevant PD, greater time allocated to collaborative activities, and more grade-level customized programming. Implications for positive social change include improved district professional development opportunities that align with best teaching practices for effective student instruction and increased student achievement.

Teen dating violence and bullying are major public health concerns but are preventable. Both dating violence and bullying occur within similar social context and the prevalence of teen dating violence was highest for African American teens as reported on the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Social learning theory provides a foundation for understanding and changing behavior related to dating violence victimization and bully victimization. The research questions focused on relationships between bully and teen dating violence victimization when controlling for race/ethnicity, gender, substance abuse, age, and age of first sexual intercourse. Additionally, the potential mediating variable of spending time with a parent was tested. This was a quantitative study using archival data from Palm Beach County YRBS of 2,376 public high school students in the spring of 2013. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Chi-square, multivariate regression analysis, Conditional PROCESS, and Games Howell Post Hoc tests were conducted. Results for this study showed a relationship between race, gender, substance abuse, age, and age of first sexual intercourse and the likelihood of the co-occurrence of being a victim of teen dating violence and bullying. Additionally, spending time with a parent mediated the relationship between experiencing teen dating violence and bully victimization. This study has implications for positive social change through its potential change in the landscape of prevention programs that target teens, which may decrease victimization and improve the longevity of healthy social and intimate relationships.

Youth who are placed in the Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) program come from families with multiple risk factors. The MTFC program is based on social learning theory, which posits that youth learn from modeling those in their environment. It is unclear whether motivation for social learning decreases over time. Past research has indicated that there is an efficacious time period for treatment in the MTFC program (6 to 9 months). The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the behavior effects of remaining in treatment foster care for an extended length of time. This was measured through pre- and posttreatment scores on the Children's Functional Assessment Rating Scale (CFARS) and specific negative behaviors tracked through the Foster Parent Daily Report. Archival data were used for a sample of 34 youth placed in an MTFC program in a northwestern state. The repeated measures ANOVA results demonstrated increased scores on the CFARS from intake to exit date. Regression analysis indicated that the behaviors of arguing and defiance were observed at higher instances for youth in the MTFC program longer than 6 to 9 months. There were no significant findings related to the behavior of destructiveness/vandalism and the length of stay. The implications for social change include social workers being able to move youth out of MTFC sooner. Also, if behaviors are targeted and treated successfully as youth, then there is a decreased likelihood of the youth having negative and criminal behavior as adults.