Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Technology: Education, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2013. / This study is focused on the role of education to improve awareness of two critically important aspects of the South African situation 19 years after the first democratic elections in 1994. In the first instance, the study aims to augment the grades 10-12 Life Orientation curriculum to promote understanding and appreciation of land rights as human rights for every citizen in South Africa to address the social injustices of the past. In the second instance, the study focuses on grades 10-12 Agricultural Sciences curriculum to ensure that every learner who leaves school is in a position to care for land responsibly, and to use land productively for his or her own benefit and the benefit of others in the future. These foci have been informed by numerous interactions with people in four small communities on the Southern KwaZulu-Natal coast, who have been victims of landless as a result of the Group Areas act of 1960, and are claiming restitution for the land lost, and are required by law to make the restituted land productive. The study records first hand stories told about land ownership, landless, land claims, land restitution, and land (ab)use stories, in the form of narratives, such as autobiographies, auto-ethnographies, accounts of action research and self study. My research participants and I are the authors of our land stories. We tell our stories as a way of making the private public in the interests of a fair and just society. The forms of presentation include narratives, dialogues, playlets, literary references and critical reflections. The perspectives used include the native worldview, rurality as a dynamic, generative and variable milieu, the orality-literacy interface, the effect of oppression, and values and beliefs, customs and mores which (in)form a civil and civilised society. During the course of the study, the role of stories to reveal what is happening in the lives of those people most affected by unjust laws, and to empower them to take action in their own best interests became evident. The major role of education in land reforms cannot be overemphasized, which is why I have used what I have discovered from the many interactions with many people to inform two grades 10-12 school curricula: the grades 10-12 Life Orientation curriculum and the grades 10-12 Agricultural Sciences curriculum . / PDF Full-text unavailable. Please refer to hard copy for Full-text / D

In communities across the United States, thousands of young people leave foster care without the support of family or community. At age 18, now legally adults, young people in foster care face potentially dramatic life changes as they are terminated from foster care services because they have reached the age of ineligibility, commonly referred to as “aging out.” Although research has increased an understanding of the experiences of youth exiting the foster care system, studies focusing on their experiences while transitioning out of the foster care system and into adulthood have been largely absent in the literature. This qualitative study is an effort to address this gap in the research. Using a modified grounded theory approach, this study explores the experiences of fifteen young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, as they transition to independence after exiting the foster care system. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 young adults ages 18-24, who have aged out of the foster care system or are receiving extended youth services. Results from this study support previous findings that youth exiting the foster care system face challenges transitioning to adulthood, particularly in their efforts to learn the skills needed to function independently, gain the education and/or vocational training to gain skillful employment, and have the social and emotional support needed to help facilitate their transition. The study results indicate that 87% of the participants expressed having a caring, supportive adult in their life who has assisted them. 66% of the study participants were enrolled in post-secondary institutions and expressed the importance of placement stability to maintain school credits and supportive relationships with their teachers. Specific areas of challenge for the youth preparing to transition to independence focused on money management and daily living skills. Implications for further research, professional practice, and policy development include states incorporating tools to assess readiness for independence, addressing the barriers to education as identified in the study and exploring the impact of family involvement/support for youth exiting the foster care system.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects one out of every 68 children in the United States. The disorder is characterized by persistent deficits in social communication, social interaction, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interest, or activities that together limit and impair everyday functioning. Research has shown that the use of visual resources, such as video modeling procedures, can support individuals with ASD to acquire and maintain a variety of daily living skills leading to enhanced levels of independence. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Instruction in academic core content provides students with moderate to severe disabilities a full educational opportunity that promotes current and future options in the community and can complement acquisition of daily living skills. However, high school teachers face many challenges in balancing instructional priorities given the mission to ensure all students are college and career ready. This article describes methods for designing instruction that is relevant, meaningful, and addresses multiple priorities during academic core content instruction for high school students with moderate to severe disabilities.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the outcomes of the Independent Living Program (ILP) of former foster youths who have aged out of foster care and group care in San Bernardino County of California using an exploratory and quantitative survey design.

Eating disorders remain a phenomenon that escapes full comprehension, resulting in frustration for those who suffer from the disorders, their families, and their therapists. It is becoming increasingly necessary to describe the mechanism by which eating disorders develop, in order to effectively treat and prevent these disorders. The aim of this study was to illuminate factors that contributed to the development of eating disorders within the individual contexts of the lives of the participants, as well as how those factors interacted in context to culminate in the development of an eating disorder. This qualitative study was conducted from an interpretive perspective. The findings show how individual contextual factors interact to produce a marked fear of gaining weight, which is driven by fear of negative evaluation, and that the eating disorder behaviour serves specific functions that are related to coping with stress within the lives of the participants. / Psychology / M. Sc. (Psychology with specialisation in Research Consultation)

The main purpose of this study is to explore the role spirituality plays in the coping of traffic officers within the South African Traffic Services. A sample of ten traffic officers participated in the study, and data was obtained by means of open-ended questions during in-depth and semi-structured interviews. The literature review aimed to conceptualise spirituality, to conceptualise coping, and to theoretically explore the role of spirituality in the coping of traffic officers. Specific aims for the empirical study were: to gain a better understanding of how traffic officers experience the role of spirituality in coping with their role within the South African context; to provide a framework that can assist with creating an understanding of the role spirituality plays in coping as a traffic officer; and to formulate recommendations for possible future research that explores the role of spirituality in the coping of traffic officers within the discipline of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, more specifically in employee and organisational wellness, and career counselling. The research findings showed that traffic officers in the sample all utilised spirituality in the workplace to various extents, and that they exhibited adaptive coping abilities when doing so. They associated less spirituality or a lack of spirituality with weaker coping abilities. It was found that spirituality in the traffic officers is informed by a foundation of spirituality or religion, purpose to their work and life, their connection to their spiritual source, and the fruits of spirituality. Their coping ability was influenced by upbringing and background, by stressors from their work environment and by coping mechanisms. The role of spirituality in the coping of traffic officers culminated in their ability to interpret the meaning of spirituality, and then to implement spirituality in order to cope. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Thesis (MPhil (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / This research was conducted with a group of 24 Health Care workers/trainers working for an NGO, teaching Life Skills and HIV/AIDS in 24 different township schools. These trainers have been trained in an Aligned programme including SAQA Unit Standards on facilitating learning, Life Skills issues as well as HIV/AIDS. The training was based on the fact that they facilitate learning during the Life Orientation lessons, hence the integration of Life Skills and HIV/AIDS into the Life Orientation Curriculum. This programme is not a loose standing programme, but forms part of the LO Curriculum. Not only were they trained, but the result of the training was a formulated product which led to the producing of lesson plans, learning activities and worksheets for Grade R to Grade 10 in their teaching. Through this there is now a training manual for each trainer, consisting of 320 different lessons. This will form the basis of their involvement and training in each respective school, but will also create consistency and uniformity in the actual presentation of the lessons. The learners will have specific work sheets for each lesson. Any time a new trainer has to start with a different group of learners, he/she can refer to the training manual and in doing so, not lose momentum in the process of actualisation of the learning. In training the NGO Health workers, the aim is to develop their teaching strategies, adding confidence to their lesson planning and presentation. With the formalisation of this programme the Life Orientation educator is aided in his/her assessment of the learners in his/her class. This training process and self-development of the trainers aims to become a model to other NGO’s involved in similar endeavours.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Purpose of the study The purpose of the study was to find out the effectiveness of Life Orientation (LO) as a life skills programme in the school curriculum in meeting the needs and challenges of the youth. Learners from the ages of 16 to 24 in the Further Education Training (FET) sector that is, from grade 10 to 12 in the Hewu area Secondary School in Queenstown District were used as a case study. Research design A descriptive research design using a quantitative approach was used in the study. Data collection Data was collected from learners through questionnaires and from teachers through a focus group discussion. The learners and LO teachers from Ekuphumleni, Funda, Hewu, Nomphumelelo and Sovuke Sikhanye Secondary Schools were used as a study sample. Findings Almost all the learners, 90 %, found LO effective in meeting their needs and challenges. LO has helped them to resist peer pressure, saying no to negative and risky behaviour, and to cope with difficult situations like the loss of loved ones. The LO teachers as well found the programme helpful and relevant in meeting the needs and challenges of the youth. However, the LO teachers observed that although the programme was helpful and relevant, the expected attitudes and behaviour of learners contradict what the programme was offering. This disparity can be attributed to the social ills in the community, such as substance abuse, domestic violence, incest, unemployment, poverty and the negative influence of the media. Conclusion The finding of the study has shown that although the learners and LO teachers find the programme relevant and useful in addressing the needs and challenges of the learners, there are so many social ills within the community that destruct and derail the learners hence creating a disparity between what is said about the programme versus the behaviour and attitude that is displayed. This disparity calls for a discourse between teachers and parents, as well as with the community leaders, pastors and other stakeholders. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Doel van die studie Die doel van die studie was om die doeltreffendheid van Lewensoriëntering as 'n lewensvaardigheidsprogram in die skoolkurrikulum vir die behoeftes en uitdagings van die jeug, te bepaal. Leerders van die ouderdomme van16 tot 24 in die Verdere Onderwys en Opleiding (VOO) sektor vanaf graad 10 tot 12 in die Hewu area Sekondêre Skool in Queenstown-distrik is gebruik as 'n gevalle studie. Navorsingsontwerp 'n Beskrywende navorsingsontwerp met behulp van ’n kwantitatiewe benadering is gebruik in die studie. Data-insameling Data van leerders is deur middel van vraelyste ingesamel en van onderwysers deur middel van 'n fokusgroepbespreking. Die leerders en die LO-onderwysers van Ekuphumleni, Funda, Hewu, Nomphumelelo en Sovuke Sikhanye hoër skole is gebruik as 'n steekproefbevolking. Resultate Byna al die leerders, 90 % vind LOeffektief om aan hulle behoeftes en uitdagings te voldoen. LOhet gehelp om hulle groepsdruk te weerstaan, nee te sê vir negatiewe en gewaagde gedrag, en om moeilike situasies soos die verlies van geliefdes te hanteer. Die LO-onderwysers vind ook die program nuttig en relevant deurdat dit voldoen aan die behoeftes en uitdagings van die jeug. Die LO-onderwysers het egter opgemerk dat alhoewel die program nuttig en relevant is, die verwagte houdings en gedrag van leerders in teenstelling hiermee is. Hierdie teenstrydigheid kan toegeskryf word aan die maatskaplike euwels in die gemeenskap, soos dwelmmisbruik, gesinsgeweld, bloedskande, werkloosheid, armoede en die negatiewe invloed van die media. Gevolgtrekking Die bevinding van die studie het getoon dat alhoewel die leerders en LO-onderwysers die program relevant en nuttig vind in die aanspreek van die behoeftes en uitdagings van die leerders, daar so baie sosiale euwels in die gemeenskap is wat die leerders vernietig en laat ontspoor, datdat daar 'n wanverhouding tussen wat gesê is oor die program versus die gedrag en houding wat vertoon word, bestaan. Vanweë hierdie teenstrydigheid word 'n beroep gedoen vir 'n diskoers tussen onderwysers en ouers, sowel as die gemeenskapleiers, pastore en ander belanghebbendes.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1989. / Also available in print.