Magister Curationis - MCur / An increasing number of males is entering the nursing profession. The researcher in his position as a clinical supervisor at the School of Nursing at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), through informal ward rounds with student nurses in the wards, has received concerns raised by male student nurses regarding their dissatisfaction with their clinical learning. Given the paucity of literature about the experiences of males working in a profession dominated by females, the researcher embarked on this study to understand how male student nurses experienced the clinical learning environment. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the lived clinical learning experience of male student nurses during their experiential learning in the clinical setting. A descriptive phenomenological design was used. Purposive sampling was used to select participants from the second, third and fourth year of their study. Three focus group discussions, consisting of six participants per group were used to collect data. One open-ended question guided the interviews. Focus group discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was conducted by means of Colaizzi`s (1978) seven steps method of qualitative analysis. Three major themes identified focused on the experiences regarding the constraints in the learning environment, the impact on the self and social support of students working in a female dominated profession. The participants in this study were male students only, but after looking at the findings and literature, the problem of not being given opportunities to practise clinical skills in a clinical learning environment, particularly according to their level of study, is a problem that faces both male and female students. The findings indicate that male nurses do have different experiences compared to female nurses because of their masculinity, hence they are limited in the care that they can provide to female patients.

This study examined expectations teachers have of African-American male student behavior in the classroom. Responses to open-ended questions were analyzed according to the theoretical framework. Five dominant themes emerged from the individual interviews and focus group: Expectations, Experience, Teacher Preparation Programs, African-American Male Student Behavior and Perceptions. After gathering the data on the dominant theme, "Expectations," it was revealed that teachers are fully aware of the definitions of appropriate and inappropriate behaviors however when asked to reflect, it appears that some have never thought about whether they call on more males than females. Others realized that they call on males for different reasons including a strategy to control behavior. Some felt as though their expectations were the same according to gender but others felt that there are different expectations according to race. According to the dominant theme, "Experience," it was found there may be a link into the cultural connection or lack thereof, since some participants stated they were raised in predominantly white cultures and had limited experiences and interactions with African-Americans. The most significant dominant theme, "Teacher Preparation Programs," revealed how prepared teachers were after growing up in predominantly white cultures, and teaching African-American students. They did not feel prepared at all. The African-American teachers did not feel well prepared either. The dominant theme, "African-American Male Student Behavior," yielded results that male students are active, hyper, needs to be engaged and performs well behaviorally when given hands-on type activities. Lastly, the dominant theme, "Perceptions," revealed the frustrations teachers had due to lack of connection with the curriculum, teaching practices and lesson plans. The findings of this study suggest there is a great need for not only preparation programs but quality preparation programs beginning at the college level which take into account one's background and experience to use as a determining factor of what teachers expect from African-American male student behavior in the urban classroom.

Male college students' attrition has been a concern for higher education for 3 decades. This study focused on why young male college students leave postsecondary education before graduating. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences former male college students that led to their decision to leave a community college in the Southcentral United States. Research questions in this generic qualitative study were: How do men describe their experiences leading to the decision to discontinue their community college education and what supports do men perceive colleges could offer to support their decision to continue postsecondary education. Astin's theory of student involvement, Bean's industrial model of student learning, and Tinto's theory of integration served as the conceptual framework for the study. Open coding of interviews with 8 college-age men revealed 5 themes: a sense of not belonging, financial concerns, challenging timeframes in college life, personal demands and challenges, and desired campus supports. Findings and recommendations may result in positive social change by informing educators and school leaders about reasons men leave college, thereby potentially leading to targeted retention efforts. Positive social change may result from offering more support to male students, particularly focused on time management for those with off-campus jobs, creating more means to instill a sense of belonging, offering early and substantive academic advising and additional financial aid advice and resources, supporting faculty to design more engaging teaching methods, and offering exit interviews.

No description available.

Disproportionality in public school exclusionary discipline data has been documented throughout the United States, including the Commonwealth of Virginia. The literature reviewed indicates that Black male students are disproportionately excluded from school and that subjective office discipline referrals are a factor. Within subjective referrals, disruptive behaviors are the primary reasons for the referral of Black male students. The literature has investigated implicit bias as a possible cause and found that Black males were viewed as more aggressive and academically lower achieving than other subgroups. This study sought to investigate disproportionality in referrals for disruptive behavior and the possible relationships among race, gender, and academic achievement for students issued the referrals. Three years of enrollment, discipline, and academic achievement data for students in grades 3 through 8 were obtained from three Title I schools, two elementary schools and a middle school, in a high-poverty school division. A correlational, nonexperimental design was used to address two questions, was there evidence of disproportionality by race/ethnicity and/or gender in office discipline referrals for disruptive behavior? Was there a relationship among race, gender, and academic achievement for students issued those referrals? Two phases of data collection and analysis were involved, with descriptive statistics used for each phase. Results were analyzed and there were four findings: there was evidence of disproportionality by race/ethnicity, there was evidence of disproportionality by gender, there was not consistent evidence of disproportionality by race/ethnicity and gender, and there were no statistically significant relationships among race, gender, and academic achievement for students issued a referral. These findings could help researchers and educators identify and understand disproportionality in referrals for disruptive behaviors and address disproportionality in exclusionary disciplinary practices. / Doctor of Education / Disproportionality in public school exclusionary discipline data has been documented throughout the United States, including the Commonwealth of Virginia. The literature reviewed indicates that Black male students are disproportionately excluded from school and that subjective office discipline referrals are a factor. Within subjective referrals, disruptive behaviors are the primary reasons for the referral of Black male students. The literature has investigated implicit bias as a possible cause and found that Black males were viewed as more aggressive and academically lower achieving than other subgroups. This study investigated disproportionality in office discipline referrals for disruptive behavior and the relationships among the variables of race, gender, and academic achievement. A correlational, nonexperimental design was used to address two questions, was there evidence of disproportionality by race/ethnicity and/or gender in office discipline referrals for disruptive behavior? Was there a relationship among race/ethnicity, gender, and academic achievement for students issued those referrals? Three years of enrollment, discipline, and academic achievement data for students in grades 3 through 8 were obtained from three Title I schools, two elementary schools and a middle school, in a high-poverty school division. Results were analyzed and there were four findings: there was evidence of disproportionality by race/ethnicity, there was evidence of disproportionality by gender, there was not consistent evidence of disproportionality by race/ethnicity and gender, and there were no statistically significant relationships among race, gender, and academic achievement for students issued a referral.

Published Article / This research study explores how black male student teachers in their final fourth year programme at the University of Technology conceptualise the 'in loco parentis' aspect of their professional moulding. Male student teachers in their final fourth year studies are placed for a period of six months at various schools, as part of their professional preparation. Based on this phenomenon it has become important to explore how they perceive their position as male teachers in preparation against the delegated position invested in them by common law, as well as legal positive law. The researcher used the Critical Emancipatory Research (CER) approach as a transformative and liberatory mechanism to move away from the problems that are associated with being a male teacher and the abuse of power directed at learners in their care. A critical discourse analysis (CDA) was used to analyse the narratives of ten black male student teachers through in-depth interviews that were audio-taped. The ten male student teachers were based in different secondary schools in the Lejweleputswa district.

DNUR / Department of Advanced Nursing Science / See the attached abstract below