The research was undertaken to analyse and evaluate the nature and quality of interactions in multicultural primary school classrooms. Special attention was focused on the influence 25 independent variables had on the dependent variable, namely group membership. Literature indicates that warm and nurturant relationships within the family help the child to achieve independence and promote social adjustment outside the home. Literature also reveals that self-acceptance and acceptance of others are dependent on the self-concept, and that acceptability in peer groups is enhanced by characteristics such as friendliness, cooperation, emotional stability and intellectual ability. It is essential to mention that some researchers claim that within multicultural classrooms, pupils often interact in racially and culturally segregated patterns. Others maintain that no racial and cultural discrimination is evident in the choice of friends in multicultural classrooms. The empirical research was undertal<.en by administering four measuring instruments, namely own designed questionnaire, the sociogram, the self-concept scale for primary school pupils and the children's personality questionnaire to 121 standard five pupils in multicultural primary schools. The administering of these instruments was aimed at determining the influence of the independent variables on the dependent variable. The stepwise discriminant analysis method revealed that of the 25 independent variables, only six, namely family background, friendship skills, gender, scholastic achievement and personality factors E (submissive versus dominant) and Q3 (undisciplined versus controlled) contributed to the variance in group membership. The multiple discriminant function was used to determine how close the individual scores of children were, in a given friendship group. The general pattern obtained, indicated that children choose each other on the basis of similar characteristics. A point that clearly came to light, is that race and language/culture do not contribute to the variance in group membership. Children formed various friendship groups across racial and cultural lines. In view of the aforementioned findings, the researcher made recommendations on ways in which parents and teachers can create suitable teaching and learning environments for children from diverse cultural milieus. / Psychology of Education / D.Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The positioning of Stellenbosch University in a rapidly changing higher education context necessitates transformation, the promotion of diversity, and social integration among all students on campus. Although a vast variety of recruitment and support initiatives are in place to diversify the student population and to enhance student success, it is not sufficient to simply widen access for African, coloured and Indian students to Stellenbosch University. Change with regard to the institutional culture and social climate of the institution also needs to be effected. One intervention aimed at achieving this is the Listening, Living and Learning programme, promoting social change among students. The Listening, Living and Learning (LLL) programme is a senior student housing programme, and a co-curricular living-learning community, and is the first of its kind in South Africa. The students in the LLL houses are ideally a diverse group of students, learning to live together, hosting conversations with guest speakers about the theme of their house and participating in a small project. The initiative aims to develop students as agents of change. Since its establishment in 2008, the outcomes of the LLL programme have not yet been evaluated. This study is embedded in a broader programme evaluation of the LLL initiative and evaluated only one of the programme outcomes: increased levels of interaction among students in a LLL house lead to reduced stereotyping and diminished bias. All the students enrolled in LLL for 2013 (N=99) participated in the study. An applied, quantitative approach was followed. A web-based, electronic survey (Student Attitude Questionnaire) was conducted in a one-group pre-test post-test design that was completed by 79 students. The questionnaire measured tolerance towards five constructs of ‘the other’ – gender, race, language, socio-economic status and nationality. The results indicated for all five constructs – gender, language, race, socio-economic status and nationality – a change in senior students’ stereotypical and discriminatory attitudes, increasing to a more intolerant level from the pre-test to the post-test. The changes were not statistically significant. The deduction can be made that increased levels of interaction among students in a LLL house, over a five-month period, did not lead to reduced stereotyping and diminished bias. The short timespan between measurements and the adjustment, as well as developmental processes of the students, impacted the results. However, valuable information was gathered in terms of students’ interpersonal and intrapersonal development; as well as feedback on the programme content and outcome. This research study contributes, firstly, to a starting point for discussion to allow HEIs to consider learning communities as part of the co-curricular sphere in South Africa. Secondly, the research indicated the vital role learning communities play in students’ in-class and out-of-class development. Thirdly, the study highlights the need for discussion and research on the integration of curricular and co-curricular learning in South Africa, as well as the establishing of partnerships between all role players in student affairs and faculty. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Universiteit van Stellenbosch se posisie in die vinnige veranderende konteks van hoër onderwys noodsaak transformasie, bevordering van diversiteit en sosiale integrasie van alle studente op kampus. Al is ’n groot verskeidenheid werwing- en steuninitiatiewe in plek om die studentepopulasie te diversifiseer en studentesukses te bevorder, is dit nie genoeg om slegs toegang na die Universiteit van Stellenbosch vir swart, bruin en Indiër studente te vergemaklik nie. Daar moet ook veranderinge aan die institusionele kultuur en sosiale klimaat van die inrigting teweeggebring word. Een intervensie wat daarop gemik is om dit te bereik deur sosiale verandering onder studente te bevorder, is die Luister-, Leef- en Leerprogram. Die Luister-, Leef- en Leerprogram (LLL) is ’n behuisingsprogram vir senior studente en ’n ko-kurrikulêre leefgemeenskap, die eerste van sy soort in Suid-Afrika. Die studente in die LLL-huise is idealgesproke ’n diverse groep studente wat leer om saam te leef, gasheer speel vir gesprekke oor hulle huis se tema met sprekers van buite en deelneem aan ’n klein projek. Die inisiatief het ten doel om studente as veranderingsagente te ontwikkel. Sedert dit in 2008 begin is, is die uitkomste van die LLL-program nog nie geëvalueer nie. Hierdie studie is gesetel in ’n breër programevaluering van die LLL-initiatief en evalueer slegs een van die program se uitkomste: hoër vlakke van interaksie tussen studente in ’n LLL-huis lei tot die vermindering van stereotipering en bevooroordele. Al die studente wat in 2013 vir LLL ingeskryf is (N=99), het aan die studie deelgeneem. ’n Toegepaste, kwantitatiewe aanslag is gevolg. ’n Webgebaseerde, elektroniese opname (“Student Attitude Questionnaire”) is gemaak volgens ’n eengroep-voortoets-natoets-ontwerp wat deur 79 studente voltooi is. Die vraelys meet verdraagsaamheid teenoor vyf konstruksies van ‘die ander’ – geslag, ras, taal, sosio-ekonomiese status en nasionaliteit. Die resultate dui op ’n verandering in senior studente se stereotiperende en diskriminerende houdings in al vyf konstruksies – geslag, taal, ras, sosio-ekonomiese status en nasionaliteit – met ’n verhoging na ’n meer onverdraagsame vlak vanaf die voortoets na die natoets. Die veranderinge was nie statisties beduidend nie. Die afleiding kan gemaak word dat die verhoogde vlakke van interaksie tussen studente in ’n LLL-huis oor ’n periode van vyf maande nie gelei het tot verminderde stereotipering en bevooroordele nie. Die kort tydperk tussen opnames en die aanpassing sowel as die ontwikkelingsprosesse van die studente het ’n impak op die resultate gemaak. Waardevolle inligting is egter ingesamel oor studente se interpersoonlike en intrapersoonlike ontwikkeling sowel as terugvoer op die program se inhoud en uitkomste. Hierdie navorsingstudie dra eerstens by tot ’n beginpunt vir die bespreking dat inrigtings vir hoër onderwys leergemeenskappe as deel van die ko-kurrikulêre terrein in Suid-Afrika beskou. Tweedens dui die navorsing op die belangrike rol wat leergemeenskappe in studente se binne- en buiteklasontwikkeling speel. Derdens beklemtoon die studie die behoefte aan bespreking en navorsing oor die integrasie van kurrikulêre en ko-kurrikulêre leer in Suid-Afrika, sowel as die behoefte aan vennootskappe tussen alle rolspelers in studentesake en fakulteite.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of academic libraries in providing services to culturally diverse student populations. In this study the information needs and information-seeking behaviour of the culturally diverse students of the Technikon Witwatersrand were analysed. The study also tried to establish whether there are differences in information needs and information-seeking behaviour of various cultural groups. The empirical investigation was conducted by means of focus group interviews and a questionnaire survey on a sample of undergraduate students of the Technikon Witwatersrand. There were assumptions that African students have limited experience in using the academic library, have no computer and information handling skills and might have language difficulties. Therefore, the expectation was that African students might have problems in the use of the academic library. However, the results of the empirical study show that English and Afrikaans speaking students are experiencing more problems than African students. / Information Science / M.Inf.

The assumption underlying this study is that cultures differ in terms of politeness norms. Often people from different cultures approach one another in what they think is an appropriate manner and the outcome is miscommunication. This may be attributed to differing cultural norms and this study aims to examine what a sample of school learners perceive to be polite behaviour when making requests and their reasons for doing so. This study focuses on perceived politeness norms (Brown and Levinson 1978) in English across selected South African cultures. The individuals are seen as reflecting a cultural identity, using norms that they feel are appropriate in given situations. Previous researchers have endeavoured to show that politeness norms are universal, but it has emerged that this is not always the case. When people from differing language and cultural backgrounds come into contact they have to find a common ground for their interaction to be successful (Lustig and Koester 1999). Of particular interest is the way people request things, both the way they phrase their request and their reasons for phrasing it this way. In order to investigate this, twenty-nine same-sex pairs of Grade 10 learners were selected from three schools with different cultural backgrounds in Grahamstown. These learners were required to complete a Discourse Completion Test, which contained both Think-Aloud and Retrospection Procedures, while they were being audio-taped. This data was transcribed and analysed using a model that was developed and adapted to describe request strategies. This data is shown through the use of basic statistics, even though it is primarily qualitative. The data is given this qualitative dimension by looking at the factors that the co-conversants attend to. The recorded data shows that although second language speakers of English have a formula for requesting things, they are not always able to articulate why they use the request strategies they do. It appears that English first language speakers and speakers who have English as an additional language request things similarly, but the first language speakers have access to a greater variety of politeness strategies. They also attend to different contextual features. This shows that while the need to be polite seems to be universal, the expectations of the speakers will be different and while a first language speaker of English would not misinterpret the force of a given speech act, they may feel that the person who has English as an additional language is rude. Sensitivity is therefore called for in order to combat mutual negative stereotyping and misunderstandings. / KMBT_363 / Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in

This study investigates language varieties, non-verbal behaviour and language attitudes as cultural barriers which inhibit successful communication between Blacks and Indians at Durban Institute of Technology. The investigation reveals that Indians and Blacks often misunderstand each other. Sometimes these groups feel misunderstood because they use different varieties of English. To compensate for these differences, participants use non-verbal strategies. However, non-verbal behaviour is culturally determined and people tend to transfer it to intercultural situations. One finds that this transfer leads to miscommunication and negative stereotypes. Furthermore, non verbal behaviour which does not meet the politeness criteria leads to negative attitudes and strained relations amongst peers and supervisors. The study suggests these solutions: the introduction of intercultural awareness campaigns for all employees and Zulu conversational skills for all Indians. For the whole South African community, the spirit of ubuntu should be cultivated between all racial groups to foster mutual respect. / Sociolinguistics / M.A.

The importance of supervision and the influence of this relationship on the process of supervision, is often underrated. In order for this process to be implementede success-fully knowledge of the different functions including the administrative- educational- and supportive functions is of the utmost importance. It is also becoming increasingly impor-tant that note should be taken of the impact that cultural differences has on supervisor-relationships, the supervisional process and the effectivity of rendering of service as so-cial service organisations increasingly consists of diverse staff members rendering service to a diverse clientelle. This descriptive study has as goal to describe the impact of cultural differences on the practice focussing on the function of supervision and the establishment of diverse organisations and problems arising in this connection. Carefull attention will be paid as to how respondents experience cultural differences in the working environment, their problems and their opinions of how to solve these problems effectively. Conclusions and recomendations were made, which focussed on problems arising as result of cultural differences. The compilation of tentative guidelines which could be usefull in establishing supervision services with greater cultural sensitivity were given. / Social Work / M.Diac (Maatskaplike Werk-Rigting)

This study explores approaches and strategies to implement in multicultural English-medium secondary schools for the management and education of black pupils with limited proficiency in English. It attempts to identify means of enhancing and accelerating the mastery by such pupils of English at a level sufficient to support their cognitive-academic needs. An account is given of those elements of the South African education system that have contributed to the disadvantagement that such children bring to the multic,llttu'al classroom. Relevant theories of bilingual education create a theoretical context for the qualitative research that follows, in which the experiences are recorded of educators at three schools where the needs of limited-English-proficient (LEI') pupils have been addressed. Data gathering was by means of focus-group interviews. Based Oll this research, guidelines are offered to help multicultural schools design policies and implement programmes to accommodate the needs of LEP pupils. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Comparative Education)

South Africa is currently experiencing rapid social change with socio-economic deprivation, influencing the future orientation of adolescents. Research indicates that a lack of future expectations affects present behaviour−diminishing the possibility of socialisation and productivity in adulthood. The objective of this study is to assess the future perceptions of indigent adolescents. The Gestalt paradigm provided the framework for defining the study. This empirical study uses a mixed methodology design combining both the quantitative and the qualitative approaches. A crosssectional survey provided the groundwork in terms of ascertaining the degree of awareness in respect of the future orientation of indigent, urban adolescents whilst a qualitative, semi-structured, one-on-one interview provided an in-depth contextualisation of the problem. The empirical study demonstrated that, although socio-economic deprivations and pervasive social issues do influence the future orientation of adolescents in South Africa, these influences have not eradicated the indigent adolescents’ motivational striving toward a positive and productive future. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

The research was undertaken to analyse and evaluate the nature and quality of interactions in multicultural primary school classrooms. Special attention was focused on the influence 25 independent variables had on the dependent variable, namely group membership. Literature indicates that warm and nurturant relationships within the family help the child to achieve independence and promote social adjustment outside the home. Literature also reveals that self-acceptance and acceptance of others are dependent on the self-concept, and that acceptability in peer groups is enhanced by characteristics such as friendliness, cooperation, emotional stability and intellectual ability. It is essential to mention that some researchers claim that within multicultural classrooms, pupils often interact in racially and culturally segregated patterns. Others maintain that no racial and cultural discrimination is evident in the choice of friends in multicultural classrooms. The empirical research was undertal<.en by administering four measuring instruments, namely own designed questionnaire, the sociogram, the self-concept scale for primary school pupils and the children's personality questionnaire to 121 standard five pupils in multicultural primary schools. The administering of these instruments was aimed at determining the influence of the independent variables on the dependent variable. The stepwise discriminant analysis method revealed that of the 25 independent variables, only six, namely family background, friendship skills, gender, scholastic achievement and personality factors E (submissive versus dominant) and Q3 (undisciplined versus controlled) contributed to the variance in group membership. The multiple discriminant function was used to determine how close the individual scores of children were, in a given friendship group. The general pattern obtained, indicated that children choose each other on the basis of similar characteristics. A point that clearly came to light, is that race and language/culture do not contribute to the variance in group membership. Children formed various friendship groups across racial and cultural lines. In view of the aforementioned findings, the researcher made recommendations on ways in which parents and teachers can create suitable teaching and learning environments for children from diverse cultural milieus. / Psychology of Education / D.Ed. (Psychology of Education)

MCom / Department of Human Resource Management and Labour Relations / The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of workforce diversity on employee performance in a selected Higher Educational Institution in South Africa. Various legislative measures were introduced by the government in order to shape the workforce in organisations. However, these legislative measures expressly focus on compelling organisations to embrace diversity and thus not considering the business need of it and how it influences employee behavioral outcomes such as employee performance. It is upon this backdrop that this study investigated the effects of workforce diversity on employee performance in an HEI in South Africa. A cross-sectional research design was used. A random sample (n = 267) was chosen by dividing employees into homogeneous strata of academic and non-academic employees. A Workforce Diversity Questionnaire and Employee Work Performance Questionnaire were administered. The results showed a positive and significant relationship between independent variables (gender diversity, ethnic diversity and educational diversity) and the dependent variable (employee performance). The relationship between age diversity and employee performance was not significant. HEIs should introduce diversity management programs to improve the effectiveness of workforce diversity towards employee performance. Because a cross-sectional research design was employed, conclusions about causality could not be made