Friendship and peer acceptance is an important facet of any adolescent’s development. Adolescence is recognised as a period of discovering and forming one’s identity. When an adolescent has a learning impairment, it impacts on all facets of his/her life, including socially (friendships). While needing to deal with the challenges of a learning impairment as well as to functioning socially, the adolescent needs to cope with these challenges as well as form an identity. In a similar vein, when the adolescent is faced with the challenges of a learning impairment, limited cognitive and language difficulties may impact on friendship relationships. Working in a school that caters specifically for learners with learning impairments, I started wondering: what role does their individual learning impairments play in the maintenance of friendship? The purpose of this study was to gain insight and understanding into the nature of friendship amongst adolescents who have been identified as having a specific learning impairment. This study took place within a specialised high school setting where the focus is to provide support to the learner with specific learning needs. This study utilised an interpretive, qualitative research approach. This study aimed to interpret and understand what is the nature of friendship for adolescents with a specific learning impairment. The study also aimed to understand how social issues such as social comparison and self-concept is understood from the participants’ point of view and finally, to understand if the school environment within which they function play any role in the nature of friendships and how does the adolescent participant interpret this role. The research design was an instrumental case study. Data was collected from two participants by means of a one-on-one semi-structured interview and observations supported by field notes. The data collected was transcribed. The data was interpreted using a colour code for each theme identified. The findings reported indicate that the participants’ view of the self is influenced by their friends. Support and understanding in their friendships was possible as a result of trust, acceptance and understanding of how it is to be facing the challenge of learning impairments on a daily basis. The learners have found a place in the school were they can flourish both academically and socially. Socially, the challenges of learning impairments still play a role during interactions with friends. Social comparison based on physical appearance was highlighted. Self-concepts have been influenced by their learning impairment. Within the specialised school system, improved self-concepts were reported due to better academic performance and unconditional acceptance by friends and peers, despite having a learning impairment. AFRIKAANS : Vriendskap en portuur groep aanvaarding is ‘n belangrike aspek van enige adolesent se ontwikkeling. Adolesensie word erken as ‘n tydperk van ondekking en die vorming van ‘n identiteit. Wanneer ‘n adolesent ‘n leergeremdheid beleef, het dit ‘n invloed op alle fasette van hulle lewens, insluitend sosiaal (vriendskappe). Terwyl die adolesent die uitdagings van ‘n leergeremdheid moet hanteer asook sosiaal funksioneer, moet die adolesent terselftertyd die uitdaging hanteer om ‘n identiteit te vorm. Wanneer die adolesent die uitdagings van ‘n leergeremdheid hanteer, het beperkte kognitiewe en taal uitdagings ook ‘n invloed op vriendskappe. Terwyl ek by ‘n skool werk wat voorsien vir leerders met leergeremdhede het ek begin wonder: watter rol speel individuele leergeremdhede in die handhawing van vriendskappe. Die doel van die studie was om insig te verkry in die aard van vriendskap tussen adolosente wat identifiseer is as leerders met ‘n leergeremdheid. Die studie het plaas gevind in ‘n gespesialiseerde hoërskool waar die fokus val om ondersteuning te bied aan leerders met leergeremdhede. Die studie was ‘n interpretiewe, kwalitatiewe navorsings studie. Die doel van die studie was om die aard van vriendskappe tussen adolesente met leergeremdhede, te verstaan. ‘n Verdere doel van die studie was om vas te stel hoe word sosiale vergelyking en self-konsep verstaan word deur die deelnemers en laastens om vas te stel of die skoolomgewing waarin die kinders funksioneer, enige rol speel in die aard van vriendskappe. Laastens is gekyk na hoe word die rol verstaan deur die adolesente. Die navorsingsontwerp was ‘n instrumentele gevalle studie. Data was versamel vanaf twee deelnemers deur middel van een-tot-een semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude en waarnemings wat deur veldnotas ondersteun was. Die data wat versamel was is getranskribeer. Die data was interpreteer deur ‘n kleur kode wat gekoppel is aan elke tema. Die bevindinge dui aan dat die deelnemers se siening van die self beinvloed word deur hulle vriende. Ondersteuning en begrip in hulle vriendskappe is moontlik as gevolg van vertroue, aanvaarding en begrip van hoe dit voel om die uitdagings van ‘n leergeremdheid daagliks te hanteer. Die leerders het ‘n plek in die skool gevind waar hulle beide akademies en sosiaal kan floreer. Op ‘n sosiale vlak speel die uitdagings van ‘n leergeremdheid steeds ‘n rol in hulle vriendskappe. Sosiale vergelyking kom voor gebasseer op fisiese voorkoms. Self-konsepte word deur leergeremdhede beinvloed. In die gespesialiseerde skool word beter self-konsepte gerapporteer weens beter akademiese prestasie en onvoorwaardelike aanvaarding deur vriende en lede van die portuur groep, teen spyte daarvan om ‘n leergeremdheid te hê. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

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This thesis focuses on the meaning of violence within groups of Roma youth. It discusses questions regarding how they understand, verbalise and reflect on violence. Answers to these questions presented in the work are based on long-term communication with Roma teenagers visiting a low-threshold club, where I worked. Afterwards, the research was carried out outside the club, in their private space and also in a boxing club. The Roma teenagers formed a fixed group, identifying themselves with a particular Prague district. The dialogues revealed an interesting topic of "fights" among Roma groups coming from different Prague districts. The aim of the thesis is to provide answers to the questions what teenagers are actually saying when they are talking about "fighting" one another, how they assess such behaviour and what meanings it carries for them. The theoretical part presents definitional frameworks concerning the term of violence as well as the concept of physical violence appearing in different socio-scientific contexts. In literature, violence is often referred to in connection with young people, gender, masculinity, social exclusion and honour. Furthermore, this part concentrates on defining the Roma minority and outlining their situation in Prague and the Czech Republic. The theoretical and...

Magister Educationis - MEd / This study argues that not all children in the Junior Primary phase benefit from the Problem Centred Approach in mathematics that was adapted by the Research, Unit for Mathematics at the University of Stellenbosch (RUMEUS). \One of the reasons could be that not all pupils can construct their own knowledge and methods. There are the highly capable pupils who cope well with this approach. These pupils are able to solve mathematical problems with little or no teacher interaction. Then there are the average and weaker pupils who cannot solve a mathematical problem on their own. These pupils need strategies and skills to solve problems and they need the teacher to mediate these strategies and skills to them, which will help these pupils to become autonomous problem solvers. ,Working in groups can, to some extent, supplement mediation or teacher interaction. Peer group teaching can be effective, whereby pupils are placed in groups so that the more capable pupils can teach concepts or make concepts clearer to the average or weaker pupils). There is, however, the possibility that when pupils of mixed abilities are placed in groups of four there might be one pupil who might refuse to work with the group. This pupil will work on her own and will not share ideas with the other members of the group. If this happens, mediation is necessary for those pupils who cannot solve a mathematical problem on their own. The purpose of this study is to investigate how exposure to mediation can improve pupils' problem solving abilities. As directions for my research I've chosen the first six criteria of Feuerstein's Mediated Learning Experiences (MLE). The first three parameters: intentionality and reciprocity, mediation of transcendence and mediation of meaning _are conditions for an interaction to qualify as MLE. Mediation of competence and regulation of behaviour are functions of specific experiences that combine with the first three to make an adult-child interaction one of mediated learning. Mediation of sharing behaviour . can be added. Here the child and the mediator are engaged in a shared quest for structural change in the child. In addition to this, the five mechanisms of mediational teaching, i.e. process questioning; challenging or asking reasons; bridging; teaching about rules; and emphasising order, predictability, system, sequence and strategy are also used in the implementation of mediation as described by Haywood. Two methods of investigation were chosen. The pupils' problem solving abilities were studied by means of eight word sums, of which the first four word sums were done in the pre-test and the other four word sums in the post-test. After the pre-test and before the post-test there was a period of mediational teaching for the experimental group. During this period and during the post-test the control group was denied mediation. After this research, mediation was also available for the control group. Two pupils from the experimental group were then chosen for further in-depth, think-aloud, person-to-person interviews. The aim of the interviews was to determine why these pupils could not solve the problem in the pre-test, but could successfully solve the post-test question. The results of the word sums in the pre-test and the post-test were compared. The role of strategies and thinking skills is concentrated on in the results. Mediation was not equally successful in all of the four different types of problem sums. Questions one and five contained two or more numbers and here pupils tended to either plus or minus these numbers. Questions two and six also contained numbers, but this is a problem situated in a real life situation. Questions three and seven contained no numbers and questions four and eight compelled pupils to first work out a plan. Mediation was most successful in problem sums situated in a real life situation, followed by problem sums which compelled pupils to first work out a plan, and then by problem sums where there were no numbers. Mediation was least; successful in problem sums that contained two or more numbers. Analysis of these results shows that with mediation there is an improvement in the pupils' problem solving abilities; Mediation can be viewed as S-H-O-H-R, in which the human mediator (H) is interposed between the stimulus (S) and the organism (0), and between the organism and the response (R). We can argue that the Problem Centred Approach without mediation can produce individuals who are little, if at all, affected by their encounter and interaction with new situations. Due to the lack of support in the Problem Centred Approach to Mathematics, it is the aim of this mini-thesis to propose mediation as an essential component in the Problem Centred Approach to Mathematics in the Junior Primary phase.

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The problem of this study was to investigate the Adlerian concept of social interest in a peer counseling training program. The purpose of the investigation was to determine whether or not social interest of high school juniors and seniors could be impacted by a peer counseling training program.

This study used self-report of older adolescent/young adult children from a general college population to examine if violent parental conflict tactics predict the use of similarly violent tactics in the same-sex and opposite-sex peer relationships of offspring. Conflict Tactics Scale date from 256 subjects indicate that parental violence within the marital dyad is predictive of violence in both same-sex and opposite-sex peer relationships. Surprisingly high frequencies of violence were reported within parents' marriages and by subjects in their current peer relationships. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Abstract: - This Master’s Thesis explains the relevancy of sustainable marketing, sustainability, e-commerce, circular economy of recycled paper packaging in the correlation of consumer perception, consumer decision making factors towards recycling and sustainability benefits. Although the paper discusses sustainable marketing in a circular economy aspect potential in regards to recycled paper parcels, the research will mainly focus on the postal carrier company named PostNord based in Nordic countries; the paper will emphasise how the double-sealing recycled paper could increase the number of customers and sustainability ofthe company and consumer perception towards these type of packaging as a parcel. The concept of Sustainability Marketing and Consumer Behaviour has been around for awhile. Since its emergence in the 1980s, the idea has evolved. Much research has been done regarding sustainability marketing, also known as green marketing. As the world is becoming environmentally polluted, many industries propagate it, and consumers need more sustainable products and services. Due to this reason and other respective consumer needs, companiesfrom the manufacturing and service industry have made a strategy to implement short andlong-term to become sustainable companies by becoming carbon-free. Accordingly, postal carrier companies worldwide have developed various sustainable marketing strategies and technological tools to reduce carbon emissions. They simultaneously promote sustainability marketing based on consumer behaviour and perception. The research paper mainly focuses on sustainable marketing, sustainable marketing in the circular economy, and consumer perception and factors affecting consumers’ purchase intention regarding the broad applicability and benefits of double-sealing recycled paperparcels for packaging in the postal service industry. For this particular Master’s thesis paper, the research has taken PostNord as a case study and developed an alternative sustainablemarketing and consumer perspective concerning: Circular economy through the use of recycled paper parcels, organisational resource utilisation, increased current & new customer,consumer perception towards recycled paper parcels, Consumer purchase intention towardsRecycled paper parcels & E-commerce with packaging. The research paper is developed and has referred to various scholarly articles such as Escursell (2021), Kotler (2012) and several other scholars, including yearly sustainability reports of PostNord. The annual sustainability reports of PostNord have mainly focused on increasing its sustainability through technological tools, transportation systems, service and customer relations. This research paper is developed through a cross sectional research method study provided that PostNord is the case study related to using double-sealing recycled paper parcels as an alternative product to its current and potential consumers while increasing their sustainability.

Children experience life crisis and normal developmental problems. This study is aimed at highlighting the role fiction can play in assisting children in coping with certain normal life crisis and developmental problems. A discussion on the nature of the bibliotherapeutic process indicated that fiction plays a major role in the success thereof. A model was designed for the selection process of fiction for the bibliotherapeutic process. Selection criteria were established for both the reader and the reading matter. Tables were designed consisting of selection criteria for both the reader and the reading matter. Stories about life crisis relating to death and divorce, as well as normal developmental problems about fear of peer group rejection and fear of the acquirement of skills, were evaluated against these criteria. This indicates that it is possible to select the right book for the bibliotherapeutic process with children. / Information Science / M.Inf.

The quantitative study focuses on the perceptions of Nigerian adolescent students to HIV/AIDS and their attitudes to prevention methods. From the literature reviewed it was ascertained that adolescent students do have positive and optimistic perceptions of HIV/AIDS, and also adequate knowledge, but this has not translated into positive attitudes to prevention methods. The literature also indicated that peer group pressure, parental control and the mass media are some variables that probably influence adolescents’ sexual behaviour. This researcher developed the ‘Adolescent Students’ Perception of HIV/AIDS and Attitude to Prevention Methods Questionnaire’ to solicit information from the adolescent students. The results were coded and duly analysed. The results from the empirical study indicated that Nigerian adolescent students have positive perceptions regarding HIV/AIDS, as well as positive attitudes to prevention methods. Recommendations were made for curriculum experts, educators and parents based on current research methods. / Psychology of Education / Thesis (D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)