This research was based on the development of a Personal Growth Programme to address the emotional needs of ECD practitioners dealing with vulnerable children in previously disadvantaged communities, mostly in Gauteng. Early childhood development practitioners placed emphasis on their emotional needs and the kind of interventions necessary to assist them in dealing effectively with the emotional needs of children in their care. A Personal Growth Programme was designed with the aim of stimulating and sustaining reflexive practices and emotional growth through self-exploration, role-play and sharing of experiences. Relying on semi-structured interviews, the practitioners’ evaluations of the Personal Growth Programme were presented. All agreed that the programme had benefited them as individuals and as practitioners. They reported that the most important skills they had learnt were self-knowledge and empathy with the children in their care, both of which improved their practice. Some cited how these skills had benefited not only their practice but their personal relationships with family. Some of the skills were thus cited as life-changing. Regarding the sustaining of support groups, only three groups managed to meet at least once after the personal growth programme, with the aim of discussing their work or other issues related to it. The programme therefore made a difference for individuals but its sustainability revealed less success, suggesting that sustainability needed more attention. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Psychology / unrestricted

Diploma thesis "Leisure time (current situation analysis of the content and spending the leisure time among youth in the Czech republic)" is focused on the approach of the youth to the leisure time and highlighting the importance of leisure time activities for successful personal growth. In the theoretical part, I define what the leisure time is and specify terms used for youth and education in the leisure time. I describe functions and purposes of the leisure time, the importance of the content of the leisure time, factors influencing the selection of leisure time activities and I mention some approaches used in other countries. Further I describe the development of the youth policy in the Czech republic, the role of the state in the youth policy, the legislative amendments and contextual strategic documents connected with the youth policy. In the analytic part I have used current empiric researches and analysed PISA 2003 data using SPSS. The aim is to answer three questions. How do the youth people spend their leisure time? Is there a selective approach? If yes, what are the reasons? Is there enough institutions providing leisure time activities in the Czech republic? I have also analysed state institutions and bodies related to the youth in the Czech republic and analysing all providers of...

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The phenomenal feminisation of the South African labour force since the first democratic elections in 1994 is a result of the new democratic government’s efforts to transform South African society into a just, non-discriminatory and non-sexist society. This has, however, heightened several serious psychosocial problems facing working women, especially single working mothers, as they struggle to balance work and home responsibilities. The study was undertaken, firstly, to develop a valid and reliable measuring instrument to survey the problems and pressures experienced by single mothers in management and professional occupations in South Africa and, secondly, to obtain data on single working mothers’ perceptions about the resources they believe would assist them to mitigate the negative effects of the work-home conflict. To achieve these objectives, an exploratory, sequential, mixed method design was employed within a feminist perspective: First, based on the information obtained from theoretical and empirical data about the problems and perceived support of working mothers, semistructured interviews were held with 17 women in management and professional occupations (ten women in dual-career families and seven single working mothers). Then, on the basis of the interviews, a questionnaire was developed that was piloted among 30 experts and developed according to Lawshe’s principles. This questionnaire was called the Work-Family Pressure and Support Questionnaire (W-FPSQ). It was used in conjunction with the Overall Stress Index (OSI) and the Coping Behaviour Index (CBI) to determine the relationship and effect of supportive resources and coping behaviour on the work-family pressure and stress experienced by a purposive convenience sample of 104 single and 101 dual-career mothers (n=205). For the purposes of this study, descriptive, comparative, associational and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data, using SPSS for Windows, Release 17. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), with varimax rotation, was employed to explore the internal structure and validity of the W-FPSQ, the OSI, and the CBI. The reliability of the questionnaires was determined by calculating Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for each scale of the measures. The results indicated that the three questionnaires were sufficiently reliable and valid to capture the present sample of working mothers’ experience of work-family pressures and stress and to discover the resources they perceived as supporting them in coping with work and family demands. The comparison of the 104 single working mothers with the 101 married working mothers showed that the single mothers’ mean rank scores were significantly lower than those of their married counterparts on the five support scales and on the coping behaviour scale, and significantly higher on the workfamily pressure and stress scales. The computed logistic regression model indicated that management support, organisational flexibility, time for family interaction, work-family pressure and stress were a set of variables that distinguished reliably between the single and married mothers in the sample. The study has clearly confirmed Gill and Davidson’s (2001:397) proposition that single working mothers are a ‘distinct group facing unique problems and pressures, and deserve to be recognized as such’. The problems they face as captured in this study demand a multi-pronged approach requiring organisations to provide management support, opportunities for personal growth and career development, work flexibility, time for family interaction and childcare facilities. These resources and a work-family-friendly environment will improve their work attitudes, job performance and well-being. Considering the proportion of single mothers in the society and the impact of their status on their children’s development, the issue of single working mothers and their needs deserves urgent attention. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

Multiple disabilities does not just affect the individual, it affects caregivers as well. Once a child and parent receives the diagnosis of multiple disabilities they find themselves in a new territory, a new mindset. This study is a longitudinal autoethnographic personal narrative of a mother of a child with multiple disabilities using an intimate inquiry framework. Intimate inquiry allowed me as the researcher to explore my experiences as a reflection of the culture of caregivers of children with multiple disabilities. The purpose of this research was to attempt to understand what it means to raise a child with multiple disabilities from the inside with regards to the positive and negative transformations associated with raising and educating a child with multiple disabilities while achieving personal growth. Findings from my autoethnography suggest that caregivers from all aspects of the child’s life (family, home, school, child care, medical professionals) may share similar experiences and reactions addressed in the themes I identified. While this study specifically relates to caregiving for a child with multiple disabilities, it has the potential to relate to caregivers of any nature; those caring for their children, a spouse, or a parent or other family member.

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A phenomenological study was conducted to explore and understand the personal experiences and meaning ascribed by senior leaders within a large multidisciplinary construction company. An effort was made to understand how they personally experienced leading others, what they learnt about themselves, what challenged them most, and what support, if any they had during their leadership of large-scale organisational change. The research found that there is a significant personal cost to the individual. This cost comes in terms of career, work-life balance and even reputation. It provides an opportunity to grow in self-knowledge, provided leaders are open to learn and reflect and that there is a substantive support structure both internally and externally to the organisation in order to ‘survive’. Without this malleable disposition, the already high cost escalates to the extent that it could be life threatening. In spite of the prolific literature available, the leaders claim that shareholders and most others do not understand the extreme length of time it takes to start and embed change that is sustainable. Without that understanding from the other role players, the leader carries not only the blame but also the scars of failed change. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Bereavement is an important area of research as it may result in grief reactions that lead to serious psychological and health consequences (Stroebe, Schut, & Stroebe, 2007). Positive outcomes, such as personal growth or spiritual well-being, may also transpire post-loss (Hogan & Schmidt, 2002; Paloutzian & Ellison, 1982). Though research on bereavement has grown, few studies have focused on the at-risk group of emerging adults (Hardison, Neimeyer, & Lichstein, 2005; Arnett, 2000). The current study aims to add to the bereavement in emerging adulthood literature through analyzing descriptive data and assessing the impact of type of loss (i.e., nonviolent vs. violent), religious affiliation (i.e., Affiliated/Christian vs. Unaffiliated), and religious coping on post-loss grief intensity, personal growth, and spiritual well-being among emerging adults. Although results did not support several hypotheses, findings from the current study reinforce and expand extant literature on bereavement and religiosity/spirituality in emerging adults.

<p>Lärande är enligt forskare centralt för att åstadkomma utveckling och förändring med hjälp av coaching. Av den redan bristande evidensbas som idag finns för coaching, utgörs endast en liten del av forskning om detta lärande. Med anledning av detta gjordes en studie för att undersöka yrkesverksamma coachers uppfattningar om lärandet som sker i coachingprocessen, samt deras uppfattningar om coaching som profession. Urvalet bestod av yrkesverksamma coacher, certifierade av branschorganisationen ICF. Metoden som valdes var kvalitativa intervjuer. Resultatet visar att coacherna ser lärande som essentiellt för att effekter ska kunna uppnås. Coachernas tidigare utbildning och yrkesbakgrund speglas i deras syn på yrket och de har olika uppfattningar om vad coaching är. De formella yrkeskraven och den vetenskapliga relevansen analyseras.</p>

Lärande är enligt forskare centralt för att åstadkomma utveckling och förändring med hjälp av coaching. Av den redan bristande evidensbas som idag finns för coaching, utgörs endast en liten del av forskning om detta lärande. Med anledning av detta gjordes en studie för att undersöka yrkesverksamma coachers uppfattningar om lärandet som sker i coachingprocessen, samt deras uppfattningar om coaching som profession. Urvalet bestod av yrkesverksamma coacher, certifierade av branschorganisationen ICF. Metoden som valdes var kvalitativa intervjuer. Resultatet visar att coacherna ser lärande som essentiellt för att effekter ska kunna uppnås. Coachernas tidigare utbildning och yrkesbakgrund speglas i deras syn på yrket och de har olika uppfattningar om vad coaching är. De formella yrkeskraven och den vetenskapliga relevansen analyseras.