This research sought to discover whether minority and economically disadvantaged students are underrepresented in gifted and honors programs. Another goal was to ascertain attitudes of students and teachers currently participating in gifted and honors programs regarding: admission criteria; adequacy of teacher preparation to meet special needs of gifted and honors students; levels of needs satisfaction of gifted and honors students; perceptions of students and teachers about program modification.

The social and economic environments in which children develop are regarded as important variables which relate to academic performance. In order to support learners in achieving academically, an understanding of the role of these different variables is essential. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of additional educational support on the resilient behaviour and subsequent academic performance of adolescents in Grades 9 and 10. A sample of 117 high school adolescents was used. Schools that offer additional educational support tend, on average, to show a healthier teacher-learner relationship, more parental involvement, superior cognitive development and better study orientation. All these factors were also found to contribute to a learner’s potential to demonstrate resilient behaviour. Based on the literature study and the empirical investigation, recommendations to parents, teachers and schools have been made. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

Poverty has and will continue to precipitate enormous suffering for countless children in Zimbabwe. This study examines how the psychosocial effects of poverty affect the academic performance of the girl child. At the same time it identifies various policies and programmes designed to attenuate the negative effects of poverty on children. It is estimated that about seven out of ten families in Zimbabwe live in dire poverty because of political unrest, socioeconomic instability, economic and political sanctions, drought, environmental degradation, and HIV/AIDS. This study is informed by Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, and the humanistic perspective. A qualitative phenomenological design was used with focus group discussions, interviews and observations as data-collection instruments, with fifteen (15) Form 2 girls, six (6) teachers, and three (3) headmasters in three secondary schools in Masvingo Province. The use of the phenomenological design helped to bring to the surface deep issues, and to make the voices of the girl children heard. The Tesch’s open coding method of data analysis was used to identify themes and categories. Findings from this study revealed that the majority of the families in Zimbabwe cannot afford even the basic human needs (food and non-food items) which are necessary to sustain life, thus adversely affecting the children’s health, and their emotional, physical, moral, social and academic achievements. This study also established that the girls’ academic performance is affected by household chores/child labour, financial constraints, a lack of motivation, early marriages, and the lack of food, as well as health issues and sanitation, delinquent behaviour, child abuse, prostitution, the long distances to and from school, stigmatisation and marginalisation. This study recommends early intervention programmes for children, and the sustainable development of mining, rural and urban communities. The government, and the families, should make basic education affordable to all children, irrespective of their gender. This study also recommends that the problems be addressed by the microsystems of the school, and of the families, and the neighbourhood mesosystems (linkages) and exosystems, as well as by the macro-systems (political, ideology). Collaborative work is also needed among Zimbabweans and all stakeholders to revisit the root causes of poverty. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Poverty has and will continue to precipitate enormous suffering for countless children in Zimbabwe. This study examines how the psychosocial effects of poverty affect the academic performance of the girl child. At the same time it identifies various policies and programmes designed to attenuate the negative effects of poverty on children. It is estimated that about seven out of ten families in Zimbabwe live in dire poverty because of political unrest, socioeconomic instability, economic and political sanctions, drought, environmental degradation, and HIV/AIDS. This study is informed by Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, and the humanistic perspective. A qualitative phenomenological design was used with focus group discussions, interviews and observations as data-collection instruments, with fifteen (15) Form 2 girls, six (6) teachers, and three (3) headmasters in three secondary schools in Masvingo Province. The use of the phenomenological design helped to bring to the surface deep issues, and to make the voices of the girl children heard. The Tesch’s open coding method of data analysis was used to identify themes and categories. Findings from this study revealed that the majority of the families in Zimbabwe cannot afford even the basic human needs (food and non-food items) which are necessary to sustain life, thus adversely affecting the children’s health, and their emotional, physical, moral, social and academic achievements. This study also established that the girls’ academic performance is affected by household chores/child labour, financial constraints, a lack of motivation, early marriages, and the lack of food, as well as health issues and sanitation, delinquent behaviour, child abuse, prostitution, the long distances to and from school, stigmatisation and marginalisation. This study recommends early intervention programmes for children, and the sustainable development of mining, rural and urban communities. The government, and the families, should make basic education affordable to all children, irrespective of their gender. This study also recommends that the problems be addressed by the microsystems of the school, and of the families, and the neighbourhood mesosystems (linkages) and exosystems, as well as by the macro-systems (political, ideology). Collaborative work is also needed among Zimbabweans and all stakeholders to revisit the root causes of poverty. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The social and economic environments in which children develop are regarded as important variables which relate to academic performance. In order to support learners in achieving academically, an understanding of the role of these different variables is essential. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of additional educational support on the resilient behaviour and subsequent academic performance of adolescents in Grades 9 and 10. A sample of 117 high school adolescents was used. Schools that offer additional educational support tend, on average, to show a healthier teacher-learner relationship, more parental involvement, superior cognitive development and better study orientation. All these factors were also found to contribute to a learner’s potential to demonstrate resilient behaviour. Based on the literature study and the empirical investigation, recommendations to parents, teachers and schools have been made. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)