The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a meal supplement fortified with micronutrients would, statistically, significantly improve the intelligence scores of Grade 3 and 4 learners. The data collection procedures in this study took the form of a pre-test – post-test control group design. The Paper and Pencil Games (PPG) Level 3, a standardised psychological test, was administered before and after the respondents were exposed to the meal supplements. For a treatment period of 16 weeks the experimental group received the meal supplement fortified with micronutrients and the control group the meal supplement without any added micronutrients. Data analysis took the form of statistical analysis to determine whether the meal supplements consumed by those in the experimental group could significantly contribute to improving their intelligence scores. The results indicated statistically significant increases in scores, between the pretest and post-test on the various scales of the PPG, of both the experimental and control group on the one hand, but no statistically significant differences between the two treatment groups on the post-test on the other. The null hypothesis that there are no (statistically significant) differences between the average post-test scores (V, NV, and T) of the experimental and control groups could not be rejected. However, the increase between the pre-test and post-test stanine scores of the two treatment groups has led to recommendations for further research. Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

No description available.

In the majority of schools gifted learners are given the same quantity and quality of academic work as their non-gifted classmates. In some cases gifted learners are left to look after themselves when they are done with class work or worse still, asked to teach their non-gifted classmates. Some educationists advocate for a differentiated curriculum between gifted and non-gifted learners. This study sought to establish the impact of enrichment programs to gifted Science learners. Forty gifted learners were identified and drawn equally into one of the two groups — experimental or control. These learners wrote a pre-test after which the twenty learners in the experimental group received enrichment. The forty learners then wrote the same post-test to assess their understanding of the concepts learnt. The cycle was repeated but with a different topic. Learners’ marks were compared and it emerged all twenty learners in the experimental group performed better than those in the control group. Gifted learners should therefore be given enrichment as it deepens, broadens, and sharpens their understanding of concepts. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

Problématique : Implanté en 2004 au Bénin, le programme national de prévention de la transmission du VIH de la mère à l’enfant (PTME) semble globalement bien implanté. Toutefois une enquête, en 2005, révèle certaines difficultés, particulièrement au niveau de la couverture du programme: seulement 70 à 75 % des femmes enceintes vues en consultations prénatales ont été dépistées et 33 % des 1150 femmes dépistées séropositives ont accouché suivant le protocole de PTME. En outre, d’un site à un autre, on relève une grande variation dans la couverture en termes de dépistage et de suivi des femmes enceintes infectées. Cette faiblesse dans la couverture nous a amené à questionner le contexte organisationnel dans lequel le programme est implanté. Objectif : L’objectif général de cette thèse est d’analyser l'implantation de la PTME au Bénin. Le premier objectif spécifique consiste à identifier et comprendre les enjeux reliés à la façon de rejoindre les femmes enceintes dans le cadre du dépistage. Le second consiste à comprendre le contexte d’implantation et son influence sur la mise en œuvre de la PTME. Méthodologie : Cette recherche évaluative s’appuie sur une étude de cas. Six maternités ont été sélectionnées avec le souhait de représenter les différents contextes d’organisation des services. Les données ont été collectées par observation non participante, entrevues semi-dirigées (n=41) réalisées avec des prestataires de services, analyse documentaire des rapports d’activités des maternités et par questionnaires administrés aux femmes enceintes en consultations prénatales (n=371). Résultats : Le premier article a permis d'apprécier le caractère libre et éclairé du consentement au dépistage. Une majorité des femmes enceintes, suivies dans les centres privés, ont été dépistées sans être effectivement informées de la PTME alors que les femmes fréquentant les autres maternités connaissent mieux les composantes de la PTME. Le caractère volontaire du consentement des femmes est généralement respecté sur tous les sites. Le deuxième article porte sur l'analyse de la qualité du conseil pré-test. Seulement 54% des femmes enceintes ont participé à un conseil en groupe et 80% à un conseil individuel. Dans les centres où sont dispensées des séances d'information de groupe, la qualité est meilleure que dans les centres qui dispensent un conseil individuel exclusif. Le troisième article analyse l'influence du contexte d'implantation sur la mise en œuvre du programme. Parmi les facteurs qui contribuent favorablement à la mise en œuvre on relève la proximité d’un centre de référence et la coordination des activités de PTME dans une zone géographique, la responsabilisation du prestataire dédié à la PTME, la supervision formative régulière accompagnée de séances de discussion collective et l’implication des médiatrices dans la recherche active des perdues de vues. A l’opposé, la responsabilisation des médiatrices pour la réalisation du conseil individuel et du dépistage ne favorise pas une bonne mise en œuvre de la PTME. Conclusion : Nos résultats montrent qu'il est possible de jouer sur l'organisation des services de santé dans le cadre du programme du PTME pour améliorer la façon dont le programme est implanté tant dans les centres privés que publics, sans que cela ne représente un ajout net de ressources. C'est le cas de l’amélioration de la qualité du conseil et du dépistage, de l’implantation du processus interne d’apprentissage organisationnel et de la coordination des services. / Problem: Launched in 2004 in Benin, the national program for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMCTC) of HIV appears to have been well implemented. Nevertheless, a 2005 survey revealed certain problems, particularly with respect to the program’s coverage: only 70% to 75% of pregnant women seen in prenatal consultation were screened, and only 33% of the 1,150 women found to be HIV-infected were delivered according to the PMCTC protocol. In addition, there was great variation in coverage from one site to another in terms of screening and of follow-up for infected pregnant women. This inadequate coverage raised questions about the organizational context in which the program is implemented. Objectives: The overall objective of this thesis is to analyze the implementation of the PMTCT program in Benin. The first specific objective is to identify and understand the issues related to how pregnant women are contacted as part of the screening process. The second is to understand the implementation context and its influence on how the PMTCT program is carried out. Methodology: This evaluative research is based on a case study. Six maternity units were selected in order to provide a representative sample of the different service organization settings. Data were collected through non-participant observation, semi-structured interviews (n=41) with service providers, documentary analysis of the maternity centres’ activity reports, and questionnaires administered to pregnant women at prenatal consultations (n=371). Results: The first article, whose objective was to appreciate the free and informed nature of consent to screening, revealed differences between maternity. A majority of pregnant women followed in private centres were screened without being adequately informed about the PMTCT program, whereas the women in others centres were better informed about the specifics of the program. The voluntary nature of the consent was generally respected. The second article analyzes the quality of the pre-test counselling. Only 54% of the pregnant women in our sample participated in group pre-test counselling sessions and 80% in individual counselling. In centres, which organize group information sessions, the quality is better than in centres, where counselling is provided exclusively to individuals. The third article analyzes the influence of the implementation context on how the program is carried out. Among the factors that contribute positively to implementation are: the proximity of a referral centre and the coordination of PMTCT activities within a geographic area; designating a care provider to oversee the PMTCT program; conducting regular formative supervision with group discussion sessions; and involving mediators—HIV-positive women hired by the program to provide psychological accompaniment—in actively seeking out women who have been lost to follow-up. Conversely, putting mediators in charge of individual counselling or of screening does not foster good implementation of the PMTCT program. Conclusion: Our results show that it is possible to adjust the organization of healthcare services for the PMTCT program in order to improve implementation in both the private and public sectors with no net increase in resources. This is the case for improving the quality of counselling and of screening, the implementation of the internal process of organizational learning, and the coordination of services.

<p>The study catered for empirical and metaphysical dimensions of science and IKS. The study employed a quasi-experimental design as well as a qualitative research design. Two cohorts of students from a fictitiously named &ldquo / Culture Secondary School&rdquo / have been used in this study. The list of instruments for data collection were as follows: Conceptions of Fermentation (COF) questionnaire which was used to elicit learners&rsquo / pre- and post-test conceptions of fermentation with special reference to traditional beer or &ldquo / Umqombothi&rdquo / , an Attitudes to Science (ATS) questionnaire which was used to find out the learners&rsquo / worldviews, a Science Achievement Test (SAT) which was used to assess the learners&rsquo / generalised knowledge of fermentation, a classroom observation schedule as well as a focus group interview schedule to gather additional qualitative data. All the instruments were in English with all technical and difficult terms in both English and isiXhosa (the learners&rsquo / home language). Both groups were exposed to Science/IKS-based lessons. The only difference between the two groups was that, the experimental group (E group) was exposed to a Dialogical Argumentation Teaching Model (DAIM) and the comparison group (C group) to a traditional teaching approach. The data gatherred were both analyzed in terms of qualitative and quantitative descriptions.</p>

<p>The study catered for empirical and metaphysical dimensions of science and IKS. The study employed a quasi-experimental design as well as a qualitative research design. Two cohorts of students from a fictitiously named &ldquo / Culture Secondary School&rdquo / have been used in this study. The list of instruments for data collection were as follows: Conceptions of Fermentation (COF) questionnaire which was used to elicit learners&rsquo / pre- and post-test conceptions of fermentation with special reference to traditional beer or &ldquo / Umqombothi&rdquo / , an Attitudes to Science (ATS) questionnaire which was used to find out the learners&rsquo / worldviews, a Science Achievement Test (SAT) which was used to assess the learners&rsquo / generalised knowledge of fermentation, a classroom observation schedule as well as a focus group interview schedule to gather additional qualitative data. All the instruments were in English with all technical and difficult terms in both English and isiXhosa (the learners&rsquo / home language). Both groups were exposed to Science/IKS-based lessons. The only difference between the two groups was that, the experimental group (E group) was exposed to a Dialogical Argumentation Teaching Model (DAIM) and the comparison group (C group) to a traditional teaching approach. The data gatherred were both analyzed in terms of qualitative and quantitative descriptions.</p>

Problématique : Implanté en 2004 au Bénin, le programme national de prévention de la transmission du VIH de la mère à l’enfant (PTME) semble globalement bien implanté. Toutefois une enquête, en 2005, révèle certaines difficultés, particulièrement au niveau de la couverture du programme: seulement 70 à 75 % des femmes enceintes vues en consultations prénatales ont été dépistées et 33 % des 1150 femmes dépistées séropositives ont accouché suivant le protocole de PTME. En outre, d’un site à un autre, on relève une grande variation dans la couverture en termes de dépistage et de suivi des femmes enceintes infectées. Cette faiblesse dans la couverture nous a amené à questionner le contexte organisationnel dans lequel le programme est implanté. Objectif : L’objectif général de cette thèse est d’analyser l'implantation de la PTME au Bénin. Le premier objectif spécifique consiste à identifier et comprendre les enjeux reliés à la façon de rejoindre les femmes enceintes dans le cadre du dépistage. Le second consiste à comprendre le contexte d’implantation et son influence sur la mise en œuvre de la PTME. Méthodologie : Cette recherche évaluative s’appuie sur une étude de cas. Six maternités ont été sélectionnées avec le souhait de représenter les différents contextes d’organisation des services. Les données ont été collectées par observation non participante, entrevues semi-dirigées (n=41) réalisées avec des prestataires de services, analyse documentaire des rapports d’activités des maternités et par questionnaires administrés aux femmes enceintes en consultations prénatales (n=371). Résultats : Le premier article a permis d'apprécier le caractère libre et éclairé du consentement au dépistage. Une majorité des femmes enceintes, suivies dans les centres privés, ont été dépistées sans être effectivement informées de la PTME alors que les femmes fréquentant les autres maternités connaissent mieux les composantes de la PTME. Le caractère volontaire du consentement des femmes est généralement respecté sur tous les sites. Le deuxième article porte sur l'analyse de la qualité du conseil pré-test. Seulement 54% des femmes enceintes ont participé à un conseil en groupe et 80% à un conseil individuel. Dans les centres où sont dispensées des séances d'information de groupe, la qualité est meilleure que dans les centres qui dispensent un conseil individuel exclusif. Le troisième article analyse l'influence du contexte d'implantation sur la mise en œuvre du programme. Parmi les facteurs qui contribuent favorablement à la mise en œuvre on relève la proximité d’un centre de référence et la coordination des activités de PTME dans une zone géographique, la responsabilisation du prestataire dédié à la PTME, la supervision formative régulière accompagnée de séances de discussion collective et l’implication des médiatrices dans la recherche active des perdues de vues. A l’opposé, la responsabilisation des médiatrices pour la réalisation du conseil individuel et du dépistage ne favorise pas une bonne mise en œuvre de la PTME. Conclusion : Nos résultats montrent qu'il est possible de jouer sur l'organisation des services de santé dans le cadre du programme du PTME pour améliorer la façon dont le programme est implanté tant dans les centres privés que publics, sans que cela ne représente un ajout net de ressources. C'est le cas de l’amélioration de la qualité du conseil et du dépistage, de l’implantation du processus interne d’apprentissage organisationnel et de la coordination des services. / Problem: Launched in 2004 in Benin, the national program for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMCTC) of HIV appears to have been well implemented. Nevertheless, a 2005 survey revealed certain problems, particularly with respect to the program’s coverage: only 70% to 75% of pregnant women seen in prenatal consultation were screened, and only 33% of the 1,150 women found to be HIV-infected were delivered according to the PMCTC protocol. In addition, there was great variation in coverage from one site to another in terms of screening and of follow-up for infected pregnant women. This inadequate coverage raised questions about the organizational context in which the program is implemented. Objectives: The overall objective of this thesis is to analyze the implementation of the PMTCT program in Benin. The first specific objective is to identify and understand the issues related to how pregnant women are contacted as part of the screening process. The second is to understand the implementation context and its influence on how the PMTCT program is carried out. Methodology: This evaluative research is based on a case study. Six maternity units were selected in order to provide a representative sample of the different service organization settings. Data were collected through non-participant observation, semi-structured interviews (n=41) with service providers, documentary analysis of the maternity centres’ activity reports, and questionnaires administered to pregnant women at prenatal consultations (n=371). Results: The first article, whose objective was to appreciate the free and informed nature of consent to screening, revealed differences between maternity. A majority of pregnant women followed in private centres were screened without being adequately informed about the PMTCT program, whereas the women in others centres were better informed about the specifics of the program. The voluntary nature of the consent was generally respected. The second article analyzes the quality of the pre-test counselling. Only 54% of the pregnant women in our sample participated in group pre-test counselling sessions and 80% in individual counselling. In centres, which organize group information sessions, the quality is better than in centres, where counselling is provided exclusively to individuals. The third article analyzes the influence of the implementation context on how the program is carried out. Among the factors that contribute positively to implementation are: the proximity of a referral centre and the coordination of PMTCT activities within a geographic area; designating a care provider to oversee the PMTCT program; conducting regular formative supervision with group discussion sessions; and involving mediators—HIV-positive women hired by the program to provide psychological accompaniment—in actively seeking out women who have been lost to follow-up. Conversely, putting mediators in charge of individual counselling or of screening does not foster good implementation of the PMTCT program. Conclusion: Our results show that it is possible to adjust the organization of healthcare services for the PMTCT program in order to improve implementation in both the private and public sectors with no net increase in resources. This is the case for improving the quality of counselling and of screening, the implementation of the internal process of organizational learning, and the coordination of services.

This study is concerned with the pre-test counselling conversation (as regulated by policy-governing and training documents) that occurs between HIV counsellors and their clients. It attempts to explore and describe some of the assumptions underlying HIV/AIDS pre-test counselling in South Africa, and reflects on how these assumptions determine the content and process of HIV pre-test counselling. This exploration has been done by means of an analysis of a selection of official and non-official documentation on pre-test counselling. The aim of HIV/AIDS counselling in general is to support and educate infected/affected clients about the HI-virus. Pre-test counselling (the conversation that takes place before an HIV-test is administered) forms the entry level to HIV counselling service delivery in South Africa, and it is often the only opportunity a counsellor has to support and educate a client about HIV/AIDS. Policy-governing pre-test counselling and training documents on such counselling confirm the role played by counsellors. The pre-test counselling conversation is based on the assumption that education about the HI-virus will enable clients to make informed decisions about their health which will help them to live long and healthy lives once they are aware of their HIV-status. However, this educational approach does not seem to be successful, as a change in risk behaviour is often not achieved. My recognition of this situation motivated this study and its focus on the conversation that takes place between counsellors and their clients in pre-test counselling. I was curious about what is discussed during pre-test counselling and why, if we acknowledge that counselling plays a major role in infection rate prevention, risk-reducing behaviour is not being achieved. This qualitative study was based on a social constructionist paradigm and document analysis was used as a research method. This study offers an alternative approach to health education – a drive towards client-centred pre-test counselling where the client’s needs become the focus of the pre-test counselling conversation. / Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Psychology / unrestricted

Magister Educationis - MEd (Mathematics and Science Education) / The study catered for empirical and metaphysical dimensions of science and IKS. The study employed a quasi-experimental design as well as a qualitative research design. Two cohorts of students from a fictitiously named Culture Secondary School have been used in this study. The list of instruments for data collection were as follows: Conceptions of Fermentation (COF) questionnaire which was used to elicit learnerss pre- and post-test conceptions of fermentation with special reference to traditional beer or Umqombothi an Attitudes to Science (ATS) questionnaire which was used to find out the learners' worldviews, a Science Achievement Test (SAT) which was used to assess the learners' generalised knowledge of fermentation, a classroom observation schedule as well as a focus group interview schedule to gather additional qualitative data. All the instruments were in English with all technical and difficult terms in both English and isiXhosa (the learners&rsquo; home language). Both groups were exposed to Science/IKS-based lessons. The only difference between the two groups was that, the experimental group (E group) was exposed to a Dialogical Argumentation Teaching Model (DAIM) and the comparison group (C group) to a traditional teaching approach. The data gathered were both analyzed in terms of qualitative and quantitative descriptions. / South Africa

In the majority of schools gifted learners are given the same quantity and quality of academic work as their non-gifted classmates. In some cases gifted learners are left to look after themselves when they are done with class work or worse still, asked to teach their non-gifted classmates. Some educationists advocate for a differentiated curriculum between gifted and non-gifted learners. This study sought to establish the impact of enrichment programs to gifted Science learners. Forty gifted learners were identified and drawn equally into one of the two groups — experimental or control. These learners wrote a pre-test after which the twenty learners in the experimental group received enrichment. The forty learners then wrote the same post-test to assess their understanding of the concepts learnt. The cycle was repeated but with a different topic. Learners’ marks were compared and it emerged all twenty learners in the experimental group performed better than those in the control group. Gifted learners should therefore be given enrichment as it deepens, broadens, and sharpens their understanding of concepts. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)