A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Educational Psychology) in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Needs Education at the University Of Zululand, South Africa, 2016 / Data was collected using qualitative methodology. The purposive sampling was used in selecting nine teachers and eight parents for the study. To collect data, semi-structured interview questions were formulated. Interview questions consisted of open-ended questions were conducted to teachers and parents in determining the role they play in empowering special needs learners with psychosocial skills. Observation was done in different phases during lessons/learning. Qualitative data analysis was used in order to draw conclusion about the role of teachers and parents in empowering special needs learners with psychosocial skills in a special school. Research findings led to the following conclusions: teachers empower special needs learners in various ways compared to the role played by parents. They believe in teaching special needs learner’s skills to be independent, sociable, and presentable and be recognised by the society. Others teach skills by focusing on the learner’s strengths to overcome their weaknesses. Some teachers empower learners through sports in order for them to participate and compete with other children outside school while others believe in teaching discipline so that learners should be able to obey the rules outside school. The results reveal that the empowerment of learners depends on the child’s condition/disability. The findings revealed that hundred percent of parents believe in giving their special needs children love and support in whatever skill that has been identified by teachers as their role of empowering them. They also make their children feel important to the family and to the community. Parents believe that once the child feels loved, she or he is able to love themselves and others. The results show that there is a gap between the role played by teachers and that played by parents which needs to be filled. The findings revealed that partnership between teachers and parents in supporting special needs learners to benefit from their education is good although there are challenges mentioned. The programmes available in the school and in the community also empower special needs children even they exit school. On the basis of the findings, recommendations for teacher training in special education were put forward in order for the empowerment of special needs learners with psychosocial skills in special schools to be effective.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if traditional indicators of college readiness were better predictors of students’ first semester college GPA and persistence to the second year of coursework compared to non-traditional indicators of college readiness. Specifically, this study analyzed the predictive validity of high school class rank and ACT/SAT scores compared to that of the psychosocial skills measured by the ACT Engage on students’ first semester college GPA and their likelihood of enrollment in the second year of college coursework. Methodology: Linear and logistic regression models were used to examine the effect of gender, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, high school rank, Texas Success Initiative college readiness scores, SAT or ACT scores, and the ten themes of the ACT Engage Inventory (dependent variables), on students’ first semester college GPA and rate of persistence to the second year (independent variables). A sample of 4,379 first semester college freshmen participated in this study. Findings: Results indicated that high school rank, ACT/SAT scores and psychosocial skills measured by the ACT Engage theme academic discipline were accurate predictors of college performance. Results regarding the predictive power of traditional academic and non-traditional psychosocial predictors of persistence were less definitive. Students qualifying for federal financial assistance and female students showed the greatest likelihood of not returning for the second year of college. Research Limitations: One limitation of this study occurred because separate ethnicities were not evaluated as independent variables. Additionally, further research should occur regarding the relationship between the independent variables of gender and socioeconomic status and the dependent variable persistence. Practical Implications: Due to the predictive power of high school class rank, college entrance exam scores, and the psychosocial skill of academic discipline, educators and policy makers should design targeted preparation and support initiatives around improving students’ skills in these areas. Recommendations for such initiatives were provided. Value of Paper: This paper is valuable to educators at the secondary school and university levels because results can be used to design preparation and support programs in order to improve students’ performance and persistence at the college level.

À partir d’une approche psychosociale de la situation thérapeutique, cette thèse interroge les processus et les enjeux psychosociaux associés au développement des compétences psychosociales dans le contexte de l’éducation thérapeutique du patient diabétique de type 1. Suite aux limites identifiées par une revue systématique de la littérature (N = 60 articles), nous avons réalisé une recherche qualitative auprès d’adolescents diabétiques (N = 28) dans le but de mieux comprendre leurs besoins en termes de compétences psychosociales. Ce travail nous a ensuite amenés à dégager trois perspectives de recherche que nous avons exploités à partir de différentes stratégies méthodologiques : une étude expérimentale (N = 102) et une étude transversale (N = 261) auprès d’adultes diabétiques ; une étude prospective visant à suivre l’évolution du profil sociocognitif d’adolescents diabétiques (N = 24) ; et une étude qualitative à partir dix focus groups composés d’adolescents diabétiques (N = 26), de leurs parents (N = 9) et de professionnels de santé (N = 11). L’articulation de ces études montre que les compétences psychosociales sont régulées par des processus psychosociaux qui sont en jeu dans le contexte dynamique de la relation thérapeutique. Ces compétences s’inscrivent dans un système d’actions et d’interprétations socialement façonné par des enjeux thérapeutiques et relationnels ainsi que par une symbolique sociale. Leur développement semble déterminé par le statut social et l’identité des acteurs, les motivations et les attentes propres à chacun, ainsi que par la représentation de l’autre mobilisée pour construire le climat de la relation thérapeutique. / Based on a psychosocial approach to the therapeutic situation, this thesis examines the psychosocial processes and issues involved in the development of psychosocial skills in the context of the therapeutic education of type 1 diabetic patients. Following the limitations identified by our systematic review (N = 60 articles), we conducted a qualitative research with diabetic adolescents (N = 28) in order to better understand their needs in terms of psychosocial skills. This work led us to identify three research perspectives that we carried out using different methodological strategies: an experimental study (N = 102) and a transversal study (N = 261) with diabetic adults; a prospective study to following the evolution of the sociocognitive profile of adolescents with diabetes (N = 24); and a qualitative study using ten focus groups of adolescents with diabetes (N = 26), parents (N = 9) and health professionals (N = 11). The articulation of these studies shows that psychosocial skills are regulated by psychosocial processes that are at stake in the dynamic context of the therapeutic relationship. These skills are part of a system of actions and interpretations socially shaped by therapeutic and relational issues as well as by a social symbolism. Their development seems to be determined by the social status and identity of the actors, their motivations and expectations, and by the representation of others mobilized to build the climate of the therapeutic relationship.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:37:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Joao Laurentino dos Santos.pdf: 3682206 bytes, checksum: 7984e0433101d074427aac04177a219c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-06-03 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This is a quanti-qualitative study of the nature of a participative intervention with low-income families (IPVS 4) carried out within the NGO Associação Meninos do Morumbi (Boys from Morumbi Association), located in the Southern District of the city of São Paulo Brazil. It had as its objective to understand the meaning attributed by parents from low-income families to the participation in Grupos Reflexivos (Reflective Groups), and also how this experience impacted the transformations of meanings, values and practices of educating children in the family. The theoretical framework employed was that of the New-Paradigmatic Systemic Thinking, which takes into account the dimensions of complexity, intersubjectivity, and unpredictability of phenomena. The study was conducted in several stages with different methodological procedures, and consisted in (1) reflection groups, whose objective was of constituting an intervention context for the study; (2) focal groups with the objective of discussing in greater depth the most significant themes that emerged from the reflection groups concerning the changes perceived in the education of their children, and (3) Inventory of parental styles, which aimed at assessing how the meetings were influencing the change in frequency of some kinds of behavior regarded as important by the parents. Results point to the decrease in violence between parents and their children, to improvements in communication and affective ties, reduction of pressure and stress, and also to the significant learning of values, competences and psychosocial skills. These results argue in favor of the idea of constituting community group spaces to stimulate reflection about the issues involving the difficulties of educating children nowadays, under a dialogical proposal of coconstruction, in a climate of exchange of experiences and sharing. It made possible the development of conscience as a process of transformation of education practices, based on the free expression of differences, and on reflectivity as an identity process to face up to the crisis of values and to the challenges presented by post-modernity / Trata-se de uma pesquisa quanti-qualitativa de natureza participativa interventiva com famílias de baixa renda (IPVS 4), realizada na ONG Associação Meninos do Morumbi, localizada na Zona Sul da Cidade de São Paulo Brasil. Teve como objetivo compreender o significado atribuído por pais de famílias de baixa renda à participação em Grupos Reflexivos e como esta experiência interferiu nas transformações dos significados, valores e práticas de educar filhos na família. Utilizou-se o referencial teórico do Pensamento Sistêmico Novo-Paradigmático que considera as dimensões de complexidade, intersubjetividade e imprevisibilidade dos fenômenos. O estudo foi realizado em várias etapas com procedimentos metodológicos diversos, que consistiu em (1) grupos de reflexão, cujo objetivo foi constituir um contexto interventivo para o estudo; (2) grupos focais com o objetivo de discutir de modo mais aprofundado os temas mais significativos nas mudanças que perceberam na educação dos filhos que emergiram nos grupos de reflexão e (3) Inventário de estilos parentais que objetivou avaliar como os encontros estavam refletindo na mudança de freqüência de alguns comportamentos considerados como importantes para os pais. Os resultados apontam para a diminuição das violências entre pais e filhos, melhora da comunicação e dos vínculos afetivos, diminuição da pressão e do estresse, bem como a aprendizagem significativa de valores, competências e habilidades psicossociais. Tais resultados falam a favor de se constituir espaços grupais comunitários para permitir a reflexão sobre as questões que envolvem as dificuldades de educar filhos hoje, numa proposta dialógica de co-construção, em um clima de troca de experiências e compartilhamento. Isto possibilitou o desenvolvimento da consciência como processo de transformação das práticas educativas, baseado na livre expressão das diferenças e na reflexividade como processo identitário para enfrentar a crise de valores e os desafios impostos pela pós-modernidade