Magister Scientiae - MSc / This study was based on the Science and Indigenous Knowledge Systems Project (SIKSP) at the School of Science and Mathematics Education, University of the Western Cape. The project seeks to enhance educators' understanding of and ability to implement a Science-IKS curriculum (Ogunniyi, 2007) through using the theoretical framework of argumentation (Toulmin Argument Pattern) to the extent that learners would value the significance of both worldviews. This study sought to find the effects of an Argumentation-Based Instruction on grade 10 learners' understanding of the causes of pollution at a river site. Since the integration of Science and IKS are envisaged by Curriculum 2005 (C2005), two theoretical argumentation constructs have been used namely, Toulmin's (1958) Argumentation Pattern (TAP) and Ogunniyi's (1995) Contiguity Argumentation Theory (CAT). / South Africa

Magister Educationis - MEd / The study employed a quasi-experimental design to determine the effect of DAIM on learners’ conceptions of lightning. The experimental group was taught using DAIM while the control group was taught the same content using TLM. Data was collected using the Science Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ), Beliefs about Lightning Questionnaire (BALQ), Conceptions of Lightning Questionnaire (COLQ) and Science Achievement Test on Lightning (SATOL) which was used to determine learners’ overall performance on the topic of electrostatics. The data was analysed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The findings of the study revealed that prior to the intervention (DAIM); the two groups of learners had both the scientific and the indigenous knowledge about lightning. A majority of the learners believed that lightning is caused by witches and traditional doctors. After being exposed to the DAIM most of the learners in the experimental group were found to have changed to the more scientific explanation of cause of lightning and protective measures against lightning. Few learners in the control were classified as possessing an equipollent worldview in terms of the CAT after the post tests. Some learners’ conceptions about lightning wavered between the scientific and traditional worldviews. The Science Attitude Questionnaire showed that both groups of learners had a positive attitude towards science. The findings also suggested that the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in science lessons promoted active participation from the learners, reinforced the learning of science because it promoted conceptual development and scientific literacy. The learners in the study also supported the integration of the scientific and the traditional worldviews about lightning. After the instruction, the learners in both groups seemed to still hold indigenous beliefs in relation to lightning. The post-test results showed that the DAIM group seemed to have been able to link the concept of lightning with electrostatics when they related lightning storms to electric discharge. The experimental group was found to be more elaborate in their explanations of the scientific nature of lightning than the control group which was not exposed to DAIM

This study was intended to evaluate the impact of socioeconomically disadvantaged children's participation in the Texas Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (TX HIPPY) Program on their school readiness and academic achievement. The study used a quasi-experimental design and applied full and optimal propensity score matching (PSM) to address the evaluation concern of the impact of the TX HIPPY program on HIPPY participants' academic achievement compared to non-HIPPY participants. This evaluation targeted former HIPPY participants and tracked them in the Dallas ISD database through Grade Levels K-8. Data were obtained by administering Istation's Indicators of Progress (ISIP) for kindergarten, TerraNova/SUPERA for Grades K-2, and State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness for math and reading (STAAR) for Grades 3-8. HIPPY and non-HIPPY groups were matched using propensity score analysis procedures. The evaluation findings show that the TX HIPPY program positively influences kindergarten students to start school ready to learn. The findings of math and reading achievements suggest that HIPPY children scored at the same level or higher than non-HIPPY children did on math and reading achievement, indicating that TX HIPPY program has achieved its goal of helping children maintain long-term academic success. However, the evaluation findings also indicated that the impact evaluation framework must be designed with attention to higher-level factors beyond academic achievement that influence children's academic success.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 demanded that public schools demonstrate adequate yearly progress by increasing student educational achievements. In 2014, the local high school at this study enrolled 62.7% socioeconomically disadvantaged students and implemented a precollege intervention program; however, little is known about its efficacy due to a lack of a formal evaluation, prohibiting an informed approach to continual improvement. The purpose of this program evaluation was to determine if program participation resulted in the higher academic outcomes. Guided by the theory of change, the program evaluation was used to assess the efficacy of the local high school's year-long precollege intervention program in a convenience sample of 112 Grade 9 students. The research questions examined the difference between the program participants and non-participants' academic outcomes including grade point average and semester course grades in math, English, science, and social science from Semester 1 to Semester 2 in the 2014-2015 school year. Independent samples t tests were used to identify whether there was a significance difference between the mean-scores of the intervention and control groups. The results indicated that the program did not significantly impact the participants' academic outcomes, and the program goals were not met. The evaluation report included the results, provided recommendations to increase understanding of the intervention program and students' needs, inform and engage stakeholders, redesign program goals, allocate resources, and streamline program activities. The improved program model could enhance students' academic outcomes and lead to higher high school graduation and college enrollment rates for students.

Climate change poses the most significant threat to sustainable tourism in the 21st century, impacting destinations globally with abnormal weather phenomena. Climate change not only affects the environment but also our mental health. Extreme weather events linked to climate change increase the risk of anxiety, depressive disorders, and other mental health issues, particularly among young people such as Gen-Z. Nevertheless, climate change anxiety has shown potential to motivate eco-friendly actions, including travel choices. The current research gap exists concerning how climate change anxiety influences travel decision-making. Understanding this relationship is crucial for comprehending the psychological factors driving environmentally responsible decisions. In the present study, the protection motivation theory offers the theoretical lenses for understanding responses to fear stimuli and the motivation for protective actions. This study utilized a nonequivalent quasi-experimental design with focus groups to investigate the impact of climate change anxiety on travel choices among Gen-Z university students. Two groups, a treatment group and a comparison group, were exposed to different climate change videos designed to evoke higher or lower levels of anxiety. While the video shown to the treatment group successfully heightened climate change anxiety, the study found that increased anxiety did not necessarily result in sustainable travel choices. Instead, it often led to feelings of apathy and desensitization. The research identified lack of self-efficacy, cost and time as the main barriers for university students to consider more environmentally travels. It highlights the need for better climate change communication to inspire positive action, emphasizing a vision of a better future. The study’s results offer a baseline for future research aimed at understanding effective climate change communication strategies that prompt pro- environmental actions. Interventions aimed at reshaping travel decision-making, which take into account climate change anxiety and evolutionary biases influencing travel choices, can offer valuable insights for public campaigns promoting sustainable consumption among Gen Z. By nudging tourists and making sustainability the default choice, these interventions could effectively encourage more eco-friendly travel decisions.

<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>

This study was based on the Science and Indigenous Knowledge Systems Project (SIKSP) at the School of Science and Mathematics Education, University of the Western Cape. The project seeks to enhance educators’ understanding of and ability to implement a Science-IKS curriculum (Ogunniyi, 2007) through using the theoretical framework of argumentation (Toulmin Argument Pattern) to the extent that learners would value the significance of both worldviews. This study sought to find the effects of an Argumentation-Based Instruction on grade 10 learners’ understanding of the causes of pollution at a river site. Since the integration of Science and IKS are envisaged by Curriculum 2005 (C2005), two theoretical argumentation constructs have been used namely, Toulmin’s (1958) Argumentation Pattern (TAP) and Ogunniyi’s (1995) Contiguity Argumentation Theory (CAT).

<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>

This study was based on the Science and Indigenous Knowledge Systems Project (SIKSP) at the School of Science and Mathematics Education, University of the Western Cape. The project seeks to enhance educators’ understanding of and ability to implement a Science-IKS curriculum (Ogunniyi, 2007) through using the theoretical framework of argumentation (Toulmin Argument Pattern) to the extent that learners would value the significance of both worldviews. This study sought to find the effects of an Argumentation-Based Instruction on grade 10 learners’ understanding of the causes of pollution at a river site. Since the integration of Science and IKS are envisaged by Curriculum 2005 (C2005), two theoretical argumentation constructs have been used namely, Toulmin’s (1958) Argumentation Pattern (TAP) and Ogunniyi’s (1995) Contiguity Argumentation Theory (CAT).

In this study, a model of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) was developed, implemented and assessed. The aim of this model is to assist HIV-positive women in dealing with internalised and enacted stigma. Since much of the research about therapies developed to deal with HIV-related stigma so far has been done within a western frame of reference, in the current study a model was developed to suit the local South African situation. Women were specifically targeted as they are more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and are disproportionately affected by the epidemic. Because of culturally determined gender roles, women are not always in a position to take control of their sexual health. Furthermore, because of the negative experiences of HIV diagnosis, the stigma has a negative impact on women’s behaviour. As a result, there is a need for a therapeutic model to assist HIV-positive women in changing the experience of internalised stigma and discrimination. A CBT approach was used in therapy to challenge the women’s dysfunctional beliefs, to change their automatic thoughts and to promote more realistic adaptive patterns of thinking. All of these aimed to assist them in dealing with stigma. Eight therapy sessions (one a week for eight weeks) were planned for each of the women. This research was conducted in two phases. In Phase 1, data was gathered about the experiences of HIV-positive women to gain an understanding of their experiences of HIV-related stigma and discrimination. Various sources of information were used to identify not only the relevant themes contributing to the individual’s experience of internalised stigma, but also possible ways to change them. These sources included a study of the available literature, the researcher's own experience and focus group discussions with other psychologists in practice, and interviews with five HIV-positive women (in the form of case studies). Five women living with HIV/AIDS, who were experiencing difficulties in dealing with stigma, were recruited at Witbank Hospital, where they were interviewed and asked to complete five psychometric instruments. The researcher scrutinised the data gained from the psychometric scales to assess the validity of the instruments to identifying the feelings of the participants the researcher observed in the interviews. Rubin and Rubin's (1995) method was used to analyse the data. The findings that emerged from Phase 1 were used to identify common themes to be addressed in the intervention, for example feelings of powerlessness, feelings of guilt, behavioural implications of stigma, the experience of the reaction of others and uncertainty about the future. These themes were used as guidelines and were adapted according to the specific needs of each of the women seen in therapy so as to address negative feelings and behaviour. Phase 2 focused on the implementation and evaluation of the cognitive behavioural model. A purposive sampling technique was used for this study. The model was tried out with ten HIV-positive women who served as the experimental group. A quasi-experimental design was used, involving a pre-and post-test and a control group consisting of ten other women identified at the same hospital. The scores that the experimental group and the control group obtained before the intervention were compared to verify that the two groups were comparable prior to the intervention. Post-test scores were compared to investigate differences between the groups after the intervention. The process notes of the therapy sessions were analysed by means of qualitative analysis to understand the reactions of the women in therapy. This contributed to the researcher’s understanding of the appropriateness and effectiveness of various therapeutic techniques used with the experimental group. Findings of this research indicate that, when compared to the control group, the experimental group not only experienced less depression, internalised stigma and negative coping, but also higher levels of self-esteem and positive coping after having participated in eight therapy sessions. The study further revealed that being HIV positive and trying to cope with stigma and discrimination involve diverse experiences for women, although there are common themes for all participants. It was recommended that the intervention be altered in future use in the following ways: Those techniques that were found to be more effective with the majority of women (positive cognitive reframing, teaching of coping strategies, homework assignments, decatastrophising and assertiveness training) could probably be used with success in similar conditions. Only the techniques that worked well should be used, and care should be taken not to use too many techniques. Each client should be given the time to question the evidence for her automatic thoughts and to draw her own conclusions about her situation, feelings or thoughts and to grasp the cognitive strategies, rather than to bombard her with many different techniques. The therapist should also relate more to the individual client and adapt the model to her context, rather than to implement the model rigorously. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Psychology / unrestricted