This study forms part of a broader research project that involves the investigation of the effect of a health promotion intervention (Win-LIFE) on a resource-constrained community's practices, needs and expectations related to food choice, preparation and production. As part of the Win-LIFE intervention, the South African Life Skills school curriculum was enriched, and the current study followed its implementation and focused on the experiences of 31 Grade 5 learners in a school in the Bronkhorstspruit area. For the purpose of this study I followed a qualitative methodological approach, relied on interpretivism as meta-theory and implemented a case study research design, applying Participatory Reflection and Action (PRA) principles. Data were generated by means of PRA-based activities, supported by observations, and documented through field notes, audio-visual techniques and a reflective journal. Thematic inductive analysis was completed following data generation. Four themes with related sub-themes emerged. The first theme relates to the positive experience of experiential learning. The second theme concerns the role of a supportive facilitator. The third theme entails the positive outcomes of the learning process. The last theme relates to the challenges experienced by the learners. The findings of this study indicate a positive general experience of the enriched Life Skills curriculum by the Grade 5 learners, which led to benefits both proximally and distally in the various spheres in which the learners functioned. Learners demonstrated the ability to acquire knowledge and skills in a way they enjoyed, transferred these to their families, and their motivation to learn increased. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

Girl youth, especially those residing in resource-constrained communities such as Diepsloot, constitute a vulnerable population group because of the daily risks they face (Watts & Zimmerman, 2002). Researchers report that chronic exposure to risks can have a negative impact on girl youth’s ability to cope and adjust (Hawke, 2000). However, interventions focused on addressing risk draw on western paradigms of resilience, not accounting for cultural aspects of resilience. Therefore, understanding how girls in Diepsloot conceptualise risk and resilience is an important step in fostering resilience among girl youth. In the present study, I draw on an ecologically-oriented systemic approach to explore how girl youth from Diepsloot make meaning of risk and resilience during an equine assisted intervention called the Growing Great Girls program. Equine assisted interventions, in particular equine assisted interventions that follow an Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association model approach, has been found beneficial in promoting resilience among youth (Boyce, 2016). In the present study, equine assisted interventions played an important role in the process of gaining an understanding of risk and resilience from the perspectives of girl youth from Diepsloot. Using a qualitative exploratory case study design, I collected data from eight girl youth from Dieplsoot who attended the Growing Great Girls program over a period of eight weeks. From open-ended focus group interviews, photovoice, journal entries and observations as data sources, I used inductive thematic analysis to interrogate how girl youth make meaning of the risks they face to discover the source and nature of their resilience. Three themes emerged as the research results and included theme 1- individual psychosocial characteristics and family climate, theme 2- community related social issues and theme 3- broader societal issues. The findings of the present study contribute towards a broader understanding of risk and resilience that is ecologically relevant to the lives of girl youth from the Diepsloot community. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted