In this study, I was investigating the role of student leadership played in institutional transformation at the University of Pretoria (UP). In order to contribute to understanding, student leadership role played in institutional transformation at UP and also student leaders understanding of transformation following the #FeesMustFall protests. Hence much research focused on conflict, disruption, violence and closure of universities related to the #FeesMustFall; there are comparatively fewer studies about the role played by the student leadership in institutional transformation at universities. The study researched how student leaders’ voices and agency have been represented in the institutional transformation initiatives. A qualitative case study method was used, based on content analysis of transformation documents from social media and transformation and policy documents available at the UP portal. The documents revealed that the student leaders played important roles and negotiated with the university management and the government about tuition fees and demands for free education, as well as about the change of the language policy; the renaming of the university buildings, and balancing quotas to reflect the SA demographic at the university. Also discussed were the transformation of the curriculum and the institutional and residence culture. Student leaders played a significant role in drafting a policy for the renaming of university buildings and in drafting the four drivers for the proposed curriculum changes at UP and the self-reflection questions for faculties to interrogate their curricula. The documents reveal that, in response to these demands, there was a 0% increase at South African universities in 2016 for all of the tuition fees and full funding of education for poor students for the following three years was announced. The management changed the language of instruction policy as demanded. The Client Services Centre (CSC) was renamed to the Student Services Centre (SSC) while new buildings are now named after South African heroes. Most significantly, of the more than fifty thousand students now accommodated at the University, the majority are female and black and many black students are now accommodated in residences. Management also decided to integrate both Indigenous and Eurocentric knowledge in the curricula and eliminate all legacy systems leading to racial segregation at UP. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

Although much research has been conducted on Heads of Department (HODs) and their roles in the foundation phase, there has not been a strong focus on how these HODs manage their multiple roles. A qualitative case study was employed whereby data was collected from four primary schools in Tshwane North and Tshwane West District in the Gauteng province. Five purposively sampled HODs participated in this study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The study determined the HODs’ understanding of their multiple roles in the foundation phase. It further explored the management strategies these HODs employ to manage their multiple roles, the prospects and challenges they encountered as well as the support they received were also explored. The study discovered that a “collaborative effort”, where educators, the school principal, volunteers and lead teachers, as well as the officials from the department of education, play a huge role in making the multiple roles of the HODs doable. Secondly, in handling these multiple roles, HODs in this study had to engage in “needs analysis” every year in preparation for the following year. It also transpired that “effective communication” amongst role players (i.e. HODs, departmental officials, school principals, educators and support staff) through meetings where the roles had to be shared in order not to duplicate and /or to avoid disruption, became an important tool in performing their multiple roles. Finally, “commitment and dedication” demonstrated by HODs in this study are principles that help them to succeed in performing their multiple roles. I, therefore, recommend that assistant educators be deployed in the foundation phase classes and the workload of HODs in the foundation phase be reduced through the allocation of administrative duties to the assistant educators. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

Magister Artium - MA (Psychology) / In recent years, the global focus on Early Child Development (ECD) has delivered mounting evidence of it being one of the most rewarding areas of investment a country can make. A central outcome of quality ECD is to provide sufficient support to enable a child to arrive at Grade 1 ready to learn. Environmental factors impacting on child development and school readiness have thus been under increasing scrutiny. Although studies have delivered evidence of fathers' unique contribution to ECD, fathers' impact on a child's school readiness is often overlooked. The overall aim of this thesis was to report on the findings of the exploratory investigation on fathers' perspectives of school readiness. All relevant ethics principles were observed in the study. The study received ethics clearance from the Senate Research Committee (HS/16/5/41). The study followed an explorative design incorporating qualitative methodologies for data collection and analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of nine fathers residing in Cape Town, who had full parental rights and responsibilities for their child in Grade R. Thematic analysis produced three themes with subthemes. The core findings suggested that first, fathers did not have a good fund of knowledge about school readiness and child development. Personal context and subjective experiences impacted or informed their views and beliefs about school readiness. Second, feedback from teachers and professionals was highly valued and was a primary source of information about their children's school readiness. Third, facilitating school readiness involved different systems and role players of which fathers are important role players. It emerged that in some ways the role of fathers remains undervalued and in others, fathers' ability to participate is diminished due to their fund of knowledge, gendered patterns to child rearing and engagement with school systems.

Women have been portrayed in advertising in stereotypical roles for years. Typical stereotypes include the nurturing mother or the alluring seductress. Since the social climate and the roles of females have evolved through the years, the appropriate portrayal of women in today’s media has become debatable. Findings from previous advertising research studies indicate that women are generally not depicted in powerful roles. This may limit the perceptions of women as it does not reflect their abilities and positions of power that they hold in real life. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the roles portrayed by women in magazine advertisements and television commercials in South Africa. Several secondary research objectives were set including inter alia the incidence of female models in advertisements and commercials, the ethnic representation of women in advertisements and commercials, and the types of products and services advertised using female models. Data were collected from full-page and double-page advertisements appearing in nine consumer magazines as well as commercials broadcasted during prime time on the four free-to-air television channels. The research method used was content analysis, which focused on the visual elements in advertisements and commercials - particularly the female model. The sample included 203 magazine advertisements and 245 television commercials. The results indicated that 55 per cent of magazine advertisements and 40 per cent of television commercials featured women. The findings also indicated various roles portrayed by women. The most prevalent role portrayal in magazine advertisements was that of a physically decorative woman (27%), typified as a woman that symbolises the physical ideal. In television commercials, women were most often depicted as product users, with 25 per cent of the portrayals showing a woman actually using or preparing to use the advertised product. The less prevalent portrayals included career woman, homemaker, mother, mannequin, romantic, sex object, social being, background elements as well as various “other” categories. From the “other” portrayals, the study has also identified new roles that had not been specifically identified in previous studies. The new roles identified in magazines were leisure woman and sportswoman, and in television commercials, customer and spokesperson. The results further revealed that women are used as visual attention-attracting focus points in advertisements across a range of different product or service categories. The product category that most often featured women in both media was personal care products (41% for magazine and 26% for television advertisements). The implications of the study are that South African advertisers need to consider the suitability of the models that are used to attract attention to their advertisements, as well as the fit between the role portrayal and the brand image. From a practical perspective, the study provides insight to advertisers regarding the relevance of female portrayals in advertising. One of the recommendations is that future research should be conducted to determine women’s opinions on female portrayals in advertisements. The study contributes to the available literature on this topic in several ways. Firstly, current female roles in South African magazine and television advertising have been identified. Moreover, a number of new role portrayals were also identified and described. The information gained in the study could be utilised by other researchers as a basis for future studies. / Thesis (DCom)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Marketing Management / DCom / Unrestricted

This study was conducted to explore the adulthood transition experiences of Utah high-school graduates, with heightened focus on the application value of educational content from the course, Adult Roles. The purpose of the study was identified through experiential interactions with high-school graduates, and was supported by research on 21st century adulthood transitions shown to divert away from traditional adulthood markers. The inconsistency between modern adulthood transition behaviors and traditionally held adulthood assumptions lead to negative perceptions about young adult’s capability to adapt to adulthood. The researcher was motivated to investigate opportunities that may provide increased preparation for the transition into adulthood. Exploring the level of adulthood preparation and the methods of preparation was completed by conducting a survey and follow-up interviews, using questions pertaining to traditional and modern adulthood markers. The study was designed to take place during the spring 2019 semester, gathering experiences from participants in two parts. A 16 question, online survey was completed by 39 Utah State University students, and 287 Utah high-school graduates not enrolled in college to assess the level of preparation and methods of acquiring preparation to transition into adulthood, according to specific responsibilities. Follow-up interviews with seven volunteers from the Utah State University participants, consisted of 11 questions, to explore specific adulthood preparation received from enrollment in the Adult Roles course. Concluding results found that Utah high-school graduates perceived themselves as “moderate-positively” prepared for the adulthood transition responsibilities aligned with traditional adulthood markers. Preparation levels for 21st century markers show “minimally prepared” perceptions. The study determined enrollment in the life-skills course, Adult Roles, provided a moderate benefit to transitional experiences. Findings show that high-school graduates seeking a college degree have more positive perceptions of preparedness than graduates not seeking a college degree. Concluding findings show the level of preparedness for adult responsibilities, reflect the instructional emphasis on adulthood markers found within the Adult Roles curriculum. The study suggests that environments influencing adulthood preparation have the potential to support youth adult’s transitional experiences by incorporating preparation related to 21st century adulthood markers.

Studien syftar till att bidra med kunskap om hur talutrymmet fördelas i en förskoleklass samt hur lärare resonerar kring fördelningen av talutrymmet. Tidigare forskning visar på att pojkarna dominerar talutrymmet. Forskningsfrågorna berör vilket utrymme pojkar respektive flickor får och tar i klassrummet men även hur lärarna själva uppfattar fördelningen. Empirin är insamlad med hjälp av observationer och intervjuer. Resultatet analyserades med hjälp av utvalda begrepp från det socialkonstruktionistiska perspektivet, såsom könskoder, genusskapande, sociala sammanhang och social konstruktion. Resultatet visar på att pojkarna dominerar talutrymmet, både när eleverna själva tar ordet och när de får det tilldelat. I intervjuerna med lärarna framkommer det å ena sidan att de anser talutrymmet jämnt fördelat och å andra sidan att talutrymmet är fördelat till pojkarnas fördel. Studiens slutsats är att pojkarna dominerar talutrymmet, vilket tyder på ingen större förändring från tidigare forskning.

<p>This thesis is a comparative content analysis of the modern-day female protagonists represented in Disney’s newest and highest grossing film series, Frozen and Frozen II. As one of the few major media companies that have captivated a global audience, Disney has supplied fantasy princess narratives for over 80 years. With the new addition of Disney+, classic and modern princess films alike are now available for instant streaming. As the sample represents the newest films in the post-transitional wave of the Disney Princess line, this study aims to reveal what messages are being projected to young, impressionable audiences around the world. Between the third wave of feminism and rising conversations of gender roles and communication, Disney Princess films in particular have been the subject of many conversations and criticisms. Using content analysis methodology with each film, the data identifies gender roles, conflict resolution, and common themes between the six main characters: Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, the King, and the Queen.</p>

This study is a qualitative study conducted through interviews with women in the neopentecostal movement The Last Reformation. The study has rested on one main question, how neopentecostal women describe the relationship between their faith in practice and in relation to their gender. The interviews have shown that the women of this study perceive that men and women have different gender roles. The result has has also shown that the women see different gender roles in the bible which they personally practice or wish to practice in their marriage and family life. The study also shows that the movement stands in contrast with the world’s view of roles between the man and the woman.

This multiple case study shows how motherhood works with and against two women's literacy identities, as interpreted through the theoretical lens of Herman's Dialogical Self Theory. The evidence of this is shown in the tension between their roles as mothers and their personal roles as readers and writers. In many ways, taking on a reader or writer role meant to deny other roles for these women, showing the clash between efforts to consolidate multiple I-positions. While their meta-positions helped them recognize the discrepancies in their I-positions, there was little evidence of mediating third positions to negotiate their roles. This descriptive study explored the way two women approach their roles "I a reader" and "I as writer" while simultaneously navigating their I-position "I as mother." This exploration was conducted through the use of semi-structured interviews and the subsequent coding of the transcripts of those interviews. The coding included the identification of all instances where I-positions manifested in the interview text. Among numerous other roles, the roles related to literacy and motherhood involved a particular friction. The findings of the study make evident that tension exists for these two women between their roles as mothers and as literate people.

For over the thirty years, drag performance has been examined for its utility to subvert or reinforce traditional gender roles. Many of these examinations have focused on performances that emphasize subversion and separated drag into two categories: the progressive drag that subverts, and the regressive drag that reinforces. While this approach has provided a wealth of understanding about drag performance and gender roles, drag can be examined without separating its subverting/reinforcing aspects. If drag is seen as the consideration of a given gender performing the not given gender, then another consideration can be made to the subverting performing the reinforcing. This new consideration, referred to here as the divine, can provide new utility for drag performance and its role in understanding gender.