Thesis (M.A. ( Research Psychology)) --University of Limpopo, 2014 / The study investigated the academic performance of orphaned primary school learners between the ages of eight and ten in Mankweng circuit. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative component of the study included the sampling of 200 learners from ten schools in Mankweng circuit. One hundred learners formed the experimental group (orphans) whilst another hundred were placed in the comparison group (non-orphans). Availability and quota sampling was used for sampling the experimental group and simple random sampling was used to sample the comparison group. Four learning areas chosen for the study include Sepedi, Numeracy, English and Lifeskills. In all learning areas, it was found that the comparison group fell within level 2 (50-69) area whilst the experimental group fell within level 1 (0-49) area suggesting that the comparison group is performing better than the experimental group. The qualitative component of the study involved sampling ten educators from ten sampled primary schools in Mankweng Circuit, i.e. one educator per school. The main theme that emerged from these transcripts was the educators’ view that orphaned children tend to perform poorly at school when compared to non-orphaned children. Furthermore, the educators were of the view that orphaned children are more likely to show poor grades, lack of concentration and inability to write schoolwork when compared to non-orphans. The educators were also of the view that orphaned children were more likely to display behavioural and emotional problems when compared to non-orphans. Educators also suggested that guardians of orphaned learners are not coping well, and as such, are unable to adequately attend to the needs of these children. In conclusion, interventions at school, government as well as community levels are suggested. A suggestion is also made regarding the support that should be provided for grandparents (guardians) who tend to be drained as a result of having to look after orphaned children.

Thesis ( M.A. (English Studies) --University of Limpopo, 2014 / Research shows that successful readers make use of prior knowledge. This is supported by schemata theory (Herczog & Porter, 2012; Xigo-hui, Jun & Wei-hua, 2007; Zhang 1993). In this study, the researcher intended to increase the schema of the selected sample and test the theorem. Two groups were selected as samples comprising an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group had the advantage of being exposed to a topic over a month and on the day of the test the two groups were combined and the results from the test were analysed. The outcomes showed that the experimental group out-performed the control group proving that prior knowledge increases chances of comprehension. In the initial test both groups had performed poorly. Many learners in the experimental group would have performed better if they could comprehend the English language. The students who used their schema on the experimental group did better than those who did not. / the National Research Foundation

<p>This is a study of the discourses of empowerment and disempowerment that emerge from the critical discourse analysis (CDA) of life-histories written by two classes of Grade 11 high school learners in a township school in Cape Town, South Africa. The line of argument presented by this thesis is that there are political, socio-economic, familial and institutional factors and the discourses that construct them which affect learners&rsquo / resilience.</p>

The aim of this study was to explore school learners’ perceptions of the factors that influence methamphetamine use in Manenberg. To meet this aim, three objectives were proposed namely, to explore school learners’ knowledge and understandings of methamphetamine use / to explore school learners’ perceptions of methamphetamine and its uses and / to explore school learners’ perceptions of the factors that influence methamphetamine use. Methamphetamine use amongst adolescents has become an increasing concern internationally and globally, with Cape Town’s level of methamphetamine users being substantially higher compared to other parts of South Africa. The study was thus important as it firstly, permitted the understanding of adolescents’ knowledge of methamphetamine and its uses in a lower socioeconomic status community, secondly, permitted the understanding of adolescents perceptions of the contributing factors of meth use, and thirdly, by knowing and understanding their viewpoints, key focus areas were recommended for intervention and prevention programs in an attempt to decrease the high drug rate in South Africa.

<p>This is a study of the discourses of empowerment and disempowerment that emerge from the critical discourse analysis (CDA) of life-histories written by two classes of Grade 11 high school learners in a township school in Cape Town, South Africa. The line of argument presented by this thesis is that there are political, socio-economic, familial and institutional factors and the discourses that construct them which affect learners&rsquo / resilience.</p>

The aim of this study was to explore school learners’ perceptions of the factors that influence methamphetamine use in Manenberg. To meet this aim, three objectives were proposed namely, to explore school learners’ knowledge and understandings of methamphetamine use / to explore school learners’ perceptions of methamphetamine and its uses and / to explore school learners’ perceptions of the factors that influence methamphetamine use. Methamphetamine use amongst adolescents has become an increasing concern internationally and globally, with Cape Town’s level of methamphetamine users being substantially higher compared to other parts of South Africa. The study was thus important as it firstly, permitted the understanding of adolescents’ knowledge of methamphetamine and its uses in a lower socioeconomic status community, secondly, permitted the understanding of adolescents perceptions of the contributing factors of meth use, and thirdly, by knowing and understanding their viewpoints, key focus areas were recommended for intervention and prevention programs in an attempt to decrease the high drug rate in South Africa.

Thesis (MPhil (General Linguistics))--Stellenbosch University, 2009. / This study examined the impact of SMS speak on the written school work of English first language (L1) and English second language (L2) high school learners. The general aims of the study were to establish how widespread the use of SMS language is among high school learners, and to assess whether there is any evidence of the use of features of SMS speak in the English written work of these learners. Eighty-eight learners from an English-Afrikaans dual medium school in a middle class neighborhood in the Western Cape participated in this study. The participants included 43 grade 8s and 45 grade 11s, of which 51 were English L1 speakers and 37 English L2 speakers. The participants completed questionnaires from which the frequency and volume of their SMS use was determined, as well as the features of SMS speak they reportedly use while SMSing. In addition, samples of the learners’ English written work were examined for specific features of SMS speak. These features included (deliberate) spelling errors, lack of punctuation, over-punctuation, the omission of function words, the use of abbreviation or acronyms, and the use of emoticons and rebus writing. The results of this study indicate that high school learners are avid users of SMS and/or MXit. All participants reported using features of SMS speak in their SMSes, and many reported using SMS speak in their written school work. Despite this, the samples of written work did not contain a great number of incidences of SMS speak features. It seems that the general lack of SMS speak in the written work of these learners is a result of being able to assess when it is and is not appropriate to use a certain variety of language: These learners are proficient in SMS speak and use it when chatting to friends on MXit, but they can produce written work that adheres to the formally approved standards of written high school English. That said, a number of SMS speak features were indeed present in their formal written work, which indicates that SMS speak had some impact on the written work of these learners, which could in turn be attributed to the high frequency of their SMS usage. However, not all of the non-standard features of their written English could necessarily be attributed to the influence of SMS speak; specifically some of the spelling and punctuation errors could be unrelated to SMS speak, as they have been noted in the written English of high school learners from before the advent of cellphones. The learners in this study were from a school that has a strict language policy, one which does not tolerate the use of SMS speak in written work. Seven of the teachers completed a questionnaire compiled for all teachers at the school in question. Responses to this questionnaire, especially those of the language teachers, indicated that teachers either deduct marks for features of SMS speak in written language or refuse to mark written work that does not conform to the formally approved standards that the school has set in place. It is possible that the actions of the teachers and the language policy of the school play a significant role in the lack of SMS speak features in the written language use of the learners.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This is a study of the discourses of empowerment and disempowerment that emerge from the critical discourse analysis (CDA) of life-histories written by two classes of Grade 11 high school learners in a township school in Cape Town, South Africa. The line of argument presented by this thesis is that there are political, socio-economic, familial and institutional factors and the discourses that construct them which affect learners&rsquo; resilience. / South Africa

Master of Public Health - MPH / Background: Case finding in Malawi is based on self-referral of symptomatic individuals who are suspected as tuberculosis (TB) cases in health institutions. Knowledge on TB and attitudes/perceptions about the disease can influence care seeking behaviour and adherence to treatment. Like in other countries, studies in Malawi have been conducted to assess knowledge and attitudes regarding TB in adults. Some studies have even assessed the association between knowledge, attitudes and other factors. In Malawi, prevalent health problems are included in the primary school curricula to create awareness and promote desired behaviour towards the diseases among children attending schools. It is, however, not known how much the school children know about TB. It is also not known what their attitudes or perceptions are regarding the disease.Methods: This study was conducted to assess the knowledge and perceptions regarding TB among learners in primary schools in Ntcheu District, Malawi. An analytical cross-sectional design was used to implement the study. A simple random sampling procedure was used to sample four schools from two Traditional Authorities of Makwangwala and Ganya in the targeted district. From each school,boys and girls aged 10-14 years were selected to participate in the study. A closeended questionnaire that was translated into the local language was administered to the learners. Epi info version 3.5.3 was used to capture and analyse the data.Results: The results showed that knowledge of learners regarding the cause of TB,how the disease is spread, factors that influence its spread and preventive measures was generally high. Almost 90% of the learners knew that TB is caused by a germ.However, there were knowledge gaps on specific aspects related to symptoms,cause, cure, as well as attitudes towards the disease. With regard to symptoms,knowledge was low in relation to fever with night sweats (49%) and enlargement of neck glands (40%). The study also revealed knowledge gaps regarding the real cause of the disease and the prescribed duration of anti-TB treatment with 68% of the learners not knowing the correct duration. The study, however, found no association between class (grade) or age of student and knowledge (p>0.05).Conclusion: The findings of this study have implications on the teaching of TB in schools as well as delivery of TB information, education and communication (IEC) messages. The knowledge gaps identified may have origins in the content of the curricula and/or the available IEC messages. Lack of association between knowledge and class could also mean that IEC may have an important role regarding what learners know. The study has also revealed that traditional beliefs are prevalent among the learners and that TB is stigmatising.Being the first study to be conducted on knowledge and perceptions among school children in Malawi, the results will inform the development of relevant IEC materials to enhance information about TB and control measures among school going children in these communities. The study also provides a basis for future studies.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Background: The Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has become a global public health challenge amid the growing concern of adolescent risky sexual behaviour, influenced by biological and psycho-social factors. There is an increasing demand for adolescent sexual risk reduction interventions, especially in sub-Saharan Africa which remains the hub of HIV epidemic worldwide. Sport-based HIV prevention programme has been identified as one of the interventions, in addition to other approaches to provide young people with appropriate HIV knowledge and skills to either delay or reduce risk-taking behaviour. Despite the potential of sport-based programme for sexual risk reduction, there is limited information on how to adapt it to meet adolescent needs in terms of design, contents, and delivery. This information is necessary to provide sufficiently strong evidence to support widespread implementation of sport-based programme, especially in rural African schools. Therefore, the study aimed to measure the impact of a sport-based HIV prevention intervention in the reduction of HIV related sexual risk behaviour among rural high school learners aged 13-18. Method: The overall study design was a concurrent mixed method, utilizing both the quantitative and qualitative approach. The population for the quantitative and the qualitative studies was made up of two high schools in a predominantly “Coloured” community in Ceres. Two classes each were randomly selected from grades 8-10 in both intervention and control school. The intervention was developed through a process of focus group discussions with the Grassroot Soccer (GRS) staff and it was guided by the Social Cognitive Theory. The intervention was delivered to grade 8-10 learners by GRS peer facilitators using the GRS generation skillz curriculum that consists of 12-week sessions in the intervention school. Quantitative data were analysed with multivariate statistical techniques and qualitative data with thematic analysis approach. Results: The data that assessed the behavioural and protective factors to understand why learners in rural schools engage in risky sexual behaviour showed that about 27.2% of the learners reported being sexually active. Of the sexually active learners, 48.7% reported engaging in sex by 14 years or younger and nearly 42.2% reported multiple sexual partners with significant higher proportion of boys than girls. Nearly 55.2% of the sexually active learners reported irregular condom use and 46.3% did not use a condom at the last sexual encounter. The majority of the learners (87%) did not know their HIV status. Being male (OR = 6.60;95% C I = 1.62 – 26.84) and peer influence (OR = 3.01; 95% CI = 1.97-4.60) were the strongest predictors of reporting sexual intercourse and early sexual activities before the age 15 respectively. Though the knowledge of HIV was low, those with greater knowledge of HIV were more likely to use a condom at last the sexual encounter (OR = 1.22; 95% C I =1.03-1.44). The learners who participated in sport-based intervention were 1.43times likely to report higher self-efficacy to refuse sex compared to the control group (OR = 1.43; 95% C.I =1.07-1.92).The process evaluation indicated that the sport-based intervention was well received among the learners as it gave them free space to freely express themselves. Conclusion: The findings have shown that sport-based intervention can be successfully implemented in school and is a promising approach to reduce risks associated with risky sexual behaviour in learners. However, the quality of the programme delivery was hampered by irregular session‟s schedule and language of instruction. The process suggests for a longer exposure period and because of social-cultural diversity, learners must be provided with the ownership of the programme in schools.