The theses deals with partnership and client-based approach to family and schooll collaboration. The theoretical part focuces on family and school as an institucion, thein definition, fiction and curricular documents. Further it deals with relations between a family and school, evolution of views on cooperation, mutal expectations of resulting cooperation, educational and social partenrship, the parents influence on the education of children, forms of cooperation, as well as with the limitations and risks that can be involved in the communication and collaboration. Criteria of effective cooperation between s family and school given by two different authors are characterized and compared. The work also maps the criteria of effective cooperation and forms of collaboration within in programme Step by Step. The empirical part presents observations, action research and interviews, to detect cooperation between school and families in a class following the programme Step by Step. The research methods include observations focused on consultations of a teacher - parents - children, an action research, which took place during creative workshops designed for parents, as well as group interview, carried out with the parents, the teacher and the children. KEYWORDS: Family, school, communication, cooperation,...

The adolescent developmental phase has encouraged many research studies as a result of the diversity and dynamics of this period of life. This phase is characterised by a range of challenges on an intrapersonal level, in family life, peer group settings and school settings. Various studies confirm that every aspect of adolescent development is influenced by experiences at school. Secondary school (Grades 8 to 12) is also considered to be a critical time for creating healthy and cohesive societies, since it forms the link between primary education and higher education, and the labour market. However, in low and middle income countries, such as Namibia, many adolescents grow up in conditions of poverty, which present them with fewer opportunities, experiences, resources and services that are essential for them to become healthy and productive adults. Educational opportunities are limited, while most of the learning resources or learning opportunities are unaffordable. In Namibia, the educational system has made progress since Independence in 1990. However, there remains a lack of instructional materials, a high proportion of unqualified teachers, and a scarcity of pre-primary education programmes. In the township of Mondesa in Swakopmund, the schools are overcrowded and children reach Grade 8 with literacy and numeracy skills far below the required level. The need for interventions in improving education and alleviating constraints, such as overcrowded classes, unqualified teachers and lack of resources the system is facing is evident and this has resulted in programmes attempting to make a difference in this sector. The Mondesa Youth Opportunities (MYO) Programme is one such initiative, aiming at providing educational assistance to underprivileged students drawn from disadvantaged schools in Swakopmund. They present learners with free afternoon education with classes in English, mathematics and reading. Classes for computer skills, life skills, music and sport are also included, to provide the learners with a stimulating environment and exposure to a variety of activities to expand their life world and experience. The board members of MYO have not yet attempted a comprehensive evaluation to judge and justify the efforts of the programme, since this would be a complex and costly endeavour. This study aimed at exploring the experiences of alumni adolescents on the contribution of the programme. The results could possibly form a basis for future more comprehensive evaluations of the programme and make the possibility of such an endeavour more feasible. This is a qualitative study and data was gathered through focus groups of adolescents who are currently in Grades 9 to 12 and who have previously attended the programme. After thematic analysis the findings of the study pointed out various contributions the programme experienced by the adolescents, pointing out themes that possibly provides a platform for starting future research on the effectiveness of the programme. The adolescents experienced various benefits as a result of attending the programme. This included enhancement of academic performance, cognitive development, provision of resources, and introduction to unfamiliar content, such as sports and music that taught them new skills, and helped them to find their own talents. The life skills classes provided them with useful knowledge for everyday life. The findings also suggest that the adolescents experienced an influence in their intrapersonal skills by gaining more confidence in their abilities, becoming more independent and learning to take responsibility. On a social level, the programme provided them with opportunities to make friends. The relationships they had with some of the teachers at MYO proved to be invaluable as a source of emotional support. These findings have contributed to an understanding of the adolescents’ experiences of the programme, and have highlighted positive experiences and various challenges adolescents faced in terms of the implementation of the programme, such as the amount of effort and time required to participate in the programme. Conclusions were made to provide MYO management with valuable feedback and suggestions for further research. / Thesis (MA (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The adolescent developmental phase has encouraged many research studies as a result of the diversity and dynamics of this period of life. This phase is characterised by a range of challenges on an intrapersonal level, in family life, peer group settings and school settings. Various studies confirm that every aspect of adolescent development is influenced by experiences at school. Secondary school (Grades 8 to 12) is also considered to be a critical time for creating healthy and cohesive societies, since it forms the link between primary education and higher education, and the labour market. However, in low and middle income countries, such as Namibia, many adolescents grow up in conditions of poverty, which present them with fewer opportunities, experiences, resources and services that are essential for them to become healthy and productive adults. Educational opportunities are limited, while most of the learning resources or learning opportunities are unaffordable. In Namibia, the educational system has made progress since Independence in 1990. However, there remains a lack of instructional materials, a high proportion of unqualified teachers, and a scarcity of pre-primary education programmes. In the township of Mondesa in Swakopmund, the schools are overcrowded and children reach Grade 8 with literacy and numeracy skills far below the required level. The need for interventions in improving education and alleviating constraints, such as overcrowded classes, unqualified teachers and lack of resources the system is facing is evident and this has resulted in programmes attempting to make a difference in this sector. The Mondesa Youth Opportunities (MYO) Programme is one such initiative, aiming at providing educational assistance to underprivileged students drawn from disadvantaged schools in Swakopmund. They present learners with free afternoon education with classes in English, mathematics and reading. Classes for computer skills, life skills, music and sport are also included, to provide the learners with a stimulating environment and exposure to a variety of activities to expand their life world and experience. The board members of MYO have not yet attempted a comprehensive evaluation to judge and justify the efforts of the programme, since this would be a complex and costly endeavour. This study aimed at exploring the experiences of alumni adolescents on the contribution of the programme. The results could possibly form a basis for future more comprehensive evaluations of the programme and make the possibility of such an endeavour more feasible. This is a qualitative study and data was gathered through focus groups of adolescents who are currently in Grades 9 to 12 and who have previously attended the programme. After thematic analysis the findings of the study pointed out various contributions the programme experienced by the adolescents, pointing out themes that possibly provides a platform for starting future research on the effectiveness of the programme. The adolescents experienced various benefits as a result of attending the programme. This included enhancement of academic performance, cognitive development, provision of resources, and introduction to unfamiliar content, such as sports and music that taught them new skills, and helped them to find their own talents. The life skills classes provided them with useful knowledge for everyday life. The findings also suggest that the adolescents experienced an influence in their intrapersonal skills by gaining more confidence in their abilities, becoming more independent and learning to take responsibility. On a social level, the programme provided them with opportunities to make friends. The relationships they had with some of the teachers at MYO proved to be invaluable as a source of emotional support. These findings have contributed to an understanding of the adolescents’ experiences of the programme, and have highlighted positive experiences and various challenges adolescents faced in terms of the implementation of the programme, such as the amount of effort and time required to participate in the programme. Conclusions were made to provide MYO management with valuable feedback and suggestions for further research. / Thesis (MA (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka om gymnasieungdomars upplevda stress prediceras av personlighetsegenskaper, val av programinriktning och känsla av sammanhang (KASAM). För att uppnå studiens syfte har frågeställningen Skiljer sig gymnasieungdomars upplevelse av stress beroende på KASAM, personlighetsegenskaper och programinriktning? varit utgångspunkt. Vår första hypotes för att besvara den var att det finns en skillnad mellan programinriktning och graden av stress. Den andra hypotesen var att KASAM och personlighetsegenskaper predicerar stress hos gymnasieungdomar. För att kunna besvara hypotesen delades ett enkätformulär ut till 298 gymnasieungdomar på två skolor, varav 97 var män, 210 var kvinnor och 1 var icke binär. Analys genom en envägs-ANOVA visar på en generellt hög stressnivå, dock finns ingen statistisk signifikant skillnad mellan programinriktningarna. Vidare regressionsanalys visar ett statistiskt signifikant samband där hög KASAM predicerar lägre upplevd stress (p < .001) hos gymnasieungdomarna. Sammanfattningsvis predicerar KASAM stress, medan programinriktning och personlighetsegenskaper inte gör det. / The purpose of this study was to investigate if high school students perceived stress is predicted by personality traits, high school programme, or perceived sense of coherence (SOC). To achieve the purpose of the study the question “Does high school students' experience of stress depend on SOC, personality traits or programme?” has been used as a starting point. The first hypothesis was that the degree of stress is dependent by programme. The second hypothesis was that SOC and personality traits predict stress for high school students. In order to answer the hypothesis, a questionnaire was distributed to 298 high school students, of which 97 were men, 210 were women and 1 was non-binary. The one way-ANOVA analysis of the results shows a general high level of stress, but there is no statistical significant difference between the high school programmes. Further regression analysis shows a statistically significant difference in relationship between SOC and stress. High SOC predicts lower perceived stress (p < .001) among high school students. In summary, SOC predicts stress but programme and personality traits don´t.

The critical role of children’s play in the development of peer relationships, social and communicative skills is reviewed and discussed. The difficulties experienced by a pre-school learner in engaging in peer relationships, communicating successfully in a classroom situation and constructively using play materials was explained. This was done through the use of anecdotal records, checklists, questionnaires, photographic evidence and a semi-structured interview with the learner’s parent. A pre-school play programme, using blocks, dough and puppets (BDP Programme) was devised and used to assess its influence on the acquisition of social and communicative skills by a non-social and non-communicative learner. The study found the BDP Programme to be very successful in assisting this learner to develop peer relationships and communicative skills in the peer group and thus played a critical role in the social development of this learner. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

A prominent idea in the decentralisation and development literature is that decentralisation leads to deeper and stronger community participation. This thesis seeks to examine this argument by investigating the practice of community participation in the Indonesian decentralisation context, focusing on parental participation through access to and control over school financial resources. Drawing on a case study in Depok city, the practice of parental involvement has been explored by identifying the characteristics and the extent of parents’ participation in school management. School Committees (SCs), as a mechanism of community involvement provided by the decentralised education policy, were also examined in this research to develop an understanding of parental representation in school management. The study found that the characteristics and the extent of parents’ participation in school management have changed and decreased significantly as a result of a new Free School Programme (FSP) introduced by the government in 2009 which freed parents from school operational cost. Prior to FSP, parents actively participated in terms of supplying resources and involvement in school meetings, had some access to financial information, and had limited engagement with school budgeting through representation in SCs. However, the new absence of financial contribution by parents has affected parental participation by transforming it into a weaker form of participation where parents act as mere beneficiaries. The study also revealed that in the Indonesian context, the SCs, as institutional channels for community involvement in education provided by the education decentralisation policy, are not effective in terms of representing and engaging parents in school management. Based on the evidence above, this thesis concluded that in the context of the Indonesian education system, decentralisation has not necessarily enhanced community participation. In this respect, decentralisation is not the only possible answer for achieving a meaningful and empowering parental participation in education. Furthermore, other contextual factors surrounding participation also have to be taken into account. While FSP brings the benefit of allowing students to access education freely, the absence of parental financial contribution has been proved to impact parental participation in a way that is contradictory to one of the purposes of decentralisation policy, which is to engage the community in educational management.

A prominent idea in the decentralisation and development literature is that decentralisation leads to deeper and stronger community participation. This thesis seeks to examine this argument by investigating the practice of community participation in the Indonesian decentralisation context, focusing on parental participation through access to and control over school financial resources. Drawing on a case study in Depok city, the practice of parental involvement has been explored by identifying the characteristics and the extent of parents’ participation in school management. School Committees (SCs), as a mechanism of community involvement provided by the decentralised education policy, were also examined in this research to develop an understanding of parental representation in school management. The study found that the characteristics and the extent of parents’ participation in school management have changed and decreased significantly as a result of a new Free School Programme (FSP) introduced by the government in 2009 which freed parents from school operational cost. Prior to FSP, parents actively participated in terms of supplying resources and involvement in school meetings, had some access to financial information, and had limited engagement with school budgeting through representation in SCs. However, the new absence of financial contribution by parents has affected parental participation by transforming it into a weaker form of participation where parents act as mere beneficiaries. The study also revealed that in the Indonesian context, the SCs, as institutional channels for community involvement in education provided by the education decentralisation policy, are not effective in terms of representing and engaging parents in school management. Based on the evidence above, this thesis concluded that in the context of the Indonesian education system, decentralisation has not necessarily enhanced community participation. In this respect, decentralisation is not the only possible answer for achieving a meaningful and empowering parental participation in education. Furthermore, other contextual factors surrounding participation also have to be taken into account. While FSP brings the benefit of allowing students to access education freely, the absence of parental financial contribution has been proved to impact parental participation in a way that is contradictory to one of the purposes of decentralisation policy, which is to engage the community in educational management.

A prominent idea in the decentralisation and development literature is that decentralisation leads to deeper and stronger community participation. This thesis seeks to examine this argument by investigating the practice of community participation in the Indonesian decentralisation context, focusing on parental participation through access to and control over school financial resources. Drawing on a case study in Depok city, the practice of parental involvement has been explored by identifying the characteristics and the extent of parents’ participation in school management. School Committees (SCs), as a mechanism of community involvement provided by the decentralised education policy, were also examined in this research to develop an understanding of parental representation in school management. The study found that the characteristics and the extent of parents’ participation in school management have changed and decreased significantly as a result of a new Free School Programme (FSP) introduced by the government in 2009 which freed parents from school operational cost. Prior to FSP, parents actively participated in terms of supplying resources and involvement in school meetings, had some access to financial information, and had limited engagement with school budgeting through representation in SCs. However, the new absence of financial contribution by parents has affected parental participation by transforming it into a weaker form of participation where parents act as mere beneficiaries. The study also revealed that in the Indonesian context, the SCs, as institutional channels for community involvement in education provided by the education decentralisation policy, are not effective in terms of representing and engaging parents in school management. Based on the evidence above, this thesis concluded that in the context of the Indonesian education system, decentralisation has not necessarily enhanced community participation. In this respect, decentralisation is not the only possible answer for achieving a meaningful and empowering parental participation in education. Furthermore, other contextual factors surrounding participation also have to be taken into account. While FSP brings the benefit of allowing students to access education freely, the absence of parental financial contribution has been proved to impact parental participation in a way that is contradictory to one of the purposes of decentralisation policy, which is to engage the community in educational management.

The critical role of children’s play in the development of peer relationships, social and communicative skills is reviewed and discussed. The difficulties experienced by a pre-school learner in engaging in peer relationships, communicating successfully in a classroom situation and constructively using play materials was explained. This was done through the use of anecdotal records, checklists, questionnaires, photographic evidence and a semi-structured interview with the learner’s parent. A pre-school play programme, using blocks, dough and puppets (BDP Programme) was devised and used to assess its influence on the acquisition of social and communicative skills by a non-social and non-communicative learner. The study found the BDP Programme to be very successful in assisting this learner to develop peer relationships and communicative skills in the peer group and thus played a critical role in the social development of this learner. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Det outtalade – What is not uttered. The purpose of this study is to observe and analyze interaction between young children and between them and their educators focusing on power relations shown by non verbal communication. The study argues that such expressions can often lead to violations that can be more difficult to address than those outspoken. In our intents as educators to remediate unequal relationships between children and between them and their educators and create a positive social atmosphere in the school context, we need to pay attention to nonverbal interaction. We also need to develop an adequate set of vocabulary in order to be able to discuss what happens and our practice; how we ourselves as educators interact, dealing with it. The study suggests how to – by using a palette of definitions and concepts, collected from different theories. I have performed observations in an Elementary School class, year one and at their After-school programme and furthermore interviewed the educators and pupils participating in the study. The theoretical framework used in the analysis is a combination of positioning and social dramaturgical theory. I present and discuss the negative nonverbal communication that I identified in my observations using four theoretical perspectives, all contributing to shed light on different aspects of power relations and relational creating interaction. These four are: 1. Johnstone’s positioning theory regarding how all human beings engage in High/Low swings in interpersonal relationships (1985).  2. The non vocal aspects of Eile’s theory of The Master Suppression Techniques and their Counter-strategies (2015) based on Ås’ theory (1989). 3. The Sociological theory of Goffman’s The presentation of the Self in Everyday life, an interactionist/dramaturgical perspective (1959). 4. The Low Arousal Approach as presented by Heljskov Elfvén &amp; Wiman (2015). Among the results I found several occurrences of negative non verbal interaction in this First Grade Elementary class between pupils and educators and that the vocabulary of the used perspectives were applicable. The study’s result implies that awareness of non verbal communication can increase both children’s and educator’s available positions and repertoire of actions. / Studien syftar till att undersöka, lyfta fram och belysa tyst maktspel på lågstadiet. Studiens huvudsakliga syfte är att observera negativ icke verbal interaktion mellan barn sinsemellan och mellan pedagoger och barn med fokus på maktförhållanden. Ett andra syfte är att samla begrepp från olika teorier som belyser detta på olika sätt och på så vis presentera en vokabulär för att sätta ord på det outtalade, som kan vara användbar för pedagoger i förebyggande arbete mot kränkningar i skola och på fritidshem. Detta då det implicit uttryckta outtalade kan leda till kränkningar som ofta kan vara svårare att komma åt än sådana som bygger på det explicit uttalade. Jag har gjort observationer av en klass ett och deras tre pedagoger i olika situationer i skolan och på fritidshemmet. Observationer har oftast direkt följts upp med samtal om vad som hände. Empirin har så analyserats med utgångspunkt i positioneringsteori och det social-dramaturgiska perspektivet utifrån begrepp hämtade från fyra teorier av Eile (2015 – utifrån Ås, 1989), Goffman (1959), Johnstone (1985) samt Wiman &amp; Hejlskov Elfvén (2015) som alla på olika vis belyser kroppsspråk ur ett relationellt maktperspektiv. Två längre intervjuer har genomförts: inledningsvis med Eile, doktorand i pedagogik specialiserad på ickeverbal interaktion och avslutningsvis med två av klassens pedagoger som reflekterat kring de observationer som gjorts och hur de tolkas. Uppsatsens resultat visar att bruk av ickeverbala negativa signaler förekommer som maktspel redan på lågstadiet och implikerar att pedagogernas kunskaper om kroppsspråk och maktspel i form av hög- och lågstatusspel och Härskartekniker samt kännedom om strategier för att motverka negativa effekter av detta – som till exempel genom Motstrategier, Bekräftartekniker och Lågaffektivt bemötande – kan ha inverkan på hur dessa signaler påverkar klassen. Jag förordar därför vidare forskning på området och att pedagoger, i sitt arbete för jämbördiga relationer och för att skapa en positiv psykosocial skolmiljö, även bör uppmärksamma det outtalade. Mer kunskaper om de negativa ickeverbala signalerna och de metoder och den vokabulär som här lyfts fram för hur det kan motverkas tycks kunna användas som ett sätt att motverka mobbing i det tysta. Medvetenhet om dylikt ger fler möjliga sätt för barn och vuxna att förhålla sig till sin egen position i mötet med andra och därmed en större handlingsrepertoar. / <p>Examinator blev samma person; Adrian Ratkic, som var den första handledaren för denna uppsats, men då det var redan 2016 och uppsatsen sedan dess skrivits om och givits ny form osv så ansåg kursansvarige, Frans Hagerman, att det var i sin ordning. Efter att uppsatsen ventilerats första gången 2018 med examinatorn Liza Haglund som berömde intentionerna men saknade den stringens som bör känneteckna ett dylikt arbete, fick jag så värdefull handledning av henne som möjiggjorde presentationen av denna reviderade version 2019.</p>