This study examined the effectiveness of child centered play therapy (CCPT) with academically at-risk 1st graders. In this quasi-experimental design, twenty-one 1st grade students were assigned to the experimental group and 20 students were assigned to the no treatment control group. The children in the experimental group received two 30 minute play therapy sessions per week for the duration of eight weeks. Three hypotheses were analyzed. A two-factor repeated measures analysis of variances (SPANOVA) were performed on each dependent variable to determine if the experimental group performed differently from the control group across time according to the pretest and posttest results of the Young Child's Achievement Test (YCAT), the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children (PSPCSAYC), and the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS). Additionally, partial η2 was calculated to determine practical significance. One hypothesis was retained at the .05 level of significance. Findings indicated that academically at-risk 1st graders who participated in CCPT scored statistically significant higher on academic achievement. Specifically, children assigned to the experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant increase in Early Achievement Composite (p = .03) when compared to children assigned to the no treatment control group. No statistical significant results were found on Self-Concept and Student-Teacher Relationship Stress.

Play therapy in a school setting was studied to determine its therapeutic effectiveness on students' reading achievement, self-concept, and locus of control. The sample consisted of 24 students in two first grade classes who had been retained because of low achievement in reading. Instruments used in the study were the Gates MacGinite Reading Test, the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, and the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire. Analysis of covariance, used to test the significance of the difference between the adjusted post-test means of the experimental and control groups, showed that participants in play therapy scored significantly higher in self-concept than did those who were not exposed to treatment. No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in reading achievement or locus of control. Since research has shown that low achievers in reading tend to have low self-concepts, it seems reasonable to assume that improved self-concept would be related to improved reading scores. The nature of such a possible relationship needs further study. Recommendations were made for integrating affective components into academic remediation programs, and suggestions for further research were made.

A limited amount of research exists that addresses low self-esteem, poor self-concept, and distorted self-image in children with Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The most urgent task is to test assumptions regarding self-perception and to assess the dimensions of self-concept influenced by this disorder. The Self-Perception Profile for Children (Harter, 1985) was used in the present study to assess those dimensions. Participants included 34 boys with ADHD, 27 boys with LD, and 33 boys without any diagnosed psychological or learning problems. Results were analyzed using Pearson's product-moment correlation, analyses of variance (ANOVA), and analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) and did not support the hypotheses.

This study has examined the effectiveness of a neuropsychologically based learning programme aimed at enhancing the seJt:.actualisation of learners. The aim of the programme is to create awareness of one's unique purpose in life. The need for motivation, commitment and determination must he realised. llolistic thinking is an important concept throughout the programme, in that it is aimed at unlocking latent potential through the encouragement of lateral thinking. The awareness of underlying potential enhances the realisation of each Ieamer's uniqueness and individual contributions to society, and facilitates awareness of the need to accept responsibility for one's own future. 'Ibis failure to fully utilise the potential of the brain has implications for education. A teacher who is made aware ofthe huge untapped storage ofhuman brain potential could be trained to disclose a learner's unused abilities, through adjusted education, thus infonning learners of the intrinsic abilities oftheir brains. / Educational studies / M.Ed.

People's psychological experience of their body can impact on their lives. Some theories hold that the media creates an impossible physical ideal. The demands of trying to achieve this ideal may lead to normative discontent and psychopathology. Girls are experiencing this pressure at a younger age and the onset of puberty can exacerbate this experience. The present study used case studies and thematic content analysis to explore the issue of body image in twelve preadolescent girls. The research found that hair and the ability of the body to do need to be encompassed in the definition of body image. While the participants appeared to have a positive perception of their body, there also appeared to be negative feelings. This suggested that the participants experienced confusion and ambiguous feelings about their body. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

During her theoretical training as an educational psychologist, the researcher was intrigued and fascinated by the expositions on the functioning of the self. With this study she pursued her goal to gain a clearer understanding of the formation and development of the self in a child, with the focus on the child in middle childhood (6 -12 years). In this study, she mainly focused on understanding the connection between the three crucial components of the self, self-concept and self-esteem. Her passion for art inspired her to be inventive and apply artistic creative methods of drawing, painting and clay human modelling as projective means to access the child’s unconscious mind, revealing pivotal experiences and emotions, revealing how the child relates to his or her self. According to this qualitative arts-based research study, the DAP (Draw a Person) and variations of PAP (Paint a Person) and CAP (Create a Person) with the use of appropriate DAP, PAP and CAP questionnaires, seem relevant therapeutic projective measures to assist in educational psychology in exploring the child’s self. / Further Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions street children have about the most important referents in their life worlds and to propose guidelines to their helpers on the most appropriate intervention. The street children's perceptions of their families, schools, society, peers and themselves were examined through a literature study on the phenomenon of street children and their intervention and, an empirical study consisting of a questionnaire survey and case studies. It was found that the street children generally perceived themselves and these referents negatively, which can be related to experiences of severe physical, emotional and social deprivation. These perceptions influence their involvement with all referents in their lives negatively, as their main tendencies in response to problematic situations are flight, avoidance and withdrawal. Guidelines given to their schools, social-and care-workers, and educational psychologists focused on inter- and intra-personal areas of development. / Psychology of Education / M.Ed. (Guidance and Counseling)

This study has examined the effectiveness of a neuropsychologically based learning programme aimed at enhancing the seJt:.actualisation of learners. The aim of the programme is to create awareness of one's unique purpose in life. The need for motivation, commitment and determination must he realised. llolistic thinking is an important concept throughout the programme, in that it is aimed at unlocking latent potential through the encouragement of lateral thinking. The awareness of underlying potential enhances the realisation of each Ieamer's uniqueness and individual contributions to society, and facilitates awareness of the need to accept responsibility for one's own future. 'Ibis failure to fully utilise the potential of the brain has implications for education. A teacher who is made aware ofthe huge untapped storage ofhuman brain potential could be trained to disclose a learner's unused abilities, through adjusted education, thus infonning learners of the intrinsic abilities oftheir brains. / Educational studies / M.Ed.

People's psychological experience of their body can impact on their lives. Some theories hold that the media creates an impossible physical ideal. The demands of trying to achieve this ideal may lead to normative discontent and psychopathology. Girls are experiencing this pressure at a younger age and the onset of puberty can exacerbate this experience. The present study used case studies and thematic content analysis to explore the issue of body image in twelve preadolescent girls. The research found that hair and the ability of the body to do need to be encompassed in the definition of body image. While the participants appeared to have a positive perception of their body, there also appeared to be negative feelings. This suggested that the participants experienced confusion and ambiguous feelings about their body. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions street children have about the most important referents in their life worlds and to propose guidelines to their helpers on the most appropriate intervention. The street children's perceptions of their families, schools, society, peers and themselves were examined through a literature study on the phenomenon of street children and their intervention and, an empirical study consisting of a questionnaire survey and case studies. It was found that the street children generally perceived themselves and these referents negatively, which can be related to experiences of severe physical, emotional and social deprivation. These perceptions influence their involvement with all referents in their lives negatively, as their main tendencies in response to problematic situations are flight, avoidance and withdrawal. Guidelines given to their schools, social-and care-workers, and educational psychologists focused on inter- and intra-personal areas of development. / Psychology of Education / M.Ed. (Guidance and Counseling)