Thesis (MEd)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Being over age-for-grade has become a barrier to learning. More than 15% of learners in the South African school system are over age. This creates an enormous problem in terms of education spending per learner. In 1998 South Africa spent one-third of its education budget on over age learners who included repeaters and drop-outs. A clearer understanding of the educational needs of over age learners is needed. These learners are at risk of dropping out, being further retained or being promoted out of the school system. Thus far over age learners have been marginalised by the education system essentially due to the system's inability to deal with them. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to make a contribution to the understanding of the educational needs of over age learners. A qualitative approach provided a clear description of the factors that impact on the educational needs of over age learners. This study revealed the following: • Over age learners experience a sense of being educationally displaced. • The attitudes and beliefs of teachers directly influence their educational responses to the needs of over age learners. • Over age learners struggle with basic scholastic skills. • The provision of support comes primarily from classroom peers. It appears that teachers need a variety of educational skills to deal appropriately with the needs of over age learners. Furthermore, it appears that these learners need an educational space of their own within an inclusive education environment. It would further appear that over age learners need to be acknowledged as being a specific category of learners with learning barriers, otherwise their needs will continue to be marginalised by the educational system. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit wil voorkom dat ouderdom 'n leerhindernis vir duisende leerders geword het. Meer as vyftien persent van leerders in die skoolsisteem is oorouderdom. Dit skep 'n probleem in terme van die opvoedingsonkoste per leerder. In 1998 is 'n derde van die Suid Afrikaanse begroting aan oorouderdom leerders gespandeer wat ook herhalers en skoolverlaters insluit. Daar is 'n behoefte aan groter begrip vir die behoeftes van oorouderdom leerders. Daar is 'n risiko dat hierdie leerders skool kan verlaat, terug gehou kan word, of uit die skoolsisteem bevorder kan word. Tot dusver is oorouderdom leerders deur die onderwyssisteem gemarginaliseer hoofsaaklik as gevolg van 'n gebrek aan kennis om hulle effektiefte akkommodeer. Die doel van hierdie studie was om 'n bydrae te lewer tot 'n beter begrip van die opvoedkundige behoeftes van oorouderdom leerders. 'n Kwalitatiewe benadering is verkies wat 'n duidelike beskrywing gee van die opvoedkundige behoeftes van oorouderdom leerders. Die studie het die volgende tendense aan die lig gebring: • Oorouderdom leerders ervaar hulself as misplaas binne die onderwys stelsel. • Opvoeders se houdings en oortuigings het 'n duidelike invloed op hul eie opvoedkundige response ten opsigte van die behoeftes van oorouderdom leerders. • Oorouderdom leerders worstel met basiese skolastiese vaardighede. • Oorouderdom leerders ontvang primêr opvoedkundige ondersteuning van medeleerders. Opvoeders benodig 'n verskeidenheid van opvoedkundige vaardighede om oorouderdom leerders se behoeftes toepaslik te hanteer. Dit blyk dat hierdie leerders 'n behoefte het aan hul eie opvoedkundige ruimte binne 'n inklusiewe omgewing. Daar kan geargumenteer word dat oorouderdom leerders 'n spesifieke kategorie leerders is met eiesoortige leerhindernisse. Indien bogenoemde nie erken word nie sal daar voort gegaan word met die miskenning van oorouderdom leerders se behoeftes deur die opvoedkundige gemeenskap.

The purpose of this study was to determine if academic achievement and academic self-esteem can be linked to the non-traditional organizational pattern of looping in kindergarten and first grade classes. Looping is defined as one teacher remaining with the same students for two or more years. Using a control group-experimental group design where the experimental group participated in the looping program and the control group did not, and applying the statistical procedure of multivariate analysis of variance (MANAVO), it was found that there was no significant difference between the subjects in the two groups on the criterion variable of academic achievement as measured by the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, and the criterion variable of academic self-esteem as measured by the Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventory, Second Edition. It was concluded that further study would need to be done to determine if there are advantages to an organizational pattern of looping for students in public elementary schools.

This study examined the empirical relationship between narcissism and self-esteem in an attempt to evaluate competing conceptualizations of narcissism. Participants were 236 children (mean age 11.3 years) in the fourth through eighth grades. Counter to earlier conceptions, which characterized narcissism as very high self-esteem, narcissism and self-esteem were slightly negatively correlated. Also, narcissism predicted several adjustment variables, including aggression. None of these relationships was mediated by self-esteem. Lastly, self-esteem moderated the relationship between narcissism and aggression in boys. Taken together, these lines of evidence point to a new conceptualization of narcissism, modeled after self-discrepancy theory, in which narcissism is conceptualized as grandiosity in the ideal self. Implications of this proposal and directions for future research are discussed. / by Rachel Evans. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 107-129). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (MSD (Play Therapy))--Universiteit van Pretoria, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

The recent social and political changes in South Africa are having a profound effect on social relations in South Africa, and it seems appropriate to study the attitudes of children and their perceptions of racial and gender relations. This study attempts to explore self-esteem, perceptions of social satisfaction, status and prejudice in relation to race and gender. The sample consists of 444 Black and White children aged 12/13 years and 14/15 years. The children were from schools in an urban area (Pietermaritzburg) in Kwa-Zulu, Natal. Three instruments were administered: The Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventory, the Social Status Technique and the Social Distance Scale. A review of theoretical considerations of prejudice, self-esteem and social identity theory is provided. Statistical analysis indicated the following findings: there is no difference in assessed self-esteem between the races although boys exhibited a more positive self-esteem than girls. Black children showed more positive levels of self-esteem on the academic and parent-related sub-scales, while White children showed a more positive social self-esteem. With regard to social satisfaction and preference, all children identified Whites as being the most satisfied and having the most status. With the exception of Black boys, all children perceive that girls have more satisfaction and status than boys. There is a clear difference between boys and girls with girls showing a strong bias towards their own gender in the preference and satisfaction questions but not on the identification question. In relation to identification, children showed a clear own-group identification. On the Social Distance Scale, Black children were more prejudiced than White children, and were most prejudiced towards the Afrikaans speaking group. Boys also were more prejudiced than girls. The findings are discussed in relation to the theoretical perspectives and to previous findings. A critique of the study and recommendations for future research are included. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

This study examines whether self-esteem and anxiety are related to achievement and aptitude in 28 boys and 20 girls in grades 3 through 6. The influence of 48 mothers' and 42 fathers' self-esteem and anxiety on the child's achievement, aptitude, self-esteem, and anxiety is also assessed. / Main and interaction effects of achievement and aptitude on anxiety are obtained. High achievers have lower anxiety scores than low achievers. Gifted children have higher physiological anxiety than nongifted children. In most cases, gifted low achievers have the highest anxiety scores and gifted high achievers have the lowest. Aptitude and achievement groups do not differ in self-esteem. / Mothers of gifted children report higher total self-esteem than mothers of nongifted children. Fathers of high achievers report higher total self-esteem than fathers of low achievers. Parents do not differ in anxiety. Father total self-esteem is negatively related to anxiety and positively related to self-esteem in boys.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 10-week physical fitness program on the fitness profiles, levels of self-concept, and body-esteem in 3rd- and 4th-grade low-fit children. The participants were 17 children (9 boys/8 girls) who failed to meet the Physical Best fitness standards in at least 2 of 3 fitness profile components, including cardiovascular endurance (one-mile run/walk), muscular strength and endurance (situps/min), and flexibility (sit and reach). All participants were pre and posttested in each of the three fitness profile components. Self-concept and bodyesteem were also pre and posttested using a shortened version of Harter's Self-Perception profile for children (SPPC) and the Body-Esteem Scale for Children (B-ESC).The treatment group (n = 10) participated 3 days/week for 60 min/day in a vigorous physical activity program designed to maintain heart rates corresponding to 60-80% of each individual's V02 max. An Analysis of Covariance revealed that the treatment group scored significantly higher (p < .05) on the posttest than the control group in two of the four self-concept dimensions (athletic competence and global self-worth) and on two of the three fitness profile components (muscular strength and endurance and flexibility). In light of the problems associated with increasing children's physical activity levels, offering after school programs such as this one appears to be an effective strategy. / Institute for Wellness

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether gifted students scored higher on reading achievement and self-esteem ratings when they worked in mixed ability (heterogeneous) groups or similar ability (homogeneous) groups while participating in cooperative learning activities. The participants were 47 fourth grade students from six intact classrooms in four elementary schools in small midwestern school districts.The Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests were used to obtain pre- and posttest scores in the area of reading ability. The test consisted of 93 items, including 45 vocabulary and 48 comprehension questions. The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory was also given to the students as a pre- and posttest measure of self-esteem. A treatment of cooperative learning activities was then completed with each class by the researcher to determine if there was a difference between the two groups.The following hypotheses were tested at the.05 level of significance:Hypothesis 1: There is no significant difference between the reading achievement of gifted students who participate in cooperative learning with heterogeneous groups of students and gifted students who participate in cooperative learning with homogeneous groups of students.Hypothesis ll: There is no significant difference in the self-esteem ratings of gifted students who participate in cooperative learning with heterogeneous groups of students and gifted students who participate in cooperative learning with homogeneous groups of students.To test the hypotheses an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. For each hypothesis, the obtained F-ratio exceeded the F-value for significance at the .05 level. Therefore, the tests failed to reject the null hypotheses. The findings of this study indicate that students achieve equally well in reading achievement and self-esteem regardless of the grouping strategy used. / Department of Elementary Education

In this study, results from Epstein's (1983) study were replicated and parental acceptance was found to be significantly correlated with measures of global self-esteem and lovability. This study extends his work to examine the unique effect of parental nonconcordance (i.e., one parent experienced as accepting and the other parent experienced as rejecting). Undergraduate students (N = 259) completed the Mother-Father-Peer Scale and the Multidimensional Self-Esteem Inventory. Results of the hierarchical multiple regression analysis supported the hypotheses that mother acceptance is a better predictor of global self-esteem and lovability than father acceptance in cases of parental nonconcordance. The results are discussed in lights of Bowlby's (1969/1982. 1973, & 1980) attachment theory, the construct of internal working models of attachment and the hierarchical nature of these models. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services