Most studies in South Africa focus on male offenders as they make up the majority of the offending population. With female offenders being in the minority, they receive less of the research attention. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the subjective experience of finding employment with a criminal record from the perspectives of six female former offenders who participated in the study. Participants were asked to share their accounts during semi-structured interviews. The transcripts were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. A total of nine themes were identified, namely; confronting the labour market; it affected my life not my chances; experiences of vocational skills and labour in corrections; current financial status versus previous financial status; those left behind: the impact of incarceration on the family. I am Human too, entering and adjusting in the correctional system, finding God and oneself, and rehabilitation and reintegration programmes. The findings showed that the experience of incarceration cannot be separated from the experience of adjusting back into society and finding employment. Employment and unemployment had an effect on participants’ financial status but also affected self-esteem and the relationship with family. The findings illustrated how participants used different coping methods to deal with not being able to find employment, dealing with the stigma attached to being a former offender as well as adjusting back into the community. The analyses from the interviews were compared to existing literature, thus creating a rich discussion. An overview of the discussion and some recommendations were provided and the limitations of the study were also taken into account. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Local Economic Development has in recent years, gained wide spread acceptance, as a locality-based response to economic challenges. It is now firmly on the agenda of many national and local government and key international agencies. Adopting a desk study approach, reviewing extensive literature on LED, the study sought to establish the impact of LED strategy employed by Buffalo City Municipality, and assess the extent to which it has alleviated poverty. The study shows that the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) LED strategy has limited impact on poverty alleviation due to a myriad of factors, which reinforce and interact with each other thereby limiting development and trapping residents in poverty. The thesis argues that there is significant room for a paradigm shift from predominantly pro-growth to pro-poor LED, and the need to adopt a comprehensive LED strategy that seeks to include of both pro-growth and pro-poor strategies. Both cannot operate without the other in the bid to promote development in Buffalo City, mainly with Agriculture, Tourism, and SMME having significant potential to bring about local economic development. Moreover, the promotion of Private-Public Partnerships play an integral role in the socio-economic development of Buffalo City, and more so the participation of local people is even more fundamental, which will give them the opportunity to take charge of their own development. Therefore, the study suggests a new LED agenda, which is pro-poor, holistic, and moves away from ‘piecemeal’ project based LED activities, and adopts comprehensive economic programmes so that LED has significant impact on poverty alleviation.

Text in English / While correctional centres are often associated with men, there is an increasing number of incarcerated women who have rehabilitation needs that are specific to their gender. Historically correctional centres have responded through offering rehabilitative programmes that stereotyped women offenders into socially constructed gender roles. Using a feminist criminology framework, the current study aimed to explore the subjective inner experience and meaning given by women classified as maximum security offenders to the rehabilitation processes in the Johannesburg Correctional Centre. Data was collected from 18 incarcerated women who are and were once classified as maximum offenders. A narrative analysis was used in understanding the data from the interviews. Women’s narratives in the current study reflect unique and common experiences with rehabilitation in the correctional centre. Being a maximum security offender presents a challenge of further perceived discrimination, alienation and isolation amongst women who describe limited involvement in rehabilitation as a result of this identity. Also highlighted in the study are challenges in implementing gender sensitive programming in a penal system infused with power dynamics; a discipline and punish narrative; patriarchy; binary view of gender and ethnocentrism. A continued reinforcement of traditional structures, systems and practices that seek to perpetuate gendered form of existence is also evident in the current study. Therefore, a need for the reformation of the correctional centre context and culture is suggested so as to respond in a manner that is not only gender sensitive, but also inclusive enough in recognising both in theory and in practice, the various locations of inequality in society that influence female criminality. The principle of Ubuntu demonstrated through caring, compassion and hospitability which empowers and edifies the other person through interrelatedness is one of the promising initiatives that can guide correctional centres and society in the implementation of gender sensitive programmes, while paying attention to the socio-cultural dynamics that influence women’s pathways to crime. / Psychology / D. Phil. (Psychology)

Full-Service Schools are new institutions in South Africa which have been established in terms of the Education White Paper 6, Special Needs Education and Training System (Department of Education, 2001: 22-23; 2014: 9) as pilot schools for the rolling out of the Inclusion Policy in South Africa. A full-service school is a school that encourages learners who experience barriers to learning and learners without barriers to learning to learn and live together (Department of Education, 2001, 2014). For this reason, all learners must have opportunities to learn and play together and participate in educational activities in full-service schools. These inclusion practices, which promote acceptance, equity and collaboration, are responsive to individual needs, and embrace diversity (The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act No. 108 of 1996). The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of educators in management of inclusive classrooms. This study focused on how the educators perform the three of the seven educators roles as expected in the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications (MRTEQ) (Department of Education, 2011).The educators, over and above these roles, are expected also to participate in extra-curricular programmes, such as sports, cultural and artistic activities, and thus taking more of their time, most probably to the detriment of not fulfilling their Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications as expected. The three selected educators roles are ‘the educator as a learning mediator’, ‘the educator as assessor’ and ‘the educator as support provider’, viz. the community, citizenship and pastoral roles of educators for the learners who experience barriers to learning in English First Additional Language (FAL) in the Grade Six inclusive classrooms. A qualitative research method was employed in this study, to explore the way in which individuals make sense of their world in the naturalistic setting of the classroom, without predetermining the research outcomes (Patton 2002, MacMillan & Schumacher 2010, Denzin & Lincoln 2011, Creswell, 2013). Data analysed was gathered through in-depth interviews, non-participatory observation, and document analysis. Data was analysed through content analysis. / Inclusive Education / D. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Violence against women is a global phenomenon and it has over the past three decades occupied a central position in international discourse. Despite the extensive literature, little has been documented about the social support services offered to the abused women in shelters. A qualitative research approach was employed in this study to explore, describe, and contextualise the experiences and challenges of social workers in the social support services rendered to abused women in shelters. The participants were selected using purposive sampling, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with social workers involved in rendering services to abused women in shelters in Gauteng. Ethical issues were taken into consideration. Data were analysed using Tesch’s eight steps (in Creswell, 2009) and verified using Guba and Lincoln’s model (in Krefting, 2003) to test the trustworthiness of the data. The key findings of the study highlight the important role that social workers who provide social services to abused women in shelters play in the process of empowerment and protection of these women, who benefit from the social support service programmes that the shelters render on a daily basis. These findings also reveal that due to limited resources, the social workers cannot provide these social support services effectively without assistance. This study also reflects the need for a multidisciplinary approach, and emphasises the need for other stakeholders such as the SAPS, Health, Home Affairs, Department of Social Development, and the embassies of foreign countries to play a more significant role within the sheltering services in order to provide a comprehensive service to abused women. It is clear that social workers have limited professional support and experience many challenges in rendering social services. / Social Work / M.S.W. (Social Work)

The aim of the study was to determine factors contributing to late booking amongst pregnant women at Ekurhuleni health district in order to offer recommendations for enhancing early booking. Interpretative phenomenological analysis design was used. Data were collected using semi-structured individual face-to-face interviews from 20 purposively selected pregnant women. Each interview was audio recorded and lasted between 45-60 minutes. Fields notes were taken to triangulate data collection method. Audio recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim. Data were thematically analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis framework for data analysis. Results indicate that healthcare service related factors such as human resources, infrastructure and the type of service rendered at the clinic contribute to late bookings. Client related factors such as socioeconomic status, cultural beliefs and knowledge deficit also contribute to late bookings. Recommendations are made addressing both healthcare service and client related factors in order to enhance early booking among pregnant woman at Ekurhuleni district. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing science)

The judicial system is moving away from a retributive justice system to a more rehabilitative, restorative justice system. Diverting youth offenders from the justice system by alternative sentencing options such as diversion programmes is one way of doing this. Jt was found that a need exists for the development of a therapeutic programme for the rehabilitation of youth offenders in South Africa. The purpose of the study was to detennine the content of therapeutic rehabilitation programme and subsequently to develop a provisional therapeutic programme for youth offenders. The first part of the literature study summarized a number of theories used to explain the incidence of youth offence. The second part of the literature study discussed various risk factors that could lead to youth offence. Thirdly, the juvenile justice system in South Africa was discussed. Finally, the characteristics of effective rehabilitation programmes were discussed and a number of international and South African rehabilitation programmes were evaluated in tenns ofthese characteristics. In the literature study certain aspects for inclusion in a rehabilitation programme were identified. A list of topics that should be addressed by a rehabilitation programme was drawn up. A provisional therapeutic programme was compiled using the information gained from the literature study and the needs for a programme as identified by staff members at the facility where the programme was to be conducted. The programme was based on experiential learning. lt included a number of activities that addressed the topics identified by the literature study. The provisional programme was evaluated in tenns of its short-term effectiveness and adjustments to the programme were made. The adjusted programme was conducted at two other facilities and evaluated in tenns of its short-term effectiveness by the researcher, the staff at these facilities and the youth who took part in the programme. Staff at the two facilities where the empirical study took place were asked to complete questionnaires to identify their needs with regards to a rehabilitation programme as well as background questionnaires on the youth who were taking part in the programme. Recommendations for further improvements of the programme were made. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The purpose of this study is to tell the story of how four peer helpers within the Unisa Peer Help Volunteer Programme managed their portfolio development processes to monitor their growth and development which took place as a result of their involvement in peer helper activities. The epistemological framework of this study is interpretive and involved in-depth interviews with four peer helpers who rendered volunteer services at the University of South Africa and have been developing their career portfolios over a period of time. Hermeneutics was the method used to analyse the data. The stories of the four participants were transcribed and retold by the researcher in the form of themes that emerged. This study contained the stories of how the participants initially struggled to understand the concept and purpose of portfolios; how they took charge of the process; and how their attitudes changed from uncertainty and confusion to viewing the process as worthwhile - thus enabling them to commit themselves, to varying degrees, to the development of their individual portfolios. Recurring themes present in all four stories were described in the researcher's story of the participants' stories. The information generated by this study could serve as guidelines for not only peer helpers interested in developing their own portfolios, but also for project leaders involved in the management of peer helper groups and who plan to implement portfolios in their programmes. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

The purpose of this study is to describe trauma in the lives of social work students studying at Unisa South Africa. It explores how they describe trauma, what traumatic experiences they have gone through, the effect these experiences had on them, what they did to cope and how these experiences impacted their work as aspiring social workers. A case study was conducted with fourth-level students at Unisa South Africa. The theoretical framework adopted for the research was the person-centred approach. The research involved both focus group interviews and a survey. Both quantitative and qualitative data were generated. Descriptive statistics were used to create a profile of the participants. Qualitative data were analysed using a hermeneutic method. The perceptions of the participants were re-told by the researcher in the form of specific themes that emerged from the data. These themes were discussed and compared with the literature. Implications for the students’ work as social workers were discussed. The study accessed unique aspects of trauma that are grounded in the South African context. The description of trauma that emerged from the research created a new definition of the meaning of trauma. The research discusses the effects of trauma on the emerging professional self of the social work student. Recommendations are made that could be valuable to social work educators wishing to further the personal and professional growth of social work students. The research is also of value to those working with traumatised people. / Social Work / D .Litt. et Phil. (Social Work)

The abuse of substances by South African young people has led to the development of specialised residential treatment programmes. This qualitative and phenomenological study sought to explore child and youth care interventions which contributes towards children’s recovery from substance abuse/dependency. Data was collected through purposive sampling, with face -to -face interviews with a broad interview guide and it’s analysis was influenced by Patton and Creswell’s eight steps for qualitative data analysis and interpretation. The study confirmed the involvement of South African child and youth care workers in substance abuse programmes for young people. Specific interventions such as an existence of a therapeutic relationship between child and youth care workers, the use of the relationship as a model for other relationships, the availability and presence of the child and youth care worker, the adolescent development programme and young people’s involvement in their individual development programme that contributed to recovery from substance dependency were identified. / Social Work / M. Tech. (Child and Youth Care)