The purpose of this study was to explore how television influences the sexual attitudes and behaviour of adolescent girls in Mabopane Township. Though the area of adolescent sexual behaviour has been researched to a considerable degree elsewhere, there seemed to be lack of information regarding adolescent sexual behaviour and attitudes relating to Africa, especially South Africa, which inspired the researcher to embark on this study. The researcher explored the adolescent girls’ experiences using qualitative approach and in-depth individual interviews, and undertook a content thematic analysis of the textual data she gathered from girls who participated. A qualitative research design was adopted for this study as it allowed the researcher to obtain rich data from the participants. Purposive random sampling was also used to select participants. The four participants were between age 16 and 17, studying in grades 11 and 12. The results of this study indicated that adolescent girls from Mabopane Township feel that television does influence their sexual attitudes and behaviour. They also indicated that television does not display the consequences of sex, thus influencing adolescents to engage in such behaviour. Related to this was the finding that adolescents view characters on television as their role models because the latter are ‘in the limelight’, therefore enhancing the possibility of them doing what they see their role models doing. Furthermore, the participants indicated that television alone is not the only influence in their lives; other factors such as parental guidance and peer pressure also contribute to shaping their sexual attitudes and behaviours. They also indicated that frequent viewing of television is more likely to result in adolescents altering their sexual beliefs and adopting what is being done on television. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

The process of getting to ESD is as important as the implementation of ESD itself. The study argues that the extent to which essential ESD characteristics are indeed present in the process of establishing an ESD program yields implications to the chances of a program becoming successful. To illustrate this argument, the present case study examines the ESD masterplan drafting process by the Hamburg Learns Sustainability (HLN) initiative in Germany. It aims to gain insights into the essential elements that determine the success or failure of a city-wide ESD initiative. To find out these essential elements, the present study, through literature review on social learning theory, developed the CSR-I conceptual framework: Community Belonging, System Integration, Reflection and Infrastructure to assess the HLN case. Data were gathered through interviews with key informants and review of documentation. The results show that the social learning dimensions of participation, integration, diversity and facilitation have the strongest presence. These essential elements make a city-wide ESD initiative a success.

This qualitative case study addressed the impact of administration and school leadership on teachers who encounter burnout. The purpose of this project study was to examine this phenomenon through the experiences of Grades 9-12 classroom teachers, which ultimately could reduce the amount of early retirees, reduce the amount of illnesses among teachers, and increase the enthusiasm and vitality of educators. The conceptual framework was based on Bandura's social learning theory. Interview data were collected from four high school educators using purposive sampling, through semi structured face-to-face inter-views, and were coded using a line-by-line content analysis for emergent themes. Findings included positive and negative experiences of teacher burnout, the encounter of change and flexibility, and the importance of professional collaboration. Through the findings of this study, teachers are encouraged to engage in direct coping strategies such as improving class management skills to help with a positive workday. Indirect coping strategies include participation in sports activities outside school hours. Strategies are offered for administrators to support teachers on fostering empathy, relationship building, and communication. The outcomes are beneficial to local school and district administrators to support a positive working environment for teachers in which all students can learn. Positive social change at the local level includes senior district administrators making decisions on the allocation of human and capital resources to help burned out teachers.

Teen dating violence and bullying are major public health concerns but are preventable. Both dating violence and bullying occur within similar social context and the prevalence of teen dating violence was highest for African American teens as reported on the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Social learning theory provides a foundation for understanding and changing behavior related to dating violence victimization and bully victimization. The research questions focused on relationships between bully and teen dating violence victimization when controlling for race/ethnicity, gender, substance abuse, age, and age of first sexual intercourse. Additionally, the potential mediating variable of spending time with a parent was tested. This was a quantitative study using archival data from Palm Beach County YRBS of 2,376 public high school students in the spring of 2013. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Chi-square, multivariate regression analysis, Conditional PROCESS, and Games Howell Post Hoc tests were conducted. Results for this study showed a relationship between race, gender, substance abuse, age, and age of first sexual intercourse and the likelihood of the co-occurrence of being a victim of teen dating violence and bullying. Additionally, spending time with a parent mediated the relationship between experiencing teen dating violence and bully victimization. This study has implications for positive social change through its potential change in the landscape of prevention programs that target teens, which may decrease victimization and improve the longevity of healthy social and intimate relationships.

Youth who are placed in the Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) program come from families with multiple risk factors. The MTFC program is based on social learning theory, which posits that youth learn from modeling those in their environment. It is unclear whether motivation for social learning decreases over time. Past research has indicated that there is an efficacious time period for treatment in the MTFC program (6 to 9 months). The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the behavior effects of remaining in treatment foster care for an extended length of time. This was measured through pre- and posttreatment scores on the Children's Functional Assessment Rating Scale (CFARS) and specific negative behaviors tracked through the Foster Parent Daily Report. Archival data were used for a sample of 34 youth placed in an MTFC program in a northwestern state. The repeated measures ANOVA results demonstrated increased scores on the CFARS from intake to exit date. Regression analysis indicated that the behaviors of arguing and defiance were observed at higher instances for youth in the MTFC program longer than 6 to 9 months. There were no significant findings related to the behavior of destructiveness/vandalism and the length of stay. The implications for social change include social workers being able to move youth out of MTFC sooner. Also, if behaviors are targeted and treated successfully as youth, then there is a decreased likelihood of the youth having negative and criminal behavior as adults.

Internet has become a great part of our daily routines giving us the ability to perform various actions in many aspects of our personal and social life. The new available opportunities provided with the Internet enhancement have opened a great space for improvement in our lives but they have also provided space for new types of criminal behaviour to occur. Cyberbullying and cyberstalking are part of the wide range of criminal behaviors performed through an online device. The presence of online criminal behavior is accompanied by the increase on the online victimization rates. The aim of this paper is to explain online victimization performed through cyberbullying and cyberstalking based on the theories of routine activity, social learning and victim precipitation.The results show that online victimization is closely connected with the daily routines that individuals have accompanied by the interactions and associations that are performed during our social life who also influence the practise of online victimization. Anonymity is a commonly found factor almost always present and plays an important role on explaining the behavior itself for both the offender and the victim's side. Overall the findings show that both online offenders and online victims of cyberbullying and cyberstalking are given more engagement opportunities in the criminal act due to the constant usage and the inclusion of online devices in theor daily routines. The above accompanied with the anonymity and opportunity provided by cyberspace ease the " performance" of cyber victimization.

No description available.

This study aims to close the gap in the literature on religious minority groups in the Arab Middle East by examining how religion has shaped belief systems and social identities in religious minorities in Jordan. Additionally, the study also examines the role of familial structures and their sphere of influence in society. Previous research has predominantly focused on the religious majority and has usually been examined through quantitative data. By means of semi-structured interviews, the findings indicate how foundational religion is perceived to be in shaping belief systems and social identities in individuals and shows strong dependencies on the family system which governs individual behavior. These findings contribute to the research field on religious minority groups in the Arab Middle East, which has not received sufficient attention, providing insight into how religious minorities attribute meaning to the world around them.

The purpose of this study was to research student perspectives about, and participation in, leadership and service at Catholic female single-sex high schools. This study draws data from a Catholic female single-sex high school in a metropolitan area of the United States. Data collection included school document review, site observation, and interviews of current students (n=10), young alumnae (n=5), mature alumnae (n=5), and current faculty and staff (n=6). The data was analyzed using an adapted theoretical framework of Wenger's (1998) social theory of learning, informed by Lave and Wenger's (1991) concept of communities of practice. This study addresses how the situated experience of the Catholic female single-sex high school affects students' expectations, values, and behaviors regarding leadership and service. The data show that the situated experience of a Catholic female single-sex high school encouraged engagement and interest in leadership and service. Students were empowered to believe that gender should not be an obstacle in seeking positions of leadership or service. However, although the environment was successful in advocating for participation in leadership and service, the social structure, social practices, identity formation, and situated environment tended to reinforce traditional gender-based notions of leadership and service. The culture of the school did not encourage the use of a critical lens to view the inequity that women experience, resulting in student expectations, behaviors, and values that were reproduced from the dominant culture in society. Student relationship to community and Catholicity is also discussed. In order to achieve the benefits of female empowerment advocated by the school, greater emphasis should be placed on identifying and addressing the obstacles to female leadership and service in society at large. There should be continued research to identify effective strategies for empowering female students to participate in leadership and service opportunities in high school, while providing them with a clearer sense of the challenges they will face in leadership and service positions later in life. In this way, the mission of Catholic female single-sex high schools can be more fully realized, which will hasten the day when true gender equity is achieved in the broader social context.

For the Himba, deeply embedded cultural symbols—traditional daily way of life, traditional beliefs about the sacredness of cattle, and religious beliefs of ancestral worship—are of ancient origin and have been retained in their culture throughout all of recorded history. While they still exist in Himba society today, some scholars have observed a potential widespread generational shift in adherence to these core cultural values and beliefs. This study presents the findings of 41 in-depth interviews with members of the Himba tribe in northern Namibia—specifically Opuwo and Otutati—ages 18 to 65. It examines the degree to which cultural differences are emerging as a result of exposure to various influences including modern media. Special attention is given to differences among generational groups—young, middle-aged, and older Himba—that have occurred in the Himba daily way of life. Cultural differences are indicated by beliefs regarding dress and living style, cattle, and ancestral worship—the three major, deep-rooted Himba cultural symbols. Three theoretical explanations for culture change are discussed in order to explain observed differences among generational groups. Implications for culture change are provided as well as areas requiring future study. This study is unlike any other conducted among the Himba in that it formally addresses the degree to which cultural change of core cultural values exists. Himba culture has proven to be resilient to foreign influences, but some observers suggest that this is changing. Given the resources, times, and methodological restraints involved in this study, it was necessary to limit its scope to just an exploration of the existence of a potential widespread generational difference in Himba cultural values, and not an in-depth exploration of the reasons behind it. This research hopes to provide a foundation of research from which subsequent researchers can progress in our collective understanding of what Himba generational changes are occurring and how these potentially unprecedented changes have occurred.