Adolescents, like all individuals, have a need to belong. Consequently, during the adolescent period, adolescents battle with the establishment and maintenance of meaningful relationships. Most of them, unfortunately, do not succeed to establish and maintain such relationships because of a lack of skills to do so. It appears, therefore, that If adolescents are to enhance their interpersonal relationships so as to enable themselves to self-actualize, they need to be taught interpersonal skills. One of the skills that they should be taught is the self-disclosure. As such, the first part of the literature study was devoted to the discussion of self disclosure. The study of literature revealed that self-disclosure has many aspects, the main ones being the nature of the self-disclosure content, self-discloser target, and concealment. In the second part of the literature study, attention was paid to the nature of interpersonal relationships with special reference to adolescents' relationships. The malysis of interpersonal relationships revealed that the establishment and maintenance, is well as the collapse of interpersonal relationships follow a particular pattern. Data concerning perceptions, beliefs and attitudes held by adolescents towards selflish closure in their interpersonal relationships was gathered by means of various Techniques. Parents' perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards their adolescent children's perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards self-disclosure in interpersonal relationships were also assessed. The results of the empirical study revealed that adolescents hold selfdefeating perceptions, beliefs and attitudes that make it difficult for them to handle selflisclosure in ways that ought to enhance their interpersonal relationships so as to enable themselves to self-actualize. These perceptions, beliefs and attitudes may not change easily as their parents, the most important component of the adolescents' significant others, seem to be modelling self-defeating perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards self-disclosure. Lastly, a few guidelines to assist adolescents to handle self-disclosure in ways that ought to enhance their interpersonal relationships so as to enable themselves to self-actualize were given. / Thesis (D. Ed.)

Interactional and contextual models have been conceptually proposed in understanding parental influences on children. Yet, empirical model testing has been limited. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the direct and indirect effects of parenting style on child social competence using structural equation modeling in a sample of 544 Chinese families with 6-9 years old children, mainly singleton, residing in Nanjing, China. Five latent models were tested: (a) the direct model between parenting style and child social competence, (b) child temperament as a moderator, (c) parent-child relationship as a mediator, (d) the interaction model between parenting style and family functioning, and (e) bidirectional models of parenting style concurrently with parent-child relationship, and family functioning predicting child social competence. Findings showed: (a) The direct relationship between parenting style and child social competence was significant in both parents with authoritative parenting style on the positive direction, whereas authoritarian and permissive parenting styles on the negative direction; (b) child temperament did not moderate parenting style on child social competence; (c) father-child relationship mediated paternal parenting style on child social competence, whereas maternal parenting style did not; (d) family functioning neither moderated nor mediated the relationship between parenting style and child social competence for both parents; and (e) The four-factor prediction models on child social competence turned out to be unidirectional. For the mothers, the best model was from family functioning to mother-child relationship, to maternal parenting style, and finally to child social competence. Maternal parenting style was the significant proximal factor. For the fathers, it was from family functioning to paternal parenting style, to father-child relationship, and then to child social competence. Father-child relationship had the direct impact, whereas the influence of paternal parenting style was distal through father-child relationship. Findings from this study suggest that the Chinese parents should use more authoritative and less authoritarian and permissive parenting, and develop good parent-child relationships in the daily interactions with their children. Future studies need to use larger and better data to validate these models, or to extend the findings with other important child variables to explore the child's active agency.

Adolescents, like all individuals, have a need to belong. Consequently, during the adolescent period, adolescents battle with the establishment and maintenance of meaningful relationships. Most of them, unfortunately, do not succeed to establish and maintain such relationships because of a lack of skills to do so. It appears, therefore, that If adolescents are to enhance their interpersonal relationships so as to enable themselves to self-actualize, they need to be taught interpersonal skills. One of the skills that they should be taught is the self-disclosure. As such, the first part of the literature study was devoted to the discussion of self disclosure. The study of literature revealed that self-disclosure has many aspects, the main ones being the nature of the self-disclosure content, self-discloser target, and concealment. In the second part of the literature study, attention was paid to the nature of interpersonal relationships with special reference to adolescents' relationships. The malysis of interpersonal relationships revealed that the establishment and maintenance, is well as the collapse of interpersonal relationships follow a particular pattern. Data concerning perceptions, beliefs and attitudes held by adolescents towards selflish closure in their interpersonal relationships was gathered by means of various Techniques. Parents' perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards their adolescent children's perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards self-disclosure in interpersonal relationships were also assessed. The results of the empirical study revealed that adolescents hold selfdefeating perceptions, beliefs and attitudes that make it difficult for them to handle selflisclosure in ways that ought to enhance their interpersonal relationships so as to enable themselves to self-actualize. These perceptions, beliefs and attitudes may not change easily as their parents, the most important component of the adolescents' significant others, seem to be modelling self-defeating perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards self-disclosure. Lastly, a few guidelines to assist adolescents to handle self-disclosure in ways that ought to enhance their interpersonal relationships so as to enable themselves to self-actualize were given. / Thesis (D. Ed.)

Visual-spatial skills deficits are one of the primary neuropsychological deficits among children with Nonverbal Learning Disability (NVLD; Rourke, 1989) and Asperger's Syndrome (AS; Ellis, & Gunter, 1999; Klin, Volkmar, Sparrow, Cicchetti, & Rourke, 1995). In addition to affecting written tasks, visual-spatial deficits also have implications for the social functioning of children. Children who are not able to accurately process visual-spatial information will have difficulty processing the visual, nonverbal cues present in social situations including facial expressions, hand movements, and body posture (Nowicki & Duke, 1992). These social perception deficits make social interactions difficult for these children. As a result of their social differences, they are likely to get negative reactions from others, have social skills deficits (Petti, Voelker, Shore, and Hayman-Abello, 2003), and have much difficulty fitting in with same-aged peers. These social skills deficits will likely lead to internalized adjustment problems in which these children feel isolated, withdrawn, and depressed around their peers. This sequence of events, visual-spatial deficits, followed by social perception deficits, followed by social skills deficits, which ultimately lead to internalized emotional problems, is implied, but not empirically proven, in a study by Petti and colleagues (2003). In addition to experiencing greater socioemotional problems than other LD subtypes, visual-spatial and social deficits of children with NVLD have been shown to worsen with age (Casey, Rourke and Picard, 1991). This dissertation study investigated the relation between these four constructs (i.e., visual-spatial skills, social perception, social skills, and internalized emotional functioning). It was hypothesized that social perception and social skills mediate the relationship between visual-spatial skills and internalized emotional functioning. In addition, these deficits were expected to increase as these children get older. As NVLD and AS are commonly co-morbid with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity DisorderPredominantly Inattentive Type (ADHD: PI; Gross-Tsur & Shalev, 1995; Voeller, 1996), this diagnostic group was compared to children diagnosed with ADHD: PI. An additional aim of this study was to differentiate the classification of Learning Disability (LD) by demonstrating the socioemotional functioning differences between individuals with NVLD/ADHD: PI and their counterparts -- individuals with a Verbal Learning Disability (VLD/ADHD: PI). Seventy-one children, ranging in age from 8-14 participated in the study and were assigned to one of three groups (e.g., NVLD/AS with ADHD: PI, VLD with ADHD: PI, or ADHD: PI) based on pre-determined criteria. The NVLD/AS group, as expected, showed impairments in all areas (i.e., visual-spatial skills, social perception, social skills, and internalized socioemotional functioning) and significantly differed from one or both of the other groups on each of the four domains. Support was not found for the age effects for the NVLD/AS group. That is, visual-spatial and internalized socioemotional scores did not worsen with increasing age as expected. Also, visual-spatial skills were not significantly related to internalizing socioemotional functioning, and the hypothesized mediation variables were not statistically significant. The current study contributes to the understanding of individuals with NVLD, an under-studied population. The proposed visual-spatial skills deficits and social perception deficits in Rourke's (1989) theoretical model were supported. This study also offers some insight into the internalizing socioemotional functioning of children with NVLD. It clarifies the heterogeneity of socioemotional functioning among LD children, suggesting that it is children with the LD subtype, namely NVLD, who are at greater risk for social problems. / text

This thesis focuses on the development of Gestalt guidelines to assist parents to enhance psychosocial development in middle childhood. The researcher made use of the four stages of the intervention research process, namely project planning, information gathering, design, and early development of the guidelines to complete this research study. For the purposes of this study middle childhood is defined as male and female children between the age of seven and twelve years. Some areas of psychosocial development and relevant Gestalt principles are highlighted in this study. Functional elements of existing parenting programs are discussed and utilised along with the views of the respondents in this study, those of experts, and literature reviews to design Gestalt guidelines with an observational system. / Social Work / M.Diac.

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the need parents who are home schooling may have for knowledge and assistance to enhance the social development of their children. Findings from an initial investigation into the literature indicated that peer relations and extra-curricular activities may provide opportunities for socialization in children. Informal rating scales measuring social developmental trends and relationships with others were used to obtain data from parents and children regarding the social development of the children. Furthermore, data were obtained during focus group and individual interviews, from questionnaires and children's drawings. Results from the literature study and empirical investigation resulted in a body of knowledge that would assist home schooling parents to provide opportunities for the adequate social development of their children. It can be concluded that home schooled children would find interaction with peers and participation in extra-curricular activities beneficial for their social development. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

University of Macau / Faculty of Education

Investigam-se os perfis de interação de crianças, em processo de alfabetização cursando o ensino fundamental I, com o intuito de gerar subsídios para que professores tenham uma visão mais ampla sobre como esses perfis contribuem na condução de atividades de aprendizagem, de natureza colaborativa, dentro da dinâmica escolar. O trabalho consistiu em um estudo de caso de cunho exploratório, sendo a pesquisa predominantemente qualitativa, de caráter interpretativo, com algum tratamento quantitativo. A fundamentação teórica foi estruturada com base em diferentes visões da aprendizagem, na sociometria e também em testes psicológicos de habilidades sociais. Participaram da pesquisa dezesseis crianças matriculadas no terceiro ano e uma professora pedagoga regente da turma. Todos os sujeitos foram submetidos a um teste de estimativa de habilidades sociais denominado SMHSC. Após ampliação da escala de estimativas de habilidades, os indivíduos foram divididos em quatro grupos de acordo com os perfis identificados. Cada grupo participou de uma atividade colaborativa presente em um artefato digital denominado Mesa TOQ, onde foram coletados os dados que serviram de base para a pesquisa. A análise dos elementos de informação foi realizada inicialmente com base no mapeamento de estímulos e reações emitidos pelos sujeitos, sendo posteriormente realizada uma análise específica somente dos estímulos disparadores de interlocuções. Como principal resultado desta análise, foi proposto um Modelo de Perfis Interativos para Atividades Colaborativas composto por dois eixos – omissão/interação e colaboração/egocentrismo – e oito categorias de perfis interativos. Os principais resultados da pesquisa mostram que, para uma análise mais aprofundada de perfis interativos em crianças, os professores devem levar em consideração não somente resultados de testes de estimativa, mas também análises de situações reais. O estudo mostrou que é possível identificar perfis de interação em grupos de crianças, e que este conhecimento possibilita a definição de estratégias para a composição de grupos de alunos para a realização de atividades colaborativas. O trabalho apresentou como principais contribuições um conjunto de categorias de estímulos para auxiliar professores a compreender melhor como alunos interagem e reagem a estímulos dentro de uma atividade em grupo e também um Modelo de Perfis Interativos para Atividades Colaborativas, apresentado como um plano de representação de perfis de interação. Ambas as contribuições são específicas deste estudo, podendo ser ampliadas para outras situações, a condição de serem feitas as considerações e adequações necessárias, possibilitando que a seleção de alunos para atividades em grupo torne-se um ato mais planejado potencializando os benefícios de atividades colaborativas no ambiente escolar. / This research study investigated interactive profiles in children enrolled in elementary school. The main objective of this project was to generate aids so teachers could have a wider view of how those profiles affect the conduction of collaborative activities in the school environment. The research consisted on an exploratory case study, predominantly qualitative with some quantitative interpretation of data. The literature review was structured based on different views of how people learn, the sociometry and also in psychological tests of social skills. Sixteen children and a teacher took part on this research study. All children were enrolled in the third grade of a public elementary school. All subjects were submitted to a psychological social skills test called SMHSC. The Socially Unskilled Reactions scale of the test was amplified and the subjects were placed into four different groups according to their suggested profiles. Each group participated in a collaborative activity integrated on a digital artifact call TOQ Interactive Table, where the data that supported this research was extracted. The analysis of these facts was initially done through the mapping of stimuli and reactions generated by the subjects and transformed, later on, into a specific analysis of stimuli that had triggered interlocutions. As the main product of this analysis a Model of Interactive Profiles for Collaborative Activities was proposed being structured by two main axis - omission/interaction and collaboration/egocentrism - and eight categories of interactive profiles. The main results of the research show that, for a deeper analysis of interactive profiles in children, teachers should take into consideration not only test results but also the evaluation of real situations. The study showed that it is possible to identify interactive profiles in groups of children, and that this knowledge facilitates the definition of classroom strategies to form groups of students in collaborative activities. The research study presented as main contributions: a collection of stimuli categories that can help teachers to better understand how students interact and react to stimuli within a group activity and also a Model of Interactive Profiles for Collaborative Activities presented as a relative map of interactive profiles. Both contributions are specific for this study with the possibility of being amplified for other situations. This transforms the random selection of students for a given group activity into a planned conscious act, raising the benefits of collaborative activities into a new level.

Dissertation is focused on the issue of institutional care in the Czech Republic. The main focus of this work are children's homes, education and socialization of children placed in this type of residential care. The aim of the theoretical part is to describe the characteristics of subjects of institutional care in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, to compare institutional care with selected countries and describe the child's socialization in the family and at school. A historical overview of institutional care in the Czech Republic is also described, and in conclusion the author deals with a specific description of the social inclusion of pupils with special educational needs in the teaching process at primary school. The empirical part reports on the research and its results obtained by qualitative methodology using case study design. The main goal of the research was to find out how children from a children's home are integrated into the teaching process at primary school. Furthermore, the author set several partial goals. The first partial goal was to find out how children from a children's home are integrated by children growing up in biological families into the class group at primary school. The second partial goal was to find out how children from a children's home are involved in the...

Text in Afrikaans / The goal of the research is to explore the personality profile of aggressive victims of bullying in a special school. Qualitative, applied research of an explorative and descriptive nature was followed. In order to address the problem, namely that the personality profile of children can lead to aggressive victims, the researcher undertook a literature study to describe bullying in middle childhood with the focus on aggressive victims, the Five Factor Model of Personality, bullying in special schools and organismic selfregulation within Gestalt therapy. The researcher's knowledge of the Five Factor Model of Personality enabled her to compile the interview schedules for the semi-structured interviews. Purposeful sampling was conducted to identify respondents for the interviews. The interviews were conducted with four aggressive victims of bullying, their parents, as well as their class teachers. During the analysis of data, themes were identified. These themes were verified with literature and recommendations were made. / Social work / M.Diac.(Play therapy)