I denna studie undersöktes vilken betydelse relationell kompetens ges i styrdokumenten för lärarutbildningar i Sverige. För att besvara studiens forskningsfrågor undersöktes hur relationell kompetens framskrivs i utbildningplaner och kursplaner i de grundlärarprogram med inriktningen f-3 som, via Antagning.se, var sökbara med start höstterminen 2020.    Totalt undersöktes nitton grundlärarprograms utbildningsplaner och kursplaner, genom kvalitativ och kvantitativ analys, utifrån Aspelins definition av relationell kompetens som bestående av delkompetenserna kommunikativ kompetens, differentieringskompetens och socioemotionell kompetens. Dessutom gjordes en jämförelse av andelen av delkompetenserna i kursplanerna, vilka kategoriserats efter kurskärna. Studien motiveras av Aspelin och Jonssons (2019) studie som visar på behov av att utveckla lärares kunskap och förståelse kring relationell kompetens. Dessutom pekar resultaten i Nordenbo, Søgaard, Tiftikçi, Wendt och Østergaards (2008) studie mot att relationell kompetens, jämte didaktisk kompetens och ledarskapskompetens, är av central betydelse för lärares framgång. I syfte att besvara denna studies forskningsfrågor, tar studiens teoretiska ansats avstamp ur Bengtssons (1997) och Brantes (2016) beskrivning av didaktik, närmare bestämt allmändidaktikens vad-fråga. Dessutom används Aspelin och Perssons (2015b) definitioner av relationell pedagogik för att kartlägga området. Utifrån Aspelins (2018) definitioner av delkompetenserna av relationell kompetens, skapades sedan ett analysverktyg som användes för att analysera framskrivningen av delkompetenserna av relationell kompetens i grundlärarprogrammens utbildningsplaner och kursplaner. I analysen av både utbildningsplanerna och kursplanerna framkom ett mönster som verkar tyda på att socioemtionell kompetens är den delkompetens som  framskrivs mest och differentieringskompetens är den som framskrivs minst. Resultaten i analysen visar också på skillnader av relationell kompetens i de olika utbildningsplanerna och i de olika kursplanerna. Dessutom framkom skillnader i jämförelsen av relationell kompetens i de olika kurskärnorna. Slutsatsen utifrån studiens resultat är att blivande lärares utbildning i relationell kompetens kan variera stort beroende på var de valt att gå sin utbildning. Ur ett större perspektiv inverkar det på möjligheterna att, ur ett likvärdighetsperspektiv, kunna erbjuda en skola för alla. Avslutningsvis konkluderas att mer forskning av lärares utbildning i relationell kompetens behövs, liksom det finns behov av mer forskning av lärarutbildares relationella kompetens.

Magister Economicae - MEcon / This paper explores the feasibility and desirability of the South African Government imposing a policy of prescribed asset requirements on contractual savings. This would serve as a short-term measure to secure finance for investment in high priority development projects. Such a policy would encourage contractual savings institutions to become active participants in the process of development by requiring them to diversify their assets to include claims on either the government or other identified institutions engaged in the above projects. The first section of this mini-thesis discusses some features of the South African economy focussing broadly on recent political changes and economic challenges facing the country. The second section of the paper reviews current literature on issues related to the thesis, exploring topics in public finance and financial liberalisation. The third section analyses the nature of tax concessions on contractual savings, the effects of tax distortions on the savings behaviour of individuals and problems that have arisen because of tax concessions. The fourth section uses a microeconomic approach to illustrate the bias that individuals have toward contractual savings. The fifth section develops analytical models, which illustrates how prescribed asset requirements could constitute a second best solution. Section six explores possible solutions based on the modelling exercises. Finally, section seven highlights some of the main conclusions reached.

Drought poses a threat to socio-economic activities across eastern Africa and its river basins. While there are indications that global warming may continue to enhance evaporation and intensify droughts at all scales, most drought projections over eastern Africa are based on rainfall alone and are limited to meteorological droughts. The present study combines rainfall and Potential Evapotranspiration (PET) to examine the characteristics of meteorological and hydrological droughts in present and future climates at the regional and river basin scales. To accomplish that we have applied five objectives; i) Study the temporal and spatial characteristics of eastern Africa droughts modes, ii) Investigate how some atmospheric teleconnections influence the characteristics of the Africa droughts modes, iii) Examine the influence of 1.5°C and 2°C global warming levels on drought modes in eastern Africa under two future climate scenarios, RCP 4.5 and RCP8.5 iv) Assess how increases in global warming will influence drought characteristics over eastern African river basins. v) Examine the potential impacts of climate change and land use change on water availability in the Rufiji River basin (RRB), Tanzania, with an emphasis of hydrological droughts in this basin. Different types of datasets, including gridded and station observation datasets, regional climate model simulations (CORDEX: Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment) and hydrological simulations (SWAT: Soil and Water Assessment Tool), were analysed for the study. The meteorological drought were characterised using two indices (i.e. Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index, SPEI; Standardized Precipitation Index, SPI) at 3- and 12-month scales, while the hydrological droughts were characterised using four indices (i.e. soil water index, SWI; Surface Runoff Index, RFI; Water Yield Index, WYI; and Stream Flow index, SFI). The study combined principal component analysis (PCA) with wavelet analysis to identify the spatio-temporal structure of four dominant drought modes over the region. It also used wavelet coherence to quantify the influence of four atmospheric teleconnections (i.e. El Niño Southern Oscillation, ENSO; Indian Ocean Dipole, IOD; Tropical Atlantic Dipole Index, TADI; and Quasi-Biennial Oscillation, QBO) on the drought modes. The study also projects the characteristics of future droughts over eastern Africa and its major river basins at different global warming levels (GWLs). Series of hydrological simulations were used to assess the sensitivity of future droughts to four land use change scenarios (i.e. increase in forestry, shrubs, cropland and agriculture) over the Rufiji River Basin (RRB), a prominent river basin in eastern Africa. Although eastern Africa have been documented with several drought studies, the application of a combination of PCA, Wavelet analysis, wavelet coherence and Self Organizing Maps provides more comprehensive representation of droughts in the region using SPEI/SPI derived from both models and observations The results of the study show that the four drought modes, which have their core areas over different parts of eastern Africa, account for more than 45% of drought variability in the region. All the drought modes are strongly coupled with either ENSO or IOD indices (or both); but, in addition, one of the modes is also strongly coupled with the TADI. CORDEX models give a realistic simulation of the relevant climate variables for calculating drought indices over eastern Africa and the river basins. However, the ensemble mean struggles to reproduce the spatial distribution and frequency of drought intensity in the region. The CORDEX simulations project no changes in the spatial structure of the drought modes but suggest an increase in SPEI drought intensity and frequency over the hotspots of the drought modes and elsewhere in the region. The magnitude of the increase, which varies over the drought mode hotspots, increases with increasing GWLs. The projections also show that the increase in intensity and frequency of drought can be attributed more to increased PET than to reduced precipitation. In contrast to the SPEI projection, the SPI projection shows a weak change in intensity and frequency of droughts, and the magnitude of the increase does not vary with the GWLs. Over the river basins, the SPEI projections are more robust than the SPI projections. Over the RRB, the future projections of some hydrological drought indices (i.e. RFI and SFI) follow the change in the SPEI projections, while others (i.e. SWI and WYI) follow that of SPI. Among the four land use scenarios considered, only forestry and shrubs show a substantial change in the hydrological drought indices. The results of the study thus give valuable insight into the characteristics of future droughts in eastern Africa and provide a useful guide to the effectiveness of using land cover to reduce the severity of hydrological droughts over river basins in the region. However, resolution of CORDEX dataset (50km, i.e. 0.44deg) could be among the potential limitation as it is too low to capture the influence of local-scale processes (e.g. sea breeze, mountain induced circulations) on drought over the region.

This dissertation builds on and contributes to work in the field of parent-school collaboration and the funds of knowledge approach. In South Africa, policies have been developed to promote collaboration between schools and parents. These policies, however, do not fully recognise or aim to use parents’ funds of knowledge in this collaboration. In addition, numerous studies have examined the challenges associated with collaboration amongst working-class households, however, little attention has been given to the lower middle-class in South Africa in particular. This study therefore explores the funds of knowledge of lower-middle class parents, and ways in which schools and parents manage these ‘funds’ to enhance the literacy development of foundation phase learners. The dissertation draws strongly on the work of Moll, Amanti, Neff and Gonzalez (1992) whose funds of knowledge approach holds a transformative perspective on people with a lower socio-economic background. The data for this qualitative study was collected through 30 semi-structured interviews. I argue that parents accumulate various knowledge, skills and abilities through their life experiences that could significantly enhance the literacy development of their children. The findings suggest that, while parents possess these skills, there is a lack of transmission of the skills and knowledge amongst their children. Factors that influence the collaborative use of these funds of knowledge are discussed and explored in this study. I conclude with a discussion on the dynamics of a South African classroom and existing policies on collaboration and how this affects the collaborative use of parents’ funds of knowledge to enhance the literacy of foundation phase learners. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

Magister Legum - LLM / This paper reports on the findings of a study on the importance of documentation for unaccompanied separated migrant children on South African soil. The objectives of the study is to identify what the international and national laws and policies state about protecting children’s rights, particularly, their socio-economic rights, in the context of irregular migration. Their rights to have legal documentation, their right to education as well as health care, among others. Most importantly, the paper attempts to gain an understanding of the role and obligations of South African stakeholders in terms of the requirements of documentation and the implementation of the relevant laws and policies. To understand what the relevant stakeholders such as NGO’s, DE, Health, DSD and DHA do to protect USMC’s socio-economic rights. Their right to documentation, their right to education, to health care, to the justice system and child protection systems.

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / Mental illness is one of the major health challenges that significantly contribute to the global burden of diseases worldwide. Several studies reveal that mental illness often triggers or prompts people to embark on some help-seeking pathways in order to ameliorate their condition. These help-seeking pathways are often not linear routes, but rather recursive and complex. The aim of the study was to explore the pathways followed by caregivers of mentally ill persons seeking mental health care services in Sinthumule Kutama area. The objectives of the study were: a) to examine the experiences of caregivers in caring for persons suffering from mental illness; b) to explore pathways that caregivers often engage in when they are seeking treatment options for mentally ill patients before and/or after they have been diagnosed with their condition; and, c) to find out whether or not caregivers make use of other forms of management in addition to the formal treatment interventions that they may receive from the health care facilities. A qualitative approach was followed; and participants were selected through a snowball sampling method. The sample comprised twelve participants (female=11; Male=1) residing in and around the Sinthumule-Kutama District area, Limpopo Province. The participants’ ages ranged from 24 to 88 years. The data was collected using in-depth, semi-structured individual interviews and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The following themes emerged from the study: a) the perceived causes of the mental illness; b) the pathways followed in the management of mental illness; and c) the use of alternative forms of management interventions. The findings of this study revealed that the participants hold different perceptions and beliefs about the probable causes of mental illness. Secondly, the study further revealed that the participants visited a number of alternative management agencies to seek treatment for their mentally ill family members. Thirdly, the pathways that were followed were influenced by several factors such as the perceived cause of the illness, religious or cultural beliefs, severity of symptoms and/or advice from general practitioners and school teachers. This clearly suggests that participants have made use of more than one service provider to seek help for their family members. The path either started with the formal setting, then moved to the informal setting and vice versa. For instance, as soon as individuals with mental illness are discharged from the hospital, the caregivers consulted with other alternative service providers mainly to enhance the treatment they have received for protection from evil forces. The results suggest that help-seeking behaviour and the pathways chosen in the management of mental illness are largely influenced by socio-cultural factors and beliefs about the causes of the disease.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The thesis is about an action research project which had an emancipatory educational intent. The social situation in which this research took place involved people in a specific workplace. Because education is historically constructed, the process of education in the research was considered in relation to the historical background and prevailing socio-political, educational and business situation. The research efforts in this context were directed towards seeking "truth; not as an absolute category, but as a structural and relational one" (Giroux, 1988b:xx). Ostensibly this research was about my own practice. On the one hand, I wanted to examine traditional views of workplace operation in an educational context, and on the other hand, reveal new possibilities which would change my practice and the traditional approach to education that I was part of. In the process a practical learning experience for employers and employees, in a particular workplace, was set in motion. The need for this learning experience was identified by the people in the specific workplace and the attempts at change-action were developed based on the democratic values of equality; justice; empowerment; participation; responsibility and accountability. The primary focus of the employers (and hopefully the employees) in the workplace, was to produce profitable productive work, but one cannot work in a social and political vacuum. Ignoring the reality that a workplace was an area of accommodation and contestation among differentially empowered people was problematic. Issues such as culture, race, gender, economic access and educational opportunity were (are) highlighted in the South African situation and needed to be confronted Workplaces retreat into discourses of management and administration with a focus on issues of efficiency, control and results. It is a myth to believe a workplace can do without these. However, through this research I intended to alert people in workplaces that they need to develop a discourse which reveals the understanding of experiences by questioning, inquiring and reflecting on these experiences. As experiences become meaningful, alternatives and possibilities for change, could emerge. It was essential that the existing discourse was approached critically, analyzed and negotiated in a process of learning that formed an integral part of all aspects of the company culture. All employers and employees would have the opportunity to make learning meaningful to them and in the process understand the purpose of training and development within a structured education programme. The people involved would have the opportunity to experience and to understand where they are, where they were and where they are going to. Workplaces are not neutral sites and education and politics cannot be separated. The political nature of this process, however, was to be essentially democratic. This led to the challenging of power relations (between managemennt workers and management/unions) and an attempt to re-distribute power. A situation developed whereby barriers to taking the authority to be responsible had to be removed if the disempowered hoped to experience a self empowering process. Conclusions that I arrived at in the process of this research informed me (and others) that empowerment did not provide an easy option in which managers would lose control. Empowerment increased the responsibility of managers and workers alike to act responsibly and be accountable. Empowerment increased the responsibility of managers to be inclusive, participatory and to lead change action by challenging the situation on an ongoing basis. There needed to be agreed expectations and understanding between employers and employees. Both employers and employees were learners in the situation as was the facilitator-educator acting as a change-agent. The change agent kept the process in motion by posing critical questions and encouraging reflection to enable the development of alternative possibilities and the development of a philosophical framework. All people in the workplace need to interact in order to unveil challenges and understand the realities of the situation they are in. In this way a relationship between theory and practice can be developed, with its origin in the experience of practice. Theory emerged within this experience and interventions were introduced on this basis of informed praxis. The differences, ambiguities and contradictions that were revealed in this research provided the basis of critique and enriched the learning process in this thesis. As an education process was developed in the research project the workplace was problematized and alternatives that emerged were seen as fundamental to the dynamics of change.

This master's thesis is focused on solving the issues associated with economic efficiency of construction and operation of road communications' projects. The paper defines significant socioeconomic benefits the operation of the road communications provides for the users and surroundings. It offers a summary of theoretical findings about the economic efficiency's calculation method, analyses the influence of the socioeconomic benefits on the final economic efficiency of the project and based on the results of the analysis it suggests and recommends provisions for investors, compliance of which might ensure implementation of the road communications with high value for future users.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs about Food Additives and Obesity by Lorna Theresa Ingram MS, Long Island University, 2007 BA, Florida International University, 1999 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Walden University November 2019 Obesity is a chronic health problem that affects the health and well being of its population. The purpose of this cross-sectional, descriptive study was to examine whether there is a relationship between individuals’ knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding food additives and obesity. The research questions concerned knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs participants had regarding food additives and obesity. The theoretical foundation for this study was the social learning theory. The participants for this study were recruited from a religious organization in central Florida via announcements in the church bulletin. The method of study was a survey using Survey Monkey online website and the data analysis method was using SPSS software program. According to study results, on average, the level of knowledge regarding food additives and obesity was a score of 5 out of 7, and there was no difference in knowledge, attitudes, or beliefs among the study participants based on age, income, gender, education, or racial group. The linear regression model indicated that there was a statistically significant relationship between associate degree and knowledge; however, assumption testing revealed that there were issues of heteroscedasticity indicating that the results should be treated with caution. Social change implications based on the findings of this study include a need for additional education regarding the relationship between food additives and obesity, particularly among individuals with lower levels of education.

In the Constitutional Court case of Mazibuko and Others v The City of Johannesburg and Others CCT 39/09 [2009], a case dealing with the question of access to water, the presiding judge, Kate O'Regan CJ, makes the following opening remarks to the judgment: 'Water is life. Without it, nothing organic grows. Human beings need water to drink, to cook, to wash and to grow our food. Without it, we will die. It is not surprising then that our Constitution entrenches the right of access to water'. My aim in this dissertation is to investigate the couplet of law-life and the political in the Constitutional Court case of Mazibuko and Others v The City of Johannesburg and Others. The case stands as an exemplar of the intersection of life and the political by virtue of its focus on socio-economic rights, specifically the right of access to water enshrined in the Constitution. The history of the case, the jurisprudence employed by the courts, and the responses and critiques to the Mazibuko case add to the problematics to be investigated here. What would it entail if the couplet of law-life would be brought to the concept of the political? It would mean interrogating how life and law is constructed by the political and not merely how the political manages and regulates life through law. If life is considered to be a matter of bare necessities, or mere biological life, there would not be a need to consider the question of the political relation to life; it could be delegated, as it has practically been, to technocratic governmental policy. Bringing the political to questions of life would reveal how the political implicates life in its constituting moment. In this dissertation, I will explore how the political could be brought to the couplet of law-life, focusing particularly focus on socio-economic rights, international law, colonialism, and constitution making. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Philosophy / MA / Unrestricted