Amputation patients have a great deal more than just physical recovery to contend with and the extent and scope of this condition is largely unknown in South Africa. Rehabilitation programmes for amputees, specifically at state institutions are characterised by lack of resources, lack of information provided to patients and the patients themselves seem to experience lack of support on an emotional and psychological level. This study investigates the experience of self of the amputation patient through a review of the literature available and from an ecosystemic-postmodernist viewpoint. In addition, guided imagery is examined as a technique that could add value to rehabilitation programmes for amputation patients. Health care professionals in two state hospitals in Pretoria were interviewed by means of semi-structured questionnaires to obtain additional information on current rehabilitation programmes as well as the experience of the amputation and the subsequent process for the amputee. Themes extracted from these questionnaires were used to design a suggested rehabilitation programme. This programme, based on the findings of the research, suggests certain enhancements to existing programmes and is focussed on supporting the experience of the process for the amputee through inclusion of specific guided imagery texts. / Psychology / M.A.(Clinical Psychology)

Absenteeism is a grave problem in the workplace in South Africa. One can expect that the impact and patterns would differ from one sector to another. For instance the seriousness of absenteeism in a hospital or the security sector would not be the same as for a coffee shop or being absent from a school. However, absenteeism needs to be addressed in all sectors of the economy since it leads to losses in production and output, as well as a reduction in profits in many South African companies. This study explores absenteeism only in the security industry in Gauteng Province. The personal experiences of practitioners and managers regarding absenteeism, its extent and the impact in this province were examined during the research undertaken for this project. The aims of this study were largely the following: • To determine the main causes and reasons given for the current level of absenteeism among contract security personnel in the private security industry in Gauteng; • To see whether gender and employment grade contribute towards the absence of security officers during working hours; • To find out whether security officers routinely submit a sick note after being absent; • To ascertain management practices and responses to combating absenteeism, and • To identify what can be done to reduce absenteeism. The main research instrument used was a questionnaire. Some experienced academics were interviewed prior to administering the questionnaires to respondents in order to provide expert opinion and advice regarding this problem. Two different questionnaires were prepared, one for managers and one for security officers. The questionnaire had both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Three hundred questionnaires were distributed to security officers in the Gauteng region, and one hundred to security managers. The questionnaires for the managers had 48 questions while those for the security officers contained 38 questions. Those academics and security managers interviewed all agreed that absenteeism is a workplace problem in the country, a problem that currently has not been investigated in sufficient detail. They accepted that a formal study of this nature would be worthwhile doing in the private security industry. Furthermore, a literature review was undertaken while a close analytical examination of the various concepts being used in the research was also done. The literature provided the theoretical base to which the study was able to link the collected information from the empirical part obtained by means of the questionnaires. The sources for the literature review consisted of books, journals, the internet and newspaper articles. The research established various causes of absenteeism in the industry, with the main ones being: i) Poor salaries ii) Long working hours iii) Poor communication with immediate supervisor iv) Transport problems v) Poor working conditions vi) Family problems, and vii) Boredom The exploration done in this research was intended primarily to determine ways to address absenteeism. The ideal solution would be to reduce and ultimately prevent absenteeism. As a result and emanating from the research findings a number of recommendations were formulated and directed to the industry as a whole, while others were directed towards the security managers, and lastly some to the security officers themselves. / Criminology and Security Science / M.Tech. (Security Risk Management)

Social work / M.A. (Social Work)

In 1995 a participatory research project was undertaken in the Gauteng Welfare Deparbnent by two outside researchers. The subject for the research was the management of change in the Gauteng Welfare Department. During the research, the researcher observed how the discouraged, apathetic and negative group became animated and empowered. On the basis of this observation, the researcher undertook to do a case study which reflects on the interactional process and cohesion which transpired within the participatory research process. / Social Science / M.A. Social Science (Mental Health)

M.Ed. / Our world is becoming more mathematical. We are constantly surrounded by mathematical situations and are regularly required to make mathematical decisions. These decisions require number sense, estimation skills, ability to analyse data intelligently, knowledge of two and three-dimensional geometry and many other abilities not often taught in school. Halpern (1992:1) states: "...as a nation we not only need competent scientists and engineers, we also need a citizenry that is literate in mathematics issues." Reyes and Stannic (1998:26) support this view as they state: "Knowledge of mathematics is essential for all members of our society. To participate in our democratic processes and to be unrestricted in career choice and advancement, people must be able to apply mathematical ideas." Learners leaving school need to be able to use available technology and to reason mathematically, be confident of their abilities, be able to communicate mathematically and be problem solvers. The introduction of technology into the lives of many people has called upon their background of mathematics to cope with mathematical problems and manipulating technological instruments. The relationship between mathematics and technology is emphasised by Dowling and Noss (1990:24) when they say: "New technology is a powerful tool which opens up new areas of mathematics and changes the way in which society makes use of mathematics in the factory, office and home". The Cockcroft Committee (1982), in their report on an inquiry into the teaching of Mathematics in schools, sees the main task of mathematics teachers as: "Enabling each learner to develop within his own capabilities the mathematical understanding and skills required for adult life, for employment and further study". The most important contribution for the purpose of this study, was the emphasis placed on cognitive aims to equip learners with numerical understanding and skills. Other contributions were to develop logical thinking and to expand their ability to look for patterns and explain them and to develop an awareness of the link between mathematics and everyday situations. This report (1982) motivated the researcher to review how teachers are teaching. This means that there will be an investigation into how children learn mathematics and not just what should be taught. Naidoo, Smit and Van Heerden (1995:7) also emphasise this by stating that "...the advance in technology at this time changed educational thinking more, making it even more important to further investigate how children actually learn." Yildirim (1994:28) argues that "... improving student's thinking ability is accepted as an important goal of education, and schools are considered places where thinking skills can be promoted. However, ways in which this should be done is a matter of controversy among educators." He further postulates that the best way to improve student thinking involves deep and thoughtful subject matter instruction in which students are encouraged to think reflectively rather than to merely cite the facts. The central characteristics of mathematical thinking are the determination of relationship and their application. It includes the ability to analyse a given situation or experience; to distinguish between applicable data and those which are not applicable; to classify and arrange these data; to abstract relationships from them, and finally to symbolize them for future use and application in new situations. Therefore it is important and essential for students to be taught how to approach the problems. This is one way of encouraging inquisitive and creative mathematics. Well-developed thinking skills are useful in almost every life situation, therefore there is a need to design instructional programmes that focus on the acquisition and uses thinking skills that are needed to find and solve mathematical problems.

M.A. / A research study is undertaken with the aim of establishing what the attitudes and perceptions of supervisors and supervisees are regarding the rendering of cultural-sensitive supervision in social work. The aim of the study is to provide supervisors in social work with recommendations regarding the rendering of cultural-sensitive supervision. The amalgamation of organisations rendering social services has brought about multi-cultural and cross-cultural supervisional relationships that could be potentially problematic. The research process followed is the process identified by Mindel and McDonald in Grinnell (1993). The research process is initiated with a literature study on the concepts of supervision and cultural diversity. The research is limited to the Gauteng area and the study did not take place on a large scale due to the qualitative design utilised. An in-depth study is mader rather than a statistical analysis. Data collection takes place by means of semi-structured interviews with social work supervisors and self-administered questionnaires, completed by both supervisors and supervisees. The target group of the study is supervisors and supervisees employed by organisations which already render cross-cultural services. Results of the study indicate that supervisors and supervises generally don't experience problems in the rendering and receiving of cultural-sensitive supervision. Cultural sensitivity is perceived as being the acceptance of cultural factors such as background and values, as well as having a working knowledge of the cultural background, values attitudes etc. of the supervisees. Communication barriers seem to be the problem experienced by the majority of the participants of the study. It is recommended that supervisors receive further training in cultural-sensitive supervision and that cultural-sensitive supervision needs to focus on cultural values rather than biographical aspects such as race. Anthropology included in social work training, could address the need to enhance the knowledge base of social workers and supervisors, to the benefit of supervisor-supervisees relationships and thus the client system. Results and conclusions drawn from this study can not be generalised to the broader population of social workers and supervisors. Further research is needed to determine whether the perceptions and attitudes established in this study are the general perceptions and attitudes of social workers in South Africa.

M.Cur. (Psychiatric Nursing) / Termination of pregnancy is now legal in South Africa, bringing with it issues that have never before had to be addressed. Nobody denies that termination of pregnancy has an effect on women, but very few people realise that termination of pregnancy also has an impact on men. The study tells the story of a few adult biological fathers who accompanied their partners to the various identified clinics in Gauteng for a termination of pregnancy. The goal of this study was to: Explore and describe how single adult biological fathers experienced the termination of pregnancy his partner had. Describe guidelines for the advanced psychiatric nurse practitioner to support adult biological fathers to mobilise their resources and promote their mental health as an integral part of health. The paradigmatic perspective of this study was guided by the Theory for Health Promotion in Nursing (Rand Afrikaans University, Department of Nursing Science, 1999:2-15), which reflects the focus on the whole person. A functional approach was followed (Botes, 1991 :2) based on the model for nursing research developed by Botes (1995:6). The design of the study utilised is a qualitative, descriptive, exploratory and contextual design (Mouton & Marais, 1994:43-44,51) using in-depth, semi-structured, phenomenological interviews as a method of data collection. Field notes were also taken after the completion of each interview, while prior to this permission was obtained from the various identified private clinics in Gauteng where this study was conducted, as well as from the adult biological fathers who voluntarily participated in this study. The results of this study were tabulated according to categories and themes. The first theme identified the powerlessness the adult biological fathers experienced related to the inability to have a choice in the process of the termination of pregnancy. The second theme told of the emotional turmoil experienced by the adult biological fathers related to the impact of the decision on interpersonal and intra-personal relationships. The third theme identified the psychological defence mechanisms the adult biological fathers used as a way of dealing with the stressful effects of the termination of pregnancy.

M.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Adolescence is a phase in human development that is synonymous with change, namely physical, emotional and cognitive changes. Peer groups start playing an important role in the lives of adolescents. Subsequently peer groups can be considered as a possible intervention strategy to assist adolescents through this period in their lives. A possible solution to the problems adolescents are experiencing could be to train their peers as counselors. Peer counselors are thus adolescents who have been trained by professionals with basic counseling skills. namely listening, summarizing and how to do referrals. Peer counseling systems exist in other countries, with much success. The researcher was interested to find out what the impact of peer counseling will be in II South African context, in a specific school. Thus the impact of peer counseling in a specific socioeconomic community was explored. This specific community can be viewed as a microcosm of the South African community at large.

AFRIKAANS: Kinderprostitusie is 'n sosiale probleem wat wêreldwyd voorkom. Kinders wat nog nie puberteit betree het nie asook adolessente word deur souteneurs en hulle ouers of voogde by kindersekswerk betrek. Hierdie kinders wat dikwels die enigste broodwinners van die gesin is, word aan vernederende en in sommige gevalle gedwonge seksuele aktiwiteite, geweld, intimidasie en dwelms blootgestel. Die aard, omvang, werkswyse asook die emosionele, psigiese en fisieke gevolge van prostitusie op die kind is aan die hand van 'n verkennende, kwalitatiewe ondersoek (Gauteng - spesifiek Johannesburg en Pretoria) bestudeer. Die ondersoek word teoreties gerig deur onder andere die sosiale struktuur- en prosesteorieë. Verder is verskeie risikofaktore ten opsigte van kindersekswerk geïdentifiseer. Die moontlike dekriminalisering van prostitusie asook die effek wat dekriminalisering van prostitusie op kindersekswerk sal hê, is onder die loep geneem. Verskeie aanbevelings in verband met verdere navorsing rakende kindersekswerk is gemaak en moontlike oorkomingstrategieë ten opsigte van kindersekswerk is ook geïdentifiseer. ENGLISH: Child prostitution is a social phenomenon that occurs worldwide. Children, prior to reaching puberty, and adolescent's, are drawn into child sexwork by pimps, their parents or guardians. These children, often the only breadwinners of their families, become exposed to humiliation and in numerous situations coercion, violence, intimidation and drugs. The nature, extent, working environment and the emotional, psychological and physical effects of child prostitution on the child are explored through an explorative and a qualitative study (Gauteng - specifically Johannesburg and Pretoria). The study is theoretically driven through, inter alia, the social process and structural theories. Several risk factors regarding child sex work are identified. The possible decriminalization of prostitution and the effect thereof on child sex workers was considered. Several recommendations for further research on child sex work were made and possible prevention strategies were also identified. / Dissertation (MA (Criminology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Criminology / unrestricted

Credit plays a significant role in agricultural growth, and it is understood that development of credit programmes will have a valuable impact on agricultural production earnings of smallholder farmers. It is also a strategic factor to poverty alleviation. In Gauteng, smallholder farmers source their loans commonly from informal moneylenders. This results in access to formal credit being at a low rate. Results show that low level of education, main occupation, group membership and household income are significant and have encouraging effects on access to credit financial services. The results also reveal that threats associated with borrowing are high interest rates and unavailability of credit financial institutions. These threats are the main challenges faced by smallholder farmers in this study. Financial institutions claim that farming is a risky business; the distance of getting to farmers makes the evaluation procedure challenging, and strict principles in the aspect of collateral is a main challenge in providing credit to smallholder farmers. It is recommended that accessibility to credit by smallholder farmers be developed by providing advanced financing schemes that will address problems of smallholder farmers who do not have security and thus reduce lengthy processing of documents and other requirements. In this manner, smallholder farmers may be stimulated to use formal credit and decrease their dependence on informal moneylenders, thus avoid higher interest rates, which will positively lead to increased smallholder farm production and household income.