M.Tech. (Architectural Technology) / The City of Johannesburg has no formal recycling strategy and waste is simply dumped as collected in designated landfill sites. Yet these landfill sites, reportedly, will be good for no more than another eight years. Throughout the city there is an informal network of waste collectors commonly known as trolley pushers who, together with the private buy-back and recycle centres, form the only real system of recycling in Johannesburg. There is no infrastructure for the trolley pushers, men and women who perform a vital function. There are no dedicated spaces and very little tolerance from the residents of Johannesburg. The trolley pushers sleep amongst their collection of waste, or travel far to start each day in the very early hours of the morning. They roll their improvised trolleys full of goods in the street among the traffic of commuters, hindering and being hindered. They store their messy waste, when they can in unsafe and public spaces, such as under bridges and on the side of some roads. Storage is such a problem for trolley pushers that often they’re forced to sell their goods as soon as they collect them, when the fluctuating prices may be too low. They are always essentially at the mercy of the privately-owned buyback centres. Their days are long and they have no ablution facilities, no designated space to catch their breath, eat, obtain drinking water, network or socialise. This project is about changing that by facilitating the informal recycling sector, providing the convenient infrastructure without formalising the process. The term ‘convenient’ in this context encompasses spaces close to the buy-back centre, with low tech, low maintenance, mixed-use facilities. These facilities include secure sorting and storage spaces, sleeping, ablution and social spaces. The essence of this project is to encourage, empower and improve work and income potential in the informal waste recycling sector through simple, appropriate architectural interventions that are essentially selfmaintaining.

M.Comm. / Formal public transport has an important function to fulfill, both in terms of service provision and also in the broader context of the economy. This is so because so many workers live in dispersed areas and are dependent on public transport to arrive at work. This point is especially valid with regard to the Soweto area, which is one of the most heavily populated areas in South Africa, providing a large workforce to South Africa's most important economic region — the Witwatersrand. The main theme of this study is that all "formal" passenger transport operators in the Soweto area need to be integrated and that structural co-ordination should take place. This includes service provision in terms of routes and schedules as well as the ticketing system. This study provides an overview of the activities of the "formal" operators in the Soweto area. The conclusion that can be drawn is that the current "formal" service leaves considerable scope for improvement. It is also clear from the reports that have been quoted in this study that the minimum levels of service are not being achieved. Hence, this study proposes new road-based routes and schedules aimed at improving the coordination of bus and rail transport in the Soweto and surrounding areas. This study also proposes an integrated ticketing system, which is aimed at forming the basis for effective co-ordination. The purpose of these proposals is to assist the yet-to-be-established Transport Authorities to make decisions that will guide the co-ordination process in the right direction. The study also investigates other aspects that influence the "formal" public transport system. These include Government Policy, national objectives, ticketing systems and coordination. These aspects, combined with current research and schedules will be used as the basis where-upon new suggestions are made. The study emphasises that the suggestions made will not necessarily improve cost effectiveness but are primarily aimed at improving upon the current service. The study suggests however, that any additional funding that may be needed will be a moderate amount with regard to macro-economic variables, and at the same time will improve the quality of life of the community and will help in achieving national transport objectives as envisaged by the Moving South Africa study project. It is also suggested in this study that the time for meaningless debate is over and that the time has arrived to implement practical solutions with regard to the formal public passenger transport system in South Africa.

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / The context of psychotherapy groups determine which factors are experienced as therapeutic. The nature of inpatient setting, the brief duration of the groups. and the concurrent nature of therapy were hypothesised as having a possible effect on which factors are perceived as therapeutic. For this particular study the added effect of substance dependency was taken into account. Each of these factors were discussed in a detailed review of the literature. The model of research used in the study was the attitudinal survey with the means of a questionnaire. The patients rank-ordered the relative importance of the various treatment experiences offered by Phoenix House. The primary research data was obtained by means of Yalom's (1985) therapeutic statement questionnaire. well validated in terms of reliability and validity. The statements have previously been used in a forced Q-sort method. In this study it was decided to leave it open as more factors may be rated as therapeutic than those achieved in a Q-sort. Time and expediency were also factors taken into account in using the questionnaire rating in an unforced manner. Open ended questions were used to obtain descriptive data regarding the helpfulness of group psychotherapy and their perceptions of concurrent therapy. A nonprobability sampling procedure was used. The present study addressed the following questions: 1. How do inpatients dependent upon substances perceive. in relation to other treatment methods, their group psychotherapy experiences? 2. Which aspects of the inpatient group psychotherapy experiences. as reflected in the therapeutic factors. seemto be perceived as most and least useful to people dependent upon substances? 3. How do the inpatients perceive their concurrent individual and group psychotherapy? 4. Do high and low valuers of inpatient group psychotherapy value different therapeutic factors?

M.Sc. (Geography) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. (Social Work : Clinical) / Please refer to full text to view abstract.

M.A. (Social Work) / This dissertation centers on attachment. The focus is on four adolescent girls and how their attachment style is impacted by the experience of parental separation. A qualitative research process is applied by means of a two-part semi-structured interview. The first interview focuses more on the experience of the parental separation, and the second interview on the present social attachments of the adolescent girl. This study is informed by phenomenology as it analyses the adolescent experience of the parental separation by means of the change in the physical and emotional presence of her mother and father. It then explores her subjective experiences with and perception of her attachment to others. The study endeavours to reach a deeper understanding of how a break in the relationship with a parent as a consequence of a parental separation, even at the adolescent phase of development, can impact the adolescent's inner sense of security and in turn, other present social attachments. In light of the above, past literature together with attachment theory research on initial attachments with one's main care-givers is reviewed, looking at the development of a secure versus insecure attachment style. It is hoped that this dissertation serves to enrich the existing body of knowledge on attachment with regards to parental separation, and is of use to clinical professionals in the field.

M.A. (Development Studies) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M. Ed. (Educational Psychology) / This study explores the experiences that multiple stakeholders have of learner participation in an independent school in Johannesburg. The school’s policy documents were reviewed, both in order to establish the school’s suitability for the study, and in order to provide some context for understanding. The participants were selected by both their involvement in learner participation bodies at the school in question, and their willingness to participate in the study. To this end, the school’s principal, educational psychologist and two learner leaders agreed to be interviewed in order to try and describe their experiences. It was hoped that the exploring, and rich describing, of the participants’ experiences would be helpful in terms of finding solutions or providing recommendations for the school itself when facing challenges, and for any other school that may benefit from the findings of the study. The researcher embarked on a process of Content Analysis of the transcribed interviews and relevant policy documents to uncover primary themes of experience as described by the participants. It was found that the participants’ experiences could be categorised into themes of difficulty with training; support; feedback; and clarity of roles. Recommendations were made regarding the facilitation of learner participation at both the participating school and other schools in general. These recommendations included: i) Schools communicate clearly the purposes of training programmes and initiatives to learners; ii) Schools utilise multiple training programmes, which are relevant to their own school context; iii) A staff member is formally available as support for each learner participation body in a school; iv) All meetings be scheduled suitably in advance; v) Learner participation bodies schedule regular meetings with their constituencies for feedback purposes - regardless of the length of the agenda; vi) Measures be instituted to hold staff accountable to their commitments without learner initiation; vii) All people who are affected by policies should play a role in their construction (UNCRC, 1990; SASA, 1996); viii) Policy review be seen as a continuous process, including legislated periods of review. Furthermore, conceptual inconsistencies in the design of the Representative Council of Learners (RCL) were suggested - specifically conflicting mandates in terms of representing learner voice and implementing teacher directives - resulting in a suggestion of legislation review.

M.Cur. (Professional Nursing) / The shortage of professional nurses necessitates the optimal utilisation of the professional nurses and auxiliary staff available to unit managers in academic nursing units. The optimal utilisation of human resources, funds, stock and methods constitutes effective management. The unit manager is responsible for the achievement of objectives means of effective management enabling the optimal utilisation and productive functioning of her staff in the provision of quality nursing. Retaining auxiliary staff is often as difficult as retraining nurses and they will not be attracted to hospital work if there is no clear occupational structure. This study questions the expectations (knowledge and insight) of uni t managers as well as ward clerks regarding the duties and responsibilities of the ward clerk in an academic hospital nursing unit in Johannesburg. The value of a structured educational programme for ward clerks in order to improve their capabilities profile (knowledge and insight) was also examined. The objectives with this study were: to determine the expectations (insight and knowledge) of unit managers as well as ward clerks regarding the duties and responsibilities of the ward clerk (in an academic hospital nursing unit): to design, implement and evaluate an educational programme for ward clerks: and to determine the effect of that programme on the capabilities profile (knowledge and insight) of the ward clerk.

Bibliography: pages 227-250 / The research intended to explore the narratives of coping and resilience relating to the socio economic and emotional difficulties of a group of Zimbabwean migrants residing in Johannesburg. Through a technique of social constructionism and dialogue between the researcher and the six (6) participants, the co-construction in accordance to subject matters was used, supported by way of a qualitative research strategy and the case study method. The exploration of the themes was based on the participants’ narratives. Thereafter, the thematic analysis methodology was undertaken to analyse the data and connect it to supportive literature. The sample generated a full and rich account of the participants’ experiences and this yielded awareness of the common themes, such as the challenges and coping in trying times of migration, as well as an in-depth interpretation of their resilience. A qualitative research method was employed. Purposeful sampling was used and semi-structured in-depth personal interviews were conducted with each of the six (6) participants. Three (3) male and three (3) female Zimbabwean migrants were chosen. The case study included a description of Zimbabwean migrants’ coping and resilience with socio-economic and emotional challenges. It is anticipated that the results from this study will influence the progress of a unique review and support programme for the migrants who have endured socio-economic and emotional challenges. The results disclosed the reasons for migrating to South Africa, the challenges in the country of resettlement, socio-economic and emotional challenges, and the strategies used to cope and become resilient. Additionally, the analysis concluded that the participants in the study experienced similar narratives. The female participants left their families to seek greener pastures economically, but emotionally it affected their well-being. The Zimbabwean migrants coped with resilience utilising social networks, religion, self-regulation and mobile technology. / Psychology / D. Phil. (Psychology)