The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions street children have about the most important referents in their life worlds and to propose guidelines to their helpers on the most appropriate intervention. The street children's perceptions of their families, schools, society, peers and themselves were examined through a literature study on the phenomenon of street children and their intervention and, an empirical study consisting of a questionnaire survey and case studies. It was found that the street children generally perceived themselves and these referents negatively, which can be related to experiences of severe physical, emotional and social deprivation. These perceptions influence their involvement with all referents in their lives negatively, as their main tendencies in response to problematic situations are flight, avoidance and withdrawal. Guidelines given to their schools, social-and care-workers, and educational psychologists focused on inter- and intra-personal areas of development. / Psychology of Education / M.Ed. (Guidance and Counseling)

The aim of this investigation was threefold : to determine origins and perceptions of the street child problem nationally and internationally ; to explore the way in which children experience life in the streets ; and to devise strategies to enable these children to develop optimally. Literature indicates that the street child phenomenon is a global issue that presents many challenges. It is a socio-educational problem precipitated by multi-factorial events in the home, community and by children's personality attributes. Street children experience rejection, suffering, shame and anxiety. Deprivation of an environment conducive to positive development leads to maladjustment, anti-social behaviour and marginalisation. The empirical research was undertaken by means of semi-structured interviews conducted among fourteen children of the Khayalethu shelter and by administering questionnaires in the community of Port Shepstone. The findings culminate in recommendations for suitable assistance programmes and strategies to handle the problem in South Africa. / Educational Studies / M.Ed.(Socio-Education)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions street children have about the most important referents in their life worlds and to propose guidelines to their helpers on the most appropriate intervention. The street children's perceptions of their families, schools, society, peers and themselves were examined through a literature study on the phenomenon of street children and their intervention and, an empirical study consisting of a questionnaire survey and case studies. It was found that the street children generally perceived themselves and these referents negatively, which can be related to experiences of severe physical, emotional and social deprivation. These perceptions influence their involvement with all referents in their lives negatively, as their main tendencies in response to problematic situations are flight, avoidance and withdrawal. Guidelines given to their schools, social-and care-workers, and educational psychologists focused on inter- and intra-personal areas of development. / Psychology of Education / M.Ed. (Guidance and Counseling)

Street children are present in every metropolitan city around the world. Their presence has provoked varied responses from academics, the media and others. However, despite the proliferation of responses, current solutions are not always commensurate with the resources expended in this area. Are current responses a part of the problem or a part of the solution? Following the precedence established by other researchers and calls for greater reflexivity, this study attempts to provide a critical analysis of selected South African writings on and about street children. Particular focus is accorded to how selected academic and popular writings construct street children. The specific aim is to facilitate an examination of the underlying discourses that inform South African writings on street children. The role that academic and popular writings fulfil in selectively maintaining the status quo over which their authors sometimes voice disapproval is also examined. Wherever possible the origins of such discourses and the powers that maintain them are referred to. The extent to which the discourses evident in writings on South African street children converge with the dominant discourses present in developmental psychology as a whole are reviewed. The complimentary techniques of transformative inquiry and discourse analysis are at the heart of the methodology in this study. As an analytical tool discourse analysis is used to deepen current understanding of perceptions of street children. Discourse analysis helps to chart the underlying discourses drawn on in texts and shows how writings have influenced, intentionally or otherwise, the perceptions of subjects of research. Transformative enquiry as a significant · complimentary, albeit implicit, feature of discourse analysis enables a reflection on the research process itself. Four main discourses are discussed, each of which is centred around several sub-discourses. The first discourse, "He who pays the piper calls the tune" involves an objectification of street children, conveying negative' images of street children. The second discourse, "St. Jude the Patron Saint of Lost Causes" is rooted in the ideas of hopelessness, helplessness, victimology and ubiquitousness. The third discourse, "natured versus nurtured" is located in ideas of biological determinism within which street children are described as bestial, abnormally sexual, inherently racially inferior and unresponsive to initiatives designed to provide shelter for them. The fourth discourse, "Us and them cum us against them" arises from ideas that view street children as inherently different to mainstream children and adults, thereby pitting street children against society at large and representing them as enemies. These four interrelated discourses ultimately converge to produce both enabling and constraining effects that are sometimes contradictory in nature. Discourses intended to render street children visible sometimes ironically make them and their plight invisible. The study is concluded with discussions of methodological limitations, suggestions for future investigation and the pyscho-emotive shifts I experienced during the research process. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Street children are present in every metropolitan city around the world. Their presence has provoked varied responses from academics, the media and others. However, despite the proliferation of responses, current solutions are not always commensurate with the resources expended in this area. Are current responses a part of the problem or a part of the solution? Following the precedence established by other researchers and calls for greater reflexivity, this study attempts to provide a critical analysis of selected South African writings on and about street children. Particular focus is accorded to how selected academic and popular writings construct street children. The specific aim is to facilitate an examination of the underlying discourses that inform South African writings on street children. The role that academic and popular writings fulfil in selectively maintaining the status quo over which their authors sometimes voice disapproval is also examined. Wherever possible the origins of such discourses and the powers that maintain them are referred to. The extent to which the discourses evident in writings on South African street children converge with the dominant discourses present in developmental psychology as a whole are reviewed. The complimentary techniques of transformative inquiry and discourse analysis are at the heart of the methodology in this study. As an analytical tool discourse analysis is used to deepen current understanding of perceptions of street children. Discourse analysis helps to chart the underlying discourses drawn on in texts and shows how writings have influenced, intentionally or otherwise, the perceptions of subjects of research. Transformative enquiry as a significant · complimentary, albeit implicit, feature of discourse analysis enables a reflection on the research process itself. Four main discourses are discussed, each of which is centred around several sub-discourses. The first discourse, "He who pays the piper calls the tune" involves an objectification of street children, conveying negative' images of street children. The second discourse, "St. Jude the Patron Saint of Lost Causes" is rooted in the ideas of hopelessness, helplessness, victimology and ubiquitousness. The third discourse, "natured versus nurtured" is located in ideas of biological determinism within which street children are described as bestial, abnormally sexual, inherently racially inferior and unresponsive to initiatives designed to provide shelter for them. The fourth discourse, "Us and them cum us against them" arises from ideas that view street children as inherently different to mainstream children and adults, thereby pitting street children against society at large and representing them as enemies. These four interrelated discourses ultimately converge to produce both enabling and constraining effects that are sometimes contradictory in nature. Discourses intended to render street children visible sometimes ironically make them and their plight invisible. The study is concluded with discussions of methodological limitations, suggestions for future investigation and the pyscho-emotive shifts I experienced during the research process. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)