Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of ill-discipline on the performance of Grade nine learners at Nghonyama High School. The acts of indiscipline among students, especially at the secondary level of education are universal challenge thatmany schools face all over the world. A quantitative descriptive research wasconducted to determine if there was a relationship between conduct and performance of such learners. Data collection was done through completion of questionnaires. Two groups participated in the study: the first group consisted of fifty Grade nine learners and the second group was composed of ten educators - four members of the School Management Team and six teachers. The study revealed that learners misbehave at school due to variety of reasons such as, peer pressure, overcrowding, lack of parental support, inability to do the work, poverty, lack of motivation to succeed, disrespect, moral decay, not being engaged in the formulation of rules, rules being not enforced, lack of parental care, unmonitored TV viewing, child-headed families, lack of effective disciplinary measures, poor perception of the aims and principles of schooling and poor home upbringing. The study further revealed that the most common types of illdiscipline in the area of study were vandalism, fighting, absenteeism, indecent dressing, substance abuse, bullying, stealing, smoking, and drinking alcohol. With ill-discipline academic performance is affected.The study equally revealed that the Department of Education is not doing enough to address the issue of infrastructure. For example, overcrowding is still a challenge. In other words, the school environment plays a role in promoting ill-discipline; if classes are overcrowded learners are forced to misbehave. The study recommends that teachers should be encouraged to refer cases of indiscipline to the School Management Team. Principals should also be encouraged to involve all stakeholders in the formulation of school rules. Parents must make sure thatschool rules are adhered to by all the learners, no matter whose child breaks the rule,and most importantly learners should be encouraged to cooperate well with their educators.

The purpose of this study was to identify the occupational aspirations and expectations of students majoring in jazz studies, and to investigate relationships between students' aspirations, expectations and selected variables including significant others, choice of school, instrument type, academic achievement, academic level, socioeconomic status, age, gender, and early jazz experience. All jazz studies majors enrolled at the University of North Texas during the Spring 2001 academic semester responded to a pilot test questionnaire (return rate 85%, N = 211). Frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations described the students' occupational aspirations, occupational expectations, backgrounds and training in jazz prior to entering UNT, and determined the extent to which parents, relatives, teachers, friends, and role models helped steer them into jazz (Pearson r, Spearman Rho and Point Biserial correlation coefficients provided). The low to moderate positive correlation between aspirations and expectations (r = 0.43) indicated that the two variables were different and measured different types of occupations. Fifty percent of students aspired to be jazz performers whereas 29.7% expected to be jazz performers. While 42% aspired to be engaged in a combination of occupational activities, 48% expected a combination of occupational activities. Only 4.7% aspired to teach; however, almost 16% expected to be engaged in teaching. Low positive correlations were found between aspirations and significant others, expectations and significant others, expectations and gender, and expectations and role models. Respondents indicated that role models (jazz musicians, community musicians, and college instructors) had contributed the most to their decision to major in jazz. Recommendations for educators, researchers, and improvements to the questionnaire are provided.

This study was to determine the extent to which the use of high-level questioning, through eliciting responses to selected poems, affects children's value claims. Twenty-seven seventh-grade boys comprised the control group, and twenty-seven eighth-grade boys comprised the experimental group. The experimental group took part in values-clarification experiences for sixteen weeks. The control group received no value instruction. The Values Inventory was administered to both groups at the beginning and at the end of the sixteen weeks. Testing of the hypotheses resulted in eight of the hypotheses being significant at the .01 level, indicating that values-clarification experiences using high-level questioning and selected poems did affect children's value claims.

The purposes of this study were (a) to develop, implement, and evaluate a computer-oriented instructional program for introductory calculus students, and (b) to explore the association between a computer-oriented calculus instructional program, a non-computer-oriented calculus instructional program, student achievement on three selected calculus topics, and student attitude toward mathematics. An experimental study was conducted with two groups of introductory calculus students during the Spring Semester, 1989. The computer-oriented group consisted of 32 students who were taught using microcomputer calculus software for in-class presentations and homework assignments. The noncomputer-oriented group consisted of 40 students who were taught in a traditional setting with no microcomputer intervention. Each of three experimenter-developed achievement examinations was administered in a pretest/posttest format with the pretest scores being used both as a covariate and in determining the two levels of student prior knowledge of the topic. For attitude toward mathematics, the Aiken-Dreger Revised Math Attitude Scale was administered in a pretest/ posttest format with the pretest scores being used as a covariate. Students were also administered the MAA Calculus Readiness Test to determine two levels of calculus prerequisite skill mastery. An ANCOVA for achievement and attitude toward mathematics was performed by treatment, level, and interaction of treatment and level. Using a .05 level of significance, there was no significant difference in treatments, levels of prior knowledge of topic, nor interaction when achievement was measured by each of the three achievement examination posttests. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between treatments, levels of student prerequisite skill mastery, and interaction when attitude toward mathematics was measured, at the .05 level of significance. It was concluded that the use of the microcomputer in introductory calculus instruction does not significantly effect either student achievement in calculus or student attitude toward mathematics.

Thesis (MTech (Nursing))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018 / Health risks are continuing to be a challenge worldwide. Globally, young people aged 15-24 are amongst the most vulnerable groups. It was revealed that between 2007 and 2010, the rate of HIV infection increased in this age group. In sub-Saharan Africa, three out of four new HIV infections are amongst girls aged 15 to 19 years of age. Young women aged 15 to 24 are twice more likely to live with HIV than men in 2019. South Africa is the country with the largest human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected population in the world, with an estimated 7 million people living with HIV and 380 000 new HIV infections in 2015. University students are a very important group of young people because they are being prepared for the world of work and to assume leadership roles. However, they are the group most exposed to a range of health risks, particularly regarding sexuality and HIV/AIDS. The aim of this study was to explore potential health risk factors amongst students at a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the Western Cape with regard to sexuality and HIV/AIDS. The objectives of the study were to explore the factors that may increase health risk behaviours amongst students at an HEI and to discover and describe the knowledge university students have regarding potential health risks related to sexuality and HIV/AIDS. A qualitative research design was employed. Focus group interviews were done to collect data and a thematic content analysis was employed to analyse the data. Results revealed that the university students engaged in high-risk sexual behaviours, such as transactional sex, casual sex, multiple partner sexual relationships and unprotected sex. Such behaviours lead to a high-risk of contracting STIs and HIV/AIDS. Among the factors that were found to be contributing to these risky behaviours, was the new-found freedom of being away from the supervision of parents. Peer pressure at HEIs, as well as abuse of alcohol and drugs, also contribute to risky behaviours. Recommendations were that there should be organised and measured approaches to expose both lecturers and the students to HIV/AIDS education through an integrated curriculum design. There should be teamwork amongst lecturers, support staff and students to create powerful discussions and an exchange of ideas to clarify issues regarding HIV/AIDS, sexuality and other related topics to reduce high-risk behaviours and promote solid constructive attitudes amongst the university community.

MEd (Curriclum Studies) / Department of Curriculum Studies / See the attached abstract below

The thesis is concerned with appraising the educational program of the Geology Teaching Center Říčany, in particular its influence on the pupils' attitudes towards geology. The benefits of field trips and outdoor education have been observed many times; however, mostly pupils' knowledge or skills were taken into consideration while their attitudes have been investigated fairly recently. Moreover, geology is regarded by pupils as 'the more boring part of nature' and hence I was interested in whether (and how) the non-standard form of education can change the pupils' attitudes towards geology. The objectives of the thesis were 1) to investigate what the pupils' attitudes towards geology are, and 2) to decide whether (and how) the specific geology field trip affects these attitudes and to compare this influence with the one of standard class education. The third, last objective consisted in stating whether the field trip in question will help pupils to understand how sundry topographic features were created. The main research question was stated as follows: How will the field trip affect the pupils' attitudes towards geology in comparison with standard class education covering the same topics? According to results of my investigation, pupils regard geology as the most useless and unpopular branch of...

Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague, Department of Psychology Richard Lukáš Psychology students' attitudes towards adoption of children by same-sex couples (Master Thesis) Consultant: PhDr. Lenka Krejčová, Ph.D. Praha 2018 Abstract: Same-sex parenting (homoparentality) is new, yet still not well explored phenomena in Czech Republic. Purpose of this study is to explore the attitudes of Czech psychology students (N=337) to homoparentality. The vignettes, i.e. model stories describing the situation of a couple preparing to adopt a child, were used. The sexual orientation of the couple and child's gender varied. After reading one of the six versions of the vignette, participants assessed the parental competences and child's future development after adoption. The factor analysis of dependent variables was performed with 8 scales as a result. Independent variables were traditional and modern homophobia, beliefs about etiology of homosexuality, gender roles attitudes etc. Results indicate that students view homoparentality rather positively. However, the homoparental and heteroparental families were rated differently. The participants were more concerned about normative sexual development and victimization of children from homoparental families. On the other hand, children from heteroparental families...

Using an experimental-comparison group design, data were collected at the beginning and end of a semester to assess the effect of a human sexuality course on students' sexual knowledge, sexual attitude, and sexual behaviors. Data analysis by t-tests showed statistical differences between the experimental and comparison group only on sexual knowledge scores ( p < .001), with the experimental group scoring higher. T-tests showed statistical difference between males and females in sexual attitude (p< .001) and sexual behavior (p< .001) with women scoring higher than men in the experimental group, and also when experimental and control groups were combined. Although not statistically significant, women scored higher in sexual knowledge than males.

Whether there is a place for L1 use in the EFL classroom or not is a debated topic. Lately, a slight shift from an English-only approach toward a more accepting attitude toward L1 use can be seen. Additionally, teaching should “as far as possible” be conducted in English, according to the National Agency of Education, Skolverket (2011, p. 53). Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate upper secondary students’ and teachers’ attitudes toward L1 use in the EFL classroom in a Swedish context. Moreover, this study will aim to examine any potential connections between attitudes and societal and motivational factors. Via online questionnaires distributed to schools in Gävleborg county, 373 students and 15 teachers participated in the study. The findings in this study confirm the findings from the majority of previous attitudinal studies; there is a general consensus of a positive attitude toward L1 use among the students and teachers, but English should still be the main language used. Instead, a judicious use of L1 as a tool to facilitate comprehension is suggested. Finally, some factors such as motivation and L1 appear to affect the students’ and teachers’ preferences regarding L1 use in the EFL classroom as well.