This study on the friendships of young men aimed to explore how young men perceive and experience their friendships. It also sought to understand whether and how young men negotiate issues of care and support in their friendships. The sample consisted of 10 students aged between 18 and 25 years old. The study was guided by a qualitative design. Semi - structured in - depth interviews were conducted with the young men. Thematic analysis was used as the method of data analysis. It was found that young men value elements within their friendships such as the opportunity to confide personal information, receive guidance and empathy from friends. The young men value care and support in their friendships, and these are expressed through both relational and instrumental means. While the young men acknowledge the importance of emotional support, they report that it is a precarious matter which needs to be negotiated within the friendship. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

This study on the friendships of young men aimed to explore how young men perceive and experience their friendships. It also sought to understand whether and how young men negotiate issues of care and support in their friendships. The sample consisted of 10 students aged between 18 and 25 years old. The study was guided by a qualitative design. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with the young men. Thematic analysis was used as the method of data analysis. It was found that young men value elements within their friendships such as the opportunity to confide personal information, receive guidance and empathy from friends. The young men value care and support in their friendships, and these are expressed through both relational and instrumental means. While the young men acknowledge the importance of emotional support, they report that it is a precarious matter which needs to be negotiated within the friendship. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

Responding to a body of literature that identifies road crashes caused by drinking and driving as a serious social and economic issue in South Africa, this research aims to investigate behaviour and beliefs relating to drinking and driving among young males in the Pietermaritzburg area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This sampling criterion emanates from the identification of this group as an at-risk demographic for alcohol-related road accidents and fatalities. Underpinned by Albert Bandura’s Social-Cognitive Theory, which explores the reciprocal relationship between beliefs, behaviour and environment to explain behaviour, the research surveyed 190 young males between the ages of 18 and 35 years that self-identify as drunk drivers. The research focused on determining and describing the constraining and enabling factors contributing to drinking and driving among the group. The findings explore the high frequency of drinking and driving in the sample which is found to be, to varying degrees, informed by their relationship to their family, peer groups and social context. The research also uncovers a concerning trend of overestimating driving ability when drunk. It further identifies a lack of perceived risk relating to law enforcement. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

This research project focuses on Accounting education at tertiary level. There is limited understanding of students' experiences of learning Accounting in higher education institutions. Furthermore, Accounting is generally perceived as a difficult discipline, especially for novice first-year, non-major Accounting students. In this research study the purpose and focus were to explore first-year, non-major Accounting students' experiences when learning Accounting. The study attempts to answer two key research questions pertaining to first-year, non-major Accounting students' experiences when learning Accounting, and to show how their experiences influence their learning of Accounting. The study was conducted at a private higher education institution in South Africa where first-year Accounting is a compulsory element of an undergraduate commerce degree. The research participants sampled for this study were six first-year, non-major Accounting students, some of whom were novice Accounting students while others had studied Accounting in high school up to Grade 12. A qualitative research methodology was adopted to generate data using an interpretive case study approach. Research methods included semi-structured interviews and participant reflective journals. Data were analysed using open coding, and the findings categorised according to themes. Some of the key findings of this study revealed that students' experiences were influenced by teacher/lecturer qualities, students' perceptions and preconceptions of Accounting as a discipline, and the abstract nature of the Accounting discipline and its discourse. Other factors influencing students' learning experiences included their agency, resilience and determination, the effect of Accounting assessments, and ability streaming. This study concludes with a discussion of recommendations based on the findings. These point to the need for staff development workshops for Accounting lecturers, with an emphasis on students' emotions and perceptions when learning Accounting, so that lecturers are more aware of the extent of students' anxieties, insecurities and negative perceptions. Other recommendations include more post-plenary workshops for first-year Accounting students and development of different programmes for novice, non-major and Accounting major students, since these cohorts of students have differing career Accounting competence expectations. / Thesis (M. Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Considering the escalating rate of suicidal behaviour in adolescents, not much is known about the risk and protective factors that mediate non-fatal suicidal behaviour among this group. This study has focused on exploring the subjective worlds of Indian adolescents who have engaged in non-fatal suicidal behaviour in order to identify such factors, which are crucial in the designing of effective intervention programmes. The sample consisted of 10 adolescent patients who were admitted to R.K. Khan Hospital in Chatsworth, Durban after non-fatal suicide attempts. The emergent risk and protective factors were conceptualised according to Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Social Ecology Theory, which facilitated an understanding of the multiple levels of risk and protective factors that mediate NFSB in adolescents. The results of this study highlight the collective influences of individual, familial, cultural and societal factors on adolescents’ decisions to engage in non-fatal suicidal behaviour. A number of clear priorities for prevention programmes emerged from the results of this study. As such, recommendations were made to facilitate prevention and intervention programmes at a site, familial, peer and community level. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

HIV/AIDS has exacted a devastating death toll on sub-Saharan Africa. Of the African countries South Africa has been the hardest hit by the epidemic. Young people between the ages 15-24 have been identified as the group most at risk for contracting HIV. The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has been shown to decrease opportunistic infections and increase lifespan and quality of life of HIV infected people. VCT is an entry point to accessing life saving treatment as well as psycho-emotional and social support. A concern is that not all people who are at risk for VCT get tested. It is important to examine which psychosocial factors affect the uptake of VCT. A questionnaire that measures willingness to test for HlV and various other psychosocial and socio-demographic factors affecting VCT uptake, was administered to a group of first year psychology students, (N= 181). Chi Square (X2 ) analysis determined that knowledge of HIV transmission, knowledge of VCT, fear of testing, perceived social support and perceived social stigma were significantly associated with willingness to test for HIV (p / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

<p>The purpose of this study was to investigate plagiarism among undergraduate students at a higher education institution in South Africa. There is evidence from previous studies that plagiarism is increasing world wide among higher education students. The emergence of the Internet has made plagiarizing worse as students can easily copy and paste information from the World Wide Web. This study investigated the occurrence, causes and trends of plagiarism among students in the Faculty of Applied Science at a higher education institution. It also examines student awareness of institutional policies and guidelines regarding plagiarism.</p>

The need for an effective group programme to improve Black-White relations on desegregated university campuses in South Africa was identified as the focal area of concern of this study. A particularly urgent need to address the issue of Black-White relations in the University of Natal was shown to exist in view of its rapidly increasing multiracial student composition relative to other South African university campuses. Local and international literature was reviewed to provide guidelines for the construction and evaluation of appropriate programmes that reflected the dominant approaches that characterise group therapeutic strategies of improving intergroup relations. A significant absence of rigorous scientific evaluation of intervention strategies was noted. Two longitudinal, biracial group programmes were selected for evaluation viz. Group Programme A and Group Programme B. Programme A was reflective of a confrontational approach and Programme B was reflective of a non-confrontational approach. The programmes were based on the assumptions of humanistic psychotherapy, social psychological and sociological theories of prejudice formation and racism, and social learning theory. The project utilised an experimental before and after control group design. Forty five Black and 45 White students were randomly selected from a pool of first-year university students who fulfilled designated selection criteria. Fifteen Black and 15 White students were randomly assigned to Groups A, B and C. Groups A and B were subjected to Programmes A and B respectively while Group C was used as the control group. Four evaluation measures were used pretest and posttest viz. the Philosophy of Human Nature Scale, Heimler Scale of Social Functioning, Racial Discomfort Questionnaire and a Behavioural Interaction Change assessment. All four research hypotheses adopted were confirmed by the data analysis. The study highlighted the effectiveness of Group Programme A in improving Black-White relations. It was demonstrated that contact per se was not sufficient to improve race relations among university students. The central importance of developing insight into barriers in interracial communication was emphasised. While both Black and White students benefitted significantly from their participation in the Group Programmes, Black students derived fewer benefits than White students. Several recommendations were made for the utilisation of the research findings in university and wider communities. Further research possibilities arising from the present study were explored. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1990.

This study investigates the retention and dropout of mechanical engineering students at a FET college using the interpretivist paradigm. Three key questions are addressed: / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermarizburg, 2008.

The casting of the votes for the first time for all South Africans irrespective of race, gender, social class and language brought hope of a better life for all in South Africa. There were fears and uncertainty but many were optimistic about the future in our country. The new democratic South Africa had challenges that needed drastic transformation. That included understanding each other in terms of social identities and power relations since these challenges involved the end of discrimination of any kind, living together, losing some privileges to those who had them, and sharing some powers. Before 1994 when South Africa was under the spell of apartheid, South Africans were divided into social groups that forbade people to know each other. Some people for example White people, men and upper class people who had privileges enjoyed their privileges in the expense of others who had no privileges like Indians, Coloureds, Africans, women and lower class people. These groups that were powerless were oppressed and discriminated against. That resulted into anger, hatred and dissatisfaction among people. They became far apart from each other. Therefore all South Africans (privileged and non privileged) had to renegotiate their social identities and change their understanding of who they are. That could not be done automatically, strategies had to be implemented so as to influence these kind of changes in people. This research was done in order to find if students on the Diversity and Learning (DaL) module of Social Justice Education have developed in their understanding of social identities. Interviews were done at the University of KwaZulu Natal Edgewood Campus. Literature concerning social identities was examined. A qualitative research design was used. A non - probability sampling method was used with reliance on available subjects. The snowball method was used to find 8 students, comprising of 2 Whites, 2 Blacks, 2 Coloureds and 2 Indians where both sexes were involved. Data was collected through an in-depth interview to enable self - reports from the samples. The finding of the research shows that students on the DaL module do seem to have gone through some changes, and these changes are in the areas which DaL module addresses, that is, race and gender. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.