M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / The object of this research project was to determine if learning strategies of first year students with different intellectual abilities differed and if these differences also applied to male and female students of different language groups. The project comprised of two parts. The first part consisted of a literature study which defined the concepts of intelligence, learning, cognition, metacognition and learning strategies. This was followed by a discussion of possible reasons why intelligent students fail to use effective learning strategies . The second part included an empirical investigation of the differences in the learning strategies of first year students with different intellectual abilities. The students were divided into the following groups: Afrikaans speaking male students, Afrikaans speaking female students, male students from other language groups and female students from other language groups. It was evident from the literature stUdy that learning strategies consist of self-management skills that the learner acquires, presumably over a period of years, to govern his own processes of attending, learning and thinking. Researchers agree that the mastering of learning strategies by a student can influence the success of his university career. When attending university even the intelligent students need effective learning strategies. Some students fail to acquire affective learning strategies while still at school. These students cannot cope with the large quantities of study material and consequently they may underachieve or even fail.

M.A. (Psychology) / The aim of this study is the development of a career program to promote career maturity in standard eight pupils. In order to achieve the aim of the study a development research model was conceptualised. The model is based on Thomas (1984) four-phase model and consists of the following phases: analysis, design, implementation and evaluation phases. In each of these phases a number of methodologies were conducted to meet the requirements of each phase. In the design phase a deviation was made from Thomas (1984) methodology and the methodologies used by Nel and Nel (1992) was implemented to fit the needs of the study. In the first phase the analysis phase a problem was identified and analyzed by using qualitative and quantitative analysis. In the design phase a practice model was conceptualised which serves as an explication model within which the contents' of the career maturity program could be justified. Out of this explication model and theoretical framework the contents of the programme was determined. In the implementation phase of the research model the program was applied and monitoring evaluation was done by the researcher. The implementing of the programme resulted in a number of modifications of the programme because of certain problems that were picked up by the researcher. The evaluation of the programme fell mainly on monitoring evaluation that was done by the researcher in the implementing of the program. The main finding of the research was that the program does promote career maturity in standard eight pupils but it is necessary to do further research on the impact evaluation of the programme.

The researcher observed that some nursing students lacked the necessary knowledge and confidence in the clinical practice areas whilst accompanying students. The researcher was therefore of the opinion that the aforementioned gaps needed to be addressed to ensure that students developed more confidence in their clinical decision making skills. The researcher was of the opinion that the nurse educators would be the ideal persons to identify the information required by undergraduate nursing students at the point of care for clinical decision-making, because they are the primary teachers of nursing students and are the experts with regard to the content needed for clinical decision making at the point of care in the clinical areas. The aim of the study was therefore to explore and describe the perceptions of nurse educators regarding the information required by the undergraduate nursing students for clinical decision making at the point of care. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used to conduct this research. The study was conducted among the nurse educators who are employed by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, lecturing and accompanying students for at least 12 months. In-depth interviewing was conducted to obtain the data. The data analysis was done using Tesch’s method to make sense out of the text and data. Strategies to ensure trustworthiness and a high ethical standard were implemented throughout the study. Three themes with eight sub-themes emerged, namely, the importance of students having sound basic knowledge of theory and practical skills before entering the practical field, students to have available, accessible and up to date information at the point of care and importance of mentorship when students are seeking information. Recommendations were made pertaining to areas of nursing practice, education and research.

Negative attitudes and stigmas against those diagnosed with mental illnesses have been found to prevail in modern society, despite the availability of effective treatments and attempts to educate people about mental health. Numerous studies have been conducted on the attitudes of various groups of people and communities towards mental illness. There is, however, limited research about student populations, particularly students registered for courses in the “allied health professions”. This study aimed to explore and describe the prevailing attitudes towards mental illness of a sample of the undergraduate Psychology student population (registered between 2nd and 4th year of study) within the Faculty of Health Sciences at a South African University. The procedure followed was an electronic intranet based survey, utilising the Community Attitudes to Mental Illness (CAMI) scale. The survey was accessed via the university’s student portal and links were sent via email to students to complete. A total of n=51 student responses were recorded and analysed. Data were quantitatively analysed using t-tests and Analyses of Variance (ANOVA). No statistically significant differences on the CAMI scales were found between the students in relation to the various student demographic variables such as age, gender, race or year level, and the CAMI findings. Overall, the sample of undergraduate Psychology students were shown to have favourable attitudes towards mental illness, which is potentially accounted for by their chosen field of study of Psychology. Education and knowledge about mental health were acknowledged as being most important in reducing stigma towards mental illness.

D.Ed. / The situation in education in Soweto in the 1980's was an important contributory factor to this study. Problems resulting from underachievement, early school drop-out and the consequent loss of manpower provision, are current and are often ascribed to inadequate achievement motivation. As part of the project "Learning motivation" which has been undertaken by the Education Faculty of the Rand Afrikaanse University, inter-disciplinary in approach and financially supported by HSRC, this study attempts to locate achievement motivation in the anthropological-pedagogic paradigm. Within the context of black education, it is particularly aimed at devising measuring instruments for the establishment of reliable and valid measures of achievement motivation for standards six, eight and ten pupils in Soweto. It also attempts to establish whether there is any tendency in the achievement motivation between these different standards and certain biographical information with the objective of setting up a possible guidance programme which would endeavour to strenghten the achievement motivation of these pupils. A number of theories on motivation, learning- and achievement motivation were studied. Direct and indirect measuring techniques to determine the level of achievement motivation were then considered. Eventually it was decided to include Viljoen's (1983) achievement motivation questionnaire (AMQ) and Hermans' (1972) "Prestatie Motivatie Test voor Kinderen" (PMT-K) in the questionnaire booklet. This booklet comprised the following tests: the Achievement Motivation Questionnaire (AMQ), the aspiration level test, the Prestatie Motivatie Test voor Kinderen (PMT-K), the Modernity Scale of Thompson (1977 & 1980) and questions to gather biographical data. The AMQ consists of eighty items of which eight indicate social desirability, while the rest indicate certain characteristics, as derived from the study of the literature, of the achievement motivated person. The PMT-K consists of four achievement motivation scales namely achievement motive, positive fear of failure, negative fear of failure and social desirability. These two questionnaires·are used in an attempt to determine the scholastic achievement motivation and fear of failure of standards six, eight and ten pupils in different secondary schools in Soweto (N = 778). A further in-depth study using the projective Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) of Baran (1971) was undertaken with a small group of standard six pupils, but the results of this investigation were not significant. Statistical calculations were applied to the data to determine the reliability and validity of the measures of the AMQ and PMT-K. Furthermore an attempt was made to determine whether there were any significant differences between the achievement motivation and fear of failure of standard six pupils and a number of biographical information. The results of the study led to the following conclusions: = the Achievement Motivation Questionnaire appears to be effective in determining the achievement motivation of standard six pupils in Soweto; = further research and refinement of the AMQ and PMT-K are necessary to develop possible reliable and valid measures of achievement motivation in standards eight and ten:= in-depth research is necessary with regard to the fear of failure as one of the components of the nomological network in which achievement motivation operates; it appears that significant differences exist in the achievement motivation of standard s.Lx pupils when some biographical aspects are considered. These differences should be taken into consideration in devising a guidance programme for these children.

M.Ed. / The literature-study that was undertaken indicated that first-year students have problems in adapting to university- life. Extensive research has been done regarding the academic adaptation of first-year students. The social adaptation has been mentioned in various literature sources as a problem although intensive research on this subject has thus far not been done. The first objective of this study was directed towards gaining more clarity on the social adaptations that first-year students living in university residences have to make at university. A second objective was to determine the responsibilities these first-year students had to take in their social adaptation process, to ensure that they make the correct decisions. Thirdly, the male and female students° responses were compared regarding the above issues. A questionnaire was used to obtain data on the three objectives mentioned above. These objectives were analysed by making use of Hotelling's T 2 -test and Student's t-test. The results obtained in this study indicated the following: Male first-year students were more self-assured and had a greater need to socialise with people of the opposite sex. Female first-year students were uncertain about themselves and did not have the need to socialise with people of the opposite sex. Thus, first-year male students tended to adapt better socially in the first few weeks at university than was the case with female first-year students. First-year female students showed a higher degree of social responsibility. Male first-year students showed a higher tendency towards personal responsibility. In total, only a limited amount of responsibility was shown by first-year students during their social adaptation at a university.

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Diversity is an important component of the South African society. Traditional standardised methods of assessment have been discouraged or abandoned. as they have been found to be discriminatory. Arguing for a systematic assessment process, Siegel (1999:307) states that the standardised methods are the best way to achieve understanding as to the reasons for the breakdown in Iearning and ensure effective intervention. The objective of this study was therefore to establish whether the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS), a cognitive assessment tool, correlates and is a predictor of achievement in the South African context. In order to examine the validity of this claim. I selected 32 black, Grade 6 learners, from a school In 8 Northern Johannesburg suburb, to determine whether the scores obtained on the CAS, correlate and predict achievement in the areas of reading and scholastic work. The quantitative research Involved identifying correlations between three data areas, the CAS. Woodcock Diagnostic Reading Battery (WDRB). and the scholastic marks obtained from school subjects for December 2000 and June 2001. As a result of this research and data analysis. high correlations were obtained between the three data areas. In addition the achieved scores of the WDRB were found to correlate with predicted scores taken from the learner's CAS Full Scale score. It was therefore concluded, that the Full Scale score of the CAS is predictive of achievement as measured by the six sub-tests taken from the WDRB. The findings of this study thus indicate that the CAS cognitive assessment tool could. within certain limitations, be used in the South African context to improve diagnostic interpretations and subsequent interventions. The challenge remains for additional research to be undertaken to explore the diagnostic value of the CAS in the wider community.

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / The influence of the HIV and AIDS pandemic has had a detrimental effect on the lives of children and adolescents affected by it in that the disease has caused the loss of their parents or parental support. The result of the HIV and AIDS pandemic has seen an increase in the number of children and adolescents living in child-headed households. Research shows that children living in child-headed households may be at risk both in a socio-economical and educational manner. There is a concern that children living in child-headed households may also be affected developmentally, especially with regard to development into adulthood. Psychosocial developmental theory of an individual posits that there is an interaction between social and psychological factors which is to say that an individual’s culture, values, beliefs, attitudes and feelings are all involved in how an individual develops into an adult. This research study aims at exploring the psychosocial developmental experiences of Grade 10 learners from child-headed households. A phenomenological multiple case study design was used to gain an in-depth understanding of four cases. This design was descriptive and exploratory in nature. The data collection methods used included semi-structured individual interviews and collages with four purposefully selected participants, and a focus group interview with a separate group of participants from similar circumstances. The data was subjected to content analysis so as to explore emerging themes as related to the psychosocial developmental experiences of the participants. The findings revealed that the psychosocial developmental experiences of the participants can be described by three themes, namely psychological experiences, social experiences and educational experiences. The sub-themes that emerged demonstrate that these participants have a generally positive outlook on life and the future. The participants demonstrated a desire for a better life and felt that getting a good education would stand them in good stead to reach their dreams and goals. Despite this positive outlook, findings also indicated that there is a need for psychological and social support for learners in child-headed households. As such it is recommended that support systems such as mentors and educational psychologists are implemented in school and community environments.

M.Ed. (Curriculum Studies) / The teaching and learning of Afrikaans is shrouded in controversy (1976, Rand Daily Mail, May 6, p.12). Some will ascribe all the tension, riots and demonstrations to this one factor, namely Afrikaans as a curriculum subject, or formerly Afrikaans as medium of instruction (World, 1976). An objective view of this whole issue is, however, essential in order to come to the real position of Afrikaans as a curriculum subject. In order to this, the problem must be outlined clearly and the parameters drawn. Also the problem should be analysed so that the factors underlying the problem become clear. Only in this manner can the real issues underlying the problem be addressed, that is factors militating against the effective and successful teaching and learning of Afrikaans as a school subject...

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract