This study was motivated by my desire to understand participants’ perceptions about the effectiveness of learner support services and their contribution to distance learners’ progress and programme completion in the DPE programme in Botswana. The investigation was carried out to find out why despite the provision of learner support services, there were low completion rates and high incomplete rates in the final year (2002/2003 cohort) of the DPE programme. The study also intended to understand the strengths and weaknesses of learner support services and make recommendations for improvement. A qualitative case study research design was applied. Group and individual interviews were conducted with participants. Data were analysed using Atlas ti computer software which simplified the management of the large corpus of data generated during the fieldwork. The study found that there was need for sustained learner-tutor and learner-learner interaction and regular communication with the supporting institution during the learning process. This would require planning and aligning learner support services to identified learner needs, access to learning resources including the existence and application of effective monitoring and supervision mechanisms for academic, counselling and administrative support in order to ensure commitment and accountability of learner support providers. In order to reduce isolation which is created by the physical separation between learners and service providers, the study recommended a structure for the provision of decentralized learner support services that are as close as possible to where distance learners live and work for ease of access. The study further found that there is need for policy guidelines and management structures to facilitate the provision of effective learner support services for the benefit of distance learners. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

The problem of inclusivity in the workplace has been globally acknowledged as a challenge for employees living with disabilities. The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of employees living with disabilities in the South African Police Service (SAPS). Globally, there has been a lot of research conducted on diversity in the workplace; however, research on inclusivity is a rather new phenomenon. A theoretical model on inclusion and diversity in work groups is presented as a framework, which offers insight into the experiences that contribute to feelings of inclusion for a diverse workforce. This model identifies potential contextual factors and outcomes of inclusion. This study further defines inclusion and disability and provides literature on the barriers employees living with disabilities encounter once employed, as well as support structures that could enhance inclusivity for these employees. The study used a qualitative, explorative approach. Fifteen employees of the SAPS were selected for participation, based on their disability type as per the research criteria. A purposive convenient sampling approach was used to identify employees with disabilities, taking into consideration hearing, visual, physical and mobility impairments. Participants varied in age, gender and race and came from stations mostly situated in the southern suburbs of Cape Town, with one participant from George and one participant from Paarl East. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and provide insight into how employees living with disabilities perceive inclusion in the SAPS. A thematic analysis approach was used to identify which negative and positive experiences of inclusion were identified. Irrespective of the provision of disability policies and legislation, which clearly stipulate that no person may be unfairly discriminated against on the grounds of their disability, the findings from this study indicate that employees living with disabilities still experience discriminatory attitudes in the workplace. While some participants had positive experiences of inclusion, other employees reported negative experiences relating mostly to a lack of management support, non-conducive workplaces, lack of disability awareness, as well as negative attitudes towards disability in the workplace. The results of this study indicate that the general feeling of inclusion in the SAPS is, to a certain degree, fair, and that management and co-worker support, together with reasonable accommodation, played an important role in contributing to making employees living with disabilities feel included. This study shows that more research is required in terms of disability awareness, and an understanding of the needs of employees living with disabilities in the workplace, to create an enabling environment of growth for employees living with disabilities. It is proposed that this study be used to provide employers and employees with a greater understanding of how to effectively include and retain employees living with disabilities.

A dissertation submitted in the Faculty of Education in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a Masters degree in Educational Psychology at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2013. / This study examined the relationship between the Child Support Grant (CSG) and teenage pregnancy. The first objective of the study was to establish the relationship, if any, between teenage pregnancy and the Child Support Grant. The second objective was to determine whether or not the variable of educational level, religious affiliation, and location play a role in teenage pregnancy and the support grant. In order to achieve the aims of the study, the researcher constructed his own scale. The study used a quantitative methodology to establish the relationship between Child Support Grant and teenage pregnancy. Questionnaires were used to collect data. The questionnaires were distributed to fifty participants representing the total sample of the study. These questionnaires were correctly completed and were analysed using SPSS. The chi-square measure of association was used to test for the relationship between CSG and teenage pregnancy. The findings of the study indicated that teenagers differ in terms of whether there is a relationship between CSG and teenage pregnancy. Forty eight per cent of the participants were found to have a negative view on the notion that there is a relationship between CSG and teenage pregnancy, and fifty two per cent were favourably disposed. However, the difference was not statistically significant. In answering the second research question, this study revealed that variables such as educational level, location and religious affiliation did not have any influence on child support grant. This was confirmed by statistical tests performed. The limitations of the study were identified and suggestions for further research were documented.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

With an increasing number of veterans returning to civilian life after deployment in combat, it is important to analyze what challenges they face during reintegration, what resources assist them with coping with these challenges, and which of these resources they perceive as the most helpful. The literature indicates that the most common challenges faced by returning veterans are employment difficulties, family readjustment problems and mental health issues which are shown to be positively affected by the presence of social support networks (Burnell, Coleman, & Hunt, 2009). There exists a gap, however in the research regarding the extent to which each particular social support network affects veterans' reintegration. This qualitative study explored veterans' perceptions of the challenges faced during reintegration, and the social supports which assisted the most during the reintegration process in order to try to bridge the gap in the research. The findings indicate that veterans struggle the most with reconnecting emotionally with family and friends, managing strong emotions (such as anxiety and alienation), missing the military after discharge, and dealing with the negative effects of deployment on daily life (such as difficulty sleeping, anxiety, and difficulty finding employment). Unit support was overwhelmingly expressed as the most helpful social support, while family and friends were seen more as a challenge than a help. Many veterans went on to surround themselves with fellow veterans and/or join the reserves after their active duty was up.

Social support is an important prerequisite for us humans to maintain healthy and rewarding relationships vis-à-vis our work. Further, social support is about giving the individual resources such as encouragement, information and tools which lead to positive health and good work achievements. Previous research indicates that middle managers constitute a professional group of people lacking in resources and support, which makes it difficult for them to do a good job. Additionally, this area of research is not much researched. For these reasons the aim of this study is to narrow the research gap with regard to our understanding of middle managers’ experiences of social support. The empirical data on which the study is based consist of seven semi-structured interviews with middle managers from a specific municipal administration in the municipality of Norrbotten in North Sweden. This study was conducted in close cooperation with the municipality and it was the municipality itself that selected the respondents/interviewees, which admittedly may be a shortcoming of the study. This is explained more in detail in the method section. The results show that the coworkers are a great asset to the social support the middle managers receive, for example by being able to ease the burden and assist the middle managers with new knowledge in their work. Indeed, the support of the coworkers seems essential in providing the middle managers with social support. Also, the results show that middle manager colleagues can be a valuable resource in social support: in the study the middle manager colleagues give each other advice and in doing so they are able to ease the burden of work they experience. However, the middle managers also experience a lack of giving each other feedback. They experience that “negative feedback” is not exchanged between them for fear of it being sensitive. Conversely, “positive” feedback is not exchanged since the middle managers judge themselves bad at praising each other. The results also show that the middle managers all feel trusted by their supervisors, which in turn makes them more confident and allows them to make difficult decisions. Furthermore, the results show that the middle managers feel that there are deficits in social support and they experience a lack of resources, which make it harder for them to carry out certain work tasks. In particular, the lack of resources pertains to skills development in finances, financial systems and HR related matters. Lastly, the middle managers feel that elearning within the municipality is insufficient due to difficulties of learning through this mode of teaching

No description available.

No description available.