<p>The aim of this study was to develop guidelines for an HIV/AIDS support programme for teachers. In order to achieve this goal, Intervention Research: Design and Development model by Rothman and Thomas (1994) was adopted to guide the research process. Intervention research is a form of applied qualitative research utilized by researchers to design and develop interventions to ameliorate social problems. Intervention research: design and development model has six phases and unique operational steps to follow in each phase. The researcher adopted the first three phases to facilitate the design of the guidelines to assist with development of a programme to support teachers. Problem analysis and project planning is the first phase. In this phase, the aim was to understand the experiences of HIV/AIDS among teachers and in schools. Information was gathered from HIV/AIDS co-ordinators, principals, teachers living with HIV.</p>

<p>The aim of this study was to develop guidelines for an HIV/AIDS support programme for teachers. In order to achieve this goal, Intervention Research: Design and Development model by Rothman and Thomas (1994) was adopted to guide the research process. Intervention research is a form of applied qualitative research utilized by researchers to design and develop interventions to ameliorate social problems. Intervention research: design and development model has six phases and unique operational steps to follow in each phase. The researcher adopted the first three phases to facilitate the design of the guidelines to assist with development of a programme to support teachers. Problem analysis and project planning is the first phase. In this phase, the aim was to understand the experiences of HIV/AIDS among teachers and in schools. Information was gathered from HIV/AIDS co-ordinators, principals, teachers living with HIV.</p>

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The aim of this study was to develop guidelines for an HIV/AIDS support programme for teachers. In order to achieve this goal, Intervention Research: Design and Development model by Rothman and Thomas (1994) was adopted to guide the research process. Intervention research is a form of applied qualitative research utilized by researchers to design and develop interventions to ameliorate social problems. Intervention research: design and development model has six phases and unique operational steps to follow in each phase. The researcher adopted the first three phases to facilitate the design of the guidelines to assist with development of a programme to support teachers. Problem analysis and project planning is the first phase. In this phase, the aim was to understand the experiences of HIV/AIDS among teachers and in schools. Information was gathered from HIV/AIDS coordinators, principals, teachers living with HIV. / South Africa

Magister Public Health - MPH / Malnutrition continues to be a major public health problem in Africa, yet the compliance to the IMAM, a treatment protocol that began in KwaZulu-Natal and viewed as a highly efficacious approach to treat malnutrition, is very low. The Dietetics outpatient department at a regional hospital in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, where the study was conducted, has about 375 children enrolled in the outpatient nutrition programme. The outpatient nutrition programme enables patients with stable Severe Acute Malnutrition and Moderate Acute Malnutrition to access nutritional supplements and to manage malnutrition outside the hospital. It is estimated that about 124 children between the age of 6 to 59 months default from the outpatient nutrition programme annually, accounting for a defaulter rate of 33%.

Farmer support programmes are aimed at assisting in unlocking barriers faced by smallholder farmers. These programmes were implemented many years ago by the public and private sector. However, research continues to show that the increase in the number of these initiatives and in budgets/expenditures have not equally translated into an increase in the number of smallholder farmers advancing to commercial status. Therefore, this evaluation research is focused on assessing the implementation progress of a farmer support programme being implemented in Jozini, KwaZulu-Natal. The aim is to assess whether or not the programme is implemented according to the theory of change and to assess the likelihood of the programme achieving its intended outcomes. Both the quantitative and qualitative approaches were applied to collect and analyse data. Quantitative data was made up of project data and qualitative data was obtained through conducting in-depth interviews with farmers currently participating in the programme. Findings from this paper are expected to add to the existing body of knowledge in terms of strengthening and improving the design of farmer support programmes; to emphasise the importance of conducting implementation evaluations to assess programme performance early in implementation; to better understand what is working or not during implementation; and to understand why this is so.

This study aimed to explore the knowledge, perceptions and skills of Foundation Phase English Second Language educators as determinants for developing a support programme for educators to improve their phonological awareness teaching skills. Phonological awareness skills are the most important precursor to reading skills, meaning that there is a strong correlation between phonological awareness and reading ability. However, research indicates that many educators do not have the necessary knowledge or skills to teach phonological awareness effectively. All Foundation Phase learners are compelled to have English as a First Additional Language from Grade 1 in order to prepare them for when English becomes the LoLT from Grade 4. It is therefore critical that all the language skills (including phonological awareness skills) necessary for learning are well established in the Foundation Phase. This qualitative study utilised a multiple case study with five ESL Foundation Phase (FP) educators in two rural schools in the Hartbeespoort area in the North West Province. These schools were quintile 1 government schools and all educators were employed by the Department of Basic Education. Data were collected in two phases. The first phase involved collecting data on educator knowledge, perceptions and teaching skills of phonological awareness, using open questionnaires, individual interviews, classroom observations and document analysis. Based on the findings of phase 1 a support programme was compiled to enhance the effective teaching and assessment of phonological awareness in ESL Foundation Phase classrooms. The second phase involved conducting a training workshop for the educators on phonological awareness and the support programme, to enable them to implement it in their classrooms after training. During implementation data were gathered via classroom observations and a focus group interview was conducted afterwards to determine the value of the support programme. The findings of this study revealed that, as a result of various factors, but especially because of FP educators’ own limited proficiency in English and inadequate training with regard to phonological awareness, they did not have sufficient knowledge and teaching skills to purposefully develop learners’ phonological awareness. After receiving focused and comprehensive training and follow-up in-service support, the FP educators seemed to gain an in depth understanding of phonological awareness, as well as improved skills in the teaching thereof. These findings were addressed in recommendations for the DBE and schools, emphasizing that pre-service, as well as in-service, educators need accurate training and constructive in-service support with regard to phonological awareness. This is essential in order to ensure that all learners learning English as a second language in the Foundation Phase, have developed sufficient phonological awareness skills to enable optimal learning in English as LoLT from Grade 4.

This study aimed to explore the knowledge, perceptions and skills of Foundation Phase English Second Language educators as determinants for developing a support programme for educators to improve their phonological awareness teaching skills. Phonological awareness skills are the most important precursor to reading skills, meaning that there is a strong correlation between phonological awareness and reading ability. However, research indicates that many educators do not have the necessary knowledge or skills to teach phonological awareness effectively. All Foundation Phase learners are compelled to have English as a First Additional Language from Grade 1 in order to prepare them for when English becomes the LoLT from Grade 4. It is therefore critical that all the language skills (including phonological awareness skills) necessary for learning are well established in the Foundation Phase. This qualitative study utilised a multiple case study with five ESL Foundation Phase (FP) educators in two rural schools in the Hartbeespoort area in the North West Province. These schools were quintile 1 government schools and all educators were employed by the Department of Basic Education. Data were collected in two phases. The first phase involved collecting data on educator knowledge, perceptions and teaching skills of phonological awareness, using open questionnaires, individual interviews, classroom observations and document analysis. Based on the findings of phase 1 a support programme was compiled to enhance the effective teaching and assessment of phonological awareness in ESL Foundation Phase classrooms. The second phase involved conducting a training workshop for the educators on phonological awareness and the support programme, to enable them to implement it in their classrooms after training. During implementation data were gathered via classroom observations and a focus group interview was conducted afterwards to determine the value of the support programme. The findings of this study revealed that, as a result of various factors, but especially because of FP educators’ own limited proficiency in English and inadequate training with regard to phonological awareness, they did not have sufficient knowledge and teaching skills to purposefully develop learners’ phonological awareness. After receiving focused and comprehensive training and follow-up in-service support, the FP educators seemed to gain an in depth understanding of phonological awareness, as well as improved skills in the teaching thereof. These findings were addressed in recommendations for the DBE and schools, emphasizing that pre-service, as well as in-service, educators need accurate training and constructive in-service support with regard to phonological awareness. This is essential in order to ensure that all learners learning English as a second language in the Foundation Phase, have developed sufficient phonological awareness skills to enable optimal learning in English as LoLT from Grade 4.

<p>Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva socialsekreterares uppfattning om och klienters upplevelse av en hjälp- och stödverksamhet riktad till utsatta barn. Intentionen med studien var dessutom att undersöka vilka förslag dessa har på framtida förändringar av verksamheten.</p><p>Metod: Tre personliga intervjuer med två målgrupper genomfördes. Målgrupp 1 var klienter som tidigare deltagit i insatser hos hjälp- och stödverksamheten och målgrupp 2 var socialsekreterare med minst fem års erfarenhet inom det sociala yrkesområdet.</p><p>Resultat: Resultatet visade en samstämmighet mellan målgrupperna, gällande stödverksamhetens positiva effekter gentemot utsatta barn. De mest framträdande positiva effekterna var att barnet gavs kunskap om sin omkringliggande problematik och en insikt i att de inte är ensamma i sin livssituation. De aspekter där de två målgrupperna hade olika syn på denna form av insats var huruvida insatsen är lämplig och tillräcklig för alla utsatta barn. En framtidsvision som framkom var att båda grupperna ansåg att ett införande av ett personligt ombud skulle vara positivt för utsatta barn.</p><p>Slutsats: Den slutsats som framkommit under denna studie är att hjälp- och stödverksamheten är en betydelsefull insats utifrån ett barnperspektiv, men att det inte är en åtgärd som kan ses som en slutlig lösning av ett problem. Således bör denna insats kombineras med fler insatser som rör familjeproblematiken från andra synvinklar, för att på så sätt nå ett helhetsperspektiv.</p> / <p>Objective: The objective with this study was to describe social welfare sekretaries opinion of and former clients experience of one help and support programme for vulnerable children. An additional intention was to examine the informants’ suggestions of future changes of the programme.</p><p>Method: Three personal interviews were made with two interview groups. Interview group 1 was former clients of the help and support programme and interview group 2 was social welfare secretaries with at least five years of experience in the profession of social work.</p><p>Results: The result of the study shows consensus between the interview groups according to the positive outcomes of the programme for the vulnerable children. The most appearing positive effects were that the children were given knowledge of the problems in their families and an insight in the fact that they are not alone in their situation. The aspects where the interview groups had different points of view concerning this form of effort were whether this contribution is suitable or enough for all the vulnerable children. One future vision that came through was that both groups considered that it would be positive for the vulnerable children to introduce a personal representative for their cause.</p><p>Conclusion: The conclusion of this study was that this form of help and support programme is an important contribution from the children’s perspective, but not a final solution of a problem. Therefore, this contribution should be combined with more efforts that involve the problems in the family from other points of view, to reach a perspective of entirety.</p>

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva socialsekreterares uppfattning om och klienters upplevelse av en hjälp- och stödverksamhet riktad till utsatta barn. Intentionen med studien var dessutom att undersöka vilka förslag dessa har på framtida förändringar av verksamheten. Metod: Tre personliga intervjuer med två målgrupper genomfördes. Målgrupp 1 var klienter som tidigare deltagit i insatser hos hjälp- och stödverksamheten och målgrupp 2 var socialsekreterare med minst fem års erfarenhet inom det sociala yrkesområdet. Resultat: Resultatet visade en samstämmighet mellan målgrupperna, gällande stödverksamhetens positiva effekter gentemot utsatta barn. De mest framträdande positiva effekterna var att barnet gavs kunskap om sin omkringliggande problematik och en insikt i att de inte är ensamma i sin livssituation. De aspekter där de två målgrupperna hade olika syn på denna form av insats var huruvida insatsen är lämplig och tillräcklig för alla utsatta barn. En framtidsvision som framkom var att båda grupperna ansåg att ett införande av ett personligt ombud skulle vara positivt för utsatta barn. Slutsats: Den slutsats som framkommit under denna studie är att hjälp- och stödverksamheten är en betydelsefull insats utifrån ett barnperspektiv, men att det inte är en åtgärd som kan ses som en slutlig lösning av ett problem. Således bör denna insats kombineras med fler insatser som rör familjeproblematiken från andra synvinklar, för att på så sätt nå ett helhetsperspektiv. / Objective: The objective with this study was to describe social welfare sekretaries opinion of and former clients experience of one help and support programme for vulnerable children. An additional intention was to examine the informants’ suggestions of future changes of the programme. Method: Three personal interviews were made with two interview groups. Interview group 1 was former clients of the help and support programme and interview group 2 was social welfare secretaries with at least five years of experience in the profession of social work. Results: The result of the study shows consensus between the interview groups according to the positive outcomes of the programme for the vulnerable children. The most appearing positive effects were that the children were given knowledge of the problems in their families and an insight in the fact that they are not alone in their situation. The aspects where the interview groups had different points of view concerning this form of effort were whether this contribution is suitable or enough for all the vulnerable children. One future vision that came through was that both groups considered that it would be positive for the vulnerable children to introduce a personal representative for their cause. Conclusion: The conclusion of this study was that this form of help and support programme is an important contribution from the children’s perspective, but not a final solution of a problem. Therefore, this contribution should be combined with more efforts that involve the problems in the family from other points of view, to reach a perspective of entirety.

The aims of this research were to investigate, by means of both literature review and empirical research, the incidence and manifestation of conduct disorders among adolescents growing up in the Vaal Triangle townships, with a view to suggesting a psycho-social intervention programme to help them learn life-skills which will decrease their susceptibility to depression and anxiety. According to the literature findings, depression and anxiety co-occur with conduct disorders during adolescence. An intervention progamme can therefore help these learner adolescents develop effective coping skills to help them deal with environmental factors that cause stress, depression and anxiety. The findings from the literature review revealed that adolescence is the highest risk period for the onset of conduct disorders such as, inter alia, substance use disorders, aggressiveness, destruction of property, defiance of authority, frightening and disturbing of adults, fighting, bullying, lying, destructiveness and defiance. The conduct problems also include the more or less troublesome and involuntary behaviours commonly associated with adolescence such as tempertantrums, bouts of screaming and crying, surliness and episodes of commanding or pestering behaviour. The co-occurrence of depression, anxiety and conduct disorders in adolescents was, according to various researchers, also associated with more severe alcohol and drug-related problems, more prolonged depressive and anxiety episodes and increased frequency of behavioural problems, more severe impairment in interpersonal and academic competencies, increased utilization of mental health services, as well as elevated risk of suicide. The literature also revealed that the period of adolescence is also marked by conflicting feelings about security and independence, rapid physical changes, developing sexuality, peer pressure and self-consciousness. This becomes a time of rapid physiological and psychological changes, of intensive re -adjustment to the family, school, work and social life and of preparation for adult roles. These changes are noticeable for their conduct disorders and behavioural accompaniments, and problems arising at this time may attract attention because the adolescent"s conduct and behaviour become obtrusive in the school and the home or elsewhere and evoke a sense of urgency for response. Effective support programmes such as individual educational support and group educational support were regarded by the literature as having the efficacy to prevent the development of conduct disorders. The empirical research findings revealed that adolescent participants who formed the population sample of this research were aggressive; characterized by risky behaviour such as staying with friends until very late at night and coming to school carrying a knife and bullying other children in class; deceitfulness or theft which manifested in the form of stealing from other children's schoolbags, stealing food and pens, and lying; serious violation of rules such as being disruptive in class, bunking school, and not coming to school regularly, conflict with parents, educators and others which manifests in the form of always being in trouble for beating up other learners in class, especially those that are younger, and being rebellious at home, mood disruptions such as bursting in anger, aggressive, being happy one moment and then angry and sad the next, and poor performance at school resulting in failing grades. Recommendations for educational practice and further research were made. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2006.