The purpose of the study was to investigate the services provided by the Bhambayi Drop-In Centre in Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal for orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). Qualitative research design and in-depth interviews with key informants and foster parents of the OVCs were conducted. The study found that the services which are provided by the Centre enabled the orphans and vulnerable children to enjoy life as normally as possible and to experience life meaningfully. As beneficiaries of the Bhambayi Drop-In Centre the children had access to education and two meals per day. Beyond meeting such basic needs, the study also found that Centre instilled a sense of belonging and community in the children. Access to social grants enabled the children’s basic needs to be met. In addition foster parents played a crucial role in taking care of orphans and vulnerable children. / Health Studies / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

The purpose of the study was to describe the support services available for nurses who care for patients with human immunodeficiency virus / acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Pretoria urban pubic hospitals. Problems faced by nurses in HIV/AIDS care support preferences were also investigated. The study was conducted between March and April 2003, using a descriptive design. Respondents comprised eighty-seven (87) nurses who were conveniently selected from five (5) hospitals. Results reveal that support available is inadequate in both quality and coverage of nurses. Other significant findings are inadequate job preparation, shortage of nurses and that nurses prefer to receive support from both within and outside the hospital. It has been recommended that management should work with nurses to design support interventions that match the identified problems/needs. Nurses need to take an active role in caring for themselves and more in-service training opportunities need to be created for nurses. / Health Studies / MA (Health Studies)

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in English and Afrikaans / In die vinnig veranderende omgewing waarin universiteitbiblioteke funksioneer is daar besorgdheid oor die vermoe van universiteitbiblioteke om tred te hou met die verandering ten einde suksesvol te kan bly voortbestaan. Kreatiwiteit en innovasie speel 'n rol in die veranderingsproses. Organisasiekultuur het 'n invloed op die mate waarin kreatiwiteit en innovasie in 'n organisasie gestimuleer word. 'n Voorlopige model wat op die literatuur gebaseer is, het getoon dat strategie, organisasiestruktuur, ondersteuningsmeganismes, innovasiegedrag en kommunikasie die organisasiekultuurdeterminante is wat kreatiwiteit en innovasie in organisasies beinvloed. In die onderhawige empiriese studie is bestaande data, wat ingesamel is om die organisasiekultuurvan 'n universiteitbiblioteek te beskryf, gebruik om die voorlopige model te toets. 'n Faktorontleding het getoon dat strategie, doelgerigtheid, vertrouensverhouding, innovasiegedrag, werkomgewing, klientgeorienteerdheid en bestuursondersteuning 'n invloed het op die mate waarin kreatiwiteit en innovasie in die universiteitbiblioteek gestimuleer en bevorder sal word. / In the rapidly changing environment in which university libraries function there is concern about the ability of such libraries to keep pace with change in order to be able to survive. Creativity and innovation have a role to play in the change process. Organisational culture has an influence on the degree to which creativity and innovation are stimulated in an organisation. A preliminary model which is based on the literature, has shown that strategy, organisational structure, support mechanisms, innovation behaviour and communication are the organisational culture determinants that influence creativity and innovation in organisations. In the empirical study, existing data which were collected to describe the organisational culture of a university library, were used to test the preliminary model. A factor analysis showed that strategy, purposefulness, trust relationship, innovation behaviour, work environment, customer orientation and management support influence the degree to which creativity and innovation are stimulated and promoted in the university library. / Information Science / M.Inf.

Distance education (DE) is now recognised as an education system independent from conventional face-to-face education. It has self-governing theories and pedagogies. It attracts students with unique characteristics different from those of on-campus students. The present distance learning student differs from the past ones by characteristics, needs and contexts. Not all students registering for distance learning conform to the characteristics of distance students described in theory. It is now acknowledged that DE systems demand special skills including time management, self-regulation and independent learning skills. Yet, few of these students enter into distance learning with prior experiences on its demands. The new student is compelled to learn to deal with challenges that come with DE i.e. the impact of ‘distance’, isolation and time management. ‘The net generation’ and ‘digital natives’ are now in college but with skills not automatically transferable to learning technologies. Information and communication technologies (ICT) providers are mostly focused on the ‘use’ rather than the ‘user’. Universities are continuously adopting new technologies leaving the student bewildered as to the focus; learning or technology training. The internet has ‘everything’; open course ware (OCW), open education resources (OERS), wikis and all web information. Students cannot simply find things for themselves. Furthermore distance learning has no policy on how to engage with the internet and students are left to decide what, which and how much is required for any level of study. Most universities in Africa moving from single to dual mode have not integrated distance learning pedagogy which requires restructuring in the organisation, policy and course development. DE, though spanning over two centuries has been mutually dependent on technology. The present technology demands a paradigm shift from that of correspondence days. These issues have created the need for support strategies that can literally accompany the DE student throughout his/her academic journey. Universities have established DE units, campuses and schools for a variety of reasons. It is required that such universities provide learner support systems for their students. The purpose of this study was to assess the learner support services available for distance learning undergraduate students in two universities in Kenya i.e. Northern University (NU) and Western University (WU). A Learner support system can comprise of numerous components. In this study, nine (9) components/indices were tested as the indices for providing support services. These are:- registration procedures, orientation programme and skills training, technology and learning materials, counselling and mentorship, interactions and communication, feedback, regional centres and library, students association and representation and course progression and satisfaction. This study employed an evaluation research design utilising both quantitative and qualitative methods. Online questionnaires were used for quantitative data collection. For qualitative data collection two (2) instruments were used; an interview schedule for key programme implementers and a documentary analysis tool for documents and websites. The findings indicated that the main indices that distinguished the two universities were registration process, technology and learning materials, counselling/mentorship and regional centres where the t-test showed significant differences. The p values were 0.008, 0.012, 0.036 and 0.015 respectively at 0.05 significance level. In all of them, Northern University (NU) had a relatively high mean score than Western University (WU) except for the index on counselling and mentorship. / Educational Foundations / D. Ed. (Socio-Education)

Advances in medication and support services in high schools have influenced the growing number of students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) enrolling in colleges and universities. Unfortunately, their lower graduation rates and extended time to graduation creates multiple challenges to themselves, their institution’s, and their communities. Limited information is available regarding how disability services impact graduation rates for students with ADHD in higher education. More information is needed about how the practices instituted by disability support center leaders in post-secondary institution’s impact the graduation rates of students with ADHD. Retention, a financial and ethical concern for universities, is pushed to the forefront by lawmakers who demand an increased return on their state’s educational investment. Disability resource directors, school registrar officials, and disability resource center websites were data sources. Information was gathered about the number of students with ADHD that have graduated from each institution over the past three years. A non-experimental quantitative design (correlation) was used that provided a process for gathering information about use of disability services, which was then correlated and compared to the overall graduation rate of college students with ADHD over a three-year period. Qualitative information regarding types of services highlighted commonly used services and responses from directors were discussed regarding collaborative partnerships and training for faculty and staff. A positive correlation between use of services and graduation rate was found from examining one school that submitted complete data. Overall, the response rate was low, particularly for the colleges, which impacted the ability to respond to some of the research questions. Some directors noted a preference for the social theory of retention in support of why they don’t collect data on specific groups of students with disabilities, while others chose to not participate at all due to a lack of data tracking. Because funding for programming and targeted services depend on knowledge gained from data tracking, these findings may have implications for policy and practice. Educational leaders may be able to utilize the results of this study to shape future institutional policies and practices that impact the success of their students.

This thesis focuses on learner support in Chinese distance education. It draws a picture of Chinese modern distance education, covering the major issues in the field of learner support, and small group work as peer support. The aim of the study is to find out whether or not the learner support, that distance students at university level obtained, has the tendency to support students’ deep learning. The aim has been achieved by examining learner support in six institutions of ICT-based distance education in China. Three other sources of learner support are investigated. The main objectives of the study are: 1) to describe the distance students’ characteristics; 2) to examine their learning habits, learning organizations, and their interactions; 3) to investigate the student support provided by the institutions; family support; societal support; and peer support in the form of small group work. The purpose of this study is to define current practices of learner support in the six distance education institutions, determining the extent of similarities and differences on learner support services among these institutions. The study is applying a case-study approach, using qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate the six Chinese distance education institutions. During the first stage, several field visits were conducted in different research sites with on-site participant observation, non-participant observation and interviews for obtaining knowledge of Chinese distance education. In the second stage, a survey with a student questionnaire was distributed to students present and others online, in total 587. In addition, semi-structured interviews with staff members (administrators, instructors and tutors), individual students, and student focus groups were performed. The present research is one of the few in-depth case studies that focus on the relation between learner support system and different approaches to learning. On the basis of these research findings, the importance of a well-designed learner support system for the distance learner, a system for fostering creative, critical or independent thinking skills, or deep learning, in line with Chinese cultural and social conditions, is underlined.

Queer-identified women in Canada and elsewhere are underserved as a community with regard to the provision of support for drug use related problems. In order to provide much needed inclusive support services, researchers, policy makers and treatment providers must recognize and act on the interface of oppression with substance use in populations of queer women. The homophobia and heterosexism endemic to our society is an issue that necessitates the exploration, development, and inclusion of responsive policies and services for queer women who seek - or desire to seek - support for problematic substance use. This research study explores the support needs of queer-identified women who experience difficulties as a result of drug use. Through qualitative, interview-based research, my inquiry examines responses to the question: What are the support needs of women who are impacted by the confluence of heteronormativity and problematic drug use? Data are derived from nine, semi-structured in-depth interviews with women in the Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland areas of British Columbia. The methodological framework incorporates a critical feminist approach. A thematic analysis technique was utilized to analyse the interviews, with data categorized into three primary themes of discrimination, resistance, and support. Findings indicate that queer women require distinct support services for problematic substance use issues in an effort to redress systemic heteronormativity.

According to White Paper 6, national policy regarding the provision of education in South Africa has changed since 1994 with an emphasis on the accommodation of all learners in one education system. The Department of Education envisaged an education and training system that would promote education for all and foster the development of inclusive and supportive centers of learning which would enable all learners to participate actively in education alongside their peers. The responsibility of the education system to develop and sustain learning is premised on the recognition that education is a fundamental right which extends equally to all learners. A complex and dynamic relationship exists between the learner, the centre of learning, the broader education system and the social, political and economic context of which they are all part. These components play a key role in whether or not effective learning and development take place. There are factors that lead to the inability of the system to accommodate diversity, which lead to learning breakdown or which prevent learners from accessing educational provision and have been conceptualized as barriers to learning and development. The primary aim of this study was to investigate and describe the barriers faced by foundation phase learners in an inclusive classroom and to propose the support needed to address those barriers. A literature review provided the background to an empirical inquiry using a qualitative approach. The design type chosen for this study was phenomenology which requires the researcher to ‘bracket‘ or put aside all prejudgments and collect data on how individuals make sense of a particular experience or situation. From the population of 17 schools in UMzimkhulu zone, three Junior Secondary schools were purposively chosen as a sample and the target group was foundation phase educators data was collected by means of INTERVIEWS as well as DOCUMENTS and were inductively analysed. FIELD NOTES were taken during interviews and a tape recorder was used. The data was analysed by using a thematic content analysis. The main themes identified in interviews were, among others, support, challenges faced by foundation phase educators, expectations of foundation phase educators, perceptions of inclusive education and challenges of inclusive education. The conclusion reached is that educators need more information and training about inclusive education. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Violence against women is a global phenomenon and it has over the past three decades occupied a central position in international discourse. Despite the extensive literature, little has been documented about the social support services offered to the abused women in shelters. A qualitative research approach was employed in this study to explore, describe, and contextualise the experiences and challenges of social workers in the social support services rendered to abused women in shelters. The participants were selected using purposive sampling, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with social workers involved in rendering services to abused women in shelters in Gauteng. Ethical issues were taken into consideration. Data were analysed using Tesch’s eight steps (in Creswell, 2009) and verified using Guba and Lincoln’s model (in Krefting, 2003) to test the trustworthiness of the data. The key findings of the study highlight the important role that social workers who provide social services to abused women in shelters play in the process of empowerment and protection of these women, who benefit from the social support service programmes that the shelters render on a daily basis. These findings also reveal that due to limited resources, the social workers cannot provide these social support services effectively without assistance. This study also reflects the need for a multidisciplinary approach, and emphasises the need for other stakeholders such as the SAPS, Health, Home Affairs, Department of Social Development, and the embassies of foreign countries to play a more significant role within the sheltering services in order to provide a comprehensive service to abused women. It is clear that social workers have limited professional support and experience many challenges in rendering social services. / Social Work / M.S.W. (Social Work)

Quality and effective student support service (SSS) is a critical demand in the ever-changing landscape of distance education. It is common knowledge that distance education students need continuous support during their studies in order to cope with academic demands while attending to other key activities. This study set out to evaluate the implementation of SSS at the Namibia University of Science and Technology Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning (NUST COLL) at different regional centres across Namibia. The objectives of the study were to: identify problems and challenges experienced with the current implementation of SSS, determine the needs of the distance students and propose recommendations for the improvement of SSS at the regional centres. In an attempt to realise the objectives of the study, the study incorporated both quantitative and qualitative research design to collect data, by making use of questionnaires, open-ended questions and interviews. The participants included 8 regional coordinators (RC) who were purposively selected and 109 distance students who were selected through stratified and convenience sampling techniques from seven COLL regional centres. It was evident from the findings that most students opted for distance education as it allows them to work and study. Furthermore, many students have been studying for many years without getting any qualification. While NUST was providing different SSS, the findings brought to light some challenges such as the shortage of technological tools, understaffed regional centres, and unavailability of support services on weekends and public holidays and lack of collaboration between marker-tutors, lecturers and regional face-to-face tutors. It is proposed that the current model of SSS should be redesigned to respond to challenges facing distance education students at the regional centres. A model for implementation of SSS was developed to pave the way for effective implementation geared towards reducing the dropout rates and increase success rates. Key terms: Implementation of student support services, technological tools, model for implementation, regional coordinators, academic demands, increase success rates, regional centres, distance education, regional centres, and dropout rates. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)