M.Ed. (Tertiary and Adult Education) / The purpose of this empirical study which forms part of a team research project, was to identify personality variables which may influence the academic achievement of first-year engineering-students. It was undertaken in the light of the relatively high failure rate of first-year students and the negative implications this has for an institute of higher learning and the students. The Bureau for University Education aims to establish a better student selection mechanism. The test group consisted of first-year engineering-students who registered at the Rand Afrikaans University during 1989, 1990 and 1991. This study focused on a single non-cognitive factor, namely personality, and its influence on academic achievement. The 16-PF-Questionnaire was used as a measuring instrument. student's t-test was utilized to establish significant differences between the two identified groups. The available data was processed by means of the BMDP-3S computer programme. The findings of this empirical study indicate that personality cannot be utilised in the prediction of academic achievement as a single factor, but in combination bined with other factors it forms an integral part of the selection mechanism. The successful engineering-students differed significantly from the less successful enigeering-students with regard to the following factors of the 16-PF-Questionnaire: * Factor G (dutyfullness) * Factor N (shrewdness)

M.A. (German) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.E. (Educational Psychology) / The phenomenon of learning disability is evident within many children. This problem obstructs the mastering of basic didactical skills in children. Despite the fact that these children appear to have adequate intellectual abilities, they experience serious .problems in mastering such skills as reading, spelling and writing as well as arithmetical skills. These problems lead to a low selfesteeIll and causes incessant failure in scholastic achievement. Learning disabled children are in need of a highly specialized instructional programme.in order to overcome their learning problems. In Transvaal, provision is made for learning disabled children by aid class placement. Many parents however have objections against placement in aid classes in that their children become "exeptional children". They believe that their children can overcome their learning problems by means of their remedial programmes. It was thus essential to arrive at a psychological and a didactical view of the learning disabled child. Furthermore it was necessary to undertake a psycho-didactic consideration of reading- and arithmetic problems. Aid class instruction and alternative remedial procedures as such, were emphasized. The purpose of this study therefore was to determine whether learning disabled children could adequately overcome their learning problems by means of alternative remedial procedures. Two groups of learning disabled children were identified id est those who were placed in aid classes and those who were for various reasons not placed in aid classes. Three different reading tests as well as addition and subtraction tests were administered to ascertain the children I s level of scholastic achievement.

D.Ed. (Didactics) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Litt. et Phil. / The purpose of this study is to determine the need for civic education and the degree to which this need is addressed in Curriculum 2005. (Curriculum 2005 is the new education curriculum, implemented in state schools since 1998.) As a young democracy, one of the challenges South Africa faces is to consolidate democracy. Part of this challenge is to establish a culture of political tolerance. Civic education, implemented in schools, is a method to achieve these goals. In the rationale of Curriculum 2005, it is stated that ". . . the child is given opportunities to grow and develop as an active citizen, contributing constructively to the building of a democratic, non-racist, non-sexist and equitable society." (Foundation Phase: Draft Policy/Phase Document, 1997) Intentionally or unintentionally, Curriculum 2005 appears to be the Department of Education's answer to the need for civic education in South Africa at this stage. The degree to which this need is fulfilled needs to be determined, as well as the shortcomings and where and how it can be improved. For civic education to be successful and effective, broad criteria were identified for the content; the method; the approach; resource materials and teacher education. This study found that there is a fair degree of elements of civic education in Curriculum 2005. There are, however, five main problems that may hinder the effectiveness of civic education. The first is the method. Civic education is not taught as a separate subject, but interwoven in mainly the social learning area. The second obstacle is the content. Thirdly, the majority of teachers who have to teach civic education lack sufficient ability and knowledge, as they did not receive training in this field. A fourth point is the budget constraints. On the one hand time and money is needed to develop a civic education programme, while on the other hand, there are some urgent needs to upgrade and expand physical infrastructure in schools. Lastly, the lack of sufficient and appropriate resource material for teachers, probably poses the single biggest obstacle for the successful implementation of civic education. The Department of Educuation did not provide official textbooks or guidelines, and the sourcing of material for discussion and examples is left to the teacher's own discression. Although there is a clear need for civic education in South Africa, and the intention to fulfil this need seems to be present in Curriculum 2005, the means to achieve this goal are absent. The combination of these five points leads to the conclusion that if the results of civic education could be measured, any form of success and effectiveness in Curriculum 2005, would be nothing more than pure coincidence.

M.Cur. (Advanced Midwifery and Neonatal Nursing) / With the introduction of the four year comprehensive course, the students at a particular college of nursing receive instruction on normal labour at the beginning of their second year. They are then allocated to the maternity wards of a particular hospital for their midwifery nursing science practica. The practical placement of these students to the midwifery clinical area is variable as a few may be allocated to the practice immediately after having received their theoretical instruction, a few two months later and the rest four, six, eight and ten months later. A major problem thus facing midwifery educators at a particular college of nursing, is to select an appropriate method of teaching that would assist the student nurses in acquiring the psychomotor skills that are necessary for the management of the delivery procedure. The goal of this study was to evaluate the competency levels of the second year student nurses, in the application of the psychomotor skills that are necessary for the management of the delivery procedure, after having made use of different teaching strategies, namely: * the traditional teaching method, and * the aforementioned method combined with the simulation teaching method. The hypothesis stated that there would be no difference in the application of the necessary psychomotor skills for the first delivery procedure, between the control and the experimental groups.

M.Cur. (Community Health Nursing Science) / The surgical contraceptive services of any population programme play an extremely important part in the quest to attain the proposed socio-economical health and demographic goals. Being a permanent contraceptive method, the promotion and acceptance of sterilization poses a problem in pro-natalistic communities. This study was aimed at gaining insight into problems, perceptions. knowledge and attitudes of the nurses involved in the National Family Planning programme. In an exploratory, descriptive study, 408 nurses in the RSA partook in a postal survey. The knowledge, attitudes and activities of nurses were assessed. It can be concluded that the attitudes are positive and the level of knowledge very low.

M.Ed. (Physical Training) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

D.Ed. / The question which this study endeavours to address, is whether learning about the cultural and ethnic perspectives of other racial and ethnic groups would help learners to know more about and appreciate ethnic and cultural diversity. Furthermore, this study will explore whether relations amongst learners can be improved through looking critically at extractions of cultural and ethnic experiences of racial and ethnic groups in literary texts. In the spirit of goodwill and reconciliation that the South African leaders call upon, the question may be asked, what are the educational authorities doing towards promoting better inter-group relations?

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