There is an increasing population of students with ASD graduating from schools and entering adulthood. Post-school transition is particularly challenging for these young adults and they tend to exhibit unfavorable outcomes in various domains in life. The concept of self-determination has been identified to promote successful transition and adult outcomes. With its root stemming from Western ideologies, the conceptualizations and manifestations of self-determination have rarely been examined across cultures. The present study aims to examine the experiences of self-determination in young adults with ASD during their school-to-adulthood transition and directly compare their experiences across American and Chinese contexts. Individual interviews were conducted with 11 young adults with ASD in the United States and Hong Kong who exited high school within the past seven years. Results from thematic analysis revealed themes about participants’ experiences of self-determination in areas of autonomy, attainment of goals, psychological empowerment, and self-realization. Contextual factors in family, work, postsecondary education, community-based settings, and early school-age experiences were identified to influence participants’ development and expression of self-determination. Cross-cultural similarities and differences in self-determination among American and Chinese young adults with ASD were discussed in relation to various factors associated with their ecological systems. Implications of cultural-responsive understanding of self-determination for research and practice are discussed to promote better outcomes and quality of life in individuals with ASD transitioning from school to the adulthood.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / The purpose of this research was to ascertain how children in lowrisk, middle to upper income areas perceive violence and their experience of it. It explores their exposure to violence and how this may affect their view of the future in terms of their hopes and fears. The research was framed around Frantz Fanon's theory of violence and Urie Bronfenbrenner's Systems Theory. The aims of the research was to explore children's perceptions of violence and how this affects children's sense of wellbeing within the context of South Africa by: i) investigating how much children know and understand about the violence that is prevalent in the country, ii) discovering how this frames their perception of violence and finally iii) explore how this affects their sense of well-being. The participants of the study were 28 male and female grade 6 children, between the ages of 10 and 12 from a private school in the Cape Town metropole. There were three focus groups consisting of 8-11 children per group. This was a qualitative study. The data collection was interpreted through Thematic Analysis. The highest standards of ethical conduct and research practice were adhered to. / South Africa

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / During Apartheid, South African education policies were largely based on a system of racial segregation, resulting in unequal educational opportunities between black and white students. Current education policies centred on Access and Equity have been ratified to address the education issues of the past. However, there still remains a concern about the poor performance and consequently, the high drop out rate, particularly amongst black South African university students. The findings of various studies have shown that the factors that contribute to poor academic performance range from inadequate pre-university schooling and financial issues to poor language proficiency, inadequate social support and insufficient social integration. The present study employed a qualitative approach to explore first-year students perceptions of the influence of social integration on academic performance. Tinto Student Integration Model provided the conceptual basis for the conduction of the study. Three focus groups were used to collect the data which were analysed according to thematic analysis procedures. The main finding of the study was that academic and social experiences were intrinsically linked in the first year of study. Moreover, the findings indicate that friends, belonging to nonacademic organisations and lecturer-student interaction (as three indicators of social integration) influenced first-year students academic performance. South African contextual factors such as socio-economic status and language were found to be a potential hindrance to good academic performance. The implications of these findings are discussed. / South Africa

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / The following study aimed to explore the development of resilience within male youth, despite exposure to numerous factors traditionally classified as high-risk. The research focussed on the developmental process of six male youth who engaged in positive coping through actively seeking protection in a high-risk environment, in the form of a non government organization within their community. The study assumed that the active seeking of a protective environment by high-risk youth is an indication of resilience. A phenomenological approach was used to understand the processes that aided the development of resilience within the individuals, through semi-structured in-depth interview guides. Qualitative thematic analysis was utilized to attain and understand common themes. An ecosystemic approach was used in conceptualizing the findings of this research. Indications of resilient development within male youths, relating to systemic factors, which contributed to resilience were explored. The major findings of this research were congruent with past research, both in South Africa and internationally. Three primary themes of support, control, and security emerged from the analysis. The research findings indicated that individuals possessing an internal locus of control were able to cope with adversity and had hence developed resilience. The participants in this sample were confident in their abilities, possessed motivation and belief in success. Systemic factors that were elicited as important in the optimal development of resilience were belief in the youth’s ability, and faith in their capacity to achieve,as well as providing support and guidance to youth when needed. The research found that if youth were faced with factors understood as high-risk, and were able to overcome them, these risk factors served to further enhance resilience. This research offers researchers and community organizations further insight into effective intervention programs to promote optimal youth development in high-risk areas.

There is a tendency to view teachers´ assessment literacy from a deficit perspective, and teachers existing practices are rarely used as a source of knowledge about assessment. Instead of treating teachers as being to some extent experts on assessment, the domain of assessment literacy is primarily represented by viewing researchers as “experts”. In this study teachers´ assessment literacy is approached from an asset perspective. The knowledge and skills that teachers possess can contribute to the description and understanding of classroom assessment literacy. The overall aim of the study is to develop knowledge about teachers’ classroom assessment literacy. Studying teachers' collective reflections about assessment, in relation to video-recorded teaching situations, is used to approach the question of what classroom assessment and assessment literacy actually mean. Three primary schools and eleven teachers, heterogeneous regarding age, sex, education and experience, are involved in the study.  The results indicate three themes to describe teachers´ classroom assessment literacy: focus on the intention of assessment, focus on the enactment of assessment and focus on the conclusion of assessment. The study shows that teachers have the competence to conduct and use assessment as an integral part of teaching. An overall conclusion is that assessment literate teachers invite students to share power and responsibility in assessment processes. The three themes can be seen as a process of developing, implementing and using assessments, which requires a holistic approach to learning, teaching and assessment. / <p>With a summary in English</p>

No description available.

In South Africa, where a large portion of the population lives in townships, more often than not, the therapist and client do not share a similar cultural context. Cultural knowledge is therefore pertinent to generating a complex and thorough interpretation of any psychological assessments. This study aims to explore possible cultural narratives evoked in the responses to the Thematic Apperception Test so that cross-cultural use of the test would be more effective in the Mamelodi township. The research is done from a narrative point of view, where lived experience is understood by organising it into structured narratives or stories that repeat throughout a person’s life. The pictures of the TAT were viewed as a context that could elicit such life narratives from respondents. TAT stories from five adolescent residents in Mamelodi were thematically analysed as a method of identifying common stories that could reflect the cultural narratives that young persons in Mamelodi draw from to make sense of their world. The results indicated common narratives concerning the following: the experience of violence and danger, the experience of close relationships, dealing with challenges, and the role that clothes play. These findings, and possible findings from similar future research, might aid psychologists towards a better understanding of the TAT in the township context. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Psychology / unrestricted

In this study, the accuracy of predicted psycho-socio-economic impacts resulting from mining and infrastructure projects is investigated by comparing it to impacts shown to actually occur. A systems theoretical approach was followed in conjunction with a qualitative methodology in order to conceptualise impacts in the social systems they occur. Data was collected through a document review (which included a total of 17 documents pertaining to predicted impacts, and 24 documents pertaining to actual impacts) and analysed by means of thematic analysis, which rendered four main themes and 20 subthemes. The findings of the thematic analysis were subjected to second-order analysis, which enabled the categorisation of impacts according to the level of accuracy with which they are predicted. To understand why some impacts are incorrectly predicted, a third-order analysis was performed. The study suggests that many of the commonly predicted psycho-socio-economic impacts are less accurate than what they should ideally be, suggesting that some of the assumptions on which these predictions are based should be revised, as should the conceptualisation of the impacts. The researcher argues that, in order to make accurate predictions about the impacts resulting from mining and infrastructure projects, sufficient knowledge of the attributes of the project, the nature of the receiving environment, the causal processes by which the project will bring about changes in the receiving environment, and the value systems according to which communities judge whether a specific change constitutes a negative or positive impact, is required. This argument is substantiated by highlighting instances of inaccurate predictions relevant to each category of required information. More fundamentally, however, the researcher argues that inaccurate predictions are the result of inadequate consideration of the systemic nature of psycho-socio-economic impacts and the context in which they occur, precipitated by the incorrect use of the “social impact” metaphor. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Psychology / unrestricted

This study examined the conditions and experience of students who were placed on academic probation in view of key elements of Dewey’s (1958, 1938/1997, 1934/2005) theory of experience. Core data emerged from 16 in-depth interviews with five students who received assistance from an academic support program while on probation. An additional interview was conducted with the academic companion and another with the program developer. A document analysis and a researcher journal supplemented the data. The interviews were analyzed according to a three-dimensional narrative inquiry space (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Dewey, 1958, 1938/1997) to produce profiles and thematic connections (Seidman, 2006). Findings are presented in five texts. The first and second manuscripts depict the stories of two students using the profile genre. These texts disclose rich stories where the meaning of experience is lived. A third manuscript examines students’ experience from the student and professional perspectives. Major themes uncovered, include (a) resistance to seek help; (b) deep personal costs; and (c) a desire to succeed and complete their undergraduate studies. A fourth manuscript explores companioning as experienced by students and supported by resource personnel. It reveals that (a) the companioning role was defined by a specific form of guidance and attendance to self-confidence and (b) the program helped students clarify their needs, promoted their adaptation to the university context, and offered support through a positive relationship. A fifth manuscript examined the characteristics of a fruitful helping relationship. Findings suggest that (a) a rapport characterized by presence and trust and (b) an approach promoting responsibility, awareness, and holism were key. These findings offer a weighty contribution to the literature on post-secondary education by revealing rich and unique experiences. By tapping in the complexity of the participants’ experience, findings help shift away from the current focus on obstacles and deficiencies often attributed to probationary students. Résumé Cette étude a examiné l’expérience d’étudiants ayant été placés en probation académique à la lumière d’éléments-clés de la théorie de l’expérience de Dewey (1958, 1938/1997, 1934/2005). La principale source de données provenait de 16 entrevues en profondeur auprès de cinq étudiants ayant participé à un programme d’accompagnement universitaire alors qu’ils étaient en probation académique. Une entrevue a aussi été menée avec l’accompagnatrice et une autre avec la conceptrice du programme. Une analyse documentaire et un journal de bord de la chercheure complètent les données. Les entrevues ont été analysées selon une analyse narrative tridimensionnelle (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Dewey, 1958, 1938/1997) de façon à produire des profils et des liens thématiques (Seidman, 2006). Les résultats sont présentés dans cinq textes. Les premier et deuxième textes dépeignent l’histoire de deux étudiants sous forme de profils. Ces textes découvrent de riches et profondes histoires véhiculant la probation comme expérience de vie et la signification attribuée à celle-ci. Le troisième texte présente l’examen collectif de l’expérience des cinq étudiants ayant participé au programme d’accompagnement. Cette analyse est enrichie des perspectives de l’accompagnatrice et de la conceptrice du programme. Trois thèmes se dégagent de l’expérience de ces étudiants en probation académique soit (a) une résistance à faire usage des services de soutien; (b) des coûts personnels considérables; et (c) un désir de réussir et de compléter leur programme d’études. Un quatrième texte explore l’expérience d’accompagnement tel que perçu par les étudiants et les professionnels. L’analyse révèle que (a) l’accompagnatrice agissait à titre de guide et était attentive à la dimension de la confiance en soi et (b) le programme a aidé les étudiants à identifier leurs besoins, a soutenu leur adaptation au contexte universitaire, et a offert un soutien personnalisé par l’entremise d’une relation d’aide positive. Le cinquième texte se concentre sur les particularités d’une relation d’aide efficace en contexte de probation académique. Les résultats relèvent que cette expérience est qualifiée par (a) un rapport de présence empathique et empreinte de confiance réciproque et (b) une approche globale favorisant la responsabilité et la conscientisation. En dévoilant la richesse et l’unicité de l’expérience, ces résultats offrent une contribution intéressante. Illustrant la complexité des expériences de probation ils contribuent à s’éloigner d’une vision centrée sur les obstacles et les déficits des étudiants en probation académique.

In Ontario, career and guidance services are offered by teachers who have completed additional undergraduate studies. The training required to become a guidance counsellor appears to be insufficient to properly deliver the necessary guidance and counselling services. Many guidance counsellors are still operating as teachers within their new role as guidance counsellors. The aim of this qualitative research was to explore the professional identity of guidance counsellors’ working in Ontario, from their perspective. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed and twelve guidance counsellors were interviewed. Eight participants had completed the required undergraduate studies and four had completed a master’s degree in the field. The thematic analysis revealed four major themes that articulated and explained their professional identity: peer support, contextual factors, professional experience and formal training. The study’s limitations are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered.