Wildfires destroy large tracts of veld and forest land every year in South Africa. These fires can be devastating, resulting in loss of human lives, the destruction of property and the loss of income, for example the forest fire in the Sabie district in Mpumalanga in 2007 which destroyed about 7% of South Africa’s forested areas. There are frequently legal disputes with respect to the origin of wildfires, the extent of the fire and the land cover destroyed by the fires. The forensic capabilities of remote sensing in detecting and analysing post-wildfire characteristics have become an important contribution towards solving such legal disputes and in understanding wildfire characteristics. These post fire products can be used as evidence in court cases. Most of the time those court cases came up a few years after the fire event. By then, little or no evidence can be found on the terrain where the fire was. Remote sensing archives provide a reliable source of data that can be used to analyse these events after these long intervals. The objective of this project is to highlight the methods used to generate these post-wildfire analysis products. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Science)

This dissertation is a report on a study about autobiography as genre, focusing on the voice of the white, Afrikaans-speaking woman. The point of departure for this study was a survey of the number of autobiographies written in Afrikaans by these women. With the focus on the limited number of such autobiographies three autobiographies were studied, namely, Met die Boere in die veld (Sarah Raal), My beskeie deel (M.E.R.) and 'n Wonderlike geweld (Elsa Joubert). Within the framework of the complexity systems theory the role of the observer (author/reader) was studied to determine the possibility of demonstrating that when reading/writing an autobiography, some epistemological changes may occur, manifesting as conceptual changes in the mind of the observer. It could be demonstrated that because of women's sensitivity to interpersonal relationships they are capable of acting as unique registers of the complexity of individual existence, while remaining aware of the constant influence, effect and needs of the other. / AFRIKAANS & THEORY OF LIT / MA (AFRIKAANS)

Text in Afrikaans with a summary in Afrikaans and English / The motivation for this study was to use animal-assisted therapy to the advantage of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of therapeutic horse riding in Gestalt therapy and its influence on the awareness levels of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome that present with Attention deficit/Hyperactivity disorder. For the purpose of this study a quantitative research approach with a descriptive nature was used. Semi-structured interviews were used to compile information about a single child in a therapeutic milieu. This information was combined with information gathered from the literature to compile guidelines for the counsellor. In this study horse riding was effectively combined with Gestalt play therapy to enhance the awareness levels of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. / Die motivering van hierdie ondersoek was om diergefasiliteerde terapie tot voordeel van die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom te benut. Die doel van die studie was om die benutting van terapeutiese perdry in Gestaltspelterapie en die invloed daarvan op die bewustheidsvlakke van die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom wat met Aandagafleibaarheid/hiperaktiwiteitsindroom presenteer te beskryf. Vir die doel van hierdie studie is kwalitatiewe navorsing met 'n beskrywende aard benut. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is gebruik om inligting in te samel rakende 'n enkele kind in 'n terapeutiese milieu. Hierdie inligting is gekombineer met die inligting uit die literatuur ten einde riglyne vir die berader op te stel. In hierdie studie is perdry effektief by Gestaltspelterapie geintegreer om die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom se bewustheidsvlakke te verhoog. / Practical Theology / M.Diac. (Play Therapy)

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van hierdie studie was om deur die benutting van Gestaltspelterapie, adolessente wat gedragsprobleme openbaar, bewus te maak van hulself, ten einde hul toe te rus om hul lewenssituasie meer toereikend te hanteer. Daar is veral gefokus op die aspekte van die Gestaltterapeutiese proses wat die bewustheidsvlakke van die adolessente verhoog het. Ten einde hierdie doel te bereik is die navorsing kwalitatief benader, spesifiek deur ‘n deeglike literatuurstudie en die beskrywing van individuele en groepsgevallestudies. Die informasie is ontleed deur die data-spiraal analise. Vanuit die informasie wat verkry is, deur die integrasie van die literatuur en die empiriese ondersoek, kon die benutting van Gestaltspelterapie met adolessente wat gedragsprobleme openbaar, verken en in diepte beskryf word. / The main purpose of this study was to utilize Gestalt Play therapy with adolescents that display behavior problems, to make them aware of themselves, in order to equip them to handle their life situation more effectively. The focus were specifically on that aspects of the Gestalt therapeutic approach that increase the levels of awareness. In order to achieve this goal the research was approached qualitatively, specifically through a thorough literature study and the describing of individual and group case studies. The information was processed and analised by using the data-spiral analysis. From this information it was possible to explore and describe the utilization value of Gestalt Play therapy with adolescents that display behavior problems. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

Text in Afrikaans with a summary in Afrikaans and English / The motivation for this study was to use animal-assisted therapy to the advantage of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of therapeutic horse riding in Gestalt therapy and its influence on the awareness levels of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome that present with Attention deficit/Hyperactivity disorder. For the purpose of this study a quantitative research approach with a descriptive nature was used. Semi-structured interviews were used to compile information about a single child in a therapeutic milieu. This information was combined with information gathered from the literature to compile guidelines for the counsellor. In this study horse riding was effectively combined with Gestalt play therapy to enhance the awareness levels of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. / Die motivering van hierdie ondersoek was om diergefasiliteerde terapie tot voordeel van die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom te benut. Die doel van die studie was om die benutting van terapeutiese perdry in Gestaltspelterapie en die invloed daarvan op die bewustheidsvlakke van die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom wat met Aandagafleibaarheid/hiperaktiwiteitsindroom presenteer te beskryf. Vir die doel van hierdie studie is kwalitatiewe navorsing met 'n beskrywende aard benut. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is gebruik om inligting in te samel rakende 'n enkele kind in 'n terapeutiese milieu. Hierdie inligting is gekombineer met die inligting uit die literatuur ten einde riglyne vir die berader op te stel. In hierdie studie is perdry effektief by Gestaltspelterapie geintegreer om die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom se bewustheidsvlakke te verhoog. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Diac. (Play Therapy)

This dissertation is a report on a study about autobiography as genre, focusing on the voice of the white, Afrikaans-speaking woman. The point of departure for this study was a survey of the number of autobiographies written in Afrikaans by these women. With the focus on the limited number of such autobiographies three autobiographies were studied, namely, Met die Boere in die veld (Sarah Raal), My beskeie deel (M.E.R.) and 'n Wonderlike geweld (Elsa Joubert). Within the framework of the complexity systems theory the role of the observer (author/reader) was studied to determine the possibility of demonstrating that when reading/writing an autobiography, some epistemological changes may occur, manifesting as conceptual changes in the mind of the observer. It could be demonstrated that because of women's sensitivity to interpersonal relationships they are capable of acting as unique registers of the complexity of individual existence, while remaining aware of the constant influence, effect and needs of the other. / AFRIKAANS and THEORY OF LIT / MA (AFRIKAANS)

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van hierdie studie was om deur die benutting van Gestaltspelterapie, adolessente wat gedragsprobleme openbaar, bewus te maak van hulself, ten einde hul toe te rus om hul lewenssituasie meer toereikend te hanteer. Daar is veral gefokus op die aspekte van die Gestaltterapeutiese proses wat die bewustheidsvlakke van die adolessente verhoog het. Ten einde hierdie doel te bereik is die navorsing kwalitatief benader, spesifiek deur ‘n deeglike literatuurstudie en die beskrywing van individuele en groepsgevallestudies. Die informasie is ontleed deur die data-spiraal analise. Vanuit die informasie wat verkry is, deur die integrasie van die literatuur en die empiriese ondersoek, kon die benutting van Gestaltspelterapie met adolessente wat gedragsprobleme openbaar, verken en in diepte beskryf word. / The main purpose of this study was to utilize Gestalt Play therapy with adolescents that display behavior problems, to make them aware of themselves, in order to equip them to handle their life situation more effectively. The focus were specifically on that aspects of the Gestalt therapeutic approach that increase the levels of awareness. In order to achieve this goal the research was approached qualitatively, specifically through a thorough literature study and the describing of individual and group case studies. The information was processed and analised by using the data-spiral analysis. From this information it was possible to explore and describe the utilization value of Gestalt Play therapy with adolescents that display behavior problems. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

This study lays a foundation for the empirical mapping of the material production of Afrikaans fiction from 1990 to 2005. The primary research question, namely, how to map Afrikaans fiction production during this period, has been answered through both descriptive-qualitative and statistical-quantitative empirical research. In the first, contextual descriptive component, qualitative research is used to describe the context within which Afrikaans fiction production takes place. The impact of transformation shifts on the production and producer landscapes are mapped through a description of the publishing system. Within this system, book production is regarded as an institution that has inter-systemic relationships with other sub-systems, including institutional contexts (such as media, cultural, literary, educational and library sub-systems), as well as broader societal contexts (such as political, economic and technological contexts). Transformation shifts in the producer landscape (including the establishment, conglomeration, mergers, take-overs and closures of publishing houses) are described through profiling the relevant producers (including publishing houses and other kinds of producers) who contribute to this landscape. In the second, statistical empirical component, quantitative research is used to sketch the contours of Afrikaans fiction production through the construction of production and producer profiles. On a theoretical level, the study follows a sociological and institutional approach to empirical literary studies. This study has been positioned within the developing field of book and publishing studies, specifically within the parameters of the epistemology of production statistics. Itamar Even-Zohar’s poly-system theory and Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of the field of cultural production form the theoretical framework. Several methodological instruments were developed for the purpose of this study, including a new model of the publishing system, a database of production statistics (the Production Database of Afrikaans Fiction – PDAF), and two typologies of kinds of producers and fiction publications according to which both producer and production categories can be distinguished. The publishing system, the PDAF and the two typologies have been proven useful instruments for the mapping of book production. These instruments will contribute to the fields of book and publishing studies through their application to research on other production categories. The PDAF is a useful resource for measuring the growth and diversity of Afrikaans fiction production. The study concludes that Afrikaans fiction production between 1990 and 2005 was incisively influenced by transformation shifts. Publishing in this field became more challenging in that Afrikaans fiction production had to wean itself from the artificial institutional privilege and substantial state support it had enjoyed and was forced to become economically independent. By 2005, there were far fewer significant producers of Afrikaans fiction in the producer landscape than in 1990. In some production categories, fiction production has shrunk, while, in others, it has grown. Overall, the production profile of Afrikaans fiction has greatly diversified, with Afrikaans fiction appearing in a wide variety of production categories. Afrikaans fiction remains the most diverse and best-developed indigenous tradition of fiction production. The challenge for future case studies is to investigate the relationships between production patterns and specific transformation shifts in the publishing system in terms of specific production categories. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Information Science / unrestricted