Text in Afrikaans / The phenomenon which was studied in this research was alternative interaction methods. The research question was whether teachers could use these methods to address the problematic behaviour of learners in schools and to create a more positive attitude in learners. The question of a training program for teachers in this regard was also raised. The alternative interaction methods addressed in the literature was amongst others about addressing emotions that hinders the learners' learning process, addressing mild to serious misbehaviour and the positive encouragement of learners, as well as positive feedback given by teachers. The researcher herself used these methods on learners to see what their reaction was in this regard. Information was also gathered from teachers through questionnaires, focus groups and individual interviews. The conclusion was that the alternative interaction methods can be effective in addressing the problematic behaviour of learners and thus improve discipline. Learners' attitudes can also be influenced in a positive way when using these methods. Eventually it implies a higher level of job satisfaction for teachers. A training program was compiled for teachers to learn these alternative interaction methods and apply them in future as a contribution to Educational Psychology. / Educational Psychology / D.Ed. (Opvoedkundige Sielkunde)

Summaries in English and Afrikaans / In elke samelewing kan die jeug as 'n opsigselfstaande groep geldentifiseer word. Die unieke eienskappe van die jeugfase lei tot die ontstaan· van konstruktiewe of subkulturele jeuggroeperinge en destruktiewe of kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge. Sub- en kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge oefen 'n direkte invloed op die onderwys en opvoeding van die jeug uit. 'n Ondersoek na die faktore wat aanleiding gee tot die ontstaan en ontwikkeling van sub- en kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge is in die lig daarvan van dwingende belang. 'n Analise van die stambegrippe kultuur, subkultuur en kontrakultuur is 'n voorvereiste vir die begryp en verstaan van die tema ter sprake. Kultuur is die somtotaal van menslike betrokkenheid in sy materiele en nie-materiele wereld. Hierdie betrokkenheid lei tot kultuurvorming. Die vorming, oordrag en verandering van kultuur bet 'n bepaalde gesindheidsverandering by individue tot gevolg. Die nie-konfonnering met kultuurverandering het die fonnulering van 'n altematiewe of subkulturele stel waardes en nonne tot gevolg. 'n Subkultuur kan beskryf word as enige segment van die dominante kultuur waarvan die waarde en normstruktuur van die dominante kultuur verskil, maar nie in konflik daarmee is nie. Die algehele afwysing of pogings tot die omverwerp van dominante waardes en nonne het kontrakulturele waardes en norme tot gevolg. Sub- en kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge is eiesoortig van aard. Subkulturele jeuggroeperinge funksioneer met gemak in die dominante kultuur. Kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge word deur die dominante kultuur as 'n bedreiging beskou. Die faktore wat tot die ontstaan en ontwikkeling van sub- en kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge in Suid-Afrika aanleiding gee, kan kortliks saamgevat word as: politieke omstandighede, ideologiese invloede, ekonomiese, demografiese, sosiale (waaronder 'n gedepriveerde sosiale omgewing en huislike faktore, gesinsgrootte, enkelouergesinne, gesagskrisis, generasiekonflik en religieuse faktore), kulturele vervreemding en onderwyskundige faktore. Kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge wat op geweld uitloop, bet 'n destruktiewe invloed op die fisiese en psigiese omgewing van die skool, die medeleerlinge, die gesagsdraers en die leeromgewing. Desnieteenstaande staan die skool in 'n ideate posisie ten opsigte van die identifisering, rehabilitering en akkommodering van kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge en die onderrig van lewensvaardighede waardeur anti-normatiewe gedrag afgewys kan word. / In every society the youth can be identified as a separate group. The unique characteristics of the youth phase results in constructive or subcultural youth groupings, as well as destructive or countercultural youth groupings. Sub- and countercultural groupings exert a direct influence on the instruction and education of the youth. An investigation of the factors giving rise to the development of sub- and countercultural youth groupings is therefore imperative. An analysis of the key concepts of culture, subculture and counterculture is a prerequisite for the comprehension of the theme at issue. Culture is the sum total of people's involvement in their material and nonmaterial world. This involvement generates culture. Culture, and the forming, transmission and change of culture results in a change of mindset in individuals. Nonconformity with cultural change results in the formulation of an alternative or subcultural set of values and norms. A subculture can be defined as any segment of the dominant culture that subscribes to a set of values and norms that differ from, but are not in conflict with, those of the dominant culture. Complete rejection of, or attempts to overthrow dominant values and norms result in the formation of countercultural values and norms. Sub- and countercultural youth groupings are unique. Subcultural youth groupings function with ease in the context of the dominant culture. Countercultural youth groupings are perceived as a threat by the dominant culture. The factors leading to the origin and development of sub- and countercultural youth groupings in South Africa can be briefly summarised as: political circumstances, ideological influences, economic, demographic and social influences (including a deprived social environment and domestic factors, family size, single-parent families, authority crises, generation conflict and religious factors), cultural alienation and educational factors. Countercultural youth groupings that resort to violence have a destructive influence on the physical and psychic school environment, on fellow pupils, on office-bearers and on the learning environment. Despite all this, however, the school is ideally placed to identify, rehabilitate and accommodate countercultural youth groupings and to provide instruction in life skills with a view to expelling antinormative behaviour. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Historiese Opvoedkunde)

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.

Schools are increasingly expected to prevent and decrease violence, substance use, and other problem behaviors linked to academics and prepare students to be contributing members of society. One approach with proven success in promoting positive outcomes related to a broad range of student behaviors and personal characteristics is social-emotional learning, also known as positive youth development or social-emotional and character development (SECD) programs. Currently, little is known about the relationship between SECD and these outcomes in low-income, urban, minority populations. The present studies (a) examine key methodological design issues in conducting a cluster-randomized trial with such populations, and (b) assess whether an intervention designed to promote SECD was effective in improving the SECD developmental status of children from this population. Data for this study come from the Chicago cluster-randomized controlled trial (CRCT) of Positive Action (PA). The trial was longitudinal at the school level with a place-focused intent-to-treat design at the student level. This CRCT collected data on children in grades 3 through 8, for a total of 6 years and 8 data collection points. Manuscript #1 focuses on the design, sample, planned analyses, and a latent class analysis (LCA) of mobility patterns. Specifically, the setting and recruitment of schools is described, as well as the process by which schools were matched into pairs and randomized into PA or control, including the list of criteria for school eligibility and variables used for matching. Additionally, this paper thoroughly describes the primary analyses to test for program effects using three-level growth curve models (time nested within students nested within schools), as well as several sensitivity analyses that will also be conducted when evaluating this program. Further, this manuscript discusses secondary tests of meditation and moderation, which will assist in the understanding of how the program works (mediation) and for whom (moderation). Finally, this paper also provides several descriptive statistics and characteristics of the students and teachers in this sample. In terms of baseline equivalency, PA and control schools did not significantly differ on matching variables before or during the trial. Minimal differences were found on baseline reports from students, teachers, and parents; half of these differences favored PA students and half favored control students. Manuscript #2 focuses on the intervention effects on the student-, teacher-, and parent-reported social-emotional outcomes assessed during the Chicago CRCT, following the analytic procedures outlined in the first paper and focusing on the effectiveness of PA on social-emotional outcomes. Results indicate that PA had a significant effect on student self-reports of prosocial interactions, honesty, self-development, self-control, respect for parents and teachers, empathy, altruism, positive actions/feelings, negative moral center, and aggressive problem solving. Additionally, it was found that PA had marginal effects on teacher-reported responsibility. Minimal differences by gender were found; no differences by mobility status were found. Together, these two papers involved a sample of students in a high-risk setting; generating improvements can be particularly difficult in urban areas. The empirical evidence of effectiveness of a SECD program in a high-risk population, as demonstrated in the present study, should serve as a call to action for policymakers and school officials who are increasingly challenged to positively impact not only academic achievement, but also behavior and character development. / Graduation date: 2012

Text in Afrikaans / The phenomenon which was studied in this research was alternative interaction methods. The research question was whether teachers could use these methods to address the problematic behaviour of learners in schools and to create a more positive attitude in learners. The question of a training program for teachers in this regard was also raised. The alternative interaction methods addressed in the literature was amongst others about addressing emotions that hinders the learners' learning process, addressing mild to serious misbehaviour and the positive encouragement of learners, as well as positive feedback given by teachers. The researcher herself used these methods on learners to see what their reaction was in this regard. Information was also gathered from teachers through questionnaires, focus groups and individual interviews. The conclusion was that the alternative interaction methods can be effective in addressing the problematic behaviour of learners and thus improve discipline. Learners' attitudes can also be influenced in a positive way when using these methods. Eventually it implies a higher level of job satisfaction for teachers. A training program was compiled for teachers to learn these alternative interaction methods and apply them in future as a contribution to Educational Psychology. / Educational Psychology / D.Ed. (Opvoedkundige Sielkunde)

This study investigates the experiences of at-risk secondary school students in the Chitungwiza District, Zimbabwe. At-riskiness is defined as a condition in which students are likely to produce poor academic achievement, irregular school attendance, grade retention or dropout due to various individual and social factors. At-riskiness has increased in Zimbabwe’s school population since the adoption and subsequent failure of the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) which has contributed to poverty and concomitant poor social conditions. A literature study explored at-riskiness in the light of socio-cultural perspectives on at-riskiness and also discussed contextual factors in the Zimbabwean schooling system which influence students’ vulnerability to at-riskiness. A qualitative inquiry using a narrative approach explored at-riskiness in the life stories of three male and three female secondary school students attending two selected schools in Chitungwiza, an economically deprived area close to Harare. Selection of schools was based on high levels of absenteeism and sustained poor performance in the national school leaving examinations. Purposeful participant selection was based on school records on grade repetition, absenteeism and poor behaviour. Semi-structured Interviews with participants, based on the Dan MacAdams framework for life story research, were used to gather rich data. Ethical compliance included written parental consent and participant assent and the assurance of anonymity, confidentiality and the right to refuse information. Findings were categorized under family related factors, school related factors and resource limitations. At-riskiness was exacerbated by parental unemployment, poor socio-economic conditions at home and a lack of cultural capital. Participants were compelled to undertake casual work to supplement household income in addition to the fulfillment of academic responsibilities. Poor school conditions comprising poor discipline and unprofessional teacher conduct increased at-riskiness especially among female participants. Resource limitations included poor nutrition, lack of basic necessities required for personal hygiene, in adequate parenting and the absence of psycho-social support mechanisms. Based on the literature study and empirical inquiry, recommendations were made for a more inclusive educational model, poverty alleviation and special support for disadvantaged students to reduce at-riskiness among students in Zimbabwe. / Educational Foundations / D. Ed. (Socio-Education)

Summaries in English and Afrikaans / In elke samelewing kan die jeug as 'n opsigselfstaande groep geldentifiseer word. Die unieke eienskappe van die jeugfase lei tot die ontstaan· van konstruktiewe of subkulturele jeuggroeperinge en destruktiewe of kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge. Sub- en kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge oefen 'n direkte invloed op die onderwys en opvoeding van die jeug uit. 'n Ondersoek na die faktore wat aanleiding gee tot die ontstaan en ontwikkeling van sub- en kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge is in die lig daarvan van dwingende belang. 'n Analise van die stambegrippe kultuur, subkultuur en kontrakultuur is 'n voorvereiste vir die begryp en verstaan van die tema ter sprake. Kultuur is die somtotaal van menslike betrokkenheid in sy materiele en nie-materiele wereld. Hierdie betrokkenheid lei tot kultuurvorming. Die vorming, oordrag en verandering van kultuur bet 'n bepaalde gesindheidsverandering by individue tot gevolg. Die nie-konfonnering met kultuurverandering het die fonnulering van 'n altematiewe of subkulturele stel waardes en nonne tot gevolg. 'n Subkultuur kan beskryf word as enige segment van die dominante kultuur waarvan die waarde en normstruktuur van die dominante kultuur verskil, maar nie in konflik daarmee is nie. Die algehele afwysing of pogings tot die omverwerp van dominante waardes en nonne het kontrakulturele waardes en norme tot gevolg. Sub- en kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge is eiesoortig van aard. Subkulturele jeuggroeperinge funksioneer met gemak in die dominante kultuur. Kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge word deur die dominante kultuur as 'n bedreiging beskou. Die faktore wat tot die ontstaan en ontwikkeling van sub- en kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge in Suid-Afrika aanleiding gee, kan kortliks saamgevat word as: politieke omstandighede, ideologiese invloede, ekonomiese, demografiese, sosiale (waaronder 'n gedepriveerde sosiale omgewing en huislike faktore, gesinsgrootte, enkelouergesinne, gesagskrisis, generasiekonflik en religieuse faktore), kulturele vervreemding en onderwyskundige faktore. Kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge wat op geweld uitloop, bet 'n destruktiewe invloed op die fisiese en psigiese omgewing van die skool, die medeleerlinge, die gesagsdraers en die leeromgewing. Desnieteenstaande staan die skool in 'n ideate posisie ten opsigte van die identifisering, rehabilitering en akkommodering van kontrakulturele jeuggroeperinge en die onderrig van lewensvaardighede waardeur anti-normatiewe gedrag afgewys kan word. / In every society the youth can be identified as a separate group. The unique characteristics of the youth phase results in constructive or subcultural youth groupings, as well as destructive or countercultural youth groupings. Sub- and countercultural groupings exert a direct influence on the instruction and education of the youth. An investigation of the factors giving rise to the development of sub- and countercultural youth groupings is therefore imperative. An analysis of the key concepts of culture, subculture and counterculture is a prerequisite for the comprehension of the theme at issue. Culture is the sum total of people's involvement in their material and nonmaterial world. This involvement generates culture. Culture, and the forming, transmission and change of culture results in a change of mindset in individuals. Nonconformity with cultural change results in the formulation of an alternative or subcultural set of values and norms. A subculture can be defined as any segment of the dominant culture that subscribes to a set of values and norms that differ from, but are not in conflict with, those of the dominant culture. Complete rejection of, or attempts to overthrow dominant values and norms result in the formation of countercultural values and norms. Sub- and countercultural youth groupings are unique. Subcultural youth groupings function with ease in the context of the dominant culture. Countercultural youth groupings are perceived as a threat by the dominant culture. The factors leading to the origin and development of sub- and countercultural youth groupings in South Africa can be briefly summarised as: political circumstances, ideological influences, economic, demographic and social influences (including a deprived social environment and domestic factors, family size, single-parent families, authority crises, generation conflict and religious factors), cultural alienation and educational factors. Countercultural youth groupings that resort to violence have a destructive influence on the physical and psychic school environment, on fellow pupils, on office-bearers and on the learning environment. Despite all this, however, the school is ideally placed to identify, rehabilitate and accommodate countercultural youth groupings and to provide instruction in life skills with a view to expelling antinormative behaviour. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Historiese Opvoedkunde)