Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology, University of Zululand, 1992. / The aim of this study was : to describe the life-world of the abused child from a psychopedagogical perspective; and to determine, in the light of the findings obtained, certain guidelines according to which accountable support could be instituted in order to meet the needs of the abused child. The study initially outlines current thinking and research on child abuse, first identified as a clinical phenomenon in the 1960's. The early definition of child abuse included only physical abuse, known as "baby battering", but the definition has been broadened to include neglect, emotional abuse, failure-to-thrive, sexual abuse and cultural abuse. Furthermore, the characteristics of abusing parents and those factors that appear to pre-dispose a child to become the object of abuse are discussed. From a psychopedagogical perspective the abused child finds himself in a situation of dysfunctional education mainly because he goes through the difficult road to adulthood without the assistance and guidance of a responsible parent or adult. This results in the psychic life of the abused child being under-actualised. The lack of responsible adult intervention and guidance, which is based on the pedagogical principles of understanding, trust and authority, results in the abused child forming relationships within his life-world which are inadequate for his emancipation. The abused child thus fails to constitute a meaningful life-world. It would seem that poverty together with cultural sanctions which condone violence, stressful living conditions such as overcrowding, insufficient personal, financial and social resources, discrimination and deprivation, all interact with each other to produce fertile ground not only for abuse, but all forms of deviance. It was found that mothers were mainly responsible for abuse, particularly emotional abuse, neglect and abandonment This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that they are in the main responsible for the care of the children. The literature has shown that abusing parents have been abused themselves as children and know no other way of disaplining their children. They have not learned how to "parent". There are factors that pre-dispose the child to abuse ; prematurity, retardation, physical handicaps and the fact that the child is perceived by the parents as being "different". The review of the literature has emphasised the importance of the multi-disciplinary team in the treatment and prevention of child abuse. The role of a specialised unit in treating and preventing child abuse is recommended by some authors. Case conferences are described as a useful means of discussing cases intensively and reporting back to a committee or specialised unit. Education for family life, the outlawing of family violence, involving lay people in running community programmes, the development of better services in the community are all discussed as ways of preventing child abuse. In the light of the findings of this research, the following was recommended : * school social workers should be trained and placed at schools to assist and identify pedagogically neglected children; * that there should be a staff training programme for teachers with regard to the identification, intervention and counselling of abuse cases; * educational programmes directed at school children, parents, parents-to-be and professionals, are essential for the prevention of child abuse.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER IN EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Psychology of the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 2009. / The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of substance abuse amongst secondary school learners. This was achieved via a literature study and an empirical study. In the light of the findings certain recommendations which can assist educators, principals, parents and the Department of Education to plan and take action in order to combat drug abuse and addition amongst secondary school learners, were formulated. Schools have always had and will always have significant influence on learner’s lives and must therefore be the focus of any effective implementation of arresting strategies. The secondary school community has in the past and to a certain extend in the present not treated the increasing use of drugs as a priority. This could possibly be because of the many types of legitimate drugs that are available, and which are said to cure, prevent or slow down diseases and enable people to lead longer, healthier and happier lives. Antibiotics have improved the treatment of infections and vaccines have prevented the spread of diseases such as measles, while analgesics have lessened or eliminated pain. However, it should be the harmful and illegal drugs that parents and the community should be made aware of. Illegal and harmful drugs infiltrate all levels of society, asking no name, title or gender. They come in many names and forms and they will negatively impact on health, sanity, families and finally people’s lives. The literature study found that that substance abuse affected the physical, psychological (cognitive and affective), social and normative development of the secondary school learner. For the purpose of the empirical investigation, a self-structured questionnaire for educators was utilized. The data obtained from the completed questionnaires was processed and analyzed by means of descriptive statistics. The findings confirmed that substance abuse has a negative effect on the development of the secondary school learner. The following are some of the recommendations that were made: • The Department of Education must develop a practical formal policy on the use of drugs in school in collaboration with Sanca, the National Department of Health, the Police Service and other relevant stakeholders. • Sufficient human and financial resources must be made available by the Department of Education for the Training, supervision and monitoring of the drug policy in all school. • The Department of Education in collaboration with teacher unions, principal forums, school management teams, education organization and Sanca must conduct workshops for the educators in which the following aspects, concerning drugs abuse will receive attention:  Reasons why learners use drugs.  How to identify learner drug abusers.  Procedures to follow when a learner is suspected of being a drug user.

No description available.

No description available.

Research has found that dating violence is a predictor of marital violence; however, research has been unclear about what predicts dating violence. Past research has been inconclusive. Furthermore, very few studies focus on gender differences in risk factors. This study examines a variety of risk factors for male and female perpetrators of dating violence in college dating relationships. Eight risk factors were used in this study: witnessing parental violence, experiencing childhood violence, problems with alcohol, length of relationship, relationship satisfaction, anger management skills, partner’s use of physical aggression, and partner’s use of psychological aggression. Correlations and multiple regressions were run for each gender. The study found that for males, partner’s use of physical aggression, low anger management skills and high relationship satisfaction were the strongest variables associated with male’ s use of physical aggression against a dating partner. For the females, partner’s use of physical aggression, followed by partner’s use of psychological aggression were the most significant variables. The model in this study was a good predictor of male violence, accounting for 81% of the variance, however, it only accounted for 51% of female violence which indicates that other unknown factors are influential in female’s use of physical violence. / Master of Science

Individual factors that might influence the way sexual abuse is defined and perceived within a culture include gender, the extent to which one adheres to and internalizes traditional roles, and levels of acculturation. The underlying assumption in many studies regarding child sexual abuse is that there is a correlation between perception of abuse and abusive behaviour – a positive mind-set towards abuse may lead to abusive behaviour. The aim of this study was to explore what the perception of adolescent males were regarding sexual abuse in order for social workers to have a better understanding of the adolescent male regarding sexual abuse. Interviews were conducted with 20 adolescent males to gain a keener insight into their perception of sexual abuse. From the data received it was found that adolescent males do not have adequate knowledge regarding the broader definition of sexual abuse, and that misconceptions still persist. The respondents‟ main source of information regarding sex and sexual abuse was the school. The sex education focuses mainly on anatomical and physiological information and lacks information on sexual abuse and sexual values. From data received, it was also found that the majority of parents never spoke to the adolescent males about sex; the respondents received no education from their parents concerning sexual abuse. A holistic approach is necessary when educating the adolescent male, which entails a comprehensive sexual education that focuses on sexual abuse, sexual values and preventative behaviour. A holistic approach requires sexual education provided in the home, the school as well as the community. It should consist of an integration of informal and formal education. Other organisations in the community such as NGO‟s, counselling centres and medical support centres should also form part of this holistic approach as they can offer valuable assistance. / MSW (Forensic Practice), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Individual factors that might influence the way sexual abuse is defined and perceived within a culture include gender, the extent to which one adheres to and internalizes traditional roles, and levels of acculturation. The underlying assumption in many studies regarding child sexual abuse is that there is a correlation between perception of abuse and abusive behaviour – a positive mind-set towards abuse may lead to abusive behaviour. The aim of this study was to explore what the perception of adolescent males were regarding sexual abuse in order for social workers to have a better understanding of the adolescent male regarding sexual abuse. Interviews were conducted with 20 adolescent males to gain a keener insight into their perception of sexual abuse. From the data received it was found that adolescent males do not have adequate knowledge regarding the broader definition of sexual abuse, and that misconceptions still persist. The respondents‟ main source of information regarding sex and sexual abuse was the school. The sex education focuses mainly on anatomical and physiological information and lacks information on sexual abuse and sexual values. From data received, it was also found that the majority of parents never spoke to the adolescent males about sex; the respondents received no education from their parents concerning sexual abuse. A holistic approach is necessary when educating the adolescent male, which entails a comprehensive sexual education that focuses on sexual abuse, sexual values and preventative behaviour. A holistic approach requires sexual education provided in the home, the school as well as the community. It should consist of an integration of informal and formal education. Other organisations in the community such as NGO‟s, counselling centres and medical support centres should also form part of this holistic approach as they can offer valuable assistance. / MSW (Forensic Practice), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Studiens syfte är att ge upphov till en djupare och förberedande kunskap inför kommande yrke inom området barn som utsätts för våld i hemmet. Arbetet genomsyras utav ett perspektiv vilket är förskollärarperspektivet. Vi kommer genom analyser ta reda på förskollärares utsagor om barn som utsätts för fysiskt våld i hemmet. Detta för att bidra med mer kunskap till kommande profession om hur barn som utsätts för våld i nära relationer interagerar i mötet med andra aktörer i förskolan. Vi har genom studiens gång använt oss av en kvalitativ forskningsmetod. Genom intervjuer har förskollärare berättat om hur barn som utsätts för våld i hemmet uppmärksammats samt hur förskollärare kan arbeta för att finnas där och stödja dessa barn.

This thesis explores aspects of the experience of alcohol and drug problems which are unique to women, and specifically factors relating to the problematising of such experiences, and help-seeking. Drawing on feminist methodology, in-depth interviews were conducted with 23 women, self-identified as problem alcohol and/or drug users, seventeen of whom were in residential treatment at the time of the study. Ten senior alcohol and drug agency staff were also interviewed. The five main topic areas addressed in the thesis are as follows: chaos; control; problem recognition; professional responses; and treatment - the benefits and costs for women. The context in which each aspect of alcohol and drug use is explored is one in which the dimension of gender takes centre stage. This thesis thus explores new dimensions of what may be seen as old problems. It engages with debates which have emerged from previous research on women, alcohol, and drugs, in part synthesising previous debates (for example, on the concept of control). The thesis also extends earlier analyses by exploring the dynamics of heterosexual relationships in which alcohol and drug use plays a major role (problem recognition), and develops additional depth in existing knowledge on previously under-researched areas (i.e. benefits and costs of treatment). The conclusion of the thesis explores differences which have emerged between women in the five topic areas under scrutiny. It is suggested that a feminist analysis of alcohol and drug use, which has tended in recent years to become marginalised in terms of influence on social policy, is vital to an understanding of both the antecedents and consequences of substance use for women.

No description available.