Fatherlessness is a problem that affects a majority of African families in South Africa. African fathers become absent in the home due to various reasons such as, death, divorce, separation, imprisonment and distant work commitments. Father figures such as older brothers, uncles and stepfathers are a prominent feature in the African the community. The literature study revealed that adolescence is a period of transitioning from childhood into adulthood. During adolescence, adolescents experience physiological, psychological, cognitive and social changes. This is the time when adolescents begin to move away from their parents and seek independence. Adolescence is also a time when romantic interests begin and adolescents worry about whether they are attractive and if others will accept them. Literature also revealed that fathers and father figures are essential in defining masculinity and socialising young boys. African male adolescents can be socialised into manhood through traditional male circumcision and mentorship. The literature study also questioned whether there is a crisis in masculinity and society’s role in redefining masculinity. The goal of the research study was to explore paternal influences on the sexual behaviour of African male adolescents. The intention of the researcher was to search for a deeper understanding of paternal influences by functioning biological fathers and father figures on the sexual behaviour of African male adolescents. The iv researcher also sought to identify how social services can improve service delivery to families, fathers and male adolescents. The research focused on the role fathers and father figures play on the sexual behaviour of young males who are currently in the developmental phase of adolescence, which can also be described as the period of transition into adulthood. The researcher used applied research and the qualitative research approach to conduct the study. The study was conducted with a sample size of 15 participants between the ages of 15 to 17 years. The researcher collected data by means of means of semi-structured interviews and the use of an interview schedule. The empirical findings of this study suggest that African male adolescents believe that African male adolescents are affected negatively by father absence. African male adolescence perceive a good father or father figure as a father who is more than just a breadwinner, a father who is able to provide guidance, advice and care as well as spend time with his son. African male adolescents also believe that a ‘real man’ knows how to treat women; he is faithful, trustworthy, considerate, decisive, assertive and honest. African male adolescents expect their fathers and father figures to teach them about relationships, sexuality, the consequences of unsafe sex and the importance of delaying sexual début. Some African male adolescents feel that their fathers and father figures often share little or no detailed information about sexuality, sexual behaviour and relationships with them. Some African male adolescents noted that additional sources of information about sexuality, sexual behaviour and relationships come from school and other male relatives in the family such as uncles. The empirical findings further revealed that some male adolescents are concerned about the sexual behaviours modelled by their own fathers and father figures, they observe that their fathers and father figures change partners too often and that creates confusion in their lives. However other African male adolescents expressed that their fathers and father figures model appropriate sexual behaviours that give them something to aspire to. African male adolescents shared that there are lessons about sexual behaviour that they have learnt from their fathers and father figures that are worthy of being passed on to their own sons one day. A few felt that they would rather pass on their own knowledge to their sons one day. The empirical findings confirmed that fathers and father figure are influential on the sexual behaviour of African male adolescents. Both the literature review and v empirical findings further confirmed that paternal influences or lack thereof influence the choices of African male adolescents about the kinds of fathers they want to be in the future. The study contains an in-depth literature review, research methodology, followed by empirical findings that answer the research question. The last objective of the study will be to draw conclusions and make recommendations on paternal influences on the sexual behaviour of African male adolescents to inform social services professionals’ service delivery to families and the youth, within the social work profession. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW / unrestricted

Although the available literature suggests that only a small percentage of youth who engage in sexually abusive behaviors go on to commit additional sex offenses, these youths tend to be versatile in the type of offending behaviors that they engage in and are at much greater risk of recidivism for nonsexual criminal offending. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been linked to a greater likelihood of both general and sexual offending behaviors. However, previous empirical investigations have produced mixed results with regard to how varied adverse experiences and other environmental factors interact to influence the development and course of delinquent and sexually abusive behaviors across samples. In the present study, we used structural equation modeling (SEM) to confirm factors of ACE survey items and indicators of sexual boundary problems in the home through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and analyze pathways between confirmed factors and patterns of delinquent nonsexual and sexually abusive behaviors. Our sample consists of male adolescents (N = 285; 84% Caucasian; age at first admission: M=14.8; SD=1.6) who have engaged in sexually abusive behaviors and received treatment at a youth facility. As predicted, CFA revealed a three-factor model, including: nonsexual abuse and neglect; household dysfunction; and sexual abuse and indicators of sexual boundary problems within the home of origin. Variations in individual ACE experiences were differentially associated with the onset, nature, and persistence of nonsexual delinquent and sexually abusive behaviors (see Tables 1 and 2). Additional discussion regarding findings, implications, and areas for future research will be included.

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This study was designed to explore perceptions and lived experiences of avid adolescent male readers, in order to better understand their development as readers. This study explored: (1) how previous reading experiences influence the development of the avid adolescent male reader and (2) how the reading habits and preferences of avid adolescent male readers are socially constructed. Rosenblatt's (1978) Transactional Theory of Literary Work forms the theoretical framework of this study. Rosenblatt (1978) argued that as readers engage with texts, they bring an individual schema to these literary transactions. This prior knowledge and experience are the lens through which the individual reader understands the content of the text. Even when reading the same text, readers respond to the text in individual ways, based on their individual schema. Through the use of a naturalistic inquiry design, data was generated through a series of interviews with the participants. Data analysis was qualitative and iterative, triangulated with multiple interviews, interview mapping, thematic tables, dialogic memos, and researcher field notes. Data analysis led to a better understanding of the development of the avid adolescent male reader, including: (a) the role of family culture on reading identity, (b) peer group influence on reading habits of avid adolescent male readers, and (c) transactional responses of avid adolescent male readers both in and out of educational settings. Data generated during interviews illuminated the complex, individuated and interwoven nature of the elements present in the development of the avid adolescent male reader. Finally, this study gives insight into how understanding the development of these readers may provide teachers with instructional strategies and reading opportunities that support all developing readers. / Ph. D.

This thesis examines societal norms and unwritten rules for boys as they mature. It is hypothesized that most boys deal with emotional suppression or dissociation in varying degrees of severity due to traumas during their developmental years. This dissociation creates an inability to express their own emotions adequately and therefore affects their ability to empathize with others. A lack of vulnerability may also be a common challenge among boys society still considers vulnerability weakness. This pattern continues into adulthood and is then perpetuated through posterity and future generations. This thesis explores through a qualitative case study how using art integration in an English classroom, in tandem with teaching a novel written by Patrick Ness and illustrated by Jim Kay, and an emotional education curriculum produced by Yale's Center for Emotions, can give male adolescent students safe opportunities to reassociate with their emotional selves and emotional expressions. Methodologies I used in addition to qualitative case study are interviews of adult men, lyrical sociology in the form of vignettes, and inspiration from an Indigenous methodology of bringing the relationship between researcher and research to the forefront.

The purpose of this study is to determine appropriate choral literature for the adolescent male. Historically, scholars have focused on the lowering of the maturing male voice into the newly-formed chest register. During the change process, the male voice is unpredictable and can have a limited range. While a vast amount of repertoire for the adolescent male accommodates this downward progression and anticipates the narrow range, most adolescent boys are, in fact, capable of singing pitches above the chest register.Registers will be identified in this study. Discussion will pertain to registration shifts between chest register, head register, and falsetto in the adolescent male. I will investigate the use of the head register, which is a legitimate and vital component in healthy singing during adolescence. I will then compare registration to the historical knowledge of the male changing voice, which focuses mostly on the range and development of the newly-forming chest register.I will apply the concept of registration to choral repertoire taken from the 2005 and 2007 American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) national convention reading session packets. I will identify music that best and least facilitates the use and mixture of head-register and chest-register singing. Music for treble voices in various combinations (SA, SSA, SSAA, etc.) and three-part mixed music (SAB) will be examined. Each category presents a set of advantages and disadvantages for the adolescent male. Specific musical examples will illustrate the discussion. Careful repertoire selection with registration as a criterion is a key factor in unlocking male singing potential during adolescence. Although boys have unpredictable ranges, as it will be shown, registers are constant.

According to the literature school refusal is a complex disorder. Whilst the condition only occurs in 2% of the general school population, more interestingly the problem accounts for about 8% of clinically referred children (Burke & Silverman, 1987). This study focuses on the school refusal of a young adolescent male. This thesis has examined the degree to which school refusal can be minimised through employing a whole school approach underpinned by effective pastoral care (WSNPC intervention program). The research questions were as follows: To investigate the effects the WSNPC intervention program has on the: minimisation of school refusal; replacement of the motherlfigurehead in the mother-child relationship relative to separation anxiety; and = improved emotional, social and intellectual wellbeing of the school refuser. The methodology adopted for the study of school refusal regarding a young adolescent male was based on a grounded theory approach and also included a combination of action research and case study methods. Qualitative paradigms measured the degree of the participant's school refusal. A variety of instruments were employed to measure the participant's perceptions of school refusal. The implementation of multiple strategies were based upon data collected and evaluated, both as a result of intentional efforts, or as an unintentional by-product of the study with the expressed aim of maximising the participant's school attendance. The evidence presented in this study indicates the strategies employed via the WSA/PC intervention program were helpful in improving the participant's attendance at school. The results give an insight into the level of comprehension for the sample of school refusal and its response in terms of understanding the reasons for such thinking. The limitations of single case methodology are acknowledged in the study and suggestions for further research discussed.

While much of the literature in the field of second language (L2) motivational variance has focused on macro-level or societal variables to account for males’ disinterest to learn French, very few studies consider micro-level factors, that is, those within the language learning classroom. To fill this gap in the literature, this exploratory and descriptive study examines, from both the perspective of male Core French learners and Core French teachers, possible pedagogical elements that boys perceive as contributing factors to their demotivation to learn French. A mixed method design was employed and data were collected from a sample of 75 male Core French students and six Core French teachers on southern Vancouver Island. The quantitative data were collected through the use of modified questionnaires, while the qualitative data were gathered using focus group interviews. There are three major findings in the current study. First, male Core French learners reported being disinterested in the topics of study used in the Core French classroom and demotivated by the Core French textbook. Second, male Core French learners criticized the overdependence of written modality exercises implemented in the language classroom, suggesting that the repetitive nature of the written exercises discourages them to learn French. Third, male Core French learners were shown to strongly disfavour the teacher-centered approach most often described by learners. They reported that a more student-centered approach, which incorporated games and a significant increase in speaking and interactive activities, might encourage them to be more motivated to learn French. Based on these findings, implications and future research directions are discussed. / Graduate / dtrerice@uvic.ca

The purpose of this investigation focused on determining the effects of a physical conditioning program on physical fitness and health attitudes on inpatient adolescent male substance abusers during and following participation in a six week fitness program. The fitness measures chosen for this study were the 1 1/2 mile run, skinfold, sit-and-reach, and grip strength. The first four of these measures make up the AAHPERD test battery (AAHPERD, 1980). The Health Attribution Test (Lawlis and Lawlis, 1980) was administered to determine health locus of control.