A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Educational Psychology in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2015. / This dissertation aims to use Appreciative Inquiry to evaluate a grief programme offered in primary schools. A qualitative technique was used to gain information from three groups of stakeholders within the grief programme, namely educators, facilitators and children. Three open-ended questions were asked to ascertain the value and benefits the grief programme held in the participants’ opinions. Participants were also asked to consider improvements which the programme co-ordinators should contemplate for future development. The results of the research will be circulated to all relevant stakeholders in the form of a written report and at a consultation. The final analysis indicated that the grief programme is held in high regard by all the participants. The following nine key themes were identified: healing, insight, relationships, growth, skills, support, enjoyment, collaboration, and value of the programme and enhanced efficacy of the grief programme. All three groups of stakeholders noted the positive outcomes that resulted from participation, both during and after, in the grief programme. Recommendations were also noted so that the programme could be propelled positively into the future as there is a dire need for programmes of this nature to be implemented in schools throughout South Africa.

Voluntary and community organisations are fundamental to society because they are major stakeholders in building the social capital that underpins healthy and well-functioning communities. Yet many of these organisations are small and possess limited resources when measured against the challenges and needs that they address. This raises the issue of the capacity of organisations within the sector to operate effectively. Within the range of capacity issues, governance is consistently rated as an area requiring development. This research seeks to contribute to a better understanding of issues impacting on the governance capacity of voluntary and community sector organisations within the overall context of capacity building. A focused study in the Taranaki region examines the factors impacting on the governance of community organisations providing social services. The research identifies the level of governance capacity demonstrated within the organisations studied and also explores the level of awareness around the need to enhance governance capacity. The research examines a range of frameworks and models used to build governance capacity to see if they could be adapted for the Taranaki region. The study suggests that, although a number of frameworks and models are useful, every situation is different, and models must be responsive to the social and cultural context and the particular history and mission of each organisation. As a result, the study concludes that further work should be undertaken to develop a model of governance for the voluntary and community sector.

Voluntary and community organisations are fundamental to society because they are major stakeholders in building the social capital that underpins healthy and well-functioning communities. Yet many of these organisations are small and possess limited resources when measured against the challenges and needs that they address. This raises the issue of the capacity of organisations within the sector to operate effectively. Within the range of capacity issues, governance is consistently rated as an area requiring development. This research seeks to contribute to a better understanding of issues impacting on the governance capacity of voluntary and community sector organisations within the overall context of capacity building. A focused study in the Taranaki region examines the factors impacting on the governance of community organisations providing social services. The research identifies the level of governance capacity demonstrated within the organisations studied and also explores the level of awareness around the need to enhance governance capacity. The research examines a range of frameworks and models used to build governance capacity to see if they could be adapted for the Taranaki region. The study suggests that, although a number of frameworks and models are useful, every situation is different, and models must be responsive to the social and cultural context and the particular history and mission of each organisation. As a result, the study concludes that further work should be undertaken to develop a model of governance for the voluntary and community sector.