Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / South African society is regulated by inequality and discrimination based on race. Fundamental human rights and privileges have been extended only to a small sector of the population. The majority of South African citizens remain constrained within a context of imposed inferiority in every aspect of their lives. Inequality, entrenched in political and economic apartheid structures, is also reflected in educational provision for Black citizens. Decades of apartheid schooling have resulted in a large population of illiterate, low-literate and educationally disadvantaged adults. Educational, political and economic discrimination all contribute to relegate Blacks to the lowest socioeconomic strata of South African society. Since numerous Blacks, particularly Africans, are restricted from effectively learning in South African schools, there is an escalating need for compensatory adult education Segregation and unequal educational provision have always characterized education in South Africa. The system of apartheid schooling was formalized by the government in 1953 when different education systems for distinct population groups were introduced. Inequalities in the structural features of apartheid schooling were evident in the discriminatory allocation of funds for public education. In 1953 government funds allocated for the education of each White child were approximately R128 (Rands), for every Indian and Coloured child R40, and for every African child R17 (a 7:1 ratio between the 'White and the African allocations). In 1976, the year of uprising by school children in Soweto, the discrepancy in allocation of educational funds had widened to a 10:1 ratio with the White allocation rising to R724, Indian to R357, Coloured to R226, and Africans to only R71 (Horrell, 1982, p. 115). At that time White, Indian and Coloured children were provided with at least ten years of free compulsory schooling. Nonetheless, the unequal distribution of educational funds afforded White children better educational facilities and better qualified teachers than those provided for other racial groups. The deliberate system of uneven educational provision for the various population registration groups was reinforced in the early 1960's with the progressive extension of free and compulsory schooling to Coloureds and Indians. This was done through the Coloured Person's Education Act of 1963 and the Indian Education Act of 1965. Africans, who constituted the majority of the population and who could least afford to pay for education, were not granted free and compulsory education until almost 20 years later. Not unexpectedly, failure and drop out rates among Africans within this system were very high, with the majority of school goers not staying beyond primary school (seven years) (Christie, 1986). Until the 1970's approximately 70 percent of Africans attending schools were attending primary school, and less than 1 percent of Africans were in Matric, the final year of formal schooling in South Africa (Christie, 1986, p. 56).In the late 1970's the White-controlled government was forced to make changes in Black education. In 1976 Black South African school children throughout the country demonstrated to the world their intolerance of the apartheid education system by rising up in protest. Continued school unrest into the 1980's not only revealed the need for an immediate and critical assessment of South African schooling, but also demanded an examination of the whole spectrum of education in South Africa. The immediate government response to these protests took the form of violent repression, student expulsions, school closures, teacher and student arrests, and the banning of 18 Black consciousness groups. Only in 1981 did the government react to the educational crisis in a more conciliatory manner with the establishment of the De Lange Commission of Inquiry. The proposals made by the Commission challenged the fundamental structures of apartheid society. The Commission recommended a single, unitary department of education for all South Africans and a changed school structure. After dragging its feet for two years, the government officially rejected the Commission's recommendation for a unitary education system for all South Africans.

The merging of business operations with computers and the Internet has largely transformed our way of life. In less than a decade, the Internet evolved from a primarily academic network into a highly sophisticated commercial marketing medium. It encompasses a variety of business and personal utilities and is accessible to a wide range of organizations and individuals. Statistics indicate phenomenal growth in the number of Internet users and consumers. In Taiwan, the government has embarked on a National Information Infrastructure project, in which the initial effort centered on the promotion of Internet use. Despite the recent explosion in Internet growth, little has been done to target the middle-aged group on the Web. In an effort to discover potential Internet users, Internet consumers, and new uses of the Net, this research focuses on middle-aged people in Taiwan and studies the results of different attitudes toward and behaviors on the Internet. This research profiles the population into three groups: non-Internet users, Internet users and Internet consumers and determines factors that enable or deter each group from either using or purchasing on the Internet. The study also projects potential and popular products and features that may boost electronic sales.

This thesis deals with the issue of barriers to participation in adult education. Survey, which investigates the strategies used for overcoming the barriers to participation in adult education by parents on parental leave, has been prepared on the basis of the contemporary theoretical knowledge on barriers to participation in adult education and inequalities in participation in adult education. Parents on parental leave are one of the groups with uneven access to adult education and they are deterred from participation in education because of situational barriers. Research participants (n = 6, M = 34.5) participated in semi-structured interview, which consists of seven topics related to the respondent's personal history, his academic and professional career and the circumstances of his life. Based on the data, the conditions and mechanisms that help to overcome group-specific barriers to participation in adult education were identified. On the basis of the common elements of respondents' answers the economically oriented strategy for overcoming barriers and the alternative strategy for overcoming barriers were defined. Key words: adult education, continuing education, lifelong learning, lifelong education, barriers to participation in adult education, deterrents to participation in adult education,...

Deterrents to family planning practices were investigated among Swazi women between 1999- 2001. A total of 171 adolescents, women and men participated in focus group interviews. Information obtained in this way served as a framework for designing structured interview schedules. The views of 205 women were investigated, concerning factors deterring them from using family planning practices by means of conducting face to face studied interviews. Qualitative data were analysed using the NU*DIST and for the quantitative data the SPPS computer programs were used respectively. The results revealed that socio-cultural deterrents to family planning included high cultural value of children determining women's social status, the lack of knowledge about contraceptives, women's dependence on their husbands' decisions concerning reproductive issues and inefficient family planning services. Recommendations included that specific adolescent reproductive health services should be instituted and that the policy on reproductive health for Swaziland be revised. Reproductive health issues should be addressed in the school curriculum. All Swazi men and women, both adolescents and adults, should be educated about contraceptives. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Advanced Nursing Sciences)

Deterrents to family planning practices were investigated among Swazi women between 1999- 2001. A total of 171 adolescents, women and men participated in focus group interviews. Information obtained in this way served as a framework for designing structured interview schedules. The views of 205 women were investigated, concerning factors deterring them from using family planning practices by means of conducting face to face studied interviews. Qualitative data were analysed using the NU*DIST and for the quantitative data the SPPS computer programs were used respectively. The results revealed that socio-cultural deterrents to family planning included high cultural value of children determining women's social status, the lack of knowledge about contraceptives, women's dependence on their husbands' decisions concerning reproductive issues and inefficient family planning services. Recommendations included that specific adolescent reproductive health services should be instituted and that the policy on reproductive health for Swaziland be revised. Reproductive health issues should be addressed in the school curriculum. All Swazi men and women, both adolescents and adults, should be educated about contraceptives. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Advanced Nursing Sciences)

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