Published Article / The aim of this paper is to explore educators' perceptions on the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) for curriculum delivery. Perceptions impact on the reality construction of the adoption and utilisation of the technology in disadvantaged schools. Understanding the perceptions of educators is vital when introducing innovation into curriculum delivery, because the way educators perceive the innovation impacts on the intended use of the technology in schools. Using the Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach, the study conducted and analysed fifteen one-on-one interviews with purposively sampled educators on their perceptions of, and experience with, ICT in disadvantaged high schools. The results of the study show that some educators perceive themselves as not competent enough to use the technology. Others with relatively high computer self-efficacy reported to have experienced the use of the ICTs in classrooms as an add-on. Meta interpretation shows that besides the lack of motivation to integrate the technology into the classroom, the root cause of some educators' negative perceptions is the IT training they had, which was inadequate to equip them with pedagogical understanding and skills on how to effectively incorporate this technology into their curriculum delivery. Therefore, there is a need to realign ICT innovation and implementation with educators' perceptions, in order to ensure success.

As societies developed, the demand and need for properly educated people increased and educators gradually replaced parents. In this process the weakness of the home/parents were replaced by the strengths of the school/educator, while the strengths of the home/parents were lost. This research suggests that positive parent involvement and partnership with schools is a prerequisite of effective schooling and that co-operation between home and school can raise educational achievement. This study was undertaken by means of literature review, quantitative and qualitative investigations in order to: provide a thorough background to the role and place of parents in general and within disadvantaged communities in particular, by studying models and practices of parent involvement in education as it is presently manifested in various urban and disadvantaged communities in the world; examine educational provision and parent involvement in disadvantaged communities in South African Schools and to exclude external factors which impinge on effective educational provision for this group; investigate the state of affairs regarding parent involvement in disadvantaged communities by means of quantitative and qualitative study in order to extend the body of knowledge concerning parent involvement in disadvantaged South African Schools, and to formulate a suitable effective model for parent involvement in order to empower the milieu-deprived parent, educators and learners. Chapter 1 deals with problem statement, aims of the research, clarification of concepts and the methods employed in achieving the purpose of the study. This includes a discussion of the population and sample used for the empirical research and an outline of the chapters. Chapter 2 highlights the nature and scope of parent involvement in education, fundamental and educational grounds for parent involvement were discussed, models of parent involvement were identified and discussed, advantages and disadvantages of parent involvement were mentioned, and ways in which parents become involved in education of their children were discussed. In Chapter 3, the nature of disadvantaged Schools in South Africa was discussed and the poor socio -economic position of parents in disadvantaged rural areas was also discussed. The qualitative and quantitative research design, administrative procedures, population and random sampling as well as statistical techniques were discussed in Chapter 4. The duly completed questionnaires returned by educators and parents of the children of the selected schools as respondents were empirically analyzed, and the qualitative research data was collected by means of observations and an in-depth individual and focus group interviews was analyzed in Chapter 5 and presented a background data on the informants and the context in which this research takes place. In Chapter 6, the information gathered from literature review, the quantitative and qualitative data were used to develop a model and strategy for the implementation of a model in disadvantaged rural community South African schools. The last chapter, Chapter 7, throws light on the summary of all the chapters, research findings and recommendations based on the research findings derived from the previous chapters, as well as final remarks. This implies that all relevant issues raised in all chapters are summarized and recommendations are also made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

As societies developed, the demand and need for properly educated people increased and educators gradually replaced parents. In this process the weakness of the home/parents were replaced by the strengths of the school/educator, while the strengths of the home/parents were lost. This research suggests that positive parent involvement and partnership with schools is a prerequisite of effective schooling and that co-operation between home and school can raise educational achievement. This study was undertaken by means of literature review, quantitative and qualitative investigations in order to: provide a thorough background to the role and place of parents in general and within disadvantaged communities in particular, by studying models and practices of parent involvement in education as it is presently manifested in various urban and disadvantaged communities in the world; examine educational provision and parent involvement in disadvantaged communities in South African Schools and to exclude external factors which impinge on effective educational provision for this group; investigate the state of affairs regarding parent involvement in disadvantaged communities by means of quantitative and qualitative study in order to extend the body of knowledge concerning parent involvement in disadvantaged South African Schools, and to formulate a suitable effective model for parent involvement in order to empower the milieu-deprived parent, educators and learners. Chapter 1 deals with problem statement, aims of the research, clarification of concepts and the methods employed in achieving the purpose of the study. This includes a discussion of the population and sample used for the empirical research and an outline of the chapters. Chapter 2 highlights the nature and scope of parent involvement in education, fundamental and educational grounds for parent involvement were discussed, models of parent involvement were identified and discussed, advantages and disadvantages of parent involvement were mentioned, and ways in which parents become involved in education of their children were discussed. In Chapter 3, the nature of disadvantaged Schools in South Africa was discussed and the poor socio -economic position of parents in disadvantaged rural areas was also discussed. The qualitative and quantitative research design, administrative procedures, population and random sampling as well as statistical techniques were discussed in Chapter 4. The duly completed questionnaires returned by educators and parents of the children of the selected schools as respondents were empirically analyzed, and the qualitative research data was collected by means of observations and an in-depth individual and focus group interviews was analyzed in Chapter 5 and presented a background data on the informants and the context in which this research takes place. In Chapter 6, the information gathered from literature review, the quantitative and qualitative data were used to develop a model and strategy for the implementation of a model in disadvantaged rural community South African schools. The last chapter, Chapter 7, throws light on the summary of all the chapters, research findings and recommendations based on the research findings derived from the previous chapters, as well as final remarks. This implies that all relevant issues raised in all chapters are summarized and recommendations are also made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

Addressing inequities in health both within and between countries has attracted considerable global attention in recent years. In theory, equity remains one of the key policy objectives of health systems and underpins the allocation of health sector resources in many countries. In practice, however, current evidence demonstrates that only limited progress has been made in terms of bridging the health inequity gap and improving the health of the least advantaged. The persistence of inequities in health and health outcomes raises concerns about how governments and health authorities distribute limited health resources to improve the health of the poor and most vulnerable and thereby promote equity. This thesis is about equity and allocation of financial resources in the health system of New South Wales, one of the eight states of Australia. It investigated the extent to which there has been a movement towards equity in resource allocation to Area Health Services under the NSW Health Resource Distribution Formula and whether this has been reflected in equitable resource allocation within Area Health Services. It considered only resources allocated through the NSW Department of Health. The study employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to gather and analyse data. The qualitative component analysed data gathered through semi–structured interviews with policy makers, health executives, managers, and other stakeholders to establish the resource allocation processes and the factors upon which the allocation decisions were based. The quantitative component analysed health expenditure and health needs data to assess the extent to which allocation of resources from the State to Area Health Service levels has been equitable in terms of reflecting the level of health needs. Two indices were constructed and used as proxies for health needs. Principal component analysis was used in the construction of one of the indices, using demographic, socio–economic and health-related data. The other index was developed using a combination of premature mortality and morbidity data. The quantitative study spans the two decades 1989/90 to 2006/07, with a more detailed analysis of material for the years 2003/04 to 2006/07. The findings of the study show a considerable degree of inequity in resource allocation with several Area Health Services (AHSs) receiving less than a fair share of funding for the years analysed, although some movements towards equity were evident. This contradicts the general impression that the introduction of the resource distribution formula in NSW has significantly improved equity in resource allocation. In general, funding allocation at the State level correlated significantly with population size but not with health needs of the eight AHSs in NSW. Similarly, within the AHSs, allocation of funds was based on programs and services and not on health needs. Key issues that emerged from the qualitative data as affecting the equity with which health funds are allocated in the NSW health system include limited use of the resource distribution formula at the state level, lack of an effective resource allocation tool to guide the distribution of funds within AHSs, and insufficient emphasis on equity at the AHS level. It is crucial that these and several other issues identifies in the study are addressed if current inequities in funding and in health outcomes generally are to be effectively reduced.

Addressing inequities in health both within and between countries has attracted considerable global attention in recent years. In theory, equity remains one of the key policy objectives of health systems and underpins the allocation of health sector resources in many countries. In practice, however, current evidence demonstrates that only limited progress has been made in terms of bridging the health inequity gap and improving the health of the least advantaged. The persistence of inequities in health and health outcomes raises concerns about how governments and health authorities distribute limited health resources to improve the health of the poor and most vulnerable and thereby promote equity. This thesis is about equity and allocation of financial resources in the health system of New South Wales, one of the eight states of Australia. It investigated the extent to which there has been a movement towards equity in resource allocation to Area Health Services under the NSW Health Resource Distribution Formula and whether this has been reflected in equitable resource allocation within Area Health Services. It considered only resources allocated through the NSW Department of Health. The study employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to gather and analyse data. The qualitative component analysed data gathered through semi–structured interviews with policy makers, health executives, managers, and other stakeholders to establish the resource allocation processes and the factors upon which the allocation decisions were based. The quantitative component analysed health expenditure and health needs data to assess the extent to which allocation of resources from the State to Area Health Service levels has been equitable in terms of reflecting the level of health needs. Two indices were constructed and used as proxies for health needs. Principal component analysis was used in the construction of one of the indices, using demographic, socio–economic and health-related data. The other index was developed using a combination of premature mortality and morbidity data. The quantitative study spans the two decades 1989/90 to 2006/07, with a more detailed analysis of material for the years 2003/04 to 2006/07. The findings of the study show a considerable degree of inequity in resource allocation with several Area Health Services (AHSs) receiving less than a fair share of funding for the years analysed, although some movements towards equity were evident. This contradicts the general impression that the introduction of the resource distribution formula in NSW has significantly improved equity in resource allocation. In general, funding allocation at the State level correlated significantly with population size but not with health needs of the eight AHSs in NSW. Similarly, within the AHSs, allocation of funds was based on programs and services and not on health needs. Key issues that emerged from the qualitative data as affecting the equity with which health funds are allocated in the NSW health system include limited use of the resource distribution formula at the state level, lack of an effective resource allocation tool to guide the distribution of funds within AHSs, and insufficient emphasis on equity at the AHS level. It is crucial that these and several other issues identifies in the study are addressed if current inequities in funding and in health outcomes generally are to be effectively reduced.

The purpose of this study was to illuminate the barriers to persistence underprepared students at the community college experience after the initial successful completion of one semester. A qualitative interview study, grounded in phenomenology, was implemented. Participants were identified through a process of purposeful selection, which included the following criteria: (a) beginning the development reading sequence at the most basic level (DEV 65) and passing that course; (b) immediately enrolling in a subsequent semester at the institution; and (c) exiting the institution before acquiring any credit-bearing English coursework. The examination of institutional archival data resulted in 42 potential participants. Participants were recruited via telephone and mail, and of the 42 attempted telephone and 39 mailed contacts, five individuals volunteered to participate in the study. Each participant was interviewed individually, with sessions varying in length between 51 and 119 minutes. Immediately after each interview was complete, the audio recording was listened to in its entirety and transcribed verbatim. The resulting transcripts were analyzed through a modified version of Devinish's (2002) applied method for phenomenological explication of interview transcripts. This involved a multi-layered process of recursive analysis beginning with line-by-line open coding, extracting 333 natural meaning units (NMU). In a second stage of analysis, the NMU were further sorted, analyzed, and grouped to arrive at 46 central themes. The third stage of analysis involved collating and grouping central themes into related fields employing a concept map to form at 13 interpretive themes. The final stage of analysis included a further examination of the 13 interpretive themes, where each was rank ordered by importance (frequency x intensity = priority) and then synthesized with data from lesser themes, which resulted in the following six explicative themes: (a) significant environmental stressors; (b) a sense of self-sufficiency and independency; (c) reading problems; (d) a belief in the power of perseverance; (e) instructor characteristics; and (f) financial aid restrictions. These six explicative themes captured the essence of what it meant for the participants to be an underprepared student at the college and identified the perceived barriers to persistence.

The housing shortage in South Africa is a major concern for low-income people, due to the disadvantaged communities that were developed under the Apartheid system. The system separated disadvantaged communities from the Central Business Districts, making it difficult to meet their basic needs. The housing shortage and lack of job opportunities became critical after the fall of the Apartheid regime in 1994. The ANC Government came to power in 1994, promising a better life, employment opportunities and housing for all people who were in the struggle during Apartheid. Due to social, economical and political problems in South Africa, the Government could not respond to all the demands in time. Because of the delay of the promises made by the Government, people began to strike, demanding better job opportunities and other social economic services, specifically housing. The Apartheid system had created low-income jobs for the disadvantaged communities with the majority of people working in the Central Business Districts. Their salaries were not enough to sustain their families, transport and others necessities. They travelled by bus, train or taxi and then walked long distances to reach their destinations. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Architecture / unrestricted

This study extended existing research on structured problem solving into disadvantaged South African classrooms. Sixteen disadvantaged urban South African high schools participated in a quasi-experimental study to investigate the effect of a structured problem solving strategy in physics on performance and conceptual understanding. The schools were disadvantaged with regard to standards set by the apartheid education system as well as by instruction in English, the second language of the students and most of the teachers. The problem solving strategy incorporated the use of different representations, group work, verbal arguments, written explanations, planning and interpretation of solutions. The strategy was implemented by a cascading model, where the researcher interacted with the teachers, while the teachers interacted with students. The treatment was non-disruptive of the normal school routine. The problem solving strategy was applied throughout the year while learning new content; there were no extra classes or additional work for learners. Normal classroom tests and examinations were utilized as sources of quantitative data. The treatment group outperformed the control group by 8 % in the midyear examination; this increased average score was statistically significant at the .001 level, indicating enhanced problem solving skills. Evidence of enhanced conceptual understanding was found by analyzing solutions presented in the midyear examination, videotaped problem solving and responses to questionnaires. Two new techniques were developed to assess conceptual understanding. Firstly, “solutions maps” were constructed for specific examination problems. These maps were visual representations of concepts, formulae, assumptions, substitutions and numerical answers presented by students. The popularity of various routes on the maps was compared for the two groups as a measure of differences in conceptual understanding. Secondly, a “conceptual index” was defined to quantify the extent to which a group of students used a conceptual approach in their solutions, as opposed to an algebraic approach. Learners and teachers regarded the structured problem solving strategy as a viable practice, they believed the students’ problem-solving skills were improved and they commented on the value of the strategy as a facilitator of understanding the language and concepts of physics. Teachers also believed that their own problem solving skills improved. Greeno’s model for scientific problem solving and reasoning was incorporated to explain the effect of structured problem solving on performance and conceptual understanding. Two complementary theories were offered to explain the results of the study. It was proposed that implementing the strategy fostered (1) the co-development of conceptual understanding and problem solving skills, and (2) the development of a conceptual approach to problem solving. Implementation of structured problem solving is a small intervention aimed at developing new habits of problem solving. In the South African context, it can make a significant contribution towards the enhancement of learning and teaching physics in disadvantaged schools. / Thesis (PhD (Science Education))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Physics / unrestricted

Magister Public Health - MPH / Includes bibliographic references (leaves 70-80)."The goal of this research was to explore and describe the experiences and perceptions of the street children about the cyclical pattern of recidivism. To gain in- depth information regarding this issue, a qualitative research approach was followed. Data were collected by means of story-telling, guided by two foundational question themes. Firstly, experiences of family life and schooling and secondly, experiences of survival on the street and repeated criminal involvement. Data were analyzed according to the guideline discussed in Creswell (l998). Data were verified by means of measures suggested by Creswell (l998). Findings indicated that participants in this study suffered severe emotional and physical and material deprivation in their family contexts before moving to the street. Survival on the street depended on befriending other street children; begging on the street; abusing substances and getting involved in crime. Motivational factors for repeatedly being involved in crime were peer pressure, substance abuse, no fear of prosecution and opportunity/mischief. It was clear that participants were caught up in a “sub-culture” of life on the street.

Each day in the United States, millions of adult consumers possessing traditional literacy skills below an eighth grade reading level enter a marketplace packed with written messages. This research offers the first in-depth, systematic investigation exploring the impact of low literacy skills within the marketplace and the methods consumers utilize to cope with literacy deficits. Based on the body of literature on stigma theory (Goffman 1963), previous work suggested coping strategies to result as a mechanism to protect the consumers' feelings of self-worth. This research identifies seven categories of coping strategies. The data collected show that coping strategies are not only used to protect the consumers' self-esteem but also to facilitate problem-solving tasks within the marketplace. In several cases, informants reveal their successes in getting marketplace needs met. Thus, a new conceptualization of the consumer literacy construct is offered to consist of traditional literacy skills, coping strategies or surrogate literacy skills, and specialized knowledge of the marketplace environment. Applying Link and Phelan's (2001) reconceptualization of the stigma concept to the data yields a richer understanding of the stigmatization process and consequences within the marketplace. Rather than passively accept the role of low literate, this research offers a perspective of the low literate consumer as an active challenger to the stereotypes that lead to negative evaluations and stigmatization. Implications of these findings for public policymakers, academicians, and members of the business community, as well as future researcher opportunities are discussed. The Association for Consumer Research (http://www.acrweb.org), the Society for Consumer Psychology (http://fisher.osu.edu/mkt/scp/), and the Sheth Foundation provided financial support for this research in the form of dissertation grants. / Ph. D.