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Text in Afrikaans / The child in early middle childhood experiences certain developmental changes. He is absorbed in the foundation phase of the formal education system and parents are no longer the most important authoritative figures. Social interaction now also includes the school environment and peer groups start playing a very important role. To face the new challenges, the possession of EI skills is of cardinal importance. The ability to observe, recognise and understand personal and other people's emotions and to react correctly is now developed. The study, a quantitive research process, is directed by holism as the point of departure from the Gestalt approach in which `totality' is a key concept. According to this concept all situations in the child's terms of reference will influence his development, including the parental style of his parents. The purpose of the study therefore was to determine and describe the correlation between parental style and emotional intelligence. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

This study was aimed at the description of how to support the emotional awareness of the primary school child through Gestalt Play Therapy. The research strategy enclosed case studies. A supportive literature study was done with regard to awareness, emotional awareness, emotional intelligence, emotional skills, social skills, self-esteem, the primary school child and Gestalt Play Therapy. In the implementation of the research study two case studies were described. The sampling method was based on a non-probability sampling technique. The criteria of the respondents were emotional and social inadequate functioning. Case study one functioned emotional and social inadequately as a result of the family moving. Case study two was involved in bullying activities at the school. Respectively ten and eleven therapeutic sessions of one hour each over a period of ten and eleven weeks were conducted. Both children did benefit from the Gestalt Play Therapeutic intervension. Their awareness with regard to themselves and their own experience brought them in contact with themselves, which is necessary for healthy child development. / Social Work / M.Diac.(Play Therapy) / Text in Afrikaans

Cette recherche a été amorcée par un étonnement. Si la formation ouverte et à distance (FOAD) est rarement sollicitée pour celle des travailleurs sanitaires et sociaux, un établissement pionnier, permet, depuis 2015, de diplômer des aides puéricultrices par cette voie. Les résultats académiques, validant les compétences de la première promotion, se sont avérés être meilleurs que ceux des étudiantes en présentiel, ce qui contredit la théorie du « no significant difference » (Russel, 1999).La phase exploratoire, réalisée à partir d’une grille d’observation et les interviewes semi-directifs de douze acteurs de la formation, apprenants, formateurs, cadres techniques, pédagogiques et administratifs, a permis de vérifier la présence d’ingrédients actifs pour l’apprentissage dans cette FOAD. Cette phase exploratoire, suivant l’interrogation successive de deux concepts, compétences et FOAD, a mis en évidence l’influence du second sur l’autonomie et les émotions. Une série d’hypothèses ont émergé. Les principales donnent au dispositif à distance un impact significatif sur l’acquisition des compétences académiques, transversales, émotionnelles et sur les sentiments de compétence, d’accompagnement et d’auto-efficacité. Elles ont été testées auprès de deux promotions successives d’auxiliaires de puériculture, soient 26 étudiantes en FOAD et 79 en présentiel.La différence significative des résultats académiques observée entre les deux dispositifs avec les premières promotions ne s’est pas reproduite avec les secondes. Les sentiments de compétence et d’accompagnement des apprenantes sont plus forts chez les étudiantes en FOAD, mais pas celui d’auto-efficacité en situation de stage. La perception qu’elles ont de l’impact de leur dispositif sur leurs compétences transversales est lui aussi plus marqué. Le quotient de compétence émotionnelle quant à lui est plus important chez celles qui ont choisi la FOAD.Cette étude se conclue avec quelques réflexions induites par la modélisation du dispositif d’alternance intégrative médiatisée. / This research began with astonishment regarding a unique situation: although open distance learning (ODL) is rarely used to train health and social workers, a pioneering institution has trained nursery assistants through to graduation since 2015. Academic results, validating the skills of the first cohort, proved to be better than those of the students in classrooms, which contradicts the "no significant difference" theory (Russel, 1999). The exploratory phase, based on observation and the semi-directive interviews of twelve learners, trainers, technical, pedagogical and administrative staff, made it possible to identify the presence of active ingredients for learning in this course. This exploratory phase, set up to examine the concepts of skills and ODL, highlighted the influence of the latter on autonomy and emotions. A series of hypotheses thus emerged, suggesting that the distance learning had a significant impact on the acquisition of academic, transferrable and emotional skills as well as on feelings of competence, support and self-efficacy. These were tested for in two successive cohorts of childcare auxiliaries, 26 of whom were registered in ODL and 79 in the face-to-face programme. The significant difference in academic results observed between the two modalities with the first cohort was not repeated with the second. The feelings of competence and learner support are stronger among the students in ODL, but not those of self-efficacy during placement. The perception that ODL learners have of the impact of their learning modality on their transferrable skills is also more pronounced. The emotional competence quotient is higher for those who chose e-learning. This study concludes with some reflections induced by modeling this mediatised integrative professionaltraining programme.

This study was aimed at the description of how to support the emotional awareness of the primary school child through Gestalt Play Therapy. The research strategy enclosed case studies. A supportive literature study was done with regard to awareness, emotional awareness, emotional intelligence, emotional skills, social skills, self-esteem, the primary school child and Gestalt Play Therapy. In the implementation of the research study two case studies were described. The sampling method was based on a non-probability sampling technique. The criteria of the respondents were emotional and social inadequate functioning. Case study one functioned emotional and social inadequately as a result of the family moving. Case study two was involved in bullying activities at the school. Respectively ten and eleven therapeutic sessions of one hour each over a period of ten and eleven weeks were conducted. Both children did benefit from the Gestalt Play Therapeutic intervension. Their awareness with regard to themselves and their own experience brought them in contact with themselves, which is necessary for healthy child development. / Social Work / M.Diac.(Play Therapy) / Text in Afrikaans

Text in Afrikaans / The child in early middle childhood experiences certain developmental changes. He is absorbed in the foundation phase of the formal education system and parents are no longer the most important authoritative figures. Social interaction now also includes the school environment and peer groups start playing a very important role. To face the new challenges, the possession of EI skills is of cardinal importance. The ability to observe, recognise and understand personal and other people's emotions and to react correctly is now developed. The study, a quantitive research process, is directed by holism as the point of departure from the Gestalt approach in which `totality' is a key concept. According to this concept all situations in the child's terms of reference will influence his development, including the parental style of his parents. The purpose of the study therefore was to determine and describe the correlation between parental style and emotional intelligence. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

Les habiletés sociales, les habiletés émotionnelles et le bien-être font partie de ce que cherchent à développer différents programmes qui visent le développement positif de l’enfant. Les programmes utilisant le rire comme outil d’intervention peuvent rentrer dans ces types de programmes, mais ils sont encore peu étudiés. En effet, rire comporte de nombreux effets bénéfiques, notamment au niveau de la santé physique et psychologique, mais davantage de recherches sont nécessaires pour établir les impacts bénéfiques du rire, particulièrement chez les enfants. Ce mémoire décrit l’évaluation de la mise en œuvre et des effets d’un programme d’exercices de rire qui a été implanté auprès d’élèves de 3e année primaire. Le programme de 10 activités, 1 fois par semaine, a été implanté auprès de 113 élèves provenant de deux écoles de Montréal. Une collecte de donnée a été effectuée avant et après l’animation du programme et le groupe contrôle a suivi un programme de gestion des émotions classique. À la suite de l’évaluation des résultats de la mise en œuvre, les élèves ont été divisés en trois groupes, soit le groupe contrôle (n = 48), le groupe ayant reçu une faible (n = 33) implantation du programme et le groupe ayant reçu une implantation élevée (n = 32). L’évaluation des effets a permis d’observer des résultats significativement positifs au niveau des domaines visés, soit les habiletés sociales, les habiletés émotionnelles et le bien- être. Cependant, les résultats varient selon les groupes d’élèves et leur niveau d’implantation du programme, les élèves ayant reçu le programme de manière optimale obtenant de meilleurs résultats. Des résultats ont également été obtenus au niveau du rendement en mathématique, où les élèves du groupe avec une implantation élevée du programme se sont améliorés de façon notoire comparativement aux élèves des deux autres groupes. Bien qu’il soit important de rester prudent face à l’interprétation des résultats, ceux-ci sont encourageants. Les forces et limites de la recherche, ainsi que les implications pour la psychoéducation et les recherches futures sont discutées. / Social skills, emotional skills and well-being are part of what seek to develop various programs aiming the positive development of children. Programs using laughter as an intervention tool can fit into those types of programs, but they are still understudied. Indeed, laughter has many beneficial effects, notably in terms of physical and psychological health, but more research is needed to establish the beneficial impacts of laughter, especially with children. This thesis describes the evaluation of the program implementation and the evaluation of the effects of a laughter exercise program that was implemented with 3rd grade primary school students. The program of 10 activities, once a week, was implemented with 113 students from two of Montreal’s schools. Data collection was carried out before and after the animation of the program and the control group followed a classic emotion regulation program. Following the evaluation of the results of the implementation, the students were divided into three groups, namely the control group (n = 48), the group having received a low implementation of the program (n = 33) and the group having received a high implementation (n = 32). The evaluation of the effects made it possible to observe significantly positive results at the level of the domains targeted, namely social skills, emotional skills and well-being. However, the results vary depending on the groups of students and their level of implementation of the program. The students that received the program in an optimal way obtained better results. Results were also obtained in terms of mathematics performance, where students in the group with high program implementation improved significantly compared to students in the other two groups. Although it is important to remain cautious when interpreting the results, they are encouraging. Strengths and limitations of the research, as well as implications for psychoeducation and future research are discussed.

Youth sport is acknowledged as an ideal setting for promoting positive youth development. In particular, youth sport participation has been linked to life skills development and psychological well-being. The coaching climate has been proposed to play a role in facilitating such positive outcomes. Nonetheless, few measures exist to examine life skills development through sport and it is unclear how positive youth development may be facilitated by the coach. Using existing and newly developed measures, this thesis examined how the coaching climate is related to life skills development and psychological well-being in youth sport participants. Phase 1 of this programme of research investigated Benson and Saito’s (2001) conceptual framework for youth development theory and research within sport. Study 1 examined a model whereby the coaching climate is related to life skills development (personal and social skills, cognitive skills, goal setting, and initiative); which, in turn, is related to participants’ psychological well-being (self-esteem, positive affect, and satisfaction with life). Data from 202 youth sport participants suggested that an autonomy supportive coaching climate was positively related to all four life skills. Further analysis revealed that the development of personal and social skills mediated the relationships between coach autonomy support and all three indices of psychological well-being. However, the validity of the scale used to measure life skills was brought into question during this study. Therefore, the studies which follow developed and validated a new scale which could accurately assess eight key life skills young people learn through sport. Phase 2 of this programme of research involved developing and validating a scale which measures life skills development through sport. Study 2 outlines the initial development of a scale which would assess whether young people learn the following life skills through sport: teamwork, goal setting, time management, emotional skills, interpersonal communication, social skills, leadership, and problem solving and decision making. This study involved defining each of the eight life skills, deciding what components made up each life skill and developing items which could assess each life skill. The initial item pool was reviewed by 39 academics, with between two and seven experts assessing the items for each of the eight life skills. Using the ratings and comments provided by experts, the first version of the Life Skills Scale for Sport (LSSS) was developed. Study 3 reduced the number of items contained within the LSSS from 144 to 47 items using both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and descriptive statistics. For this task, 338 youth sport participants completed the LSSS. EFA results supported the unidimensional factor structure of each of the eight subscales. Each subscale also displayed adequate internal consistency reliability. Study 4 examined the factor structure of the LSSS using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with an independent sample of 223 youth sport participants. After the removal of four emotional skills items, seven of the eight subscales and the revised 43-item scale displayed adequate model fit. Results supported both the convergent and discriminant validity of the LSSS and each of the eight subscales displayed adequate internal consistency reliability. Study 5 assessed the test-retest reliability of the LSSS with an independent sample of 37 youth sport participants. Each participant completed the scale on two occasions which were two weeks apart. Results revealed that time 1 and time 2 scores were relatively unchanged over this two-week period, providing evidence of test-retest reliability. Phase 3 of this programme of research involved re-testing Benson and Saito’s (2001) framework. Study 6 retested the coaching climate – life skills development – psychological well-being model from Study 1 using the LSSS. Data from 326 youth sport participants suggested that an autonomy supportive coaching climate was positively related to young people learning teamwork, goal setting, time management, emotional skills, interpersonal communication, social skills, leadership, and problem solving and decision making. The total amount of life skills a young person developed through sport was positively related to their self-esteem, positive affect and satisfaction with life. Again, the factor structure and reliability of the scale was supported. The findings from this PhD research suggest that the coaching climate plays an important role in young peoples’ development through sport. Specifically, an autonomy supportive coaching climate was positively related to life skills development and psychological well-being in youth sport participants. This thesis also provides researchers with a valid and reliable measure of life skills development through sport. Future research using the LSSS should examine other factors (e.g., peer relationships) which may promote positive youth development through sport. Additionally, future studies can use the LSSS to examine the efficacy of existing programmes (e.g., the SUPER programme) which teach life skills through sport. Such research will help guide coaches and sports programmes efforts to promote positive youth development through sport.

This thesis looks into evidence-based character education as it is researched and applied in the Anglo-Saxon countries, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom, as a parallel to Personal and Social Education in the Czech Republic. Its aim is to provide an overview of scientifically studied approaches to the development of human character, inclusive of efficient means of their dissemination. The first part of the thesis includes definition of terms, philosophical and historical foundations of character education, description and classification of character strengths, and their effects on human flourishing. Based on analysis of available sources, the next part of the thesis presents empirically tested examples of best practices being applied in families, schools, and other organizations. It is followed by a part describing certain problems which character education is currently facing and finally a summary of possible solutions. It becomes apparent that character needs to be approached in its entirety with focus aimed toward harmonious development of a wide range of character strengths. Their cultivation by means of upbringing and education shows positive effect on individual as well as societal flourishing - it builds a strong base for the evolution of cognitive skills by developing...

This thesis defines social-emotional skills that need to be refined among pre-school children within the context of the beginning of schooling. The work also verifies the possibilities and limits of artefiletics in the development of social and emotional skills of pre-school children. The thesis is of a theoretical- empirical character and is divided into two parts - theoretical and practical. The chapters of the theoretical part deal with social and emotional development of pre-school children, the meaning of a play in social-emotional development and also with social-emotional constituent part of school maturity. The last chapter is devoted to artefiletics as an innovative approach towards the development of social- emotional skills of pre-school children. The practical part of this thesis consists of two parts - action research and questionnaire survey. The action research focuses on verifying the possibilities and limits of artefiletics when developing and refining social-emotional skills of pre-school children in kindergarten.The action research aimed at increasing the quality of complex maturity preparation for entering primary school, respectively adaptation to school environment. The second part of the practical part consists of questionnaire survey, the aim of which was above all to discover...