Thesis (MEd) -- Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study explored the views of thirteen youth at Victoria High School about what they regarded as achievement and how this influenced their lives and what they thought about their futures. The starting premise of the study was that all learners think about achievement. The goal of the study was thus to show how different learners connect this understanding of achievement with their respective aspirations and the kinds of social and schooling worlds they inhabit. The key contribution of the study is the ways it links the social, cultural, and economic worlds of each of the thirteen learners to what they say about what they do and what they want to do, who they are and who they want to be, and what they think they do and what they think they want to do. The study shows that the life-worlds of each of the learners are significantly different yet the ways they go about making sense of that world are fairly similar. In that regard it is shown that the school, and what learners, parents and educators think it is and does, plays a crucial role in the sense-making process. As Berkhout (2008) notes, the different contexts that shape the lives of individuals are not simply external forces but rather are integral parts of their identity-making process. The study used the work of Pierre Bourdieu and Arjun Appadurai to bring together a framework by which to understand what learners said about their worlds and their aspirations, as well to develop a narrative that showed the rich and complex ways in which learners engaged with their realities. The study followed an interpretive qualitative approach to explore the issue of achievement and based its arguments on interviews conducted with thirteen youth between the ages of fifteen and seventeen years old. In this regard, a key finding was that learners approached the notion of achievement in developmental, cumulative, and progressive ways. These views included wanting to be popular, gaining new knowledge, preparing for future material acquisition, developing skills to lead decent lives, acquiring happiness, developing the ability to overcome their challenges and circumstances, and gaining skills and recognition that set up their futures. Five staff members at Victoria High school were also interviewed for their views of the schooling context and the kinds of cultures and legacies that framed their practice. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die tesis is gefokus op die denke van dertien studente van Victoria Hoërskool aangaande die nosie van prestasie, en hoe hierdie denke hul lewens beïnvloed sowel as wat hulle dink van hul toekoms. Die vertrekpunt van die verbande studie was dat alle leerders oor prestasie dink. Die doel van die tesis (daaruitvoortspruitend) was dus om aan te toon hoe verskillende leerders ʼn verband aanlê tussen hul beskouing van prestasie, hul aspirasies en die maatskaplike- en skoolwêrelde wat hul beleef. Die kern bydrae van die tesis is die verbande wat gemaak is in die verbande studie tussen die sosiale, kulturele en ekonomiese wêrelde van elkeen van die dertien leerders ten opsigte van hul beskouing aangaande wat hulle doen en wil doen, wat hulle is en wil wees, en wat hulle dink hulle doen en wil doen. Die tesis toon aan dat die leefwêreld van elk van die leerders merkbaar verskillend is, maar dat die wyse waarop hulle betekenis gee aan hul leefwêreld tog redelik ooreenstem. In hierdie verband is dit getoon dat die skool, en wat leerders, ouers en onderwysers daaromtrent dink, ʼn kardinale rol speel in hul betekenisvormingsproses. Berkhout (2008) voer in hierdie verband aan dat die verskillende kontekste wat die lewens van individue vorm nie slegs eksterne magte is nie, maar eerder integrale dele van hul identiteitsvormings proses is. Die studie maak gebruik van die werk van Pierre Bourdieu en Arjun Appadurai om ʼn raamwerk te ontwikkel om leerders se beskouinge van hul wêrelde en aspirasies te verstaan, sowel as om ‘n narratief te ontwikkel wat die ryk en komplekse wyses waarop leerders met hul realiteite omgaan, aan te toon. Die tesis, en verbande studie, het ʼn interpretatiewe, kwalitatiewe benadering gevolg om die idee van prestasie te verken en het die tesis argumente baser op onderhoude met dertien leerders tussen vyftien tot sewentienjaar oud. ʼn Kernbevinding in hierdie verband was dat leerders die idée van prestasie op ontwikkelings-, kumulatiewe- en progressiewe wyses benader. Beskouinge van leerders in die verband sluit onder andere in, die behoefte om populêr te wees, die verkryging van nuwe kennis, voorbereiding om materiële goedere in die toekoms te bekom, die ontwikkeling van vaardighede noodsaaklik vir ʼn ordentlike lewe, die strewe na geluk, die ontwikkeling van die vermoë om hul uitdagings en omstandighede te oorkom, en die ontwikkeling vaardighede en erkenning noodsaaklik vir hul toekoms. Onderhoude is ook gevoer met vyf personeellede van Victoria hoërskool om hul beskouinge ten opsigte van die skoolkonteks en die soort kulture en erfenisse wat hul praktyk informeer te bepaal.

by Hui Na-na, Anna. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-122). / Text in English; Questionnaire also in Chinese. / by Hui Na-na, Anna. / LISTS OF FIGURE & TABLES V / Chapter CHAPTER 1 - --- INTRODUCTION / Chapter 1.1 --- Background of the study / Chapter 1.1.1 --- Approaches to Creativity --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Motivational Orientation and Creativity --- p.4 / Chapter 1.1.3 --- Relationship between Classroom Environment and Creativity --- p.6 / Chapter 1.1.4 --- Relationship between Classroom Environment and Motivational Orientation --- p.9 / Chapter 1.2 --- Research Questions --- p.12 / Chapter 1.3 --- Significance of the Study --- p.13 / Chapter CHAPTER 2 - --- LITERATURE REVIEW / Chapter 2.1 --- Conception of Creativity / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Definition of Creativity --- p.15 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Factors of Creativity --- p.17 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Distinction between Creativity and Intelligence --- p.18 / Chapter 2.2 --- Approaches to Creativity / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Creative Personality --- p.20 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Creative Product --- p.21 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Creative Process --- p.23 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- Creative Press (Environment) --- p.25 / Chapter 2.2.5 --- More Integrative Approaches to Creativity --- p.26 / Chapter 2.2.6 --- An Approach to Studying Creativity in Writing --- p.31 / Chapter 2.3 --- Creativity and Classroom Environment / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Environmental Stimulants of Creativity in the Classroom --- p.32 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Environmental Inhibitors of Creativity in the Classroom --- p.35 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Teachers' and Peers' Judgment of Creativity and Social Validation of Students' Creativity in the Classroom --- p.36 / Chapter 2.4 --- Conception of Motivational Orientation / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivational Orientation --- p.38 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- Orientation as Trait and Involvement as State --- p.39 / Chapter 2.5 --- Motivational Orientation and Classroom Environment --- p.41 / Chapter 2.6 --- Motivational Orientation and Creativity --- p.45 / Chapter 2.7 --- Hypotheses of the Study --- p.47 / Chapter CHAPTER 3 - --- METHOD / Chapter 3.1 --- Operational Definitions of Variables / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Operational Definition of Creativity --- p.49 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- Operational Definition of Motivational Orientation --- p.49 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- Operational Definition of Classroom Environment --- p.50 / Chapter 3.2 --- Subjects --- p.50 / Chapter 3.3 --- Instruments / Chapter 3.3.1 --- The Consensual Assessment of Creativity --- p.51 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Motivational Orientation Scale --- p.52 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Classroom Environment Questionnaire --- p.53 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- Behavioral Characteristics of Students --- p.55 / Chapter 3.4 --- Procedure / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Pilot Study --- p.55 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Main Study --- p.56 / Chapter Chapter 4 - --- results / Chapter 4.1 --- Reliabilities of Instruments / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Consensual Assessment of Creativity --- p.58 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Motivational Orientation Scale --- p.61 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- Classroom Environment Questionnaire --- p.62 / Chapter 4.1.4 --- Behavioral Characteristics of Students --- p.65 / Chapter 4.1.5 --- Mean Scores and Standard Deviations of Instruments --- p.66 / Chapter 4.2 --- Relationships Among Product Creativity and Other Variables / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Objective and Subjective Judgment of Creativity --- p.67 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- "Students' Product Creativity, Students' Behavioral Characteristics and Peer Nomination of Creativity" --- p.70 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Behavioral Characteristics of Students and Students' Motivational Orientation --- p.73 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Product Creativity and Students' Motivational Orientation --- p.73 / Chapter 4.2.5 --- Students' Behavioral Characteristics and Their Perception of Classroom Environment --- p.73 / Chapter 4.2.6 --- Product Creativity and Students' Perception of Classroom Environment --- p.74 / Chapter 4.2.7 --- Students' Motivational Orientation and Their Perception of Classroom Environment --- p.77 / Chapter 4.2.8 --- Students' Perception of Classroom Environment and Others' Perceived Measures of Students' Creativity --- p.78 / Chapter 4.3 --- "Sex Effects of Variables on Behavioral Characteristics of Students, Peer Nomination of Creativity and Self-Perception of Creativity" --- p.79 / Chapter 4.4 --- Prediction of Students' Product Creativity / Chapter 4.4.1 --- Students' Product Creativity Predicted by Objective and Subjective-Creativity Variables --- p.84 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- Students' Product Creativity Predicted by Students' Perception of Classroom Environment --- p.86 / Chapter 4.4.3 --- Students' Product Creativity Predicted by Students' Self-Perception of Motivational Orientation and Creativity --- p.87 / Chapter 4.4.4 --- Students' Product Creativity Predicted by Teachers' Observation of Behavioral Characteristics and Peer Nomination of Creativity --- p.89 / Chapter 4.4.5 --- Students' Product Creativity Predicted by all Independent Variables --- p.91 / Chapter 4.5 --- Summary of Findings / Chapter CHAPTER 5 - --- discussion / Chapter 5.1 --- Implications and Directions for Future Research / Chapter 5.1.1 --- Social Validity of Students' Creativity --- p.96 / Chapter 5.1.2 --- "Students' Creativity, Motivational Orientation and Behavioral Characteristics of Students" --- p.98 / Chapter 5.1.3 --- Students' Creativity and Classroom Environment --- p.100 / Chapter 5.1.4 --- Students' Self-Perception of Creativity --- p.102 / Chapter 5.2 --- Limitations of the Study --- p.104 / references / Appendices

The diploma thesis deals with the issue of the family environment of a younger school-age child. The aim of the presented diploma thesis is to provide an insight into the life of a younger school-age child. The thesis is divided into the theoretical and practical part. The theoretical part focuses in individual chapters on the topics related to family, education and leisure time, where the emphasis is placed on problematic, clinical and different families. The practical work gives insight into three families with an early school-age child through qualitative research methods (especially case studies and interviewing). In the practical part, I look for answers to questions about family values, spending leisure time, educational methods and lifestyle.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

In contemporary American society, the nursing profession is predominantly made up of white women. Currently, males make up only 6.8 percent of the three million nursing professionals in the U.S. and they are considered gender minorities within the nursing profession and within nursing education. As gender minorities, male students are identified as experiencing nursing programs and the practice of nursing differently than their female counterparts. The purpose of this single instrumental, within site case study was to explore the learning environment for male nursing students and to investigate the nature of the interactions between nursing faculty and male undergraduate students in a Pacific Northwest medical university nursing program. Data was collected in the educational setting through observations, participant interviews, and document analysis. In addition, this study used Kanter's theoretical framework of tokenism to uncover if male nursing students were perceived as tokens in the educational environment. The findings showed that the faculty-student interactions were largely positive; they also revealed that having other males in the class was an instrumental factor in their positive perception of their educational experience. However, the male nursing students also identified areas of discomfort in the educational setting, specifically when practicing clinical skills with female peers, feeling pressured to volunteer and to expose skin during in-class demonstrations, and anticipating that they would be excluded from certain clinical situations. This research indicated that gender differences are present within nursing education and contributed to instances of discomfort for male students. Specific barriers occurred most often when men engaged with female peers and were in clinical settings. These findings provide new insight into when and where men begin to experience gender barriers in the educational environment and are pertinent to understanding the educational environment for men in nursing. Recommendations specifically geared towards assisting students in their first term are suggested for nursing faculty and administrators to ensure that the learning environment is welcoming for men. These recommendations include consciously placing males together in cohort groups and in clinical experiences, reducing instances of visibility and pressure on men in the clinical setting, building faculty awareness of perceived and real barriers for men in the educational setting, and providing faculty with tools to assess and address barriers that are present in the classroom environment.

The paucity of women in senior leadership positions as indicated in the Business Women Association of South Africa 2011 census corroborates that gender equality is still a concerning issue even in the democratic era that we live in. This study explores career developmental experiences of women in senior leadership position in the civil engineering industry. The primary objective was to investigate how these professional women were managing their careers and what career experiences contributed to their ascent to the senior echelons of management. Meaning to the career experiences of these women had been given according to the self-determination theory. By means of purposive selection, seven women at senior management level were selected from both the private and public sectors in the civil engineering industry. Based on the semi-structured interviews conducted, personal documents reviewed and footnotes recorded; it was evident that there were different factors that had facilitated the ascent of these women to senior positions. Their career experiences were also characterised by challenges that subsequently instigated the development of coping strategies and methods. The study has implications for organisations in civil engineering that wish to attract and retain women from generations to come. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

The paucity of women in senior leadership positions as indicated in the Business Women Association of South Africa 2011 census corroborates that gender equality is still a concerning issue even in the democratic era that we live in. This study explores career developmental experiences of women in senior leadership position in the civil engineering industry. The primary objective was to investigate how these professional women were managing their careers and what career experiences contributed to their ascent to the senior echelons of management. Meaning to the career experiences of these women had been given according to the self-determination theory. By means of purposive selection, seven women at senior management level were selected from both the private and public sectors in the civil engineering industry. Based on the semi-structured interviews conducted, personal documents reviewed and footnotes recorded; it was evident that there were different factors that had facilitated the ascent of these women to senior positions. Their career experiences were also characterised by challenges that subsequently instigated the development of coping strategies and methods. The study has implications for organisations in civil engineering that wish to attract and retain women from generations to come. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)