A dissertation submitted in accordance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Educational Management in the Department of Educational Planning and Administration, Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 2019. / Although the number of women managers in education is increasing, women continue to experience problems that prevent them from realising their full potential particularly as conflict managers. When female teachers are promoted to principalship positions, there are no programmes to equip them with relevant management skills required to lead and manage the schools effectively. This has resulted in some female principals showing lack of confidence in resolving conflict in schools, particularly where the staff is dominated by female teachers. Female principals tend to rely on their male colleagues should there be a case where they have to implement disciplinary measures. The aim of this study was to explore female principals’ skills of managing conflict in primary schools dominated by female teachers in the Gingindlovu Circuit. This study used a qualitative approach, collecting data through face-to-face interviews. Purposive sampling procedure was used to select participants for this study. The study established that female principals have skills of managing conflict despite their gender roles that have been taken as determinants that females may not do well as managers. Some gender roles, which include nurturing and accommodating, have been identified as key to female principals in assisting them when resolving conflict at the work place where the staff is dominated by female teachers. However, they still need to learn more about skills of managing conflict in schools. The study recommends that female principals be workshopped on how to manage conflict in a school situation soon after they have been appointed. A comparative study between female and male principals regarding management skills they have for resolving conflicts is recommended. / National Research Foundation

Each year, hundreds of thousands of youth move through juvenile justice systems in the United States, and the number of female offenders is increasing. At the probation level, there appears to be a lack of services, such as mentoring, mental health services, sex education, and counseling, to meet the gender-specific needs of female juvenile delinquents in rural settings. The purpose of this study was to discover county probation officers' perceptions of girls' needs and the officers' decision-making processes related to recommending services. This case study was based on feminist criminology theory. The research questions sought to learn how probation officers working with female juvenile offenders in a rural county describe their roles in the supervision process and how they decide which gender-specific services are most appropriate. Three probation officers in a rural jurisdiction in a northeastern state were interviewed, and the responses were coded and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Findings indicated that the officers neither viewed girls differently nor felt the need to treat the genders differently, even though their responses revealed that female youth are more often subject to truancy, promiscuity, and running away than male youth. The primary recommendation resulting from the study is to implement gender-responsive programs to meet the diverse needs of delinquent girls. Such programs would offer female youth more guidance and rehabilitation, potentially reducing future offending. This study has implications for positive social change in informing those serving in the youth criminal justice field, and families involved in the system, about the gap in understanding and implementing gender-specific strategies to meet the needs of rural female youth in conflict with the law.

There has been a gradual move from the exclusive use of institutions for delinquent adolescents as a treatment resource to a realization that institutions need a variety of treatment methods in order to rehabilitate delinquents and other adolescents with adjustment problems. Villa St. Rose is an example of an institution which has acknowledged the effectiveness of developing a therapeutic milieu based on a professional institutional program supported by community treatment in the form of a group home experience.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Objective: Investigate if the prevalence of depression/suicidality changed from 2001 to 2015 among adolescent females exposed to sexual assault or physical fighting, and if various violent exposures or the accumulation of events induced differential levels of risk. Methods: Eight national Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) cross-sectional databases (2001-2015) were analyzed using complex survey techniques. For the trends analyses, logistic regression was used to evaluate linear, quadratic or cubic trends, with contrast statement methods to identify inflection points. Multiple logistic regression models were built to understand associations with other risk factors. The 2015 database was used for the differential analyses and hypotheses were tested using logistic regression models. Results: There was a statistically significant decline in depression/suicidality from 2001 to 2009 followed by an incline through 2015 for sexual assault victims (P=0.0001) and physical fighters (P<0.0001). Bullying and electronic bullying contributed to increases in latter years. For sexual assault victims, methamphetamine use declined (2001-2015) and team sports participation increased (2009). For physical fighters, sexual assault and carrying a weapon had a similar quadratic trend. Among fighters the prevalence of other violent exposures (1+) was approximately 2 times greater than non-fighters (2001-2015) and exceeded 65% when accounting for bullying and electronic bullying (2011-2015). Differentiation of risk between various violent events was only observed for electronic bullying (OR=2.51; 95% CI=[2.02, 3.13]) vs. bullying (OR=1.43; 95% CI=[1.13, 1.79]) and victimization (OR 3.79; 95% CI=[3.33, 4.30]) vs. violence related behaviors (OR=2.31; 95% CI=[1.81, 2.96]). There was a positive dose-response relationship with the cumulative number of violent events, one event produced a risk of 1.40 (95% CI=[1.33, 1.48]) which increased with each additional exposure. Conclusions: The direction of depression/suicidality prevalence changes among sexual assault victims and physical fighters may be attributable to unique modifiable risk factors. The emergence of electronic bullying contributed to increases in depression/suicidality, poly victimization, and induced greater risk than bullying. The accumulation of violent exposures is seemingly a stronger predictor of depression/suicidality. Overall, efforts to reduce exposure across multiple or more prevalent forms of violence has the potential to reduce the risk of depression/suicidality among female adolescent victims and aggressors of violence. / 2 years

As the population of transgender individuals continues to grow and the utilization of hormone therapy becomes more common, it is becoming more important to completely understand the effects it has on the body. The current recommendations regarding administration of testosterone therapy stem from small studies with young cohorts that found little evidence of increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the transgender male population. This is expected as CVD in populations younger than 50 are a relatively rare occurrence. Recent cross-sectional studies that include the whole transgender population have shown an association between being a transgender male and having a myocardial infarction (MI). Numerous studies have shown that testosterone therapy increases a multitude of risk factors for CVD, including increased hematocrit, cholesterol, blood pressure, and diminished endothelial function. Other risk factors are usually clustered in transgender populations including increased social stressors, substance abuse, poor socioeconomic status, and increased health disparities. This study will find the rate of CVD in an older population of transgender males, using transgender males who do not take testosterone therapy as a control, in order to find the true effect that testosterone therapy has on cardiovascular disease.

This is a single case study of the socialization of a woman in the public school superintendency at the end of the 20th century. It is a description of the forces that come to bear on her behavior as the chief executive of a school system. Socialization is a continuous process of adaptation to and personalization of one's environment. Further, it is believed to be a process that occurs throughout one's professional career and life and not a fixed, end state; therefore, one's career is embedded within one's socialization for life. A model is proposed which represents female socialization as dynamic role creation through the responses of accommodation and role personalization as they are affected by the interaction of organizational, community, and personal forces. These forces are communicated through the transmittal processes of formal policies, networking, and mentoring. The unique experiences of this superintendent are explored to see if these forces of influence appear in this situation. Data collected through interviews and document reviews were coded and then analyzed with a matrix. Seven categories of subjects were interviewed, so this study not only provides the perspectives of the superintendent but also those of her spouse, secretary, current and former colleagues in the central office, a building-level administrator, current and former members of the school board, and community residents. Documents from the news media, records of school board meetings, and division publications provided information about the total experiences of this superintendent. / Ed. D.

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No description available.

ABSTRACT This study explores the post-treatment psychosocial experiences of female adult cancer patients. In particular, this study aims at identifying common themes in the nature of their experiences. This research was exploratory in nature and took place within the context of the qualitative paradigm. The focus group method was utilised in collecting data. The six participants were white Christian females between the ages of 50 and 62 who had completed treatment (either chemotherapy, radiation or both) not more than four months prior to the study. Data were analysed by means of categorical content analysis. Four out of the six participants reported relief as well as mixed emotions after discovering they had survived cancer. A major finding of this research was that all of the participants were experiencing anxiety that the cancer might recur. Five out of the six participants reported ample support from their partners and other family members. The entire group of participants admitted that their genuine friends remained supportive throughout treatment, while some friends avoided them when they had cancer, but were willing to continue the friendship after treatment. This impacted negatively on their friendship. The entire group mentioned negative social experiences due to the stigma attached to having cancer. It was also found that the participants preferred spending time with people who have insight into the meaning of life. All of the participants agreed that without their relationship with God and the social support structure including churches and acquaintances at church, they would not be able to get through their experiences during and after treatment. The entire group mentioned the experience of a greater appreciation for life after having completed treatment and survived cancer. It is evident that the experiences of cancer survivors in the South African context necessitate further research and that an understanding of these experiences plays a crucial role in the development of successful interventions for survivors, their families and the wider social community in regard to cancer.

IGF1 and its receptor IGF1R have been correlated with the proliferation of granulosa cells as well as steroid synthesis. Studies have shown that conditional ablation of Igf1r in granulosa cells leads to follicular arrest at a secondary stage, absence of ovulation and infertility. With a high homology between IGF1R and INSR, the full effects of insulin signaling could be masked by just a single receptor knockout. Therefore, utilizing Esr2-iCre we generated a granulosa specific double knockout mouse model. These mice have severely disrupted follicular development, with a block at a primary stage. Granulosa cells do not proliferate, while the oocytes appear activated resulting in reduction of ovarian size, absence of estrous cyclicity and infertility. Since an early granulosa cell knockout leads to block in follicular development, it masks the receptor function during ovulation, and CL formation. With the use of Pgr-Cre, the follicular development goes undisturbed until the periovulatory stages. Pgr-Cre knockout of Insr and Igf1r results in reduced ovulation, and progesterone synthesis. Few oocytes, that do escape, get fertilized but fail to thrive, and do not implant. Pgr-Cre is also active in the uterine endometrium. Ablation of Insr and Igf1r in the uterus results in reduced endometrial proliferation during the preimplantation period, complete absence of implantation and decidualization. Collectively, these results indicate the importance of INSR and IGF1R during follicular development, and ovulation, as well as in uterine proliferation, implantation, and decidualization.