Current research in the field of geriatric audiology focuses on the audiological assessment and management. However there is a lack of published work describing the perspectives of the geriatric individuals with a hearing loss regarding the audiological service delivery received. This study aimed to determine the perspectives of the geriatric individuals with a hearing loss in this regard. Convenience sampling was utilised to recruit 50 geriatric individuals who wore hearing aids, in Gauteng. A two phase methodology was employed in this study. Phase one included a questionnaire aimed to determine the geriatric individuals’ perspectives of the audiological assessment and management processes conducted by the audiologist. Phase two, a focus group discussion regarding audiological service delivery, included 7 geriatric individuals who were randomly selected from the 50 geriatric individuals in phase one of the study. Results revealed that geriatric individuals with a hearing loss; perceived the audiological services received as adequate. However the results obtained from the questionnaire indicate that the majority of these geriatric individuals were not provided with a full test battery of assessment and management procedures as required. Therefore South African audiologists need to evaluate the assessment and management procedures used when working with the geriatric population. AFRIKAANS : Resente navorsing in die veld van geriatriese oudiologie fokus hoofsaaklik op oudiologiese evaluering en behandeling. Daar bestaan egter beperkte literatuur wat geriatriese individue met ‘n gehoorverlies se persepsies beskryf oor die proses van evaluering en dienslewering. Gevolglik was die doel van hierdie studie om geriatriese individue met ‘n gehoorverlies se persepsies aangaande oudiologiese dienste te bepaal. ‘n Twee-fase metodiek is in hierdie studie aangewend. ‘n Vraelys is in fase een gebruik om 50 geriatriese individue met ‘n gehoorverlies en wat gepas is met gehoorapparate, se persepsies aangaande oudiologiese dienslewering te bepaal. Sewe geriatriese individue het deelgeneem aan die tweede fase, naamlik ‘n fokusgroepbespreking aangaande oudiologiese dienslewering. Resultate dui daarop dat geriatriese individue met ‘n gehoorverlies die oudiologiese dienste wat hulle ontvang het as voldoende ervaar, Die meerderheid van die geriatriese individue het egter aangedui dat ’n.volledige oudiologiese toetsbattery nie tydens die evaluasieproses uitgevoer is nie en toepaslike gehoorapparaatevaluering- en passingsprosedures nie gevolg is nie. Die implikasies hiervan is dat oudioloë werksaam in Suid-Afrika die evaluering- en behandelingsprosedures wat toegepas word vir die geriatriese populasie, voortdurend moet evalueer en aanpas. Copyright / Dissertation (M. Communication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / unrestricted

Moderating group discussions among humans can often be challenging and require certain skills, particularly in deciding when to ask other participants to elaborate or change the current topic of the discussion. Recent research on Human-Robot Interaction in groups has demonstrated the positive impact of robot behavior on the quality and effectiveness of the interaction and their ability to shape the dynamics of the group and promote social behavior. In light of this, there is the potential of using social robots as discussion moderators to facilitate engaging and productive discussions among humans. Previous work on topic management in conversational agents was predominantly based on human engagement and topic personalization, with the agent having an active/central role in the conversation. This thesis focuses exclusively on the moderation of group discussions; instead of moderating the topic based on evaluated human engagement, the thesis builds upon previous research on non-verbal cues related to discussion topic structure and turntaking to determine whether participants intend to continue discussing the current topic in a content-free manner. This thesis investigates the suitability of machine-learning models and the contribution of different audiovisual non-verbal features in predicting appropriate topic changes. For this purpose, we utilized pre-recorded interactions between a robot moderator and human participants, which we annotated and from which we extracted acoustic and body language-related features. We provide an analysis of the performance of sequential and nonsequential machine learning approaches using different sets of features, as well as a comparison with rule-based heuristics. The results indicate promising performance in classifying between cases when a topic change was inappropriate versus when a topic change could or should change, outperforming rule-based approaches and demonstrating the feasibility of using machine learning models for topic moderation. Regarding the type of models, the results suggest no distinct advantage of sequential over non-sequential modeling approaches, indicating the effectiveness of simpler non-sequential data models. Acoustic features exhibited comparable and, in some cases, improved overall performance and robustness compared to using only body language-related features or a combination of both types. In summary, this thesis provides a foundation for future research in robot-mediated topic moderation in groups using non-verbal cues, presenting opportunities to further improve social robots with topic moderation capabilities. / Att moderera gruppdiskussioner mellan människor kan ofta vara utmanande och kräver vissa färdigheter, särskilt när det gäller att bestämma när man ska be andra deltagare att utveckla eller ändra det aktuella ämnet för diskussionen. Ny forskning om människa-robotinteraktion i grupper har visat den positiva effekten av robotbeteende på interaktionens kvalitet och effektivitet och deras förmåga att forma gruppens dynamik och främja socialt beteende. I ljuset av detta finns det potential att använda sociala robotar som diskussionsmoderatorer för att underlätta engagerande och produktiva diskussioner bland människor. Tidigare arbete med ämneshantering hos konversationsagenter baserades till övervägande del på mänskligt engagemang och ämnesanpassning, där agenten hade en aktiv/central roll i samtalet. Denna avhandling fokuserar uteslutande på moderering av gruppdiskussioner; istället för att moderera ämnet baserat på utvärderat mänskligt engagemang, bygger avhandlingen på tidigare forskning om icke-verbala ledtrådar relaterade till diskussionsämnesstruktur och turtagning för att avgöra om deltagarna avser att fortsätta diskutera det aktuella ämnet på ett innehållsfritt sätt. Denna avhandling undersöker lämpligheten av maskininlärningsmodeller och bidraget från olika audiovisuella icke-verbala funktioner för att förutsäga lämpliga ämnesändringar. För detta ändamål använde vi förinspelade interaktioner mellan en robotmoderator och mänskliga deltagare, som vi kommenterade och från vilka vi extraherade akustiska och kroppsspråksrelaterade funktioner. Vi tillhandahåller en analys av prestandan för sekventiell och ickesekventiell maskininlärningsmetoder med olika uppsättningar funktioner, samt en jämförelse med regelbaserad heuristik. Resultaten indikerar lovande prestation när det gäller att klassificera mellan fall när ett ämnesbyte var olämpligt kontra när ett ämnesbyte kunde eller borde ändras, överträffande regelbaserade tillvägagångssätt och demonstrerar genomförbarheten av att använda maskininlärningsmodeller för ämnesmoderering. När det gäller typen av modeller tyder resultaten inte på någon tydlig fördel med sekventiella metoder framför icke-sekventiella modelleringsmetoder, vilket indikerar effektiviteten hos enklare icke-sekventiella datamodeller. Akustiska funktioner uppvisade jämförbara och, i vissa fall, förbättrade övergripande prestanda och robusthet jämfört med att endast använda kroppsspråksrelaterade funktioner eller en kombination av båda typerna.svis ger denna avhandling en grund för framtida forskning inom robotmedierad ämnesmoderering i grupper som använder icke-verbala ledtrådar, och presenterar möjligheter att förbättra sociala robotar ytterligare med ämnesmodererande förmåga.

Whilst there are numerous studies on young people’s engagement in academic study, the internal relationship between young people and academic study is still unclear. This thesis seeks to explain the relation of young people to their academic study, in the context of Brunei Darussalam, through analysing young people’s motive hierarchy. The research is based on the understanding that young people are faced with multiple contradicting demands from the society, which evolve with their developmental age. The contradicting demands generate conflicts for young people as they participate across the different institutional practices in their everyday lives. The research entailed a semi-participatory research approach, which emphasised young people’s lived experiences, from a first-person perspective. Eight (8) young people aged 16-18 years who are studying for their GCE A Level examinations, played roles as both trained Student Researchers, as well as participants in this research. Data were collected from focus group discussions, annotated photo albums (MyAlbum) and a ‘participant self-generated’ questionnaire (MyQuestionnaire). The focus of the data collection was on the young people’s experiences of conflicts with respect to their academic study and the different agendas in their everyday lives. Intermediary tools were developed to focus the data analysis to identify motive-orientations and their relative importance in the construct of the motive hierarchy of a young person. An initial general model of motive hierarchy was developed from this study too. It is a societal demand for young people in late adolescence to be vocational and career oriented. However this study shows the eight (8) young people are also oriented towards other objects, apart from being future oriented. They can still have a dominant motive-orientation towards intimate personal relations, which usually prevails for early adolescence. Two other motive-orientations have also emerged from this study, i.e. the societal value system and self-comfort related. These different motive-orientations of the young people contradict the societal demands and create conflicts for the young people as they participate in and across the practices. These findings are important in informing intervention programmes to improve young people’s engagement in academic study.

Den Ausgangspunkt dieser Arbeit bildete die Auseinandersetzung um Landschaft und deren Bedeutung für eine landschaftsbezogene Identitätsbildung aus Sicht der Bewohner ebenso wie aus der planerischen Perspektive. Da Landschaft erst durch die Interpretation ihrer Betrachter und deren Handlungspraktiken zu dem wird, was im Sinne ihrer Nutzer auch den Wert ausmacht, gilt es v. a. sich diesen wertgebenden Prozessen und deren bezugnehmenden Merkmalen zu widmen. Der planerische Auftrag identifikationsstiftende Landschaftsmerkmale zu erfassen und dabei das konstruktivistische Landschaftverständnis als ein Konstrukt eines kollektiven Sozialzusammenhanges verfolgend, bietet für einen Landschaftsdiskurs den größten Anknüpfungspunkt und bringt in seiner Logik das Anliegen der Landschaftsinterpretation von Bewohnern hervor. Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit ist es herauszustellen, welche Aspekte identitätsstiftender landschaftsbezogener Merkmale die Bewohner für die Verhandlung um raumbezogene Zugehörigkeit hinzuziehen und wie diese mit den Merkmalen der planerischen Analyse übereinstimmen oder sich ergänzen bzw. wie sie verhandelt werden. Mithilfe eines Gruppendiskussionsverfahrens sollen diese Merkmale aus Sicht der Bewohner, methodisch aufbauend auf einer „klassischen“ Kulturlandschaftserfassung, angekoppelt und ergänzt werden. Das Gruppendiskussionsverfahren als Methode der qualitativen Sozialforschung eignet sich zum einen als qualitativer Forschungsansatz für diese Arbeit, weil er eine freie Entfaltung der Relevanzsysteme und damit ein kontrolliertes Fremdverstehen ermöglicht. Im Rahmen des Aneignungsprozesses um Landschaft soll das zentrale Prinzip der Offenheit angesetzt werden, was im Sinne von Kruse (2015, 65) bedeutet, das eigene Relevanzsystem (planerischer Hintergrund) zu öffnen, um das Fremde an sich heranzulassen. Es geht weniger darum den eigenen Standpunkt, Wissensbestände und Konzepte anzuzweifeln, als vielmehr eine reflexive Sensibilisierung für eine eigene Relevanz zu erreichen (vgl. Kruse 2015, 71). Zum anderen liegt die hohe Eignung in einer nondirektiven Gruppenleitungsform und zusätzlich in einer Vielfalt der Diskussionsteilnehmenden. Unter Gruppendiskussion ist ein Gespräch aus bis zu 15 Teilnehmern zu einem gemeinsamen Thema zu verstehen, wobei der Fragende keine vornehmlich gesprächsleitende, sondern v. a. eine beobachtende Position inne hat (nondirektive). Im Rahmen des Forschungsprojektes „Kulturlandschaftspojekt Mittelsachsen“ des Lehrstuhls Landschaftsplanung unter Leitung von Frau Prof. Dr. Catrin Schmidt im Auftrag des Landkreis Mittelsachsen, wurden von der Bearbeiterin in neun Gemeinden des Landkreises Gruppendiskussionen über einen Zeitraum von drei Monaten im Jahr 2014 durchgeführt. Die Auswertung der Gespräche erfolgte auf Basis der dokumentarischen Methode stufenweise. Dazu wurden die aufgezeichneten Gespräche in einem ersten Schritt transkribiert, im Weiteren durch eine formulierende Interpretation in die wesentlichen Themen selektiert und der immanente Sinngehalt wiedergegeben, um dann mit der refletierenden Interpretation zu forschungsleitenden Kernaussagen und Thesen zu kommen. Außerdem wurden die innerhalb des „Kulturlandschaftspojektes Mittelsachsen“ erarbeiteten, landschaftsbezogenen Merkmale der GIS-basierten Landschaftscharakterisierungen den Aussagen aus den Gruppengesprächen gegenübergestellt. In einer vertiefenden Interpretation anhand von Thesen wurden zudem die Zusammenhänge aktueller Landschaftsdiskurse in Abhängigkeit von gesellschaftlichen Rahmenbedingungen verifiziert und die Bedeutung für zu erwartende Trends herausgestellt. Nicht nur die Inhalte und Verhandlungspraktiken innerhalb des Gruppendiskussionsverfahrens wurden an neun geführten Gesprächsrunden analysiert, sondern auch die zur Durchführung notwendigen Schritte. Die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse aus den Zusammenhängen von Auswahl der Gruppenteilnehmenden und Art und Weise der Fragestellungen sowie der Motivation der Teilnehmenden und den Auswirkungen auf den Erfolg der Diskussion, bildeten die Basis für die Modifizierungsvorschläge eines Gruppendiskussionsverfahrens. Zusammenfassend zeigen diese konkreten Möglichkeiten wie mithilfe von Gruppendiskussionen das Landschaftwissen der Bewohner aufbauend auf einer planerischen Analyse eines Landschaftsausschnittes ermittelt und in ein Kulturlandschaftskonzept integriert werden können. Im Ergebnis wurde dabei deutlich, dass die Wahrnehmung einer Region nicht ohne den Bezug auf den konkreten lokalen Ort funktioniert. Von Vorteil stellte sich dabei das grenzübergreifende Denken der Bewohner heraus. Das Interesse raumbezogener Gesellschaftwissenschaften an Landschaft kann für die Landschaftsplanung sehr inspirierend sein, v. a. wenn das methodische Gerüst der sozialwissenschaftlichen Erhebungsmethoden dabei noch stärker mit den Planungswissenschaften verknüpft werden kann. Es gilt demnach Varianten der empirischen Erhebungsmethoden zum einen und Methoden der Auswertung zum anderen für eine Nutzung in planerischem Kontext weiterzudenken. Diese Arbeit liefert einen wichtigen Ansatz.

Title on printed copy differs slightly from ETD. Title on printed copy: A critical analysis of HIV/AIDS policy development and implementation at selected Ugandan universities / The main objectives of the study were to analyse the process involved in HIV/AIDS policy development and implementation at two selected universities in Uganda. The rationale for the study was to describe the policy development process and to identify how such institutional policies can be planned, operationalised, monitored and evaluated. The study used a qualitative approach which involved key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The selected institutions were Makerere University Kampala (MUK)and Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). The findings show that MUST have a comprehensive HIV/AIDS Institutional Policy (HIP) which followed several stages during policy development. The basic stages identified were policy formulation, policy adoption, policy implementation and policy evaluation. The findings also show that MUST have a comprehensive implementation plan. In contrast, MUK had no record of the HIV/AIDS institutional policy development process. However, MUK had implemented the policy successfully through the University Hospital and Gender Mainstreaming Division. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

The recent global growth and popularity of open and distance learning (ODL) has been attributed to its advantages, such as flexibility for students who wish to study while working. Moreover, ODL is an effective tool in extending participation to students from less privileged social groups who are unreachable due to geographic location or cannot access higher education due to diverse factors, such as financial constraints or domestic arrangements. In the light of this, this study investigated learner support in the Department of Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) at the University of South Africa (Unisa), the largest, dedicated ODL institution in South Africa. A review of literature identified the Community of Inquiry model proposed by Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2001) as useful in this context and I used it as a conceptual framework for the empirical inquiry that I undertook. A mixed method approach comprising two consecutive phases was employed to investigate the research questions. A self-designed questionnaire was used to gather quantitative data from a random sample of 400 students registered for the ABET Diploma module (Phase One) followed by face to face interviews with selected lecturers and students (Phase Two). The scope of the study was limited to ABET lecturers, ABET diploma students and to selected Unisa learner support systems, such as myUnisa which includes a web-based discussion forum. The findings of the inquiry were presented and discussed under three main headings: the findings of Phase One, the findings of Phase Two and a summary in which the findings of the two phases were integrated where appropriate. The themes that emerged from the questionnaire and the interviews demonstrate clearly that learner support in the ABET Department is crucial in ensuring learner success. Interlinking themes are as follows: the context of the students, levels of computer literacy, accessibility of Unisa learner support systems, student motivation and time management. Many ABET students live in remote areas of the country and have little or no access to internet facilities. However, the majority of students agreed that they would like to interact more with other students through myUnisa in future. Lecturers and students agreed that myUnisa was a vital tool in teaching the students online; yet both students and lecturers still regarded contact discussion classes as the most important form of learner support. The findings suggested that the distance between the university and the student still has to be reduced more to ensure that student support reaches all students equitably. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

This thesis argues that truth-telling in high level (nursing home) aged care is a undamentally important aspect of care that ought to reside equally alongside instrumental care. The health of the resident in a nursing home, as with individuals in other care contexts, is directly linked to care provision that allows the resident to be self determining about their care and thus allows them to make reasonable choices and decisions. This qualitative study explores the meaning of truth-telling in the care providerresident dyad in high level (nursing home) aged care. Grounded within the epistemology of social constructionism and the theoretical stance of symbolic interactionism, this study relied on oral and written text from care providers (personal care assistants and registered nurses) and residents. Thematic analysis of data relied on practices within grounded theory to determine their understanding and the conditions and consequences of their understanding about truth-telling in the nursing home. Through an understanding of the relationship-role-residency trinity, truth-telling in high level (nursing home) care comes to be understood. It has been determined that the link between truth-telling and the nature of the care provider-resident (and residents' families) relationship is that both personal carers and nurses in this study premise their understanding of truth disclosure on knowing a resident's (and resident's family's) capacity for coping with the truth and therefore catering for the resident's or family's best interests. The breadth and depth of this knowing and how the relationship is perceived and described determine what care providers will or will not tell. That is, the perceptions both personal carers and nurses have about the relationship - how they describe themselves as 'family like', 'friend' and 'stranger', has implications for the way disclosure operates and is described. Additionally, how care providers perceive and understand their role determines what care providers will or will not tell. That is, the perceptions both carers and nurses have about their own and each other's role - how they describe themselves for example as 'hands-on' carer and 'happy good nurse' has implications for the way disclosure operates and is described. Furthermore, care providers' meaning and understanding of truth-telling in aged care is not possible in the absence of an appreciation of how the care providers give meaning to and come to understand the care circumstance - residency, the aged care facility, the nursing home. That is, the perceptions both personal carers and nurses have about the aged care facility - how they describe residency as 'Home away from Home' (and what this means), as a place of little time and a plethora of situations have implications for the operation of truth-telling as a whole. Recommendations from the study include the implementation of a telling audit to better serve the truth-telling preferences of residents and the reorientation of care practices to emphasise affective care (talk rather than tasks). Furthermore, it is recommended that changes occur to the care provider roles, that care providers define themselves as facilitators rather than protectors, and education be ongoing to improve communication with and care of residents with dementia and those dying. Finally, the language of residency as 'home' needs to capture an alternate philosophy and attendant practices for improved open communication.

Text in German with German and English summaries / Die vorliegende Forschungsarbeit erforscht Transformationsprozesse von etablierten Gemeinden, die auf eine missionale Neuausrichtung zielen. Den Kern der Arbeit bildet die empirische Untersuchung des eränderungsprozesses der Freien evangelischen Gemeinde Darmstadt. Es wird untersucht, wie die Mitglieder diesen Prozess erlebt und wahrgenommen haben, um herauszufinden, wodurch dieser Prozess gefördert und gehemmt wurde. Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich außerdem mit der von Luhmann entwickelten systemischen Organisationstheorie, die dabei hilft zu verstehen, wie Gemeinde als Organisation funktioniert und was dies für deren Veränderung bedeutet. Es wird versucht die Ergebnisse der empirischen Forschung mithilfe dieser Theorie zu deuten und einzuordnen, um aufzuzeigen, inwiefern diese Theorie bei Veränderungsprozessen helfen kann, den Fokus auf die Aspekte zu lenken, die für eine erfolgreiche Umsetzung relevant sind. Ziel der Arbeit ist es, Hilfestellung für zukünftige Transformationsprozesse zu geben, indem sie fragt, was aus dem Prozess der Freien evangelischen Gemeinde Darmstadt und der systemischen Organisationstheorie gelernt werden kann. / This MTh dissertation explores transformational processes of established churches, that aim towards missional renewal. Core of this thesis is the empirical study of the transformation-process of the Freie evangelische Gemeinde Darmstadt. The study explores the perception of the church members of this process, to find out ways it was supported and blocked. The thesis also deals with the theory of organized social systems by Luhmann, that helps to understand how local church works as an organization and what this means regarding change. The Thesis interprets the results of the empirical study based on this theory to show, how it can help depict those aspects, that are relevant to successfully implement transformational processes. Aim of this thesis is to give assistance to shape future transformational processes by asking what can be learned from the developments of the Freie evangelische Gemeinde Darmstadt and the theory of organized social systems. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M.Th. (Missiology)

The recent global growth and popularity of open and distance learning (ODL) has been attributed to its advantages, such as flexibility for students who wish to study while working. Moreover, ODL is an effective tool in extending participation to students from less privileged social groups who are unreachable due to geographic location or cannot access higher education due to diverse factors, such as financial constraints or domestic arrangements. In the light of this, this study investigated learner support in the Department of Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) at the University of South Africa (Unisa), the largest, dedicated ODL institution in South Africa. A review of literature identified the Community of Inquiry model proposed by Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2001) as useful in this context and I used it as a conceptual framework for the empirical inquiry that I undertook. A mixed method approach comprising two consecutive phases was employed to investigate the research questions. A self-designed questionnaire was used to gather quantitative data from a random sample of 400 students registered for the ABET Diploma module (Phase One) followed by face to face interviews with selected lecturers and students (Phase Two). The scope of the study was limited to ABET lecturers, ABET diploma students and to selected Unisa learner support systems, such as myUnisa which includes a web-based discussion forum. The findings of the inquiry were presented and discussed under three main headings: the findings of Phase One, the findings of Phase Two and a summary in which the findings of the two phases were integrated where appropriate. The themes that emerged from the questionnaire and the interviews demonstrate clearly that learner support in the ABET Department is crucial in ensuring learner success. Interlinking themes are as follows: the context of the students, levels of computer literacy, accessibility of Unisa learner support systems, student motivation and time management. Many ABET students live in remote areas of the country and have little or no access to internet facilities. However, the majority of students agreed that they would like to interact more with other students through myUnisa in future. Lecturers and students agreed that myUnisa was a vital tool in teaching the students online; yet both students and lecturers still regarded contact discussion classes as the most important form of learner support. The findings suggested that the distance between the university and the student still has to be reduced more to ensure that student support reaches all students equitably. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Title on printed copy differs slightly from ETD. Title on printed copy: A critical analysis of HIV/AIDS policy development and implementation at selected Ugandan universities / The main objectives of the study were to analyse the process involved in HIV/AIDS policy development and implementation at two selected universities in Uganda. The rationale for the study was to describe the policy development process and to identify how such institutional policies can be planned, operationalised, monitored and evaluated. The study used a qualitative approach which involved key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The selected institutions were Makerere University Kampala (MUK)and Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). The findings show that MUST have a comprehensive HIV/AIDS Institutional Policy (HIP) which followed several stages during policy development. The basic stages identified were policy formulation, policy adoption, policy implementation and policy evaluation. The findings also show that MUST have a comprehensive implementation plan. In contrast, MUK had no record of the HIV/AIDS institutional policy development process. However, MUK had implemented the policy successfully through the University Hospital and Gender Mainstreaming Division. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)