No description available.

The purpose of this research was to examine the perceptions of collaboration and individual communication skills among advanced high school students. Senior students from an Academic Year Governor's School for science and math, all of whom were enrolled in a 9-week leadership, teamwork, and communications course, participated in this mixed methods study. Pre and post surveys were administered to determine participants' perceptions of collaboration and their own communications skills and whether those perceptions changed after completing the course. Each student answered Likert-style questions taken from Zhuang et al. (2008) that categorized perceptions of three factors of collaboration: cooperation skills, advocating and influencing skills, and negotiation skills. A final open-ended question solicited elaboration regarding perceptions of collaboration. Junior students at the same school were not enrolled in the course but were asked to participate in the study as a comparison group. Two tailed t-tests revealed no statistically significant differences between the pre-survey results of the seniors and the juniors. T-tests also revealed no significant differences between the pre and post data for the juniors. However, senior participants had significantly more positive perceptions of collaboration overall; cooperation skills; and advocating and influencing skills; with a non-significant increase in negotiation skills, skills which were not specifically addressed in the nine-week course. The open-ended responses indicated that the seniors perceived collaboration in a more positive way when they were grouped with other students who were engaged and motivated. Students also indicated that positive collaborative experiences allowed students to hear different views and bring ideas together. More positive responses and fewer negative or neutral responses were noted in the post-survey data. The results of this study suggest that when the skills of collaboration and communication are specifically taught, students are more likely to view collaboration positively, recognize the benefits of collaboration both in school and in the workforce, and enjoy the experience of collaborating. / Doctor of Philosophy / The purpose of this research was to examine the perceptions of collaboration and individual communication skills among advanced high school students. Academically advanced senior students, all of whom were enrolled in a 9-week leadership, teamwork, and communications course, participated in this study that contained both quantitative and qualitative research data. Surveys were administered at the start of the course and then at the completion of the course to determine participants' perceptions of collaboration and their own communications skills and whether those perceptions changed after completing the course. Each student answered questions with responses including "never," "rarely," "sometimes," "often," "usually," and "always" taken from Zhuang et al. (2008). The results of the survey categorized perceptions of three factors of collaboration: cooperation skills, advocating and influencing skills, and negotiation skills. A final open-ended question solicited elaboration regarding perceptions of collaboration. Junior students at the same school were not enrolled in the course but were asked to participate in the study as a comparison group. The analysis of the results of the pre-survey data of the seniors and the juniors revealed a good basis for comparison. The data also showed little change of perceptions for the juniors over the 9-week period. However, senior participants had significantly more positive perceptions of collaboration overall; cooperation skills; and advocating and influencing skills; with a non-significant increase in negotiation skills, skills which were not specifically addressed in the nine-week course. The open-ended responses indicated that the seniors perceived collaboration in a more positive way when they were grouped with other students who were engaged and motivated. Students also indicated that positive collaborative experiences allowed students to hear different views and bring ideas together. More positive responses and fewer negative or neutral responses were noted in the post-survey data. The results of this study suggest that when the skills of collaboration and communication are specifically taught, students are more likely to view collaboration positively, recognize the benefits of collaboration both in school and in the workforce, and enjoy the experience of collaborating.

No description available.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Technology: Nursing, Durban University of Technology, 2014. / Globally there is recognition of a health workforce crisis characterised by critical shortages, migration, and an uneven geographical distribution of health professionals. The Nursing Strategy for South Africa records that for many decades nursing has been a career of choice for South Africans from all sectors of society (Department of Health 2008: 11). That has changed as nursing has become less appealing to learners. This raises questions as to the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of learners towards the nursing profession. Aim of the study : The aim of the study was to determine factors influencing high school learners towards nursing as a career. Methodology : A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative and qualitative design was used to guide the study. The study was conducted in two high schools that were purposely sampled; the population comprised of high school learners from the two schools. Questionnaires were used to collect data from Grades 10 and 11. Life Orientation subject teachers were interviewed during data collection. Quantitative data was analysed by using SPSS. Qualitative data was analysed by using thematic analysis. Results : The findings of this study revealed that learners had inadequate knowledge of nursing. Interviews with teachers showed that this inadequate knowledge by learners could be associated with a lack of active involvement of the Department of Health in promoting nursing as a career.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

The problem of this study is the effect of movement from the sixth grade to the seventh grade upon student social status, attitude toward school, and achievement.

The problem of this study is the identification of differences in reading interests and preferences of Indian, Black, and white adolescents of both sexes and from different high school grade levels as they are related to (a) educational background of the parents, (b) availability of reading materials, (c) community size, and (d) the extent to which these preferences are represented in the standard selection aids for secondary school reading materials. A reading interest inventory was administered in the fall term, 1972, through English classes in twenty integrated schools in Oklahoma, representing three levels of population concentration. Community resources in reading materials available through school libraries, public libraries, and bookstores were evaluated. The reading inventories of 3,581 students were chosen to be evaluated to determine if there were significant differences at the .05 level. Earlier studies have indicated that sex and age are major factors in determining what teenagers read about and that adolescents' reading interests tended to be unique, personal, and very unpredictable.- Few studies have been reported that involved ethnic origin or family levels of education.

This study analyzed male high school students' perceptions of the child development course and father role. A two-part questionnaire was administered to 192 males. In Part I, descriptive statistics determined that more males would enroll in child development if the female-oriented image was changed, if they knew more about the course, and if their friends enrolled. In Part II, a t-test was used to analyze the results of the FRO. Six hypotheses examined the perceptions of males with and without parent training toward father roles of nurturing, problem solver, provider, societal model, recreational, and total scores of both groups. Results indicated males without parent training had a more traditional view toward the problem-solver role.

For many years, educators and psychologists have attempted to define the strength of the relationship between self-concept and school performance., A productive approach may be to investigate academic self-efficacy. In the present study, data were collected for students at an alternative high school on the Measure of Academic Self-Efficacy (MASE), Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire (IAR), number of weeks spent in the program, and various descriptive and behavioral measures. Correlations were computed to attempt to demonstrate that participation in an alternative program analogous to participant modeling is associated with increases in academic self-efficacy and internal attributions for educational events, and that these gains are associated with improved academic outcomes.