Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) have proven to be effective tools for aiding in the instruction of new skills for young kids; however, interaction methods that employ traditional input devices such as the keyboard and mouse may present barriers to children who have yet learned how to write. Existing applications which utilize pen-input devices better mimic the physical act of writing, but few provide useful feedback to the users. This thesis presents a system specifically designed to serve as a useful tool in teaching children how to draw basic shapes, and helping them develop basic drawing and writing skills. The system uses a combination of sketch recognition techniques to interpret the handwritten strokes from sketches of the children, and then provides intelligent feedback based on what they draw. Our approach provides a virtual coach to assist teachers teaching the critical skills of drawing and handwriting. We do so by guiding children through a set of exercises of increasing complexity according to their progress, and at the same time keeping track of students' performance and engagement, giving them differentiated instruction and feedback. Our system would be like a virtual Teaching Assistant for Young Kids, hence we call it TAYouKi. We collected over five hundred hand-drawn shapes from grownups that had a clear understanding of what a particular geometric shape should look like. We used this data to test the recognition of our system. Following, we conducted a series of case studies with children in age group three to six to test the interactivity efficacy of the system. The studies served to gain important insights regarding the research challenges in different domains. Results suggest that our approach is appealable and engaging to children and can help in more effectively teach them how to draw and write.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Infertility is currently a serious problem that is escalating, not only in South Africa, but also worldwide. In Cape Town, a culturally diverse, urban community of approximately 1000 couples are referred to the Groote Schuur Hospital Infertility Clinic annually. Although infertility is primarily regarded as a medical condition, the treatments have emotional effects on infertile couples due to the recurring highs and lows that often accompany treatments. This study aimed to qualitatively explore and understand the emotional and psychological experiences of infertility and its treatments (specifically In Vitro Fertilisation and Embryo Transfer). Social constructionism is based on the premise that realities are not constructed in a vacuum but rather undergo a process whereby the subjective and inter-subjective experiences over time and through cultural processes come to be regarded as truths. These truths become internalised and function as lenses through which we see ourselves, compose and invent ourselves accordingly, making sense of what would otherwise have been chaotic and meaningless experiences. Additional aims were to examine women's experiences of infertility care whilst undergoing treatment and describe their experiences of coping with infertility and In Vitro Fertilisation and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET). Semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with 21 women presenting with primary infertility at a fertility clinic. This study utilised an ethnographic case study design. The results of the study suggested that women perceived themselves as not conforming to a dominant belief system that promotes motherhood as the most important role for women. The women described their 'failure' to fulfill socio-cultural expectations as emotionally turbulent. Some of the psychological responses to infertility included feelings of disappointment, shock, denial, devastation, anger, frustration, sadness, inadequacy, poor self-image and self-esteem. The women's personal accounts of their experiences of In Vitro Fertilisation and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET) revealed that they found the treatment to be highly stressful, with emotional bouts of anxiety, nervousness, excitement and optimism. A psychological synopsis of infertility and IVF-ET is infertility and IVF-ET presents. The fmdings in this study suggest the need for the incorporation of presented. This diagrammatic representation shows the intensity of the emotional rollercoaster that psychosocial intervention into infertility management. Greater attention to the psychological and emotional repercussions of infertility treatment could lead to a more personalised approach which, in turn, would optimise patient satisfaction and also prepare couples for the demands of the program by informing them about better ways of coping.

Infertility is the inability to achieve a pregnancy. WHO classify infertility into two groups. Primary infertility is the term used to describe a couple that has never been able to conceive a pregnancy, after at least 1 year of unprotected intercourse. Secondary infertility describes couples who have previously been pregnant at least once, but have not been able to achieve another pregnancy. Causes of infertility include a wide range of physical as well as emotional factors. Approximately 30 - 40% of all infertility is due to a "male" factor such as retrograde ejaculation, impotence hormone deficiency, environmental pollutants, scarring from sexually transmitted disease, or decreased sperm count. A "female" factor -- scarring from sexually transmitted disease or endometriosis, ovulation dysfunction, poor nutrition, hormone imbalance, ovarian cysts, pelvic infection, tumor or transport system abnormality from the cervix through the fallopian tubes -- is responsible for 40 - 50% of infertility in couples. The remaining 10 -30% of infertility cases may be caused by contributing factors from both partners, or no cause can be identified. This dissertation has two main goals. The first goal is to describe how a couple face up to their problems with infertility. The second goal is that this dissertation can be used as a study material for social and medical employees. This dessertation is based on a qualitative research. I used a method CAMI {--} communication through the use of computer. The observational goup were people disccusing at www.neplodnost.cz.