The thesis deals with the topic of dyscalculia, which is officially recognized as a learning disability. The theoretical part of the thesis is focused on the current status of knowledge about development of mathematical skills and their disorders in the context of dyscalculia. The empiric part of this thesis describes a research which compares the performances of individuals with dyscalculia and control participants on a range number and numerosity processing tasks. The main goal was to describe the image of possible causes of difficulties. Deficits in the processing of symbolic and nonsymbolic numerosities were observed in group of dyscalculic participants. We conclude that dyscalculia is related to specific disabilities in basic numerical and numerosity processing which affects ability to acquire arithmetical skills. KEYWORDS Klíčová slova (anglicky): Dyscalculia, numerosity, arithmetic skills, mathematical skills, specific learning difficulties

Recent trends show that learners’ enrolment and performance in science at secondary school level is dwindling. Some science topics including genetics in biology are said to be difficult for learners to learn and thus they perform poorly in examinations. Teacher knowledge base, particularly topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), has been identified by many researchers as an important factor that is linked with learner understanding and achievement in science. This qualitative study was an attempt to explore the PCK of four successful biology teachers and how they developed it in the context of teaching genetics. The purposive sampling technique was employed to select the participating teachers based on their schools’ performance in biology public examinations and recommendations by science specialists and school principals. Pedagogical content knowledge was used as a theoretical framework for the study, which guided the inquiry in data collection, analysis and discussion of the research findings. The study adopted the case study method and various sources of evidence including concept maps, lesson plans, pre-lesson interviews, lesson observations, post-teaching teacher questionnaire, post-lesson interviews and document analysis were used to collect data on teachers’ PCK as well as how PCK was assumed to have developed. The data were analysed in an attempt to determine the individual teachers’ school genetics’ content knowledge, related knowledge of instructional strategies and knowledge of learners’ preconceptions and learning difficulties. The analysis involved an iterative process of coding data into PCK categories of content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and knowledge of learners’ preconceptions and learning difficulties. The findings of the study indicate that the four successful biology teachers generally have the necessary content knowledge of school genetics, used certain topic-specific instructional strategies, but lacked knowledge of genetics-related learners’ preconceptions and learning difficulties despite having taught the topic for many years. There were some instructional deficits in their approaches and techniques in teaching genetics. The teachers failed to use physical models, teacher demonstration and/or learner experimentation in their lessons (or include them in their lesson plans) to assist learners in visualizing or internalizing the genetics concepts or processes located at the sub-microscopic level. The teachers’ PCK in genetics teaching was assumed to have developed mainly through formal university education programmes, classroom teaching experiences, peer support and participation in in-service workshops. The implications for biology teacher education are also discussed. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / Humanities Education / PhD / Unrestricted

Dans ce travail de recherche qui s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une thèse en sciences du langage, notre intérêt s’est porté sur les problèmes que rencontrent les jordaniens qui apprennent la langue française lors de la réalisation des productions écrites. Nous avons trouvé que l’interférence constitue une difficulté majeure à laquelle se heurtent fréquemment les apprenants ; elle constitue par conséquent un défi pour l’enseignement du français. Dans cette recherche sur l’analyse des erreurs orthographiques grammaticales et lexicales, qui se base sur une enquête effectuée au département de langue et littérature française à l’université de Jordanie à Amman, nous avons tenté de repérer les erreurs commises, de comprendre leurs causes, de connaître de quelle manière la langue maternelle des apprenants (l'arabe jordanien) et la première langue étrangère dans le pays (l'anglais) marquent leurs productions écrites. Nous avons ensuite cherché à y remédier dans une perspective visant le développement des compétences orthographiques des apprenants et également de l’enseignement du français en Jordanie en fonction de leurs besoins et attentes, afin d’introduire une méthodologie efficace pour l’apprentissage du français langue étrangère. / In this research which is part of a thesis in linguistics, our interest was focused on the problems faced by Jordanian students who learn the French language when producing written work. We found that interference is a major difficulty that learners affronted frequently; it is therefore a challenge for the teaching of French. In this research the analysis of grammatical and lexical spelling errors, based on a survey in French language and literature department at the University of Jordan in Amman, we have attempted to identify the mistakes, understand their causes to know how the learners' mother tongue (Jordanian Arabic) and the first foreign language in the country (English) mark their written productions. We then sought to remedy with a view to the development of spelling skills of learners and also the teaching of French in Jordan according to their needs and expectations in order to introduce an effective methodology for learning French language.

In this study the emotional responses of mothers to their children with learning difficulties were identified and explored. A narrative research design was used to capture a chapter in the life stories of eleven mothers whose children were attending a school specialising in ‘remedial’ education, relating their experiences and emotional responses regarding their child’s learning difficulties. Data was collected by means of individual interviews, letters from the mothers, field notes in the form of journal entries written by the researcher, as well as individual feedback and collaboration sessions with the mothers. Data was analysed by means of several phases of theme analysis, after which, through a final analysis, 18 emotional response themes were identified. Three emotional response themes were identified as exception themes. The 18 emotional response themes, along with the three exception themes, were then clustered around joyful, sad, fearful and angry emotional response categories. After feedback and collaboration sessions, the themes were then further interpreted through a final level of analysis to weave a narrative of mothers’ emotional responses to their child with learning difficulties. This study found that mothers experience complex emotions in response to their child with learning difficulties. The strongest emotional response themes that emerged, which were reported by all the mothers were frustration, happiness and love. The more positive emotional responses were mentioned in relation to their child being accepted at the school specialising in ‘remedial’ education, as well as to an increased understanding of their child’s learning difficulties. Mothers mentioned that they experienced frustration and a lack of support as regards being helped to understand their child’s learning difficulties better. It was thus found that an understanding of their child’s learning difficulties appeared to be related to a decrease in negative emotional responses and an increase in more positive emotional responses. All the mothers in the study indicated an emotional response of love towards their child with learning difficulties. / Dissertation (MEd (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

En 1791, Condorcet place l’autodidaxie au coeur de son projet d’instruction. Il souhaite donner à chaque citoyen, et en particulier à ceux qui n’ont pas la chance de naître dans un milieu aisé, les moyens de s’instruire par soi-même. L’autodidaxie s’inscrit chez Condorcet dans une triple visée : compensatoire, émancipatoire et autonomisante. L’école doit apprendre à apprendre à se former tout au long de la vie. L’autodidaxie nécessite un apprentissage et le maître doit être un accompagnateur de ce processus. Malheureusement, son projet n’aboutit pas.Quelque deux siècles plus tard, l’autodidaxie est remise au goût du jour et invoquée comme nécessité pour s’adapter en permanence à notre société contemporaine où les savoirs sont devenus un enjeu socio-économique important et pour répondre au contexte de crise des institutions éducatives.Cette thèse est le résultat d’une expérience pédagogique menée durant six années, au collège Evire, en Haute-Savoie. Elle se propose d’explorer les effets d’une pédagogie autogestionnaire visant à favoriser une posture autodidacte chez des élèves en grande difficulté et en échec scolaire, orientés au collège en classe de SEGPA. L’autogestion est alors conçue comme un dispositif pédagogique cherchant à concrétiser les orientations de Condorcet. Cette étude de l’autodidaxie en milieu scolaire a permis de mettre en lumière les richesses et les limites d’une telle pédagogie en fonction des dispositifs institués ou instituants et des modalités d’accompagnement.Mots-clés / In 1791, Condorcet set the self-directed learning at the heart of his education project. He wishes to give every citizen, and in particular to those who are not lucky enough to be born in wealthy families, the means to educate by oneself. For Condorcet, self-directed learning has a triple aim: compensatory, emancipatory and empowering. The school must teach to learn how to educate oneself throughout life. Self-directed learning requires a learning process and the schoolmaster has to be a guide to this process. Unfortunately, his project does not succeed.Some two centuries later, the self-directed learning is being brought up to date and cited as a need to constantly adapt to contemporary society in which knowledge has become an important socio-economic issue as well as a need to respond to the crisis of educational institutions.This thesis is the outcome of an educational experiment that has been conducted for six years in Evire middle school, Haute-Savoie. It will explore the effects of self-education to promote self-taught posture among pupils who are struggling and whose counselling is targeted to secondary school SEGPA classes. Self-directed learning is conceived as an educational device embodying the guidance of Condorcet. The study of self-directed learning in schools has helped to highlight the richness and limitations of such a pedagogy depending on established or establishing plans and ways of supporting them.

The study is a qualitative explanation of the emotional responses of children with learning difficulties regarding their social interaction experiences. The primary research question that guided the study is: What are the emotional responses of children with learning difficulties regarding their social interaction experiences? Two learners were selected to participate in the study. Activity sessions, observations and interviews were conducted to determine the participants’ emotional responses regarding their social interaction experiences. Theme analysis was used to analyze the data collected. Seven main themes with sub-themes pertaining to the main themes, emerged from the data. The findings of the study are understood in terms of a Vygotskian social development framework. The study revealed that the participants, identified as having learning challenges, experienced difficulties in their social interaction experiences. Their emotional responses to their social interaction experiences indicated that the participants found peer learning to be emotionally challenging. They further indicated that they were not included in the majority of their peers’ social activities in the playground setting. Both participants have developed methods of resilience to help them cope with the challenges they face in their social interaction experiences with their peers. These methods help to alleviate stress caused due to the challenges they face with social interaction but these forms of resilience do not help the participants to experience learning taking place in Vygotsky’s (1978) Zone of Proximal Development as the coping mechanisms employed by the participants remove the participants from the majority of their peers’ interactions, rather than include them. Learning in Vygotsky’s (1978) Zone of Proximal Development relies on social interaction, supported by more able peers or adults, resulting in learning taking place at a higher level than the individual would be able to achieve on their own. Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

The Whole thesis is in Afrikaans: Epilepsy is a phenomenon that can manifest in a variety of ways, which differ mainly in severity, appearance, aetiology, effect and control thereof. In this study a lack of knowledge and education about epilepsy is pointed out as a factor that was neglected over the years. It is of utmost importance to distinguish between three main categories of epilepsy as all three types have a restraining effect that may leave any learner vulnerable. The popular belief about the concept epilepsy until recently did not recognize the type of epilepsy where a disturbance in consciousness or relapse in consciousness only occurred as in the case with elementary partial attacks (temporal and frontal lobe epilepsy). Ignorance about temporal and frontal lobe epilepsy, as well as the fact that the physical symptoms of this type of epilepsy are very subtle in nature, may be the cause why acceptance of this condition has been slow or undervalued. In reality learners with lobe epilepsy are not regarded as disabled and should such a learner not be diagnosed and not receive the correct treatment, he/she will not be able to function optimally. The researcher has made a study of epilepsy as well as the physical, cognitive, emotional, social, self image impact on the learner in family and school context. The impact of epilepsy on the primary school learner was studied from a gestalt point of view. In this study the researcher employed both a quantitative and qualitative research approach. It was therefore fitting to formulate a research question and a hypothesis. The research question formulated for this study is as follows: What is the knowledge basis of teachers regarding learners with lobe epilepsy? The empirical study indicated that the researcher could provide an answer to the research question by way of semi-structured interviews that indicated that the knowledge basis of the teachers was not sufficient to identify learners with this phenomena. The researcher determined through these interviews that teachers experienced a need to extend their knowledge about temporal and frontal lobe epilepsy. The hypothesis formulated for this study is as follows: Should information and clear guidelines regarding the identification of a learner with lobe epilepsy be offered to teachers, the learner with lobe epilepsy would be identified timeously in the school system. The researcher did a pre-test on the knowledge levels on lobe epilepsy among teachers by way of questionnaires. The pre-test was followed by a structured information session after which an after-test was done by way of questionnaires to determine the change in the teachers’ knowledge basis. The empirical study showed that the teachers’ knowledge basis increased due to the information session offered to them. After this study the teachers could identify learners and refer them for diagnosis and treatment as a result of an increased knowledge basis about this phenomena. The study was followed up by guidelines offered to the teachers on identifying the primary school learner with temporal and frontal lobe epilepsy. / Thesis (DPhil (Social Work))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Yes / Research with prisoners’ families is limited in the context of learning difficulties/disabilities (LD) and autism spectrum. Life-story interviews with mothers reveal an extended period of emotional and practical care labour, as the continuous engagement with their son’s education and experiences of physical and emotional abuse are explored. Prior to their son’s incarceration, mothers spoke of stigma and barriers to support throughout their childrearing, as well as limited or absent preventative/positive care practices. Subsequently prisons and locked wards seem to feature as a progression. Mothers have experienced abuse; physical and/or emotional, as well as lives that convey accounts of failure. Not their failure, but that of the systems. A care ethics model of disability assists an analysis of the narratives where care-less spaces are identified. Interrelated experiences merging emotional responses to extended mothering, the external forces of disabilism and destructive systems, lead to proposing a rehumanising of care practices within for example, education and the criminal justice system. / The Leverhume Trust (RF-2016-613\8)

Text in Afrikaans / In this study quantitative research is employed to determine if cognitive control therapy can successfully be utilized in a group situation to alleviate cognitive deficiency in learners with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Learners with ADHD often do not gain from traditional play- and psychotherapy due to the fact that they do not possess the required cognitive structure necessary to support successful learning. Many of these learners do not receive sufficient assistance and support due to a shortage of government supported educational psychological aid. An empirical investigation of limited scope was performed to establish whether cognitive deficiencies can be alleviated by means of applying cognitive control therapy in a group situation. A one-group pretest-posttest design was utilized where the same group of subjects was studies before and after the experimental treatment. The results indicate that the cognitive control therapy program resulted in a considerable change. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Voorligting)

Although previous research has been done on adolescents with learning difficulties or barriers to learning such as dyslexia and ADHD, no research has been done in South Africa on their self-perceptions of these difficulties. A phenomenological study was conducted through means of semi-structured, individual, face-to-face interviews. Self-perceptions that adolescents with dyslexia and ADHD form were explored. Selfperceptions are formed through comparisons with other learners and friends. Self-perceptions were left as an open-term in order to investigate the adolescents' own idiosyncratic interpretations of dyslexia and ADHD. From the interviews themes could be identified concerning their understanding of dyslexia and ADHD, feelings and cognitions associated with dyslexia and ADHD, the importance that significant others such as educators, parents and friends play, as well as the adolescents' way of coping with dyslexia and ADHD. Selfperceptions were both negative and positive and found to be influenced by factors such as age, type of support systems and sufficient coping strategies. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Guidance and Counseling)