Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1979.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1986.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Johns Hopkins University, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 147-159).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Carroll E. Izard, Dept. of Psychology. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D. )--Washington State University, May 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-140).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Duquesne University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-97) and index.

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / As an educator, psychologist, or counselor one is frequently confronted with the devastation and turmoil Divorce brings to the lives of children and how it aims at stealing their Hope and happiness. The aim in this research study was to consult children about their relationship with Divorce in order to learn about hopefulness from them when standing up to Divorce. To discover Hope in the face of Divorce, this qualitative study was conducted with children utilising participatory action research and narrative therapy. The theoretical foundation operated from, was the post-modernist paradigm and social constructionist discourse. This theoretical foundation was selected as it draws from the same philosophical markers as participatory action research and narrative therapy. The children who participated in this research study were two girls that I conversed with in therapy as part of my internship at a private practice. The two young girls I conversed with, both referred themselves for therapeutic conversations as they were being confronted by Divorce in their families. They are respectively ten and eleven years of age. These two girls participated after the finalisation of the divorce proceedings in their families. In this study, I drew on multiple methods of data collection during the research process in order to construct and generate rich data with the participants. The data included therapeutic conversations, artworks, journal texts and whatever else the children brought to our conversations. The recording of the children's experiences (data) was done by gathering and reflecting thick descriptions. These thick descriptions reflected their Hope and enriched my understanding of Hope.

Improvements in diagnostic measures over the years have resulted in more accurate diagnosis of ADHD. Whilst many studies have focused on ADHD as a disorder, few studies have looked at the experience of raising a child with ADHD. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of Black parents raising children with ADHD. The sample consisted of five Black parents who live the experience of raising children, between the ages of six and twelve years, with ADHD. An interview schedule with semi-structured open-ended questions was used. The study followed a qualitative research design with descriptive phenomenology as the worldview. The themes that emerged from the data were around the experience of their child, the experience of ADHD and the experience of self. Black parents experienced their children’s behaviour as hyperactive and uncontrollable. They also believed their children were socially withdrawn and isolated. Problems with inattention, not listening and being unable to concentrate were highlighted as experienced at school and at home. Black parents also stated that their children were clever and popular at school and at home, but had problems with speech. However, most were hopeful for their children’s future. Black parents raising children with ADHD had a reasonable understanding of ADHD as a disorder, even though the results of the study suggest that ADHD is still misunderstood in the Black population. Black parents experienced others as insensitive and blaming. The support from professionals was experienced as not satisfactory and there were concerns about the medication. Black parents experienced their style of parenting as harsh but accommodating. They experienced guilt and shame, blaming themselves for their children’s condition. They also felt trapped, frustrated, alone, lonely, helpless, in despair and even depressed at times. However they viewed themselves as generally coping well. Core values such as respect for others, discipline and boundaries have remained in how they parent. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

Parental divorce is considered one of the most stressful events in the lives of children. The adult perspective has dominated the discourse on divorce, and only recently has research started to consider the viewpoint of children. Research indicates that the nature of the divorce process as experienced by the child is the most important factor in post-divorce adjustment. It also remains a relatively unexplored area, with research on the manner in which children experience the divorce process being limited. The current study aimed to conduct a narrative inquiry into the experiences and perceptions of parental divorce, of a purposive sample of 9 to 10 year old children. The primary aim of the study was to highlight and honour the voice of the child in a parental divorce process. The current research was qualitative in nature and adopted a narrative paradigm. Five children were interviewed qualitatively using an unstructured interview. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Seven themes were identified. The first theme explored children’s endeavours to describe and explain parental divorce. An additional six themes were developed around the types of stories children told of the divorce process. Themes included, What is a Divorcement, Stories of Loss, Stories of Gain, Stories of Change, Stories of Stability, Healing Stories, and Complicating Stories. This study endeavoured to provide divorced parents and those working with children a greater understanding of the way in which children perceive parental divorce, and insight into the factors that facilitate children’s positive adjustment to parental divorce.

This study explores the willingness of Indian parents to allow their daughters to pursue tertiary education and careers. This study firstly focused on how women who pursued tertiary education and careers were perceived by family and the Indian community when parents were growing up. Secondly, the study underscored the willingness of parents these days to allow their daughters to pursue tertiary education and careers. A qualitative research approach, using in-depth, semi-structured life-story interviews was used in the study to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that resulted in the development of certain perceptions towards women who pursued tertiary education and careers in the parents’ youth. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. A pilot study using purposive and snowball sampling was conducted using seven (7) sets of Muslim and Hindu parents. Thereafter, further questions were generated for the main study, where thirteen (13) sets of both Muslim and Hindu parents were interviewed. The results of the study indicate that the attitude towards women pursuing tertiary education and careers has evolved over time. Parents are these days more willing to allow their daughters to pursue tertiary education and careers. In the past women had not been encouraged to study and work. However, this perception has changed today. There is a great demand for Indian women in the workplace and many Indian women are enrolling every year at different universities to pursue tertiary education. The South African laws support women empowerment and education and, as a whole, many contributions in the country are made by women. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted