Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study aims to explore and describe the Youth Care learner's relational interaction with her educators in order to establish what could enhance this relationship with her educators. The specific focus is on the female Youth Care learners' experiences of this relationship and how they impact on the learners' sense of well-being within a particular Youth Care Centre. The participants for this study consisted of eight female learners from the Youth Care Centre. The research methods which were used are semi-structured interviews with each participant. I also conducted focus groups with educators which resulted in confirmation of data. The analysis of the interview guides' data provided themes which are discussed according to certain categories that emerged in the data produced during the interviews. The study shows that various factors such as lack of empathy, trust, respect and understanding impact on the educator-learner relationship within a Youth Care Centre. These factors directly impact on Youth Care learners' well-being. The study shows that the presence of these factors could be used to decrease the number of Youth Care learners who have sad or hopeless feelings. The Youth Care learners also made suggestions on how this relationship with their educators could be enhanced. Thus, it can be concluded that Youth Care educators who possess superior competency in the different realms of emotional skills have many advantages that lead to mutually satisfying and responsible interpersonal relationships. This research therefore calls for a greater focus on the development of the emotional skills of Youth Care educators, which could lead to better interactions with their learners. I conclude by suggesting that further studies be conducted to assess the emotional skills of Youth Care educators and to determine in which realm they need improvement. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die ondersoek is daarop gemik om die aard van die jeugsorgleerder se verhouding met haar opvoeders te eksploreer en te beskryf met die doel om vas te stel wat gedoen kan word ten einde hierdie verhouding te verbeter. Die spesifieke fokus is op hoe jeugsorgleerders hierdie verhoudinge ervaar en die uitwerking daarvan op die leerders se verhouding met en gehegtheid aan hulle opvoeders in 'n besondere Jeugsorgsentrum. Die deelnemers aan die studie was agt vroulike leerders van die Jeugsorgsentrum. Die navorsingsmetodiek het bestaan uit semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude wat op elke deelnemer toegepas is. Opvoeders was ook by fokusgroep besprekings betrokke, wat gelei het tot bevestiging van my data. Data-analise van die vraelyste het die navorser voorsien van temas wat bespreek is volgens kategorieë wat na vore gekom het tydens die proses van dataversameling gedurende die individuele onderhoude. Die ondersoek toon dat 'n verskeidenheid faktore soos gebrek aan empatie, vertroue, respek en begrip 'n beduidende invloed op opvoeder - leerder verhoudinge binne 'n Jeugsorgsentrum uitoefen. Hierdie faktore het 'n direkte invloed op jeugsorgleerders se welsyn. Die ondersoek toon dat die aanwesigheid van hierdie faktore aangewend kan word om die aantal leerders te verminder wat gevoelens van hartseer of hopeloosheid ervaar. Die jeugsorgleerders het ook voorstelle gemaak wat gedoen kan word om hierdie verhoudinge te verbeter. Daar kan dus afgelei word dat dit voordelig is vir opvoeders van Jeugsorgsentrums om oor superieure emosionele vaardighede te beskik, omdat dit wedersyds bevredigende en verantwoordelike interpersoonlike verhoudings tot gevolg het. Hierdie navorsing vra dus vir 'n groter fokus op die ontwikkeling van die emosionele vaardighede van opvoeders, wat kan bydra tot verbeterde verhoudings met hulle leerders. Ten slotte wil ek verdere navorsing op hierdie terrein aanbeveel ten einde die emosionele vaardighede van die opvoeders te bepaal en om vas te stel op watter gebied hulle kan verbeter.

This study contributed to the body of research that supports a holistic model of afterschool learning through the design of an afterschool intervention that benefits elementary school students of low socioeconomic status. This qualitative study evaluated a science focused afterschool curriculum that was designed using principles from Risk and Resiliency Theory, academic motivation theories, science core ideas from the Next Generation Science Standards, and used environmental education philosophy. The research question of this study is: how does an outdoor and STEM based afterschool program impact at-risk students' self-efficacy, belonging and engagement and ability to apply conceptual knowledge of environmental science topics? The study collected information about the participants' affective experiences during the intervention using structured and ethnographic observations and semi-structured interviews. Observations and interviews were coded and analyzed to find patterns in participants' responses. Three participant profiles were developed using the structured observations and ethnographic observations to provide an in depth understanding of the participant experience. The study also assessed the participants' abilities to apply conceptual understanding of the program's science topics by integrating an application of conceptual knowledge task into the curriculum. This task in the form of a participant project was assessed using an adapted version of the Portland Metro STEM Partnership's Application of Conceptual Knowledge Rubric. Results in the study showed that participants demonstrated self-efficacy, a sense of belonging and engagement during the program. Over half of the participants in the study demonstrated a proficient understanding of program concepts. Overall, this holistic afterschool program demonstrated that specific instructional practices and a multi-modal science curriculum helped to support the social and emotional needs of at-risk children.

This study uses the concept of stage-environment fit (Eccles et al., 1993) in conjunction with self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) to guide an investigation of at-risk eighth graders' motivational and academic resilience. A developmentally-calibrated method was used to divide students into motivational and academic resilience groups based on their resilient, average, or stress-affected levels of academic engagement and GPA. Data from 167 eighth graders and 155 sixth graders were used to examine the extent to which students' ratings of autonomy, teacher support, peer support, and engagement in garden-based education were related to resilience group membership, and whether these four resources seemed more important to eighth graders than to sixth graders. Results provided support for the overall hypothesis that the four developmental resources (autonomy, teacher support, peer support, and garden engagement) seemed to serve as motivational and/or academic resources, but did not, generally, provide support for their being more important for eighth graders than for sixth graders. Analyses of variance and regressions showed that autonomy, teacher support, and garden engagement were all resources for eighth graders' motivation and achievement, with autonomy and teacher support as the strongest resources. Peer support was only a resource for motivation, and only for eighth-grade boys. In terms of unique effects, only autonomy uniquely predicted eighth graders' dual (motivational and academic) resilience group membership when controlling for the other developmental resources. In contrast, autonomy, teacher support, and garden engagement all uniquely predicted sixth graders' dual resilience group membership. Autonomy's status as the only unique predictor of eighth-grade resilience contrasted with an overall trend in which correlations among all variables were weaker for eighth graders than sixth graders. This contrast suggested that one part of eighth-grade risk might be an increased immunity to motivational resources. Autonomy seemed to fully mediate the relationship between teacher support and dually-resilient group membership for eighth graders, highlighting autonomy's role as a key component in motivational processes for at-risk eighth-graders. The study shed light on the educational risk posed by "eighth-gradeness" in conjunction with having an at-risk demographic status and a being traditional middle school setting, and suggested that autonomy might be a necessary, if not sufficient, route to eighth-grade motivational and academic resilience in light of this risk.

The framework of this study was monitoring classroom management strategies and student behaviors in the classroom, then providing strategies and feedback to increase effective classroom management and decrease problem student behaviors. There were 15 evidence–based practices that were researched and used in the study. Specifically teachers were asked to focus on 5 of them. These practices were: using 5 positive feedback comments to 1 negative comment; having classroom rules and expectations that were posted, taught, practiced, consistent, and positively reinforced; using an attention getting cue that had been taught, practiced and positively reinforced; having continuous active supervision including moving and scanning; and managing minor problem behaviors positively, consistently and quickly. Teachers filled out a self–assessment tool on how well they think they implemented these strategies in the classroom, and then received coaching sessions on how to use them more effectively in the classroom. These coaching sessions were given throughout the study as teachers had days where they needed positive reinforcement themselves. The results of these coaching sessions and the use of the strategies are presented in this study.

The notions of risk, resilience, and acculturation were examined among a group of First Nations adolescents from a community in Northern Quebec. These adolescents are at high-risk for emotional and behavioural problems due to both their minority status and the remoteness of their locale. Accordingly, the research on risk and resilience in innercity youths was adapted to study this unique group of First Nations youths. The aims of the study were relevant to issues of adolescent wellness. The first aim was to identify the factors that help protect against the maladaptive outcomes associated with minority group status and living in a remote area. The protective factors included intelligence, ego development, and attachment. The second aim was to examine subtypes of acculturation and the differences between acculturation subtypes among these youths. The acculturation strategy of integration was expected to result in the best adaptation whereas that of marginalization was expected to lead to difficulties across the domains of social competence. The third aim was to examine competence over time, as problems in one domain tend to be related to later problems in other domains. A series of paper and pencil questionnaires were completed in classroom settings by 67 adolescents aged 11 to 19 years and their teachers. Specific patterns of resilience across domains of functioning were found. High levels of intelligence protected against diminished school performance but not against depressive symptomatology. Strong attachment relationships protected against depression and poor school performance. Acculturative strategy also protected against negative outcomes despite high stress living situation. However, positive outcome was not uniform across all domains of social competence, which is consistent with the notion of domain specificity of resilience. Not one individual who participated in this study, despite the benefit of protective factors, showed high levels of social competence across all domains. This argues for the inherent risk of living in a high stress neighbourhood. The information is relevant to furthering our understanding of First Nations youths and their families, and advances the literatures on risk and resilience in its application to a relatively unique community.

In British Colombia, youth are subject to risks that influence their capacity to develop into healthy adults. Community-based youth projects play an important role in supporting youth to develop the motivation, skills and knowledge to overcome challenges in their lives and surroundings. In this grounded theory study 1 examined how community-based youth projects can assist youth to make and maintain positive changes in their lives. Data were collected from staff as well as from people in the community involved with youth in the projects. The findings demonstrate that adults staff and people in the community) involved with the projects engage in a process, named in this thesis as "Supporting Transformation", a process that includes the following categories of action: "Figuring it Out", "Creating Willingness to Engage", 'Introducing a New Way", and "Maintaining Willingness to Engage". By articulating the process of Supporting Transformation, it is hoped that adults will increase their understanding of how to create the conditions that lead to sustainable change in youth.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2002. / Typescript. Vol. 2 subtitled: TANDEM intervention package. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--East Tennessee State University, 2005. / "May 2005." Title taken from PDF title screen (viewed September 11, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-138) and appendices.

In British Colombia, youth are subject to risks that influence their capacity to develop into healthy adults. Community-based youth projects play an important role in supporting youth to develop the motivation, skills and knowledge to overcome challenges in their lives and surroundings. In this grounded theory study 1 examined how community-based youth projects can assist youth to make and maintain positive changes in their lives. Data were collected from staff as well as from people in the community involved with youth in the projects. The findings demonstrate that adults staff and people in the community) involved with the projects engage in a process, named in this thesis as "Supporting Transformation", a process that includes the following categories of action: "Figuring it Out", "Creating Willingness to Engage", 'Introducing a New Way", and "Maintaining Willingness to Engage". By articulating the process of Supporting Transformation, it is hoped that adults will increase their understanding of how to create the conditions that lead to sustainable change in youth.

Behaviour problems are a problem in many secondary schools in Zimbabwe. This study attempts to investigate the causes and manifestations of behaviour problems of adolescent learners and to develop guidelines for teachers on how to assist learners with behaviour problems in the classroom. This is a qualitative study using focus group and semi-structured interviews. The main findings contributing to the causes of behaviour problems among adolescent learners are environmental factors, such as the family and the school and peer pressure. Behaviour problems are manifested by adolescents as disruptive behaviour, aggressive and antisocial behaviour, telling lies and theft. The findings highlight important guidelines, which teachers can use to assist and understand learners with behaviour problems in the classroom. The guidelines present an endeavour to solve problem behaviour in the classroom. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Special Needs Education)