The aim of the study was to analyse the survival strategies of the poor households in Boitumelo township. The research methodology used herein was two fold: Firstly, a literature research based on economic journals, previous research projects, books and internet was done in order to develop a better understanding of poverty. Secondly, an empirical research survey using questionnaires was undertaken. Over the years there have been competing theories which provide an understanding of poverty. Each approach has its strengths and weaknesses. Poverty captures a wide range of meanings, depending on who is defining it. Although various technical solutions have been suggested for differentiating the poor and non-poor using the monetary approach, there is no theory of poverty that clearly differentiate the poor from the non-poor. The survey results showed that 41% of all households in Boitumelo are poor and on average have an income shortage of 63% to the poverty line. Poverty within the area has a gender bias as 76% of the poor are females. The large number of households below the poverty line provided ample opportunity for further analysis to find out about the activities that they use to sustain themselves. Being unemployed in government or manufacturing industries, the urban poor are compelled to create some sort of jobs for themselves. Street vending, odd jobs, gambling, seeking credit on exploitative terms, income from state welfare, begging for survival are just a few of the activities urban poor adopt to survive / Thesis (MCom (Economics))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Key words: reading comprehension, primary school, reading strategies, instruction techniques, gender. Research indicated that the reading ability of Grade 3 to 7 learners is insufficient for them to successfully complete their grades. This is an issue which needs attention very seriously, because it is clear that many students who have problems with reading comprehension and don't use reading strategies optimally and strategically are unprepared for the academic literacy requirements that typically characterise all levels of education, and that may very well be a part of their upcoming job responsibilities. For students to become mindful, motivated strategy users, they need systematically orchestrated instruction. Good instruction is the most powerful means of developing proficient comprehenders and preventing reading comprehension problems. The purpose of the study was to determine whether: • Grade 3, 5 and 7 learners use reading comprehension strategies and, if they do, which strategies are they using during which phase (pre-reading phase, during reading phase and post-reading phase). • There is a difference in boys' and girls' use of reading-comprehension strategies. • There is a difference in the use of reading comprehension strategies and the reading comprehension between Grade 3,5 and 7 learners. • The teachers of Grade 3, 5 and 7 learners are teaching reading strategies and, if so, which reading strategies are they teaching and how are they teaching them. A single cross-section survey design was used in the study. A total of 240 Grade 3, 5 and 7 learners attending two primary schools in Pietersburg, as well as six teachers (one for each grade in each of the two schools), participated in this study. Results showed that Grade 3, 5 and 7 learners differ regarding their use of reading strategies during the before reading, during reading and after reading phases. Results further showed that girls, in their use of reading strategies, differed statistically from boys, but the difference only revealed a small effect size. Pearson product moment correlations indicated that there was a relationship between reading strategy use and reading comprehension of Grade 3, 5 and 7 learners. The results of the ANOVA and the post hoc Tukey test showed that there were statistically, as well as practically, significant differences in the use of reading strategies and reading comprehension between Grade 3, 5 and 7 learners. The results also indicated that, although teachers sometimes teach reading strategies, the teaching does not seem to be explicit. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Three experiments examine how collaboration influences visual search performance. Working with a partner or on their own, participants reported whether a target was present or absent in briefly presented search displays. The search performance of individuals working together (collaborative pairs) was compared to the pooled responses of the individuals working alone (nominal pairs). Collaborative pairs were less likely than nominal pairs to correctly detect a target and they were less likely to make false alarms. Signal detection analyses revealed that collaborative pairs were more sensitive to the presence of the target and had a more conservative response bias than the nominal pairs. This pattern was observed when the search difficulty was increased and when the presence of another individual was matched across pairs. The results are discussed in the context of task sharing, social loafing and current theories of visual search.

The objectives of this research were investigate the lived experiences of school-going learners who are HIV-positive; and develop ecosystemic management strategies to help learners who are HIV-positive. The literature research investigation revealed that HIV/AIDS is not just a health problem but also attacks the education system itself. Demand for education is dropping and changing, many educators are ill and dying, and the trauma of loss associated with HIV/AIDS is entrenched in South African classrooms. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has a traumatic impact on all educators and learners. The work of educators both those who are HIV positive and those who have developed full-blown AIDS will be compromised by periods of illness. The pandemic thrives on sexual violence, male domination and child abuse in South Africa. It is the ecosystemic paradigm that helps in seeing the connecting link between family-school-community-society-world or school and peers and this helps in providing a more useful synergistic focus than trying to work in isolation with discrete segments of a microsystem for example, with an individual in isolation. Management strategies for dealing with HIV/AIDS include the notion that achieving sustainability requires bringing together a variety of legitimate stakeholders, drawing on a variety of accepted bodies of knowledge, to negotiate a learning path based on a series of conflict resolutions within ecological constraints. Continual learning based on free flow of information and mutual respect, and investment in effective management of HIV/AIDS are keys to success. The empirical research investigation revealed that psychologically disturbed, emotional well-being, spiritual well-being, physical well-being, social life, their scholastic performance, daily routine, there is a change in their behaviour or health after the HIV- positive status has been revealed, they fear of death, their academic performance at school is affected by absenteeism and lack of concentration, there is absence of strategies to assist learners who are absent frequently because of illness, they loose valued level of functioning, lack assistance at school, fear being discriminated or ridiculed, there is absence v of measures to deal with discrimination at school, there is a lack of information on HIV/AIDS, learners fear disclosing to friends and teachers, there is a lack of communication between parents and infected learners about issues regarding HIV/AIDS. Educators are also affected emotionally, spiritually and physically. They become affected socially and they do not cope with the impact of HIV. The level of communicating the HIV/AIDS pandemic within the schools is low, the principals are not doing much as leaders to supplement this low level of communicating about HIV/AIDS, school policies on HIV/AIDS in these schools do not address issues of support for learners and educators who are incapacitated because of HIV/AIDS, there is no monitoring tool used in these schools to ensure HIV-policy adherence, principals in these schools do not ensure that educators teach learners about matters pertaining to HIV/AIDS, health programmes in these schools do not assist learners living with HIV/AIDS within the school and the level of accepting and accommodating infected learners and the personnel in these schools is low. The level of involvement of community members in matters pertaining to HIV/AIDS in these schools is low. An ecosysternic management system is proposed in this research vi / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2008.

This is an in-depth comparative study of the strategies used to counteract bullying at schools. It provides an international perspective on such strategies: Studies in South African schools are used to provide an African perspective: Australian research is used to provide an Oceanian perspective: Japanese research to provide an Asian perspective; and research conducted in England is used to provide an European perspective on bullying at schools. The extent and nature of bullying in schools was discussed in great detail, as well as the characteristics of bullies and their victims. The causes of bullying, as well as the effects of bullying on learners in the school situation are reviewed. The concept of cyberbullying was expanded upon. The role of the governments, the schools and independent organizations in combating bullying was investigated. To conclude the study, the laws concerning bullying at schools in the four countries are scrutinized and recommendations are made, based on the conclusion that bullying at school can indeed be counteracted successfully. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2008.

"In an efficient market all identical goods must have only one price." So states the aptly named law of one price. In the real world, however, one may easily verify that identical products are often sold for different prices. This thesis develops an extension of the Bertrand model in economics to include spatially localised competition to explain this price variation, which is then studied through simulation methods and theoretical analysis. Our model studies the effect that local heterogeneities in the environment experienced by sellers have on successful pricing strategies. Taking inspiration from models of evolutionary dynamics, we define the fitness of a seller and evolve seller prices through selection and mutation. We find three distinct steady states in our model related to the probability that a seller experiences competition for a buyer, mediated by the number of bankrupt sites in the system. When competition-free sales are unlikely, the system collapses on to a single price. If temporary monopoly situations do exist sellers can accumulate capital and variation in prices is stable. In this scenario, sellers spontaneously separate into two classes: cheap sellers – requiring sales to every potential buyer; and expensive sellers – requiring only occasional sales. Finally, we find an intermediate regime in which there is a single highly favoured price in the system which oscillates between high and low extrema. We study the properties of these steady states in detail, building a picture of how globally uncompetitive sellers can nonetheless survive if competition is strictly local. We show how the system builds up correlations, leading to niches for expensive sellers. These niches change the nature of the competition and allow for long-term survival of uncompetitive sellers. Not all expensive prices are equally likely in the steady state and we analyse why (and where) peaks in the price distribution appear. We can do this exactly for the early time dynamics of the model and extend the argument more qualitatively to the steady state. This latter analysis allows us to predict, for an observed steady distribution, the minimum price an expensive seller should charge to guarantee profit. The oscillatory ‘steady state’ is qualitatively reminiscent of boom and bust cycles in the global market. We study methods to suppress the oscillations and suggest ways of avoiding catastrophic crashes in the global economy – without negatively affecting the ability of outliers to make large profits.

The aim of this thesis was to directly test the key underpinnings of recent propositions for systems of central control of exercise regulation. Fatigue and exercise tolerance have traditionally been explained through peripheral mechanisms, such as excitation-contraction coupling failure and the inability to supply sufficient metabolic substrate to contracting muscle in order to meet increasing energy demand. More recently, models of central control, which are proposed to regulate exercise intensity in an anticipatory/feedforward manner, with the ultimate aim of avoiding physiological ‘catastrophe’, have received a great deal of attention. This thesis investigated several of the key requirements and mechanisms stated in these models. The central governor model (CGM) and teleoanticipation are stated to use a combination of prior experience and distance knowledge of an exercise bout to work in a feedforward manner, so that a pacing strategy is set before exercise commences which ensures the bout is completed in an optimum time but in the absence of premature fatigue. Study one examined the influence of distance knowledge, prior experience and distance feedback on the setting and regulation of a pacing strategy in 4 km time trial (TT) cycling in trained cyclists (n = 18). When performing 4 × 4 km TT intervals, it was found that prior experience of the exercise (in the absence of distance feedback and distance knowledge) allowed the creation of a pacing strategy that produced a performance which was as competitive as cyclists who were provided with prior experience, distance knowledge and distance feedback. The difference in TT completion time between groups (CON = feedback group, EXP = no feedback group) was reduced with subsequent TT (CON TT1 367 ± 21 s; EXP TT1 409 ± 45 s; CON TT2 373 ± 19 s; EXP TT2 389 ± 30 s; CON TT3 375 ± 18 s; EXP TT3 383 ± 26 s; CON TT4 373 ± 20 s; EXP TT4 373 ± 14 s), so that by the final TT, completion time between groups was almost exactly the same. It was concluded that when sufficient prior experience is attained in the absence of distance knowledge and feedback, a successful pacing strategy can be set. In order for pacing to be set prior to an exercise bout and adjusted in a feedforward/anticipatory manner during exercise, an internal mechanism must exist which monitors the passage of time. Study two examined the accuracy and robustness of this ‘internal clock’ by assessing cyclist’s (n = 16) ability to gauge the distance they had cycled during repeated 4 km and 6 km TT. The internal clock was shown to be inaccurate to absolute measures of distance, but showed a calibration capacity following experience of a TT of unknown distance (24.6 ± 18.2 % error in distance judged completed vs. 8.2 ± 5.5 % error in distance judged completed). This process was fragile and occurred in the absence of any significant performance improvement. It was concluded that relative quantities appear more important in creating a pacing strategy, and that times are of greater importance than distances. Study three examined the influence of comparative performance feedback in a field setting in 4 km track TT cycling in trained cyclists (n = 5). Correct feedback produced a significantly faster TT time (t4 = -3.10, p < 0.05) than non-contingent feedback (341 ± 8 s vs. 350 ± 12 s), with differences in mean lap speed apparent between the conditions at the start of the TT (t4 = 4.71, p < 0.05) and at the end of the TT (t4= 3.45, p < 0.05; t4 = 3.30, p < 0.05). The study provided empirical support for the assumption that performance feedback is advantageous during exercise and provided insights into past and present exercise comparison and its role on the setting of a pacing strategy. A central component of the CGM and theories of central exercise regulation is the role of afferent feedback during exercise and the premature termination of exercise before a true maximum intensity has been reached. Study four used acetaminophen to blunt cyclists’ (n = 13) pain response during ten mile (16.1 km) TT in order to disrupt the afferent feedback processes. When using acetaminophen, cyclists produced significantly faster (t12 = 2.55, p < 0.05) TT completion times (1575 ± 96 s) than under a placebo condition (1605 ± 122 s). When using acetaminophen, cyclists had a higher power output during the middle section of the TT (F1, 12 = 4.79, p < 0.05), yet showed no significant difference in RPE (F1,12 = 0.72, p > 0.05) or pain scores (F1,12 = 0.30, p > 0.05). It was concluded that acetaminophen reduced levels of pain during the TT, thereby disrupting the comparative afferent feedback mechanism and allowing cyclists access to a ‘metabolic reserve’. The research presented has advanced our knowledge and supported propositions of models of central control and regulation during exercise. The research has provided further insight in the role of prior experience, distance knowledge, distance feedback, the internal clock, performance feedback and afferent feedback on the setting and maintenance of a pacing strategy in 4, 6 and 16.1 km TT cycling.

Semantic clustering has been used as a measure of learning strategies in a number of clinical populations and has been found to be deficient in individuals with Schizophrenia, but less attention has been paid to the dynamic use of this strategy over the course of fixed-order learning trials. In the current study, we examined this pattern of clustering use over trials in a sample of individuals with Schizophrenia, and explored whether the addition of this dynamic information would help us to better predict specific executive deficits. Results suggested that a decrease in semantic clustering across trials was associated with some executive deficits in the predicted manner. Nonetheless, the overall semantic clustering index generally proved more effective for the purposes, suggesting that in this population, the addition of dynamic information in strategy use is not likely to add considerably to clinical prediction and understanding.

The purpose of this study was to determine (a) the attentional focus strategies used by triathletes during the three stages of an Olympic distance triathlon, (b) if level of experience influences the attentional focus strategies used by triathletes, and (c) whether there is a relationship between athletes finishing times and the attentional strategies used in each stage of the race. Triathletes (N = 160) completed the Triathlon Attentional Focus Inventory, which measured association and dissociation during the swim, bike, and run. One-way ANOVAs revealed significant differences between the athletes' level of experience and the attentional strategies used, as well as differences between the athletes overall race time and the attentional strategies used during each stage of the triathlon. Athletes with more experience associated more during the race, whereas athletes with less experience dissociated more throughout the race.

The aim of the present study is to examine four teachers’ experience of pupils’ reading comprehension, with special focus on their perceptions of reading comprehension, their experience of pupils’ changed attitudes to reading in the last ten years, and the reading strategies the teachers use in their teaching The result shows that the teachers have a relatively unanimous view of what reading comprehension means, but they use different reading strategies and they have differing experiences of pupils’ attitudes to reading. The pupils’ decreasing motivation to read means that they need more guidance today than before. The teachers give the pupils a chance to develop their reading ability by revealing different reading strategies, but the lack of motivation in the pupils is an obstacle to their development.