in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Educational Psychology) / A substance abuse problem among street children has been acknowledged and treatment has not proved beneficial. The general aim of this study was to investigate their drugging habits and attitudes to drugging and treatment, in order to elucidate reasons for this failure and provide direction for an effective treatment approach. An exploratory study utilizing a non-probability sample (N=16) of male street children, aged 12 to 16, from a Johannesburg shelter, was carried out. An unconventional approach to gathering information was developed, within the framework of one-hour group discussions heId over seven weeks. Questions devised by the researcher were presented as stimuli for group discussion, story telling, and drawings. Data were also collected through a voting procedure. Results confirm regular substance abuse and dependency which merits attention. Maintaining factors were the suppression of emotional ...., low self esteem, and socialmotivators, i.e., to gain confidence and maintain networks. Risks and actual negative effects of substance abuse were vaguely perceived. These findings must be regarded as tentative, due to the small sample. More research, utilizing subjects not living in shelters and those in other shelters, should be done to find out if these findings are replicated . .A suggested treatment modality is group therapy and the changing of group norms, Groups would be conscientising. Specific aims could be formulated hy the group members, but could include general life skills and the development of alternative reinforcing activities. Peer mentoring could be considered. / Andrew Chakane 2018

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / The street child that is driven by circumstances to Jive outside the supportive structure of the family, is on his own. He doesn't have the educational developmental opportunities that children who grow up in families and societies do. He finds himself in a unique educational and living environment. From an educational psychologist point of view, this environment is abnormal. It is therefore a great challenge for the educational psychologist to try and avoid or resolve negative effects of the child's living environment. The aim of the study is to investigate and describe the experiences of the Hillbrow street child, as well as to determine guidelines for supporting these children. An exploratory-, descriptive-, contextual- and qualitative study was done, with the aim of gaining insight and understanding into the life of the street child in Hillbrow as well as his experiences of his situation. The phenomenological interview was used to gather data. The interviews were recorded on a tape recorder and later transcribed. The purposive sample consists of four street children who were selected specifically for the study. The data was processed according to a combination of the Giorgi's & Kerlinger's methods. The results obtained from the interviews were placed in four categories. These categories are: The street child's continuous struggle to survive, his need for a 'normal child life', his inability to accept responsibility and the presence of a normative awareness within the street child. Guidelines for supportive action towards street children by the educational psychologist are discussed in regard to the four categories. These categories are interdependent, as work in one category inevitably influences the other categories. For this reason the educational psychologist's supportive action needs to be holistic to include all four categories. In conclusion it is clear that the experiences of the street child are multi-faceted. In general it appears that the street child has many limitations and difficulties which he experiences, and that input by an educational psychologist can have meaningful influence in his life.

M.A. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Thesis (MEd)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: There are an estimated 10 000 children in and around the streets of South Africa, with the speculation that this could be higher, given the difficulties surrounding the counting of the street children. Not all street children live on the streets permanently: many spend their days there mainly for economic reasons earning an income, then spend their nights at their homes or those of friends and relatives. Others go to the street as an alternative to going to school or, in an effort to avoid parents or caregivers who show little interest in their lives, or who force them onto the street to earn money. It is particularly children that have not become permanent residents of the street and that are part of community-based home schools, that are the focus of this study. A· qualitative approach is used to establish the experiences of these children in a residential area in the northern suburbs of Cape Town. The study revealed the following: • Community-based home schools provide children with basic needs like food, clothing and importantly, a trusting relationship with an adult. • Children's lives are restored in a non-threatening environment, assisting them to regain their dignity, establish healthier selfconcepts as well as higher self-esteem. Once these basic needs are fulfilled, it became evident that children are able to return to the experience of mainstream school and in so doing face the world with renewed fervour. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Na beraming is daar omtrent 10 000 straatkinders in Suid Afrika. Daar word gespekuleer dat die getal hoër kan wees as gevolg van die probleme met die tel van straatkinders. Nie alle straatkinders leef permanent op die strate nie. Baie spandeer hul dae op straat slegs vir ekonomiese gewin waar hulle 'n inkomste verdien, en slaap snags by hul huise óf by vriende óf familie. Ander leef op die straat as 'n alternatief om skool toe te gaan. Hulle doen dit ook om hulouers of voogde te vermy wat min aandag aan hulle skenk of wie die kinders forseer om geld op die straat te verdien. Dit is veral kinders wat nie permanent op die straat lewe nie, en deel is van huisskole, wat die fokus is van hierdie studie. 'n Kwalitatiewe benadering is gebruik om die ervarings van hierdie kinders in 'n gemeenskap in die noordelike voorstede te bewerkstellig. Die studie het die volgende getoon: • Gemeenskapsgebaseerde huisskole voorsien kinders met die basiese benodighede soos kos, klere en baie belangrik, die vertroue van 'n verhouding met' n volwassene. • Die kinders se lewens word herstel in 'n omgewing wat nie bedreigend is nie en wat hulle help om hul waardigheid te herwin en om 'n gesonde selfkonsep en hoër selfbeeld te vestig. • Wanneer hierdie basiese benodighede vervul is, het dit duidelik geword dat hierdie kinders kon terugkeer na die hoofstroom-skool ervaring en op hierdie manier kon hulle die wêreld met hernuwe ywer aanpak.

MPM / Department of Public and Development Administration / See the attached abstract below

M.A. / The street child phenomenon is a world-wide phenomenon. However ; it is perceived to be most prominent in third world countries as compared to first world countries. The main issue is that children are forced to leave the comfort or discomfort of their homes to live on the street. This results from a number of factors. According to Schurink and Tiba in Schurink (1993:10), an extensive literature study revealed the following key factors: rapid urbanization, high rates of unemployment, poverty, inadequate housing, maladjustment to family disintegration. According to Maphatane (1993:1), today's children and youngsters face many problems and pressures arising from the changing structure of the family and the community and the breaking down of traditional systems of support and preparations for adult life. The emergence of the street child phenomenon results from poor soci-economic and political conditions. For instance according to Agnelli , as cited by Schurink (1993:13), the roots of the present clay street child phenomenon seem to lie in the historical context of economic conditions and in national and international policies accepted by various countries.

There has been a lot of research highlighting the plight of street children throughout the world in the past few years. A review of the literature on street children reveals that the problem is worse in developing countries. The number of street children can be expected to increase in South Africa as a result of rapid urbanisation and development. This will certainly pose a problem for the government and other organisations concerned with the welfare of street children. In order to combat the proliferation of the number of children in the streets, concerned parties need to know more about street children before intervention and effective policies can be designed. This study was initiated to serve that purpose: to provide information on how street children perceive themselves. The information gathered and results of the study can be used by service providers to design effective intervention programmes. Twenty street children from the Pietermaritzburg central business district and the comparison group of twenty children from a "place of safety" in Pietermaritzburg were interviewed and assessed. Children from the "place of safety" were chosen as a comparison group because their familial histories have many factors which are common to street children as well. Assessment ofthe two groups of children entailed measuring the children's self-concepts by using the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. Human Figure Drawings were used to identify signs and levels of emotional distress using the Koppitz Emotional Indicators procedure. Furthermore, an unstructured interview was conducted with each child. The data was analysed quantitatively using statistical sub-programs of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The following statistical tests were computed: means to measure central tendency, independent t-tests to determine the statistical significance of the difference between the two groups' self-concept scores and emotional indicators. Quatro Pro and Harvard Graphics software packages were used to analyse the data qualitatively and present it graphically . Statistical analyses of the results reveal no significant differences between the self-concept of street children and that of the comparison group of placed children. Both groups' scores on the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale are within the average range. This means that street and placed children's perceptions of themselves, as measured by the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, are similar to those of other children in the general population. Signs and levels of emotional distress as measured by Koppitz' list of Emotional Indicators are within the non-pathological range for both groups. This indicates that street and placed children's levels of emotional distress are similar to those found in other children in the normal population. It is therefore concluded that despite being exposed to hazardous situations and having lived in deprived and abusive situations, street children do not display significant levels of measured emotional distress. Street children are found not to be as disturbed as previously assumed by journalists and fiction writers who tend to romanticise or politicise their plight. Placed children, who also share some of the predicaments that street children have endured in terms of turbulent childhoods, do not seem to show deficits in their self-concepts and emotional functioning either. Recommendations on how to plan intervention programmes for street children are also offered. Moreover, the standardisation of the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale on local populations is recommended. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sci.)-University of Natal, Pietermartizburg, 1996

In this study the main focus is on the experiences of former street children as learners. The main emphasis of this study is the manner in which such experiences influence these children’s learning towards constructing new identities. By examining the experiences of former street children in a school environment, namely a teaching and learning environment, this study will contribute towards the literature by providing focused and relevant information pertaining to the way former street children experience learning. By focusing on these particular learners from the street, the study attempts to explore and build an insightful knowledge in terms of understanding how former street children perceive learning in relation to their present personal and past life on the streets. Through this study the researcher will hopefully be able to determine how former street children feel, experience and relate to teaching and learning within a school context. Data collection for this study included the researcher’s observations and face-to-face unstructured in-depth phenomenological interviews with learners who are formerly from the streets. Among others, the study found that these particular learners have low self- esteem, a low opinion of themselves, and lack of self- confidence. The study also revealed that some of these learners are struggling academically and would appreciate it if academic was parallel with vocational skills so as to equip them for the world of work. It also transpired that learners who have relationships with those who have not been to the streets changed their lives for the better by learning from their peers but those who have relationships with other former street children at this school continue to engage in deviant behaviour, for many schooling has helped them to reclaim their childhood identity.

This cross-sectional study looks at the health profiles of street children both in institutions and on the street between May and November 1989. The former group had a clinical examination, with blood and urine investigations done where possible; the latter group were only interviewed. 159 street children were interviewed of whom 47 were interviewed on the street. 73 children had clinical examinations; 64 of these had blood and urine investigations. The age range was 8 years to 19.8 years. 18.2% were females and 28.3% were black. 59,6% of those interviewed on the street had not been in an institution or shelter for street children. 27, 2% of the total group had been on the street for more 3 years. 3 7, 1 % perceived colds and chest complaints as their main physical health problem. This was confirmed by the fact that 69,2% had a history of respiratory problems. 44,7% said that they would go to a hospital if they injured themselves or were ill; however, 36,5% said they would not use or get any medication for problems such as a headache or a bad cold. 37·, 7% of children used a hospital while they were on street but 59, 7% had not used any facility while on the street. Most street children (72,8%) washed themselves at least occasionally and 61% washed their clothes. 47,2% had suffered trauma significant enough to seek hospital attention. 56% had skin problems (including lice and scabies) while on the street. 15,7% complained of visual problems and 10,7% complained of reduced hearing. Dental problems appeared to be of major concern with 37,7% complaining of either toothache or dental caries (23,3% had obvious caries on examination). 73,4% admitted to solvent abuse, 49,9% had never taken alcohol and 12,7% had never smoked. 43% had tried dagga, 10,8% white pipe (mixture of dagga and "Mandrax" which is smoked) and only 7,6% "Mandrax" alone. 10, 9% of boys and 10, 0% of girls indicated that they had been sexually exploited. Of the 67 examined 32,8% were below 90% of expected height for age, 44,8% were below 80% of expected weight for age and 8,6% had a circumference of head below 95% of standard. There is a 9,4% Hepatitis Bs ag carrier rate. No HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) antibodies were detected in 64 sera tested. On the basis of these results, the following are recommended: 1) Improving accessibility of health care resources. 2) Improving the availability of health care resources. 3)· Initiating contacts with street children by employing field health workers. 4) Drawing up a health care policy for street children institutions and field care workers. 5) Limit venereal disease management to single dose treatment where possible. 6) Further studies need to be undertaken in the following areas: - solvent abuse - utilisation of health care resources utilisation institutions of street children shelters and Further breakdown of habits, physical problems and results of examinations are presented.

The aim of this investigation was threefold : to determine origins and perceptions of the street child problem nationally and internationally ; to explore the way in which children experience life in the streets ; and to devise strategies to enable these children to develop optimally. Literature indicates that the street child phenomenon is a global issue that presents many challenges. It is a socio-educational problem precipitated by multi-factorial events in the home, community and by children's personality attributes. Street children experience rejection, suffering, shame and anxiety. Deprivation of an environment conducive to positive development leads to maladjustment, anti-social behaviour and marginalisation. The empirical research was undertaken by means of semi-structured interviews conducted among fourteen children of the Khayalethu shelter and by administering questionnaires in the community of Port Shepstone. The findings culminate in recommendations for suitable assistance programmes and strategies to handle the problem in South Africa. / Educational Studies / M.Ed.(Socio-Education)