Students are coming to school with myriad issues that teachers and schools cannot address alone. ecological systems theory posits that the environments with which a child comes into contact, either directly or indirectly, can impact her or his development (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). With the support of community partner organizations in the local community, community schools can effectively respond to students’ needs and help them navigate the interconnected web of environments. Through interviews, focus groups, and a document review, this cross-site case study explored the practices that are employed by community school leaders (school staff and employees of community partner organizations) at two pilot high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), to implement six guiding principles of community schools. The study also captured impacts of these practices through participants’ perceptions, documents, and the application of transformative leadership theory. The findings revealed that the pilot school model is a natural avenue for the community schools strategy, and that intentional practices and a shared vision by all stakeholders can result in transformative impacts on students and the school as a whole. District and school leaders could consider developing processes and systems for implementing a community schools strategy district-wide by providing funding for community school coordinators for school sites, working with school leaders to develop their shared decision-making skills, and leveraging the assets and resources of community partners.

The aim of the study was to examine the association between different life areas and youth’s engagement in gambling. The life areas focused in the study were relationships with parents, school, friends and mental health. The study used cross-sectional data from the Stockholm Survey collected in 2020 among students in the ninth grade in elementary school and in the second grade of upper secondary school in Stockholm (n=4495). The results were analyzed using Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory. The results showed that youth whose parents had more insight into their child’s life were less likely to have engaged in gambling during the past 12 months. Parental permission to gamble showed positive correlations to youth having gambled within the last 12 months. Having a more negative school environment and more experiences of psychosomatic symptoms also showed positive correlations to youth gambling within the last 12 months. The study concludes that (1) increased parental presence and restrictions regarding parent’s acceptance of gambling can reduce the risk of youth gambling, (2) creating a positive school environment could reduce youth gambling, (3) adults, such as parents and teachers, could have a key role in detecting youth gambling since gambling may manifest as psychosomatic symptoms.

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Supervisor: Nina Lindén Åkerlund Examiner: Staffan Bengtsson This study aims to investigate the impact of screen use on children and young adults. Previous research regarding screen use among children and young adults is compiled in a literature review in the form of a scoping review. The results have been thematically analyzed with the help of the SOC-theory (sense of coherence) and ecological systems theory. The results show that screen use has both positive and negative aspects that can be understood through factors of risk and protection which are prevalent on individual, group and societal levels. The study contributes to the understanding of the impact that screen use has on children and young adults and is particularly relevant in relation to social work.

This dissertation explores how student support services (SSS) within the K-12 ecosystem's relationship with technology, or cyberpsychology, has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic grounded in the ecological systems theory (EST) framework. The first article investigated professional school counselors' use of technology for communication to meet student needs while upholding the American School Counseling Association's (ASCA) high ethical standards. The study examined how professional school counselors navigated using technology for communication amidst school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second article explored the learning experiences of emergent bilingual (EB) educators in virtual settings. This study gained insight into the unique experiences of EB educators during and after COVID-19 working with students in virtual learning environments. The third article took a more personal approach by conducting individual interviews to gain insight into the challenges in technology use by the K-12 student support services (SSS) ecosystem throughout the pandemic. Participants shared their celebrations and their struggles of their personal experiences with technology during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. A story is found in these works as the three manuscripts come together to illustrate the impact of the pandemic on the cyberpsychology of the K-12 SSS ecosystem, nested in the overarching K-12 ecosystem.

Included in the challenges possibly faced by those with dyslexia, is the acquisition of literacy skills. Despite 21st century advancements made in technology, literacy skills remain central to education and day-to-day living. Therefore, it is essential to meet the learning needs of those with dyslexia, as failure herein could impact negatively on their lived experiences and on the attainment of their needs. The main aim of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore, and describe the first-hand lifelong experiences of adults living with dyslexia. The study utilised the theoretical and conceptual frameworks of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Following a multistage procedure, a criterion-based sampling strategy was used to select study participants, comprising of eight South African adults between the ages of 18 and 40, who were formally diagnosed with dyslexia. Data collection included semi-structured one-on-one in-depth interviews and the researcher’s reflective journal. Data analysis, following the principles of phenomenology, resulted in the formation of five themes. Findings reveal that dyslexia is viewed positively by adults diagnosed with it, and used as a driving force to succeed and obtain set goals. Various professionals were consulted with the aim of obtaining a diagnosis; however, obtaining a diagnosis and hence an explanation for their learning challenges, was a stressful experience for both the participants and their parents. Families provide much assistance with school work, although all participants revealed negative schooling experiences caused by schools not acknowledging dyslexia and not meeting their specific learning needs. Although living with dyslexia presents challenges, coping mechanisms are in place for overcoming anticipated challenges. Whilst self-confidence is not negatively affected, dyslexia appears to negatively affect the self-esteem of some. This study found that the dyslexia label is preferred to that of having additional learning needs, as the dyslexia label is viewed as referring to specific challenges and not to entire learning abilities. Finally, this study hopes to provide a deeper understanding of the experiences of those living with dyslexia and fill the existing gap in South African literature. / Psychology / Ph. D. (Psychology)

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT : In 2010, young people aged 15–24 years accounted for 42% of new HIV infections globally. In 2009, about five million (10%) of the total South African population was estimated to be aged 15–19 years. Current South African national sero-prevalence data estimate the prevalence of HIV to be 5.6% and 0.7% among adolescent girls and boys aged 15–19 years, respectively. HIV infections are mainly transmitted via sexual transmission. Adolescent sexuality is multi-faceted and influenced at multiple levels. In preparing to enroll adolescents in future biomedical HIV prevention trials, particularly prophylactic HIV vaccine trials, it is critical to provide counseling services appropriate to their needs. At the time of writing, there was no developed psychosocial intervention in South Africa for use among adolescent vaccine trial participants. Thus, the aim of the present study is to adapt and pilot-test a psychosocial intervention, namely, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) risk reduction counseling intervention of Project Respect, an intervention tasked at being developmentally and contextually appropriate among potential adolescent participants in HIV biomedical trials in the future. To achieve this overall aim, I qualitatively explored adolescent sexuality and risk factors for HIV among a diverse sample of participants aged 16–18 from Soweto. Thereafter, I developed a composite HIV risk scale in order to measure the variance in HIV risk among the sample of adolescents studied. The study followed a two-phased, mixed method research design and was informed by ecological systems theory and integrative model of behavioral prediction. The aim of Phase 1, split into phases 1a and b, was to conduct focus group discussions (FGDs) and to undertake a cross-sectional survey, respectively, to determine psychological (for example, self-esteem and depression), behavioral (specifically, sexual behavior) and social (specifically, social support, parent-adolescent communication) contexts that placed adolescents at risk for HIV infection. Phase 1a was qualitative, with data collected via nine FGDs: three involved parents of adolescents, four involved adolescents aged 16–18 years and two counselors. Nine key themes related to adolescent sexuality and risks for HIV acquisition were identified, namely: (1) dating during adolescence; (2) adolescent girls dating older men; (3) condom use amongst adolescents; (4) teenage pregnancies; (5) views about homosexuality; (6) parent-adolescent communication about sexual health; (7) the role of the media; (8) discipline and perceived government influence; and (9) group sex events. Phase 1b was quantitative and the data were collected via a cross-sectional survey to investigate the variance of risk for HIV. For Phase 1b, the sample consisted of 506 adolescents with a mean age of 17 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 16–18). More than half the participants were female (59%, n = 298). I used a three-step hierarchical multiple regression model to investigate the variance in risk for HIV. In step 3, the only significant predictors were “ever threatened to have sex” and “ever forced to have sex”, the combination of which explained 14% (R2 = 0.14; F (12, 236) = 3.14, p = 0.00). Depression and parentadolescent communication were added to steps 2 and 3, respectively, with both variables insignificant in these models. In Phase 2, I adapted and pilot tested the CDC risk reduction counseling intervention. The intervention was intended to be developmentally and contextually appropriate among adolescents from Soweto aged 16–18 years, viewed as potential participants in future HIV biomedical trials. Participants in Phase 2 were aged 16–18 years; the sample was mainly female (52%, n = 11) and most (91%, n = 19) were secondary school learners in grades 8 to 12. Participants provided feedback about their experiences of the adapted counseling intervention through in-depth interviews. I identified three main themes in this regard, namely: benefits of HIV testing services, reasons for seeking counseling and HIV testing services, and participants’ evaluation of the study visits and counseling sessions. The adapted CDC risk reduction counseling intervention was found to be acceptable with favorable outcomes for those adolescents who participated in the piloting phase. This study adds to the literature on risks for HIV among adolescents in Soweto, South Africa, by considering multiple levels of influence. Reaching a more complete understanding of ecological factors contributing to sexual risk behaviors among adolescents in the pilot-study enabled the development of a tailored counseling intervention. The findings showed the adapted CDC risk reduction counseling intervention to be feasible and acceptable among adolescents likely to be participants and eligible to participate in future HIV biomedical prevention trials. Thus, this study provides a much needed risk reduction counseling intervention that can be used among adolescents, an age group likely to participate in future HIV vaccine prevention research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : In 2010 het jongmense tussen die ouderdomme van 15 en 24 jaar 42% van nuwe MIV-infeksies wêreldwyd uitgemaak. In 2009 was omtrent 5 miljoen mense (10%) van die Suid-Afrikaanse bevolking tussen 15 en 19 jaar oud. Volgens data oor die huidige Suid-Afrikaanse nasionale sero-voorkoms, word die voorkoms van MIV onderskeidelik op 5.6% en 0.7% onder tienermeisies en -seuns tussen die ouderdomme van 15 tot 19 jaar beraam. MIV-infeksies word hoofsaaklik deur seks oorgedra. Adolessente seksualiteit het baie fasette en word op verskeie vlakke beïnvloed. Ter voorbereiding van die werwing van adolessente vir toekomstige biomediese proewe, veral proewe oor profilaktiese MIVentstowwe, is dit van kritiese belang dat beradingsdienste verskaf word wat geskik is vir hul behoeftes. Op die tydstip wat hierdie tesis geskryf is, het daar nog geen psigososiale intervensie in Suid-Afrika bestaan vir gebruik onder adolessente deelnemers aan entstofproewe nie. Daarom is die doel van hierdie studie om ʼn psigososiale intervensie ‒ die Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) se Projek Respek, ʼn beradingsintervensie vir die vermindering van risiko ‒ aan te pas en met ʼn loodsprojek te toets. Hierdie intervensie is geskik vir die ontwikkelings- en kontekstuele vlak van adolessente deelnemers aan toekomstige MIV- biomediese proewe. Ten einde hierdie oorkoepelende doelwit te bereik, het ek adolessente seksualiteit en die risikofaktore vir MIV onder ʼn diverse steekproef deelnemers tussen die ouderdomme van 16 en 18 jaar van Soweto kwalitatief ondersoek. Daarna het ek ʼn saamgestelde MIV-risikoskaal ontwikkel om die variansie van MIV-risiko onder die groep adolessente te meet. Die studie se navorsingsontwerp het uit twee fases en gemengde metodes bestaan, en is gebaseer op ekologiesestelsel-teorie en die integrerende gedragsvoorspellingsmodel. Die doel van fase 1, wat in fases 1a en 1b verdeel is, was om onderskeidelik fokusgroepbesprekings te hou en om ʼn deursnitopname te doen om die sielkundige kontekste (byvoorbeeld elemente van selfbeeld en depressie), gedragskontekste (spesifiek seksuele gedrag) en sosiale kontekste (spesifiek sosiale ondersteuning en ouer-adolessent-kommunikasie) te bepaal waarin adolessente die risiko loop om MIV-infeksie op te doen. Fase 1a was kwalitatief en data is deur middel van nege fokusgroepbesprekings ingesamel: drie met die ouers van adolessente, vier met adolessente tussen 16 en 18 jaar oud en twee met beraders. Nege sleuteltemas is geïdentifiseer wat verband hou met adolessente seksualiteit en risiko’s om MIV op te doen: (1) verhoudings tydens adolessensie, (2) tienermeisies wat verhoudings met ouer mans het, (3) die gebruik van kondome onder adolessente, (4) tienerswangerskappe, (5) sienings oor homoseksualiteit, (6) ouer-adolessent-kommunikasie oor seksuele gesondheid, (7) die rol van die media, (8) dissipline en die ervaarde regeringsinvloed en (9) groepseksgeleenthede. Fase 1b was kwantitatief en data is deur middel van ’n deursnitopname ingesamel om die variansie van risiko vir MIV te ondersoek. Vir Fase 1b het die steekproef bestaan uit 506 adolessente met ’n gemiddelde ouderdom van 17 jaar (interkwartielwydte [IKW]: 16–18). Meer as die helfte van die deelnemers was vroulik (59%, n = 298). Ek het ’n hiërargiese meervoudige regressiemodel met drie stappe gebruik om die variansie van risiko vir MIV te ondersoek. Die enigste beduidende voorspellers in stap 3 was “ooit gedreig om seks te hê” en “ooit geforseer om seks te hê”. Die kombinasie hiervan het 14% (R2 = 0.14; F (12, 236) = 3.14, p = 0.00) verklaar. Depressie en oueradolessent- kommunikasie is onderskeidelik in stappe 2 en 3 bygevoeg, en albei veranderlikes was onbeduidend in hierdie modelle. In Fase 2 het ek die CDC se intervensie vir die verlaging van risiko aangepas en met ’n loodsprojek getoets. Die intervensie was bedoel om geskik te wees vir die ontwikkelings- en kontekstuele vlakke van 16- tot 18-jarige adolessente van Soweto wat beskou is as potensiële deelnemers aan toekomstige MIV- biomediese proewe. Deelnemers in Fase 2 was 16 tot 18 jaar oud, die steekproef was hoofsaaklik vroulik (52%, n = 11) en die meeste van die deelnemers (91%, n = 19) was in grade 8 tot 12 op hoërskool. Deelnemers het tydens indringende onderhoude terugvoering oor hulle ervarings van die aangepaste beradingsintervensie verskaf. Ek het drie hooftemas in hierdie verband geïdentifiseer, wat die volgende insluit: voordele van MIV-toetsingsdienste, redes waarom berading en MIV-toetsingsdienste verlang word, en die deelnemers se evaluering van die studiebesoeke en beradingsessies. Daar is bevind dat die aangepaste beradingsintervensie van die CDC aanvaarbaar was en gunstige uitkomste gelewer het vir die adolessente wat aan die loodsfase deelgeneem het. Hierdie studie dra by tot die literatuur oor MIV-risiko’s vir adolessente in Soweto, Suid-Afrika, deur meervoudige invloedsvlakke te oorweeg. Die feit dat ’n meer volledige begrip tydens die loodsondersoek verkry is van die interaksie van die ekologiese faktore wat tot seksuele risikogedrag onder adolessente bydra, het die ontwikkeling van ʼn doelgemaakte intervensie deur berading moontlik gemaak. Die bevindings het getoon dat die aangepaste beradingsintervensie van die CDC lewensvatbaar en aanvaarbaar is vir gebruik onder adolessente wat waarskynlik geskikte deelnemers aan toekomstige biomediese proewe oor MIV-voorkoming kan wees. Hierdie studie verskaf dus ʼn noodsaaklike beradingsintervensie om die MIV-risiko onder adolessente ‒ ʼn ouderdomsgroep wat waarskynlik aan toekomstige biomediese navorsing oor MIV-voorkoming sal deelneem ‒ te verminder.

This study explored teachers' perceptions of intelligence of 11th-grade Black male students and how students themselves perceived their own intelligence in light of Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligence. Qualitative research methods were used to gain novel understanding of the students' and teachers' feelings, and perceptions as outlined in the research questions. Two versions of ecological systems theory provided the underpinnings for the framework of this study: 1) Brönfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, and 2) Spencer's PVEST (Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory) model, which is an adaptation of the ecology model to Black students in the United States. In a large urban school district in the Southeast section of the United States, twenty-six students completed an online survey of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. Seven Black male students were selected and interviewed along with ten of their teachers. The study found that despite the negative stereotypes toward Black males by society, the Black male students in this study interpreted intelligence to be multifaceted and perceived themselves as intelligent Black males. The teachers of the Black male students perceived them as intelligent and also interpreted intelligence to be multifaceted. The Black male students were resilient in debunking the idea that Black males were not considered intelligent in a society where negative Black male stereotypes abound.