Cette thèse porte sur l’évaluation et la prise en charge par l’activité physique d’adolescent(e)s obèses. Deux études ont quantifié leurs réponses psychophysiologiques à un test de course intermittent en 15-15 (Rossi et al., 2009), progressif et maximal. Comparé au test navette de 20m (Léger et al., 1988), la pertinence du test 15-15 pour cette population réside dans la production de réponses physiologiques maximales similaires tout en conduisant à des vitesses supérieures et à une meilleure condition physique perçue. Deux autres études ont évalué les effets d’un programme de 5 semaines d’exercices intermittents d’intensité vigoureuse (VIT) sur la composition corporelle et les conditions physiques objective et perçue d’adolescents obèses. Le programme comprenait 3 séances hebdomadaires de types de VIT différant en durée et en activités physiques et sportives. Des améliorations de la composition corporelle, des capacités fonctionnelles, notamment chez les garçons, et de la plupart des échelles de capacités physiques perçues sont obtenues. Le VIT de longue durée engendre des améliorations rapides et régulières des échelles de capacités physiques perçues / This thesis fits the assessment and follow-up by physical activity of obese adolescents. Two studies measured their psychophysiological responses to an intermittent progressive and maximal running test in 15-15 (Rossi et al., 2009). Compared to the 20 m shuttle run test (Léger et al., 1988), the 15-15 test is considered as relevant for such population as it leads to similar maximal physiological responses, but also to higher speeds and better perceived physical condition of the participants. Two other studies evaluated the effects of a 5 week program of intermittent exercises at vigorous intensity (VIT) on body composition, objective and perceived physical conditions of obese adolescents. The program included 3 weekly VIT sessions that differed in the type and duration of the included sport and physical activities. Improvements were obtained in body composition, functional capacities, particularly among boys, and in most of the scales of perceived physical capacities. The longest VIT sessions led to rapid and regular improvements of all scales of perceived physical capacities

The problem of this study was the assessment of the value of the Tennessee Self Concept Scale, the DF Opinion Survey, and An Inventory of Factors STDCR for use in identifying personality factors significant to overseas adjustment. The following conclusions were drawn: 1. The TSCS and the DFOS lacked validity as predictors of personal adjustment as measured by the MPAS. 2. Freedom from depression tendencies (Factor D) and freedom from fluctuating emotions (Factor C) of the STDCR were significantly related to overseas adjustment. 3. The best combination of factor scores for predicting personal adjustment included D (Depression), CC (Cultural Conformity), and S (Social Introversion-Extraversion). 4. The Candidate Graduate Training Program was not effective in producing change in the psychological factors tested.

Play therapy in a school setting was studied to determine its therapeutic effectiveness on students' reading achievement, self-concept, and locus of control. The sample consisted of 24 students in two first grade classes who had been retained because of low achievement in reading. Instruments used in the study were the Gates MacGinite Reading Test, the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, and the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire. Analysis of covariance, used to test the significance of the difference between the adjusted post-test means of the experimental and control groups, showed that participants in play therapy scored significantly higher in self-concept than did those who were not exposed to treatment. No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in reading achievement or locus of control. Since research has shown that low achievers in reading tend to have low self-concepts, it seems reasonable to assume that improved self-concept would be related to improved reading scores. The nature of such a possible relationship needs further study. Recommendations were made for integrating affective components into academic remediation programs, and suggestions for further research were made.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate post-burn adjustment in light of the self-esteem of child burn survivors. The study attempted to assess the viability of using a single, explicit self-report measure of self-esteem (Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale) as an index of post-burn adjustment. It appears that pediatric burn patients do not suffer a compromised self-concept secondary to the burn injury and, rather, are successful in incorporating their post-burn state, physically and psychologically, into a positive self-concept. It is suggested that evaluation of overall self-esteem incorporate a comprehensive picture of post-burn adjustment, based upon psychological and physiological parameters. Further research is justified and suggestions for future examinations are presented.

Doctor Educationis / This study investigates how two groups of African pupils, namely the low and high performers in standard 9 mathematics classes in some high schools in Mangaung, construct meaning of their African cultural, individual African identity and performance in mathematics respectively. The observation underpinning this investigation is that social structural factors have not gained much attention in research as bases for explaining differentiated performance in mathematics, hence this study. To arrive at the findings mentioned below, the study used three quantitative instruments namely Mboya's Self-Description Inventory II (MSDI-II), Rotter's I-E scale and Tuekman's Mathematics Attitude Scale (MAS). Four hundred pupils who constituted the sample that responded to these questionnaires were controlled as to confounding variables like, gender, social class, exposure to mathematics and future aspirations relating to this subject. MSDI-II and Rotter's I-E Scale accessed data relating to signification of African individual identity while MAS and one of MSDI-Il's subscale, Maths Ability were 'triangulated' to access data relating to signification of performance in Mathematics. To triangulate findings on these two variables as well as to allow the sampled pupils' voices to be heard, discourse analysis was conducted on the open interviews with the two groups of low and high performing pupils in their respective schools. This qualitative approach also enabled the study to access information relating to signification of African Cultural Identity. No quantitative instrument was found suitable for this purpose. Although the study is careful not to make strong causal inferences between meaning construction (signification) and performance, the results show that (i) low performers are not sure about whether they are Africans or not since according to them African cultural identity implies an obsolete and primitive way of doing things. They are unable to identify with this. High performers see African Cultural Identity as involving lived experiences which challenge them to transform their despised status as Africans (ii) Low performers are not as positive as high performers about Africanness (individual identity) and (iii) they are also not positively inclined towards mathematics and their own ability to perform well therein, while high performers are very positive as they see doing well in mathematics as an act of struggle that would enable them to improve their social standing and that of other Africans. On the basis of the above the study is able to conclude that low performers construct meaning of the mentioned factors in agreement with the dominant discourses that see Africanness as being primitive, incompetent and unable to adequately comprehend the intricacies of modem day subjects like mathematics. High performers on the other hand tend to contest this negative definitions about what it means to be an African (identity, culture and performance in mathematics). They are thus positioned within counter-hegemonic ideology and discourses in as far as their meaning construction is concerned. Grounded on the above findings and conclusions, the study recommends that efforts should not be spared to enable the low performers (and/or pupils at risk of failing) to adopt positive meaning making strategies of high performers. These strategies may be accompanied by enhanced positive feelings about self and what one is capable of, which may in tum also impact positively on performance in mathematics, in particular. The research further argues that this goal may be achieved through curriculum enrichment, guidance, counselling and teaching, couched in the framework of African Renaissance. Therefore further research needs to be conducted that will elaborate clearly (i) what the implications of African Renaissance are on education, teaching, learning and mathematics curriculum in particular, (ii) what are the most effective means of transferring high performers' strategies of meaning construction to the low performers in the context of African Renaissance and (iii) how to strengthen and further sustain the positive meaning making strategies among high performers. Recommendations relating to curriculum enrichment in the context of Curriculum 2005 and Outcomes Based Counselling are also made as well as suggestions for future relevant research based on the concepts generated in this research.

KRISTÝNA JEŽILOVÁ THE ROLE OF A TEACHING ASSISTANT IN PRIMARY SCHOOL ABSTRACT The thesis is about the profession of a teaching assistant and his interaction with pupils with special educational needs. It deals with what is the role of a teaching assistant during a teaching and how he helps pupils with special educational needs. The theoretical part explains important concepts which are crucial for this proffesion, that means joint learning, who the teaching assistant actually is and what he needs for his work and who are students with special educational needs. The practical part tries to outline the work of the teaching assistant by means of qualitative research. I was interested in how this work is viewed by assistants themselves, which I try to find out by means of research methods - interview and observation. On the basis of the results of the research, the conclusion of the investigation is elaborated, where all gained knowledge is summarized. The aim of the thesis is to find out what role the pedagogical assistants play and how they help pupils with special educational needs, how their assistants see their work, how their opinion on this profession differs and what it is the same.

My diploma thesis deals with the issue of mental hygiene as a field of personality and vocational development of future primary teachers. The aim of theoretical part is to summarize the facts about teacher's profession, which are an argument for systematic mental hygiene development of teacher students. One of the goals is to describe the study of teaching as my respondents in empirical part are future teachers. The next aim is to find answers to what attitudes, knowledge and skills should teachers have to be able to prevent burnout syndrome, to be resistant to stress and to be active in their approach to personality and professional development. The practical part was realized by a mixed research among students of the primary teaching who are in the 1st and the 5th grade. The research questions were: What is the approach of the students of teaching to the personality development in the 1st grade and in the 5th grade? What are the competencies of the future primary teachers in the 1st grade and in the 5th grade in a burnout area? To what extent do the future primary teachers know in the 1st grade and in the 5th grade about the risk of burnout (what does it cause, what are the manifestations of burnout and how to prevent it)? Data were collected by the questionnaire method. My research shows that...

As increasing emphasis is being placed on student college and career readiness, instructional approaches seek to develop content and skill proficiency. I gathered student perspectives on teacher expectations and instructional opportunities in core content classes in order to determine if expectation bias influences college readiness preparation in the classroom. Student academic self-concept and college readiness were examined alongside beliefs about teacher expectations and instructional opportunities in a conceptual framework for student perceptions. In this qualitative study, I utilized four focus groups of high school students from two cohorts to analyze perceptions across students from mostly on-level core classes and those from mostly advanced core classes. Findings showed students held high expectations of their own current and future performance, as well as perceived teachers generally hold high expectations, though this was shown through the development of relational capacity rather than instructional opportunities to develop college readiness skills or connect to students' future ambitions. The results of the study provide insight to educators seeking to create stronger connections for students between current educational experiences and future postsecondary opportunities.

Bakgrund: Självreflektion innebär att kunna iaktta sig själv, sina reaktioner och att kunnasamtala med sig själv om sina handlingar och om sina upplevelser. Det är ett medvetetsökande efter förståelse. Reflektion ger möjlighet att utveckla yrkesmässig medvetenhet omsitt eget sätt att fungera och reagera. Genom systematisk reflektion kan individen utvecklasoch koppla teori till praktik. Individen måste medvetet utvärdera sina erfarenheter för attkunna dra lärdom av dem. Syfte: Syftet var att belysa sjuksköterskors möjligheter till självreflektion inom psykiatriskvård. Metod: En integrativ litteraturstudie användes som metod. Data inhämtades från databasernaCinahl plus, PubMed och PsycINFO.Sammanlagt sex artiklar ligger till grund för resultat. Material har analyserats medWhittemore och Knafls (2005) analysmetod. Resultat: Sjuksköterskor behövde skapa utrymme för självreflektion. Studier visade attarbetsgivare behövde möjliggöra att självreflektion kunde utövas på arbetsplatsen ochmedarbetare måste värdesätta att självreflektion kunde fungera som ett hjälpmedel i denpsykiatriska omvårdnaden. Det var också viktigt att lärare och utbildare, i enutbildningssituation, var intresserade av individens lärande och hade kunskap om hur man lärut självreflektion. Slutsats: Möjligheter till självreflektion är tid, kunskap och en tillåtande miljö därsjuksköterskan eller sjuksköterskestudenten kan och vågar ställa frågor och där det finns engemensam norm som värdesätter självreflektion på arbetsplatsen. / Backgound: Self-reflection means being able to observe oneself, their reactions and beingable to talk to themselves about their actions and their experiences. It is a conscious search forunderstanding. Reflection provides the opportunity to develop professional awareness ofone ́s own way of functioning and reacting. Through systematic reflection, the individual candevelop and link theory to practice. The individual must consciously evaluate theirexperiences in order to learn from them. Aim: The purpose of this study is to elucidate nurses ́ opportunities for self-reflection inpsychiatric careMethod: An integrative literature study was used as a method. Data were obtained from thedatabases Cinahl Plus, PubMed and PSYCinfo. A total of six articles form the basis for theresult. The material has been analyzed using the Whittemore and Knafls (2005) method. Results: Nurses need to create space for self-reflection. The study showed that employersneeded to enable self-reflection to be exercised in the workplace and employees needed toappreciate that self-reflection could serve as an aid in psychiatric nursing. It was alsoeducators, in an educational situation, were interested in the individual ́s learning and hadknowledge of how to teach self-reflection. Conclusion: Opportunities for self-reflection are time, knowledge and a permissiveenvironment where the nurse or nurse student can and dare to ask questions and where there isa common norm that values self-reflection in the workplace.

The Education White Paper 6 has set South Africa on the course for implementing a policy of inclusive education and participation in its schools. It is argued that an essential criterion to establish the congruency between the inclusive education and participation policy and its implementation is the academic self-concept (ASC) of learners. The ASC is influenced by context, thereby including all the systems which contribute to context, such as the education, school, class and social systems. As the product of different factors in various systems, the ASC may have significant diagnostic value in a school and class system. For this study, the ASC of learners with hearing impairment (HI), as an example of an impairment to be included in schools, was explored, involving two public school contexts: special and full-service inclusion schools. The research design incorporated a multi- and mixed method design, as quantitative data, to measure, describe and analyse the nature of the ASC of learners with HI, was augmented with qualitative data, to further explore the nature of the relation between the ASC and HI, especially in respect of the dynamics of the ASC. The investigation entailed developing and administering ASC questionnaires to Grade Seven learners with and without HI in special and full-service inclusion schools, observing classroom interactions, conducting interviews with the principals, educators and learners with HI, and collecting background information on the learners with HI. In answer to the main research question, What is the ASC of Grade Seven learners with HI in the contexts of special and full-service inclusion schools?, the data suggested that school context (full-service inclusion or special schools) did not play a primary role in influencing the ASC of learners with HI. The first sub-question related to the role HI plays in the ASC of Grade Seven learners in the two school contexts. The results suggested that HI greatly influenced the first language ASC (LASC) of the learners with HI in the special school and one of the full-service schools. HI did not seem to play a strong role in the mathematics ASC (MASC) of learners with HI, provided that there was adequate and effective support for the learners with HI. The second sub-question addressed the outcome(s) related to the ASC of Grade Seven learners with HI, which could be regarded as indicative of the successful conversion of primary schools to full-service inclusion schools. The results suggested that a general ASC (GASC) and LASC which are moderately lower than the GASC and LASC of the learners with no HI, and a MASC that is similar to the MASC of the learners with no HI, is acceptable. The third sub-question addressed guidelines to improve the conversion of primary schools to full-service inclusion schools. From the data, early identification of HI, appropriate technical and early specialised learning support, and the accessibility and knowledge of educators appeared to contribute the most to the ASC of learners with HI. Understanding some of the functional and accidental limitations of the research places the findings and conclusions in perspective. / Thesis (PhD (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted