Researchers are recognizing the importance of examining underlying family functioning in order to understand the varying influences of parental divorce on offspring. The current study investigated the relations among young adults’ attachment styles, their reported family-of-origin functioning and parents’ marital status (divorced or non-divorced), and their current feelings about and attitudes towards marriage, in a sample of 537 young adults, half of whom experienced the divorce of their parents. The results demonstrate that knowledge of divorce status alone does not tell the whole predictive story for a child’s later relational connections and attitudes. In fact, parental marital status may, at times, act as a proxy for lower intimacy, fewer democratic parenting practices, and higher conflict in the family. Family-of-origin functioning, and, in particular, higher levels of intimacy, was the best predictor of the young adult’s secure attachment in close relationships. Although adult children from divorced households did report more negative feelings and opinions of marriage, parents’ marital status, attachment style and family-of-origin functioning variables were all important in explaining their feelings about and attitudes towards marriage. Notably, those with higher levels of attachment avoidance were more likely to express negative feelings and opinions about marriage. It may be that the role of family functioning on attitude towards marriage includes an indirect pathway: Family-of-origin functioning predicts a young adult’s attachment style in close relationships, which, in turn, can have an important influence on their feelings about and attitudes towards the institution of marriage. Ultimately, we document that if a family-of-origin is experienced to be cohesive and close – even if parents do divorce – it appears that young adult children can still feel securely attached in their close relationships and still feel positively towards marriage. Therefore, the “intergenerational transmission of divorce,” is neither automatic nor inevitable and this term should no longer be utilized in the divorce literature. / Graduate

AFRIKAANS: In ‘n veranderende wêreld van relatiwiteit blyk dit dat die preek al hoe meer in die spervuur is. Op elke gebied van die menslike onderneming beleef ons veranderinge. Dit maak dat prediking in die konteks van ‘n veranderende wêreld en kultuur al hoe meer kompleks word. Wat vyftig jaar gelede as homiletiese wysheid gesien is, geld nie meer nie. Die kritiese vraag is: Het die prediking nog ‘n toekoms? Het ons enige idee oor die effek en ontvangs van ‘n preek. In die huidige kritieke situasie waarin die kerk wêreldwyd verkeer, word veral ook die prediker aangespoor tot selfondersoek en herwaardering van sy prediking. In die ondersoek van die probleem en die soeke na moontlike oplossing word daar in hierdie studie aangesluit by die ‘prakties-teologiese metodologie’ waarvolgens die bestaande praktyk wetenskaplik ondersoek word. Dit geskied deur aandag te skenk aan die dinamiese wisselwerking tussen teorie en praktyk. Hierdie proses vind gestalte deur ‘n hermeneutiese interaksie tussen ‘n literatuurstudie en ‘n empiriese ondersoek wat uitmond in ‘n verstelde praktykteorie. In Hoofstuk 1 word die navorsings leemte, probleemstelling, vraagstelling en doelstelling van die studie vasgelê. Die navorsings leemte behels dat die meeste predikers ‘n persepsie het dat hulle in noue kontak met die hoorders is, en dat predikers dink dat direkte terugvoer vanaf die hoorders nie nodig is nie. Die leefwêreld en tydgees waarbinne die prediking plaasvind en die hoorder se behoeftes rondom die prediking is nog nie in die Paarl op ‘n grondige empiriese wyse ondersoek is nie. Prediking in die konteks van die Paarl is ‘n monologiese gebeurtenis, waar die hoorder passief is. Die kern van die probleemstelling is die gebrek aan deelname van gemeentelede aan die preek in die erediens. Die vraagstelling is of prediking nog relevant is en of prediking steeds moet gestalte vind op dieselfde wyse binne ons veranderende wêreld van relatiwiteit? Die doel van hierdie ondersoek was om vas te stel wat die hoorders beskou as relevante prediking en of die preek nog steeds ‘n bestaansreg het. In Hoofstuk 2 word daar gekyk na die leefwêreld, kultuur en tydgees waarbinne die hoorders lewe. In Hoofstuk 3 word verskillende hermeneutiese benaderings uiteengesit om sodoende ‘n basis teorie vir relevante prediking te kan ontwikkel. Dit dien as ‘n konseptuele raamwerk vir die empiriese deel van die studie. In Hoofstuk 4 word die empiriese ondersoek onderneem. Dit geskied deur kwalitatiewe onderhoude wat fokus op individue uit verskillende gemeentes in die Paarl. Inligting is versamel deur middel van in-diepte onderhoude wat deur gestruktureerde onderhoudskedules voorafgegaan word. Daar is byvoorbeeld gevind dat die oorgrote meerderheid gelowiges die prediking sien as ‘n onvervangbare element. In Hoofstuk 5 is daar ‘n hermeneutiese interaksie tussen die resultate van die empiriese ondersoek en die voorafgaande teoretiese vertrekpunte. Hierdie gegewens wat op mekaar inspeel lei tot nuwe of verstelde konsepte vir ‘n relevante praktykteorie om die praktyk te rig en te stuur. Dit is ‘n regulatiewe aktiwiteit wat die bestaande praktyk wil bevestig en bewus maak van sekere aanpassings. In hierdie verstelde praktykteorie is daar gepleit vir nuwe klem op die kultuur en konteks waarbinne die prediking plaasvind. Daar sal meer gereeld na die hoorder se stem geluister moet word sodat meer inter aktiwiteit tussen prediker en hoorder kan plaasvind. Ook nuwe kommunikasietegniek sal aangeleer moet word vir die prediking wat in ‘n ontluikende digitalekultuur moet plaasvind. ENGLISH: In a changing world of relativism there are many critical voices against the preaching of a sermon. These critical voices put the sermon under attack. In all facets of human life we experience change. That makes the preaching of a sermon more complex in the context of a changing world. What looked like homiletic wisdom fifty years ago, doesn’t count today. The critical question is: Does preaching have a future? Do we have any idea of the effect and reception of a sermon? Because of the present critical situation of peoples’ perception about the church in general, the preacher is encouraged to introspection and revaluation of his sermons. In the research of the problem and the seeking for some possible solutions this study connects with the ‘practical theological methodology’ whereby the standing scientific praxis is researched. This is done by giving attention to the dynamic interaction between theory and praxis. This process is structured by a hermeneutical interaction between a literature study and a empirical research which results in an adjusted practical theory. In Chapter 1 the research problem is stated, followed by an explanation and formulation of the question under research as well as the purpose thereof. The deficiency in the research entails that most preachers think they are in close contact with the hearers to sermons and that direct feedback from the hearers is unnecessary. The world in which the spirit, the time the sermon is delivered and the hearers needs towards the sermon, haven’t been researched on a empirical basis in Paarl. Preaching within listeners in the context of the churches in Paarl is in the form of a monologue where the listener sits passively. The centre of the problem statement of this research is the shortage of involvement of congregation members towards the sermon during the worship service. The question under research is whether preaching is still relevant and whether preaching still must take place in the same way that we are familiar with. The purpose of this research is to find out what the hearer considers as relevant preaching and if preaching must still be that prominent in the worship service. In Chapter 2 we look at the world in which we live and the timeline wherein the hearer lives. In Chapter 3 we will look at different hermeneutical approaches to get to a base theory for relevant preaching. This will serve as a conceptual framework for the empirical part of the study. In Chapter 4 we undertake the empirical research. It takes place in the form qualitative interviews which focus on individuals from different churches in Paarl. Information was obtained by means of in-depth interviews preceded by structured interview schedules. As an example, the research found that the majority of believers regard the preaching of a sermon as an irreplaceable element of the church and of one’s Christians life. Chapter 5 reveals the results of a hermeneutical interaction between the imperical research and the preliminary theoretical assumptions. The results that play in towards each other will lead to new or adjusted concepts for a relevant practical theory to guide the praxis in a new direction. This is a regulative activity which confirms the existing praxis and makes us aware of certain adaptations. In this adjusted practical theory there is pleaded for a new emphasis towards the culture and context where preaching takes place. Therefore more often preachers must listen to the hearers voices to create interactivity between preacher and hearer. New communication techniques also need to be taught regarding preaching in a new digital culture. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

Society's attitude towards people with disabilities has changed over time. People with disabilities are a group that historically has been marginalized by society and treated differently. Many have been exposed to various assaults from society such as forced lock-ins, prohibition of marriage and sterilization. People with disabilities are a group of people who have historically been treated very badly in Swedish care, prior to the launch of the Swedish modern disability policy. Towards the end of the 1980s, an investigation was carried out into the treatment of disabled people in Sweden. This resulted in the Convention of the rights of people with disabilities reform of 1994, known as the LSS. The result was to create a fair and equal society for everyone. The LSS reform requires people with disabilities to have good living conditions, equality in living conditions, full participation in community life, an opportunity to live as other members of society, adaptation to individual needs, ease of access, opportunities for independence, good quality of life, respect for the individual's right to make their own decision and maintain their individual integrity and voluntariness.In LSS, the group housing associations meet users and staff and the idea is that the efforts made by the staff should compensate for the obstacles and difficulties that a disability may cause. Researchers describe the relationship between residents and staff as crucial for the success of the LSS goals. With correct implementation they help ensure good living conditions and high quality of life for the residents.In order to find out the reasoning and the principles about the approach to patients within the LSS-agency, the qualitative method was chosen as a course of action. The empirical material was based on semi-structured interviews with six employees within LSS-group homes. As the purpose was to examine the stories of employees regarding the work with the personal treatment of clients, the essay is built upon theories of empathy and communication.

As consumers, we are bombarded daily with companies advertising their products and services. A growing concern is the unethical use of partially-clothed or nude models and their effects on consumers who often are not even actively searching for information about these products or services. No matter the ethical implications many companies choose this method of promoting their products to the general population. Much research has been done to study the effects that these risqué images have on consumers' self-image and feelings, most commonly though, on females. This research focuses on males as consumers and their attitudes towards advertisements and how it compares to the female consumer. Only when we understand the attitudes toward advertisements can we effectively inform our customer of products and services. The purpose of this thesis is to explore males and how their self-image and exposure to images in advertising can affect their attitude towards the advertisement. Through the analysis of consumer surveys completed by both males and females, this thesis evaluates how males feel towards authentic advertisements and compare that to their female counterpart. Evidence shows that a consumer's attitude towards an advertisement has an impact on their attitude towards the brand. By discovering how males' attitudes towards advertisements are formed and comparing that to females' attitudes towards advertisements, this thesis aims to make an impact in the marketing discipline to improve advertiser's knowledge and ability to create advertisements that serve a purpose and are considered appealing by consumers- leading them to purchase.

This decade will hopefully see the first human stepping on the Martian soil. Thus, supporting and enhancing the life quality of a future crew should be the driving theme for accomplishing manned missions on Mars. In this regard, an on-demand, ubiquitous, reliable, wideband, and low-latency connectivity seems of vital importance, both for in-situ and deep-space communications. Hence, this PhD dissertation aims to introduce innovation on this multi-faceted topic, to propose a new set of solutions which we refer to as Next Generation Communications on Mars (NGC-M). First, we discuss through extensive simulations the viability of an Extraterrestrial Long Term Evolution (E-LTE) porting, where a lander and a rover are re-allocated to compose a wireless local mobile network as the base station (BS) and user equipment (UE), respectively. Next, in order to model realistic Martian channels for further solid evaluations, we present a study on large and small-scale phenomena through a three-dimensional (3D) ray-tracing algorithm executed over 3D tile-based rendering of high-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the ``Red Planet" surface. Then, we formulate a framework for the design of heterogeneous ground-to-space multi-layered (3D) networks implementing Cloud Radio Access Networks (C-RAN) for ``Towards 6G" Martian connectivity. The results will spread from simulations of the so-called splitting options, for the virtualization of baseband functionalities on non-dedicated hardware, to end-to-end (E2E) network emulations and on-hardware assessments. Finally, a decode-and-forward (DF) optical wireless multi-relay network (OWmRN), based on satellites orbiting the Lagrangian points (LPs), will be proposed for wideband exchanges of data between Mars and Earth. Data rate over time will be measured with respect to the selected shortest-path for relaying. The analysis of the various techniques, performed in a holistic and systemic view, focuses on viability and performance, taking into account trade-offs and constraints inherent to the unusual and challenging Martian application environment.

No description available.

Technological literacy is the goal of technology education and in order to attain this goal, students need to be able "to use, manage and understand technology" (ITEA, 2000/2002/2007). Students need to have positive attitudes towards technology and can engage in their technological world. Technological Literacy is an ever-increasing requirement in this 21st Century for students in order for people to engage in their technological world it may well be that we need students to be technologically literate so that we can address these up-and-coming issues. In teaching technology education at the primary level, it is essential to develop valid assessments that gauge student's attitudes about technology so that the results inform policy makers, educators, and curriculum writers to improve the schools' curriculum and advance the teaching of technology education. The purpose of this study was the validation of a modified version of the PATT-USA instrument called the Pupils' Attitudes Towards Technology – Grade 4 (PATT-G4) for use with 4th grade students to assess their attitudes and concepts toward contemporary technology. A literature review reviewing the theoretical frameworks for technology education, the educational shift towards technological literacy as well as best practices for measuring student attitudes and instrument development was conducted. This study was a non-experimental descriptive cross-sectional survey research design which included several statistical tests that were similarly used for the original PATT-USA instrument. Results from the data analysis indicated that students who were enrolled in a technology education program had more positive attitudes towards technology and technological concepts. Furthermore, both boys and girls had very strong attitudes towards the importance of technology. The conclusions and implications suggest that the PATT-G4 instrument should be administered to a larger sample size and different fourth grade populations. / Doctor of Philosophy / Technological literacy is the goal of technology education and in order to attain this goal, students need to be able "to use, manage and understand technology" (ITEA, 2000/2002/2007). Students need to have positive attitudes towards technology and can engage in their technological world. Technological Literacy is an ever-increasing requirement in this 21st Century for students in order for people to engage in their technological world it may well be that we need students to be technologically literate so that we can address these up-and-coming issues. In teaching technology education at the primary level, it is essential to develop valid assessments that gauge student's attitudes about technology so that the results inform policy makers, educators, and curriculum writers to improve the schools' curriculum and advance the teaching of technology education. The purpose of this study was the validation of a modified version of the PATT-USA instrument called the Pupils' Attitudes Towards Technology – Grade 4 (PATT-G4) for use with 4th grade students to assess their attitudes and concepts toward contemporary technology. The initial administration of this instrument was given to a sample of fourth grade students from three sub-urban elementary schools from a northeastern state. Findings indicated that students who were enrolled in a technology education program had more positive attitudes towards technology and technological concepts. Furthermore, both boys and girls had very strong attitudes towards the importance of technology. The conclusions and implications suggest that the PATT-G4 instrument should be administered to a larger sample size and different fourth grade populations.

<p>The Internet has opened up new opportunities for companies to market and sell their products online. In the early days of internet marketing and still some of the more widely used methods are Pop-ups and Banners. Earlier research and academic studies have proven these methods of being perceived as irritating and more or less ignored. With this in mind, marketers have been searching to find new and alternative ways of marketing, in addition to the traditional methods. Eventually, when the trend of blogs and communities began growing, so did the companies interests towards them. Because of the new possible forms of marketing online, and due to the companies increasing effort of receiving better value regarding their advertisement budget, the purpose of this thesis is to examine if marketing on sites such as blogs and communities are more positively perceived upon among internet users. In some cases, this has been examined in relation to the more traditional means of online marketing. Furthermore, we examined whether or not the tailoring of advertisements had more effect on users, and if there were any differences in the general perception of blog- and community advertisements among male and female consumers.</p><p>The empirical data needed was gathered quantitatively through an online survey, based on the consumer point of view of this matter. As it became difficult to attain any response from users of internet blogs, the study became more focused on communities and forums. The survey was placed on three communities within current areas of interest; Home electronics, Sports and training, and Family life. Furthermore, a conceptualization was made out of the theoretical chapter, and was used for the analyzing of the data.</p><p>The results indicate that a majority of the respondents are more positive towards advertisements on blogs and communities, as well as customized advertisements within these mediums. It was further found that these advertisements did not disrupt the surfer’s flow as much as traditional mediums. The findings also show that a majority of the respondents are aware of online advertisements in general, and just as many have developed a dislike towards them. However, the male respondents have a more positive view of advertisements on blogs and communities, than the female. The same finding appeared in regard to tailored ads; while male consumers consider these as more acceptable, the female respondents have an indifferent opinion. To the question of why advertisement on these mediums were more regarded upon, the most common response was due to these ads being considered as more related to their interests. Conclusively, tailored ads that are developed and placed in relation to the website and its content have a larger effect on internet users, than do random advertisements.</p>

The Internet has opened up new opportunities for companies to market and sell their products online. In the early days of internet marketing and still some of the more widely used methods are Pop-ups and Banners. Earlier research and academic studies have proven these methods of being perceived as irritating and more or less ignored. With this in mind, marketers have been searching to find new and alternative ways of marketing, in addition to the traditional methods. Eventually, when the trend of blogs and communities began growing, so did the companies interests towards them. Because of the new possible forms of marketing online, and due to the companies increasing effort of receiving better value regarding their advertisement budget, the purpose of this thesis is to examine if marketing on sites such as blogs and communities are more positively perceived upon among internet users. In some cases, this has been examined in relation to the more traditional means of online marketing. Furthermore, we examined whether or not the tailoring of advertisements had more effect on users, and if there were any differences in the general perception of blog- and community advertisements among male and female consumers. The empirical data needed was gathered quantitatively through an online survey, based on the consumer point of view of this matter. As it became difficult to attain any response from users of internet blogs, the study became more focused on communities and forums. The survey was placed on three communities within current areas of interest; Home electronics, Sports and training, and Family life. Furthermore, a conceptualization was made out of the theoretical chapter, and was used for the analyzing of the data. The results indicate that a majority of the respondents are more positive towards advertisements on blogs and communities, as well as customized advertisements within these mediums. It was further found that these advertisements did not disrupt the surfer’s flow as much as traditional mediums. The findings also show that a majority of the respondents are aware of online advertisements in general, and just as many have developed a dislike towards them. However, the male respondents have a more positive view of advertisements on blogs and communities, than the female. The same finding appeared in regard to tailored ads; while male consumers consider these as more acceptable, the female respondents have an indifferent opinion. To the question of why advertisement on these mediums were more regarded upon, the most common response was due to these ads being considered as more related to their interests. Conclusively, tailored ads that are developed and placed in relation to the website and its content have a larger effect on internet users, than do random advertisements.

This study examines how demographic and attitudinal variables are associated with Black South African women's desire to marry. Data from the South African Social Attitudes Survey are used to measure the impact of age, education, living standard, religiosity, urbanicity, cohabitation, and attitudes towards woman's careers, the acceptability of cohabitation, gender roles, unwed childbearing, and the financial and emotional security marriage provides on the desire to marry. Analyses indicate the following are associated with the desire to marry among Black South African women: age, cohabitation, attitudes towards cohabitation, and attitudes towards the financial and emotional security marriage provides. Secondly, data from in-depth interviews with 13 young, college-attending, Black South African women are used to give further insight into the impact of these variables on the desire to marry. Analyses of the interview data suggest that young Black South African women desire to marry but feel constrained in choice of eligible partners by the prevalence of infidelity, AIDS, domestic violence, and economic uncertainty. Additionally, educated, young, Black South African women feel less pressure to marry than older generations due to their emerging economic power and society's increasing acceptance of cohabitation, unwed childbirth, and postponement of marriage.