The study aims to explore the role of children’s homes in the educational performance of primary school learners. It employed qualitative approach which follows a case study design. It was conducted in three schools and children’s home. The participants consisted of six caregivers, six teachers and six learners whose responses were collected using in-depth interviews as an instrument. They were all purposefully selected as they possess information that is rich and relevant to my study. Participants were told that their interview was voluntary and they were free to withdraw at any time if they feel uncomfortable. The confidentiality in order to protect the identity of the participants was maintained. The data were collected by writing response from participants and using tape recorder. It was then transcribed, organised, marked by hand, and coded to produce themes. The major findings are that children’s homes can affect the performance negatively or positively; positively, if homes create enough time for children to study and have more access to people and resources in support of their studies and negatively in that there are numerous educational barriers that the caregivers in the children’s home face daily when it comes to assisting the orphaned and vulnerable learners in their school work. Based on the findings, the study gives a number of recommendations, namely, there is need to strengthen collaborative efforts between government and other non-governmental organisations to ensure increased availability of necessary resources to the orphaned and vulnerable learners; caregivers in children’s homes need to receive proper training and assistance in order to be able to handle the psychological difficulties experienced by the orphaned and vulnerable learners; education and legal campaigns must be put in place to eliminate stigma associated with orphan-hood. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

This thesis focuses on children who have lost both parents and are currently living on their own as child headed households (CHHs) in a rural community in Zimbabwe. Children heading households and taking care of siblings is a very “un-childlike” behaviour yet these are growing phenomena. Through an exploration of how CHHs are constituted and evolve the thesis aims to examine whether local constructions of childhood are being (re) conceptualised as a result of Zimbabwe’s escalating HIV/AIDS crisis. In particular it examines whether the socialisation of children within ‘child only’ units is leading to social transformation and/or whether children are in some way attempting to mimic ‘normal’ family/gender relations. It also looks at CHH’s interactions with adults and explores how these affect survival strategies, socialisation and conceptualisations of childhood. This thesis draws on an intensive ethnographic research project with five CHHs and their siblings in a rural community in Zimbabwe. Participant observation, narratives, drama, essays, focus groups, conversations and participatory techniques were employed to gain an in-depth insight into household evolution, the socialisation of family members, gender roles and survival strategies. The thesis shows that while children living in CHHs are vulnerable, they exhibited considerable competence and capabilities to sustain themselves. However, state and non-governmental organisations’ definition of childhood and orphanhood on the other hand, and cultural and local understanding of childhood and orphanhood produce new conceptual struggles of childhood that impacts negatively on the CHHs’ integration into society and their capacity to function fully. The ambivalent position of orphaned children in CHHs needs to be addressed if CHHs are to be recognised as an alternative orphan care arrangement.

The main aim of this study was to investigate how effective School Management Teams were in the management of healthy school environments in the Gert Sibande District. This was a qualitative study which employed two data collection strategies: face to face interviews and photographs. A literature review on this study revealed vital aspects, that a healthy school environment: can directly improve children’s health and effective learning; the school is strategically positioned to reach large numbers of the population to teach them to understand the importance of investing in health. Literature indicated collaboration and synergy as essential aspects, and policies as cornerstones that underpin the health promotion initiatives. Selection of sites was purposefully done as three of the four schools in this study were part of the Eco Schools programme. The study revealed that there was disconnect between the SMTs and committees that were involved in health promotion: in coordinating plans; and monitoring and evaluating the implementation of programmes. This therefore, means that there was no support for the committees from the SMT. It was also found that there were committees that: did not have plans; did not sit for meetings and the reluctance of the SMT to address these challenges compounded the situation and contributed to some committees being dysfunctional. The failure of the SMT to guide and provide leadership in their engagement with community members who provided assistance in terms of basic needs to learners indicated a need for the development of a cadre of leaders that are capable of working beyond the borders of schools. In all the committees that were interviewed, the Environmental Committee came up to be more effective and organized than others in three schools. The health committee was lacking in the area of training especially in the prevention of communicable diseases. The study provided recommendations to assist the SMT in their endeavors to promote healthy environments in their schools. / MEd, Education Management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

This study is a secondary analysis of survey data collected in fall 2000 from patients of a safety-net hospital and its eight community health outreach clinics in Fort Worth, Texas. The study examined three objectives. These include explaining the utilization of Pap smear tests among the sample who were low-income women, by ascertaining the determinants of using these services. Using binary logistic regressions analyses primarily, the study tested 10 hypotheses. The main hypothesis tested the race/ethnicity/immigration status effect on Pap smear screening. The remaining hypotheses examined the effects of other independent/control variables on having a Pap smear. Results from the data provide support for the existence of a race/ethnicity/immigration status effect. Anglos were more likely to have had a Pap smear, followed by African Americans, Hispanic immigrants, and finally, by Hispanic Americans. The persistence of the race/ethnicity/immigration status effect, even when the effects of other independent/control variables are taken into account, may be explained by several factors. These include cultural differences between the different groups studied. The race/ethnicity/immigration status effect on Pap smear screening changed with the introduction of age, usual source of care, check-up for current pregnancy, and having multiple competing needs for food, clothing and housing into the models studied. Other variables, such as marital status, employment status and health insurance coverage had no statistically significant effects on Pap smear screening. The findings of this study are unique, probably due to the hospital-based sample who has regular access to subsidized health insurance from a publicly funded safety-net healthcare network and its healthcare providers. Given the importance of race/ethnicity/immigration status for preventive Pap smear screening, public education efforts to promote appropriate Pap smear tests among vulnerable populations should target specific race/ethnicity/immigration status groups in the U.S. within the cultural context of each group. Furthermore, publicly funded health programs for underserved populations such as the John Peter Smith Connections and Medicaid should be maintained and strengthened.

Depuis l’entrée en vigueur de la loi n° 68-5 du 3 janvier 1968 portant réforme du droit des incapables,la sous-population des majeurs protégés s’est fortement modifiée, aussi bien au niveau de son effectifqu’au niveau de sa structure. Toutefois, par manque de données statistiques, cette sous-population estde nos jours encore méconnue. Afin d’améliorer la connaissance de la sous-population des majeursprotégés nous avons réalisé une analyse démographique de sa dynamique. L’objectif était de comblerun certain nombre de lacunes concernant d’une part le stock de majeurs sous tutelle, curatelle ousauvegarde de justice (effectif, répartition par sexe et par âge...) et d’autre part les caractéristiques desouvertures, des fins et des changements de régime de protection (fréquence, décomposition desflux...). Ce travail de recherche mené grâce à une approche multi-sources, a permis de distinguer cequi dans les évolutions observées, tenait à la modification des comportements de mise sous protectionet ce qui tenait aux changements de composition de la population française du point de vue de l’âge etde l’état de santé. Il a conduit à mettre en évidence la liaison forte, mais en transformation, entre typede mesure de protection et caractéristiques des majeurs bénéficiaires. Enfin, ce travail de recherchepourra servir de base pour appréhender ultérieurement le devenir de la sous-population des majeursprotégés dans un contexte de modification législative. / The sub-population of wards in France has changed significantly, both in size and composition, sinceLaw no. 68-5 of 3 January 1968 on incapacitated adults came into force. However, a lack a statisticaldata means it is still badly known. To improve our knowledge of the sub-population of wards, ademographic analysis of its dynamics was conducted. The purpose was to fill knowledge gaps relatingto the existing population of vulnerable adults under guardianship (e.g. number, sex, age) and to thecharacteristics of the court orders establishing, amending or ending guardianship (e.g. frequency,flows). Thanks to a multi-source approach the study identifies what derives from the changes inbehaviour relating to the establishment of guardianship and from the changes undergone by the Frenchpopulation in terms of age structure and health. The study highlights a strong but changing relationshipbetween the type of guardianship and the characteristics of individual wards. The study may also serveas a starting point for further analysis of the sub-population of wards following recent changes in thelaw.

Cette étude cherche à saisir les articulations entre les politiques de santé publique et les processus de changement politique au Cameroun, à partir d’une analyse centrée sur l’action publique de lutte contre le VIH/sida.La manière dont un problème parvient à l’Etat est révélatrice des rapports que cet Etat entretient avec sa société. Dans le cadre de la lutte contre le VIH/sida au Cameroun, l’émergence et la multiplication de nouveaux acteurs n’ont pas réussi à rendre plus participatifs les choix des priorités gouvernementales. C’est ce que révèlent les politiques de prise en charge et de soutien aux enfants de moins de 15 ans rendus vulnérables du fait du VIH/sida. Les conditions et les modalités par lesquels l’ordre politique établi s’est saisi de cette question montrent la portée limitée des dynamiques locales qui animent la lutte contre le VIH/sida sur les reconfigurations autoritaires du pouvoir politique. Bien qu’elle ne fasse pas l’objet de « controverse » ou de « scandale », la mise à l’agenda de la question de la prise en charge des enfants confrontés au VIH et au sida constitue un terrain propice pour comprendre les mutations politiques de la société camerounaise à l’heure de la globalisation des normes et des pratiques de santé. / This research seeks to analyze the links between shaping public health policies and the influence of political dynamics in Cameroon, with a particular focus on how these dynamics affect the country’s public health agenda of HIV/AIDS prevention. The ways in which a State takes action to address a national issue can be revealing of the type of relationship between that State and its population. In Cameroon, despite the emergence of new strategies and the increasing role of key actors engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the government has failed to make the policy-making process of public health an inclusive process This is well illustrated by the national policies to address the health needs of vulnerable children and youth under the age of 15. The terms and conditions under which these policies were elected illustrate how the residues of a once authoritarian political system still impact decision-making processes at both local and national levels. Although they are not subject to "controversy" or "scandal", the issues of support to children facing AIDS is a fertile ground to understand political changes in the Cameroonian society at the time of globalization of standards and health practices.

Doctor of Philosophy / Food Science / Justin Kastner / Many Chinese aquaculture farmers use unapproved chemicals to treat their fish, many of which are diseased as a result of the country’s poor waste management and environmental practices. During 2006-2007, the United States (U.S.), the European Union, and Japan rejected large amounts of Chinese seafood imports due to the presence of unapproved chemicals or the presence of approved chemicals at concentrations that exceeded permitted levels. This dissertation examines the sources of environmental health and food safety problems in China; it also examines how effective the U.S. and Chinese governments’ regulations are in protecting consumers from hazards in Chinese aquaculture products. The study looks at specific chemical contaminants found in Chinese aquaculture imports, explores their potential toxicity or carcinogenicity, and examines the reasons for their prohibition from human food. The study exploits the available U.S. seafood consumption patterns (courtesy of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey—NHANES—database) and then uses probabilistic modeling (courtesy of CREMe Software Limited) to determine the extent to which specific sensitive U.S. consumer subpopulations were exposed to aquaculture chemical contaminants in the food supply in a contrived scenario using real consumption data (from NHANES) and actual contamination data (from the FDA). The study compares exposure between children and adult consumers, and also looks at exposure among women aged 18 years and older and the elderly aged 60 years and older. This study suggests a strong likelihood that NHANES children, as well as female consumers aged 18 years and older and elderly consumers aged 60 years and older, were (in the contrived scenario) all exposed to violative intake levels of chemical contaminants from Chinese aquaculture imports. Children forming the 99.5th and 99.9th percentiles of NHANES seafood consumers were exposed to higher levels of nitrofuran, gentian violet, and malachite green contaminants per kilogram of body weight than were their adult counterparts. Conversely, children were exposed to lower levels of fluoroquinolone contaminants per kilogram of body weight than were their adult counterparts. The 50th, 95th, and 99.9th percentiles of female consumers aged 18 and older and elderly consumers aged 60 years and older were exposed to violative daily intake levels of contaminants in Chinese aquaculture. The study concludes by examining what the U.S. and Chinese governments should do to address aquaculture safety.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka boendes egna upplevelser av att bo i Tjärna ängar och undersöka vilka föreställningar de har om hur utomstående ser på bostadsområdet för att se om dessa föreställningar påverkar de boende. Studien är en kvalitativ undersökning där semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts. Materialet har analyserats utifrån tre olika tolkningsramar, territoriell stigmatisering, etablerade och outsiders samt media. Resultatet som framkom i studien är att bilden av bostadsområdet Tjärna ängar skiljer sig mellan de boende och samhället. De boende upplever området som tryggt medan samhället ser området som oroligt. De boende menar att medias rapportering är en stor faktor till skapandet av bilden i samhället av bostadsområdet. Vidare framkom att området Tjärna ängar är utsatt för en territoriell stigmatisering. / The purpose of this study is to investigate residents own experience of living in Tjärna ängar and examine the notions they have about how outsiders think of Tjärna ängar to see if these notions affect the residents. The study is a qualitative study in which semi-structured interviews were used. The material has been analyzed from three different theoretical perspectives, territorial stigmatization, established and outsiders and the media. The result showed that the image of the area Tjärna ängar differ between the residents and the community. The residents experience the neighborhood as safe while the community sees it as disordered. The residents think that a major factor in the creation of the image that exists in the community is what media reports about the neighborhood. Furthermore the result showed that the neighborhood Tjärna ängar are subject to a territorial stigmatization.

The question concerning vulnerable EU-citizens has been widely debated in Sweden the last few years. Due to unclear legislation and strong municipal self-determination municipalities act differently regarding vulnerable EU-citizens. The purpose for the dissertation is therefore to analyse how Stockholm and Gothenburg City acts and collaborates with non-profit organisations in the question concerning vulnerable EU-citizens and whether the approaches can, according to the theory of territorial governance, be viewed as effective. The dissertation has showed that Gothenburg City has created a common action plan with surrounding municipalities in order to expand their territory. Gothenburg have also signed an IOP-agreement with several non-profit organisations in order for them to act together. The dissertation has showed that an IOP-agreement can be equated to an effective and sustainable partnership. Stockholm City on the other hand has not expanded their territory, since an equivalent interpretation of the law is important to the municipality. No IOP-agreement has been signed and a reason for this could be that the relationship between non-profit organisations in Stockholm City has historically been characterized by competition instead of trust. Due to the complex question concerning vulnerable EU-citizen, new forms of partnership has though been developed in Stockholm City.

Med ett kritiskt diskursanalytiskt tillvägagångssätt har denna studien analyserat hur två rikstäckande kvällsmedier, Aftonbladet och Expressen, skriver om begreppet utsatta områden genom sina publiceringar. Studien vill reda ut huruvida begreppet används på ett speciellt sätt. För att analysera materialet som bestod av 30 texter, inklusive debattartiklar, ledartexter, redaktionella artiklar och reportage från de nämnda tidningarna användes Faircloughs tredimensionella modell för kritisk diskursanalys. Dettaresulterade i identifierandet av fyra särskilda diskurser eller teman som vi har kallat: “Vad är utsatta områden?”, “En gärningsperson utan ansikte –konsekvenser av att fråntas agens”, “Politiker på vit häst” samt “Vi och dem”. Dessa diskuterades sedan utifrån Faircloughs teorier om kritisk diskursanalys samt andra sociologiska teorier som bedömdes som relevanta i sammanhanget där stämplingsteori är den mest framstående. Studien kommer fram till att begreppet utsatta områden används på ett sätt som präglas av få ifrågasättanden av begreppet samt att diskursen kan influeras av det som polisen framhåller i sin rapport om utsatta områden. Vidare framhålls utsatta områden som något som skiljer sig från övriga områden i samhället. Det diskuteras även vilka följder diskurserna kan ha på dessa områden och dess invånare samt vilka följder det kan tänkas få för det sociala arbetet. / With a critical discourse analytical approach, this study has analyzed how two nationwide newspapers, Aftonbladet and Expressen, write about the concept of vulnerable areas through their publications. The study wants to find out whether the concept is used in a certain way. To analyze the material that consisted of 30 texts, including letters to the editors, editorials, editorial articles as well as reports from the aforementioned newspapers, Fairclough's three-dimensional model for critical discourse analysis was used. This resulted in the identification of four discourses or themes that we have named: "What are vulnerable areas?", "A perpetrator without a face -consequences of being deprived of agency", "Politicians on a white horse" and "We and them". These were then discussed based on Fairclough's theories on critical discourse analysis and other sociological theories that were deemed relevant in the context where labeling theory is the most prominent. The study concludes that the concept of vulnerable areas is used ina way that is characterized by few questioning the term and that the discourse may be influenced by what the police feature in their report on vulnerable areas. Furthermore, vulnerable areas are emphasized as something that differs from other areas in society. The study also discusses what consequences the discourses may have for these areas and its inhabitants, as well as what consequences this may have for social work.