Approximately forty percent of youths’ waking hours are unrestricted and not
committed to activities such as eating, sleeping or going to school. Many of this
free time is spent without companionship or supervision from adults, which puts
them at risk of spending their time out on the streets, where the risk of
succumbing to peer pressure and becoming involved in inappropriate or illegal
activities is increased. The absence of structured activities, stimulation and
support can lead to youth becoming involved in rebellious and unwanted
behaviour, partly due to their continuous search for adventure and excitement.
Learners with Mentally Mild Learning Disabilities (MMLD) can be seen as youth
at risk because of their academic and behavioural problems. Learning disabilities
can increase the risk factors for delinquency and substance dependence.
Previous research suggests that adventure-based experiential programmes
(AEPs), which are highly structured, can thus be a very powerful intervention or
prevention medium to empower youth at risk to overcome obstacles through the
acquisition and practise of skills.
The purpose of the study was firstly to determine what the personal functioning
profile of MMLD youth looks like, which was done in order to gain insight into the
different aspects of the personal functioning, which were focused on when
developing the AEP. The study was secondly done to determine what the role of
an AEP is on the personal functioning of learners with MMLD. Books, journals,
dissertations, theses and internet sources were used to do a thorough literature
review. The literature review was done in order for readers to understand the link
between MMLD youth and an AEP. The literature review gave an introduction to
the phenomenon of MMLD youth and also explained how an AEP could be
beneficial towards them.
A qualitative research design was used by the researcher in the form of an
instrumental case study. Case studies make it possible for the researcher to use
qualitative as well as quantitative constructs for data gathering purposes.
Sampling of participants was done in two steps. A school for Learners with
Special Education Needs (LSEN) (Die Wilge High School) was sampled through
purposeful sampling by means of criterion-based sampling techniques. The
second step was to sample fourteen male learners from Die Wilge High School
through purposive sampling. The personal functioning was determined by using
the Youth at Risk Assessment Scale (YAR3) Questionnaire 3. The researcher
made use of semi-structured, one-on-one interviews and field notes in order to
gather data. The field notes and transcribed interviews were analysed in order to
obtain a clear picture of the content, which was then used to identify the codes.
After the data was analysed four main themes, each with its own categories,
were identified. The themes related to the personal functioning of the youth and
consisted of interpersonal relationships, trust, self-worth and perseverance.
The learners had positive feedback regarding their interpersonal relationships,
trust, self-worth and perseverance before participation in the AEP. This was
attributed to the Strengths-based Approach which the researcher followed in the
development of the AEP. Despite this positive feedback, the learners still felt that
there was an improvement after the AEP in all of the areas. Most of the learners
attributed the improvement to learning more about each other, learning to work
together and building friendships among each other. These new found
friendships made it easier to trust each other and believe in themselves. The
learners also realised that they experienced more positive feelings from
persevering than when they quit. The results were used to discuss the objective
of the study and to determine if the researcher met the objective. / MA (Recreational Science), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/15594 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Swanepoel, Johanna Adriana |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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