The role of psychosocial factors in academic performance of first year psychology students at a historically white university
- Authors: Dlamini, Sipho Solomon
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Rhodes University -- Students , Academic achievement , Undergraduates -- South Africa , Dropouts -- South Africa , College students -- South Africa , Psychology students -- South Africa , Minorities -- Education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5150 , vital:20781
- Description: The success rate of students in higher education has been a cause for concern in South Africa (Letseka & Maile, 2008; Department of Higher Education and Training, 2015). This has been particularly concerning for first-year students, where the rate of attrition is especially high (Letseka, Cosser, Breier, and Visser, 2010). A number of factors have been identified in past research as having an effect on academic performance, which influences attrition and graduation. These factors include age (Justice, & Dornan, 2001), gender (Buchmann, & DiPrete, 2006), socio-economic status which is confounded by race (Letseka & Breier, 2008), type of educational background (Spreen, & Vally, 2006), and whether a student is a domestic or international student (Li, Chen, Duanmu, 2009), social capital (Young & Strelitz, 2014), whether the student is a first language speaker of the language of instruction at the university (Snowball, and Boughey, 2012), student wellbeing (Quinn, & Duckworth, 2007), locus of control (Findley, & Cooper, 1983), and frequency of lecture attendance (van Wallbeek, 2004). The study was conducted at Rhodes University, a small historically white South African institution. For this study, academic performance was measured using the participant’s midyear exam results for an introductory psychology cause, a course that straddles faculties. Of the 690 students registered for the course, 361 (52%) completed an electronic survey that explored the various factors associated with academic performance. A hierarchical regression analysis indicates that pre-university factors (age, gender, race, nationality, language, type of school, and socio-economic status) were the only significant predictors of academic performance, contributing 11% of the effect. Race and nationality, when all the other factors were controlled for, were the only predictors of academic performance. The implications of these findings pose troubling questions of the institutional culture at the university.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Dlamini, Sipho Solomon
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Rhodes University -- Students , Academic achievement , Undergraduates -- South Africa , Dropouts -- South Africa , College students -- South Africa , Psychology students -- South Africa , Minorities -- Education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5150 , vital:20781
- Description: The success rate of students in higher education has been a cause for concern in South Africa (Letseka & Maile, 2008; Department of Higher Education and Training, 2015). This has been particularly concerning for first-year students, where the rate of attrition is especially high (Letseka, Cosser, Breier, and Visser, 2010). A number of factors have been identified in past research as having an effect on academic performance, which influences attrition and graduation. These factors include age (Justice, & Dornan, 2001), gender (Buchmann, & DiPrete, 2006), socio-economic status which is confounded by race (Letseka & Breier, 2008), type of educational background (Spreen, & Vally, 2006), and whether a student is a domestic or international student (Li, Chen, Duanmu, 2009), social capital (Young & Strelitz, 2014), whether the student is a first language speaker of the language of instruction at the university (Snowball, and Boughey, 2012), student wellbeing (Quinn, & Duckworth, 2007), locus of control (Findley, & Cooper, 1983), and frequency of lecture attendance (van Wallbeek, 2004). The study was conducted at Rhodes University, a small historically white South African institution. For this study, academic performance was measured using the participant’s midyear exam results for an introductory psychology cause, a course that straddles faculties. Of the 690 students registered for the course, 361 (52%) completed an electronic survey that explored the various factors associated with academic performance. A hierarchical regression analysis indicates that pre-university factors (age, gender, race, nationality, language, type of school, and socio-economic status) were the only significant predictors of academic performance, contributing 11% of the effect. Race and nationality, when all the other factors were controlled for, were the only predictors of academic performance. The implications of these findings pose troubling questions of the institutional culture at the university.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
The symbolic consumption and identity construction through luxury branded clothing among Rhodes University students
- Authors: Chinomona, Perpetua
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Group identity , Peer pressure , Brand choice -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Consumer behavior -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Consumer behavior -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Luxuries -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Rhodes University -- Students -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6853 , vital:21193
- Description: The purpose of this study is to explore how Rhodes University (RU) students construct identity through the symbolic consumption of luxury branded clothing and the role played by reference groups in the consumption behaviour. The study employed the Social Identity Theory (SIT) as a theoretical framework which explains the underpinnings of the cognitions and behaviour with the use of group processes (Trepte, 2006). The central principle of SIT lies in individuals classifying themselves and others into in-group (reference groups) and out-group social categories respectively. There has been a gap in the literature pertaining to a full understanding of the identity construction process through symbolic consumption of luxury brands in South Africa (Reed, 2002). The significance of the study is to provide a foundation for an enhanced theory of consumer behaviour in this context. This study employed a qualitative research approach. A non-probability convenience sampling technique was used, and a total of 12 undergraduate and postgraduate students were interviewed. The chosen data collection method was semi-structured in-depth interviews and data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that participants consume luxury branded clothing for both functional and symbolic purposes. Various factors emerged that influence the choice of the symbolic consumption behaviour such as income, buying frequency, spending patterns, perceptions and habits around retail shopping and the shopping experience. In addition, results indicated that reference groups (celebrities, family and peers) play a significant role in the symbolic consumption and construction of identity among the participants. In addition, the results also indicated that the RU participants engaged in a ‘save to spend’ technique whereby they save their pocket money so that they spend it on their favourite luxury branded clothing when they leave for the holidays. There was a common reference group that emerged from the study, namely the peer in-group. The influence of reference groups on youth consumers in South Africa may assist with marketing strategies that can be employed when targeting the Generation Y. Additionally, results indicate that luxury branded clothing have an impact on identity construction within the South African context. The respondents tie their identity to their luxury branded clothing as an indication of ‘who they are’ and as an extension of the ‘self’.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Chinomona, Perpetua
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Group identity , Peer pressure , Brand choice -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Consumer behavior -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Consumer behavior -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Luxuries -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Rhodes University -- Students -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6853 , vital:21193
- Description: The purpose of this study is to explore how Rhodes University (RU) students construct identity through the symbolic consumption of luxury branded clothing and the role played by reference groups in the consumption behaviour. The study employed the Social Identity Theory (SIT) as a theoretical framework which explains the underpinnings of the cognitions and behaviour with the use of group processes (Trepte, 2006). The central principle of SIT lies in individuals classifying themselves and others into in-group (reference groups) and out-group social categories respectively. There has been a gap in the literature pertaining to a full understanding of the identity construction process through symbolic consumption of luxury brands in South Africa (Reed, 2002). The significance of the study is to provide a foundation for an enhanced theory of consumer behaviour in this context. This study employed a qualitative research approach. A non-probability convenience sampling technique was used, and a total of 12 undergraduate and postgraduate students were interviewed. The chosen data collection method was semi-structured in-depth interviews and data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that participants consume luxury branded clothing for both functional and symbolic purposes. Various factors emerged that influence the choice of the symbolic consumption behaviour such as income, buying frequency, spending patterns, perceptions and habits around retail shopping and the shopping experience. In addition, results indicated that reference groups (celebrities, family and peers) play a significant role in the symbolic consumption and construction of identity among the participants. In addition, the results also indicated that the RU participants engaged in a ‘save to spend’ technique whereby they save their pocket money so that they spend it on their favourite luxury branded clothing when they leave for the holidays. There was a common reference group that emerged from the study, namely the peer in-group. The influence of reference groups on youth consumers in South Africa may assist with marketing strategies that can be employed when targeting the Generation Y. Additionally, results indicate that luxury branded clothing have an impact on identity construction within the South African context. The respondents tie their identity to their luxury branded clothing as an indication of ‘who they are’ and as an extension of the ‘self’.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
What are the discursive resources surrounding “beer goggles” and their implications within the South African university context?
- Authors: Stuart, Michael Jason
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4602 , vital:20697
- Description: Exploring student drinking, this research provides an in-depth investigation into how “beer goggles” is constructed discursively and what implications that has within the South African university context. In doing so, research attempted to: 1) map out the discursive resources operating in the empirical research literature, public domain texts and individual talk; 2) identify the subject positions and action orientation of these constructions, and 3) to establish what gendered subjectivities are reproduced within that framework. With a qualitative and social constructionist background, this study utilised a Foucauldian discourse analytic method that included ideas from discursive research. Data collection involved five mainstream videos, three focus groups and three interviews. Along with the research literature, the videos represented the wider social constructions around “beer goggles” that are played out in the micro contexts displayed by the latter participant material. Based on their popularity on YouTube, consideration was given to videos that were the most relevant and theoretically interesting to the research project. The focus groups and interviews involved current, full time, male and female, Rhodes University students over the age of 18. Analysis revealed a common sense construction of the phenomenon that has various discursive implications. While embarrassing and sometimes out of control; “beer goggles” is constructed as a socially profitable altered state of mind that is deemed a normal and heterosexual experience in the university drinking culture. Highlighting the importance of a discursive investigation, this study provided new and alternative information that can assist further research and shed light on the debates surrounding the phenomenon. Additional research is recommended.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Stuart, Michael Jason
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4602 , vital:20697
- Description: Exploring student drinking, this research provides an in-depth investigation into how “beer goggles” is constructed discursively and what implications that has within the South African university context. In doing so, research attempted to: 1) map out the discursive resources operating in the empirical research literature, public domain texts and individual talk; 2) identify the subject positions and action orientation of these constructions, and 3) to establish what gendered subjectivities are reproduced within that framework. With a qualitative and social constructionist background, this study utilised a Foucauldian discourse analytic method that included ideas from discursive research. Data collection involved five mainstream videos, three focus groups and three interviews. Along with the research literature, the videos represented the wider social constructions around “beer goggles” that are played out in the micro contexts displayed by the latter participant material. Based on their popularity on YouTube, consideration was given to videos that were the most relevant and theoretically interesting to the research project. The focus groups and interviews involved current, full time, male and female, Rhodes University students over the age of 18. Analysis revealed a common sense construction of the phenomenon that has various discursive implications. While embarrassing and sometimes out of control; “beer goggles” is constructed as a socially profitable altered state of mind that is deemed a normal and heterosexual experience in the university drinking culture. Highlighting the importance of a discursive investigation, this study provided new and alternative information that can assist further research and shed light on the debates surrounding the phenomenon. Additional research is recommended.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
“I won’t say I feel happy or sad”: experiences of siblings of young disabled people in disadvantaged socio-economic circumstances
- Authors: Foote, Tamlyn Lou-Ann
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Mentally ill -- Family relationships , Mentally ill -- Care -- South Africa , Mentally ill children -- Care -- South Africa , Brothers and sisters of people with disabilities , Brothers and sisters of people with disabilities -- Psycnology , Brothers and sisters of people with disabilities -- Case studies -- South Africa -- Makhanda
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7774 , vital:21296
- Description: The impact of having a disabled sibling has been well researched in first world countries, revealing complex and varied results. However, in disadvantaged socioeconomic contexts, where disability has been found to be more prevalent, and where arguably, the functioning and quality of life of a disabled person is more likely to be affected by an impairment, very little is known about how siblings of young disabled people are affected. In response, this qualitative study explores the experiences of five, isiXhosa speaking adolescents, living in Joza Township, Grahamstown, who have a brother or sister with an intellectual, physical or developmental impairment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and an interpretative phenomenological analytic approach was utilized to ascertain how the participants make sense of their worlds in relation to their sibling’s disability. Specifically, this research aimed at developing an understanding of how the participants experienced their family climate, self-concept, interpersonal relations and daily living in relation to their disabled sibling. The results of this study reveal a prevailing sense of incongruity experienced by the participants, although there are variances between their experiences. While family climate was largely experienced as warm, the participants were ambivalent about their relationship with their mothers who are experienced more as providers than nurturers. The participants described oscillating between feelings of protectiveness and alliance, and responsibility and sacrifice toward their sibling. A high incidence of incongruity pertaining to their sense of self was noted; this was described as impacting on their interpersonal relations where an underlying sense of negative public perception in relation to the disability is perceived. Although the participants expressed feeling supported within their homes, it was evident that they experienced little support from peers or the community at large. Four out of the five participants did not report experiencing a sense of deprivation, despite their socio-economic contexts and described a day-to-day existence that allows for their needs to be met. This included adequate time during their day to pursue personal interests as opposed to their time being spent taking care of their disabled sibling or assisting their parents, who may be overburdened due to the added care and responsibilities a disabled child might require. Furthermore, it is suggested that the incongruity experienced by the participants could be the result of various factors including age, gender, birth order and the nature of their sibling’s impairment. On the basis of the findings of this research, it can be concluded that the experiences of siblings of young, disabled people living in disadvantaged socioeconomic contexts cannot necessarily be described as being positive or negative, but are highly nuanced. In addition, the participants to some extent experience disability by association and are lacking in adequate support and opportunities to discuss their unique challenges. These insights serve to better inform disability studies in disadvantaged socio-economic circumstances. These findings are in accordance with earlier research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Foote, Tamlyn Lou-Ann
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Mentally ill -- Family relationships , Mentally ill -- Care -- South Africa , Mentally ill children -- Care -- South Africa , Brothers and sisters of people with disabilities , Brothers and sisters of people with disabilities -- Psycnology , Brothers and sisters of people with disabilities -- Case studies -- South Africa -- Makhanda
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7774 , vital:21296
- Description: The impact of having a disabled sibling has been well researched in first world countries, revealing complex and varied results. However, in disadvantaged socioeconomic contexts, where disability has been found to be more prevalent, and where arguably, the functioning and quality of life of a disabled person is more likely to be affected by an impairment, very little is known about how siblings of young disabled people are affected. In response, this qualitative study explores the experiences of five, isiXhosa speaking adolescents, living in Joza Township, Grahamstown, who have a brother or sister with an intellectual, physical or developmental impairment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and an interpretative phenomenological analytic approach was utilized to ascertain how the participants make sense of their worlds in relation to their sibling’s disability. Specifically, this research aimed at developing an understanding of how the participants experienced their family climate, self-concept, interpersonal relations and daily living in relation to their disabled sibling. The results of this study reveal a prevailing sense of incongruity experienced by the participants, although there are variances between their experiences. While family climate was largely experienced as warm, the participants were ambivalent about their relationship with their mothers who are experienced more as providers than nurturers. The participants described oscillating between feelings of protectiveness and alliance, and responsibility and sacrifice toward their sibling. A high incidence of incongruity pertaining to their sense of self was noted; this was described as impacting on their interpersonal relations where an underlying sense of negative public perception in relation to the disability is perceived. Although the participants expressed feeling supported within their homes, it was evident that they experienced little support from peers or the community at large. Four out of the five participants did not report experiencing a sense of deprivation, despite their socio-economic contexts and described a day-to-day existence that allows for their needs to be met. This included adequate time during their day to pursue personal interests as opposed to their time being spent taking care of their disabled sibling or assisting their parents, who may be overburdened due to the added care and responsibilities a disabled child might require. Furthermore, it is suggested that the incongruity experienced by the participants could be the result of various factors including age, gender, birth order and the nature of their sibling’s impairment. On the basis of the findings of this research, it can be concluded that the experiences of siblings of young, disabled people living in disadvantaged socioeconomic contexts cannot necessarily be described as being positive or negative, but are highly nuanced. In addition, the participants to some extent experience disability by association and are lacking in adequate support and opportunities to discuss their unique challenges. These insights serve to better inform disability studies in disadvantaged socio-economic circumstances. These findings are in accordance with earlier research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
“Oh, you have a ‘she’?”: exploring the lived experiences of black same-sex females living in Grahamstown, South Africa
- Authors: Haihambo, Naem Patemoshela
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Lesbians, Black -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Lesbians, Black -- South Africa -- Makhanda -- Psychology , Lesbians, Black -- South Africa -- Public opinion , Lesbianism -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Lesbianism -- South Africa -- Public opinion
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4304 , vital:20646
- Description: The South African Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of a variety of factors including race and gender and sexual orientation. This inclusion came in 1996 after an oppressive apartheid regime was overcome, also positioning the South African Constitution amongst the more liberal, especially in the wider African context. This inclusion and the contextual disparity has caused curiosity about the realities of same-sex sexualities, especially taking into consideration media reports on violence and perceived social opposition of same- sex sexualities in South Africa. Much of this attention has motivated research studies on same-sex sexualities. Within this research, however, black female same-sex sexualities have been positioned as vulnerable and victimised within the heteronormative context, with much of this research focusing on ‘corrective/curative’ rape. There has however been increasing efforts in moving away from this limiting position by a select few (e.g. Zanele Muholi and Zethu Matebeni) in a more explorative direction in attempts to investigate black female sexualities as complex and expressive rather than passive. This study is an interpretive phenomenological investigation of the lived experiences of black female same-sex sexualities and the plurality of identities that influence their everyday experiences. This took into account intersectionality, heteronormativity and queer theory, which provided a theoretical framework for this study. During the interview process, participants described their experiences as black same-sex females in a variety of contexts including their experiences and influences of external factors (such as family and university. From the results of this research, experiences and identities of participants are presented as complex, fluid, expressive and to some extent political. Participants also expressed the difficulties encountered with misinformed friends and families and describe ways in which they assert themselves within their social and personal contexts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Haihambo, Naem Patemoshela
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Lesbians, Black -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Lesbians, Black -- South Africa -- Makhanda -- Psychology , Lesbians, Black -- South Africa -- Public opinion , Lesbianism -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Lesbianism -- South Africa -- Public opinion
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4304 , vital:20646
- Description: The South African Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of a variety of factors including race and gender and sexual orientation. This inclusion came in 1996 after an oppressive apartheid regime was overcome, also positioning the South African Constitution amongst the more liberal, especially in the wider African context. This inclusion and the contextual disparity has caused curiosity about the realities of same-sex sexualities, especially taking into consideration media reports on violence and perceived social opposition of same- sex sexualities in South Africa. Much of this attention has motivated research studies on same-sex sexualities. Within this research, however, black female same-sex sexualities have been positioned as vulnerable and victimised within the heteronormative context, with much of this research focusing on ‘corrective/curative’ rape. There has however been increasing efforts in moving away from this limiting position by a select few (e.g. Zanele Muholi and Zethu Matebeni) in a more explorative direction in attempts to investigate black female sexualities as complex and expressive rather than passive. This study is an interpretive phenomenological investigation of the lived experiences of black female same-sex sexualities and the plurality of identities that influence their everyday experiences. This took into account intersectionality, heteronormativity and queer theory, which provided a theoretical framework for this study. During the interview process, participants described their experiences as black same-sex females in a variety of contexts including their experiences and influences of external factors (such as family and university. From the results of this research, experiences and identities of participants are presented as complex, fluid, expressive and to some extent political. Participants also expressed the difficulties encountered with misinformed friends and families and describe ways in which they assert themselves within their social and personal contexts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
“She is my sister although she’s got factory faults”: a psychosocial study of Xhosa women’s sister-sister relationships
- Authors: Moifo, Hunadi Senkoane
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Xhosa (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies , Xhosa (African people) -- Social life and customs , Sisters -- South Africa -- Case studies , Xhosa (African people) -- Psychology , Women, Black -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Psychology , Women, Black -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4443 , vital:20671
- Description: The current study examines the constructions that Black, Xhosa women from the working class and in middle adulthood draw on to make meaning of their sister-sister relationships. In addition to this, it aims to uncover their motivations for investing in these meanings. It makes use of a psychosocial theoretical framework that draws on discursive psychology and psychoanalysis. Discursive psychology is used to analyse the constructions the participants used to make meaning of their relationship, while psychoanalysis is used to interpret their investments in these constructions. Six participants were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The findings emphasise the psychosocial nature of the participants’ sisterly relationships, as caught between ‘inner’ world of feelings and emotions and the ‘outer’ world of social practices and expectations. Their narratives pointed to the obligatory nature of the sister-sister relationship, which drives participants to downplay the hatred or dislike that is present in their relationship and to emphasise traditional scripts of helping each other, promoting solidarity amongst sisters and other women. The analysis highlights the ways in which the participants negotiate and express their gender roles through sistering, reinforcing and challenging the traditional view of femininity and as a result providing for multiple femininities. In addition to these, the findings show that women may choose specific narratives to construct their sister-sister relationships as they allow them to feel safe and in control of their lives. Using psychoanalysis alongside discursive psychology enables the findings to illustrate how the participants invest in different constructions of their relationship in ways that are influenced by their values and life histories.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Moifo, Hunadi Senkoane
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Xhosa (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies , Xhosa (African people) -- Social life and customs , Sisters -- South Africa -- Case studies , Xhosa (African people) -- Psychology , Women, Black -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Psychology , Women, Black -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4443 , vital:20671
- Description: The current study examines the constructions that Black, Xhosa women from the working class and in middle adulthood draw on to make meaning of their sister-sister relationships. In addition to this, it aims to uncover their motivations for investing in these meanings. It makes use of a psychosocial theoretical framework that draws on discursive psychology and psychoanalysis. Discursive psychology is used to analyse the constructions the participants used to make meaning of their relationship, while psychoanalysis is used to interpret their investments in these constructions. Six participants were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The findings emphasise the psychosocial nature of the participants’ sisterly relationships, as caught between ‘inner’ world of feelings and emotions and the ‘outer’ world of social practices and expectations. Their narratives pointed to the obligatory nature of the sister-sister relationship, which drives participants to downplay the hatred or dislike that is present in their relationship and to emphasise traditional scripts of helping each other, promoting solidarity amongst sisters and other women. The analysis highlights the ways in which the participants negotiate and express their gender roles through sistering, reinforcing and challenging the traditional view of femininity and as a result providing for multiple femininities. In addition to these, the findings show that women may choose specific narratives to construct their sister-sister relationships as they allow them to feel safe and in control of their lives. Using psychoanalysis alongside discursive psychology enables the findings to illustrate how the participants invest in different constructions of their relationship in ways that are influenced by their values and life histories.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
“You whore; you are so dirty, bitch”: the justification of and resistance to violence in the intimate relationships of female sex workers
- Authors: Bartlett, Elretha
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Women -- Violence against -- South Africa , Sex workers -- Violence against -- South Africa , Women, Black -- Abuse of -- South Africa , Women -- Violence against -- South Africa -- Case studies , Sex workers -- Violence against -- South Africa -- Case studies , Women, Black -- Abuse of -- South Africa -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5082 , vital:20764
- Description: The objective of the study is to examine discourses of gender and dimensions of social difference implicated in female sex workers’ (FSWs) justifications of, and resistances to, intimate partner violence (IPV). Individual narrative interviews were conducted with FSWs (n=11) who were affiliated with the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT). The participants were mostly women of colour (n=10), with a low socio-economic status, and between 31 and 51 years of age. Intersectionality and features of Foucauldian discourse analysis, as described by Parker (1992), informed the analysis of the interview data. In personal interviews, participants interrogated aspects of their own and their partners’ lives that they viewed as playing a significant role in the aetiology and experience of IPV. They drew on a discourse of violent black masculinity, developmental discourses, and patriarchal ideology to justify and resist their partners’ violent behaviour. They also positioned themselves and their ‘spoiled’ identities as playing a role in the experience of violence. Participants pointed to the construction of sex work as ‘dirty work’ and the role that this played in legitimising the violence that was directed at them by intimate partners. In relation to this positioning and its consequences in terms of justifications for violence, my analysis highlights occasions in which gender ideology is re-appropriated for the purpose of challenging the legitimacy of these interpretative frames. While gender politics is central to my analytic observations, my analysis demonstrates how intersections with race and class shape the specificities of FSWs experiences of IPV. In doing so, this study aims to broaden current insights into the phenomenon of IPV, as it does not only focus on gender discrimination, but on the complex interaction between various systems of oppression.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Bartlett, Elretha
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Women -- Violence against -- South Africa , Sex workers -- Violence against -- South Africa , Women, Black -- Abuse of -- South Africa , Women -- Violence against -- South Africa -- Case studies , Sex workers -- Violence against -- South Africa -- Case studies , Women, Black -- Abuse of -- South Africa -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5082 , vital:20764
- Description: The objective of the study is to examine discourses of gender and dimensions of social difference implicated in female sex workers’ (FSWs) justifications of, and resistances to, intimate partner violence (IPV). Individual narrative interviews were conducted with FSWs (n=11) who were affiliated with the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT). The participants were mostly women of colour (n=10), with a low socio-economic status, and between 31 and 51 years of age. Intersectionality and features of Foucauldian discourse analysis, as described by Parker (1992), informed the analysis of the interview data. In personal interviews, participants interrogated aspects of their own and their partners’ lives that they viewed as playing a significant role in the aetiology and experience of IPV. They drew on a discourse of violent black masculinity, developmental discourses, and patriarchal ideology to justify and resist their partners’ violent behaviour. They also positioned themselves and their ‘spoiled’ identities as playing a role in the experience of violence. Participants pointed to the construction of sex work as ‘dirty work’ and the role that this played in legitimising the violence that was directed at them by intimate partners. In relation to this positioning and its consequences in terms of justifications for violence, my analysis highlights occasions in which gender ideology is re-appropriated for the purpose of challenging the legitimacy of these interpretative frames. While gender politics is central to my analytic observations, my analysis demonstrates how intersections with race and class shape the specificities of FSWs experiences of IPV. In doing so, this study aims to broaden current insights into the phenomenon of IPV, as it does not only focus on gender discrimination, but on the complex interaction between various systems of oppression.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
A narrative-discursive analysis of abortion decision-making in Zimbabwe
- Authors: Chiweshe, Malvern Tatenda
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/496 , vital:19964
- Description: Most research on abortion decision-making has looked at the factors or influences that are seen to affect abortion decision-making and thus take a health determinants approach. However, this approach is rarely able to account for the complex, multi-faceted nature of abortion decision-making, and it is often not located within a framework that can unpick the complex array of power relations that underpins the process of abortion decision-making. Research on abortion decision-making has rarely examined how women who undergo a termination of pregnancy (TOP) construct micro-narratives of the decision to terminate the pregnancy and also how these women are positioned by the service providers who interact with them. Using a Foucauldian postcolonial feminist approach and narrative-discursive analysis, this study explores abortion decision-making narratives in a Zimbabwean context where abortion laws are restrictive. In this study I elicited the narratives of women who had undergone an abortion about how they came to make the decision and proceeded to terminate the pregnancy. I highlight the discourses employed in constructing these narratives and how women position themselves in these narratives and discourses. These are then compared to the subject positions enabled in health service providers’ narratives on the same topic. These narratives are then linked to the social discourses and power relations that work to enable or constrain reproductive justice. The data were collected from three sites in Harare, Zimbabwe. The three sites were Harare Hospital, Epworth and Mufakose. An adapted version of Wengraf’s (2001) narrative interview was used to elicit narratives from 18 women who had terminated pregnancies (six at each site). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six service providers (two nurses at Harare Hospital, two village health workers in Epworth and two nurses in Mufakose). All the service providers interviewed have experience working with women who have terminated pregnancies. In narrating their stories about their abortions, the women employed discursive resources around shame, stigma, religion, health and culture. These discursive resources were drawn upon in the construction of the women’s micro-narratives. The women spoke in a socially sanctioned manner where stories were enabled and constrained by particular religious, cultural and gendered discursive resources. In these stories, cultural constructions, gendered understandings of motherhood and femininity constrained reproductive justice for women who have terminated pregnancies. Comparisons of the way women positioned themselves and how they were positioned by health service providers point to the existence of social discourses and power relations that work to constrain reproductive justice. While the women saw themselves as having ‘unsupportable pregnancies’, the service providers positioned them as being evil, selfish and irresponsible. The negative positions deployed by the service providers point to the vilification and blaming of women who have undergone a termination of pregnancy. In these positions, the woman is at fault and there is silence on the role of men in abortion decision-making. In the women’s narratives and the health service providers positioning of the women a ‘reproductive rights’ discourse was absent. This was significant as much of the activism around abortion has centred on the woman’s rights to her body. Where rights were mentioned, it was in reference to foetal rights (using cultural, moralistic religious understandings of abortion as killing). The missing ‘reproductive rights’ discourse points to a need to move from a reproductive rights framework to a reproductive justice framework that can be applied through local understandings of hunhu/ubuntu. By doing this, abortion is not seen as a ‘choice’ that a woman makes but rather as involving broader social and environmental circumstances that make a pregnancy ‘unsupportable’.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Chiweshe, Malvern Tatenda
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/496 , vital:19964
- Description: Most research on abortion decision-making has looked at the factors or influences that are seen to affect abortion decision-making and thus take a health determinants approach. However, this approach is rarely able to account for the complex, multi-faceted nature of abortion decision-making, and it is often not located within a framework that can unpick the complex array of power relations that underpins the process of abortion decision-making. Research on abortion decision-making has rarely examined how women who undergo a termination of pregnancy (TOP) construct micro-narratives of the decision to terminate the pregnancy and also how these women are positioned by the service providers who interact with them. Using a Foucauldian postcolonial feminist approach and narrative-discursive analysis, this study explores abortion decision-making narratives in a Zimbabwean context where abortion laws are restrictive. In this study I elicited the narratives of women who had undergone an abortion about how they came to make the decision and proceeded to terminate the pregnancy. I highlight the discourses employed in constructing these narratives and how women position themselves in these narratives and discourses. These are then compared to the subject positions enabled in health service providers’ narratives on the same topic. These narratives are then linked to the social discourses and power relations that work to enable or constrain reproductive justice. The data were collected from three sites in Harare, Zimbabwe. The three sites were Harare Hospital, Epworth and Mufakose. An adapted version of Wengraf’s (2001) narrative interview was used to elicit narratives from 18 women who had terminated pregnancies (six at each site). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six service providers (two nurses at Harare Hospital, two village health workers in Epworth and two nurses in Mufakose). All the service providers interviewed have experience working with women who have terminated pregnancies. In narrating their stories about their abortions, the women employed discursive resources around shame, stigma, religion, health and culture. These discursive resources were drawn upon in the construction of the women’s micro-narratives. The women spoke in a socially sanctioned manner where stories were enabled and constrained by particular religious, cultural and gendered discursive resources. In these stories, cultural constructions, gendered understandings of motherhood and femininity constrained reproductive justice for women who have terminated pregnancies. Comparisons of the way women positioned themselves and how they were positioned by health service providers point to the existence of social discourses and power relations that work to constrain reproductive justice. While the women saw themselves as having ‘unsupportable pregnancies’, the service providers positioned them as being evil, selfish and irresponsible. The negative positions deployed by the service providers point to the vilification and blaming of women who have undergone a termination of pregnancy. In these positions, the woman is at fault and there is silence on the role of men in abortion decision-making. In the women’s narratives and the health service providers positioning of the women a ‘reproductive rights’ discourse was absent. This was significant as much of the activism around abortion has centred on the woman’s rights to her body. Where rights were mentioned, it was in reference to foetal rights (using cultural, moralistic religious understandings of abortion as killing). The missing ‘reproductive rights’ discourse points to a need to move from a reproductive rights framework to a reproductive justice framework that can be applied through local understandings of hunhu/ubuntu. By doing this, abortion is not seen as a ‘choice’ that a woman makes but rather as involving broader social and environmental circumstances that make a pregnancy ‘unsupportable’.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
A psychobiographical study of Charlize Theron
- Authors: Prenter, Tracey
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Theron, Charlize -- Psychology , Motion picture actors and actresses -- South Africa -- Biography , Motion picture actors and actresses -- United States -- Biography , Psychology -- Biographical methods
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3272 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020843
- Description: Psychobiographers study the lives of extraordinary, prominent, and enigmatic individuals. Psychobiographical research advances our insight into the uniqueness and complexity of the human personality and therefore makes a substantial contribution towards one of the major objectives of the field of psychology. Purposive sampling was employed to select Charlize Theron as the subject of this psychobiographical study. As the only South African who has won an Oscar, Theron is an exceptional individual who demonstrates tenacity and a will to succeed despite significant traumatic events in her childhood. The case study data was organised and analysed according to the general analytic approach developed by Huberman and Miles (2002) and one of Alexander’s (1990) strategies, namely questioning the data. Erikson’s psychosocial theory (1950, 1963, 1995) was selected to guide this study because it recognises the impact of socio-cultural influences on developmental processes and provides a comprehensive, staged framework for studying Theron’s personality development. This study contributes to the development of psychobiographical research in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Prenter, Tracey
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Theron, Charlize -- Psychology , Motion picture actors and actresses -- South Africa -- Biography , Motion picture actors and actresses -- United States -- Biography , Psychology -- Biographical methods
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3272 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020843
- Description: Psychobiographers study the lives of extraordinary, prominent, and enigmatic individuals. Psychobiographical research advances our insight into the uniqueness and complexity of the human personality and therefore makes a substantial contribution towards one of the major objectives of the field of psychology. Purposive sampling was employed to select Charlize Theron as the subject of this psychobiographical study. As the only South African who has won an Oscar, Theron is an exceptional individual who demonstrates tenacity and a will to succeed despite significant traumatic events in her childhood. The case study data was organised and analysed according to the general analytic approach developed by Huberman and Miles (2002) and one of Alexander’s (1990) strategies, namely questioning the data. Erikson’s psychosocial theory (1950, 1963, 1995) was selected to guide this study because it recognises the impact of socio-cultural influences on developmental processes and provides a comprehensive, staged framework for studying Theron’s personality development. This study contributes to the development of psychobiographical research in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Dialogues of sexualities: An action research project
- Authors: Graham, Nicola Susan Jearey
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3275 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021271
- Description: Risky and abusive sexual behaviours, stemming largely from inequitable gendered norms, are a pervasive feature of the South African socio-sexual landscape. Literature shows that sexuality education programmes can be effective in reducing risky sexual practices, but South African school sexuality education has been shown to be largely inadequate. The question arises as to how to engage with high school learners about sexualities in meaningful ways. In an attempt to answer this, I implemented a dialogical sexuality action research project at a lower middle class urban high school. Freirian principles of critical consciousness and dialogical pedagogy were utilized, and these were infused with feminist post-structural understandings of a discursively constituted subject. The initial consultative process started in 2012 with two projects at the school. Data from these projects, and a further consultation with the school principal, provided baseline information on the gendered norms and the sexuality education in the school. I then instituted a dialogical sexuality intervention with a group of Grade 10 learners, aiming to bring gendered and sexual norms to visibility, to trouble them (thereby promoting participants’ critical consciousness around gendered norms), and to provide recognition for participants in a variety of subject positions. Ten sessions were conducted, with the focus of each session being planned by the group. The action research project attempted to promote understandings of the processes required to facilitate such aims. The dialogical format of the group generated curiosity and engagement, and there were suggestions that some participants were taking up safe-sex messages in a reflexive manner. A partial normalisation of some ‘hidden’ aspects of sex, particularly around issues pertaining to female sexuality, was enabled, and critical consciousness around the gendered inequities in ‘cheating’ was promoted. However, abstinence was relatively silenced, and male same-sex remained heavily stigmatised. No substantial action component beyond the group meetings was generated. Participant feedback indicated that they placed great value on the dialogical processes in the group, and that they enjoyed being able to talk about sexual and other personal aspects of their lives. I theorise that the value of the group was in the recognition that participants received as they were positioned in a variety of subject positions. Whilst dialogue was shown to be extremely valuable, there were suggestions that other, non-dialogical modes of recognition were also needed by participants.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Graham, Nicola Susan Jearey
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3275 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021271
- Description: Risky and abusive sexual behaviours, stemming largely from inequitable gendered norms, are a pervasive feature of the South African socio-sexual landscape. Literature shows that sexuality education programmes can be effective in reducing risky sexual practices, but South African school sexuality education has been shown to be largely inadequate. The question arises as to how to engage with high school learners about sexualities in meaningful ways. In an attempt to answer this, I implemented a dialogical sexuality action research project at a lower middle class urban high school. Freirian principles of critical consciousness and dialogical pedagogy were utilized, and these were infused with feminist post-structural understandings of a discursively constituted subject. The initial consultative process started in 2012 with two projects at the school. Data from these projects, and a further consultation with the school principal, provided baseline information on the gendered norms and the sexuality education in the school. I then instituted a dialogical sexuality intervention with a group of Grade 10 learners, aiming to bring gendered and sexual norms to visibility, to trouble them (thereby promoting participants’ critical consciousness around gendered norms), and to provide recognition for participants in a variety of subject positions. Ten sessions were conducted, with the focus of each session being planned by the group. The action research project attempted to promote understandings of the processes required to facilitate such aims. The dialogical format of the group generated curiosity and engagement, and there were suggestions that some participants were taking up safe-sex messages in a reflexive manner. A partial normalisation of some ‘hidden’ aspects of sex, particularly around issues pertaining to female sexuality, was enabled, and critical consciousness around the gendered inequities in ‘cheating’ was promoted. However, abstinence was relatively silenced, and male same-sex remained heavily stigmatised. No substantial action component beyond the group meetings was generated. Participant feedback indicated that they placed great value on the dialogical processes in the group, and that they enjoyed being able to talk about sexual and other personal aspects of their lives. I theorise that the value of the group was in the recognition that participants received as they were positioned in a variety of subject positions. Whilst dialogue was shown to be extremely valuable, there were suggestions that other, non-dialogical modes of recognition were also needed by participants.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Marie Curie : a psychobiography
- Authors: Roets, Elmeret
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Curie, Marie -- 1867-1934 -- Psychology , Women chemists -- Poland -- Biography , Scientists -- Biography
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3269 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020326
- Description: While researchers debate the value of psychobiographical research, interest in this area is growing on a national and international basis. Every year, the number of psychobiographical studies at universities in South Africa is growing. Psychobiographical research is qualitative research that utilises psychological theory to explore and describe the lives of extraordinary individuals. The primary aim of this psychobiography was to examine the life of Marie Curie (1867–1934) by employing developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst Erik Erikson’s (1959) theory of psychosocial personality development. Marie Curie was chosen as the research subject because of the researcher’s personal interest and the subject’s prominence as a female scientist. She was a Polish-born and naturalised French scientist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. Marie Curie’s ground-breaking discoveries changed the way scientists think about matter and energy and introduced a new era in medical knowledge and the treatment of disease. Her life exemplifies a love of science, commitment, and perseverance. Data were collected from several primary and secondary sources on Marie Curie’s life. The researcher developed a data-collection and analysis matrix to facilitate the systematic collection of data and analysis according to Erikson’s stage theory of psychosocial personality development. This psychobiography suggests that unresolved infantile and early childhood crises gave rise to personality traits that eventually contributed to Curie’s extraordinariness. In the case of Curie, personality traits that are often regarded as atypical or malignant, ironically encouraged perseverance, creativity, and productivity. This study complements the psychobiographical studies done in South Africa on extraordinary individuals. It demonstrated the value of psychobiographical research as a teaching instrument, revealed the usefulness of Erikson’s theory, and illustrated the uniqueness of individuals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Roets, Elmeret
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Curie, Marie -- 1867-1934 -- Psychology , Women chemists -- Poland -- Biography , Scientists -- Biography
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3269 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020326
- Description: While researchers debate the value of psychobiographical research, interest in this area is growing on a national and international basis. Every year, the number of psychobiographical studies at universities in South Africa is growing. Psychobiographical research is qualitative research that utilises psychological theory to explore and describe the lives of extraordinary individuals. The primary aim of this psychobiography was to examine the life of Marie Curie (1867–1934) by employing developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst Erik Erikson’s (1959) theory of psychosocial personality development. Marie Curie was chosen as the research subject because of the researcher’s personal interest and the subject’s prominence as a female scientist. She was a Polish-born and naturalised French scientist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. Marie Curie’s ground-breaking discoveries changed the way scientists think about matter and energy and introduced a new era in medical knowledge and the treatment of disease. Her life exemplifies a love of science, commitment, and perseverance. Data were collected from several primary and secondary sources on Marie Curie’s life. The researcher developed a data-collection and analysis matrix to facilitate the systematic collection of data and analysis according to Erikson’s stage theory of psychosocial personality development. This psychobiography suggests that unresolved infantile and early childhood crises gave rise to personality traits that eventually contributed to Curie’s extraordinariness. In the case of Curie, personality traits that are often regarded as atypical or malignant, ironically encouraged perseverance, creativity, and productivity. This study complements the psychobiographical studies done in South Africa on extraordinary individuals. It demonstrated the value of psychobiographical research as a teaching instrument, revealed the usefulness of Erikson’s theory, and illustrated the uniqueness of individuals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Nascent Desires: Gendered Sexualities in Life Orientation Sexuality Education Programmes and Popular Music
- Authors: Moodley, Dale Dhersen
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3274 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021260
- Description: Formal school-based sexuality education is one medium, amongst others, that recognises young people’s sexuality, but usually as at-risk and/or risk taking subjects, or as innocent subjects. I analyse the gendered sexualities of young people as represented in: Grade 10 Life Orientation sexuality education programmes and popular music, as two mediums of sexual socialisation in Grade 10 learners’ lives, and as engaged with by Grade 10 learners and educators. I collected data from two schools in the Eastern Cape that included: (i) sections on sexuality from two Life Orientation manuals used by educators in classrooms: ‘Oxford Successful Life Orientation’ (2011), and ‘Shuters Top Class Life Orientation’ (2011); (ii) videos and lyrics of three songs voted most popular by learners which were ‘Climax’ by Usher, ‘Beez in the Trap’ by Nicki Minaj, and ‘Where Have You Been’ by Rihanna; (iii) observations of seven sexuality education classes; and, (iv) in-depth semistructured interviews conducted with eight learners and two educators. I draw on an integrated theoretical and methodological approach – Foucauldian, feminist poststructural and psychosocial psychoanalytic perspectives – to conceptualise and analyse gendered sexualities in terms of: (i) the dominant gendered discourses found in sexuality education manuals, and music videos and lyrics; (ii) the reflexive and interactive gendered subject positions taken up and/or resisted by learners and educators during classroom lessons and one-on-one interviews; and, (iii) learners’ and educators’ conscious and unconscious investments in particular gendered subject positions during one-on-one interviews. These three sets of analysis produced four major themes. The first theme centres on responsible sexuality; young women are expected to assume more sexual responsility than young men, thus curbing their sexual agency. The second theme outlines three types of pleasure – sexual, romantic and dating and/or relationship pleasure – that accord young men and women active and passive ways of exercising pleasure. The third theme highlights the heteronormative transitioning adolescent subject that constructs young women as reproductive subjects and young men as sexual subjects. The last theme focuses on gendered power relations and raunch culture, and maintains that young men are powerful and likely to commit acts of sexual violence against young women because they are powerless. The central argument developed when viewing all the themes is that dominant gendered discourse, gendered subject positions, and conscious and unconscious investments in these positions challenge the extent to which the gendered meanings that underpin adolescent learners’ sexuality are stable and fixed. The gendered discourses in the Life Orientation sexuality education programmes showed that gender is expressed rigidly, thus privileging masculine over feminine sexuality. However, the gendered discourses in the popular music contested rigid gender binaries and produced fluid and equitable masculine and feminine sexualities. The classroom practices depicted multiple and more equatable gendered sexualities, highlighting just how contested gender is. Finally, educator and learners’ personal biographies illustrated how conflicting masculine and feminine sexualities present a signficant source of emotional conflict for them. It may benefit policymakers and stakeholders to consider informal mediums of sexual socialisation for learners, such as music, when drafting the Life Orientation sexuality education curriculum, whilst also taking into account learners and educators personal lives.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Moodley, Dale Dhersen
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3274 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021260
- Description: Formal school-based sexuality education is one medium, amongst others, that recognises young people’s sexuality, but usually as at-risk and/or risk taking subjects, or as innocent subjects. I analyse the gendered sexualities of young people as represented in: Grade 10 Life Orientation sexuality education programmes and popular music, as two mediums of sexual socialisation in Grade 10 learners’ lives, and as engaged with by Grade 10 learners and educators. I collected data from two schools in the Eastern Cape that included: (i) sections on sexuality from two Life Orientation manuals used by educators in classrooms: ‘Oxford Successful Life Orientation’ (2011), and ‘Shuters Top Class Life Orientation’ (2011); (ii) videos and lyrics of three songs voted most popular by learners which were ‘Climax’ by Usher, ‘Beez in the Trap’ by Nicki Minaj, and ‘Where Have You Been’ by Rihanna; (iii) observations of seven sexuality education classes; and, (iv) in-depth semistructured interviews conducted with eight learners and two educators. I draw on an integrated theoretical and methodological approach – Foucauldian, feminist poststructural and psychosocial psychoanalytic perspectives – to conceptualise and analyse gendered sexualities in terms of: (i) the dominant gendered discourses found in sexuality education manuals, and music videos and lyrics; (ii) the reflexive and interactive gendered subject positions taken up and/or resisted by learners and educators during classroom lessons and one-on-one interviews; and, (iii) learners’ and educators’ conscious and unconscious investments in particular gendered subject positions during one-on-one interviews. These three sets of analysis produced four major themes. The first theme centres on responsible sexuality; young women are expected to assume more sexual responsility than young men, thus curbing their sexual agency. The second theme outlines three types of pleasure – sexual, romantic and dating and/or relationship pleasure – that accord young men and women active and passive ways of exercising pleasure. The third theme highlights the heteronormative transitioning adolescent subject that constructs young women as reproductive subjects and young men as sexual subjects. The last theme focuses on gendered power relations and raunch culture, and maintains that young men are powerful and likely to commit acts of sexual violence against young women because they are powerless. The central argument developed when viewing all the themes is that dominant gendered discourse, gendered subject positions, and conscious and unconscious investments in these positions challenge the extent to which the gendered meanings that underpin adolescent learners’ sexuality are stable and fixed. The gendered discourses in the Life Orientation sexuality education programmes showed that gender is expressed rigidly, thus privileging masculine over feminine sexuality. However, the gendered discourses in the popular music contested rigid gender binaries and produced fluid and equitable masculine and feminine sexualities. The classroom practices depicted multiple and more equatable gendered sexualities, highlighting just how contested gender is. Finally, educator and learners’ personal biographies illustrated how conflicting masculine and feminine sexualities present a signficant source of emotional conflict for them. It may benefit policymakers and stakeholders to consider informal mediums of sexual socialisation for learners, such as music, when drafting the Life Orientation sexuality education curriculum, whilst also taking into account learners and educators personal lives.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
The experience of recovering from a substance use disorder
- Authors: van der Schyff, Brett Carl
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4016 , vital:20585
- Description: Substance use disorder is an intricate societal phenomenon resulting from psychological and physiological dependence. The aim of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of individuals recovering from a substance use disorder. An interpretive phenomenological method was used to elicit the fundamentals of recovery as experienced by the participants. Random purposeful sampling was used and guaranteed that appropriate participants were selected. Data was collected through the use of semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews with four individuals. The collected data was then processed according to the three interpretive phenomenological principles namely, phenomenology, hermeneutics and idiography. Analysis was thereafter conducted using five steps, which led to two main themes emerged. The two thematic categories that emerged were (1) the ex-users’ experiences of using substances and (2) experiences of recovering from a substance use disorder. Within the first thematic category two sub-themes developed which included: reasons for using substances, and when substance use became a dependency. The sub-themes that emerged in the second thematic category included: initiating recovery, recovery and treatment models, post-treatment, risk factors in recovery and supportive and protective factors in recovery.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: van der Schyff, Brett Carl
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4016 , vital:20585
- Description: Substance use disorder is an intricate societal phenomenon resulting from psychological and physiological dependence. The aim of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of individuals recovering from a substance use disorder. An interpretive phenomenological method was used to elicit the fundamentals of recovery as experienced by the participants. Random purposeful sampling was used and guaranteed that appropriate participants were selected. Data was collected through the use of semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews with four individuals. The collected data was then processed according to the three interpretive phenomenological principles namely, phenomenology, hermeneutics and idiography. Analysis was thereafter conducted using five steps, which led to two main themes emerged. The two thematic categories that emerged were (1) the ex-users’ experiences of using substances and (2) experiences of recovering from a substance use disorder. Within the first thematic category two sub-themes developed which included: reasons for using substances, and when substance use became a dependency. The sub-themes that emerged in the second thematic category included: initiating recovery, recovery and treatment models, post-treatment, risk factors in recovery and supportive and protective factors in recovery.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
The lived experience of the post-termination period of long-term psychotherapy
- Steenkamp, Jeanette Gwendoline
- Authors: Steenkamp, Jeanette Gwendoline
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3276 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021272
- Description: This study aimed to gain insight and understanding into adult clients’ personal lived experiences of the post-termination period of long-term psychotherapy. International research which examines the post-termination phase of psychotherapy has found that this particular lived experience can have both positive and negative consequences for clients’ psychosocial wellbeing. Few recent studies focusing on adult clients’ personal experiences of the post-termination phase could be located and none of these studies were conducted in a non-Western context. The study’s aim was to address this gap in the existing literature by using interpretative-phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore the lived experience of the post-termination period of long-term psychotherapy for two South African adult clients. Data were collected via individual in-depth semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the data yielded the following themes: Therapy remembered as amazing, but hard work, Vivid memories of therapy retained post-termination, Seeing the therapist differently, Keeping the therapist alive, Being different after therapy, “I started losing all my ground I had gained”, and Resuming the external journey. These findings corroborated and expanded upon existing research in the area.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Steenkamp, Jeanette Gwendoline
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3276 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021272
- Description: This study aimed to gain insight and understanding into adult clients’ personal lived experiences of the post-termination period of long-term psychotherapy. International research which examines the post-termination phase of psychotherapy has found that this particular lived experience can have both positive and negative consequences for clients’ psychosocial wellbeing. Few recent studies focusing on adult clients’ personal experiences of the post-termination phase could be located and none of these studies were conducted in a non-Western context. The study’s aim was to address this gap in the existing literature by using interpretative-phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore the lived experience of the post-termination period of long-term psychotherapy for two South African adult clients. Data were collected via individual in-depth semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the data yielded the following themes: Therapy remembered as amazing, but hard work, Vivid memories of therapy retained post-termination, Seeing the therapist differently, Keeping the therapist alive, Being different after therapy, “I started losing all my ground I had gained”, and Resuming the external journey. These findings corroborated and expanded upon existing research in the area.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
The relationship between the alcohol use patterns and cognitive and symptomatic functioning of Rhodes University students
- Authors: Mayson, Tamara Ann
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Drinking of alcholic beverages -- South Africa , Rhodes University -- Students -- Alcohol use , Alcohol -- Physiological effect
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3270 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020327
- Description: Introduction: Studies reveal differential cognitive effects of alcohol use, with moderate to heavy alcohol having some beneficial effects in older adults, whereas in young adulthood, heavier alcohol use produces deficits. The aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between patterns of alcohol use and the cognitive and symptomatic functioning of university students over one year, and to discern which demographic, clinical and alcohol factors might moderate cognitive outcomes. Method: The sample included undergraduate Psychology students from a South African University, aged 18 to 23 years (n = 86). The sample was divided into two alcohol use groups based on four categories from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) (Babor et al., 2001), including a lighter drinking group (Safe/Hazardous, n = 74) and a heavier drinking group (Harmful/Dependent, n = 12). The two drinking groups were statistically equivalent for distribution of age, gender, English first language, race groups, history of neurological or psychiatric vulnerability, a measure of initial intelligence/cognitive reserve (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test: PPVT-4) (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) and for a measure of test-taking validity (Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Test: ImPACT Impulse Control) (p = < 0.05 in all instances). Participants were tested on the computerized ImPACT battery (ImPACT, 2007) at three intervals over an academic year (May, August, October 2012). Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to investigate cognitive and symptomatic differences between the two alcohol use groups, in association with moderating factors. Results: The heavier drinking group revealed: (i) poorer performance on ImPACT Visual Motor Speed, Reaction Time and Cognitive Efficiency Index scores, including less ability to benefit from practice over time; (ii) symptom reports of severe Numbness/Tingling, Balance problems and Dizziness. Deleterious cognitive outcome was exacerbated by longer lifetime duration of alcohol use, passing out monthly, beer or wine drinking, smoking or substance use. Conclusion: Deleterious cognitive and symptomatic effects of heavy alcohol use are in evidence for undergraduate university students implicating current and/or cumulative alcohol induced brain impairment. The results of the study are of concern for optimal academic performance of students at an early stage of university level study, who engage in heavier (Harmful/Dependent) drinking patterns, with negative implications for future career attainment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Mayson, Tamara Ann
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Drinking of alcholic beverages -- South Africa , Rhodes University -- Students -- Alcohol use , Alcohol -- Physiological effect
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3270 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020327
- Description: Introduction: Studies reveal differential cognitive effects of alcohol use, with moderate to heavy alcohol having some beneficial effects in older adults, whereas in young adulthood, heavier alcohol use produces deficits. The aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between patterns of alcohol use and the cognitive and symptomatic functioning of university students over one year, and to discern which demographic, clinical and alcohol factors might moderate cognitive outcomes. Method: The sample included undergraduate Psychology students from a South African University, aged 18 to 23 years (n = 86). The sample was divided into two alcohol use groups based on four categories from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) (Babor et al., 2001), including a lighter drinking group (Safe/Hazardous, n = 74) and a heavier drinking group (Harmful/Dependent, n = 12). The two drinking groups were statistically equivalent for distribution of age, gender, English first language, race groups, history of neurological or psychiatric vulnerability, a measure of initial intelligence/cognitive reserve (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test: PPVT-4) (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) and for a measure of test-taking validity (Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Test: ImPACT Impulse Control) (p = < 0.05 in all instances). Participants were tested on the computerized ImPACT battery (ImPACT, 2007) at three intervals over an academic year (May, August, October 2012). Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to investigate cognitive and symptomatic differences between the two alcohol use groups, in association with moderating factors. Results: The heavier drinking group revealed: (i) poorer performance on ImPACT Visual Motor Speed, Reaction Time and Cognitive Efficiency Index scores, including less ability to benefit from practice over time; (ii) symptom reports of severe Numbness/Tingling, Balance problems and Dizziness. Deleterious cognitive outcome was exacerbated by longer lifetime duration of alcohol use, passing out monthly, beer or wine drinking, smoking or substance use. Conclusion: Deleterious cognitive and symptomatic effects of heavy alcohol use are in evidence for undergraduate university students implicating current and/or cumulative alcohol induced brain impairment. The results of the study are of concern for optimal academic performance of students at an early stage of university level study, who engage in heavier (Harmful/Dependent) drinking patterns, with negative implications for future career attainment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Ulwaluko kwa Xhosa: young Xhosa men's lived experiences in the context of traditional male initiation
- Authors: Siswana, Anele
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3271 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020840
- Description: This thesis explores the lived experiences of young amaXhosa men in relation to U!walukokwa Xhosa (traditional male initiation [TMI]) and its impact on their sense of masculinity. The conceptual framework of this study is located within African epistemology focusing on indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in South Africa. The study aimed at enabling young amaXhosa men who had undergone TMI to reflect on their first-hand, personal accounts of Ulwa/ukokwa Xhosa and manhood. Six semistructured interviews and a follow up focus group discussion were held with 23-27 years old amaXhosa men residing in Joza Township in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. Participants were identified through purposive sampling. The thesis reports on the following findings: (a) the significance of the place/location of initiation, and the guise of modernity; (b) feelings of anticipation experienced by the young men; (c) the theme on ubudoda(manhood) affirmation Ndiyindoda!; (d) the theme on the concealment of pain (perseverance); (e) the theme on respect for self and others and ubuntu;(f) Uzimelegeqe (independence and autonomy) and (g) social role and responsibility. The paper argues for the relevance of TMI as a significantrite of passage from boyhood to manhood among amaXhosa men.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Siswana, Anele
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3271 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020840
- Description: This thesis explores the lived experiences of young amaXhosa men in relation to U!walukokwa Xhosa (traditional male initiation [TMI]) and its impact on their sense of masculinity. The conceptual framework of this study is located within African epistemology focusing on indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in South Africa. The study aimed at enabling young amaXhosa men who had undergone TMI to reflect on their first-hand, personal accounts of Ulwa/ukokwa Xhosa and manhood. Six semistructured interviews and a follow up focus group discussion were held with 23-27 years old amaXhosa men residing in Joza Township in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. Participants were identified through purposive sampling. The thesis reports on the following findings: (a) the significance of the place/location of initiation, and the guise of modernity; (b) feelings of anticipation experienced by the young men; (c) the theme on ubudoda(manhood) affirmation Ndiyindoda!; (d) the theme on the concealment of pain (perseverance); (e) the theme on respect for self and others and ubuntu;(f) Uzimelegeqe (independence and autonomy) and (g) social role and responsibility. The paper argues for the relevance of TMI as a significantrite of passage from boyhood to manhood among amaXhosa men.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Understanding sexual concurrency and HIV/AIDS: implicit and explicit attitudes in a South African student population
- Authors: Malataliana, Maleeto Lucy
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3335 , vital:20484
- Description: There are more people infected with HIV in South Africa, than in any other country in the world. Studies indicate a plausible relationship between concurrently organised sexual partnership and the spread of STIs, with concurrency being accountable for as much as 74% of HIV infections in South Africa. Understanding sexual concurrency is therefore of vital importance, especially in the South African perspective. It has, however, become increasingly unreliable to rely solely on explicit self-measures to study sexual concurrency, and research has suggested that implicit cognition is a reliable alternative to understanding sexual behaviour and attitudes towards sexuality, which cannot be directly measured by explicit means. The purpose of this study was to understand sexual concurrency among a population of university students by researching their implicit and explicit attitudes towards sexual concurrency; and thereby to aid in understanding sexual concurrency in relation to the spread of HIV. A quantitative research methodology was used to analyse results from explicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of a questionnaire, and implicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Although no correlation existed between implicit and explicit measures attitudes towards sexual concurrency, it was, however, observed that sexual concurrency has and is being broadly practiced, and that age is a key determinant for sexual concurrency.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Malataliana, Maleeto Lucy
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3335 , vital:20484
- Description: There are more people infected with HIV in South Africa, than in any other country in the world. Studies indicate a plausible relationship between concurrently organised sexual partnership and the spread of STIs, with concurrency being accountable for as much as 74% of HIV infections in South Africa. Understanding sexual concurrency is therefore of vital importance, especially in the South African perspective. It has, however, become increasingly unreliable to rely solely on explicit self-measures to study sexual concurrency, and research has suggested that implicit cognition is a reliable alternative to understanding sexual behaviour and attitudes towards sexuality, which cannot be directly measured by explicit means. The purpose of this study was to understand sexual concurrency among a population of university students by researching their implicit and explicit attitudes towards sexual concurrency; and thereby to aid in understanding sexual concurrency in relation to the spread of HIV. A quantitative research methodology was used to analyse results from explicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of a questionnaire, and implicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Although no correlation existed between implicit and explicit measures attitudes towards sexual concurrency, it was, however, observed that sexual concurrency has and is being broadly practiced, and that age is a key determinant for sexual concurrency.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Contextualising work-family conflict, social support and gender ideologies of professional/registered nurses in the Cacadu District, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Koeberg, Richenda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Nursing -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Nurses -- Job stress -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Work and family
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3261 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017884
- Description: The focus of this study was to investigate work-family conflict, social support and gender ideologies of professional/registered nurses in the South African context, specifically within the Cacadu District (Eastern Cape). The study had four aims: (a) to investigate the construct validity of the measuring instrument, (b) to investigate the relationship between social support provided by family and family interference with work (FIW), (c) to ascertain the influence of shift work on perceived work-family conflict, and lastly, (d) to determine whether there is a difference between the number of children in households and nurses’ perceptions of work-family conflict. A quantitative research design was used in the study. The sample (N = 106) was taken from five district hospitals in the Cacadu District, Eastern Cape. The measuring instrument consisted of three scales, namely the Multi-dimensional Work-Family Conflict Scale (Carlson, Kacmar, & Williams, 2000), the Social Support Questionnaire (Sarason, Sarason, Shearin, & Pierce, 1987), and an adapted Gender Ideology Scale (Tsai, 2008). The results indicated that the construct validity of the Multi-dimensional Work-Family Conflict scale was satisfactory. However, analysis of the Social Support Questionnaire and Gender Ideology scales both suggested that these scales have not been validated for use with diverse samples outside the contexts in which they were developed. The results also indicated that there is a relationship between social support provided by families and behaviour-based family interference with work. Additionally, there appeared to be a difference between the shifts worked by nurses and their perceived work-family conflict, except for strain-based work interference with family. And lastly, the only significant difference between the number of children in the household and work-family conflict was reported for strain-based work interference with family. The implications of the results for future research suggest the importance of developing and validating work-family conflict, social support and gender ideology scales that are dependent on the context of the research. In so doing, the constructs of the scale are made meaningful. Additionally, the findings provide preliminary evidence of tailoring work-family initiatives that address the needs of the nursing profession and the context of healthcare institutions
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Koeberg, Richenda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Nursing -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Nurses -- Job stress -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Work and family
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3261 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017884
- Description: The focus of this study was to investigate work-family conflict, social support and gender ideologies of professional/registered nurses in the South African context, specifically within the Cacadu District (Eastern Cape). The study had four aims: (a) to investigate the construct validity of the measuring instrument, (b) to investigate the relationship between social support provided by family and family interference with work (FIW), (c) to ascertain the influence of shift work on perceived work-family conflict, and lastly, (d) to determine whether there is a difference between the number of children in households and nurses’ perceptions of work-family conflict. A quantitative research design was used in the study. The sample (N = 106) was taken from five district hospitals in the Cacadu District, Eastern Cape. The measuring instrument consisted of three scales, namely the Multi-dimensional Work-Family Conflict Scale (Carlson, Kacmar, & Williams, 2000), the Social Support Questionnaire (Sarason, Sarason, Shearin, & Pierce, 1987), and an adapted Gender Ideology Scale (Tsai, 2008). The results indicated that the construct validity of the Multi-dimensional Work-Family Conflict scale was satisfactory. However, analysis of the Social Support Questionnaire and Gender Ideology scales both suggested that these scales have not been validated for use with diverse samples outside the contexts in which they were developed. The results also indicated that there is a relationship between social support provided by families and behaviour-based family interference with work. Additionally, there appeared to be a difference between the shifts worked by nurses and their perceived work-family conflict, except for strain-based work interference with family. And lastly, the only significant difference between the number of children in the household and work-family conflict was reported for strain-based work interference with family. The implications of the results for future research suggest the importance of developing and validating work-family conflict, social support and gender ideology scales that are dependent on the context of the research. In so doing, the constructs of the scale are made meaningful. Additionally, the findings provide preliminary evidence of tailoring work-family initiatives that address the needs of the nursing profession and the context of healthcare institutions
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Counsellors’ talk about their understanding of, and practices in response to, intimate partner violence during pregnancy: a narrative-discursive analytic study.
- Authors: Fleischack, Anne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Intimate partner violence -- South Africa , Intimate partner violence -- Psychological aspects , Abused women -- Counseling of , Pregnant women -- South Africa -- Abuse of , Pregnant women -- Counseling of
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3255 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016391
- Description: South Africa is a very violent society, where violence is often used as a social resource to maintain control and establish authority. Global and local research suggests that there is a high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), a facet of this violence, although little research has been conducted into the effects of IPV during pregnancy in the South African non-governmental organisation (NGO) context. NGOs globally and in South Africa have attempted to address IPV and IPV during pregnancy by providing services that aim to assist (largely female) clients emotionally and logistically. In light of this phenomenon, this qualitative study presents data generated through the use of a lightly-structured narrative interview schedule. The interviews were conducted over three sessions with eight counsellors, all based at two NGOs in South Africa and experienced in counselling women who have suffered IPV and IPV during pregnancy. This study used Taylor and Littleton’s (2006) narrative-discursive analytical lens, infused with theoretical insights from Foucault about power, discourse and narrative in order to identify the discursive resources that shape the narratives that the counsellors shared in the interviews and how these translate into subject positions and (gendered) power relations of the men and women about whom they speak. Six discursive resources emerged from the narratives, namely a discourse of ‘traditional “African” culture’, ‘patriarchal masculinity’, ‘nurturing femininity’, ‘female victimhood’, ‘female survivorhood’ and ‘human rights’. These informed the three main narratives that emerged: narratives about IPV in general, IPV during pregnancy, and the counsellors’ narratives about their intervention strategies. Within these narratives (and the micro-narratives which comprised them), men were largely positioned as subscribing to violent patriarchal behaviour whilst women were mostly positioned as nurturing and victims of this violence. The counsellors also constructed women as largely ignorant of their options about IPV and IPV during pregnancy; they constructed these phenomena as problems that require intervention and identified a number of factors that indicate what successful IPV interventions should entail. In reflecting upon this analysis, this study also aimed to address the questions of what is achieved or gained by using these narratives and discursive resources, what the significance or consequences are of constructing and using these particular narratives and discourses and whether different narratives or discourses would have been possible. Recommendations for further research includes incorporating more sites as well as interviewing perpetrators and IPV survivors themselves, perhaps in their home language where relevant rather than English, to gain a broader and more faceted understanding of the dynamics surrounding IPV during pregnancy. A recommendation for practice in intervention against IPV during pregnancy is to introduce more holistic/systemic intervention strategies and working with communities to address this issue.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Fleischack, Anne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Intimate partner violence -- South Africa , Intimate partner violence -- Psychological aspects , Abused women -- Counseling of , Pregnant women -- South Africa -- Abuse of , Pregnant women -- Counseling of
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3255 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016391
- Description: South Africa is a very violent society, where violence is often used as a social resource to maintain control and establish authority. Global and local research suggests that there is a high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), a facet of this violence, although little research has been conducted into the effects of IPV during pregnancy in the South African non-governmental organisation (NGO) context. NGOs globally and in South Africa have attempted to address IPV and IPV during pregnancy by providing services that aim to assist (largely female) clients emotionally and logistically. In light of this phenomenon, this qualitative study presents data generated through the use of a lightly-structured narrative interview schedule. The interviews were conducted over three sessions with eight counsellors, all based at two NGOs in South Africa and experienced in counselling women who have suffered IPV and IPV during pregnancy. This study used Taylor and Littleton’s (2006) narrative-discursive analytical lens, infused with theoretical insights from Foucault about power, discourse and narrative in order to identify the discursive resources that shape the narratives that the counsellors shared in the interviews and how these translate into subject positions and (gendered) power relations of the men and women about whom they speak. Six discursive resources emerged from the narratives, namely a discourse of ‘traditional “African” culture’, ‘patriarchal masculinity’, ‘nurturing femininity’, ‘female victimhood’, ‘female survivorhood’ and ‘human rights’. These informed the three main narratives that emerged: narratives about IPV in general, IPV during pregnancy, and the counsellors’ narratives about their intervention strategies. Within these narratives (and the micro-narratives which comprised them), men were largely positioned as subscribing to violent patriarchal behaviour whilst women were mostly positioned as nurturing and victims of this violence. The counsellors also constructed women as largely ignorant of their options about IPV and IPV during pregnancy; they constructed these phenomena as problems that require intervention and identified a number of factors that indicate what successful IPV interventions should entail. In reflecting upon this analysis, this study also aimed to address the questions of what is achieved or gained by using these narratives and discursive resources, what the significance or consequences are of constructing and using these particular narratives and discourses and whether different narratives or discourses would have been possible. Recommendations for further research includes incorporating more sites as well as interviewing perpetrators and IPV survivors themselves, perhaps in their home language where relevant rather than English, to gain a broader and more faceted understanding of the dynamics surrounding IPV during pregnancy. A recommendation for practice in intervention against IPV during pregnancy is to introduce more holistic/systemic intervention strategies and working with communities to address this issue.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Entrepreneurial intention among Rhodes University undergraduate students
- Authors: Bell, Jonathan Andrew
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Rhodes University -- Undergraduates , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Social cognitive theory , Intention , Attitude (Psychology) , Influence (Psychology) , South Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1991-
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3267 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020011
- Description: The entrepreneurial intentions of university students are important factors to consider when developing entrepreneurship offerings at tertiary level institutions. This research study reports on pertinent findings from a study which set out to determine Rhodes university undergraduate students‟ entrepreneurial intentions and their pull and push factors that have brought them to the decision to become entrepreneurs. A survey, using a 43 question structured web-based instrument was used to capture the responses from undergraduate students across different departments at Rhodes University, Grahamstown. Key findings suggest that few undergraduate students intend to enter into an entrepreneurship career immediately after completion of their studies, whereas many of the respondents were more interested in doing so five years after graduation. The vast majority of students were satisfied without having formal entrepreneurial education and factors such as previous employment in entrepreneurial activities, and family influence had a statistical significant relationship with entrepreneurial intention.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Bell, Jonathan Andrew
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Rhodes University -- Undergraduates , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Social cognitive theory , Intention , Attitude (Psychology) , Influence (Psychology) , South Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1991-
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3267 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020011
- Description: The entrepreneurial intentions of university students are important factors to consider when developing entrepreneurship offerings at tertiary level institutions. This research study reports on pertinent findings from a study which set out to determine Rhodes university undergraduate students‟ entrepreneurial intentions and their pull and push factors that have brought them to the decision to become entrepreneurs. A survey, using a 43 question structured web-based instrument was used to capture the responses from undergraduate students across different departments at Rhodes University, Grahamstown. Key findings suggest that few undergraduate students intend to enter into an entrepreneurship career immediately after completion of their studies, whereas many of the respondents were more interested in doing so five years after graduation. The vast majority of students were satisfied without having formal entrepreneurial education and factors such as previous employment in entrepreneurial activities, and family influence had a statistical significant relationship with entrepreneurial intention.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015