Psycho-diagnostics in a Xhosa Zionist church
- Authors: Thorpe, Mark Richard
- Date: 1982
- Subjects: Psychodiagnostics -- South Africa , Xhosa (African people) -- Religion , Xhosa (African people) -- Psychology , Zionist churches (Africa) -- South Africa , Healers -- South Africa , Healing -- South Africa -- Religious aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3072 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002581 , Psychodiagnostics -- South Africa , Xhosa (African people) -- Religion , Xhosa (African people) -- Psychology , Zionist churches (Africa) -- South Africa , Healers -- South Africa , Healing -- South Africa -- Religious aspects
- Description: A large number of Black patients seen by the mental health team in South Africa consult indigenous healers. An awareness of the diagnosis and treatment given to patients by traditional healers, would therefore enhance both the rapport with and treatment of those patients who seek help from the mental health professionals and para-professionals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1982
- Authors: Thorpe, Mark Richard
- Date: 1982
- Subjects: Psychodiagnostics -- South Africa , Xhosa (African people) -- Religion , Xhosa (African people) -- Psychology , Zionist churches (Africa) -- South Africa , Healers -- South Africa , Healing -- South Africa -- Religious aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3072 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002581 , Psychodiagnostics -- South Africa , Xhosa (African people) -- Religion , Xhosa (African people) -- Psychology , Zionist churches (Africa) -- South Africa , Healers -- South Africa , Healing -- South Africa -- Religious aspects
- Description: A large number of Black patients seen by the mental health team in South Africa consult indigenous healers. An awareness of the diagnosis and treatment given to patients by traditional healers, would therefore enhance both the rapport with and treatment of those patients who seek help from the mental health professionals and para-professionals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1982
An exploration into the meaning of death
- Authors: Todres, Leslie Allen
- Date: 1980 , 2013-03-28
- Subjects: Death -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3107 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004519 , Death -- Psychological aspects
- Description: From Preface: The present study attempts to explore, both theoretically and empirically, some implications that a personal consideration of death may have for the way we live our lives. Existential-Phenomenology has concerned itself with the description of the dimensions of human existence. It is in this enquiry that Death, and through it, human finitude, emerges as an important dimension of existence. It is not the fact of death itself, but the MEANING it has for our lives which may be of important consequence. It is to this area that this research addresses itself. The methodology employed arises out of a concern to contribute to the establishment of Psychology as a Human Science. To this end, a chapter focusing on the philosophical bases of methodology is included. It is hoped that this study may, however little, contribute both to the field of Thanatology as well as to the more theoretical issue of what Psychology is, and where it is going. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.53 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1980
- Authors: Todres, Leslie Allen
- Date: 1980 , 2013-03-28
- Subjects: Death -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3107 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004519 , Death -- Psychological aspects
- Description: From Preface: The present study attempts to explore, both theoretically and empirically, some implications that a personal consideration of death may have for the way we live our lives. Existential-Phenomenology has concerned itself with the description of the dimensions of human existence. It is in this enquiry that Death, and through it, human finitude, emerges as an important dimension of existence. It is not the fact of death itself, but the MEANING it has for our lives which may be of important consequence. It is to this area that this research addresses itself. The methodology employed arises out of a concern to contribute to the establishment of Psychology as a Human Science. To this end, a chapter focusing on the philosophical bases of methodology is included. It is hoped that this study may, however little, contribute both to the field of Thanatology as well as to the more theoretical issue of what Psychology is, and where it is going. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.53 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1980
An existential phenomenological study of the kind of therapeutic self-insight that carries a greater sense of freedom
- Authors: Todres, Leslie Allen
- Date: 1991
- Subjects: Psychotherapy Self-perception Self-actualization (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3073 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002582
- Description: The central aim of this study was to contribute to the clarification of the nature of self-insight in psychotherapy by means of a qualitative research design. A pilot study provided direction by suggesting a psychologically relevant focus that was experientially specific; that is, the kind of therapeutic self-insight that carries a greater sense of freedom. A phenomenological research method was used to describe and interpret in depth the experiences of eight clients who had been in psychotherapy. Their experiences were explicated to yield a psychologically relevant general description of the phenomenon. The results indicated ten central constituents of the experience. Such themes included, amongst others, the role of language in providing perspective, the increased understanding of personal agency, the achievement of a more complex self-image, and the ability to express existing desires and motives within a more flexible or creative behavioural context. The general description also indicated how phenomena such as memory, feeling, motive, metaphor, dreams and present behaviour interact in the co-constitution of this kind of therapeutic self-insight. After dialoguing the results of the study with relevant literature, the thesis concluded with reflections on the intrinsic value of therapeutic self-insight, as revealed in this study, in relation to the spirit of technology.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1991
- Authors: Todres, Leslie Allen
- Date: 1991
- Subjects: Psychotherapy Self-perception Self-actualization (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3073 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002582
- Description: The central aim of this study was to contribute to the clarification of the nature of self-insight in psychotherapy by means of a qualitative research design. A pilot study provided direction by suggesting a psychologically relevant focus that was experientially specific; that is, the kind of therapeutic self-insight that carries a greater sense of freedom. A phenomenological research method was used to describe and interpret in depth the experiences of eight clients who had been in psychotherapy. Their experiences were explicated to yield a psychologically relevant general description of the phenomenon. The results indicated ten central constituents of the experience. Such themes included, amongst others, the role of language in providing perspective, the increased understanding of personal agency, the achievement of a more complex self-image, and the ability to express existing desires and motives within a more flexible or creative behavioural context. The general description also indicated how phenomena such as memory, feeling, motive, metaphor, dreams and present behaviour interact in the co-constitution of this kind of therapeutic self-insight. After dialoguing the results of the study with relevant literature, the thesis concluded with reflections on the intrinsic value of therapeutic self-insight, as revealed in this study, in relation to the spirit of technology.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1991
Template ecological analsyis of the narratives of partner’s and family member’s of women who consumed alcohol in pregnancy
- Authors: Tsetse, Agrinette Nontozamo
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Pregnant women -- Alcohol use -- Social aspects , Substance abuse in pregnancy , Fetus -- Effect of drugs on , Pregnancy -- Psychological aspects , Pregnant women -- Substance use , Substance abuse -- Social aspects , Ecological Systems Theory
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/114905 , vital:34055
- Description: Although there is increasing research on alcohol in South Africa, most of this work has an epidemiological focus. Very little research has explored alcohol use during pregnancy specifically from the perspective of the woman’s partner or family member or focused on contextual risk factors beyond the pregnant woman. This information is important to ensure that interventions are formulated based on the social contexts within which drinking in pregnancy takes place and in guiding interventions that aim to prevent prenatal alcohol use, thereby preventing the occurrence of FASDs. This study was guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory to understand partners’ and family members’ perspectives of prenatal exposure within the actual environments in which alcohol use takes place. According to this theory, an individual exists within layers of social relationships: the family, intimate partners, friendships, and healthcare workers (microsystems), interactions among these microsystems, for example, interaction between healthcare workers and intimate partner and family and social workers (mesosystem), accessibility of alcohol in the neighbourhoods (exosystems), religion, culture and society (macro-systems) and changes of the individual and socio-historical context (chronosystem). The data were collected using a biographic narrative interpretive method of interviewing. Thirteen narratives interviews were conducted with partners and family members in a disadvantaged community in Buffalo City, Eastern Cape Province. The interviews were analysed using Template Analysis within the Ecological Systems Theory to interrogate the stories of partners and family members. According to participants, some of the reasons women consumed alcohol in pregnancy are: drinking habits before pregnancy that were difficult to break in pregnancy; women drank during the first trimester of their pregnancy because of unplanned pregnancy; women continued drinking throughout their pregnancies to cope with the emotional upset caused by the trauma of rape and losing loved ones, stress, receiving HIV-diagnosis in pregnancy, intimate partner violence, infidelity, rejection and denial of pregnancy from partners. After birth, some women continued drinking. Consequently, their children were taken away from them by social workers and family members because the parents were unable to care for the child due to alcohol use. There was lack of compliance of shebeens with liquor regulations, heavy drinking, high rates of alcohol use in pregnancy, and easy accessibility of alcohol within this study community. Pregnant women used religious coping beliefs to cope with their circumstances such as changes in their health, relationships and finances. Drinking during pregnancy is a complex problem that stems from multiple social and structural issues and interventions should therefore not only focus on the individual, but also on social networks and communities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Tsetse, Agrinette Nontozamo
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Pregnant women -- Alcohol use -- Social aspects , Substance abuse in pregnancy , Fetus -- Effect of drugs on , Pregnancy -- Psychological aspects , Pregnant women -- Substance use , Substance abuse -- Social aspects , Ecological Systems Theory
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/114905 , vital:34055
- Description: Although there is increasing research on alcohol in South Africa, most of this work has an epidemiological focus. Very little research has explored alcohol use during pregnancy specifically from the perspective of the woman’s partner or family member or focused on contextual risk factors beyond the pregnant woman. This information is important to ensure that interventions are formulated based on the social contexts within which drinking in pregnancy takes place and in guiding interventions that aim to prevent prenatal alcohol use, thereby preventing the occurrence of FASDs. This study was guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory to understand partners’ and family members’ perspectives of prenatal exposure within the actual environments in which alcohol use takes place. According to this theory, an individual exists within layers of social relationships: the family, intimate partners, friendships, and healthcare workers (microsystems), interactions among these microsystems, for example, interaction between healthcare workers and intimate partner and family and social workers (mesosystem), accessibility of alcohol in the neighbourhoods (exosystems), religion, culture and society (macro-systems) and changes of the individual and socio-historical context (chronosystem). The data were collected using a biographic narrative interpretive method of interviewing. Thirteen narratives interviews were conducted with partners and family members in a disadvantaged community in Buffalo City, Eastern Cape Province. The interviews were analysed using Template Analysis within the Ecological Systems Theory to interrogate the stories of partners and family members. According to participants, some of the reasons women consumed alcohol in pregnancy are: drinking habits before pregnancy that were difficult to break in pregnancy; women drank during the first trimester of their pregnancy because of unplanned pregnancy; women continued drinking throughout their pregnancies to cope with the emotional upset caused by the trauma of rape and losing loved ones, stress, receiving HIV-diagnosis in pregnancy, intimate partner violence, infidelity, rejection and denial of pregnancy from partners. After birth, some women continued drinking. Consequently, their children were taken away from them by social workers and family members because the parents were unable to care for the child due to alcohol use. There was lack of compliance of shebeens with liquor regulations, heavy drinking, high rates of alcohol use in pregnancy, and easy accessibility of alcohol within this study community. Pregnant women used religious coping beliefs to cope with their circumstances such as changes in their health, relationships and finances. Drinking during pregnancy is a complex problem that stems from multiple social and structural issues and interventions should therefore not only focus on the individual, but also on social networks and communities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
An explorative study into Faith healing as an African belief system and its influence on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa
- Authors: Tsotsi, Liso
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Traditional medicine -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Spiritual healing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Ethnopsychology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mental illness -- Treatment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mental illness -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67753 , vital:29137
- Description: The present study specifically focussed on Faith healing as an indigenous healing system and its influence on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The study aimed to provide a descriptive overview of Faith healers’ perspectives on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses in the Eastern Cape, as well as to compare conclusions reached with other categories of indigenous healers. The inter-category comparisons on a broader level allowed for a further comparative discourse with the mainstream western medical psychiatric view of mental illness. Therefore, the scope of this study does not include in-depth analyses of findings, but rather the generation of themes for comparative discussions. While there exists vast literature on the diagnostic and treatment perspectives of the other two categories of indigenous healing systems (traditional healers and herbalists), a limited number of studies have been focussed on Faith healing as an indigenous mode of healing. The present study attempted to address this gap in the literature in an effort to promote future collaborative work across all viewpoints, in the management of mental illnesses. This study, grounded in qualitative research, utilized thematic analysis as its theoretical framework. Non probability judgmental sampling was used to secure self-identifying Faith healers, where conclusions from them were drawn from data collected, using in depth semi-structured interviews and observation. The main findings of the study indicated that Faith healers’ perspectives on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses are based mainly on indigenous cultural theories. Furthermore, that collaboration with other viewpoints is hampered by animosity, feelings of distrust and the fear of appearing inferior.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Tsotsi, Liso
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Traditional medicine -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Spiritual healing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Ethnopsychology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mental illness -- Treatment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mental illness -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67753 , vital:29137
- Description: The present study specifically focussed on Faith healing as an indigenous healing system and its influence on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The study aimed to provide a descriptive overview of Faith healers’ perspectives on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses in the Eastern Cape, as well as to compare conclusions reached with other categories of indigenous healers. The inter-category comparisons on a broader level allowed for a further comparative discourse with the mainstream western medical psychiatric view of mental illness. Therefore, the scope of this study does not include in-depth analyses of findings, but rather the generation of themes for comparative discussions. While there exists vast literature on the diagnostic and treatment perspectives of the other two categories of indigenous healing systems (traditional healers and herbalists), a limited number of studies have been focussed on Faith healing as an indigenous mode of healing. The present study attempted to address this gap in the literature in an effort to promote future collaborative work across all viewpoints, in the management of mental illnesses. This study, grounded in qualitative research, utilized thematic analysis as its theoretical framework. Non probability judgmental sampling was used to secure self-identifying Faith healers, where conclusions from them were drawn from data collected, using in depth semi-structured interviews and observation. The main findings of the study indicated that Faith healers’ perspectives on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses are based mainly on indigenous cultural theories. Furthermore, that collaboration with other viewpoints is hampered by animosity, feelings of distrust and the fear of appearing inferior.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Nurses' experience of contesting discourses in HIV/AIDS activities in the primary health care setting
- Authors: Tutani, Lumka
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Primary health care , AIDS (Disease) -- Nursing , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Counseling of
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3074 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002583 , Primary health care , AIDS (Disease) -- Nursing , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Counseling of
- Description: This paper explores the experience of nurses who work both as Primary Health Care Providers and counsellors trained in the narrative model of counselling in primary health care settings. Five focus groups were conducted in both Xhosa and English. Discourse analysis was used as a method of analysing the data. Training nurses in the narrative counselling model introduced an alternative discourse, which was experienced as contradicting their usual way of working. Two dominant discourses were the “not knowing” approach, assumed by the narrative model of counselling, and the “knowing” stance, assumed by health education. The institutionalised construction of counselling by doctors and matrons, and their power versus the power of the nurse counsellors was also cited as sources of conflict. Despite the tensions, narrative model of counselling seems to be offering new positions, which may benefit people living with HIV and improve HIV/AIDS activities in the Primary Health Care (PHC) context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2001
- Authors: Tutani, Lumka
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Primary health care , AIDS (Disease) -- Nursing , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Counseling of
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3074 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002583 , Primary health care , AIDS (Disease) -- Nursing , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Counseling of
- Description: This paper explores the experience of nurses who work both as Primary Health Care Providers and counsellors trained in the narrative model of counselling in primary health care settings. Five focus groups were conducted in both Xhosa and English. Discourse analysis was used as a method of analysing the data. Training nurses in the narrative counselling model introduced an alternative discourse, which was experienced as contradicting their usual way of working. Two dominant discourses were the “not knowing” approach, assumed by the narrative model of counselling, and the “knowing” stance, assumed by health education. The institutionalised construction of counselling by doctors and matrons, and their power versus the power of the nurse counsellors was also cited as sources of conflict. Despite the tensions, narrative model of counselling seems to be offering new positions, which may benefit people living with HIV and improve HIV/AIDS activities in the Primary Health Care (PHC) context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2001
Past trauma, anxious future a case-based evaluation of the Ehlers and Clark model for PTSD applied in Africa
- Authors: Van der Linde, Francois
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Cognitive therapy Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Africa Rape trauma syndrome -- Treatment -- Africa Rape victims -- Africa Anxiety -- Treatment Depression, Mental -- Treatment Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3075 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002584
- Description: This research report documents the therapeutic intervention undertaken with a 23-year-old Swazi rape victim. The format of this research report takes the form of a case study that follows the principles proposed by Fishman (2005). Its aim is to document the treatment process of an individual of African decent in order to establish whether the treatment model can be effective in clinical settings and in contexts and cultural settings different from that in which it was developed. The Ehlers and Clark (2000) cognitive therapy model for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was utilised to assess, conceptualise, and treat the case. The client entered therapy three years after being raped for a third time. The case formulation identified factors maintaining the disorder as well as how other traumatic and abusive events earlier in her life influenced her response to the rapes. Data consisted off audio-tape recordings and detailed written synopses of each assessment and therapy session, psychometric measurement instruments and self-report scales completed throughout the intervention, material written by the client, and a research interview conducted by an independent party. She was treated for PTSD and comorbid depression over a period of five months in accordance with the principles described by Ehlers and Clark and a narrative of the treatment process was written. The case narrative in conjunction with quantitative data suggested that this model assisted the client in initiating a healing process. As such the model was found to be both effective and transportable to an African context. Various points of discussion are highlighted, including the challenges of working with PTSD and comorbid major depression, the client-therapist relationship, and that a client and therapist from different cultures, backgrounds, and with different home languages can work together effectively using the Ehlers and Clark model.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Van der Linde, Francois
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Cognitive therapy Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Africa Rape trauma syndrome -- Treatment -- Africa Rape victims -- Africa Anxiety -- Treatment Depression, Mental -- Treatment Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3075 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002584
- Description: This research report documents the therapeutic intervention undertaken with a 23-year-old Swazi rape victim. The format of this research report takes the form of a case study that follows the principles proposed by Fishman (2005). Its aim is to document the treatment process of an individual of African decent in order to establish whether the treatment model can be effective in clinical settings and in contexts and cultural settings different from that in which it was developed. The Ehlers and Clark (2000) cognitive therapy model for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was utilised to assess, conceptualise, and treat the case. The client entered therapy three years after being raped for a third time. The case formulation identified factors maintaining the disorder as well as how other traumatic and abusive events earlier in her life influenced her response to the rapes. Data consisted off audio-tape recordings and detailed written synopses of each assessment and therapy session, psychometric measurement instruments and self-report scales completed throughout the intervention, material written by the client, and a research interview conducted by an independent party. She was treated for PTSD and comorbid depression over a period of five months in accordance with the principles described by Ehlers and Clark and a narrative of the treatment process was written. The case narrative in conjunction with quantitative data suggested that this model assisted the client in initiating a healing process. As such the model was found to be both effective and transportable to an African context. Various points of discussion are highlighted, including the challenges of working with PTSD and comorbid major depression, the client-therapist relationship, and that a client and therapist from different cultures, backgrounds, and with different home languages can work together effectively using the Ehlers and Clark model.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
A comparison of WISC-IV test performance for Afrikaans, English and Xhosa speaking South African grade 7 learners
- Authors: Van der Merwe, Adele
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Intelligence tests -- South Africa Psychological tests -- Cross-cultural studies Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa Educational psychology -- South Africa Language and languages -- Ability testing Educational evaluation -- South Africa Education, Elementary -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3076 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002585
- Description: his study builds on South African cross-cultural research which demonstrated the importance of careful stratification of multicultural/multilingual normative samples for quality of education in respect of English and African language (predominantly Xhosa) speaking adults and children tested with the WAIS-III and WISC-IV, respectively. The aim of the present study was to produce an expanded set of preliminary comparative norms on the WISC-IV for white and coloured Afrikaans, white English and black Xhosa speaking Grade 7 children, aged 12 to 13 years, stratified for advantaged versus disadvantaged education. The results of this study replicate the findings of the prior South African cross-cultural studies in respect of quality of education, as groups with advantaged private/former Model C schooling outperformed those with disadvantaged former DET or HOR township schooling. Furthermore, a downward continuum of WISC-IV IQ test performance emerged as follows: 1) white English advantaged (high average), 2) white Afrikaans advantaged and black Xhosa advantaged (average), 3) coloured Afrikaans advantaged (below average), 4) black Xhosa disadvantaged (borderline), and 5) coloured Afrikaans disadvantaged (extremely low). The present study has demonstrated that while language and ethnic variables reveal subtle effects on IQ test performance, quality of education has the most significant effect – impacting significantly on verbal performance with this effect replicated in respect of the FSIQ. Therefore caution should be exercised in interpreting test results of individuals from different language/ethnic groups, and in particular those with disadvantaged schooling, as preliminary data suggest that these individuals achieve scores which are 20 – 35 points lower than the UK standardisation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Van der Merwe, Adele
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Intelligence tests -- South Africa Psychological tests -- Cross-cultural studies Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa Educational psychology -- South Africa Language and languages -- Ability testing Educational evaluation -- South Africa Education, Elementary -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3076 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002585
- Description: his study builds on South African cross-cultural research which demonstrated the importance of careful stratification of multicultural/multilingual normative samples for quality of education in respect of English and African language (predominantly Xhosa) speaking adults and children tested with the WAIS-III and WISC-IV, respectively. The aim of the present study was to produce an expanded set of preliminary comparative norms on the WISC-IV for white and coloured Afrikaans, white English and black Xhosa speaking Grade 7 children, aged 12 to 13 years, stratified for advantaged versus disadvantaged education. The results of this study replicate the findings of the prior South African cross-cultural studies in respect of quality of education, as groups with advantaged private/former Model C schooling outperformed those with disadvantaged former DET or HOR township schooling. Furthermore, a downward continuum of WISC-IV IQ test performance emerged as follows: 1) white English advantaged (high average), 2) white Afrikaans advantaged and black Xhosa advantaged (average), 3) coloured Afrikaans advantaged (below average), 4) black Xhosa disadvantaged (borderline), and 5) coloured Afrikaans disadvantaged (extremely low). The present study has demonstrated that while language and ethnic variables reveal subtle effects on IQ test performance, quality of education has the most significant effect – impacting significantly on verbal performance with this effect replicated in respect of the FSIQ. Therefore caution should be exercised in interpreting test results of individuals from different language/ethnic groups, and in particular those with disadvantaged schooling, as preliminary data suggest that these individuals achieve scores which are 20 – 35 points lower than the UK standardisation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Mediation and the nature of cognitive socialization in the crèche and the home in a black rural context
- Authors: Van der Riet, Mary Boudine
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: Socialization , Day care centers -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects , Social change -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3077 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002586 , Socialization , Day care centers -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects , Social change -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects
- Description: This thesis examines socialization in the homes and crèches of a rural area in a time of change. Change which is controlled and initiated from outside the local context, creates a dilemma for socialization agents when it introduces a knowledge paradigm different from that operating locally. Rural South African communities frequently experience exogenous change. The introduction of rural preschools, locally known as crèches, provides one example of such change challenging local socialization agents. While rural residents may not operate within knowledge paradigms to deal effectively with such change, they are not necessarily defeated by it. They "grapple" with the uncertainty, developing ways of coping and containing the change. This forms the focus of this thesis. Vygotsky's concept of mediation and conceptualization of the individual/society relationship, informs the examination of "grappling" with change. Two central questions are addressed: In an unfamiliar situation, what is mediated and what resources are drawn on? The research was designed around the recognition of the process nature of research, the constructivism inherent in research and the significance of the social context. Two central mediators, the mother and the crèche teacher, and the broader social context of the home and the creche, were examined. Three levels of investigation were utilised. An analysis of mediation in dyads working on an unfamiliar task provided insight into the social/psychological dynamics. Interviews with residents highlighted socialization beliefs and practices and the social context. Analysis of verses and stories taught to children revealed the inherent ideology of socialization. The main findings of this study are that: Rural residents "grapple" with social change by drawing on their own resources; in "grappling" with the unfamiliar what is mediated is an adult/child interactional status based on the inherent ideology of socialization and the dominant resource drawn on is the "culture of orality". It is argued that in the situation of neither mastery nor defeat, rural residents have used intermediary strategies of coping and containing the effect of the preschool as an agent of exogenous, social change. Recommendations are made for integrating "socialized" and "learned" knowledge from the home and the crèche.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
- Authors: Van der Riet, Mary Boudine
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: Socialization , Day care centers -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects , Social change -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3077 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002586 , Socialization , Day care centers -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects , Social change -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects
- Description: This thesis examines socialization in the homes and crèches of a rural area in a time of change. Change which is controlled and initiated from outside the local context, creates a dilemma for socialization agents when it introduces a knowledge paradigm different from that operating locally. Rural South African communities frequently experience exogenous change. The introduction of rural preschools, locally known as crèches, provides one example of such change challenging local socialization agents. While rural residents may not operate within knowledge paradigms to deal effectively with such change, they are not necessarily defeated by it. They "grapple" with the uncertainty, developing ways of coping and containing the change. This forms the focus of this thesis. Vygotsky's concept of mediation and conceptualization of the individual/society relationship, informs the examination of "grappling" with change. Two central questions are addressed: In an unfamiliar situation, what is mediated and what resources are drawn on? The research was designed around the recognition of the process nature of research, the constructivism inherent in research and the significance of the social context. Two central mediators, the mother and the crèche teacher, and the broader social context of the home and the creche, were examined. Three levels of investigation were utilised. An analysis of mediation in dyads working on an unfamiliar task provided insight into the social/psychological dynamics. Interviews with residents highlighted socialization beliefs and practices and the social context. Analysis of verses and stories taught to children revealed the inherent ideology of socialization. The main findings of this study are that: Rural residents "grapple" with social change by drawing on their own resources; in "grappling" with the unfamiliar what is mediated is an adult/child interactional status based on the inherent ideology of socialization and the dominant resource drawn on is the "culture of orality". It is argued that in the situation of neither mastery nor defeat, rural residents have used intermediary strategies of coping and containing the effect of the preschool as an agent of exogenous, social change. Recommendations are made for integrating "socialized" and "learned" knowledge from the home and the crèche.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
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
Holding on or letting go?: the resolution of grief in relation to two Xhosa rituals in South Africa
- Authors: Van Heerden, Gary Paul
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: South Africa -- Social life and customs , Death -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Mourning customs -- South Africa , Bereavement -- Psychological aspects , Bereavement -- South Africa -- Cross-cultural studies , Death -- South Africa -- Cross-cultural studies , Xhosa (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies , Xhosa (African people) -- Social life and customs , Animal sacrifice -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3253 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016055
- Description: The dominant emphasis in Western models of bereavement is on the breaking of bonds with the deceased in order for healing to occur. Failure to let go often leads to a diagnosis of 'pathological grief'. This paper challenges the assumption that death invariably means that the bonds with the deceased have to be severed. Situating Western models of bereavement in a modernist context not only challenges the 'truth' claims of these models, but also facilitates a deconstruction of the elements that contribute to the emphasis on letting go. In contrast to these theories, two Xhosa rituals (umkhapho and umbuyiso) that seek to sustain the bond with the deceased person will be examined. Such rituals demonstrate that it is possible to both maintain the bond and for the bereaved person to move on with their lives. Despite different contexts, it will be argued that these Xhosa bereavement rituals have a contribution to make to Western models of bereavement and some implications for therapy will be explored.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Van Heerden, Gary Paul
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: South Africa -- Social life and customs , Death -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Mourning customs -- South Africa , Bereavement -- Psychological aspects , Bereavement -- South Africa -- Cross-cultural studies , Death -- South Africa -- Cross-cultural studies , Xhosa (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies , Xhosa (African people) -- Social life and customs , Animal sacrifice -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3253 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016055
- Description: The dominant emphasis in Western models of bereavement is on the breaking of bonds with the deceased in order for healing to occur. Failure to let go often leads to a diagnosis of 'pathological grief'. This paper challenges the assumption that death invariably means that the bonds with the deceased have to be severed. Situating Western models of bereavement in a modernist context not only challenges the 'truth' claims of these models, but also facilitates a deconstruction of the elements that contribute to the emphasis on letting go. In contrast to these theories, two Xhosa rituals (umkhapho and umbuyiso) that seek to sustain the bond with the deceased person will be examined. Such rituals demonstrate that it is possible to both maintain the bond and for the bereaved person to move on with their lives. Despite different contexts, it will be argued that these Xhosa bereavement rituals have a contribution to make to Western models of bereavement and some implications for therapy will be explored.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
WISC-IV performance of South African grade 7 English and Xhosa speaking children with advantaged versus disadvantaged education
- Authors: Van Tonder, Phia
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Intelligence tests -- South Africa Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa Psychological tests -- Cross-cultural studies Educational psychology -- South Africa Language and languages -- Ability testing Educational evaluation -- South Africa Education, Elementary -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3098 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003920
- Description: Research reveals that the level as well as the quality of education plays a role in the determination of an individual's intellectual capacity. Substantial differences in quality of education for black and white individuals were experienced in South Africa due to Apartheid. Compared to the traditionally white Private and Model C schools, Township/ DET schools had limited resources, as well as a separate syllabus and examination system, a situation that has not improved substantially since democratisation in 1994. Research on black South African adults with the WAIS-III has confirmed significant influences on IQ in association with exposure to either such advantaged (Private/Model C) schooling, or disadvantaged (Township/DET) schooling. However to date there has been no published research on the use of the Wechsler intelligence tests on a black South African child population similarly stratified for quality of education. Therefore, for the purposes of this study, the latest Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) was administered to a sample of 36 Grade 7 learners between the ages of 12-13 (mean 13.01 years), stratified for quality of education to form three comparative groups. Data analyses revealed significant differences on the WISC-IV Factor Indices and Full Scale IQ with the English speaking Private/Model C school group performing the best, followed by the Xhosa speaking Private/ Model C school group, and the Xhosa speaking Township/ DET school group performing the worst. This continuum of lowering is understood to occur abreast of a continuum of decreased exposure to relatively advantaged education. These normative indications are considered to have vital implications for the use of the WISC-IV in the South African cross-cultural situation where vastly differential educational opportunities continue to exist.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Van Tonder, Phia
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Intelligence tests -- South Africa Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa Psychological tests -- Cross-cultural studies Educational psychology -- South Africa Language and languages -- Ability testing Educational evaluation -- South Africa Education, Elementary -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3098 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003920
- Description: Research reveals that the level as well as the quality of education plays a role in the determination of an individual's intellectual capacity. Substantial differences in quality of education for black and white individuals were experienced in South Africa due to Apartheid. Compared to the traditionally white Private and Model C schools, Township/ DET schools had limited resources, as well as a separate syllabus and examination system, a situation that has not improved substantially since democratisation in 1994. Research on black South African adults with the WAIS-III has confirmed significant influences on IQ in association with exposure to either such advantaged (Private/Model C) schooling, or disadvantaged (Township/DET) schooling. However to date there has been no published research on the use of the Wechsler intelligence tests on a black South African child population similarly stratified for quality of education. Therefore, for the purposes of this study, the latest Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) was administered to a sample of 36 Grade 7 learners between the ages of 12-13 (mean 13.01 years), stratified for quality of education to form three comparative groups. Data analyses revealed significant differences on the WISC-IV Factor Indices and Full Scale IQ with the English speaking Private/Model C school group performing the best, followed by the Xhosa speaking Private/ Model C school group, and the Xhosa speaking Township/ DET school group performing the worst. This continuum of lowering is understood to occur abreast of a continuum of decreased exposure to relatively advantaged education. These normative indications are considered to have vital implications for the use of the WISC-IV in the South African cross-cultural situation where vastly differential educational opportunities continue to exist.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Group problem solving among community activists in a South African setting: an everyday cognition approach
- Authors: Van Vlaenderen, Hilde
- Date: 1998
- Subjects: Group problem solving Group problem solving -- South Africa Cross-cultural studies -- Methodology Cognition Cross-cultural studies Cognition -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3080 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002589
- Description: The study focuses on the everyday problem solving processes of a group of community activists in a rural setting in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It aims to uncover: first, the local knowledge of the participants of the study with reference to the concepts problem and problem solving; second, the participants' group problem solving procedure; and third, the dialectical interrelation between the participants' knowledge and practice with reference to everyday group problem solving. It is contended that the mainstream cognitive approach and the cross-cultural tradition are inappropriate for the study of everyday cognitive processes. A ‘situated cognition’ approach, based on the notions of activity and cultural mediation, is proposed as a theoretical framework for the study. The ontological and epistemological assumptions underpinning the empirical study were derived from a scientific realist and a hermeneutical paradigm. Data for the inquiry into the local knowledge of the participants was collected through individual interviews. The data was interpreted, using the grounded theory techniques of constant comparison, coding and compiling theoretical diagrams. Data for the inquiry into the participants' group problem solving practice consisted of video-taped group problem solving processes. This data was analysed, using a multi layered process of progressively deeper interpretation, employing a reading guide technique. Analysis of the research data revealed that the participants perceived a problem as an impediment to satisfactory participation in society. Problem solving was considered as an emotive, cognitive and inter-active process, involving particular role players. This process had a certain structure, involved attitudes and actions and relied on particular resources. Successful problem solving was perceived to result in restoration of social equilibrium. The group problem solving procedure used by the participants consisted of a process of developing a common understanding and group consensus. The strategies employed in the process, the roles played by the participants, the rules adhered to by the participants and the structure underlying the process were all congruent with these aims. There was a mutually reinforcing interrelation between knowledge and practice with reference to the participants’ problem solving.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1998
- Authors: Van Vlaenderen, Hilde
- Date: 1998
- Subjects: Group problem solving Group problem solving -- South Africa Cross-cultural studies -- Methodology Cognition Cross-cultural studies Cognition -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3080 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002589
- Description: The study focuses on the everyday problem solving processes of a group of community activists in a rural setting in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It aims to uncover: first, the local knowledge of the participants of the study with reference to the concepts problem and problem solving; second, the participants' group problem solving procedure; and third, the dialectical interrelation between the participants' knowledge and practice with reference to everyday group problem solving. It is contended that the mainstream cognitive approach and the cross-cultural tradition are inappropriate for the study of everyday cognitive processes. A ‘situated cognition’ approach, based on the notions of activity and cultural mediation, is proposed as a theoretical framework for the study. The ontological and epistemological assumptions underpinning the empirical study were derived from a scientific realist and a hermeneutical paradigm. Data for the inquiry into the local knowledge of the participants was collected through individual interviews. The data was interpreted, using the grounded theory techniques of constant comparison, coding and compiling theoretical diagrams. Data for the inquiry into the participants' group problem solving practice consisted of video-taped group problem solving processes. This data was analysed, using a multi layered process of progressively deeper interpretation, employing a reading guide technique. Analysis of the research data revealed that the participants perceived a problem as an impediment to satisfactory participation in society. Problem solving was considered as an emotive, cognitive and inter-active process, involving particular role players. This process had a certain structure, involved attitudes and actions and relied on particular resources. Successful problem solving was perceived to result in restoration of social equilibrium. The group problem solving procedure used by the participants consisted of a process of developing a common understanding and group consensus. The strategies employed in the process, the roles played by the participants, the rules adhered to by the participants and the structure underlying the process were all congruent with these aims. There was a mutually reinforcing interrelation between knowledge and practice with reference to the participants’ problem solving.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1998
Views of the journey of grade 1 learners with barriers to learning, in the inclusive education system: a multi-level systemic investigation
- Van Vuuren, Cornelia Margaretha
- Authors: Van Vuuren, Cornelia Margaretha
- Date: 2022-10-04
- Subjects: Inclusive education South Africa Eastern Cape , Special education teachers South Africa Eastern Cape Attitudes , South Africa. Department of Education , Children with disabilities Education (Elementary) Government policy South Africa , Special education teachers Training of South Africa Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/327122 , vital:61083 , DOI 10.21504/10962/327122
- Description: Embedded in South Africa’s humanitarian discourse, inclusive education (IE) followed global trends of inclusion of all people into wider society without discrimination. Inclusion in mainstream schools should also, according to the Salamanca agreement provide equal quality education, enabling learners with special educational needs (LSEN) to reach their full potential as a basic human right. IE started in South Africa with the implementation of the inclusive policy EWP6 in 2001. Including all children with barriers to learning in schools in their communities promoted social inclusion with their peers. The DoE introduced the Policy of Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support (SIAS) in 2014. This policy was implemented to assist teachers to identify learning barriers, as a means of offering support to these learners through the inclusive system. However, it seems that educators found this process cumbersome, without resources to maintain the process and with multiple systemic barriers preventing, rather than enhancing, support to LSEN. This multi-level systemic study explores the views of educators and other stakeholders on the effectiveness of the IE system in supporting LSEN, to serve the best interests of these learners in their first year of formal schooling. The study was conducted in three selected diverse mainstream Eastern Cape (EC) rural schools, involving the views of educators, district officials and parents. The study probed the impact of the inclusive system on LSEN’s development and social wellbeing, the perceived effects and benefits of the current system, and how the education model contributes towards human rights objectives and constitutional imperatives. The study acknowledges the theories and policies of the current inclusive system as promoting inclusion, but not being successfully realised in rural areas in the South African context, due to several systemic and contextual barriers. The findings revealed that although all participants noted the possible benefits of IE, the current system did not serve the individual educational needs of LSEN in rural mainstream schools, in their first formal year of schooling. Several constraints were reported including lack of resources, insufficient Allied Health support services, and insufficient training of educators. These lead to feelings of inadequacy in educators, along with systemic and contextual barriers and financial constraints in the schools. There also seems to be a need for better collaboration between education and other departments serving children and communities. To conclude, this study suggests a broader multi-level networked system, in which there needs to be greater interaction between the DoE and other government departments supporting children with barriers, like the Departments of Health (DoH), Social Development (DSD) and Justice (DoJ). , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-10-04
- Authors: Van Vuuren, Cornelia Margaretha
- Date: 2022-10-04
- Subjects: Inclusive education South Africa Eastern Cape , Special education teachers South Africa Eastern Cape Attitudes , South Africa. Department of Education , Children with disabilities Education (Elementary) Government policy South Africa , Special education teachers Training of South Africa Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/327122 , vital:61083 , DOI 10.21504/10962/327122
- Description: Embedded in South Africa’s humanitarian discourse, inclusive education (IE) followed global trends of inclusion of all people into wider society without discrimination. Inclusion in mainstream schools should also, according to the Salamanca agreement provide equal quality education, enabling learners with special educational needs (LSEN) to reach their full potential as a basic human right. IE started in South Africa with the implementation of the inclusive policy EWP6 in 2001. Including all children with barriers to learning in schools in their communities promoted social inclusion with their peers. The DoE introduced the Policy of Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support (SIAS) in 2014. This policy was implemented to assist teachers to identify learning barriers, as a means of offering support to these learners through the inclusive system. However, it seems that educators found this process cumbersome, without resources to maintain the process and with multiple systemic barriers preventing, rather than enhancing, support to LSEN. This multi-level systemic study explores the views of educators and other stakeholders on the effectiveness of the IE system in supporting LSEN, to serve the best interests of these learners in their first year of formal schooling. The study was conducted in three selected diverse mainstream Eastern Cape (EC) rural schools, involving the views of educators, district officials and parents. The study probed the impact of the inclusive system on LSEN’s development and social wellbeing, the perceived effects and benefits of the current system, and how the education model contributes towards human rights objectives and constitutional imperatives. The study acknowledges the theories and policies of the current inclusive system as promoting inclusion, but not being successfully realised in rural areas in the South African context, due to several systemic and contextual barriers. The findings revealed that although all participants noted the possible benefits of IE, the current system did not serve the individual educational needs of LSEN in rural mainstream schools, in their first formal year of schooling. Several constraints were reported including lack of resources, insufficient Allied Health support services, and insufficient training of educators. These lead to feelings of inadequacy in educators, along with systemic and contextual barriers and financial constraints in the schools. There also seems to be a need for better collaboration between education and other departments serving children and communities. To conclude, this study suggests a broader multi-level networked system, in which there needs to be greater interaction between the DoE and other government departments supporting children with barriers, like the Departments of Health (DoH), Social Development (DSD) and Justice (DoJ). , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-10-04
A phenomenological investigation of the experience of "connected breathing"
- Authors: Van Wyk, Edmund
- Date: 1983
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:21110 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6439
- Description: My interest in "Connected Breathing" began with my own experience of this technique during a Gestalt workshop. It had a profound impact on me. I knew practically nothing about the theory, or lack of a theory, but my interest had been aroused. In my reading on the subject later, I was struck by the incongruence between my experience and what I read I was supposed to be experiencing. This led me "zu der Sache selbst." By using the phenomenological method, this study then is an attempt to come to an essential description of the experience of "Connected Breathing" and to make some evaluation of its usefulness as a psychotherapeutic technique. "Connected Breathing" is the main technique of the “Rebirthing”movement. It is, therefore, necessary to give some account of the development and theory, if any, of this movement. "Rebirthing" does not claim to be a psychotherapy. However, its technique of "Connected Breathing" does seem to have much in common with the techniques used by various established somatic psychotherapies. A brief overview of the development of some of these psychotherapies and their emphasis on breathing techniques is, therefore, also essential.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1983
- Authors: Van Wyk, Edmund
- Date: 1983
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:21110 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6439
- Description: My interest in "Connected Breathing" began with my own experience of this technique during a Gestalt workshop. It had a profound impact on me. I knew practically nothing about the theory, or lack of a theory, but my interest had been aroused. In my reading on the subject later, I was struck by the incongruence between my experience and what I read I was supposed to be experiencing. This led me "zu der Sache selbst." By using the phenomenological method, this study then is an attempt to come to an essential description of the experience of "Connected Breathing" and to make some evaluation of its usefulness as a psychotherapeutic technique. "Connected Breathing" is the main technique of the “Rebirthing”movement. It is, therefore, necessary to give some account of the development and theory, if any, of this movement. "Rebirthing" does not claim to be a psychotherapy. However, its technique of "Connected Breathing" does seem to have much in common with the techniques used by various established somatic psychotherapies. A brief overview of the development of some of these psychotherapies and their emphasis on breathing techniques is, therefore, also essential.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1983
Undertaking to care and to protect : The experience of killing healthy homeless animals in South Africa
- Authors: Van Zyl, Henriette Louise
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Animal welfare -- Moral and ethical aspects -- South Africa , Euthanasia of animals -- South Africa , Euthanasia of animals -- Psychological aspects , Human-animal relationships -- South Africa , Animal rights -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3245 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013577
- Description: Although animal welfare workers overwhelmingly describe themselves as animal lovers the exigencies of day to day animal welfare work often require that they perform euthanasia of healthy animals as part of welfare shelter management, and animal population control. In this research study, the particular burdens placed upon seven South Animal welfare workers who are required to rescue, care for, nurture and rehabilitate the animals in their care; while simultaneously being required to kill these same – often physically and behaviourally healthy - animals after a specific period of time, or in response to various logistical, procedural and practical intricacies, ranging from lack of space and resources to an unavailability of suitable homes; are explored from an interpretative phenomenological approach using the Interpretative Phenomenological Method (IPA), and from a South African perspective. It was found that animal-loving individuals engaged in the care and subsequent euthanasia of healthy animals report experiencing profound personal, interpersonal and professional and ideological (dis)stress related to guilt, sorrow, moral unease and horror. Four themes emerged from interview data, which are discussed in relation to relevant research and literature. Experiences in a South African context were found to be very much aligned with those reported in previous research and literature pertaining to this topic. In particular, it was found that there is a need to articulate specifically, and precisely the nature of the act. It is proposed that the term “Agapéthanasia” would be appropriate and useful in this field.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Van Zyl, Henriette Louise
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Animal welfare -- Moral and ethical aspects -- South Africa , Euthanasia of animals -- South Africa , Euthanasia of animals -- Psychological aspects , Human-animal relationships -- South Africa , Animal rights -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3245 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013577
- Description: Although animal welfare workers overwhelmingly describe themselves as animal lovers the exigencies of day to day animal welfare work often require that they perform euthanasia of healthy animals as part of welfare shelter management, and animal population control. In this research study, the particular burdens placed upon seven South Animal welfare workers who are required to rescue, care for, nurture and rehabilitate the animals in their care; while simultaneously being required to kill these same – often physically and behaviourally healthy - animals after a specific period of time, or in response to various logistical, procedural and practical intricacies, ranging from lack of space and resources to an unavailability of suitable homes; are explored from an interpretative phenomenological approach using the Interpretative Phenomenological Method (IPA), and from a South African perspective. It was found that animal-loving individuals engaged in the care and subsequent euthanasia of healthy animals report experiencing profound personal, interpersonal and professional and ideological (dis)stress related to guilt, sorrow, moral unease and horror. Four themes emerged from interview data, which are discussed in relation to relevant research and literature. Experiences in a South African context were found to be very much aligned with those reported in previous research and literature pertaining to this topic. In particular, it was found that there is a need to articulate specifically, and precisely the nature of the act. It is proposed that the term “Agapéthanasia” would be appropriate and useful in this field.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Standardization of Raven's standard progressive matrices for secondary school African pupils in the Grahamstown region
- Authors: Vass, Vasili Arthur
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Black people -- Education -- South Africa , Intelligence tests -- South Africa , Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa , Cognition and culture , Raven's Progressive Matrices
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3078 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002587 , Black people -- Education -- South Africa , Intelligence tests -- South Africa , Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa , Cognition and culture , Raven's Progressive Matrices
- Description: Arising out of a need, expressed by Clinical Psychologists in the Grahamstown region, for the fair assessment of secondary School African pupils, norms for the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) were established. Two methods of presentation were used, the first using the original instructions of John Raven translated into the students' first language of Xhosa, hence-forth referred to as the Alternate sample. The second method of presenting the instructions was adapted, to include the use of visual aids and active participation in the instruction phase of the test, hence-forth referred to as the Normative sample. In addition to the establishment of norms, the two methods of test presentation were investigated to see if the method of presentation had an effect on the results of the Raven's SPM. The population was drawn from the three African Secondary Schools in the Grahamstown municipality. The total population consisted of 3 232 students. Classes were randomly sampled across the three schools, with the average age of the Normative sample being 19.3 years. The sample consisted of 812 pupils, 711 in the Normative sample and 101 in the Alternate Sample. The following results and conclusions arose from the study: 1) Norms generated were considerably lower than previously established norms in similar studies. 2) t-Test results indicated that the method of test presentation on the Raven's SPM is important when assessing students that may be regarded as 'disadvantaged'. 3) Respondents scored significantly higher when the method of presenting the instructions ensured a greater understanding of the task demanded of the respondents. 4) The analyses of covariance indicate that male subjects score significantly higher than female subjects, and that there is a significant difference between the ages and educational standard, on the scores of the Raven's SPM. 5) The differences found contradict previous findings using the test, and question the cultural fairness of the test.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
- Authors: Vass, Vasili Arthur
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Black people -- Education -- South Africa , Intelligence tests -- South Africa , Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa , Cognition and culture , Raven's Progressive Matrices
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3078 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002587 , Black people -- Education -- South Africa , Intelligence tests -- South Africa , Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa , Cognition and culture , Raven's Progressive Matrices
- Description: Arising out of a need, expressed by Clinical Psychologists in the Grahamstown region, for the fair assessment of secondary School African pupils, norms for the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) were established. Two methods of presentation were used, the first using the original instructions of John Raven translated into the students' first language of Xhosa, hence-forth referred to as the Alternate sample. The second method of presenting the instructions was adapted, to include the use of visual aids and active participation in the instruction phase of the test, hence-forth referred to as the Normative sample. In addition to the establishment of norms, the two methods of test presentation were investigated to see if the method of presentation had an effect on the results of the Raven's SPM. The population was drawn from the three African Secondary Schools in the Grahamstown municipality. The total population consisted of 3 232 students. Classes were randomly sampled across the three schools, with the average age of the Normative sample being 19.3 years. The sample consisted of 812 pupils, 711 in the Normative sample and 101 in the Alternate Sample. The following results and conclusions arose from the study: 1) Norms generated were considerably lower than previously established norms in similar studies. 2) t-Test results indicated that the method of test presentation on the Raven's SPM is important when assessing students that may be regarded as 'disadvantaged'. 3) Respondents scored significantly higher when the method of presenting the instructions ensured a greater understanding of the task demanded of the respondents. 4) The analyses of covariance indicate that male subjects score significantly higher than female subjects, and that there is a significant difference between the ages and educational standard, on the scores of the Raven's SPM. 5) The differences found contradict previous findings using the test, and question the cultural fairness of the test.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
Rural students' local knowledge of learning in formal and informal contexts
- Authors: Visser, Alvin-Jon
- Date: 2000
- Subjects: Non-formal education -- South Africa , Education and state -- South Africa , Rural children -- Education -- South Africa , Black people -- Education -- South Africa , Community and school -- South Africa , Education, Rural -- Social Aspects -- South Africa , Rural schools -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3079 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002588 , Non-formal education -- South Africa , Education and state -- South Africa , Rural children -- Education -- South Africa , Black people -- Education -- South Africa , Community and school -- South Africa , Education, Rural -- Social Aspects -- South Africa , Rural schools -- South Africa
- Description: The general aim of this thesis is to illuminate the process of learning as it occurs in formal and informal contexts. The study focuses on South African scholars attending school in rural areas where the contrast between learning in formal and informal learning contexts is more pronounced than that in urban areas. The research draws on rural scholars' local knowledge of formal and informal learning contexts in order to gain a rich insight into how cognition is situated in different learning contexts. This is accomplished through investigating the structure of the respective learning tasks, the mediators involved, the task objectives and the means for achieving these objectives in the different learning contexts. The thesis draws on a socio-cultural approach to the study of cognitive development to probe the activity of learning in a formal and informal learning context. Through the use of a context sensitive methodological methods especially Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools and techniques, it was possible to illuminate tacit local knowledge structures and to get participants to actively explicate their understandings related to learning in different contexts The research results illustrate the assertion that the activity of learning is fundamentally situated in the learning context from which it arises. Learning is framed by the community of practice which structures affordances for situated learning, through mediation, within zones of proximal development. Learning in a formal context such as the school is often abstract, rule-based, standardised and theory related. Learners also find it difficult to reflect on the learning tasks and the mediational means used in a formal learning context. In contrast, the learning which takes place in an informal setting is often practical, individualised, flexible and environment based. This learning is structured around everyday activities and is dynamically defined and supported. In a situation where a learner is exposed to dislocated learning contexts, the essential goal of educational initiatives is to bridge the gap between the two. This can be achieved through mediators creating effective zones of proximal development which facilitate the individuals adaptation between learning contexts. Exposing rural scholars' local knowledge of learning in formal and informal contexts allows for a fuller understanding of the cognitive development structured within formal and informal communities of practice. It is this understanding that is necessary to address the situation where learning contexts, drawing on different knowledge bases find ways of thinking, prove challenging and/or conflicting to the scholar.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2000
- Authors: Visser, Alvin-Jon
- Date: 2000
- Subjects: Non-formal education -- South Africa , Education and state -- South Africa , Rural children -- Education -- South Africa , Black people -- Education -- South Africa , Community and school -- South Africa , Education, Rural -- Social Aspects -- South Africa , Rural schools -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3079 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002588 , Non-formal education -- South Africa , Education and state -- South Africa , Rural children -- Education -- South Africa , Black people -- Education -- South Africa , Community and school -- South Africa , Education, Rural -- Social Aspects -- South Africa , Rural schools -- South Africa
- Description: The general aim of this thesis is to illuminate the process of learning as it occurs in formal and informal contexts. The study focuses on South African scholars attending school in rural areas where the contrast between learning in formal and informal learning contexts is more pronounced than that in urban areas. The research draws on rural scholars' local knowledge of formal and informal learning contexts in order to gain a rich insight into how cognition is situated in different learning contexts. This is accomplished through investigating the structure of the respective learning tasks, the mediators involved, the task objectives and the means for achieving these objectives in the different learning contexts. The thesis draws on a socio-cultural approach to the study of cognitive development to probe the activity of learning in a formal and informal learning context. Through the use of a context sensitive methodological methods especially Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools and techniques, it was possible to illuminate tacit local knowledge structures and to get participants to actively explicate their understandings related to learning in different contexts The research results illustrate the assertion that the activity of learning is fundamentally situated in the learning context from which it arises. Learning is framed by the community of practice which structures affordances for situated learning, through mediation, within zones of proximal development. Learning in a formal context such as the school is often abstract, rule-based, standardised and theory related. Learners also find it difficult to reflect on the learning tasks and the mediational means used in a formal learning context. In contrast, the learning which takes place in an informal setting is often practical, individualised, flexible and environment based. This learning is structured around everyday activities and is dynamically defined and supported. In a situation where a learner is exposed to dislocated learning contexts, the essential goal of educational initiatives is to bridge the gap between the two. This can be achieved through mediators creating effective zones of proximal development which facilitate the individuals adaptation between learning contexts. Exposing rural scholars' local knowledge of learning in formal and informal contexts allows for a fuller understanding of the cognitive development structured within formal and informal communities of practice. It is this understanding that is necessary to address the situation where learning contexts, drawing on different knowledge bases find ways of thinking, prove challenging and/or conflicting to the scholar.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2000
The process of learning and teaching in supplemental instruction groups at Rhodes University
- Authors: Vorster, Jo-Anne Elizabeth
- Date: 1999
- Subjects: Group work in education , Team learning approach in education , College teaching -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3081 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002590 , Group work in education , Team learning approach in education , College teaching -- South Africa
- Description: This thesis investigates the process of peer collaborative learning in three Supplemental Instruction (SI) groups at Rhodes University. The roles of the SI leader, the students and the task in the peer-collaborative learning-teaching process were researched. The research is rooted in sociocultural theories of learning and development. The notion of activity is thus central to this investigation. The tasks, goals and interactions in the SI sessions were analysed in order to arrive at an understanding of the process of learning-teaching in each of the three SI sessions. A method of analysis devised by Van Vlaenderen to study the process of everyday cognition in the problem solving activities of community activists (1997) was adapted for this study. The method of analysis was used to study the interaction processes of participants in the SI groups. Each interaction between the SI participants was broken into its constituent parts and labeled in terms of the goals of the interactions in relation to the preceding interaction or operation, the task or subtask under discussion, and the SI session as a whole. Data from the analysis of the activity were quantified in order to assess the quality of the learning-teaching process. A qualitative analysis of the patterns of mediation was used in conjunction with the quantified data of interaction patterns to draw conclusions about the nature of the peer collaborative learning-teaching process in the three SI sessions. The research findings indicate that the nature of the SI task is crucial; students in SI need to be able and willing to participate; and the facilitation style of the SI leader plays a role in determining the quality of the activity in the SI session. The thesis explicates learning-teaching activity that results in higher order learning.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1999
- Authors: Vorster, Jo-Anne Elizabeth
- Date: 1999
- Subjects: Group work in education , Team learning approach in education , College teaching -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3081 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002590 , Group work in education , Team learning approach in education , College teaching -- South Africa
- Description: This thesis investigates the process of peer collaborative learning in three Supplemental Instruction (SI) groups at Rhodes University. The roles of the SI leader, the students and the task in the peer-collaborative learning-teaching process were researched. The research is rooted in sociocultural theories of learning and development. The notion of activity is thus central to this investigation. The tasks, goals and interactions in the SI sessions were analysed in order to arrive at an understanding of the process of learning-teaching in each of the three SI sessions. A method of analysis devised by Van Vlaenderen to study the process of everyday cognition in the problem solving activities of community activists (1997) was adapted for this study. The method of analysis was used to study the interaction processes of participants in the SI groups. Each interaction between the SI participants was broken into its constituent parts and labeled in terms of the goals of the interactions in relation to the preceding interaction or operation, the task or subtask under discussion, and the SI session as a whole. Data from the analysis of the activity were quantified in order to assess the quality of the learning-teaching process. A qualitative analysis of the patterns of mediation was used in conjunction with the quantified data of interaction patterns to draw conclusions about the nature of the peer collaborative learning-teaching process in the three SI sessions. The research findings indicate that the nature of the SI task is crucial; students in SI need to be able and willing to participate; and the facilitation style of the SI leader plays a role in determining the quality of the activity in the SI session. The thesis explicates learning-teaching activity that results in higher order learning.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1999
Intercultural communication on a passenger aircraft flight deck: a qualitative study set in the context of South African corporate affirmative action policy
- Authors: Waite, Michele Jeannette
- Date: 1995
- Subjects: Intercultural communication South Africa , Language and culture South Africa , Communication and culture South Africa , Affirmative action programs South Africa , Air pilots South Africa Language , Flight crews South Africa Language ,
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3082 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002591
- Description: The recent emphasis on Affirmative Action policies in South African corporations has illuminated the issue of cultural diversity in organizations and the difficulties arising from this transition and change. One such difficulty is the problem of intercultural communication where miscommunication can have life-threatening consequences. This problem is particularly critical in the operational environment of the passenger aircraft flight deck where small group factors, as well as intercultural issues must be taken into account. In this thesis the problem of intercultural communication in such contexts as a consequence of Affirmative Action is examined. The data for this thesis comprises the communication of five culturally diverse flight crews. A multi-method was used for the gathering and analysis of this data. This involved the use of video-taped flight simulator sessions, and personal interviews with each crew member. The subjects themselves were involved in identifying key communication problems from the video and interpretation of the data. Three levels of analysis were used in the interpretation of the findings - the individual, the group and the organization. The factors which affected communication at each level in the small, culturally diverse group are highlighted. Furthermore, factors which influence the climate in which communication takes place are also considered. The implications for Affirmative Action are discussed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1995
- Authors: Waite, Michele Jeannette
- Date: 1995
- Subjects: Intercultural communication South Africa , Language and culture South Africa , Communication and culture South Africa , Affirmative action programs South Africa , Air pilots South Africa Language , Flight crews South Africa Language ,
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3082 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002591
- Description: The recent emphasis on Affirmative Action policies in South African corporations has illuminated the issue of cultural diversity in organizations and the difficulties arising from this transition and change. One such difficulty is the problem of intercultural communication where miscommunication can have life-threatening consequences. This problem is particularly critical in the operational environment of the passenger aircraft flight deck where small group factors, as well as intercultural issues must be taken into account. In this thesis the problem of intercultural communication in such contexts as a consequence of Affirmative Action is examined. The data for this thesis comprises the communication of five culturally diverse flight crews. A multi-method was used for the gathering and analysis of this data. This involved the use of video-taped flight simulator sessions, and personal interviews with each crew member. The subjects themselves were involved in identifying key communication problems from the video and interpretation of the data. Three levels of analysis were used in the interpretation of the findings - the individual, the group and the organization. The factors which affected communication at each level in the small, culturally diverse group are highlighted. Furthermore, factors which influence the climate in which communication takes place are also considered. The implications for Affirmative Action are discussed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1995